slimboyfat

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Posts by slimboyfat

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  36

  Three graphs in connection with the Watch Tower's current financial situation

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a number of public statements by the governing body indicate that they are experiencing financial difficulty and they have appealed to jws to donate more money.

  public information on the financial situation of the watchtower society is limited.

  but what does the information they do publish indicate about their situation?

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  slimboyfat

  

  

  
  
• 
  36

  Three graphs in connection with the Watch Tower's current financial situation

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a number of public statements by the governing body indicate that they are experiencing financial difficulty and they have appealed to jws to donate more money.

  public information on the financial situation of the watchtower society is limited.

  but what does the information they do publish indicate about their situation?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  slimboyfat

  A number of public statements by the Governing Body indicate that they are experiencing financial difficulty and they have appealed to JWs to donate more money. Public information on the financial situation of the Watchtower Society is limited. But what does the information they do publish indicate about their situation? No information is available about worldwide donations, but some limited information is available about worldwide expenditure in the Yearbooks. In particular since 2006 they have started publishing the total number of staff worldwide in branches.

  Graph number 1 shows the decline in the number of branches over the last 10 years

  Graph number 2 shows the increase in the number of staff at branches over the last 10 years

  Graph number 3 shows the increase in money spent on special pioneers, missionaries, and travelling overseers over the last 10 years

  
  

  The graphs show a number of things and also raise a number of questions. Firstly the number of branches started to decline in 2009. At the same time the number of staff at branches began to increase substantially. Why did the number of staff increase at the same time as branches were being closed? And which branches expanded the number of staff? Why has the number of staff increased so much at the same time as they have announced dramatic reductions? What's really going on here?

  The amount of money spent on special pioneers, missionaries and travelling overseers has doubled in the past ten years. This is despite a number of changes that might have indicated reductions in this area: downgrading of Gilead, abolition of District Overseers, reduction in special pioneers. So why is so much more money being spent? Unfortunately no figure is given for the overall number of JWs who are supported in this way so it is not possible to tell if the numbers of JWs in these categories is increasing or if more money is being spent per special pioneer, missionary and travelling overseer.
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  54

  Complaining over post dislikes / downvotes

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  let's be clear: people have the right to like or dislike what they want - that is why the option is there.

  as long as they are not doing it in a malicious way to retaliate or game the system, there is no policing the votes.

  if you get a down-vote, live with it.

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  slimboyfat

  Can I just say, you are all behaving like elders and anyone who dislikes this post is clearly a Nazi.
• 
  21

  Openly converting to another religion but not disfellowshipped

  by R Franz Ferdinand III in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  odd.... friends of mine recently became members of an evangelical church.. up until they got baptised in this church, they still were visiting the jw meetings on a regular basis.they weren't really fading in the true sense of the word.. they came out of the closet about their new conviction quite publicly and even didn't shy away from getting in debate with the elders on biblical topics.. the elders are obviously very aware about their position and as they still were attending the meetings not so long ago, they clearly can be considered as people associated with the jw organisation.. as far as i know it seems they won't get disfellowshipped.

  as long my friends don't harrass fellow witnesses with their 'renegade ideas' and 'false religion', elders seem to comply and leave things as they are.. this puzzles me as defecting to babylon the great always has been one the most worst offenses a jw could possibly commit.. could this be a case of local elders interpreting/applying things their own way or is there a (new) general policy trending ?.

  anyone who knows about similar cases ?.

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  slimboyfat

  Ah, Netherlands?
• 
  54

  Complaining over post dislikes / downvotes

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  let's be clear: people have the right to like or dislike what they want - that is why the option is there.

  as long as they are not doing it in a malicious way to retaliate or game the system, there is no policing the votes.

  if you get a down-vote, live with it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  slimboyfat

  What happened to the idea of making the forum self-moderating through voting?
• 
  21

  Openly converting to another religion but not disfellowshipped

  by R Franz Ferdinand III in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  odd.... friends of mine recently became members of an evangelical church.. up until they got baptised in this church, they still were visiting the jw meetings on a regular basis.they weren't really fading in the true sense of the word.. they came out of the closet about their new conviction quite publicly and even didn't shy away from getting in debate with the elders on biblical topics.. the elders are obviously very aware about their position and as they still were attending the meetings not so long ago, they clearly can be considered as people associated with the jw organisation.. as far as i know it seems they won't get disfellowshipped.

  as long my friends don't harrass fellow witnesses with their 'renegade ideas' and 'false religion', elders seem to comply and leave things as they are.. this puzzles me as defecting to babylon the great always has been one the most worst offenses a jw could possibly commit.. could this be a case of local elders interpreting/applying things their own way or is there a (new) general policy trending ?.

  anyone who knows about similar cases ?.

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  2. 
  3. 
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  slimboyfat

  Very strange. Is it California?
• 
  532

  I conclude evolution is guided

  by KateWild in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

  k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

  in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

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  slimboyfat

  I think it just means being open to the possibility that things can be perceived differently at different times for valid reasons. There is always the spectre of the undefinable "other". I like this late comment from James Lovelock too.

  "One thing that being a scientist has taught me is that you can never be certain about anything. You never know the truth. You can only approach it and hope to get a bit nearer to it each time. You iterate towards the truth. You don’t know it."
• 
  532

  I conclude evolution is guided

  by KateWild in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

  k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

  in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

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  slimboyfat

  Why should an assurance count as a meaningful comment?
• 
  532

  I conclude evolution is guided

  by KateWild in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

  k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

  in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

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  slimboyfat

  Of course I agree. Why should we suppose our view of reality is more truthful than a dolphin for example? Douglas Adams pointed that out in his inimitable way. The new atheists don't have a fraction of his wit or intelligence.

  I would mention the favourite subject about the earth not being round to a worm, except to say that it might neither be round to a super intelligence that grasps other dimensions. Wait for the typical anti-worm rhetoric.

  But I think Morris makes good points about convergence. Because if there is a plan there are still different ways of describing it. Mary Midgley says it's like reality is strained through a device that produces a certain form. Back to Plato!
• 
  532

  I conclude evolution is guided

  by KateWild in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

  k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

  in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

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  2. 
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  slimboyfat

  Otherwise how do you explain convergence and human intelligence/consciousness?

  https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/does-evolutionary-convergence-prove-god/