Posts by OrphanCrow

46

We are slowly moving away from that kind of preaching work

by oppostate in

john hoyle--jws go knocking on strangers doors and try to get inside homes to preach.. wt rep--we are slowly moving away from that kind of preaching work, we do more preaching by using literature carts and personal telephone calls.. .

the above quote is from john hoyle's website:http://insidethewatchtower.com/doctrine/phone-calls-to-bethel-jw-org-email-and-contacts/.

it's interesting, isn't it?

OrphanCrow

sir82: Number of hours per month is THE primary, and in some cases, the SOLE, measurement for how "spiritual" someone is. And where you stand on the "spirituality" scale is EVERYTHING in Watchtower-world.

Sure. that is what you have been told. Hours in service=spirituality. However, hours in service actually means "tax free status". Membership in the JW religion has been defined by hours of service in order to meet the requirements of the taxman that the organization has a way of determining who is a member and to claim that the JWs do 'charity work'.

What is far more important to the WT than "spirituality' is "tax free status". And right now, the WT is in a major overhaul in order to keep that status. The categories and requirements for each level of membership is being re-defined. And yes, these changes "would so fundamentally change the nature of JWs that the organization would become unrecognizable." How many times have you heard exactly that from posters on this forum?

You can call it spirituality if you like...but...calling it that doesn't make it so.

87

Disturbing hidden image in w15 04/15 page 9 (Not DF image)

by campaign of hate in

could someone do me a favor and post the picture on page 9 on the above mentioned watchtower.. i'll point it out, very surprised no one else has picked up on this creepy image..

OrphanCrow

Afrikaman: ......Do you think I was having subliminal thoughts at the time ??
Please check out the link on my previous post too ! Maybe we spot some more images !!

I have no idea if you were having subliminal thoughts. Were you?

I haven't checked your link but I will at some time...I like looking at photographs. Unmanipulated photos often contain 'hidden images' - it is the result of the photographic process itself and not intentional. I have many photos that contain odd images - I have one I took of clouds that clearly shows Old Man Wind blowing the storm clouds in. It is a fun photo but not one that I would classify as having an intentionally inserted subliminal image.

The face in the cloud of the photo you posted is one that likely, if it did have subliminal qualities for the viewer, wouldn't change the viewer's response to it - the face is 'on theme'. It actually makes sense in the context of what the photo is about.

What doesn't make sense is when the subliminal images contradict the subject matter in the context that it is presented. For example, if the photo you had posted was of an idyllic scene...let's make it about babies - babies are a good device to emote protective instincts in the viewer....and the same threatening face appeared in clouds above the baby's head, then I would say that the chances of the subliminal image have an effect on the viewer's interpretation or response to the image is heightened.

Not everybody reacts to subliminal images - not everybody can see them. Usually subliminal imaging is inserted into subtle tonal value changes in the image and the human apparatus for seeing - eye/brain - is not the same for everyone. Some people have been born with the physical capacity for seeing a wider range of tonal values than others. Some people have a limited tonal range recognition.

Not all of the population has the same capacity for color separation:

You see less than 20 color nuances: you are a dichromats, like dogs, which means you have 2 types of cones only. You are likely to wear black, beige, and blue. 25% of the population is dichromat.
You see between 20 and 32 color nuances: you are a trichromat, you have 3 types of cones (in the purple/blue, green and red area). You enjoy different colors as you can appreciate them. 50% of the population is trichromat.
You see between 33 and 39 colors: you are a tetrachromat, like bees, and have 4 types of cones (in the purple/blue, green, red plus yellow area). You are irritated by yellow, so this color will be nowhere to be found in your wardrobe. 25% of the population is tetrachromat.

fulano: When you look at the picture it's weird, all demon faces. That's why I hate even open a w or g, or any book. I mean take a look at the waterfall...disgusting.

You must be a tetrachromat, fulano, the same as me. For many years, I avoided even opening or touching WT literature. When I finally got the courage to examine the literature, I started on what I felt was the safest component for me to do so - the text. I could examine the text without it even being in the same format as the WT had produced it in. The text is available sans image and can be examined without the aid or influence of the images.

It was the images that contained the most power for me - they are what stuck in my brain and were the most easily recalled to mind. I avoided examining the images until my brain could accept them for what they were and without any doubts in my head as to the inaccuracy of the WT doctrine. Even so, I missed things in the WT images that were readily apparent to other people that I showed them to and I know that it is because of my personal, cultural understandings, that were already loaded into my brain and prevented me from seeing the obvious.

Fulano, maybe someday you will be able to approach the WT images with an emotional detachment that puts the information you are receiving into a better context that will allow you to release the nightmares that those images provoke.

And images like this one will no longer have the power to make you react emotionally - it will be just another clumsy attempt by the WT to influence your mind. the demons in the waves will just be drowning instead of threatening:

Is that demon drawn into the waves 'on purpose'? Was it inserted deliberately? I don't know...but I do know one thing - if it was an accident because the artist had no more artistic ability than the camera that captures tonal values indiscriminately, then the question that is more relevant is this - why wasn't the strange images in this illustration removed? Why were they left in? Are there no tetrachromats at the WT?

The WT artists, and everybody else in the Tower machine who saw this image before it went into production must be dichromats. Dichromats don't make for very good artists - they are usually the ones who add up numbers and stuff like that.

87

Disturbing hidden image in w15 04/15 page 9 (Not DF image)

by campaign of hate in

could someone do me a favor and post the picture on page 9 on the above mentioned watchtower.. i'll point it out, very surprised no one else has picked up on this creepy image..

OrphanCrow

Nice photo, Afrikanman. Good catch of a face in a cloud. And thanks to the digital camera...it probably wouldn't have shown up if you had used film.

I will borrow Datadog's comment to respond to your photograph:

You need to understand the difference between a naturally occurring cloud that may resemble a face and a piece of artwork.

16

Zambia - President Wants to Ban JWs

by OrphanCrow in

zambia has one of the highest concentrations of jws in the world.

their influence has impacted the political climate in that country to such an extent that the president attributes low voter turnout to the jws.. http://www.lusakatimes.com/2015/06/04/deregister-jehovah-witnesses-for-promoting-voter-apathy-cosmo-mumba/.

"national revolution party leader cosmo mumba has appealed to the register of societies to force jehovah witnesses to start singing the national anthem and participate in national elections or be banned.dr mumba told prime tv in lusaka that jehovah witnesses are the ones responsible for the prevailing low voter turnout in recent elections.he said theregistrar of societies should immediately force jehovah witnesses to start voting or ban them from practising in zambia.dr mumba said singing of the national anthem is a sign of patriotism and wondered why jehovah witnesses have been allowed to disregard symbols of national pride and patriotism like the singing of the national anthem.he claimed that zambias democracy may not grow if institutions such as the jehovah witnesses are allowed to continue operating in zambia.

OrphanCrow

Doc: Politicians should realize that when you have to pass laws to force citizens to vote or sing the National Anthem or salute the flag, then there might be something wrong with your Government.

That may be true for most countries, but I think that the situation is somewhat different in Zambia. For one thing, the JWs have a strong presence in that country - one of the highest concentrations of JWs in the world. And the history of the Watchtower movement in Africa is such that the lines between the WT being a 'religious movement' or a 'political movement' were sometimes blurred.

The WT has had a significant impact on African political history. They have shaped the political history is some areas, and some countries don't forget that - a religion that claims to be politically neutral yet still impacts the political landscape stands to lose popularity.

150

Disfellowshipping Image

by naazira in

jw
friends

this photo can be found in the april 15 , study edition article titled:.

why disfellowshipping is a loving provision.

just by looking at this image we can see how quickly the barrier between the congregation and former member is put up, after the announcement that this sister is no longer one of jehovah's witneses.

OrphanCrow

wokeup: Instilling subliminal messages in commercial art goes back decades.

Yes, subliminal imaging is an advertising industry standard.

Subliminal imaging has been used by artists for centuries. It certainly is nothing new.

The controversy that surrounds the subliminal image is whether or not it actually has any effect on human behavior. This is the point that many will argue over (besides whether or not the artist inserted the subliminals deliberately). I have met many people who get very uncomfortable and agitated when they are confronted with the idea. When I have questioned them about why it upsets them, some have revealed that they do not like the idea that they are susceptible to 'mind control' by something that they can't see. They are resistant to it because they view subliminal imaging as an affront to their intelligence. And it frightens some people, too..

LisaRose: ....there is no evidence that people actually react to things that are not perceived on a conscious level. The often quoted study of placing subliminal ads for popcorn at movie theaters causing people to buy more popcorn has never been substantiated.

The use of subliminal imaging to test its effect on human behavior is used in psychology and there have been many scientific studies that have supported the theory that subliminal imaging has an effect on behavior.

From pg. 100 of Handbook on the Economics of Discrimination by William M. Rodgers:

Devine (1989) conducted a clever experiment to test whether very subtle factors could influence categorizations. One hundred and twenty-nine students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at Ohio State University participated in the experiment for course credit. Participants took the Modern Racism Scale to determine their prejudice level. Participants were then shown Subliminal images) appearing on a computer screen for less than 30 milliseconds) of words associated with the social category ‘black’ (for example, black, poor, ghetto and negroes) using the stimuli priming method developed by Bargh and Pietromonaco (1982). Subjects were told that the experimenter was interested in how people form impressions. They were asked to read the famous ‘Donald paragraph’ which is a 12-sentence paragraph that has Donald engaging in ambiguously hostile behaviors like withholding rent until an apartment is painted or demanding money back at a retail store. The results were startling: participants who had been given the subliminal images rated Donald as significantly more hostile, and this was true for all prejudice levels. This experiment demonstrates the power of implicit associations and how such associations have been measured.

Another study that measures brain activity in response to subliminal images:

How the Brain Translates Money into Force: A Neuroimaging Study of Subliminal Motivation

Abstract:

Unconscious motivation in humans is often inferred but rarely demonstrated empirically. We imaged motivational processes, implemented in a paradigm that varied the amount and reportability of monetary rewards for which subjects exerted physical effort. We show that, even when subjects cannot report how much money is at stake, they nevertheless deploy more force for higher amounts. Such a motivational effect is underpinned by engagement of a specific basal forebrain region. Our findings thus reveal this region as a key node in brain circuitry that enables expected rewards to energize behavior, without the need for the subjects`awareness.

There are other studies besides the two examples I just posted, that have been done with more scientific rigour than the popcorn study, that support the theory that subliminal images can effect behavior.

16

Zambia - President Wants to Ban JWs

by OrphanCrow in

zambia has one of the highest concentrations of jws in the world.

their influence has impacted the political climate in that country to such an extent that the president attributes low voter turnout to the jws.. http://www.lusakatimes.com/2015/06/04/deregister-jehovah-witnesses-for-promoting-voter-apathy-cosmo-mumba/.

"national revolution party leader cosmo mumba has appealed to the register of societies to force jehovah witnesses to start singing the national anthem and participate in national elections or be banned.dr mumba told prime tv in lusaka that jehovah witnesses are the ones responsible for the prevailing low voter turnout in recent elections.he said theregistrar of societies should immediately force jehovah witnesses to start voting or ban them from practising in zambia.dr mumba said singing of the national anthem is a sign of patriotism and wondered why jehovah witnesses have been allowed to disregard symbols of national pride and patriotism like the singing of the national anthem.he claimed that zambias democracy may not grow if institutions such as the jehovah witnesses are allowed to continue operating in zambia.

OrphanCrow

Zambia has one of the highest concentrations of JWs in the world. Their influence has impacted the political climate in that country to such an extent that the president attributes low voter turnout to the JWs.

http://www.lusakatimes.com/2015/06/04/deregister-jehovah-witnesses-for-promoting-voter-apathy-cosmo-mumba/

"National Revolution Party leader Cosmo Mumba has appealed to the Register of Societies to force Jehovah Witnesses to start singing the national anthem and participate in national elections or be banned.
Dr Mumba told Prime TV in Lusaka that Jehovah Witnesses are the ones responsible for the prevailing low voter turnout in recent elections.He said theRegistrar of Societies should immediately force Jehovah Witnesses to start voting or ban them from practising in Zambia.
Dr Mumba said singing of the national anthem is a sign of patriotism and wondered why Jehovah Witnesses have been allowed to disregard symbols of national pride and patriotism like the singing of the national anthem.
He claimed that Zambia’s democracy may not grow if institutions such as the Jehovah Witnesses are allowed to continue operating in Zambia."

60

Does The Governing Body Have Enemies At Bethel?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i would think that a lot of resentment is building up for these for these guys at bethel even though it may not be discussed openly for fear of being abused by the gb in some way.. any way looking at their personality and the extreme phoniness of rubber mouth/face lett, and am#3, and the chicken shit coward leosch who won't even show up in court when subpoena'd to defend his faith or policies, and i'm sure they have many more undesirable traits that repel people instead of attract and that has to work its toll on relationships they have at bethel.. and this shunning thing i'm sure must really erk some at god's house and while they may not be free to voice their discontent i feel it must be building because these guys are complete nincompoops when it come to reality and the only way they know how to give direction is with fear and guilt which i'm sure is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way.. and let not forget the issues that are raise when they stole all the congregations savings and the pledge drive for more cash, ban on higher education, lawsuit pay out and etc.... what is this doing to the relation ship they have with legal and accounting i see trouble brewing right thier in the spiritual pair of dice..

OrphanCrow

@Orphan.
I mentioned the two I know were missionaries, just like me. How many green handshakes you think you get in third world countries? We hardly had money to Buy a decent bottle of wine on saturday nights.

You are absolutely right. The missionaries who are also Society members who worked in third world countries would have little opportunity to shake green hands.

But, not all of the Society men work in third world countries. Some of them rub shoulders with prominent JWs (and non-JWs) who are heavily invested in blood management or run bloodless surgery hospitals, and some show up at FDA hearings about artificial blood. Some of them are in charge of securing paper supplies (Henwood court case, if you want details), and some are in close contact with real estate brokers....etc., etc.

When someone offers evidence that the Society men are underpaid, it just adds more weight to the possibility of there being other Society men, who are also underpaid, that aren't so complacent in their low paying positions and who succumb to the temptation of increasing their disposable income by accepting 'gifts' in exchange for favors.

vidiot: I have to say, if the GB do have any "enemies" at WTHQ, it's 'cause they made 'em.

Yes. It is like the large scale employers like chain corporations who hire large staffs at minimum wage. Their biggest problem isn't customer theft, it is employee theft. I wouldn't be surprised if petty theft is a big issue in the WT compounds/Bethels.

As far as enemies of the GB go, the ones who are most likely to revolt are ones like the poor missionaries in third world countries, that are sincere and honest in their commitments, getting pissed because they find out that not all of the Society men are cut from the same cloth. Unfortunately, those sincere Society men are powerless. They have no money or influence. They only have their single vote and it isn't worth much if they say anything - they will get tossed on their ear before they get a chance to organize enough like minded ones who also have a vote.

6

Father's day approaching, can we get some respect.

by James Mixon in

jw
friends

father's day got its start in unlikely spot.. commentary robert rector.

moms have been worshipped since time immemorial.

dad not so much.. to hear tell, the first father's day was held in spokane, wash., in 1910.. the suggestion of a father's day was often met with laughter, but when.

OrphanCrow

the first Father's Day was held in Spokane, Wash., in 1910.

The first Mother's Day was held in 1908.

Moms have been worshipped since time immemorial. Dad not so much.

Our Father, who art in heaven...

150

Disfellowshipping Image

by naazira in

jw
friends

this photo can be found in the april 15 , study edition article titled:.

why disfellowshipping is a loving provision.

just by looking at this image we can see how quickly the barrier between the congregation and former member is put up, after the announcement that this sister is no longer one of jehovah's witneses.

OrphanCrow

Do you think professors of "the academic discipline of art history" give credits to students who see imaginary demons and ape heads in a crap illustration? Really?

Yes.

150

Disfellowshipping Image

by naazira in

jw
friends

this photo can be found in the april 15 , study edition article titled:.

why disfellowshipping is a loving provision.

just by looking at this image we can see how quickly the barrier between the congregation and former member is put up, after the announcement that this sister is no longer one of jehovah's witneses.

OrphanCrow

cofty: People are making far-fetched assertions about the intent of the artists/s.

I am objecting to the nonsense about hidden demons and crosses and ape heads.

Those visual symbols - whether intentional or not - are no longer hidden when they are perceived to be there. They are visible, not hidden. Even if they are not visible to everybody - everyone approaches an image with their own cultural biases and those cultural biases are not inclusive to all peoples.

They are only hidden if you refuse to recognize them or lack the ability to do so or lack the cultural understandings that others come equipped with.

Please respond to what I actually wrote

Many of the observations that have been made on this thread about what has been 'seen' in the image make no claim whatsoever as to the intent of the producer of that image. None. No claims. So, take your own advice, Cofty, and don't ask people to respond to what you actually wrote when you don't do the same yourself.

Xanthippie - good post about iconography. The image has been far more prevalent and influential in history than the text ever was in the proliferation of religious beliefs. The language of the image is as important as the language of text when decoding how religion transmits belief in doctrine.

And the people who study the power of the image, and teach or study it in university classes, would be more than glad to refund the money of anybody who would rather pursue other branches of knowledge. Different strokes for different folks.