Posts by MrMonroe

36

Assembly changes

by d in

i was wondering what changes have you seen with assemblies now.compared to assemblies in the 1950's..

Off topic, I suppose, but on my first DC as a newly converted, newly baptised brother, I was dispatched to the news service department because I worked for a newspaper. I spent lunchtimes strolling around Lang Park, Brisbane, looking for anyone from outside Brisbane, who would be photographed as a happy, smiling family. I took down their names and congregation. The rest of the sessions were spent writing up those details as captions to go out to their local papers, along with a unique rewrite of a DC press release on some of the main points, skewing it to their local area.

In the end I reckoned I wrote out that press release about 50 or 60 different ways on their crappy portable typewriter. At the end of it people, knowing I was a newbie, asked, "So what did you think of the convention. Wasn't it encouraging?" And I'd go, "Yes, it was very encouraging. I got a lot out of it. It was very upbuilding." I reckon I heard about an hour of the whole thing.

51

Earthquake in N.Z.

by smiddy in

jw
friends

i guess the witnesses are rejoicing over the death and destruction of the latest earthquake in n.z.as proof of the imminent coming of armageddon,and their deliverance into the "new world system of things" i can just see it now ,the kh`s in nz will be filled to overflowing in the next month,......then in six months later it will be back to the status quo.. p.s when jesus said their would be" earthquakes in one place after another" couldn`t he have identified these areas for the faithfull ?

so at least beleivers would have been spared the trauma ?

of course non beleivers would have suffered the consequences,but why should beleivers suffer also ?.

MrMonroe

Murray Smith, I have sent you a PM.

Usual instructions: click on the envelope at the top of the page. If it gives an error message, hit "back" a few times and keep trying until it appears.

51

Earthquake in N.Z.

by smiddy in

jw
friends

i guess the witnesses are rejoicing over the death and destruction of the latest earthquake in n.z.as proof of the imminent coming of armageddon,and their deliverance into the "new world system of things" i can just see it now ,the kh`s in nz will be filled to overflowing in the next month,......then in six months later it will be back to the status quo.. p.s when jesus said their would be" earthquakes in one place after another" couldn`t he have identified these areas for the faithfull ?

so at least beleivers would have been spared the trauma ?

of course non beleivers would have suffered the consequences,but why should beleivers suffer also ?.

MrMonroe

A friend in Christchurch texted my wife today with the news that her husband was out in field service again today.

For a religion that thrives on bad news, a natural disaster that kills more than 200 people and cripples a city is a godsend.

I can imagine them now, walking past homes without running water or power, no flushing toilets or showers, their gardens knee-deep in grey sludge vomited from the earth and mixed with sewage, proudly clutching their Watchtowers to warn that the end of the world is nigh. They exploit the vulnerable, seizing on a mood of fear and uncertainty.

They are vultures. They are lacking in love, empathy and human affection. They are truly a religion that fits the description at 2 Timothy 3 (Jerusalem Bible): "Heartless ... demented by pride ... They will keep up the outward appearance of religion but will have rejected the inner power of it. Have nothing to do with people like that."

34

The role of the Home Bible Study arrangement in JW brainwashing

by MrMonroe in

i've just started reading "year of doom, 1975: the inside story of jehovah's witnesses" by english author j.c. stevenson.

it was published in 1967 as basically a memoir of his years in the dubs, including time as a pioneer, and an explanation of the methods used by them to make the organisation grow.. it's not the best "insider" book i've written, but there is a section i've uploaded below that makes some interesting points about the home bible study procedure and why it is so effective at turning interested people into baptism candidates.

reading through this, i see myself back in the mid-80s sitting there getting led, week by week, into the trap.. this section is from chapter 2, "the seed is watered" in which he explains the typical process following a few return visits.. .

MrMonroe

I've just started reading "Year of Doom, 1975: The Inside Story of Jehovah's Witnesses" by English author J.C. Stevenson. It was published in 1967 as basically a memoir of his years in the Dubs, including time as a pioneer, and an explanation of the methods used by them to make the organisation grow.

It's not the best "insider" book I've written, but there is a section I've uploaded below that makes some interesting points about the home bible study procedure and why it is so effective at turning interested people into baptism candidates. Reading through this, I see myself back in the mid-80s sitting there getting led, week by week, into the trap.

This section is from chapter 2, "The Seed is Watered" in which he explains the typical process following a few return visits.

51

Earthquake in N.Z.

by smiddy in

jw
friends

i guess the witnesses are rejoicing over the death and destruction of the latest earthquake in n.z.as proof of the imminent coming of armageddon,and their deliverance into the "new world system of things" i can just see it now ,the kh`s in nz will be filled to overflowing in the next month,......then in six months later it will be back to the status quo.. p.s when jesus said their would be" earthquakes in one place after another" couldn`t he have identified these areas for the faithfull ?

so at least beleivers would have been spared the trauma ?

of course non beleivers would have suffered the consequences,but why should beleivers suffer also ?.

MrMonroe

Have meetings been suspended to allow people to cope with the trauma? Have the brothers arranged for professional counselling for congregation members? Have quotas for door to door witnessing been dropped? Have plans for the "extra activity" in April been abandoned? Are those disaster relief committees assisting non-Witnesses with their physical needs? Just wondering ....

51

Earthquake in N.Z.

by smiddy in

jw
friends

i guess the witnesses are rejoicing over the death and destruction of the latest earthquake in n.z.as proof of the imminent coming of armageddon,and their deliverance into the "new world system of things" i can just see it now ,the kh`s in nz will be filled to overflowing in the next month,......then in six months later it will be back to the status quo.. p.s when jesus said their would be" earthquakes in one place after another" couldn`t he have identified these areas for the faithfull ?

so at least beleivers would have been spared the trauma ?

of course non beleivers would have suffered the consequences,but why should beleivers suffer also ?.

MrMonroe

PM waiting for you, Finallysomepride.

Like everyone else, I'm shocked by the damage and the trauma people are suffering there. I lived in Chch for a while. How glad I am that I'm not there now. I feel so sad for those caught up in this nightmare.

18

Witnesses at my door today

by Lily Pie in

so, i've been waiting for them to do the *rounds* here for a while.

and they finally turned up.. i lead the discussion towards holy spirt and personal relationship with god.

(personal relationship with god is really about interacting with the father, jesus & the spirit, not just the spirit - but i think emphasising spirit is a simple way to get across my point) i was curious about whether or not they had one.

MrMonroe

They think they know God. But that's because they have been instructed on what their relationship with God is and how they feel about it. That woman is going away only to find out what she has been TOLD she believes. Anyone who knows their relationship with God doesn't need to go away and do "research".

84

Top 10 Memorial Excuses

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

good excuses.

pinkeye.

(highly contagious, and you aren't supposed to touch other people's dishes and glasses.)tuberculosis.

MrMonroe

I'm working that night to provide for my family. I'm sure Jesus will understand.

You think me missing one memorial will cost me my life? Will Jesus notice? I'm thinking about all those people who show up one night a year at the Kingdom Hall. Is that all Jesus cares about? Is he so easily fooled? Do you reckon he just takes a roll call and that's all that matters ... anyone who's present SURVIVES Armageddon; anyone who misses just one memorial DIES A HORRIBLE DEATH.

20

Convention invitation distribution campaign - Apr KM

by dozy in

had a quick look at the april km - they are having (yet) another invitation campaign to the convention.

slight twist though , in that any invitations not used are to be taken to the convention & used in informal witnessing.. traditional "convention reminders" insert - usual stuff about "jehovah arranging the program" , get early to the stadium , tip restaurant staff , don't make a scene at hotel reception desks if they have messed up your booking , no peeing in the hotel pool etc.

(i made the last one up , but you get the gist.

MrMonroe

It really says Almighty God arranged the program? They really do have a hotline to the Big Guy.

98

It might be better to not even have the Internet. April 15th WT

by life is to short in

ok i was just blown away when i heard this today while driving, at first i thought it was the some old same old but then it went on and it seems like it is on a different level.. the subheading is "guard your heart by exercising self-control.

on page 27 par 17 it says "one way a person could wonder into the foolish course of the "young man in want of heart" is by aimlessly flipping though television channels or surfing the internet.

whether intentionally or not, he might chance upon sexually stimulating scenes.

MrMonroe

I would say their attitude is "You don't need the internet. We'll let you know anything important that appears on it."

Just as they say "Don't read literature published by other religions. It's all false and designed to lure you from the truth" .... and yet from time they quote from other religious publications. "It's OK, brothers. We're so tough and so vigilant we'd never get taken in. So we'll read it and let you know if there's anything you should know."