this weeks meeting part.
boy did they miss it while a hug is nice a scripture will not mow the yard, fix a flat, or pay the bills.
Here's exhibit "A" as to why the Watchtower should lose its not for profit tax exemption. I was born in and left when I was 36. In all my 36 years as a Witness I never once saw a congregation give financial support to one of its needy members or any needy person. Never!
There were individuals who would give money. However, there was never anything said from the platform. There was never any organized effort. It was always the needy person going to another member directly to ask for help.
i’ve been trying to find any recent quotes that say the increase in witnesses every year is evidence of jehovah’s blessing on the organisation.. i know the ready made excuse if there is a decrease is “love of greater number will cool off”….
after splanes talk i can feel a significant decrease coming..
There many religions around the world that are experiencing an increase in members as well, so does that mean Jehovah is blessing them too ?
Watchtower Logic Flowchart -
Is it about Jehovah's Witnesses or the Watchtower?
Yes.
Is it good?
Yes.
It's Jehovah's blessing.
If "No"
It's Apostate lies.
Is it something about anything related to non-Jehovah's Witnesses religions?
Yes.
Is it something good?
Yes.
It's Satan.
If "No".
It's Satan.
in my opinion, in a body of elders let’s say with 7 elders , 2 or 3 were pretty much on the ball.
they were reasonable, intelligent and moderate.
the others were either extremely extreme about everything or very liberal.. did you have qualified older men or were they all lousy to you?
I will answer using the following definition of "qualified" -
Qualified: Having a solid knowledge of both the Bible and Watchtower doctrine, literate, strong public speaking ability, able to teach, able to keep confidential matters confidential, able to delegate workloads, general managerial skills, and the ability to give kind counsel on the previous mentioned items.
Answer: No.
The congregation I spent the most of my time in had at least 1 elder who could barely read or hold a conversation. It wasn't just his age. He was never on any committee of any type. He rarely had any parts on the meeting.
I also found it interesting that a lot of people in the congregation seemed to find out about confidential matters.
I also received a lot of anger from elders when it came to counselling. I don't mean I committed a minor or serious sin. I mean something as simple as not starting a song fast enough from the sound booth or being successful in tying in all the shut-ins on the phoneline.
this is a confidential letter for all full time servants like cos, regular pioneers, bethel and branch workers so please don't tell anyone about this.. reminder 20,000 jws have died of covid and 99% of those who died or were hospitalized in the united states branch territory were not vaccinated, so whose fault is that???.
my question, how did they get the information that all these 20,000 jws were not vaccinated?.
hint; if you want to continue to share in spiritual privileges--------------------get vaccinated.
I find it interesting that the Watchtower believes it needs to tell its members to get vaccinated. I imagine that most Witnesses who are choosing not to get vaccinated are making that choice for the same reason everyone else who has access to the vaccine, but refuses to get it - mistrust of the government. People may claim they don't trust the vaccine itself, but what I find is it is more of a religion of political beliefs.
jwperfectmatch is a dating site for genuine jehovah's witnesses.. on jwperfectmatch, our goal is to bring together active members of the congregation of jehovah's witnesses worldwide, interested in building a friendship or an authentic loving relationship in a safe and clean environment.
jwperfectmatch is a site designed exclusively for single jehovah's witnesses.
it will help you to find someone who meets your expectations and shares your same values, principles, love, and obedience to jehovah.visit us!
I remember in 2006 at the last Circuit Assembly I ever attended the Circuit Overseer gave a talk in which he told us not to seek a mate online. He went on to say there are plenty of eligible brothers and sisters at the Kingdom Hall, Assemblies, and Conventions. In fact I remember the Watchtower telling us to stay off the internet all together back in 2005/2006.
15 years later and now the Watchtower has made it mandatory to get on the internet to worship Jehovah.
the remains of what may be one of the largest pterosaur's yet found have been discovered in outback queensland.
the palaeontologists that have been examining the discovery describe it as having been a fearsome beast, with a spear -like mouth and a 7 metre wingspan.. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-10/dragon-like-pterosaur-outback-queensland-identified-named/100361038.
for more on australian dinosaurs see this video (also included in the above news story).. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6dquboi_qi&t=36s.
That is pretty awesome! I would have loved to see those creatures flying across the sky. I'm sure I'd be on the menu, but the by G would save me and by "Big G" I mean -
i hate my life!
i have to say it, but i do.. i have a sneaking suspicion that because i was raised in the dangerous jehovah borgness cult, that this is the reason.
i was told if god didn't watch me masturbating or smoking, then he'd let me live forever in perfect conditions.. i left the borg and as a result my jw wife left me and re-married another gung ho jobo.
TBN - thanks for your encouragement. I recently obtained a copy of the Tao te ching. My search for meaning continues.
The Tao Te Ching is a great book. When Buddhism entered China it was widely accepted do to similarities with Taoism. Taoism influenced Buddhism and gave us Zen Buddhism. It's all about living in harmony. Instead of rowing your boat upstream you raise your sail and sail across the ocean of life.
“When there is no desire,
all things are at peace.” ― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
i hate my life!
i have to say it, but i do.. i have a sneaking suspicion that because i was raised in the dangerous jehovah borgness cult, that this is the reason.
i was told if god didn't watch me masturbating or smoking, then he'd let me live forever in perfect conditions.. i left the borg and as a result my jw wife left me and re-married another gung ho jobo.
PunkofNice:
I can relate to a lot of what you are going through. I think of what Dr. Viktor Frankl wrote about in his book Mankind's Search for Meaning. Frankl goes into the idea of people suffering from an existential vacuum in their lives. Frankl theorizes that humans don't ache for happiness, but rather desire meaning.
The writings of philosopher Alan Watts and the teachings of Buddhism are got me out of the dark, black hole I was in. Buddhism is nothing more than the first psychological analysis of the human experience and a means to end suffering. It is not a religion with commandments, gods, devils, heaven or hell. It is a liberation of the mind.
Life is just about experiencing existence. The brain traps us in resenting the past or worrying about the future. The only time we live is in the now. Live in the now. Try to make the world or someone's life a little better each day.
The more we accept what people label as "bad" the greater the experience of what those same people label as "good". Instead society has us chasing after pleasure and running away from pain. It's like watching patients in a mental hospital trying to fly by lifting at their shoes laces or escape their shadows.
it's nice to meet you all.
i have been awake since i was a child and i am thinking about leaving jehovahs witnesses soon.
i am looking for some new friends because i know i will lose the ones i have.. my question is, how did your spouse react when you left?
TBK; How would you advice someone who had woken up and now found themselves in this situation?
I think it would help those in such a situation.
My thought initially has to deal with the age of the child. In the OP it is mentioned her child is a toddler. When the children are pre-school aged it is not as big of a deal as once they are old enough to start school. One of my children in first grade when I completely stopped being a Witness. The next school year (2nd grade) he was fully involved in all activities. He doesn't even remember much of life as a Witness. He knows we were Witnesses and can't remember any more. My youngest just started high school. He just learned we used to be Witnesses for the first time last week.
It becomes an issue once the child starts forming lasting memories (around 5) and starts to be social with children (usually at school). This is where I would recommend the parent who is no longer a Witness to take the following approach with the parent who is still a Witness -
I remember my last Memorial. My wife refused to go. One of our children was pleading to go. My wife approved of me going and taking our children. It was during that very Memorial that I realized that Jehovah's Witnesses did not have "The Truth". The next day I visited this website for the first time.
i’ve been trying to find any recent quotes that say the increase in witnesses every year is evidence of jehovah’s blessing on the organisation.. i know the ready made excuse if there is a decrease is “love of greater number will cool off”….
after splanes talk i can feel a significant decrease coming..
An increase in membership cannot be proof of Jehovah's blessing. It goes contrary to freewill. A "blessing" is direct intervention from a god.
To say an increase in Jehovah's Witnesses' number of publishers is a blessing is saying that Jehovah directly caused non-Witnesses to chose to serve him.
