Posts by konceptual99

19

Aethiest

by midnight in

what happens if you openly declare you are an aethiest, i don't mean go round forcing my view on everyone , but when pressured to go to the kingdom hall etc you stated you are an aethiest and no longer believe in god , surely you can't be accused of apostasy as you simply don't believe in anything ?

anyone experienced this ?.

konceptual99

Midnight - whereabouts are you? You sound like you are in a very similar position to me.

My advice would be to keep your own counsel as far as possible with as many people as possible. The person you have to consider the most beside yourself is your wife and only you know how much of your personal integrity you wish to compromise in order to keep your marriage secure. By that I simply mean I am in the same boat and I know first hand that not everyone can make high impact statements regardless of the consequences.

Beyond your wife and immediate family however my recommendation is to say as little as possible. Anything you do say can be used against you. The less you say means the less they have to process and determine what it means for how they want their relationship with you to develop, For many a "don't ask, don't tell" policy means they can mentally salve their their conscience about contact and keep you out of the "apostate" category.

If you openly admit to being an atheist then at best you are giving people the green light to treat you like a DF'ed person. At worst you are alerting the elder squad to your situation and inviting investigation and malicious judicial treatment. If that doesn't bother you then fair play but if you are looking to keep the peace then the only real option is to keep shtum and avoid controversy where possible.

117

2017 Yearbook released

by bohm in

jw
friends

i saw this on reddit:.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/5mlgsm/2017_yearbook_of_jehovahs_witnesses/.

overall the numbers are better than last year (1.8% growth compared to 1.5% last year -- as i predicted ;-) ) with an increase in all major figures including 1300 more congregations (i assume this is not physical kingdom halls?).

konceptual99

Over 30 people in the congregation my wife attends have not put in their report for December yet. There are about 110-120 publishers so it's a large proportion. Sure the time of year makes a difference with people ill and away but in the age of excellent communications it says to me people are simply not that bothered.

Given that there has been a net increase of just 26 people in the UK I am not surprised that there is an increasing apathy even amongst those still mentally in.

Roll on the summer conventions imploring desperately to these ones "Don't Give Up". Too late for me.

20

Is this a new practice?

by Visitor1984 in

my husband and i recently moved back to our hometown so we are back on the radar for the elders.

we have been happily inactive the last few years.

the other day a brother, who was once friends with my husband, and a substitute circuit overseer stopped in my husband's work for a shepherding visit if they still call it that.

konceptual99

Yes - just to clarify my post - making a deliberate call to someone at their workplace to try and shepherd them is not a typical tactic. General witnessing in commercial establishments has been done for years as "business territory" work as per tepidpoultry's message. So, if a CO and friend were witnessing in the vicinity they may have taken the opportunity to call in and say hi but it still sounds a little too contrived to me.

20

Is this a new practice?

by Visitor1984 in

my husband and i recently moved back to our hometown so we are back on the radar for the elders.

we have been happily inactive the last few years.

the other day a brother, who was once friends with my husband, and a substitute circuit overseer stopped in my husband's work for a shepherding visit if they still call it that.

konceptual99

Not heard of this as an official tactic. I think it's just over zealousness on the part of the friend and a substitute overseer. They were probably on a mutual mission to outdo each other's display of going the extra mile to try and reactivate someone.

Just wondering why your husband didn't just thank them for their concern but remind them it was his place of work and he was busy. Was he just being polite and non-confrontational?

39

Is the year 2020 the new prediction for Armageddon?

by Disassociated Lady 2 in

i have had a conversation this evening with a jw friend i have known since childhood.

he is of the opinion that armageddon will have come and gone within the next 5 years.

are the jws now pinpointing 2020 as the supposed year?

konceptual99

As blondie says the WTS makes no prediction on dates. They are treading a fine line where they are trying to avoid setting timescales whilst also needing to keep a sense of expectation and urgency alive. The best you get in print is "short time remaining" or variations.

Five year rolling expectations have been common as long as I can remember. Few Witnesses have the intellectual bollocks to think it could be years and years away lest they open themselves up to thinking it's never coming.

11

December 28, 2016 BOE Re: One Study Edition of The Watchtower in Languages Other Than English

by wifibandit in

december 28, 2016 to all congregations re: one study edition of the watchtower in languages other than english.

dear brothers:.

for several years, the simplified edition of the watchtower has been produced in french,.

konceptual99

I wonder if this is because of the translators having had the best education ever?

73

The con is completed - comments from the US branch's LDC chief

by sir82 in

jw
friends

recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.

it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.

he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.

konceptual99

@cofty/@vidiot

I would tend to agree with Vidiot. As we know they realising as much capital as possible from property and streamlining things to reduce costs. I think the money is being put away to allow the organisation to mitigate against several risks including:

- reducing income from donations

- potential tax liabilities if their taxable status changes

- hiding funds from being used to pay damages and compensation arising from an increase in claims related to historical child abuse

- investing to offset reducing voluntary income

I think someone (or a group of people) have been raising the possibility that the big A may be a LONG way off, membership may full well decrease and how the hell is the org going to pay it's way. I wouldn't be surprised if this has been raised several times over recent years and received short shrift until one day someone had the balls to put some incontrovertible facts to the GB and scare them shitless.

Cue Letts and his begging speech.
Cue immediate stop to the global building program.
Cue turfing out the oldies so Bethel is not a retirement home in 15 years time.
Cue the consolidation of congregations into less halls.
Cue the decision to make accommodation for Bethelites in the third world less attractive and equivalent to forst world standards.
Cue the downsizing of full time Bethelites.

etc. etc. etc.

3

Philomena Cunk, Christmas 2016 "Moments of Wonder".

by Simon in

this is a funny, kind of reminds me of ali g with some of the questions.. i love religious / biblical irreverence .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hna6b66bilk.

konceptual99

Regular on Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe and part of a great double act with Joe Wilkinson under her real name Diane Morgan. One of my favourite comedians.

30

Jehovah's Wonderous Creation - The Guinea Worm

by pale.emperor in

you're not likely to see this in an awake!

magazine, but here goes.

for those that believe in intelligent design please explain this one to me:.

konceptual99

We really should find more of these examples of bastard creatures and have a little series of them.

19

Mythical Nemesis and Nibiru, or is it?

by Vidqun in

a long time since the topic has been raised on jwn.

" according to the majority of scientists, it's all our fault.

our high carbon emissions and increase in co2 are causing changes in our weather.

konceptual99

I don't think any rational person discounts the inevitability that we shall have to face a potentially life threatening impact from something in space. This is the similar to the fact that at some point we shall experience a volcanic eruption or earthquake way beyond anything experienced in the past several hundred or even thousands of years.

What this has to do with climate change is beyond me.