old school witnesses thrived on the fact they were different and persecuted for it.
it was a point of pride.. i think the whole witness experience is much more social based for younger and newer witnesses.
that may be why so many newer ones that come to this board cannot understand or accept some of the information we present here about how things "used to be".
vidiot: The WTS is overwhelmingly reactive, not proactive.
Unless, of course, you factor in the WTS' undeniable proactive behavior in the 30s and 40s concerning first amendment rights.
*to add: and...what about the WTS' proactive stance on blood? How many millions have they invested in promoting erroneous material to the public and the medical profession with their production of noblood propaganda?
the borg seem to prepare for changes by missing explanations out for a while then presenting a "new understanding" which doesn't contradict the most recent discussion.check out the most recent references to gog - no identification as satan.. in today's wt study, paragraph 15 concerning benefitting from the prodigal son stated "if we meet a person who has strayed from the congregation, will we offer loving and practical help to assist him to return?
" there is no footnote or other qualifier saying not to go to disfellowshipped ones (who are definitely the ones being talked about) which is still the official policy.
i know this isn't an ending to shunning, but it may signal the start of the preparation for a change.
The WTS needs to keep the disfellowshipping policy.
Without it, the WTS could lose their status of religion (for tax purposes) in some countries. Disfellowshipping establishes that all members have a 'genuine belief'. It is this concept - genuine belief - that allows the WTS to qualify as a religion and subsequently, earn their tax status as one.
sir82: And there you have the principal reason for WTS outrage - the government took their property!
And then Knorr and Rutherford went to Germany to negotiate the release of the WTS printing presses under terms of the Versailles Treaty which allowed foreign companies to operate within Germany.
The printing presses were released and then later confiscated again. There is no mention, in the history records that I could find, about what purpose those printing presses were used for during the war years.
just a quick line, since this is the first time it happens to me and i could now see with my very own eyes.
the scene went like this, on the outside of a large store.. truck stops and a young boy, about 16, no more than 18 years old walks out.
comes up to me, pulls out a track and says.
Comes up to me, pulls out a track and says...
psssst, StarTrekAngel....the word is 'tract', not 'track'. A 'track' would be a little difficult to tuck into a pocket...
:)
just come here to vent a bit.
last night we had one of those meeting where i had a hard time keeping my eyes from rolling.
i tell you, sometimes i think they have a mind of their own, my eyes that is.
human organizations that are prone to rigidity and unreasonableness. Because of pride, men often refuse to adapt to changing needs and circumstances. Such rigidity has bankrupted corporations and even toppled governments. (Proverbs 16:18) How happy we can be that neither Jehovah nor his organization is anything like that!
It sounds like the WTS is justifying the recent changes in the organization.
It is interesting that they liken the organization to Ezekiel's chariot that has "...giant wheels were four-sided and full of eyes so that they could see everywhere." That sounds rather ominous - like something out of an Orwell book. Eyes that look everywhere. Surveillance at its finest.
Simon: Is that real?
Good question. If it is 'real', how did somebody liberate the telegram from "Hitler Government Berlin"?
Was this a telegram that wasn't sent? They didn't have photocopiers back then...how did this telegram see the light of day?
Yup. That works.
How childish and ignorant.
Threaten governments with "God is gonna get you". Hitler must have been shaking in his boots.
the jw..org website now boasts that the jw message is translated into over 700 languages..
a noble feat, you may think.
and how wonderful that jehovahs message can reach the far ends of the world in so many languages!.
Don't you mean "outdated babble"?
Lol! Bibble, babble ....same thing.
Actually, you could probably claim that the WTS is fulfilling prophecy. They have built their tower so high that it is hard for them to manage and control - they need to divide and conquer their followers to maintain authority. The WTS is Nimrod.
to all those who frequent this discussion board:.
we just wanted you to know that an investigative public radio program named reveal, produced by cir (center for investigative reporting) and prx, will present today, saturday, february 14th, the results of new investigations uncovering hidden stories.
in this weeks story, there will be three different topics covered.
jwleaks: Does that also apply to the 'appointment' of the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" in 1919 by Jesus and Jehovah. As far as I am aware there is no evidence or testimony to support this claim. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses even today make the claim that this occurred yet have never produced a single eye-witness.
Was it an "invisible appointment" seen only in the the mind of those that want to believe? That's not evidence.
Today Jehovah's Witnesses around the world claim that this has happened in 1919. But that is mere hearsay.
The Watchtower Society bought their printing presses in 1919. Up until that point, the printing was done by 'outside' printing companies. The only thing that happened in 1919 is that the WTS established themselves as a profit making machine in its own right.
the internet is the archive for civilization.. watchtower cannot hide it's history.. are we seeing the beginning of a mass exodus out of her?.
kairos: I remember in my area we would have two distinct convention dates per year then they changed it to 3 or 4 with of course smaller amounts of people at each one. By doing this and saying that some would be assigned to other areas altogether there was no way of telling how few were still going.
Not only that, but smaller groups mean more control. Smaller assemblies mean that there is less chance of those groups communicating with each other about 'apostate' matters.
Breaking down large groups into smaller, more manageable ones, is a tactic that has met with much success in the past. Rutherford found that out when he went to Germany way back prior to WW2 and tried out that method of control. Re-structuring and re-branding is not new to the WTS.
