Fudging The Numbers JW Style

by pale.emperor 14 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  pale.emperor

  I know most of us have probably figured this out already, but remember the good old days where you could only count full hours in the ministry?

  Then one of the GB get some "new light" from their ass and proclaim that they lovingly will allow people to report 30mins, then even 15mins of time. This was, supposedly, so that the old and infirm could have a joy in the ministry and report what little they could do. I suspect, nay, i am confident, this is just because all those 15mins and 30mins add up to hours and hey presto you have hundreds more hours to boast about in the new yearbook! (Even as a Jdub i saw through this shit.)
  

  Then... every so often (usually around memorial or convention time) they allow auxiliary pioneering to report a lot less hours yet still be considered pioneering. So lots of Jdubs in full time work (myself included) jump at the chance to "reach out" and auxiliary pioneer with bogus hours. Again, those numbers add up. So it's not that the ministry has increased, it's probably stayed the same or even dropped. In reality they've just cashes in all the loose change and added it all up.
  

  Then... you're now able to count family worship, studying with an inactive one, studying with your children etc etc - and hey presto more hours for the year book!!

  It makes me glad that i very rarely filled in a report slip truthfully. Yes, a blank report slip was my canvas. The rule of thumb was how many hours did you really do? multiply it by 10 and divide by 3.
  
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  prologos

  that is how 10 minutes per year for every inhabitant of the planet everywhere are arrived at, 10 minutes of kingdom good news now, and for a 100 years.
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  Muddy Waters

  Yes, and isn't it amazing how *Jehovah* is the one who comes up with this wonderful privilege of counting time this way. (Despite the Bible verses which say not to keep a record of your deeds, but your father in heaven will see you in secret and bless you.... and that we should not let our right hand know what the left is doing, blah blah blah.)

  Jehovah and his GB minions certainly are amazing. With the one with whom there is "no variation of the turning of the shadow" or whatever, he certainly is flexible with things... thank goodness the GB know how to "hear" him and fine-tune these miraculous revelations.
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  berrygerry

  It isn't the number of hours that prompted this change. It was to increase the number of members.

  https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/how-many-jw-members/
  
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  Pete Zahut

  Yes, the yearly report will show more hours in the "Ministry" but I'm guessing if anyone does the math, they will see that the already high ratio of service hours to new baptisms, will now be even higher.

  Since JW's are "footstep followers" I wonder how the Apostles and early Christians kept track of their time and literature placements and if this new loving arrangement falls in line with what they did ?
  
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  stuckinarut2

  Wasn't King David punished for taking a census count in order to boast about his numbers??
  
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  stuckinarut2

  Hey, I know witnesses who count Return Visits each time a familiar face passes them while they are doing the 'cart/street' witnessing!

  So if you are a commuter who walks past the cart each morning, then they count a RV!
  
  

  I am not kidding!
  
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  joyfulfader

  Back in the early 90's I had a boyfriend who was an ex- bethelite, reg pioneer, MS, son of an elder and member of the building committee who told me he wrote in 90 or more hours no matter what and just put random numbers in the other spaces. It was impossible to live up to all that was expected of him. Good guy.... hope he got out.

  Then there were the elder/pioneers who went out from 7am to 2pm 4 days per week and 2hrs on Saturday, counting all the hours while telling everyone else to subtract the meeting for FS and all breaks and lunch. Those guys had their 1000 hours by May so they weren't out much for 3 to 4 months. It was infuriating.

  JWs have interesting math skills....must be all that college...
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  Heartsafire

  I used to beat myself up as a jw over things like rarely reaching the "national average" each month or not ever finding time to read the magazines I was trying to place.

  Then I married an eldub in training and realized how loose-y goose-y he was with his field service reports. And this coming from an entire family of pionerds.
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  TheOldHippie

  you're now able to count family worship - No, you are not

  studying with an inactive one - That has been the case for decades, after you are asked to do so

  studying with your children - That has also been the case for decades

  etc etc - What is "etc. etc."? - are you suggesting dogs?