Posts by Westenddave

10

Did Jesus attend a "worldly celebration"?

by Westenddave in

hello community,.

my question in a nutshell is whether there is justification in celebrating worldly holidays, such as the 4th of july in the usa?.

let's look at a parallel.

Westenddave

Hello community,

My question in a nutshell is whether there is justification in celebrating worldly holidays, such as the 4th of July in the USA?

Let's look at a parallel.

My question arises from John 10:22. It says, " At that time the Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was wintertime, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the colonnade of Sol′o·mon.

The WT admits Jesus attended Hanukkah, per insight book,

"The... Festival of Dedication ... was not one of the great festivals requiring attendance at Jerusalem. (Ex 23:14-17; Le 23:4-44) Celebration was held throughout the land in the many synagogues, according to Jewish tradition. Later, at John 10:22, Jesus is specifically mentioned as attending one such Festival of Dedication in Jerusalem.

For any not familiar with Hanukkah, the story is contained in the apocrypha, 1 & 2 Maccabees. These books tell the story of the Maccabees, a small band of Jewish fighters who liberated the Land of Israel from the Syrian Greeks who occupied it. The Greeks sought to impose their Hellenistic culture. By 167 B.C.E, the Greeks intensified their campaign by defiling the Temple in Jerusalem and banning Jewish practice. The Maccabees, led by Judah, waged an uprising that culminated in defeating the Greeks and rededicating the Temple.

So here are the issues. (& perhaps you can think of more)

1] Hanukkah, like the 4th of July, celebrates independence from an imperial nation (like England).

2] There is no evidence that the Maccabees had God's approval. In fact, WT rejects their writings as uninspired, even though Hanukkah also celebrates the miracle of the oil: that God miraculously made a 1-day supply of oil burn for 8 days, to provide light.

2] Per WT, this holiday is not inspired by God, unlike Passover, feast of weeks and booths. It was not foreshadowed in anyway. There was no requirement to attend.

Jesus would be well aware of the above issues. But why then attend? The WT would reprove if not Df a JW for unrepentantly attending the 4th of July (for not keeping separate from the world). Is there a difference?

14

2015 Yearbook Stats analyzed

by Westenddave in

jw
friends

increase /.

total increase /.

republic of (m-6).

Westenddave

Hello to everyone. I haven't posted in a while, but i'm making an effort now. Above I have attempted to sort the yearbook numbers to provide a better picture of the "growth". The countries have been sorted largest to smallest, based on the increase in average publishers, from years 2013 to 2014. Towards the bottom of the chart, there is a decrease in publishers.

If you add up the publisher increase for the top 10 countries, it adds-up to 111,714 (as shown above). This represents 66% of the overall increase. Math = 111,714 / (169,581 total publisher increase) = 66%. This means that 10 countries account for 66% of the growth. It also means, that the remaining 229 (239 total less 10) countries (or lands) account for 34% of growth. It is apparent that the growth is not well distributed.

The same reasoning holds for the top 20 countries. Adding up the publisher increase from the top country to the 20th = 138,038. This represents 81% of overall publisher increase. This also means that the remaining 209 lands account for 19% growth.

Imagine having a grocery store with 239 skews. If 20 are contributing to 81% profitability you got a problem with the other 209 skews - they're deadbeats.

14

2015 Yearbook Stats analyzed

by Westenddave in

jw
friends

increase /.

total increase /.

republic of (m-6).

Westenddave

				Increase /	Total increase /
		2014	2013	decrease in	decrease in	% out of total
		Av. Pubs.	Av. Pubs.	Publishers	publishers	publishers =
					(Cumulative)	169,581
		A	B	= A - B
1	Mexico (G-31)	802,903	777,429	25,474
2	United States of America (E-32)	1,186,598	1,167,723	18,875
3	Brazil (L-37)	767,449	748,940	18,509
4	Nigeria (L-4)	329,757	320,589	9,168
5	Angola (N-6)	102,753	94,182	8,571
6	Zambia (N-7)	168,693	160,211	8,482
7	Ghana (L-3)	119,199	113,392	5,807
8	Congo, Dem. Republic of (M-6)	180,343	174,687	5,656
9	Venezuela (J-36)	134,913	129,284	5,629
10	Philippines (K-18)	190,930	185,387	5,543	111,714	66%
11	Colombia (J-35)	161,876	157,395	4,481
12	South Africa (P-6)	95,369	91,848	3,521
13	Peru (L-35)	117,211	114,153	3,058
14	Ecuador (K-34)	82,547	79,566	2,981
15	Malawi (N-8)	82,671	80,175	2,496	128,251	76%
16	India (J-12)	39,355	36,869	2,486
17	Mozambique (O-7)	51,637	49,765	1,872
18	France (F-4)	124,298	122,456	1,842
19	Madagascar (O-9)	29,385	27,591	1,794
20	Britain (E-3)	134,308	132,515	1,793	138,038	81%
21	Zimbabwe (O-7)	41,688	39,999	1,689
22	Argentina (N-36)	145,277	143,620	1,657
23	Italy (G-5)	248,871	247,259	1,612
24	Guatemala (H-33)	37,192	35,598	1,594
25	Rwanda (M-7)	23,507	22,152	1,355
26	Nicaragua (H-33)	26,169	24,984	1,185
27	Russia (C-15)	165,322	164,187	1,135
28	Cameroon (L-5)	37,319	36,288	1,031
29	Bolivia (M-36)	23,976	23,014	962
30	Honduras (H-33)	22,077	21,165	912
31	Dominican Republic (O-29)	36,240	35,331	909
32	Indonesia (M-17)	24,489	23,596	893
33	Australia (O-19)	66,484	65,596	888
34	Kenya (M-8)	25,820	24,965	855
35	Chile (M-35)	74,498	73,658	840
36	Togo (L-4)	18,158	17,348	810
37	Germany (E-5)	163,246	162,459	787
38	Burundi (M-7)	11,852	11,082	770
39	Costa Rica (J-34)	29,086	28,316	770
40	El Salvador (H-33)	39,346	38,643	703
41	Haiti (O-28)	18,899	18,236	663
42	Spain (G-3)	108,900	108,254	646
43	Tanzania (M-8)	15,761	15,137	624
44	Panama (J-34)	15,626	15,007	619
45	Co te d\Ivoire (L-3)	9,781	9,190	591
46	Canada (C-31)	113,617	113,111	506
47	Benin (L-4)	11,352	10,872	480
48	Taiwan (J-17)	9,256	8,853	403
49	Uganda (L-7)	6,468	6,093	375
50	Paraguay (M-37)	9,309	8,947	362
51	Congo, Republic of (M-5)	6,193	5,835	358
52	Belgium (E-4)	24,531	24,243	288
53	Switzerland (F-4)	18,323	18,038	285
54	Thailand (K-15)	4,022	3,737	285
55	Belarus (E-7)	5,579	5,300	279
56	Albania (D-11)	5,190	4,923	267
57	Sri Lanka (L-13)	5,615	5,359	256
58	Ethiopia (L-8)	9,768	9,515	253
59	Lesotho (P-7)	3,871	3,640	231
60	Malaysia (L-16)	4,668	4,440	228
61	Norway (C-4)	11,359	11,133	226
62	Romania (F-6)	40,371	40,154	217
63	Namibia (O-5)	2,208	2,012	196
64	Ukraine (E-7)	149,787	149,597	190
65	Liberia (L-2)	6,022	5,843	179
66	Gabon (M-5)	3,816	3,641	175
67	Nepal (H-13)	2,004	1,833	171
68	Trinidad & Tobago (R-33)	9,503	9,347	156
69	Kazakhstan (F-11)	17,475	17,321	154
70	Netherlands (E-4)	29,495	29,356	139
71	Myanmar (J-15)	3,941	3,803	138
72	Georgia (G-9)	18,100	17,964	136
73	Equatorial Guinea (L-5)	1,574	1,442	132
74	Ireland (E-2)	6,210	6,078	132
75	Fiji (N-24)	2,938	2,807	131
76	Bulgaria (F-7)	2,149	2,026	123
77	Sweden (B-6)	22,156	22,033	123
78	Hong Kong (J-17)	5,557	5,435	122
79	Suriname (J-37)	2,765	2,644	121
80	Tahiti (M-27)	2,990	2,869	121
81	Cambodia (K-16)	802	684	118
82	Austria (F-5)	20,990	20,873	117
83	Turkey (G-8)	2,408	2,291	117
84	New Zealand (Q-24)	13,884	13,789	95
85	Guyana (J-37)	2,846	2,758	88
86	Denmark (D-4)	14,462	14,380	82
87	Czech Republic (E-5)	15,407	15,329	78
88	French Guiana (J-37)	2,288	2,211	77
89	Papua New Guinea (M-20)	3,868	3,792	76
90	Belize (H-33)	2,425	2,352	73
91	Azerbaijan (G-9)	1,220	1,149	71
92	New Caledonia (O-23)	2,047	1,983	64
93	R ´eunion (O-10)	2,961	2,899	62
94	Pakistan (H-12)	928	868	60
95	Israel (H-8)	1,450	1,391	59
96	Sudan (K-7)	515	456	59
97	Lebanon (H-8)	3,659	3,602	57
98	Sierra Leone (L-2)	1,937	1,882	55
99	Kyrgyzstan (G-12)	4,936	4,882	54
100	Botswana (O-6)	2,122	2,070	52
101	Slovakia (F-6)	11,105	11,056	49
102	Curacao (Q-30)	1,931	1,883	48
103	Cape Verde (K-1)	2,042	1,995	47
104	Jamaica (H-34)	11,889	11,843	46
105	Swaziland (P-7)	2,983	2,937	46
106	Malta (G-5)	623	578	45
107	Solomon Islands (M-22)	1,787	1,742	45
108	Luxembourg (E-4)	2,028	1,988	40
109	Mongolia (F-15)	405	366	39
110	Bahamas (G-35)	1,630	1,594	36
111	Burkina Faso (K-3)	1,598	1,563	35
112	Sao Tome´ and Prncipe (M-4)	708	673	35
113	Timor-Leste (N-18)	242	207	35
114	Barbados (Q-33)	2,524	2,492	32
115	Guadeloupe (P-32)	8,025	7,993	32
116	Bangladesh (J-14)	211	181	30
117	Guinea (K-2)	737	708	29
118	Samoa (N-25)	522	496	26
119	Grenada (Q-32)	578	553	25
120	St. Lucia (Q-33)	740	721	19
121	Chad (K-6)	646	628	18
122	Montenegro (D-10)	265	248	17
123	St. Martin (O-32)	311	294	17
124	Aruba (Q-29)	931	915	16
125	Kosovo (D-11)	237	222	15
126	Macao (J-17)	298	283	15
127	Senegal (K-2)	1,150	1,136	14
128	Armenia (G-9)	10,978	10,965	13
129	Korea, Republic of (G-18)	100,289	100,276	13
130	Mayotte (N-9)	130	117	13
131	Mali (K-3)	286	275	11
132	Gibraltar (G-3)	124	114	10
133	Mauritius (O-10)	1,749	1,740	9
134	Virgin Islands, U.S. (O-31)	602	593	9
135	Kiribati (M-24)	142	134	8
136	Turks and Caicos (N-29)	323	315	8
137	Tuvalu (M-24)	60	53	7
138	Uruguay (O-37)	11,471	11,464	7
139	Andorra (F-4)	169	163	6
140	Bermuda (F-36)	463	457	6
141	Bonaire (Q-30)	116	110	6
142	Latvia (D-6)	2,296	2,290	6
143	Serbia (C-11)	3,857	3,851	6
144	American Samoa (N-26)	218	213	5
145	Cayman Islands (H-34)	228	223	5
146	Faroe Islands (C-2)	117	112	5
147	Vanuatu (N-23)	525	520	5
148	Chuuk (L-21)	48	44	4
149	Cook Islands (O-26)	194	190	4
150	Gambia (K-2)	208	204	4
151	Lithuania (D-6)	3,130	3,126	4
152	Guam (K-20)	733	730	3
153	Guinea-Bissau (K-2)	133	130	3
154	Macedonia (D-11)	1,323	1,320	3
155	Palau (L-19)	78	75	3
156	Rodrigues (O-11)	43	40	3
157	Palestinian Territory (H-8)	70	68	2
158	St. Maarten (O-32)	336	334	2
159	Saipan (K-20)	198	196	2
160	Tinian (K-20)	15	13	2
161	St. Eustatius (P-32)	22	21	1
162	San Marino (F-5)	204	203	1
163	Yap (L-19)	28	27	1
164	Azores (G-1)	748	748	0
165	St. Barth ´elemy (O-32)	24	24	0
166	St. Pierre and Miquelon (D-37)	15	15	0
167	Seychelles (M-9)	331	331	0
168	Cyprus (H-7)	2,467	2,468	-1
169	Falkland Islands (Q-37)	10	11	-1
170	Liechtenstein (F-4)	88	89	-1
171	Madeira (H-1)	1,134	1,135	-1
172	Nauru (M-23)	15	16	-1
173	Niue (O-26)	25	26	-1
174	Norfolk Island (P-23)	8	9	-1
175	Saba (O-32)	7	8	-1
176	St. Helena (N-3)	115	116	-1
177	Bosnia and Herzegovina (C-10)	1,180	1,182	-2
178	Greenland (A-38)	145	147	-2
179	Iceland (B-1)	368	370	-2
180	Nevis (P-32)	53	55	-2
181	Pohnpei (L-22)	74	76	-2
182	Antigua (P-32)	478	481	-3
183	Montserrat (P-32)	18	21	-3
184	St. Kitts (O-32)	203	206	-3
185	Wallis & Futuna Islands (N-25)	46	49	-3
186	Anguilla (O-32)	64	68	-4
187	Dominica (P-33)	423	427	-4
188	Kosrae (L-22)	17	21	-4
189	Marshall Islands (L-23)	171	175	-4
190	Virgin Islands, British (O-31)	260	265	-5
191	Niger (K-4)	282	288	-6
192	South Sudan (L-7)	1,201	1,207	-6
193	Rota (K-20)	10	17	-7
194	Tonga (O-25)	216	223	-7
195	St. Vincent & the Grenadines (Q-32)	332	340	-8
196	Moldova (F-7)	19,846	19,856	-10
197	Estonia (D-6)	4,091	4,108	-17
198	Slovenia (B-8)	1,930	1,948	-18
199	Central African Republic (L-6)	2,471	2,491	-20
200	Martinique (P-32)	4,749	4,771	-22
201	Puerto Rico (O-31)	25,709	25,752	-43
202	Finland (C-7)	18,588	18,643	-55
203	Cuba (G-34)	95,592	95,656	-64
204	Hungary (A-10)	22,444	22,526	-82
205	Croatia (B-9)	5,412	5,509	-97
206	Greece (G-6)	28,677	28,804	-127
207	Portugal (G-2)	48,706	48,843	-137
208	Japan (G-19)	215,294	215,966	-672
209	Poland (E-6)	122,381	123,278	-897
210-239	30 Other Lands	33,372	34,485	-1,113

	Total increase in publishers			169,581

20

Yearbook Chart Re-posted - Math explained. Top 7 countries account for 50% growth

by Westenddave in

sorted from high to low.

net increase in publishers2013 ave. pubs2012 ave. pubsincrease/ decrease in publishersincrease in pubs cumulative.

% increase cumulative columnabcde =a-b mexico (g-31)777,429749,58527,84427,84417.47%legend united states of america (e-32)1,167,7231,156,15011,57339,41724.73%red: latin/spanish landscongo, dem.

Westenddave

Some comments on posts

1] I included USA as Spanish country, since from many rumours circulating, the growth is in the Spanish congregations.

2] I retract my comment on the growth being baptized less Df'd. Increase/decrease in pubs is simply column A less column B: the net change.

Btw, in reply to besty: the worldwide chart is available on jw.org. Would u like a pdf emailed to u? or in excel format?

20

Yearbook Chart Re-posted - Math explained. Top 7 countries account for 50% growth

by Westenddave in

sorted from high to low.

net increase in publishers2013 ave. pubs2012 ave. pubsincrease/ decrease in publishersincrease in pubs cumulative.

% increase cumulative columnabcde =a-b mexico (g-31)777,429749,58527,84427,84417.47%legend united states of america (e-32)1,167,7231,156,15011,57339,41724.73%red: latin/spanish landscongo, dem.

Westenddave

As a last point, the top countries are also primarily in lands/communities where there is little education, poverty and a lack of Internet. Of course, most religions flourish in such environments.

20

Yearbook Chart Re-posted - Math explained. Top 7 countries account for 50% growth

by Westenddave in

sorted from high to low.

net increase in publishers2013 ave. pubs2012 ave. pubsincrease/ decrease in publishersincrease in pubs cumulative.

% increase cumulative columnabcde =a-b mexico (g-31)777,429749,58527,84427,84417.47%legend united states of america (e-32)1,167,7231,156,15011,57339,41724.73%red: latin/spanish landscongo, dem.

Westenddave

Math Explained

Column A, B & C, have been reproduced from the yearbook.I then sorted the list from high to low, based on column C, which is increase in pubs. The total increase in pubs is shown at the bottom of column C = 159,383. This is not the total baptized, but only the net increase (ie baptized less Df'd).

Step 2] The "Increase in Pubs Cumulative" column D is calculated as follows:

For USA 39,417 = Mexico 27,844 + USA 11,573 from column C.

For Congo, Dem republic 50,755 = Mexico 27,844 + USA 11,573 + Congo Dem Republic 11,338 from column C.

For Brazil 61,744 = Mexico 27,844 + USA 11,573 + Congo Dem Republic 11,338+ Brazil 10,989 from column C.

And so on. Its accumulating the total publisher, which will reach the total amount of 159,383 (see bottom).

Therefore, we can say that the top 4 countries (up to Brazil), account for 61,744 publishers out of a total of 159,383. That now represents 38.74% of total pubs (61,744 (4 countries) / 159,383 Total Pubs), which is column E.

Take another example. Lets take Philippines: Consider all the countries prior.

Sorted from High to Low. Net Increase in Publishers	2013 Ave. Pubs	2012 Ave. Pubs	Increase in Publishers
Column	A	B	C
			=A-B
Mexico (G-31)	777,429	749,585	27,844
United States of America (E-32)	1,167,723	1,156,150	11,573
Congo, Dem. Republic of (M-6)	174,687	163,349	11,338
Brazil (L-37)	748,940	737,951	10,989
Nigeria (L-4)	320,589	312,251	8,338
Angola (N-6)	94,182	86,802	7,380
Philippines (K-18)	185,387	178,467	6,920

If you add up all the increase in publishers in column C (Vertically), you get 84,382, which appears in column D, across Philippines (see main chart).

Now if you take 84,382 - divided by - Total pubs 159,383 (see bottom) = 52.94%.

Therefore, you can conclude, that the increase in pubs, in the top 7 countries, accounts for 52.94% of total growth.

To interpret the results further, the WT is dependent on 5 countries for over 50% of its growth. The remaining 234 Lands account for less growth cumulatively.

As a last point, i arranged the other columns from high to low, such as memorial attendance, bible studies, pioneers and all columns produced virtually the same results, namely, the top countries accounted for the same % contribution.

20

Yearbook Chart Re-posted - Math explained. Top 7 countries account for 50% growth

by Westenddave in

sorted from high to low.

net increase in publishers2013 ave. pubs2012 ave. pubsincrease/ decrease in publishersincrease in pubs cumulative.

% increase cumulative columnabcde =a-b mexico (g-31)777,429749,58527,84427,84417.47%legend united states of america (e-32)1,167,7231,156,15011,57339,41724.73%red: latin/spanish landscongo, dem.

Westenddave

Sorted from High to Low. Net Increase in Publishers	2013 Ave. Pubs	2012 Ave. Pubs	Increase/ Decrease in Publishers	Increase in Pubs Cumulative	% Increase Cumulative
Column	A	B	C	D	E
			=A-B
Mexico (G-31)	777,429	749,585	27,844	27,844	17.47%	Legend
United States of America (E-32)	1,167,723	1,156,150	11,573	39,417	24.73%	Red: Latin/Spanish Lands
Congo, Dem. Republic of (M-6)	174,687	163,349	11,338	50,755	31.84%	Blue: African Lands
Brazil (L-37)	748,940	737,951	10,989	61,744	38.74%
Nigeria (L-4)	320,589	312,251	8,338	70,082	43.97%
Angola (N-6)	94,182	86,802	7,380	77,462	48.60%
Philippines (K-18)	185,387	178,467	6,920	84,382	52.94%	7 countries account
Colombia (J-35)	157,395	152,280	5,115	89,497	56.15%	for 50% growth
Venezuela (J-36)	129,284	124,670	4,614	94,111	59.05%
Ghana (L-3)	113,392	109,085	4,307	98,418	61.75%
Peru (L-35)	114,153	110,651	3,502	101,920	63.95%
Zambia (N-7)	160,211	156,898	3,313	105,233	66.03%
Ecuador (K-34)	79,566	76,587	2,979	108,212	67.89%
Guatemala (H-33)	35,598	33,017	2,581	110,793	69.51%
Malawi (N-8)	80,175	78,225	1,950	112,743	70.74%
Italy (G-5)	247,259	245,326	1,933	114,676	71.95%
South Africa (P-6)	91,848	89,929	1,919	116,595	73.15%
India (J-12)	36,869	34,995	1,874	118,469	74.33%
Mozambique (O-7)	49,765	47,906	1,859	120,328	75.50%	19 Countries account
Madagascar (O-9)	27,591	25,779	1,812	122,140	76.63%	for 75% growth
Rwanda (M-7)	22,152	20,604	1,548	123,688	77.60%
Nicaragua (H-33)	24,984	23,453	1,531	125,219	78.56%
Russia (C-15)	164,187	162,748	1,439	126,658	79.47%
Zimbabwe (O-7)	39,999	38,637	1,362	128,020	80.32%
Chile (M-35)	73,658	72,420	1,238	129,258	81.10%
Dominican Republic (O-29)	35,331	34,132	1,199	130,457	81.85%
Argentina (N-36)	143,620	142,435	1,185	131,642	82.59%
Costa Rica (J-34)	28,316	27,172	1,144	132,786	83.31%
France (F-4)	122,456	121,331	1,125	133,911	84.02%
Bolivia (M-36)	23,014	21,957	1,057	134,968	84.68%
Honduras (H-33)	21,165	20,122	1,043	136,011	85.34%
El Salvador (H-33)	38,643	37,721	922	136,933	85.91%
Britain (E-3)	132,515	131,629	886	137,819	86.47%
Cuba (G-34)	95,656	94,810	846	138,665	87.00%
Haiti (O-28)	18,236	17,403	833	139,498	87.52%
Panama (J-34)	15,007	14,242	765	140,263	88.00%
Kenya (M-8)	24,965	24,223	742	141,005	88.47%
Togo (L-4)	17,348	16,612	736	141,741	88.93%
Indonesia (M-17)	23,596	22,862	734	142,475	89.39%
Australia (O-19)	65,596	64,884	712	143,187	89.84%
Cameroon (L-5)	36,288	35,604	684	143,871	90.27%
Tanzania (M-8)	15,137	14,478	659	144,530	90.68%
Burundi (M-7)	11,082	10,511	571	145,101	91.04%
Taiwan (J-17)	8,853	8,366	487	145,588	91.34%
Co te d\Ivoire (L-3)	9,190	8,786	404	145,992	91.60%
Uganda (L-7)	6,093	5,691	402	146,394	91.85%
Canada (C-31)	113,111	112,710	401	146,795	92.10%
Ukraine (E-7)	149,597	149,199	398	147,193	92.35%
Georgia (G-9)	17,964	17,577	387	147,580	92.59%
Romania (F-6)	40,154	39,803	351	147,931	92.81%
Switzerland (F-4)	18,038	17,696	342	148,273	93.03%
Belarus (E-7)	5,300	4,965	335	148,608	93.24%
Benin (L-4)	10,872	10,545	327	148,935	93.44%
Malaysia (L-16)	4,440	4,124	316	149,251	93.64%
Congo, Republic of (M-5)	5,835	5,526	309	149,560	93.84%
Korea, Republic of (G-18)	100,276	99,970	306	149,866	94.03%
Albania (D-11)	4,923	4,635	288	150,154	94.21%
Spain (G-3)	108,254	107,986	268	150,422	94.38%
Thailand (K-15)	3,737	3,508	229	150,651	94.52%
Sri Lanka (L-13)	5,359	5,132	227	150,878	94.66%
Ethiopia (L-8)	9,515	9,300	215	151,093	94.80%
Norway (C-4)	11,133	10,959	174	151,267	94.91%
Hong Kong (J-17)	5,435	5,262	173	151,440	95.02%
Tahiti (M-27)	2,869	2,700	169	151,609	95.12%
Nepal (H-13)	1,833	1,665	168	151,777	95.23%
Paraguay (M-37)	8,947	8,781	166	151,943	95.33%
Belize (H-33)	2,352	2,198	154	152,097	95.43%
Ireland (E-2)	6,078	5,930	148	152,245	95.52%
Kazakhstan (F-11)	17,321	17,175	146	152,391	95.61%
Cambodia (K-16)	684	546	138	152,529	95.70%
Trinidad & Tobago (R-33)	9,347	9,216	131	152,660	95.78%
Namibia (O-5)	2,012	1,891	121	152,781	95.86%
Turkey (G-8)	2,291	2,171	120	152,901	95.93%
Liberia (L-2)	5,843	5,728	115	153,016	96.01%
Belgium (E-4)	24,243	24,131	112	153,128	96.08%
Suriname (J-37)	2,644	2,536	108	153,236	96.14%
South Sudan (L-7)	1,207	1,103	104	153,340	96.21%
Bulgaria (F-7)	2,026	1,925	101	153,441	96.27%
Denmark (D-4)	14,380	14,281	99	153,540	96.33%
Myanmar (J-15)	3,803	3,705	98	153,638	96.40%
Azerbaijan (G-9)	1,149	1,064	85	153,723	96.45%
Equatorial Guinea (L-5)	1,442	1,359	83	153,806	96.50%
Gabon (M-5)	3,641	3,560	81	153,887	96.55%
Austria (F-5)	20,873	20,795	78	153,965	96.60%
Uruguay (O-37)	11,464	11,386	78	154,043	96.65%
Kyrgyzstan (G-12)	4,882	4,804	78	154,121	96.70%
Guyana (J-37)	2,758	2,680	78	154,199	96.75%
Fiji (N-24)	2,807	2,734	73	154,272	96.79%
French Guiana (J-37)	2,211	2,138	73	154,345	96.84%
Curacao (Q-30)	1,883	1,811	72	154,417	96.88%
Netherlands (E-4)	29,356	29,292	64	154,481	96.92%
Martinique (P-32)	4,771	4,711	60	154,541	96.96%
Cape Verde (K-1)	1,995	1,936	59	154,600	97.00%
Mongolia (F-15)	366	317	49	154,649	97.03%
New Zealand (Q-24)	13,789	13,742	47	154,696	97.06%
New Caledonia (O-23)	1,983	1,936	47	154,743	97.09%
Samoa (N-25)	496	450	46	154,789	97.12%
Burkina Faso (K-3)	1,563	1,518	45	154,834	97.15%
Macao (J-17)	283	239	44	154,878	97.17%
Israel (H-8)	1,391	1,348	43	154,921	97.20%
Sierra Leone (L-2)	1,882	1,840	42	154,963	97.23%
Sao Tome´ and Prncipe (M-4)	673	634	39	155,002	97.25%
Aruba (Q-29)	915	877	38	155,040	97.28%
Serbia (C-11)	3,851	3,816	35	155,075	97.30%
Lithuania (D-6)	3,126	3,095	31	155,106	97.32%
Cyprus (H-7)	2,468	2,439	29	155,135	97.33%
Vanuatu (N-23)	520	492	28	155,163	97.35%
Pakistan (H-12)	868	842	26	155,189	97.37%
Botswana (O-6)	2,070	2,045	25	155,214	97.38%
Solomon Islands (M-22)	1,742	1,717	25	155,239	97.40%
Saint Maarten (O-32)	334	311	23	155,262	97.41%
Papua New Guinea (M-20)	3,792	3,770	22	155,284	97.43%
Lebanon (H-8)	3,602	3,581	21	155,305	97.44%
Senegal (K-2)	1,136	1,116	20	155,325	97.45%
Bangladesh (J-14)	181	161	20	155,345	97.47%
Chad (K-6)	628	609	19	155,364	97.48%
Central African Republic (L-6)	2,491	2,474	17	155,381	97.49%
Guinea (K-2)	708	692	16	155,397	97.50%
Mayotte (N-9)	117	101	16	155,413	97.51%
Kosovo (D-11)	222	207	15	155,428	97.52%
Montenegro (D-10)	248	233	15	155,443	97.53%
Cook Islands (O-26)	190	176	14	155,457	97.54%
Iceland (B-1)	370	356	14	155,471	97.55%
Kiribati (M-24)	134	120	14	155,485	97.55%
Turks and Caicos (N-29)	315	302	13	155,498	97.56%
Timor-Leste (N-18)	207	194	13	155,511	97.57%
R ´eunion (O-10)	2,899	2,887	12	155,523	97.58%
Saint Lucia (Q-33)	721	711	10	155,533	97.58%
American Samoa (N-26)	213	204	9	155,542	97.59%
Barbados (Q-33)	2,492	2,484	8	155,550	97.60%
Malta (G-5)	578	570	8	155,558	97.60%
Mauritius (O-10)	1,740	1,733	7	155,565	97.60%
Guinea-Bissau (K-2)	130	123	7	155,572	97.61%
Bonaire (Q-30)	110	103	7	155,579	97.61%
Gambia (K-2)	204	197	7	155,586	97.62%
Grenada (Q-32)	553	547	6	155,592	97.62%
Antigua (P-32)	481	475	6	155,598	97.63%
Jamaica (H-34)	11,843	11,838	5	155,603	97.63%
Dominica (P-33)	427	422	5	155,608	97.63%
Montserrat (P-32)	21	16	5	155,613	97.63%
Seychelles (M-9)	331	327	4	155,617	97.64%
Saint Kitts (O-32)	206	202	4	155,621	97.64%
Palestinian Territory (H-8)	68	64	4	155,625	97.64%
Kosrae (L-22)	21	17	4	155,629	97.64%
Faroe Islands (C-2)	112	108	4	155,633	97.65%
Liechtenstein (F-4)	89	85	4	155,637	97.65%
Rota (K-20)	17	13	4	155,641	97.65%
San Marino (F-5)	203	199	4	155,645	97.65%
Anguilla (O-32)	68	65	3	155,648	97.66%
Niue (O-26)	26	23	3	155,651	97.66%
Cayman Islands (H-34)	223	221	2	155,653	97.66%
Yap (L-19)	27	25	2	155,655	97.66%
Rodrigues (O-11)	40	38	2	155,657	97.66%
Nevis (P-32)	55	53	2	155,659	97.66%
Norfolk Island (P-23)	9	7	2	155,661	97.66%
Mali (K-3)	275	274	1	155,662	97.67%
Nauru (M-23)	16	15	1	155,663	97.67%
Gibraltar (G-3)	114	113	1	155,664	97.67%
Saint Barth ´elemy (O-32)	24	23	1	155,665	97.67%
Saint Pierre and Miquelon (D-37)	15	14	1	155,666	97.67%
Tinian (K-20)	13	12	1	155,667	97.67%
Virgin Islands, British (O-31)	265	264	1	155,668	97.67%
Swaziland (P-7)	2,937	2,938	-1	155,667	97.67%
Azores (G-1)	748	749	-1	155,666	97.67%
Saint Helena (N-3)	116	117	-1	155,665	97.67%
Andorra (F-4)	163	164	-1	155,664	97.67%
Falkland Islands (Q-37)	11	12	-1	155,663	97.67%
Saba (O-32)	8	9	-1	155,662	97.67%
Saint Eustatius (P-32)	21	22	-1	155,661	97.66%
Tonga (O-25)	223	225	-2	155,659	97.66%
Niger (K-4)	288	290	-2	155,657	97.66%
Chuuk (L-21)	44	46	-2	155,655	97.66%
Marshall Islands (L-23)	175	178	-3	155,652	97.66%
Madeira (H-1)	1,135	1,140	-5	155,647	97.66%
Bermuda (F-36)	457	462	-5	155,642	97.65%
Saint Martin (O-32)	294	299	-5	155,637	97.65%
Pohnpei (L-22)	76	81	-5	155,632	97.65%
Palau (L-19)	75	80	-5	155,627	97.64%
Greenland (A-38)	147	154	-7	155,620	97.64%
Lesotho (P-7)	3,640	3,648	-8	155,612	97.63%
Bahamas (G-35)	1,594	1,602	-8	155,604	97.63%
Bosnia and Herzegovina (C-10)	1,182	1,191	-9	155,595	97.62%
Macedonia (D-11)	1,320	1,329	-9	155,586	97.62%
Tuvalu (M-24)	53	62	-9	155,577	97.61%
Sweden (B-6)	22,033	22,043	-10	155,567	97.61%
Wallis & Futuna Islands (N-25)	49	61	-12	155,555	97.60%
Saint Vincent & the Grenadines (Q-32)	340	355	-15	155,540	97.59%
Saipan (K-20)	196	212	-16	155,524	97.58%
Guam (K-20)	730	748	-18	155,506	97.57%
Virgin Islands, U.S. (O-31)	593	615	-22	155,484	97.55%
Czech Republic (E-5)	15,329	15,352	-23	155,461	97.54%
Luxembourg (E-4)	1,988	2,013	-25	155,436	97.52%
Slovenia (B-8)	1,948	1,983	-35	155,401	97.50%
Latvia (D-6)	2,290	2,327	-37	155,364	97.48%
Slovakia (F-6)	11,056	11,094	-38	155,326	97.45%
Sudan (K-7)	456	495	-39	155,287	97.43%
Croatia (B-9)	5,509	5,552	-43	155,244	97.40%
Estonia (D-6)	4,108	4,152	-44	155,200	97.38%
Armenia (G-9)	10,965	11,019	-54	155,146	97.34%
Hungary (A-10)	22,526	22,593	-67	155,079	97.30%
Finland (C-7)	18,643	18,710	-67	155,012	97.26%
Puerto Rico (O-31)	25,752	25,827	-75	154,937	97.21%
Guadeloupe (P-32)	7,993	8,089	-96	154,841	97.15%
Moldova (F-7)	19,856	20,020	-164	154,677	97.05%
Greece (G-6)	28,804	29,003	-199	154,478	96.92%
Portugal (G-2)	48,843	49,049	-206	154,272	96.79%
Germany (E-5)	162,459	162,705	-246	154,026	96.64%
Japan (G-19)	215,966	216,692	-726	153,300	96.18%
Poland (E-6)	123,278	124,292	-1,014	152,286	95.55%
30 Other Lands	34,485	27,388	7,097	159,383	100.00%

Grand Total (239 Lands)			159,383

40

2014 Yearbook Stats - 7 Countries account for > 50% growth

by Westenddave in

i thought i'd share the 2014 yearbook stats.

i converted the file to excel format & sorted the increase in publisher's column from largest to smallest.

as i suspected, the growth is limited to a very few # of "lands.

Westenddave

Let me clarify. I listed USA as spanish - Red. From information circulating, the growth is largely supplied from Spanish congregations.

40

2014 Yearbook Stats - 7 Countries account for > 50% growth

by Westenddave in

i thought i'd share the 2014 yearbook stats.

i converted the file to excel format & sorted the increase in publisher's column from largest to smallest.

as i suspected, the growth is limited to a very few # of "lands.

Westenddave

I thought i'd share the 2014 Yearbook Stats. I converted the file to excel format & sorted the Increase in Publisher's column from largest to smallest. As i suspected, the growth is limited to a very few # of "lands." The highlighted Red countries are latin/spanish & the Blue is African.

top 7 Countries account for more than 50% growth

top 19 Countries account for 75% growth

I've only copied a small portion of the chart. If u like the full file, contact me.

Sorted from High to Low.	2013 Ave. Pubs	2012 Ave. Pubs	Increase in Publishers	Increase in Pubs Cumulative	% Increase Cumulative
	A	B	=A-B
Mexico (G-31)	777,429	749,585	27,844	27,844	17.47%
United States of America (E-32)	1,167,723	1,156,150	11,573	39,417	24.73%
Congo, Dem. Republic of (M-6)	174,687	163,349	11,338	50,755	31.84%
Brazil (L-37)	748,940	737,951	10,989	61,744	38.74%
Nigeria (L-4)	320,589	312,251	8,338	70,082	43.97%
Angola (N-6)	94,182	86,802	7,380	77,462	48.60%
Philippines (K-18)	185,387	178,467	6,920	84,382	52.94%
Colombia (J-35)	157,395	152,280	5,115	89,497	56.15%
Venezuela (J-36)	129,284	124,670	4,614	94,111	59.05%
Ghana (L-3)	113,392	109,085	4,307	98,418	61.75%
Peru (L-35)	114,153	110,651	3,502	101,920	63.95%
Zambia (N-7)	160,211	156,898	3,313	105,233	66.03%
Ecuador (K-34)	79,566	76,587	2,979	108,212	67.89%
Guatemala (H-33)	35,598	33,017	2,581	110,793	69.51%
Malawi (N-8)	80,175	78,225	1,950	112,743	70.74%
Italy (G-5)	247,259	245,326	1,933	114,676	71.95%
South Africa (P-6)	91,848	89,929	1,919	116,595	73.15%
India (J-12)	36,869	34,995	1,874	118,469	74.33%
Mozambique (O-7)	49,765	47,906	1,859	120,328	75.50%
Madagascar (O-9)	27,591	25,779	1,812	122,140	76.63%
Rwanda (M-7)	22,152	20,604	1,548	123,688	77.60%
Nicaragua (H-33)	24,984	23,453	1,531	125,219	78.56%
Russia (C-15)	164,187	162,748	1,439	126,658	79.47%
Zimbabwe (O-7)	39,999	38,637	1,362	128,020	80.32%
Chile (M-35)	73,658	72,420	1,238	129,258	81.10%
Dominican Republic (O-29)	35,331	34,132	1,199	130,457	81.85%
Argentina (N-36)	143,620	142,435	1,185	131,642	82.59%
Costa Rica (J-34)	28,316	27,172	1,144	132,786	83.31%

5

1 Peter 1:11 - Christ's Spirit or Jehovah's Spirit

by Westenddave in

my question is about 1 peter 1:11. the 1984 nwt omits the word "christ", beside spirit, although it occurs in the earliest manuscripts: .

11?they kept on investigating what particular season or what sort of [season] the spirit (the reference says: 2 sam 23:2 ) in them was indicating concerning christ (footnote says the spirit of christ which was in them indicated)... .

beside the word spirit, the reference quotes 2 sam 23:2, which says "the spirit of jehovah".

Westenddave

Best regards to all

My question is about 1 Peter 1:11. The 1984 NWT omits the word "Christ", beside spirit, although it occurs in the earliest manuscripts:

11 They kept on investigating what particular season or what sort of [season] the spirit (the reference says: 2 Sam 23:2 ) in them was indicating concerning Christ (footnote says the spirit of Christ which was in them indicated)...

Beside the word spirit, the reference quotes 2 Sam 23:2, which says "The spirit of Jehovah". Therefore the reader will conclude its JH spirit. However, after the word Christ, there is a footnote, which says "the spirit of Christ". So at the very least, they do indicate the correct translation. However, fast forward to the new 2013 NWT and they have dropped the footnote. NO MORE FOOTNOTE.

I further checked several Greek Translations & in every instance it says "Christ Spirit". There is very little to be argued here, since it involves two words side by side. Either the word Christ is included, as it appears or omitted.

So I want to get this straight: has the WT omitted a word from the sacred text? Obviously a doctrinal bias is apparent if so.