are jw marriages any better than the ones 'in the world' as they put it?
when they walk from door to door or mingle after a meeting they appear to be models of ideal marriages.
do you have any experiences with married couples in the 'truth'?
Are JW marriages any better than the ones 'in the world' as they put it? When they walk from door to door or mingle after a meeting they appear to be models of ideal marriages. But are they?
Do you have any experiences with married couples in the 'truth'?
i've been out of the borg for awhile, so help me out on this.. am i to assume that the watchtower went from charging for magazines to a donation system, simply because of paying taxes ???
didn't jesus say "return caesar's things to caesar".
so if the watchtower would of continued charging for magazines, so they would have had to pay a little tax, they still would have made a ton of money, and alot more then the donation system pulls in.
The WT does charge for publications especially in Central America (El Salvador for example). I've noticed that in Western/European countries the literature is distributed per 'donation'. In Third World countries the literature is delivered from the U.S. or it is published locally. The baptized members are still required to purchase the literature regardless. I found out about this during a visit to El Salvador a few years ago.
In reality, the Society receives the same amount for the publications if not more. How? The elders make up for the difference between the contributions and the cost of the literature distributed for their congregation. For example, if a congregation distributes $1000 worth of literature, there will be $1000 of 'donations' for it being mailed to headquarters in Brooklyn. If they only receive $500 for that month, the elders will contribute to make up for the shortage.
The next time you're at a Kingdom Hall, try to request a bible or a magazine at their counter and walk away without dropping $20 in the box. Pay attention to the heating sensation in the back of your next as the brother working the counter gives you the third degree stare.
There is nothing free about the literature and never will be. The word donation is merely a sales tax loophole used by the society. They're still one of the top 40 highest earning corporations in NYC and they're rivalled only by investment companies.
if your name is mike, would you translate it to swahili, korean or russian?
american presidents never translate their names and they're the most powerful men on the planet.
is it possible that god's name is in fact, a hebrew name and that jws don't want to use this name because it will not bring in converts?
Why do JWs translate God's supposed name (Jehovah) into different languages as shown by their literature? If your name is Mike, would you translate it to Swahili, Korean or Russian? American Presidents never translate their names and they're the most powerful men on the planet. Then why do JWs translate God's name?
Is it possible that God's name is in fact, a Hebrew name and that JWs don't want to use this name because it will not bring in converts?
Why do they even translate the name of Jesus into different languages?
I was a JW for 20+ years and could never figure this out.
Of course, the WT and Awake won't talke this issue because they're too busy writing b.s. articles about kids using cell phones.
no doubt all (with few and rare exceptions) believe that the physical world exists.
however, what i should like to know is, how many here believe that a spiritual world exists?
and, if you believe that a spiritual world exists, do you believe that the two worlds (or universes, call it what you like) each exist separately and distinct one from the other?
I believe that a spiritual world does exist independently of us. The bible does explain this but only in terms we can understand. For example, angels are spirits - but they do not have wings or heads or robes. It uses this description to make it easier for us to relate to them. By the same token, God does not sit on a throne because he does not have a body, much less an ass to sit on.
The bible does hint at how the spirit world is run. It is run pretty much the same as ours. You have opposing organizations or governments, God's and Satan's. However, since God's spiritual organization (comprised of different types of angels) worships him - it remains whole. Satan's on the other hand, is split and has many opposing factions within it. The bible does seem to hint that these evil spirits/demons rule the earth in the same way that their human counterparts do. If you read Daniel 10:10 - 10:13 it actually describes these spiritual rulers as princes.
Unfortunately, we will never know exactly what the spiritual world is like or how it directly affects humans or their actions. I can say however, that believing in God requires believing in a spritual world.
hallo everyone.
the earlier thread about the min school reminded me of the number of times that i researched and at least partly put together items and pub talks for 'he must be obeyed'.. this was necessary because he worked full time in a demanding job which left very little leeway for cobbling the many assignments together.
at first being a good dub wife i felt guilty at doing this but in talking to others whose husbands also worked full time and were not part time cleaners or window cleaners i found that several other elders wives had always done this.. not only the talks but also sorting out the school assigments, the schedules, field service arrangements, sorting the auditing, coach and accomodation for the dc and ca, checking the accounts etc.. lots of these sisters also helped their children put together their items.. rather makes a mockery of the male privilege of "taking the lead".. most elders and ms are unable to cope with all the pressures and work if their wives dont do most for them.
When you really think about it, an elder is more of a mouthpiece than an instructor. He does nothing more than to read what has already been written for him by the WTS. The fact that a wife has to take over the few responsibilities placed upon him only reflects just how flawed the organization is.
It's no wonder that children of elders are usually the ones that leave the organization first. They see what these elders are really like after the WT study. The majority of these 'men' barely have a job to sustain themselves, much less their families. A man without the intellectual capacity to earn a decent living cannot possibly have the capacity to deal with more serious topics such as the meaning of life.
I've known many so-called 'elders' who do nothing more with themeselves than to work as doormen in midtown Manhattan. But as soon as bible study night comes around - they put on their $100 suit and now they think they know more than you do. Once they step on that podium, they know how to run a household.
The next time you go to a meeting and an elder asks you about yourself. Tell them that you're a lawyer, a doctor, or even just a computer technician and watch the expression on his face change from interest to disdain. But tell him that you just did time in prison or that you're unemployed and watch his face light up. Why? Because now this doorman thinks he's better than you and he can't wait to come to your house to show you just how much he knows. If you're married it will be even worse because he'll do his best to let your wife know just how worthless you are for not being in the 'truth', in a $100 suit, reciting a talk written by someone else.
An elder might be able to fool the audience with a well written talk, but he can't fool the family that follows him home after the meeting.
all of you who have a little bit more than usual objective view of the religions.what have you noticed while observing the way how the parishioners of different churchers are showing love toward their fellowbelievers .is there any difference compared to jt's.i know that wts is boasting that the true and genuine love exists only among themselves.i don' t know exactly what a hell this means?one argument i have been told is that the door-to door preaching is one evidence of christian love ( far - fethed , i think ).
what about at the congregational level?.
any feedback?
I believe it's hypocritical to claim to love God while at the same time, shunning your family members if they have a hard time following the straight and narrow path. It's hard to believe how some JWs attend meetings on Sunday and still find it in themselves to throw their sons/daughters out of the home just because they don't want to live in 'the truth'.
is it back in vogue with the dubs?
i took my wife to see bombay dreams at the theatre last weekend.
(recommended) after the show and while wandering around leicester sq, i noticed a guy selling magazines.
Street Witnessing? I'm from NYC and as a kid this is how we did it. On Saturday morning, I would meet my pals at the field service meeting. When the elder asked if anyone had plans for bible studies or return visits that morning, you saw a half dozen pairs of hands being lifted by 16-18 year olds. Once the arrangments were made and all the 'outsiders' were paired up with the boring 'older ones' of the congregation, those of us who were 'down with the program' got in our cars and instead of driving off to our bible studies/return visits, we headed to the nearest beach to refine our handball techniques.
You would be surprised to find out how many JW teens in NYC have nothing more to look forward to than to walk up and down their local avenue pitching magazines for 5 hours a day and nothing else to look forward to all summer long. It's no wonder that many of them leave home as soon as they turn 18.
It's even sadder to think that many of them do it only to please their parents. It's not logical to think that the only way to please God is by 'placing' magazines on the street. Do you think youths really believe this? The bible doesn't mention anything about placing literature in order to gain eternal life.
Speaking about literature, did you know that the magazines and books are free ONLY in the U.S.? in third world countries like El Salvador the literature has to be bought by baptized members. You can only imagine how stupid I felt when I told a brother I met on a recent vacation there that the literature was pretty much free in the U.S. He almost cried. He couldn't understand why the literature wasn't free everywhere else. After all, our work is supposed to be considered charitable, right?
ya'll remember my story of how this woman gave me $300.00 to buy my knights of columbus regalia back in june, right?
i got it, this is a pic of me, the incoming grand knight for my council in south carolina, and my dad, the out-going grand knight back at home in the midwest.
dad will be 70 in two months.
What do you do as a member of Knights of Columbus?
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http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2002/10/22/article_01.htm
they are now paranoid about mobile phones.
Is there any aspect of life that doesn't have a Watchtower/Awake article attached to it?
Mobile phones? You gotta be kidding me?
Once again, the JWs prove that the only thing kids are good for is knocking on doors. God forbid that a son or daughter has a childhood full of friends and innocent interaction.
i remember growing up and thinking that there was no way i would have kids ......... why ???
....... because i did not want to raise them the way i was raised, in the borg.
i went through hell, why put a defenceless child through that.
It definitely had an affect and not a very good one at all. After spending 20 years of my life with them and seeing how children were discouraged from achieving anything in life other than 'placing' magazines, I decided that I would never have children in 'the truth'.
I've known too many teenagers who grew up in the truth and later found themselves stranded because their parents wouldn't support them through college and in some cases, even through them out of the home for trying to improve themselves academically/financially.
I remember how enraged I felt when, after so many years of being told not to pursue academic goals, the Watchtower Society published an article where it supported what they called 'necessary forms of education' such as COLLEGE! What happens to all the other members who after believing that college was 'bad' were now to old or to committed with other responsibilities (children, jobs, etc.) to go back to school?
A Witness will never admit to you how many young members leave their congregations by the dozens because of neglect. You can keep a son or daughter knocking on doors for only so long before they realize that LIFE MUST BE LIVED TO BE APPRECIATED. You can't expect a child to love God when he/she is forced to live a life of poverty. Why encourage your children to be hard working if all they can't qualify for a job in the first place? Do you know how many intelligent, motivated and ambitious youths I've known who now stuggle through life only because their parents made them feel wrong for trying to earn a good living?
If anything, the Witnesses are doing themselves a favor by not having a children.
