Doubting Bro

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Posts by Doubting Bro

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  15

  The “Final Part of the Days” for the Watch Tower Society

  by processor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  (dan.

  (dan.

  (dan.

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  Doubting Bro

  LOL - that's so funny! Your ability to parady the WT writing style is frightening!!
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  62

  End shunning or lose tax free status

  by kneehighmiah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which would the watchtower choose if it came down to this in the united states or europe?

  losing tax free status would mean losing millions of dollars.

  ending shunning means people would leave by the boatloads.

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  Doubting Bro

  I've never understood what tax exemption status had to do with freedom. I pay lots of taxes yet that does not encroach my freedoms. By the government providing tax exemptions for religions, they are unfairly favoring them as opposed to other businesses. The simple fact is that religion is a business like any other business. To the extend they do charitable works that can be proven, I'm fine with allowing an exemption on that portion of their profits. However, the teaching of religious practices should not classify as a charitable work.

  I agree the government shouldn't be involved in the regulating of religion. However, it does seem that many religions like Scientology and JWs seem to hurt people and then hide under the First Amendment. Freedom of religion should be equal to other freedoms. Here in the US, it seems that freedom is religion is more important than our other freedoms. They should simply have to face the consequences of the actions their freedom allows.

  If I slander someone, I can be held civilly liable and could be ordered to pay damages. Yet when the WT or Scientology slanders someone by reading off their name as a person that is disconnected or disfellowshipped (or no longer a JW which is code) and the person suffers harm as a result, they are not held liable. It's not regulation in my eyes, they can do what they want. But there is a price to pay for every action.

  I understand religion still has a highly favored status in the US. I appreciate the diversity of religions in my country and while I think they are all BS, they do provide a sense of community to some and some are involved in providing charitable acts (real ones not recruiting for their religion). I just think it needs to be balanced with the rights of the individual and as a tax payer, it pisses me off that I am supporting ANY religion by paying my share and the share they don't pay.
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  111

  CONGREGATION FLEECING RESULTS?

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how much did your congregation and its bank account get taken for?

  share your horror story!.

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  Doubting Bro

  Lump sum - around $45,000

  Monthly payment - 1,200

  However, they are starting a remodel very soon and those funds were already going to be used for the remodel so that one isn't too bad. Not sure if the monthly payment will hold up since I think at that level, they were going to pay off the sum owed in 5 years.
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  49

  The List, by "Prominent Bethelite"

  by morloc in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i occasionally pop through here to catch up on the latest, but this time i'm going to pop my own post on here.. some of you internet oldsters may even remember this.

  my first experience on the internet regarding discussions about jehovah's witnesses and the watchtower took place on a now-obscure usenet group, before i eventually stumbled across hourglass2.. during those days, there was a poster who went by the name "prominent bethelite," an otherwise anonymous individual whom i remember most for an extensive, exhaustive compilation of date-oriented remarks, predictions, and expectations by the watchtower organization down through the decades of its history.. it became known as "the list" and it's definitely lengthy... but a fascination look at the abundance of errant statements made through the watchtower's history.. if you're curious, it's been available for a long time on hourglass2's site, and can be seen using the link provided below.. the list, compiled by prominent bethelite (1999).

  that's about it for this stop through here.

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  Doubting Bro

  Marked!! Thanks
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  89

  Could There Be Another Mass Exodus From This Cult?

  by mrquik in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's happened before.

  how much crap can any rational human being take before they just snap & walk away disgusted?.

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  Doubting Bro

  Nope. I do believe that they will shrink over time but it will be a death by a thousand cuts not a mass exodus.
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  36

  BOE re:Adjusted Process to Accelerate Kingdom Hall Construction

  by TTATTelder in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  may 12, 2014. to all bodies of elders in the united states branch territory.

  re: adjusted process to accelerate kingdom hall construction.

  dear brothers:.

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  Doubting Bro

  That actually makes sense from a business prospective.
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  45

  BOE: Re: Midweek meetings during visit of circuit overseer

  by pixel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  you read it here first!.

  to all congregations.

  re: midweek meetings during visit of circuit overseer .

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  Doubting Bro

  Awesome news! LOL - the bellyaching about the 2 mid-week meetings during the CO visit was great but I'm sure glad to not hassle with that additional meeting anymore.
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  39

  ELDER BOOK to be HANDED OVER to Min.of Justice (FINLAND)

  by RagingBull in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  jehovah's witnesses to hand over top-secret manualon friday finland's jehovah's witnesses will give their religious rule book to the minister of justice and the minister of the interior so that it can be inspected to ensure that it's in line with finnish rule of law.

  jehovah's witnesses will hand over their secret rule book to the minister of justice, anna-maja henriksson, and the minister of the interior, paivi rasanen.

  image: heikki saukkomaa / lehtikuva until now, only senior members of the jehovahs witnesses committee have had access to the congregation's secret book of rules.. the disciplinary activities of the jehovah's witnesses committee have been criticised for violating human rights.. according to anna-maja henriksson, finland's minister of justice, the purpose of the handover is to examine the book and determine whether its rules and regulations run counter to finnish law.. henriksson and interior minister paivi rasanen met on thursday with the leadership of the jehovah's witnesses in helsinki.

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  Doubting Bro

  Are there really that many notes in the new flock book? Are there different versions for different countries? I think the unedited US book (at least in English) is enough to show that institutionally enforced shunning is practiced. I'm assuming that's what is against Finnish law.

  I have a hard time thinking that this would impact practices in most countries especially the US where religion can pretty much do what they want.

  I could see the WTS having a set of rules for Finland and another set for the rest of the world. They simply can't drop shunning, they would lose way too many people!
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  43

  New Atlanta Assembly Hall Has raised 3.4 million Dollars... GONE

  by James Jackson in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they announced last week that the new atanta assembly hall has thus far raised 3.4 million dollars.

  my local told that will become the society's come may 1. i wonder how that will go over with the ones who have been contributing to this fund..

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  Doubting Bro

  The cash flow situation must be far worse than I had imagined. I agree that building work is just the premises to get the funds in the door but that RBCs will likely be directed to slow it down (at least here in the US). I really wonder if this isn't just the first step in a tithing sort of arrangement.
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  143

  Letter to BOE: Adjustment in process for appointing elders and ministerial servants

  by pixel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hello, you read it here first!.

  governing body of jehovah's witnesses.

  to all congregations.

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  Doubting Bro

  I wonder if they think that by having the sign-off stop at the CO level, they are somehow reducing liability for the borg? I don't see that being the case at all because COs are full time employees (the branch directs their activity and provides financial support) and are still agents of the WTS.

  Now, if they moved the appointment to stop with the BOEs, that would likely break the agency relationship or at least make a good arguement since the branch wouldn't have as much control.

  I think that's why they stopped having the branch sign off on pioneers because they were afraid that someone would be able to make the arguement that they are agents of the WTS since they were appointed directly by the branch. Now, the BOEs appoint/delete pioneers and just inform the branch.

  It's really difficult for a high control religion to give up any control. So on the one side, you have the cult masters (GB) wanting to run every aspect of their members lives and on the other hand, you have the legal department attempting to reduce liability and protect company assets.

  Let's see who wins the arguement. I'll bet if they get a few more multi-million dollar judgements, the lawyers will win.