This isn't new for some parts. they tested this method out back in sSeptember 2013 for LA county and other surrounding ones. Just in LA county, there are 72 needed kingdom halls. in the letter, they said that if this method worked, it would be spread onto other places so it was only a matter of time. Theres so much money needed to buy the lands and needed material. This means millions $$$. Somehow, they're soon to earn $375 million alone on selling property in Brooklyn, plus other buildings they haven't sold yet, plus the other Bethel real estates and properties in other countries they sold off and yet, can't have enough funds for the usual arrangements? They must be in some sort of financial crisis or getting prepared for a future one.
A.proclaimer
JoinedPosts by A.proclaimer
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324
Is this new donation arrangement for real?
by nugget injust read a post on jwsurvey about the new donation arrangement.
congregations are to pledge a monthly amount to be sent to the society to fund the building of assembly halls and kingdom halls.
congregations who already have a loan from the society will no longer have to pay back the loan but the amount pledged should not be less than the current monthly repayments to the society.
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I survived a 3-hour manipulation session with 2 elderettes!
by Faithful Witness ini'm not sure how else to describe this meeting at my kitchen table.
my elderette ("miss k") arrived with her friend in tow.
i vaguely remember the 2nd lady ("miss w") from the times we went to the kh, but like miss k, we never really talked in depth.
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A.proclaimer
Theses two ladies are all over the place! Just jumping around, leaping from one place to another. Don't let them get away with this Faithful and Discreet Slave question. Make them investigate it and have them give an "answer" cause apparently, they don't sound too certain about this. After all, you are the Bible study that they're suppose to convert, they should follow the way you feel most comfortable with, not the way they like it. Also, tell her that it's rude to interrupt or just point it out to her politely and stick to the main subject.
The doctrines that reject hellfire, trinity, immortal soul are nothing unique to JWs, you can find these same beliefs in other religions, specifically ones that originate in Adventsim like Christadelphians, seventh day Adventists, Church of God, etc. By pointing out that others teach this, you can ask: if the Faithful and Discreet Slave, supposedly directed by Holy Spirit, provides these essential "bible truths", why do other religions which are not suppose to be true, teach it as well? It's good to remember that Charles Taze Russell had Adventist influences.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventism
Theres this blog you can check out. It's a Christian guy who is having a study with and Elder. They discuss and debate different topics like new light and the FDS. It might give you some ideas on how to tackle them.
http://blog.evidenceministries.org/discussing-new-light-with-a-jehovahs-witness-elder/
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The Ray Franz Movie
by RayPublisher inbeen wanting to talk about this for a while... three years ago on this forum my friend cedars brought this up.
let's do it!.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sykaxxpyos.
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A.proclaimer
Good ideas here. Personally I see would see this more as a talking drama film. If the script is written well enough, this film would not just click with JWs and other religious members but people outside that realm. The whole concept of standing up against higher powers is something that attracts people. The story needs to show a connection to the audience, show who he is, progress and changes he makes in life. In my mind, the focus in the movie would be centered around his journey from reaching up the ranks to Governing Body member, to his discoveries, and finally the fall by being removed and later disfellowship. The climax would be around the "witch hunts" and of course feature other members who were affected by this like Edward Dunlap or Nestor and Toni Kuilan. There will need to be some creative liberty taken and add certain things for the sake of the movie, just to explain certain things others might not understand or to make the story more appealing. This is always done whenever a book is turned into a movie, it's necesary to adapt but without straying too far away. I think this story can work if done right.
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How many members of our forum are there, and where are most from?
by stuckinarut2 ini would love to know where most of our fellow forum members are from.... is there a way to compile a quick list?.
for example, i would love to know how many live near me......
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A.proclaimer
Some additional interesting information that I would like to know are age groups and male to female ratio. How many here are of older age and how many are the younger ones? Are there more younger people coming into this forum? Are there more females than males or vice versa? Just questions to think about.
and to join in... California!
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Is the U.N. preparing to attack Religion
by confusedandalone inabout 5 minutes ago i get an article emailed to me from my mother telling me that i need to find a way to get back to jehovah and his saving arm... she read an article in a reputable newspaper that all the friends are using to show that its not just jehovahs witnesses who see religion about to get attacked by the u.n.. it concludes with a link to the article and her desire for me to please read it in light of my recent situation.. .
here is the article http://www.examiner.com/article/is-the-un-preparing-to-attack-religion.
the writer bill underwood is a jehovah's witness.
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A.proclaimer
Haha, fail! He's a JW so what he wrote is automatically biased. his articles and many commenters are JWs since they all show the Watchtower's point of view on issues and defend them.
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Congregation Contributions
by nolongerconfused indo you guys remember when the congregation's monthly contribution report was read out loud in the service meeting?
obviously, they don't do that anymore... does anyone here know why exactly they stopped reading the report publicly?.
seems fishy to me.
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A.proclaimer
They still read it at my congregation, sometimes I hear them say there's a deficit and they need funds for maintenance.
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A preist , Pastor , or minister of religion that uses the Bible or an i-pad , who in your eyes would command your respect .
by smiddy ini ask this because of an experience over the weekend when two witnesses came to my door , and he tried to use his i-pad to witness to me, which i wasnt intersted in.. my theory is this is going to backfire on them .
the majority of people in christendom , whether they practice it or not have a reverence , if not a deep respect for the written word , the bible , as a holy book.
a sacred book.. i dont beleive a householder who is a christian is going to be impressed by someone who quotes scriptures from an i-pad.. religous books have been considered sacred for centuries , their is an awe about them .
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A.proclaimer
I think for the older people who are more religious it might bother them. After all, the bible is easily recognizable and many people have some respect for it. But for the younger generation, it may not matter as much because they embrace technology more and are less religious, at least in the western world. It could also depend on the country/ continent like what sir82 said
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Secular JWs: The future of the organization?
by kneehighmiah ini was raised in a jewish community.
the secular jews greatly outnumbered the orthodox jews.
like jws they had a tight knit community.
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A.proclaimer
That would be more like if the JWs broke up into several denomonations or sects, something the GB doesnt want. There are different denominations in Judaism (or movements as they're called). Ultra Orthodox, modern orthodox, reconstructionists, conservatives, and reform. The orthodox share the same JW mentality of being seperate from the world, not associating very much with those outside the religion, and wanting to follow the Bible very closely, while reconstructionists are those that don't believe in the supernatural, but like to follow and preserve a Jewish lifestyle.
It is still possible for someone to go to church or be part of a religious group without believing in it. They may just want to join because of social reasons and connections. That would make them "institutionally religious."
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"the world has never been worse" - not according to this website..
by disposable hero of hypocrisy innext week's wt is full of helpful encouragement not to believe satanic propaganda that might tell us that the world is getting to be a better place to live in.. .
well, i stumbled across this article here, that contains lots of so-called 'facts' and 'figures', i'm sure glad i read my wt first so i can recognise that this is nothing but lies, all lies.. .
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A.proclaimer
Next weeks article is propaganda. Sure there are things that are worse today than in the past but there also many things that have improved today and were worse back then. I found it funny when they were comparing today to the 40's and 50's. They mention all the bad things today and lessen them for those years. No mention of racism, racial crimes and murder, kkk, supressing and lacking women/minority/homosexual rights, fear of communism and hunting down suspected communists (Hollywood 10 for example), etc. if you were living in Europe, 1940's was the war and the decade afterwards was rebuilding what was left from the disaster. They've used this same tactic for the October 8, 1968 Awake article mentioning 1975.
This one is on crime rates in the US
Metatron gives a link to an article on teenagers today compared to the past.
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SECRET SIGN FOR FADERS
by Bob_NC infaders need a secret sign to use at the khall.
the thought came to me after reading replies to datadogs post on stopping singing at the meetings.. i can suggest a few secret signs for faders to use and to look for at the khall, but it would be better that current meeting attenders make suggestions here.
if readers on this site can agree to a secret sign to use at the meetings, just imagine the power that would have at your kingdom hall.
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A.proclaimer
Sounds like an underground secret faders/awakened group. I like the color idea, wear that color on the tie or pocket square. Women could find a way to put some on their dress. The bible idea is good too, but it only works for those in the English congregations. To confirm that they are awakened, a phrase would be useful like "fine weather we are having" and reply "indeed it is good." Just an example. This would be useful at assemblies too.