It was read to us last night. As far as soliciting, it was no different than any other money related announcements done before. At least for me, it is somewhat normal (not right, normal) to hear an announcement in which they ask if it is ok to donate x amount per publisher. They did clarify to us that this did not mean we were obligated to donate the x amount every month. With that said, we all know what would happen if the accounts don't balance out. Been there done that. They will eventually remind us of the motion (pledge) we made.
StarTrekAngel
JoinedPosts by StarTrekAngel
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Has anyone a copy of the recent BOE about contributions to disaster fund?
by tezrichmond inthere was a boe recently (in last few weeks) about everyone in congregation contributing so much towards repairing kingdom hall's in emergencies, vandalism or disasters etc.
does anyone have a copy - i couldn't find it on here.. i want to do a video on this because they say they don't solicit funds but it was announced from the platform????
they might not be passing a collection plate around, but they're just doing it in a different way.. .
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can anyone tell me how to fly under the radar of the elders?
by purrpurr ini have all my family in the cult and was brought up in it myself.
although mentally i'm out if i leave i loose all my family and that would break my heart.
i've somehow got to fly under the radar and not be detected.
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StarTrekAngel
I find it hard to believe that you can fool them for too long. See if you are alone, this seems like a practical approeach (in my opinion) but when you have familiy you really love (and if they really love you, which I assume is the case) eventually they will take an interest on your problem as well. And how long can you fake this in front of your family. You need to concentrate on what really matters first. The elders don't matter as much as your family. If you work with your family as your main priority, everything else will fall into place. Love will win.
This is the problem with this org... it has too many checks and balances that will let them know when someone falls out of line. It is my theory that no one will ever succeed in taking them down by attacking them directly. There is too much diversity of thought and culture for you to show your friends, family and community, that this is wrong. Too much cushion between you (or us) and the GB. In fact, they remind me of the old movie, The Mask. The bad guy. When they shoot hundreds of bullets at him and he somehow collects them all in his mouth and shoots back. I believe the key is to start eating away the cushion like moths. Each from its own side and angle. Only then we would succeed in bringing about change.
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THE CULT STRIKES AGAIN!!!
by DATA-DOG init's amazing what you perceive, once you know ttatt.
today's wt mind-control session was an amazing example of cult mind control techniques in action!!
the program was about hearing jeehoobies voice!
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StarTrekAngel
Which article are we talking about?
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Reading the Watchtower and Awake! is like getting a college education!
by kairos inanybody remember hearing this?.
--.
is that comment in print anywhere?.
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StarTrekAngel
“I quit school in the 9th grade about twenty-five years ago. I have had no secular schooling since then. I should have, by all rights, stagnated mentally. Due to economic circumstances—I had to go to work full time to support my family—I found it necessary to go back to school for a high school diploma.
If he had so much education from WT, why did he need to go back to school?
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WT Study 26th Oct. '14
by BluesBrother ini could find another thread so i thought i might add a few comments here - not a full critique though.
"hear jehovah's voice wherever you are".
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20140815/hear-jehovahs-voice/.
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StarTrekAngel
So just remember when bro So and So speaks from the platform, it is not him, but God who is speaking !...........
The funny part of BluesBrother view on this, is that at our meeting, last Sunday, the public talk was about idolatry. The brother went on to repeat something I had not heard in a while. That hanging a poster of your favorite sports player or singer is idolatry. A sister (an annointed one) later commented on par 16 the very same thing that is portrayed here.. She said, I did not know doing so would be idolatry, but now that the brother mentioned I have come to understand.
:/
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Jehovanomics RULE #3: Money Laundering Through Kingdom Hall Build-Out and Maintenance.
by Jehovanomics init's big business laundering money through construction and improvements of a kingdom hall.
it's steady cash flow laundering money to maintain a kingdom hall.
donated labor from members is icing on the cake.
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StarTrekAngel
Finkeistein,
They know, it is announced in every assembly. Did you not get a financial statement when attended the assemblies? You built the place with your money and then, every time there is an assembly, you will be told how much it has costed so far. When an assembly is made at a third party venue, this is undertandable. When it is made at the Assembly Hall of JWs, then it is not so understandable. Speacially when the "Rent" for the hall happens to be 5 times higher than that of a third party place.
The same happens to KH and regular congregations. You build the hall with donated funds, the same people who dontated the money to make the construction loan, also pay for the loan. It used to be a regular loan with interest, it is now a perpetual payment to the society, who now own the hall. This is no different than the way banks work. You deposit your money, they make loans with your own money (provided the fractional banking system lends money that is printed out of your own), you pay for the loan made out of your own money and they take the difference. It is such a incidious and evil financial system that many, including religions, have a attempted to create one of its own, on their own way but similar in nature.
We recently remodeled our hall. I rememeber when I fisrt began attending, I use to think of how great deal of transparency there was. Then I began to find out the details on how it happens. It turns out we payed over $800 a month for the loan, for a hall that was built with used parts from another one, like the light fixtures and bathroom amenities. After that, when we were a couple of years away from paying it off, we expanded it. We remodeled it at the end of 2013. We changed the carpets, sounds system, added cameras, painted and re worked the outside trimiming. Changed out all the bathroom fixtures (toilets tubs, etc) relocated the platform (not sure why) and that is about it. The most expensive part was expanding the parking lot, to fit another 8 spaces. I also found out thru some brothers that as the old, used light fixtures were being replaced, the old ones mixed up with the new ones. So we don't know where but it happened. The total cost of the remodeling, 130K. Mind you this is in an area where a 2100 sq ft brick home can be built, brand new on a 1/2 acre lot, for a whopping 100K. And we paid 130K for a mere remodeling.
Just 3 months after the project was finished, the new arrangement was announced, effectively locking us in for good. I am also aware that at least another 5 halls were remodeling on this time frame, in the same area.
Have you ever payed attention to the many donation arrangements that exists within the WTBTS? Most of us understand that donating to your church means giving money, expecting nothing but blessings in return ( i dont mean that literally). The WTBTS has some arrangement that entail having your money returned, or even paying your a lifetime annuity. Leaving aside the fact that there is no scriptural support for this, I don't understand how they can honestly promote practices that are so open to exploitation and corruption. You see, you can donate money to the society and they will pay you back a return in the form of an annuity. They even remind you that this is a way to wise tax planning for you.
-The annuity arrangement will require them to have a certain amount of confidence in their ability to handle money flow. They can not paid if they don't earn. It is a type of gift annuity, as far as I understand, so it technically means that the money you put in, will never be returned. The sooner your die, the better chances that they will not pay you out as much as you payed them (catching!). I have not yet researched if such annuity can be passed on to your survivors. In any case, they need to do something productive with the money you gave them, otherwise, how is all this accounting going to balance out?
- Same goes for the conditional donations, where you can donate money and request it back at a later time. This can be used as leverage in both, the real state market, as well as the stock and financial markets. If you recall, a couple of years ago there was a WT article warning against the risk of trying to become too rich, too quick. An example was presented of a young man who decided to go into the stock market and traded with "borrowed money". It then goes on to explain how he lost it all and had to work really hard to get out of the hole. Most likely, they were talking about trading on leverage, not an actual loan. They are not the same. This is the same type of practice that brought some financial institutions to their knees in 2008. I am pretty sure the WTBTS will be doing the same with the money they are "borrowing" from the donor. If and when the donor reclaims his donation, and if there is not enough money to pay out everyone, this is what is known as a "margin call" or a "run on the bank". Depending in which category the money falls.
Off course, it can not be said that they are a bank, but once you understand how banks work, you will quickly see the similarities. Banks have an authorization to print money. This is such a powerfull gift, that countless ways to imitate it, away from regulators, have been attempted.
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What Kingdom Halls do you know of that have been closed down recently?
by 4thgen inrecently, we drove by the kingdom hall in galena, il, the sign was removed and it was closed down.
a while back, the hall in taylor mo was also closed.
one congregation in peoria, il was dissolved last year.
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StarTrekAngel
There is one assembly hall in my area, close to the border with Mexico that stayed empty the whole summer time. No assemblies here or anywhere near the border with Mexico. None of the undocumented brothers, which make most of the congregations in the area, were able to attend the assemblies up north, in areas like Houston or San Antonio. I asked if other assemblies were programmed within driving distance but no one knew of any. Twenty five or so miles from the border with Mexico there are inmigration checkpoints. Those without documents will be deported. Did the F&D slave forgot about this brothers? The Hall is fairly new, less than 5 years old.
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English to Spanish differences
by StarTrekAngel ini was wondering if someone here can guide me a bit.
i have been doing some research on wt publications, specifically those that have the key writtings regarding changing doctrine.
the problem is that i am native spanish speaker and i attend a spanish congregation.
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StarTrekAngel
Thanks A.proclaimer! I think that is a good general rule of thumb. At least gives me a good range to search. As far as the spanish PDF, I would be interested on that. I'll message you my email address.
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New Zealand News: Jehovah's Witness dies after refusing blood transfusion
by AndersonsInfo injehovah's witness dies after refusing blood transfusion.
monday, october 20, 2014.
3 news - nzn.
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StarTrekAngel
She might have been an ex-JW, but it comes to show you the extent of the influence they have. My wife has a cousin that lives nearby us. She is no longer attending meetings, attends other churches, celebrates birthdays, etc, etc. But she is in need of a surgery and she is being told by her doctors she needs to get her iron up or else, she may need blood during the surgery. She is still in that mindset that she needs to refuse it because of her belief. Despite having "failed Jehovah in every other aspect".
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English to Spanish differences
by StarTrekAngel ini was wondering if someone here can guide me a bit.
i have been doing some research on wt publications, specifically those that have the key writtings regarding changing doctrine.
the problem is that i am native spanish speaker and i attend a spanish congregation.
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StarTrekAngel
Ok, so in some chases, I guess, chances are that whatever was written about 1975 in English, may have never been published in spanish