Designer Stubble

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Posts by Designer Stubble

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  29

  Any proof that more JW's are leaving in greater numbers then before?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  or is it just wishful thinking on our parts?.

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  Designer Stubble

  No proof, but some observations on changes made to acrtificially keep numbers up:

  - Allowing elderly & sick to be counted as publisher for 15 minutes each month

  - Allowing BOTH parents to count four hours each month for family study

  - Dropping the aux. pioneer hours to 30, plus a lot of pressure to peak during memorial month

  Further observations at assemblies are that only a handful or (pre) teens are being baptized (of which 2 out of 3 leave)

  Certainly not about to collapse, but the growth is gone.
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  32

  Jan Awake to push the Web Site

  by konceptual99 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  just saw this posted on jwtalk.

  it's the cover of the jan awake in german.. the website we should remember!.

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  Designer Stubble

  My guess is that within two years they will discontinue the public paper WT/AW and just have the study edition in paper format.
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  40

  brazen conduct, dissensions

  by hoser in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  as predicted by jwn loose conduct has been replaced by brazen conduct.

  galations 5:19 2 peter 2:2 .

  a catch all phrase for apostates.

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  Designer Stubble

  Now if you are DFed for Brazen Conduct, they can support it with the "tailored" Bible. No room for compassion either, as John 8 has been ommitted. CULT!
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  67

  3 more branches closed?

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it seems the finland branch has taken over the work from estonia, latvia and lithuania (see http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/offices/finland/).

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  Designer Stubble

  I wonder when they will decide to close the Netherlands (Dutch) branch. Small meaningless branch. All could easily be done out of Germany.
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  12

  What Does It Take to Be Disfellowshiped For Apostasy?

  by Cold Steel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if one meets privately with an elder and brings up some religious concerns havin to do with doctrine, does the person risk being disfellowshiped?

  does attitude have anything to do with it?

  or persistance?

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  Designer Stubble

  It all depends on your BOE. In my case, I even had Crisis of Conscience on the table during their visit and read parts from it to them, such as:

  "I did not doubt or question that God would give his guidance to these men if it was sincerely sought (I felt that some of the decisions made, particularly in earlier years, had been good decisions, compassionate decisions), but I certainly did not think it was automatic; It was always conditional, contingent on certain factors. So my included the statement that I believed such guidance always was governed by the extent to which God's Word was adhered to; that to that extent God grants his guidance or withdraws it. (I think that that is true for any individual or any collective group of people, whoever they are)." After that I simply faded... I am sure had I done this two years earlier while in another congregation with a hard-line CoBE, I would have been DFed on the spot.
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  336

  The New Diary of Winston Smith

  by WinstonSmith in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  we had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.

  fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.

  i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.

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  Designer Stubble

  "Interestingly, since I sent my letter, Mrs Smith has not been contacted by any elders to check up on her spiritual health"

  This generally does not happen. She is "only" a sister. When I left and my wife initially indicated wanting to continue, she was fully on her own with ZERO support. Fortunately she soon decided to follow me out.
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  25

  Shunning for inactive ones?

  by frogonmytoe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i visited my sister in a small town in the midst of the country, the town has a population of 3,000 and there's about 70 in the cong.

  anyway, there was a local needs talk a few months ago about associating with family members who didn't live under your roof and no longer went to meetings.

  one family of an elder dad and three sons (one an elder too, the others have stopped going) and a daughter (still going but married a 'worldly') are quite prominent and one half of a typical congregational feud.

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  Designer Stubble

  A BoE Letter of September 3, 2012 shows that to be recommended as convention speakers, the following is required:

  A brother who has grown children not living at home may also be recommended if his children continue to serve Jehovah and have a good reputation.

  So perhaps this is now being extended, if grown children leave the CULT, then dad may no longer be Elder and Mom not pioneer. They can now get a life!
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  12

  Interview Dutch Witness family: Jehovah is above everything else. Even above our children!

  by Gorbatchov in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a dutch (netherlands) nationwide daily newspaper, today an interview with a witness family was published.

  a perfect witness family.. only not so perfect: they say "jehovah is first for us and above everything else.

  even above our children".

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  Designer Stubble

  Not a very Good publicity this article. Shows to the whole country how they SHUN their children for a fairy-tale fantasy. Whole article smells of cult and naive followers. Thanks for sharing.
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  27

  "time before tribulation is miniscule. I am scared. I know it must be true"

  by Wasanelder Once in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "i heard from ones that had gone to the convention that our time before tribulation is miniscule.

  i am scared.

  i know it must be true.

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  Designer Stubble

  Ironic to see a seven year old thread about how near the end must be. The sky is falling!
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  68

  More fear and paranoia WT-style! (11/15/13 WT)

  by LostGeneration in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i usually dismiss the "drinking the kool aid" scenarios that are posted from time to time, but the latest wt has another bit of fearmongering.

  the quote from page 20, para 17. elders who are reading this article can draw some useful conclusions from the account we have just considered: (1) the most practical step that we can take to prepare for the coming attack of the assyrian is that of strengthening our faith in god and helping our brothers to do the same.

  (2) when the assyrian attacks, the elders must be absolutely convinced that jehovah will deliver us.

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  Designer Stubble

  My best guess what they are planning, keeping in mind that it all about the money. They have consolidated branch offices and sold off Brooklyn, which has given them some cash for now. But what when this starts to run out? The next would be to start consolidating congregations and sell off kingdom halls, with money requested to be sent to headquarters. As KHs are often already paid off and persons will have to travel farther to get to the meetings, this does not sound logical or practical - but the flock "must be ready to obey any instructions".