Good post. This is a big part of the problem, however, many JW's even after hearing all the other information still remain loyal to the org because they rationalise the problems away, telling themselves that the organisation is not perfect, apostates blow the mistakes all out of proportion and although an imperfect org it is still the closest to the truth than any other religion by far.
Must obey!
JoinedPosts by Must obey!
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Information Control- The Governing Bodies Way of Controlling JW ' s
by flipper inby now , most of you have probably been aware that the watchtower society and governing body has done a real cover up on the child abuse scandal that came out this year .
it has truly been amazing , that in spite of nbc news coverage of the child abuse crisis in the organization - probably 90 to 95 % of jehovah's witnesses did not know it even took place or happened at all .
the governing bodies way of exercising " information control " on the jehovah's witness rank and file members !
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"Mind" Blowing Article on Watchtower Indoctrination! MUST READ!
by What-A-Coincidence inthe author (from australia) makes some great points.. http://www.noelbatten.com/watchtower.pdf.
46 pages long.
some excerpts:.
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Must obey!
This articles claims about hypnosis at meetings is complete nonsense and has been roundly dissed in earlier threads. It's nothing to do with hypnosis..it's just good old fashioned religious brainwashing.
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WANDERLUSTGUY CONDUCTS THE WATCHTOWER
by V inhappy christmas!
stay tuned this week to see.... .
wanderlustguy as visiting speaker of.
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Must obey!
I appreciate being able to see all the upcoming Watchtower Study articles lined up in chronological order like that. Helps keep things in perspective. One can see there is hardly anything meaty or doctrinal coming through these days; 80% of the study articles now are just glorified Kingdom Ministry articles, focusing on the broad theme of "do more JW works & avoid the world". That sums up the message these days. How utterly trite & boring. Thanks V and please keep that up.
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JW's, not apostates, are trapped in the snare of trembling at men
by Must obey! inthe society and it's circuit overseers love to harp on about apostates being caught in the "trap of the birdcatcher".
(psalm 91:3) but it is jw's who are hopelessly trapped in another, equally dangerous snare.
proverbs 29: 25 "trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in jehovah will be protected.".
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Must obey!
The Society and it's circuit overseers love to harp on about apostates being caught in the "trap of the birdcatcher". (Psalm 91:3) But it is JW's who are hopelessly trapped in another, equally dangerous snare.
Proverbs 29: 25 "Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected."
JW's tremble before the Governing Body and their disfellowshipping policy. They fear dissenting from the Society's teachings and being accused of apostasy and being cast out of the congregation. They fear and tremble at the prospect of being shunned by friends and family alike. They fear the constant doomsday message, that the end is near, and that they will be annihilated forever unless they remain a steadfast JW when Armageddon arrives.
Fear of a few old but very powerful men comprising the Governing Body is the motivating force of the entire organisation. Fear and trembling before the GB and their Watchtower Society rules JW's minds and consciences. The GB can say almost whatever they want and the average JW will submissively follow. If that is not trembling before men then what is?
Thus JW's are not fully trusting Jehovah, since they have no faith in Jehovah apart from their total submission to the Governing Body. They are inextricably bound together: unquestioning loyalty to the GB and faith in Jehovah; they are inseparable in the minds and psyche of JW's. They cannot perceive worshipping Jehovah apart from their blind submission to the GB. To fear Jehovah means to fear the GB. And so their fear of Jehovah has become the fear of men's (the Governing Body's) commandments, something Jehovah will punish. - see Isaiah 29:13.
Some who have left the organisation have fallen victim to bitterness and hatred, but that is nothing compared to the massive snare that the entire JW organisation finds itself trapped in, the snare of trembling at their own Governing Body, who demand and ruthlessly enforce complete mental subjection from all those in the organisation they rule over.
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Is this why the WTBTS is changing the "generation" meaning?
by TooBad TooSad induring the 1970's, 80's and 90's i was always calculating how old the generation was that.
saw 1914. at one time they had to be at the age of discernment 12 to 14 years old.
and then it was just being born by 1914. well we all know that this watchtower teaching.
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Must obey!
Good topic but your post didn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't understand why you feel the numbers could start dropping by 500 or so a year from 2010 onward, when for the last two years the numbers have gone up by about 230 & 300 each year? With the 1935 'deadline' removed, the numbers are likely to go up even more in years ahead, not go down like you surmise. Is your point that the Society are just going to have to lie about the figures and deliberately report large declines when the opposite is happening? Seems very far-fetched. If the numbers keep going up at they rate they are they will just eventually come up with some "new light" about the 144,000, for example, they will just say that the 144,000 is a symbolic number representing a divine, heavenly completeness/fullness of those chosen to rule in heaven.
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Peak Publishers
by IMHO inwhy does the 'society' continue to erroneously collate its 'peak publisher' figures by counting two (or more) reports for the same publisher in a single month?
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Must obey!
Because it serves to keep the Pharisaical Governing Body's organisation looking beautiful on the outside, but inside their organisation is full of of uncleanness, plunder and immoderateness. (Matt 23:25-28)
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The New Annointed
by joelbear69 inmy parents have been witnesses for almost 65 years and have .
been totally faithful all that time.
they have many friends their .
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Must obey!
As Blondie alluded to, the main point now is that it is not about 'replacements' for anointed ones who have fallen away. The rather dramatic and surprising increase of those partaking in the last 2 years has been about 600 or so from 2005. Those are not 'replacements', they are brand new ones being added! According to JW theology, theoretically the number should always be decreasing (with the decrease only being slowed down a bit by 'replacements'), not making big increases by 300 annually. So much for the anointed decreasing and the great crowd increasing, something the Watchtower Society has harped on about for decades.
The Society boasted in a Watchtower study article in the late 1990's that the ongoing decrease in the number of partakers was one of a bunch of core proofs that the end of this system is close. This should be a real embarrassment to the Society. But of course most JW's are just too afraid or uninterested to ponder about the ramifications of such things.
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Four years late. Just watched Passions of the Christ. I have a question
by shopaholic inas you know this movie was banned for jws.
any faithful witness would not watched a non-jw bible movie (even though they do it all the time but that's a different subject.
) i watched it this pass week over a couple of days.
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Must obey!
No,of courrse it shouldn't matter. There are arguments both ways: cross v stake. I think Leolaia has made a very strong case on this board that the historical evidence suggests it was more of a cross than a stake. The Watchtower Society has even published a picture of a classical painting of Christians being thrown to the lions with people hung on crosses around the perimeter of the Roman ampitheatre! JW's make a big deal out of it and so do Christians, wearing their ridiculous big crosses around their neck, like a lucky charm. Both sides are being stupid. My research leads me to believe the truth lies in the middle: the eyewitnesses to his death thought of a stake, because the Greek word used is Staurus, but at the same time that stake had a fairly narrow horizontal piece/beam which Jesus hands were separately nailed to (not a very wide beam like most Christians portray), so the stake also resembled a cross. Jesus was indeed nailed to a stake (staurus) but his hands were not together nailed to that staurus, like the Watchtower portrays; his hands were nailed to a fairly small/narrow horizontal piece. Both sides are feeling only a part of the elephant in the dark and imagining they have the whole truth.
The RCG website has a balanced viewpoint:
In the gospel accounts, the Bible says that Christ was nailed to a cross. The Greek word used for “cross” is stauros, which means “stake, pole, upright post or cross.” Interestingly, other scriptures record that Christ was nailed to a tree ( I Peter 2:24 ; Acts 5:30 , 10:39 , 13:29 ). The Greek word used in these verses, xulon, means “timber, stick, club, tree or other wooden article or substance.”
In ancient times, Roman soldiers used to crucify people using wooden structures of various shapes. Sometimes they used upright stakes or poles. Other times they used wooden crosses by attaching beams either at or just below the top.
"The Bible does not specify the exact shape of the “stauros” or “xulon” on which Christ was crucified. If God thought it was important for us to know, He clearly would have recorded it, leaving us no doubts. The shape is not important, but Christ’s sacrifice is!"
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Rev 21: 4
by moomanchu inhe will wipe every tear from their eyes.
there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.".
death no more for who ?
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Must obey!
The context is speaking about "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev 21:1), so it really applies to both of those; death (the opposite of life) will not exist in either. Rev 21:4 applies after the millennium, not during it (see Rev 20:7; Rev 21:1). The cry that death is "no more" is the result of the "holy city" coming down "out of heaven" (Rev 21:2) and the resultant dwelling/tent of God being with mankind, so it is a situation on earth. Revelation 20:14 talks about "death and Hades" being destroyed, ie, death and the common grave, the pit, will be gone - no more Adamic sin & death. Compare with Isaiah 25:8 also - clearly talking about something on earth.
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The Watchtower and Year 2012
by NomadSoul ini'm curios of what the watchtower society thinks about the year 2012. i think they russell should've used the mayan calendar, and not the pyramids.
at least he would have something in common with the rest of the prophets.
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Must obey!
I don't think the Watchtower has (yet) published anything about this date in the context of Mayan calendar expectations. If they do in the future, it will probably only be in a general interest article about 'new age' predictions or such-like, portraying these in a negative light.
And I don't think that many people have (yet) heard about the Mayan calendar supposedly ending in 2012.
I don't give the slightest bit of credence to it frankly. 2012 will just pass by like any other year in human history, with its share of woes (more or less) and joys (more or less) just like any other year.