Jeremy C

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Posts by Jeremy C

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  22

  I read a study about the WTS-Growth

  by JWdaughter in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  and it said that based on their growth and such, that in 20 years(or by 2020) there would be 28 million jws.

  any sign of imminent, widespread persecution that you all have noticed?

  i keep hearing about kh's being built and remodeled, and how huge their conventions are.

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  Jeremy C

  I just remembered another point. Many in the organization have quietly speculated that when the number of Jehovah's Witnesses reaches the number of 10 million globally; this is when Jehovah will bring about the end - as the number "10" signifies "completion" in the Bible. As if God would be so arbitrary as to cut off the posibility of people gaining life because of a number.

  Jehovah's Witnesses do indeed have a bizarre, pathalogical fetish with numbers and their supposed significance. The entire JW theological / doctrinal structure has always been mired in fanciful number crunching. There is no doubt in my mind that JWs will continue to observe their membership numbers with anticipatory speculations. I suppose that Jehovah is not only a God of justice and mercy, but is also a God of math.
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  22

  I read a study about the WTS-Growth

  by JWdaughter in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  and it said that based on their growth and such, that in 20 years(or by 2020) there would be 28 million jws.

  any sign of imminent, widespread persecution that you all have noticed?

  i keep hearing about kh's being built and remodeled, and how huge their conventions are.

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• 

  Jeremy C

  And it said that based on their growth and such, that in 20 years(or by 2020) there would be 28 million JWs.

  Who conducted this study, and how did they arrive at their estimates? These numbers seem a little inflated, but it might be possible if China institutes the reforms that allow religious freedoms (much like the former USSR). China; with its 1 billion people could certainly provide several million converts and experience the growth rate that countries like Mexico and Brazil saw.

  The Watchtower will have to gain the bulk of its growth in third world and emerging countries though. The abundance of information on the Watchtower that is readily available in the U.S., Western Europe, and other industrialized countries has significantly slowed their growth. Japan alone has hit a point of virtually zero growth.

  The Watchtower will have to focus on keeping people in the organization (clamping down) while gaining most of its growth from countries where there are few educated people. The Watchtower's most desired commodity is superstitious and gullible people.
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  18

  Counsel To Watchtower Missionaries

  by juancarloshg in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  somebody has this publication in pdf?.

  counsel to watchtower missionaries.

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  Jeremy C

  Society gives you an American-style house to live in with all the niceties that the locals don't have... A/C, American foodstuffs, so your housing and food is already paid for...

  This is interesting. There must be different procedures based upon the individual branches. My cousin and his wife are currently missionaries in Taiwan. The missionaries are provided with funding to go to the local stores and market places to buy their own food staples and do their own cooking at the home. My cousin told me that him and his wife repeatedly got sick when they were new because of trying to get acclimated to the local foods.

  It was funny when my cousin and his wife made their first visit back to the U.S. after being in Taiwan for some five years. As soon as they got off of the airplane in the U.S., they asked my relatives to drive them directly to a Taco Bell.
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  8

  Is it fair for the Jehovah's Witnesses to compare college with a headshot?

  by Tired of the Hypocrisy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi all, i asked another question on yahoo answers and would like to ask you to go drop your opinion on how you view the society's stand on higher education.. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080916002310aaorywo.

  thanks!.

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  Jeremy C

  I have said before that the Governing Body should be grateful that so many JWs have disobeyed the organization's anti-college stance.

  If no JWs had gone to law school, who would have defended the Watchtower in their pedophilia litigation?

  Had there been no JWs who received business training in college, who would be handling the Watchtower's complex business structure and Brooklyn real estate transactions?

  Had there been no JWs who went to art school, who would have produced all of those professional paintings for the publications?
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  25

  JWs can't associate with faders anymore???

  by cognac in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  cognac...... chapter 3 starting around point 12 "choosing our close associates".

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  Jeremy C

  The Watchtower has always admonished its members to choose associates who are active in "theocratic activities". As long as I can remember, the organization has always warned its members through the study articles and convention talks to choose friendships within the congregation carefully - since not all of Jehovah's Witnesses can be considered "good association". I distinctly remember talks (in the pre-internet era) which even warned JWs to be careful about other JWs who display a critical or "fault-finding" attitude toward the organization.

  If any book, article, or talk is instructing JWs not to have association with inactive ones; there is really nothing new or exraordinary about this. The only difference may be in the wording that they choose. There is really nothing new within the basic Watchtower mind control model.
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  113

  BOE letter: "presiding overseer" becomes "coordinator of the body of elders

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's the text of the letter:.

  christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses.

  to all bodies of elders.

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  Jeremy C

  I agree. The governing body has less holy spirit than a dog has

  LOL . Yes, at least when a dog chases it's own tail, it learns to give up after a while.
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  113

  BOE letter: "presiding overseer" becomes "coordinator of the body of elders

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's the text of the letter:.

  christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses.

  to all bodies of elders.

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  Jeremy C

  1914BS:

  Interesting points regarding the organizational flow chart. By the way, that flow chart published by the Society reminds me of one of those convoluted flow charts used to outline the authority structure in a large governmental agency. It's interesting how the New Testament's emphasis on a New Covenant and a personal relationship with Christ Jesus has been pushed aside to make room for a corporate style management structure. It's like a multi-level marketing enterprise on steroids. But, I digress . . . .

  It is interesting how they can so eloquently proclaim Jehovah God as appointing Jesus as head of the Christian congregation while the Governing Body are becoming more vocal in their demands for obedience. This letter sounds very nicey-nice on the surface, but I am convinced that there is a very cynical motive behind it.

  I do not believe that this will have a decentralization effect on the organization. The Watchtower leadership is very sophisticated in devising ways to solidify it's power while displaying a sheepish appearance. Everything that the Watchtower leadership does comes down to two core agendas: 1) Cutting costs. 2) Strengthening its control over the flock. I believe that everything the Society does today fits under one of these two objectives in one way or another.

  When we study the statements made in the Watchtower study articles and Governing Body talks, we see every indication that there is going to be a tightening of the screws; of eliminating any possibilities of individualism or autonomy. We may see a decentralization in certain business functions, but certainly none when it comes to enforcing unanimous thinking and behavior. The Watchtower has had over 100 years practice in how to control behavior and enforce uniformity. With this much practice, I believe that they are getting better at camouflaging it from the flock.
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  113

  BOE letter: "presiding overseer" becomes "coordinator of the body of elders

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's the text of the letter:.

  christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses.

  to all bodies of elders.

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  Jeremy C

  If we are going to keep our coffers full by making converts then having a pre-recorded talk would seem too 'cultish' for most. If they do ever go to this format it will be introduced first at the Assembies and DC via a speciall message from GB so & so.

  The sheer thought of such an arrangement is hilarious. I would go visit a Kingdom Hall on a Sunday just to be entertained. Immagine how utterly creepy this would look to interested ones who came to the Kingdom Hall on a Sunday morning. This kind of arrangement would appear eerily similar to the videos that Marshall Applewhite made for his followers in the Heaven’s Gate.
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  28

  Will the collapse of the US financial system lead to an increase in JW's?

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=632789 discusses that "the collapse of these pillars of the us financial system inevitably will result in the decline of the us as a financial power.

  " i have received emails from jws saying this proves the end is near.

  (surprise surprise, i hasten to remind them that hurricanes, floods and us economic issues are not part of the sign of the end.

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  Jeremy C

  I have been giving this some thought recently. The Watchtower organization certainly does thrive and prosper off of distressing world events. Such events always put new life into the Jehovah’s Witness "end is near" knee-knocking. Distressing events tend to cause active members who might otherwise drift away from the organization to "buckle down" and stay with the organization.

  I’m not certain that a severe financial crisis would result in a large influx of JW converts. I think that there is enough information out in the public which will continue to steer people away from the Watchtower. If people begin to pursue religion as a refuge, I believe that they will search out other Christians churches; as they did after 9/11.

  After 9/11, I remember that the U.S. saw a spike in church attendance. However, there was no significant increase in the JW membership. 9/11 did more to galvanize and unify the current JW membership than to gain new recruits.

  In times of distress, it seems as if the public generally seeks out churches which are involved in the community with charitable activities. The Watchtower organization has never shown any interest in holding a food drive, opening a soup kitchen, or involving itself in other charitable activities except in natural disasters. They really don’t offer anything in comparison to the many "mega" churches.

  I do not believe that a major economic crisis would bring about significant growth in the JW organization in the U.S. Other countries may see greater growth; but those here in the U.S. who are inclined to search out religious faith will most likely seek the more mainstream churches.
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  16

  The psychology of a Jehovah's Witness

  by drew sagan in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've been meaning to put this up here for a while, so here it goes.

  this photo is called the "cusp catastrophe model" (for more on cusp catastrophe go here physchologist leslie l. downing has used this model to show how people tend to behave when either accepting new beliefs: (his work on this subject can be found in the book "war in heaven, heaven on earth") .

  it may appear to be confusing, but i think that once you take a closer look things become quite apparent.

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  Jeremy C

  While many at this board might not like to admit it, I think even some of us here would not have a problem with casual membership at the Kingdom Hall (like you find in basically every other mainstream faith).

  Yes, drew I believe that you are absolutley correct. Most of us here still have friends within the organization that we love and care about. I certainly do. I would still greatly enjoy fellowshipping with them. You see this with many "unbelieving" mates of Witnesses. Some of them casually come to meetings now and then for decades without making any commitment. I believe that it is because they are attending a congregation where no one has attempted to coerce or guilt them into compliance. They get invited to the weddings and the congregation picnics; and they are happy with simply fellowshipping with JWs without the commitment.

  If you take the Watchtower's demand for organizational allegiance and claims of exclusivity out of the equation; then you have an organization that has no need or desire to use mind control methods. It has no need to maintain "publisher" files on people. Without the claim of exclusivity; an organization does not feel threatened by those who disagree with their doctrines.