talesin

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Posts by talesin

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  1320

  YOUR DAILY JOURNAL

  by compound complex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dear friends,.

  much of what we do on a daily basis is routine and of no particular, earth-shaking importance.

  however, after reviewing letters of family going back to wwii, it is fascinating to read what dad was doing on board the aircraft carrier in the pacific on any old day, what mom was cooking on her ever-steaming range, how i was dealing with the roller coaster of emotion at bethel [mom saved all my letters], how nana wrote that she would not study with the witnesses [per my request] but 'here are some mittens i knitted for you when you canvass new york with your magazines.

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  talesin

  Hell and damnation, man! Moi? Go quietly? Ahahaha!

  : D
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  1320

  YOUR DAILY JOURNAL

  by compound complex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dear friends,.

  much of what we do on a daily basis is routine and of no particular, earth-shaking importance.

  however, after reviewing letters of family going back to wwii, it is fascinating to read what dad was doing on board the aircraft carrier in the pacific on any old day, what mom was cooking on her ever-steaming range, how i was dealing with the roller coaster of emotion at bethel [mom saved all my letters], how nana wrote that she would not study with the witnesses [per my request] but 'here are some mittens i knitted for you when you canvass new york with your magazines.

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  talesin

  I've come to feel, the mantle of white that wraps the world in winter, glows with the peace of a hard-earned slumber. My loved ones are no longer in pain, and I rest easier knowing that is true, with the certainty that only death brings. I feel and share your ennui, dearest CoCo. Grieve not for those who are now at rest; it is the living who suffer their loss. xoxo
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  29

  Is ANYONE in charge a real ordained minister? College degrees? Seminary? A real Theological degree?

  by WireRider in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  and i don't mean that stupid made up shit russell just invented only a 100 yrs ago.

  he never passed the 7th grade and declared that the world was too stupid to understand the bible without him.. who do you follow and pore money into the watchtower?.

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  talesin

  I would imagine earning a degree in theology at Harvard wouldn't be easy.

  Very true, especially a BA, as they don't have an undergrad program. : )

  I don't know why anyone would think that a degree in Theology is composed entirely of bird courses. Or is that a slam at all arts programs? smh
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  29

  Is ANYONE in charge a real ordained minister? College degrees? Seminary? A real Theological degree?

  by WireRider in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  and i don't mean that stupid made up shit russell just invented only a 100 yrs ago.

  he never passed the 7th grade and declared that the world was too stupid to understand the bible without him.. who do you follow and pore money into the watchtower?.

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  talesin

  So true, Finkelstein - I tend to think of them as "Carpetbaggers'. : D
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  50

  The money question...

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am intrigued to know if there is truly any evidence of financial irregularities in the jehovah's witness organisation or if any one or group are raking off funds or benefitting financially...?.

  whilst i disagree wholeheartedly with most of their teachings and practices, dogmatism, legalism and superiority complex, i don't honestly think there's anyone making millions at the top.

  yes you could say that the gb are comfortably off, don't have to pay bills etc but they do actually get up in the morning and 'work', they aren't going off in private jets to tropical islands or driving bentleys.

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  talesin

  know this has posted before, but can't a non-profit be audited? If nothing else to check their status as a non-profit as not-prophets?

  In Canada, non profits (offering receipts for taxes) are required to make their Financial Statements public. In fact, shocking to me, that they still have tax-exempt status in Canada. That would be a great project if anyone is interested in activism - the new Canadian PM comes from, if nothing else, a liberal (albeit privileged) background (and I mean liberal in the truest sense).

  It's hard to believe that is not required in the US of A. At the very least, the Financial Statements should be open. I don't know JeffT, I figured you would know - or does it vary from state to state?
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  29

  Is ANYONE in charge a real ordained minister? College degrees? Seminary? A real Theological degree?

  by WireRider in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  and i don't mean that stupid made up shit russell just invented only a 100 yrs ago.

  he never passed the 7th grade and declared that the world was too stupid to understand the bible without him.. who do you follow and pore money into the watchtower?.

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  talesin

  My grandfather had his degree in theology, and he was an elder. He is the only one I ever knew. (He became a JW for my grandmother, they married later in life, around 30 YO, so he was an Anglican minister when he met her.)
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  7

  One possibility…?

  by careful in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  tornintwo's recent topic spurred me finally to post an idea i've been thinking about.

  i don't see the gb as being financially greedy.

  yes, they enjoy numerous perks like having their physical needs met by servants, jetting around the planet, living in a greater degree of comfort than fellow bethelites, getting frequent and sometimes expensive gifts from the r&f, etc.

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  talesin

  I see these people as business men, who successfully climbed the corporate ladder in their field. *shrugs*

  Like the rest of the corporate world, executives are estimated to be about 20% sociopath (double that of the rest of the population), and I expect that these men are both ruthless and greedy, as are the CEOs of other destructive corporations (big Pharma, Tobacco and Oil, to name a few).

  Remember, this is a publishing company, and like the rest of the publishing world (especially newspapers and periodicals), their business is dying. The internet has forced the WTBTS (TM) to changes its business model. It is most likely bleeding cash all over the place because of this downturn in the publishing world, and the numerous lawsuits and settlements paid out to the victims of their past crimes (imo) involving the protection of child rapists.
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  31

  Still feel weird about things....

  by FeelingFree in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i'm loving the fact that my little one gets to be a "normal" child and take part in everything at school.

  however i still have that stupid niggling in the back of my head that she shouldn't be doing it and it's wrong etc.

  at the moment she is rehearsing for the nativity play and keeps singing the songs at home (she is going to be an angel!

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  talesin

  It is wonderful to read about your little girl, having these fun times and a real childhood. You are doing just FINE, and only 17 months out!

  You know, our neural pathways in our brains are just that. Paths that have been well-trodden down. Our system naturally follows those paths, especially after years of indoctrination.
  
  You have been creating new neural paths for yourself. Every time you have that negative, icky feeling, reassure yourself by talking back, something like this: "Hey, I know this feeling, and it is not reality. I *know* this is a good thing for me and my daughter, so go away, negative thought". (In your own way, your own voice, tell yourself "Well done, on the right path!")

  You are making a new neural path for your brain. Eventually, the old ways will become overgrown, and you will naturally tread the new path. The one that says "This is fun! Look, see how happy she is. Ah, freedom is grand."
  
  Keep up the good work!
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  42

  How Many JWs Really Believe Everything They Are Told?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think that 80% of jws do not truly believe in what they are taught .

  the vast majority stay in because of family, friends, ignorance and a lack of caring about any of the facts regarding the "truth".

  many people are lazy.

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  talesin

  I concur. Da Nile is much more than a river in Egypt. Very few JWS are 'true believers', and many are operating on auto pilot. Of course, that is true of our whole culture.
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  50

  The money question...

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am intrigued to know if there is truly any evidence of financial irregularities in the jehovah's witness organisation or if any one or group are raking off funds or benefitting financially...?.

  whilst i disagree wholeheartedly with most of their teachings and practices, dogmatism, legalism and superiority complex, i don't honestly think there's anyone making millions at the top.

  yes you could say that the gb are comfortably off, don't have to pay bills etc but they do actually get up in the morning and 'work', they aren't going off in private jets to tropical islands or driving bentleys.

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  talesin

  That would be illegal activity. If anyone is engaging in that sort of misappropriation of funds, there will not be a convenient trail of bread crumbs.