Posts by dozy

23

Jehovahs Witnesses and Education A Brief History

by Nicodemus in

jehovahs witnesses and education a brief history .

it is only the ignorant who despise education.

publilius syrus, moral sayings, first century b.c.e.

dozy

The article in '95 opened the floodgates and I suspect that the motivation for the 2005 WT was to try to damp down the tendency among JW parents to encourage higher education , rather than a "tug of war" at HQ. I am always puzzled by the arbitrary distinction between "vocational" courses (which are OK) and academic courses (which aren't). In my limited experience , the kind of associates that a young witness would have at a technical college would be far more damaging (in witness terms) than those at a university.

In any case , JW parents & youths (ouch) tend to vote with their feet on this issue. I know many devout JW parents who kowtow to the WTS on every issue and who would never criticise or listen to criticism of the WTS who have sent their children to university.

27

Circuit Overseer headcount in UK

by besty in

briefly was party to conversation between elder and ms in our cong.

our po (mts graduate) has been made stand-in co at a recent school because...

15 'older' co's have been stood down as it were

dozy

Outside of Watchtower's usual ultra-biased and inflated figures

I take it that you don't regard the figures as reliable, then!

I think SBF's figures are broadly accurate and his analysis is spot on. The Chinese assembly in Dudley had 1K in attendance - this from virtually nil five years ago , but I reckon only about 20% were Chinese by race - the rest were publishers "learning the language".

25

JWs at my door - A new Twist

by Amazing in

jw
friends

since i gave testimony against the society almost three years ago, i have not had a single jw call at my door.

historically, when they did come, i would take different positions in debate, and not reveal my ex-jw background.

once they could see that i was not impressed by their message, and was able to seriously challenge them, they would start looking for a qick out.

dozy

Surely the Society must have notified them that I am an ex-JW, or even a dangerous apostate who testified against them.

I wouldn't exaggerate your own importance too much. The WTS don't bother informing congregations that notorious apostate Mr X has moved into the neighbourhood - they have no interest whatsoever in your whereabouts. You are dead meat (quite literally) as far as they are concerned.

10

JWs on Friends Reunited

by solo in

jw
friends

for those who have not heard of it friends reunited is a web site where you can look up you old schools and and see what all your old school mates are doing, you can post your own profile and let everyone else know what you are doing.

well i have checked out several schools where i know jws went and have found several of them have posted there, some of them have also included their profile to let everyone know what they have done since leaving school, jobs, where they have moved to and if you got married and had kids.. however, not one single one of them has stated that they are jws???

isn't this supposed to be the most important thing in their life, would it not merit a mention, surely they are not ashamed, wouldn't it be a good opportunity to witness?

dozy

I think that this is a British thing - we tend not to be "up front" with religion. In the interests of "research" , I've checked the entries of a few JWs and most of them do not mention being a JW. However , in comparison , I checked a few prominent "apostate" JWs who are now evangelical or born again Christians (including some well known faces from this board ) and these don't mention their religious affiliation either....

I guess that if there was an American Friends Reunited equivalent , people would be more inclined to put their affiliation on their profile - but it's just not the "done thing" on this side of the pond.

27

Circuit Overseer headcount in UK

by besty in

briefly was party to conversation between elder and ms in our cong.

our po (mts graduate) has been made stand-in co at a recent school because...

15 'older' co's have been stood down as it were

dozy

I think that there is a larger than usual number of "retirees" this time & many COs didn't hear about their new assignment till August , so there was some gnashing of teeth about who would get the "worst" assignments. I understand that there have been a few more posts created , mainly in the "foreign field" which is growing rapidly in the UK.

It is true that there is a dearth of brothers "qualified" to take up new posts , despite an active grooming campaign (all COs are urged to nurture any protegees in their circuit). The foreign language field and Bethel are siphoning off the better candidates and there is a whole generation of younger brothers who aren't interested in taking up any assignment , let alone as CO. The KM schools resemble Saga recruitment meetings. There are very few pioneer sisters who could stomach the idea of going to a different town each week and sleeping in a different bed , so they tend to discourage their husbands.

In answer to the post about whether COs are being culled because of a WTS financial cutback , this certainly isn't the case here. All the expenses , from car hire to accommodation , are met by the local witnesses. Our recently appointed CO isn't eligible for housing benefit , so the local brothers have to pay £5 per year each (up from £1 per year) for his flat , which has caused a few rumblings. There is no subsidy from the Branch.

25

Bethel Letter to Publishers (US Bethel Layoffs)

by V in

every september, at the beginning of the jw "service year", a letter to publishers is printed in the km.

this letter addresses recent layoffs at bethel:.

our kingdom ministry september 2006 (for united states of america), page 1. dear kingdom publishers:.

dozy

Alligator Wisdom - why is only the U.S. Branch being affected

This does seem to be only a US issue. The UK & German branches are not affected (which raises the question that if the real reason for the layoffs is new technology , then why is there not a worldwide "cull" as new presses have also been installed in Millhill and Selters).

The charitable and religious environment in Europe in general and the UK in particular is far more benign. In the UK , healthcare costs aren't an issue and the branch has taken over the bulk of the responsibilities of the French branch , which has basically been wound down *due to the well publicised tax case). The British branch is recruiting staff like there is no tomorrow and isn't laying off anybody.

The criteria for recruiting new Bethelites has been drastically reduced and anybody can join up. Those who have specific skills are fasttracked into Bethel. I know of a brother in a neighbouring cong who sent in his application with the covering letter from his body which basically stated - "Do not assign this brother - he is a completely useless and unspiritual individual". A few weeks later , he got the call up , to the complete bewilderment of the elders. The PO phoned the branch to tell them that they had made a big mistake , and asking if they had actually read the accompaning letter , to be told "We are desperate for brothers - absolutely desperate."

As many are being "invited" to serve as special pioneers , presumably the number is increasing in the USA. Does anybody have the latest figures for special pioneers (as published in the KM) and whether that number has increased substantially in 2006?

58

Concerning Watchtower Cash and Possible Changes

by metatron in

jw
friends

if you've ever studied authoritarian regimes, you may understand that since access to honest truth is carefully rationed,.

all sorts of "reasons" for doing things may appear, that take the place of hard fact.

even worse, the leadership may .

dozy

the WTBTS is simply a book and magazine publishing corporation. If I were the CEO..

The WTS tend to give the impression that they are a slickly and professionally run , vibrant organisation. I would suggest , from my own personal observations and conversations with those in postions of responsibility , that this impression is far from reality , so any analysis equating the WTS with an efficient , responsive company , disciplined by competition , regulation , demanding customers and shareholders and run by Harvard graduates is far wide of the mark. Quite frankly , the "management" of the WTS would be incapable of running a whelk stall.

A few years ago , a retired brother (initials: PH) who worked in a senior position in industry was parachuted into the London Bethel with a broad remit to change the culture. After a few years , he left , completely disillusioned with the 50's mentality and frustrated by the vested interests and lack of cooperation between different departments. There is a similar experience on this board about a brother who was a graphic designer trying to update the systems in Brooklyn and coming against a wall of resistance.

Any organisation run by a committee of 80 or 90 year old men with little or no business experience , an institutionised mentality and a strong resistance to change based on a strong belief of divine authority and a perceived imminent Armaggeddon will struggle financially and I very much doubt that the WTS will make the needed changes to stave off a cash crisis. As other posters have noted , the whole "business model" , giving away literature for free in the hope that voluntary donations will recompense , is completely flawed and unsustainable in the long term. I cannot think of any other business or organisation which runs in a similar manner. While in the short term , they can sell off real estate to release capital and lay off workers to reduce current and future liabilities , I cannot see this being viable in the long term.

The day of reckoning will arrive , but perhaps not in the manner that the WTS is expecting!

58

Concerning Watchtower Cash and Possible Changes

by metatron in

jw
friends

if you've ever studied authoritarian regimes, you may understand that since access to honest truth is carefully rationed,.

all sorts of "reasons" for doing things may appear, that take the place of hard fact.

even worse, the leadership may .

dozy

Cash wise , the WTS have always been restricted by Russell's infamous statement that ( paraphrased ) "When we have to solicit funds , it is evidence that Jehovah is no longer behind the work and it is time to stop printing the Watchtower". I've heard a couple of the WTS financial guys say that this has tied the WTS hands and made it very difficult to openly ask for donations. Notably it has been a while since the WTS has drawn any attention to this statement , and they are possibly hoping that the R & F forget about it.

The WTS also does not have the wealthy profile of members required to bankroll the work. I remember when I processed the Gift Aid donations from the Inland Revenue in the UK for the congregation and receiving in error the return for a neighbouring church and was gobsmacked to see the huge donations that were being made. Most JWs have relatively low income and capital ( due to the lack of a college education and a failure to invest in long term assets such as shares or property ).

I think that it is inevitable that there will be more emphasis on each individual congregation mandating a monthly payment to the WTS (and not just the £10 or £20 per month that most do at the moment). An obvious move would be a letter "encouraging" (ie demanding) a £X per month per publisher requirement from each congregation in the same manner as congregations currently donate to the convention and circuit funds , presumably "sold" with reference to growth in the 3W (as there cannot be an open correlation with the literature "purchases" and donations).

Something along the lines of this letter would open the purse strings...

Dear Elders,

We appreciate very much your current resolution of £10 monthly towards the worldwide work.

As you will be aware , the cost of raw materials , property and fuel continues to escalate. Jehovah is also greatly blessing the work in Africa and Asian countries and we have an huge ongoing Kingdom Hall and Bethel building program that is largely financed by contributions from overseas. Many brothers have willingly given of their time and labour in such projects , but many who are not in a situation to do so have asked how they may assist the work in a material way.

Many congregations have reviewed their monthly contributions to the Society to better reflect this need and we are suggesting that a contribution of £10 per month per publisher would allow us to "speed up" the program and greatly benefit our brothers in these lands , as well as more adequately serve the needs of the work in our own country. You may wish to consider your current donation at the next elders meeting.

We know that Jehovah will "open up the storehouse" and greatly bless his people at this time and we pray his rich blessing on all your activity.

Yours faithfully,

WTBTS

32

Big Announcement

by choosing life in

jw
friends

i can't help but wonder why if there is really some ground shaking announcement coming that the elders already know, then why has no one posted any real information about it?

i was under the impression that there are active elders on this forum.

why are they holding back?

dozy

Well , I'm an active (sort of) elder and I've haven't heard anything - and the PO (who is well connected) hasn't either. Might it be connected to the "tract campaign"(?) - if so , this is hardly secret or BIG news.

25

Has Anyone, or, How Many Have Written to WTS...what was the response?

by Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit in

jw
friends

i wrote for the first time 5 months ago.

one of my sisters, a hoho, was married 27 years to an ms who has abused her mentally, emotionally, physically, and this was well-known to most everyone who knew them including family.

when she filed for divorce, i heard that our parents, other family and ex-friends yelled at and criticized her, and then the elders called her into a meeting and condemned her, i was furious.

dozy

I've written several personal letters (to the London Bethel) and have been always been disappointed by the responses. On one occasion , they didn't write back at all , and only responded by an standard acknowledgement to the follow-up letter which was sent by recorded delivery.

Unless the writer stipulates in the letter that the information is not to be shared with the congregation elders , a copy of the reply letter is sent to the PO.

As far as letters that the body of elders originate , these usually get a quicker response (especially when they are accompanied by a phone call). But what always surprises me in an organisation that put so much public emphasis on order is just how poorly the WTS is actually organised. It would seem that the correspondence department is very small , poorly admisterered and totally inadequate to cope with the volume of correspondence (in fairness , they do get a huge amount of "red crayon" wacko type mail). The different departments often seem incapable of liasing with each other and I have had several experiences where , for example , the legal department has said one thing and has been contradicted by the medical desk.