slimboyfat

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Posts by slimboyfat

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  60

  2017 Service Year Report Grand Totals

  by Drearyweather in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 figures released to bethel families worldwide:.

  peak publishers: 8,457,107. total baptized: 284,212 .

  regular pioneers: 1,225,279 .

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  slimboyfat

  If they don't report the "average publishers" number, it would be almost certain that it declined from the previous year.

  I think that's pretty unlikely, if not impossible given the increase in peak publishers. The figures for other months would need to be incredibly bad to produce an overall decline in average publishers.

  Have we already given up on them producing the full report? There's a chance they might still do it into January, when the yearbook had been released in recent years.

  If they produce a new page it should look like this. If not then we know full reporting is over.

  https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/2017-yearbook/jehovahs-witnesses-service-report-2016/
  
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  19

  Is it just me or are the street sign, road,car verification excessive?

  by nonjwspouse in

  1. forum
  2. suggestions

  i must go through six of new verification screens on average before verifying.

  i seriously try harder and harder, i don't know if we include the tiny little piece of sign or not.

  i have done both,and still get another screen.

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  slimboyfat

  Yeah it takes ages. In fact I gave up.
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  178

  Charging $150 To Tell Your Stories

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/how-to-escape-from-jehovah-s-witnesses-religion#/.

  for $150: collaboration with the backer so that their story of successfully escaping an abusive belief system (300 words max) features along with others in the final pages of how to escape from jehovah's witnesses.

  the text will be written by the author but will include a minimum of one quote worded by the backer.

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  slimboyfat

  I feel sorry for the people who pay to have their names and stories included. I guess they think it has value, but I'm sorry it just seems embarrassing. They may look back and cringe. Lloyd seems to lack self-reflection. Everyone can make errors in judgment, but most people can see adverse feedback and respond and adjust accordingly. It was the same over the Facebook issue, where Lloyd insisted on his own anonymity for a long time, but considered others' loss of privacy as trivial. And would not back down or acknowledge the problem.
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  44

  Things You Still Agree With The JWs On

  by Fred Franztone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aside from obvious things that most people agree on, like theft being wrong and the importance of family, i can't think of a single thing i agree with the jws on, nothing that's specific to their religion anyway.

  do you have any?.

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  slimboyfat

  Was Jesus real?
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  44

  Things You Still Agree With The JWs On

  by Fred Franztone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aside from obvious things that most people agree on, like theft being wrong and the importance of family, i can't think of a single thing i agree with the jws on, nothing that's specific to their religion anyway.

  do you have any?.

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  slimboyfat

  It's the old king Saul argument isn't it? A bad king doesn't stop it being Jehovah's people. It's worth considering at least.
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  44

  Things You Still Agree With The JWs On

  by Fred Franztone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aside from obvious things that most people agree on, like theft being wrong and the importance of family, i can't think of a single thing i agree with the jws on, nothing that's specific to their religion anyway.

  do you have any?.

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  slimboyfat

  I talked about JW unique stand on God's name here.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6276841381822464/most-successful-teaching-jehovahs-witnesses-amazing-new-book-on-divine-name
  
• 
  44

  Things You Still Agree With The JWs On

  by Fred Franztone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aside from obvious things that most people agree on, like theft being wrong and the importance of family, i can't think of a single thing i agree with the jws on, nothing that's specific to their religion anyway.

  do you have any?.

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  slimboyfat

  To me the two central teachings of JWs are not to fight in wars and the importance of God's name. I think they're right about both of them. JWs are the largest peace community in the world and they are the most consistent defenders of God's name. So they have some things going for them. But breaking up families, shunning, disallowing freedom of thought and education, are absolutely intolerable. If JWs reform they could evolve into something good.
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  60

  2017 Service Year Report Grand Totals

  by Drearyweather in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 figures released to bethel families worldwide:.

  peak publishers: 8,457,107. total baptized: 284,212 .

  regular pioneers: 1,225,279 .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  slimboyfat

  Most churches are declining and would be more than happy with a "smaller increase than last year".

  Methodists in Scotland for example decreased by 6% last year and Church of Scotland by 5%. Those are the sorts of figures that cause real panic in some churches, because if they continue there will be no church within a couple of decades.

  A "smaller increase than last year" for JWs is hardly something they will worry about.

  I am surprised. I expected them to decrease this year.
• 
  60

  2017 Service Year Report Grand Totals

  by Drearyweather in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 figures released to bethel families worldwide:.

  peak publishers: 8,457,107. total baptized: 284,212 .

  regular pioneers: 1,225,279 .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  slimboyfat

  I know it's easier, but the increase is over last year, when the same conditions pertained. And to be honest, I would have thought pioneering would be boring these days, standing around doing nothing much of the time, accomplishing nothing much, encountering nobody interesting except maybe a couple of angry apostates, if you're lucky. And pioneer numbers have been increasing for decades now. It has to reach a limit at some point.
• 
  60

  2017 Service Year Report Grand Totals

  by Drearyweather in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  2017 figures released to bethel families worldwide:.

  peak publishers: 8,457,107. total baptized: 284,212 .

  regular pioneers: 1,225,279 .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  slimboyfat

  Also interested to know number branches, if down from 89 last year.

  Given the peak figure, it's difficult to see how there could be a decrease in average publishers this year.

  I am amazed that JWs are still increasing to be honest.

  But the figure I am most interested in is number of congregations.

  I'm also amazed that more and more JWs are becoming pioneers. It tends to undermine the idea that JWs are becoming increasingly skeptical. Unless there is a bifurcation taking place between JW skeptics on the periphery and hardcore JWs who are becoming more committed.

  Morris promised the figures would be published on the website "as soon as they are available".