"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." At reddit it's widely used as a substitute word for org in WT weblinks to avoid breaking posting rules. The writer will just tell the reader going to the weblink to remove the 'b'.
finishedmystery
JoinedPosts by finishedmystery
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16
Remember using the term BORG to refer to the WTS
by blondie init's interesting that when watchtower is referred to as the borg, it immediately brings to mind the scenes where individuals such as captain piccard are held prisoner within a vast collective hive type prison and unable to leave.
they are then turned into drones.
in fact here is how wikipedia explains it.. the borg are a fictional alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the star trek franchise.
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JULY 2025 STUDY WT How to Give Advice
by blondie ini scanned this article and i saw a theme throughout it.
when info like this shows up in the study wt, you can be sure the elders are doing it wrong and the wts hits directly on what it is.
older elders do it wrong and train by word and action the newer elders to do it wrong.
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finishedmystery
I am someone who believes in giving credit where credit is due. Watchtower usually doesn't deserve much credit, but this article seems like an exception. It reads almost like a paradigm shift. As a former elder I know only too well how much stress and pressure the Society places on elders to do shepherding work, and they often feel that they have to do it even though they don't want to. The Hippocratic oath says "do no harm", but that is all too often what shepherding calls can lead to or to quote Elvis "going where wise men fear to rush in." In my experience about a third of elders are competent to do shepherding, but have a natural restraint about it. It's the other two thirds where things get scary--young men who think that because they have the authority and power of elders that their wisdom is equal to their power when it most certainly is not equal, and old men who are all too often just opinionated old farts who can be quite pig headed and think they know how the cow ate the cabbage. Their age makes them think they know more than they do.
Blondie, you're probably right that all the counsel of the article is addressing a problem with elders going off half cocked, that it's increasingly wide spread. Look at the arrogance of the GB and how their arrogance fosters a culture of arrogance. It should be no surprise that elders are becoming more and more of a problem in how they deal with the flock. The trouble with the the article is that as long as there is a culture of arrogance within the org that nothing will ever change and the counsel will be relatively ineffectual.
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The Big Secret
by finishedmystery inwhen the gb brought a formal end to all the type/antitypes in so many ways it could be said that they brought the religion to an end.
the other sheep/anointed teaching that leads to a two class religion was originally based on two antitypes--the jehu/jehonadab relationship and something about the cities of refuge.
in that 2014 annual meeting talk david splane even specifically stated that the cities of refuge has no antitype.
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finishedmystery
As the author of the OP I would like to say something else about this now that there are a few comments in the thread. Awhile back I listened to a youtube video by Eric Wilson of the Beroean Picketts channel that maybe dated back a couple years. In it he called attention to the fact that the end of the antitypes had effectively ended the other sheep/anointed paradigm that leads to a two class religion because this doctrine is based on two antitypes that are now in the dustbin so to speak. I am sorry to say that that was my moment of awakening regarding this matter because up to then I was as dumbed down on it as everyone else. Frankly, I had forgotten the connection between the two, but my moment of awakening was the main reason I stopped associating with the religion because I realized that it was a religion of 8.8 million people that had no salvation hope for them whatsoever, and if I were to call attention to this fact I would have been disfellowshipped. I subsequently had some email correspondence with Wilson about the subject and I complemented him on his insights, but I pointed out that he had not gone on to make the point that the GB had to have known what they were doing, that they could not have done this unwittingly.
Then a couple months ago Wilson did a new video about the Satanic origins of the other sheep doctrine, and this time he did say that the GB knew what they were doing. To date this video has about 9k views and counting. At the same time I wrote an article about it on ex jw reddit and it received about 17k views, so it is safe to say that about 25k people know about this now. But here's what disappointments me enormously. I scanned the comments thread, which was quite lengthy, for Wilson's video and there were many comments about various aspects of the video, but I could not find one single reference to the GB knowing that they ended the doctrinal basis for the other sheep doctrine. There is just something about this subject where it doesn't even register with ex witnesses. You practically have to slap everyone upside the head to make them get it. There's just something about this that even ex witnesses when they are told just don't grasp the gravity of what the GB has done. What they have done is wicked, evil, and heinous in the extreme, but the fact of that just doesn't click with people. The big difference between me and Wilson is that he's a nicer guy than I am. He politely stated that the GB knew what they were doing. I, on the other hand, called them out as wicked and evil to have done this.
Aqwsed says the greatest scandal is not the change but the silence. I would go onto say, and this is my original point, that the even deeper scandal is unknown, namely the reason for the silence. Wally may have been on to something. All the exposes of SRA, Satanism in the Watchtower may be part of it as well, but I'm probably now about to answer my own question. I suspect that the GB has by and large lost their faith. They simply don't believe in the religion anymore, and everything they do is a reflection of that. I am by no means a theologian in any professional or formal sense of the word, but I am 10 times the theologian of any of the GB. They are ignorant men who have chosen to formalize their ignorance as the new and now institutionalized doctrine of willful ignorance. I doubt if even one of them has ever done even a simple act of research on any given scripture at biblehub.com to examine the commentaries or Strong's Lexicon on anything. In this sense they are a disgrace to the natural love for the truth that all true Christians have.
I am reminded of an email exchange to be found on Paul Grundy's jwfacts website where he posts Franz' email to him where Franz said that he believed that the GB saw the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses as simply the last 'good' religion on earth, and that it was really all it was to them. Tom Cabeen, the overseer of the factory pressroom at the time, said that Dan Sydlik told him that the other sheep were the gentile Christians, yet according to Randall Watters, Sydlik indulged in abusive epithets hurled at the so called apostates of 1979 to 1982 who were advocating for the very thing that Sydlik said to Cabeen! Really, these men have known what the truth is regarding the true identity of the other sheep all the way back to the 1970s. Watters also quoted Albert Schroeder as saying "the apostasy was against the organization and not the Bible". Aside from falling out of my chair and having to pick myself up off the floor when I read that I realized that Schroeder knew that the 'apostasy' of the time was the truth and he didn't care. In fact he was persecuting the truth, knew it, and didn't give a damn.
When all is said and done these are, in truth, very cynical men, who have no real faith in Christianity, and are persecutors of the truth. I have no problem whatsoever with anyone who chooses to say that the GB is part of the God or deity of 2 Thessalonians 2. They are men of lawlessness, and it's because they do not love the truth. It grieves me to accuse any man of such a thing, but it is where the trail of the facts and evidence inevitably leads me.
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The Big Secret
by finishedmystery inwhen the gb brought a formal end to all the type/antitypes in so many ways it could be said that they brought the religion to an end.
the other sheep/anointed teaching that leads to a two class religion was originally based on two antitypes--the jehu/jehonadab relationship and something about the cities of refuge.
in that 2014 annual meeting talk david splane even specifically stated that the cities of refuge has no antitype.
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finishedmystery
When the GB brought a formal end to all the type/antitypes in so many ways it could be said that they brought the religion to an end. The other sheep/anointed teaching that leads to a two class religion was originally based on two antitypes--the Jehu/Jehonadab relationship and something about the cities of refuge. In that 2014 annual meeting talk David Splane even specifically stated that the cities of refuge has no antitype. This is no mistake. It was not done unwittingly. They had to know that this was one of the ramifications of ending the antitypes.
Another is the Malachi 3 antitype that is the basis for saying that JWs are the one true religion. The GB had to have known that the demise of antitypes was ending the Malachi 3 basis for saying they're the one true religion.
The fulfillment of Rev. 12's birth of the kingdom in 1914 is also based on an antitype, namely the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar's sanity after 7 years. The GB had to have known they were ending this as well.
It's not like they went on to say "we've ended the antitypes, but we believe that these 3 doctrines are based on solid antitypes." No, they've said nothing at all, which means they know the ramifications of what they've done. They have to believe that there is no theological basis for a two class religion. They have to know that all those prophecies related to the WWI era are effectively in the dustbin. Now what about the 43 'helpers'? Did none of them whatsoever take notice of all this? Is everyone so stupid that this just went over the heads of everyone. How do they keep something like this a secret for so long? I get it that the rank and file are so dumbed down now that they don't think deeply about anything doctrinal, but it's hard to believe that the people at the top are so dumbed down as well.
Some of you probably know who Wally is with the youtube channel 'jwthoughts'. A couple months ago he produced a video which explored the possible reasons for why they ended the antitypes. He theorized that it might have something to do with power and control, that leaving them in place was somehow causing control problems for them. It's an interesting theory, but I for one am not 100% convinced that it's the true explanation. After all, even though all these antitypes are truly dumb they're still essentially innocuous doing no real harm.
Right now I would say it's the biggest mystery in the world of JWs both in and out. If ever that expression applied--it would be nice to have been a fly on the wall. Any insights anyone?
One last point that's probably gone over the heads of everyone. Right now, 10 years and counting, 8.8 million people are in a religion where its ruling council has removed the doctrinal basis for its salvation hope, and I know from personal experience that if you go on to call attention to it you will be under the threat of disfellowshipping for apostasy. In other words, it's now a religion where its ruling council can remove the doctrinal basis for the two class religion and then just imperiously say that it still exists. It is absolute madness that Jehovah's Witnesses are engulfed in, and they don't even know it. Is there a Christian denomination anywhere where its members don't have a salvation hope? Yes, and it's Jehovah's Witnesses, but again, they don't even know it.
Something that I think is an indicator of the GB's full awareness of what they're doing is that I believe that they've actually adopted in their meetings a doctrine of willful ignorance that was already bad among the rank and file, but now they're aggressively pushing said doctrine. When Splane even said they didn't know if Solomon would be resurrected I knew they had crossed a line of willful stupidity. Psychologists will tell you that the underlying reason for willful ignorance is to avoid taking responsibility. From the standpoint of the religion they have done horrible things to the doctrine of the religion with the demise of antitypes, so it would seem reasonable to say that the new doctrine of willful ignorance has been adopted to avoid being responsible for the things they have done. But again, the antitypes are essentially innocuous. Why do it at all?
Rick Fearon with his Boston Six Screens on Saturday night frequently says that the GB's admonition to obey them even if said obedience seems illogical from a human viewpoint is sinister. He believes that something sinister is behind it, and I have come to agree with him that it's sinister. Could it be that it's a form of advance damage control just in case the rank and file start figuring out the ramifications of the demise of the antitypes? A form of brainwashing of the rank and file so that if there were to be an expose' that they would just go "ho hum, what else is new"?
More and more the ex witness community is saying that the GB is part of the man of lawlessness, part of the deity or god of 2 Thessalonians 2. Really, could there be a more wicked and evil and heinous act of lawlessness than to remove the doctrinal basis for the salvation hope of 8.8 million people and then take advantage of their doctrinal ignorance to get away with doing it, and all without any clear reason for doing it?
Maybe someone will come along with some brilliant insight. God knows, I haven't figured it out.
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WT JUNE 2025 MODESTLY accept what YOU do not know
by blondie inpp.
14-19 just some quote and a few comments from me, very, very repetitious.
the gb seems to think that the rank and file came up the years 1914, 1925, 1975, generation (70-80 years from 1914=1994), overlapping generations.
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finishedmystery
It is the title that is strange to me. If they had said "cannot know" instead of "do not know" it would make sense. For example, if I don't know calculus, but want to know calculus, what does modesty have to do with it? All I need to do is go to my local college and take a calculus class. Now if Jesus says that only the Father knows the day and the hour, then I modestly accept the fact that I cannot know that. They are conflating modesty with ignorance, i.e. not knowing something is virtuous because you are modest and humble. With Watchtower's new doctrine of "willful ignorance", which psychologists will tell you is done to avoid taking responsibility, now it is virtuous to be irresponsible because you are modest. Humility is conflated with ignorance.
In John 16:13 NIV Jesus said "the Spirit of truth... will guide you into all the truth". My emphasis on the word "all". So what's all this 'don't know' business? Then there is Jeremiah 33:3 "Call out to me and I will show you great and unsearchable things you have not known."
Their new "willful ignorance" theology is out of sync with scripture. There is no question in my mind that this WT article is part of a bigger plan to keep the rank and file dumbed down and ignorant so that the rank and file can be made to think they are immodest if they were to look behind the curtain and see that the wizard has no clothes.
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Is jehovahs-witness.com legitimately and reliably independent of WTB&TS and peripheral, aligned entities?
by great-trivialization ini am new to this forum and uncertain that this is legitimately and entirely independent of conniving jw controllers or the wtb&ts and its related entities.
markers like the use of jw.org in the forum description and the policies seem controlled/controlling vs other xjw forums.
this is not an accusation, it is an attempt to know enough to be comfortable with motives of the ownership and controllers of the forum.
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finishedmystery
That is one thing I really like about this forum. There don't seem to be any WT trolls here, but over at the big Reddit where I do OPs occasionally every now and then I will get hit by the meanest, nastiest comment in the thread below that you can imagine. A careful analysis of the comment's wording indicates only a WT troll would write it. I have no idea why they are even there at all. I do not see how their faith could ever survive that forum.
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What the new JW light position really is 👍
by ElderBerry ini’m still an elder and i consider myself jw light.
as my fellow elders are.
we don’t throw our weight around like elders used to in the past, it’s all very easy going these days.
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finishedmystery
I think people are attracted to religion for 3 reasons or combinations thereof.
1. Doctrine 2. A venue for doing some good 3. A community. It sounds like JW Lite is all about #3 with 10 minutes of the ministry thrown in to make oneself feel good about #2. As for doctrine, with the great dumbing down, the new doctrine of willful ignorance or is it willful stupidity, I guess #1 is in the dustbin. Perhaps this is why the religion continues to hold itself together as well as it does. People crave a sense of belonging to a community when they live in a world where so many are so disconnected. I can't help but think about that elder who supposedly said "I would rather be wrong and in the organization than be right and all alone." However Jesus said "The truth shall set you free." It just proves how little humans love freedom, and JWs are no exception.
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What's with the attack (counsel) on husbands with no corresponding article for wives?
by Rattigan350 inwhat's with the attack (counsel) on husbands with no corresponding article for wives on the jan 2025 w that is being studied today?.
is there a point to that?.
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finishedmystery
It is now believed that up to 7% of the population has NPD, Narcissist Personality Disorder. It has many subcategories depending on what aspect of the subject one is talking about, but the two big ones are overt and covert. Donald Trump is a good example of overt. His NPD is out in the open for all the world to see, and this form is more common to men because societal norms allow for it. Women, on the other hand, are not so easily tolerated in the overt form so they are more likely to take the covert form. Many Protestant pastors equate a Jezebel with a narcissistic woman. One said that the church is the perfect hiding place for the covert narcissist who is much more likely to be a woman than a man. So where am I going with this? Narcissistic wives do enormous emotional damage to their husbands, but WT is seemingly incapable of recognizing this. Think about it. They would have to delve into the world of psychiatry, a very advanced world of higher learning, in order to talk intelligently about it. Going to higher learning for anything is now an anathema to them. I have tried to educate them about this, but I might as well piss into the wind for all the good it does.
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What is this?
by Achille inthis image is from "the watchtower" july 2024 (study edition):i can't figure out what that object is that is between the sleeping apostles.wath is it?
a stick, a scroll of the scriptures?
....
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finishedmystery
It is said that the human mind has a tendency to see patterns even when they're not really there. Be that as it may, what I find disturbing is how in the background foliage there are so many facial images that I've lost count. It is a very disturbing drawing. One ex witness has a lot of content on his youtube channel with a lot of content devoted to this very subject. Think what you like, I believe it is subliminal demonism. As for the object in question I believe Blondie has it right calling it a scroll, but here's the problem. It assumes that it's wrapped around some kind of inner roller. Research into what these rollers looked like shows nothing like what's in the drawing. The end is more like a dildo tip, the glans end of a penis. There has been enough of this sort of thing in the artwork of WT literature that some of it is almost certainly subliminal imagery. I do not believe in seeing something around every corner or underneath every rock, but some is definitely there. I do not believe in a rogue artist theory because it's too easy to identity the artist, and I do not believe in a conspiracy between the art department and the governing entity behind it because too many people would be involved. A secret like that could not be kept over the long haul. No, it's got to be demonic forces changing the digital art somewhere along the way before it goes to print.
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Will They Change the Memorial Talk This Year?
by raymond frantz inhttps://youtu.be/o5almnehew4?si=kdgrjgbiutjkvcxe.
i’m hoping the memorial talk will be different.
change the talk!
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finishedmystery
My pet peeve about the memorial is their obsession with just once a year and it has to correspond with Nisan 14 as the same as the passover night. Then if you miss it you do it one month later per the law of Moses. Jesus said nothing about this. He just said "do this often in remembrance of me". I think Wt. has it all wrong about frequency and when it's to be celebrated. I think the concept of the Catholic Mass is overdoing it with frequency. If done too often it loses its importance, but once a year is too infrequently. I'm not up on how often Protestant denominations do it. I'm sure it varies from one church to the next. Google AI says some do it every Sunday, or monthly or quarterly.