Posts by Juan Viejo

135

CONFIRMED Book Study amalgamated with the TMS and SM

by yesidid in

jw
friends

.

old timers on the board may remember that i was the first to mention the november 06 blood insert in the km.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/121104/1.ashx.

the same very, very reliable source has confirmed that the book study will be amalgamated with the tms and sm.. this same source recently had a long and private conversation with a gb member.

Juan Viejo

There is also the possibility, however remote, that the WTBTS has been concerned that the informal Tuesday night book studies might have been the source of some independent thinking.

Even 40+ years ago, when I was briefly a Book Study Servant, there was a lot more informal discussion about the subject at hand. More questions were asked and many more personal opinions were offered. Sometimes a newer JW or a non-baptized participant would have questions about the understanding of some particular teaching or event.

It appears that it was first a Book Study group that decided to expand their Bible reading and research that led to the "grand apostacy" that culminated in Ray Franz's leaving Bethel and eventual disfellowshipping.

By bringing everyone to the Kingdom Hall, the local elders have more control over the conduct of the book studies and can limit discussion to the material in the assigned paragraphs. In other words, it would be just like the Watchtower Study, except they would use a recent book publication and it would be a shorter meeting.

JV

365

Richard Dawkins Gets "Expelled" by Ben Stein!

by Perry in

i just got back from seeing the new movie release "expelled" which is a documentary exposing the militant culture of supression regarding intelligent design in the scientific community.

in a "million years", i never would have imagined that ben stein could get the author of "the god delusion", richard dawkins to speak favorably about i.d.

(intellignet design).

Juan Viejo

Has anyone explored the possibility that Ben Stein might be playing a joke on all of us? Stein is one of the most intelligent and learned celebrities still regularly in the public eye. His resume is long and full of many accomplishments.

One of his greatest assets is his sense of humor. I mean, how many actors could have simply said, "Bueller......Bueller......Bueller......Bueller" and have the audience laughing their butts off. Stein did. He may be playing with our heads, just to get us to think about the possibilities and not be so dogmatic about our positions.

JV

13

Jehovahs Witnesses - Researching the Watchtower - Information!!

by Lady Liberty in

hello all and happy saturday!!.

just thought i would bring to the fore a couple of great reference sources for those doing research.

see: http://corior.blogspot.com/.

Juan Viejo

Thank you, Lady Liberty! What a great resource. Who's blog is it that carries all of that info? That is the result of a lot of work.

Juan Viejo

20

Who has the truth about 607BC??

by cultswatter in

the next link is a jw site saying that 587 is wrong and 607 is right.

http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk.

the following 7 page document says that 607 is wrong and 587 is right.

Juan Viejo

Cultswatter,

May I suggest that the next time you offer a file that is on FileSend, that you add a couple of lines to warn everyone about the pop-ups and ads. I tried it again and was able to read your document OK the second time, but the popup ad was different and less irritating. The first ad kept repeating and replacing itself, no matter what I tried to do and was so visually irritating that I never noticed the 20 second clock or the download pad. In fact, now that I think of it, everytime I tried to get rid of the popup, it would reappear and the clock would reset.

I'm not blaming you for the actions of the advertisers on FileSend, but anytime you use an income generating website, you can expect these types of things to happen. It only hurts your own credibility and you get branded as being part of the guilty ones.

You know, kind of like us apostates...

JV

64

DESCRIBE HOW YOU WILL DIE

by Terry in

jw
friends

how do you see your own demise?

a long, slow, painful illness?

a quick crash?

Juan Viejo

Around 90, shot in the back by a very jealous husband as I'm leaping out of some young womans bedroom window.

If not that way, then...

In the "lake of fire and brimstone" having my eyes eaten out by worms and having my flesh rotting off my still living body.

At least that's what the JWs would expect to have happen to me based on my current beliefs.

JV

20

Who has the truth about 607BC??

by cultswatter in

the next link is a jw site saying that 587 is wrong and 607 is right.

http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk.

the following 7 page document says that 607 is wrong and 587 is right.

Juan Viejo

My prediction is that within the next 25 years, if not much less - the WBTS will announce "new light" and call 1914 a "significant year", but not the actual beginning of the end. Just like the "this generation shall not pass..." prophecy, 1914 will slowly fall by the wayside like 1918, 1925 and 1975 did.

But because of the nature of the JWs, they will have to come up some new prophecy in order to keep the troops interested and in line. If they don't, they will be precisely the same as the Adventists and Mormons - slightly off-center but otherwise mainstream.

Who knows? Maybe that would be a good thing for the JWs, to be "mainstream." But that kind of a change would put there special relationship claims in jeopardy.

I still wonder how they are going to explain the 144,000 doctrine away when 8000 people are still sipping the wine and nipping the crackers in 2025. If that many of the "faithful" keep falling away and having to be replaced, then they must not have been especially faithful, huh?

JV

20

Who has the truth about 607BC??

by cultswatter in

the next link is a jw site saying that 587 is wrong and 607 is right.

http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk.

the following 7 page document says that 607 is wrong and 587 is right.

Juan Viejo

Thanks a lot, Cultswatter - for nothing. That link takes me to a file server site that has a pop-up that even my popupstopper won't kill. What a waste of time. No matter what you click, another pop up rears its ugly face.

Anyone using these free file retention systems should go back later and test them again. These free services are making their money some way.

JV

64

Any current Good Standing JW, posting here?

by NotaNess in

i was wondering if there are any current regular posters here that are still active , but are mentally inactive and don't believe all the bull anymore, and are just going through the motions to keep their life with friends and family together.. i realize this might be a posting that will probably get 0 replies, but.......

Juan Viejo

I just wonder if there is anyone from Bethel on here - or if their internet access is too closely monitored?

It would be kind of cool to do kind of a "Boys from Brazil" type of thing where we recruited some folks to pretend to be totally faithful teenage Witnesses, coach them in all the tricks, etc. Then when they get to be about 30, have them declare as "Annointed" (replacements, of course) and get them assigned to HQ on the writing committee. By the time they were 50 they could maneuver themselves into the GB and hijack the damn religion.

Of course the problem there would be that the power and prestige would corrupt them and they would probably become as bad as the current bunch of rotten apples.

64

Any current Good Standing JW, posting here?

by NotaNess in

i was wondering if there are any current regular posters here that are still active , but are mentally inactive and don't believe all the bull anymore, and are just going through the motions to keep their life with friends and family together.. i realize this might be a posting that will probably get 0 replies, but.......

Juan Viejo

Gary1914 -

Read your remarks and totally cracked up!!! An elder who not only has a sense of humor, but is devious too. Too bad there aren't more like you in the ORG.

The funny thing is that I knew that a lot of elders (congregation servants in my day) totally fudged their numbers. One brother who was working trying to get to be one of the top three often reported 35-40 hours a month and 3 or 4 bookstudies. He'd always drop the rest of us off in a neighborhood and then leave to "run an errand," "swing by the KH," or "go visit a sick brother/sister." He' always get back about 10 minutes before we were to leave the territory and then sit in the car making notes.

We all knew what he was up to, but he was smart, gave a great public talk, and was fairly handsome. He also had a pretty wife and a couple of cute kids. Above all he loved to joke around and kept us laughing all the time. So we just let him be and never said anything about his sneaking off - although my Dad knew what he was up to, but never said anything. His attitude was that he could not judge the guy, only Jehovah could do that.

He finally made it to Ministry School Servant and was Book Study Conductor. I left before he went any higher.

I would have done the same, except that I wanted out - not up. So I just quit trying. Broke my parents' hearts 'cause they really wanted me to go to Gilead or Bethel. They didn't have a clue...

14

KNOCKING - DVD Release / What to Expect/ Scenes

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

the knocking dvd comes with a 48-page study/discussion guide.

it includes information about the making of the film, all the main characters, their early history, expansion, civil rights, their community structure, their preaching methods, and distribution of literature ( that adds up to their annual operation expense of over a billion dollars).. some dvd scenes include:.

people from stratton, ohio being interviewed along with the mayor.

Juan Viejo

Agreed. There should be a part 2 to this documentary. Having been on both sides of this situation I understand how the Witnesses can look very good in a prefunctory examination. They show a lot of love and fellowship between each other. They are typically an easy going, peaceable bunch. Most are extremenly honest and could be trusted with your house or car keys, your wallet, or your wife. They don't cuss much, don't smoke, and for the most part are moderate in their use of alcohol. All those points should be emphasized. But hey - the same description would apply to Mormons and many other religious groups.

The other side of the coin should be explored as well. I know of no religion that actively discourages individual reading and study of the Bible, freedom of expression and outside research. They tell their followers that everything they need to know can be found in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. They deny that they shun anyone, and then go out of their way to ignore, avoid, or just plain shutout completely former friends, family members and former spouses. They want to preach their "truth" to you, but shut their ears to any kind of dialogue or debate - even non-confrontational discussion. The classic example is that Witness overseer that was called to testify about shunning who lied in the witness chair under oath. When he was read direct passages from the Watchtower discussing shunning and disfellowshipping, his immediate response was not that it was from the Watchtower publications, but rather if the attorney had found the quotations on an "apostate website."

Unless you've been on both sides of the issue you really can not judge the Witnesses fairly. The documentarians need to take that next step and really explore the underbelly of the Witness society.

JV