by MinisterAmos 54 Replies latest jw friends
Could it be that many CO and DO realize that the end is not coming and they are just tired of singing the same old song and taking upon themselves to help young ones
to get an education and take care of themselves and their future families.
Realistically even if a teenager pioneers, how many of them turn it into a lifetime career.
Most of them eventually quit, get married.
In most of the congr. i've been in, teenagers by the time they are 19, they are out of the truth.
A couple of years ago our DO told us that we could trust anything that was said at the circuit assembly because they go strictly by the outline from the Society and that the script is looked at by "70 pairs of eyes" before it is released. I have to believe that half of those "eyes" were their lawyers.
Who ever told you that was spewing pure bullcrap. DO's and CO's routinely deviate from their outlines - especially the old-timers. They don't do it as often at the District Assemblies because there are others there who they are accountable to, but at Circuit and Special Assemblies there is no one else who's going to counsel them.
Was that the "needs of the circuit" talk? I think there's some room there to wing it. I think your CO was definitly winging it. We have a two day latter this month, I'll let you know if anything similar is said.
our DO told us that we could trust anything that was said at the circuit assembly because they go strictly by the outline from the Society and that the script is looked at by "70 pairs of eyes" before it is released.
True in a sense. I have been at Circuit Assembly practice sessions before. Many brothers have some leeway on the words as long as they stick to the outline, but will have to let the DO or CO hear their finished, polished talk before the assembly. Many times, interviewed people do not come to practice, but the brothers hear what questions they will be answering.
The CO is different. It is often him, HIMSELF without the DO (depends on the DO's availability) that listens to these talks beforehand. Also, even if the DO is there, he trusts that his experienced CO's are going to stay in line. The Needs of the Circuit talk is without an outline from the WTS, it is discussed among the elders as the CO visits each congregation. He's very free to say what he feels needs to be said (staying in line with WTS thinking).
He may have gotten in trouble or the DO may have been paying little attention to his talk (as they often are taking care of business during the assembly). He may have been saying something that was okayed by higher-ups.
Everyone is saying 2 baptisms resulting from 12 months of preaching. Many prefer to wait for the 3-day district convention for their baptism. Still, the number is low and doesn't replace faders, DF's , deaths. That might be part of the MAINSTREAM RELIGION thinking of your CO- allow young ones to pursue their goals and maybe they will pursue WTS goals with them.
One of the funny things I saw was that they had built sign frames out of PVC and blocked off ten or so spots in front of the entrance with "No Parking" signs. The kids and I moved them to random locations in the lot in front of brother's cars and moved the RV to park parallel in the choice spot.
LMFAO!!! I love gags like this!! Thanks for the laughs.
What assembly was this? My mom never mentioned it and she's been home all month. This hardly sounds like good news for the WTS.
By the way, if the WTS is searching for ways to "mainstream" their cult, let's not give them answers here. For all we know, there are people at Bethel reading this. The last thing we want to do is to contribute to the growth of their organization!
Anitar
Having participated in several Circuit Assemblies when I was younger and then keeping tabs with old Witness friends over the years, I can assure you that there was and is a lot of leeway as to what could be said during a convention speech. But you have to remember that all of the public talks, funeral speeches, and even the CO speeches are so scripted these days that they contain no surprises. So there isn't much leeway to be exercised.
I attended a recent funeral for a Witness friend and found the speech to be almost an exact carbon copy of (including quoted scriptures) of one I had attended some five years ago. Can you imagine being active and having to attend a half dozen of these affairs every year?
Even when the brothers try to enhance the talks a little by moving things around or substituting a scripture or two, no one really notices because it's all really just the same old pablum. At assemblies, any "new light" or policy change is saved for the keynote speech by the highest ranking person there (although Fred Franz often would give the "new light" speeches at the national assemblies when Knorr was president).
BTW - as far as the number of baptisms are concerned, even those are suspect. Many JWs who have DA'd or DF'd get rebaptized to show their new and updated commitment. One relative of mine was rebaptized because the first time was when she was a teenager. In spite of her service and faithfulness over many years, she felt that the first one really didn't take because she wasn't mature at the original time. There seems to be some encouragement on the part of the Society for this type of re-dedication. I am not sure if they identify redips in their numbers, or just ignore those category and lump them altogether with total dips. In any case, it would tend to distort the results of their witness work if they didn't break out the redippers.
Juan Viejo
Juan~
What the hell is a "re-dedication"? I've never heard of such a thing in the witness world! (?) I can't believe it would be something encourage. Has anybody else heard of this?
As far as what is said from a do, co, po, etc.........does anybody else think it's just plain silly how much time and effort the borg puts into making sure that they have COMPLETE CONTROL over what's being said to JW's anywhere, anytime?! I mean just think about it....it's freakin' goofy how they can't just let people (who they know are absolutely watchtower loyalist) speak freely from their heart! Totally amazing....what a controling cult.....
Usually when people become JWs, they have been baptized once and thus in a sense are rebaptized. But here it is talking about someone who was baptized already as a JW and feels the first baptism was not valid and they need to be rebaptized.
*** w73 6/1 p. 341 par. 25 Keeping God's Congregation Clean in the Time of His Judgment ***
Would there be need for rebaptism on the part of those abandoning their addiction to tobacco or other harmful product? No, this does not seem necessary. Knowledge brings responsibility and educates the conscience. (1 Tim. 1:13) The congregation gave them to understand that their practice did not 'prevent them,' and they were baptized in accord with that understanding. (Acts 8:36) Of course, if an individual feels that he presented himself for baptism with a 'bad conscience' due to such practice, he may decide to be rebaptized. That would be his personal decision.
*** w64 2/15 p. 126 Did You Make an Acceptable Dedication to God? ***
However, it is a different matter when a person was committing serious wrongdoing at the time of his "dedication" and baptism and even thereafter. If one was habitually sinning, practicing a grievous wrong during this time, even though ceasing from it some time after his baptism and making advancement in the service of Jehovah, he was in an unclean state before God at the time of his baptism. Such a baptism, since it did not follow a true dedication, would be invalid. If such a person has now forsaken that practice of sin, repented and made a sincere dedication of himself to Jehovah God, he should be rebaptized.
What the hell is a "re-dedication"? I've never heard of such a thing in the witness world! (?) I can't believe it would be something encourage. Has anybody else heard of this?
I have.
When I was baptized in 1972, a "sister" with a clipboard came into the ladies room where we were changing into our bathing suits, and asked each of us if what congregation we were from and if we had ever been baptized as a JW before. I thought that was really strange and asked my study conductor about it when I saw her.
She told me that after some JWs had been disfellowshipped they would get re-baptized to show their sincerity. Later on I also learned of some that had been baptized as teens (or younger) and didn't feel as if they had taken their dedication seriously at that time. It DOES happen.
Annie
