Posts by Rivergang

51

You Could Be Stuck in a University When Your Parent Dies. Convention Day 2 Video

by liam in

the governing body is going all out at this years convention.

they are still discouraging university education.

i guess the end must be real close .

Rivergang

Universities offer longer programs leading to degrees and a wider range of career options. "

Even "Chris" the electrician would have found that out!

While we certainly need skilled workers such as electricians, the aforementioned "Chris" would find his career options would be much wider were he to have completed the degree course in electrical engineering. (All other things being equal, too, remuneration is much more attractive for those sporting a bachelor degree in engineering).

I am talking here as somebody who spent the last several decades of his working life in roles best described as being that of a "Busted @$$ Electrician" - and who if had his time all over again, would have attempted the bachelor of engineering course from the outset.

51

You Could Be Stuck in a University When Your Parent Dies. Convention Day 2 Video

by liam in

the governing body is going all out at this years convention.

they are still discouraging university education.

i guess the end must be real close .

Rivergang

Elder has big bucks, child allowed to go to university

Oh yes - how often have I seen that happen (with a blatant example being in this city, where the son in question is a highly respected electrical engineer).

Otherwise, though, it is very much a case "I've got mine, but you are not allowed to have yours".

25

Top Jehovahs witnesses Historians

by Paul Bonanno in

jw
friends

hi .

who do you think are the best historian/historians about the history of jehovahs witnesses?.

paul.

Rivergang

Back in the day, I found W.C. Stevenson's 1975 - Year of Doom? (later reprinted as The Inside Story of Jehovah's Witnesses) to be an informative read.

Admittedly, it came out at a time when there was very little else available about the JWs. However, it does describe in great detail how the congregations were organised before the elder arrangement was instituted. No other history of Jehovah's Witnesses (that I have ever read, anyway) does that to the same level of detail which Stevenson did.

Also, his writing style is impeccable - exactly what you would expect from somebody who majored in English at Oxford university. (And completely at variance with Schnell's ravings in his 30 Years a Watchtower Slave)!

18

Youths who gave up amazing lives

by JohnR1975 in

when i was growing up i remember many young people interviewed on the platform at assemblies.

the ones who really stood out are the talented ones who gave up amazing lives to pioneer.. i remember specifically when i was a boy in the 70s and 80s some who were very good at sport or something.

their teachers begged them to get professional training use their talents to the full.

Rivergang

But ooh, it's a different story when they need something.

Nothing like trying to "Hunt with the hounds and run with the hare" - all at the same time.

54

1975 !

by Sea Breeze in

how many of you here remember 1975?

i hope the newer generations never forget.the true believers got shamed for it.

those who were hedging their bets, fared much better.

Rivergang

Was the teenager I was at the time "Running ahead of the organization? Or were WE as members encouraged and rewarded by the leadership to 'PUT KINGDOM INTERESTS FIRST" ?

Who were used as examples on Service Meeting and Assembly parts? Those MOST EXTREME in their field service, lifestyle and language!

Too bloody right!

Only one year after the event were any cautionary statements issued - along the lines that "some" had somehow "read too much into" the 1975 date. A f#cking lot of use that was - bit like the old story of "Closing the stable door, after the horse has bolted".

54

1975 !

by Sea Breeze in

how many of you here remember 1975?

i hope the newer generations never forget.the true believers got shamed for it.

those who were hedging their bets, fared much better.

Rivergang

Balaamass2

Thanks for posting all that data ref. 1975. I remember it all like it was yesterday, having been eleven years old when it all started with the release of the book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God.

the WT did have some of the responsibility in coercing the members that 1975 was significant

Yeah - just some!

Speaking up or against the Watchtower's calamity howling = labeled: APOSTATE with loss of privileges or worse...

So very, very true.

These days, it seems like every man and his dog would try to have us believe that they "never really bought into it" when asked about the 1975 fiasco. Yet back in the day, I don't recall ever hearing a single JW expressing doubts about that date - for the reasons you have just stated.

No wonder, either, when the concluding sentence of a 1974 Circuit Assembly talk about that date stated confidently "We still stand by our date of 1975" (followed by the thunderous applause of the audience).

127

What does the Catholic church think of JW?

by Halcon in

on a trip to rome a few years ago i asked my friend (who is roman and jw) what the catholic faith thinks of jw.

he simply stated that jw is tolerated by the church but that really not much thought is given to them.

is there an official stance on jw by the catholics?

Rivergang

Slavic names are very common in Bavaria

They are certainly by no means unknown.

For example, I used to have a friend who hailed from that part of the world, whose surname was "Petrenko". (Furthermore, he would have been of similar age to the person named as Stefanie Brzakovic. Long story, though, how he - very much a German - ended up with a Slavic surname!)

127

What does the Catholic church think of JW?

by Halcon in

on a trip to rome a few years ago i asked my friend (who is roman and jw) what the catholic faith thinks of jw.

he simply stated that jw is tolerated by the church but that really not much thought is given to them.

is there an official stance on jw by the catholics?

Rivergang

Although if you’re willing to go far enough, almost everyone in Europe is everyone else’s fourteenth cousin

In all likelihood, the link between the former Pope Dominic and Stefanie Brzakovic (nee Blabst?) is probably something as described above:

- i.e. There is indeed a connection somewhere, but using the noun "cousin" to describe the relationship might be taking the meaning of that term just a little too far!

(Bearing in mind that the most effective form of propaganda is the half-truth).

Otherwise, that Canberra Times article sounds typical of the press release statements you hear during (or after) a Jehovahs Witness assembly. I know that from experience - once I was quoted in a press release which was intended for our local newspaper. By crikey, but was I mightily relieved when that paper decided not to publish the story! (Any follow-up phone calls would have been - to say the least - embarrassing).

As an aside, though, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that some highly ranked official in the Catholic church did comment favourably on the evangelistic approach taken by Jehovahs Witnesses. I have heard such comments myself, from an admittedly lay member of the church, but one whose level of faith could only be described as "greater than devout".

27

God’s wisdom in allowing bearded JWs July 25 Watchtower

by Listener in

the july 2025 watchtower has a paragraph that claims that it was the superior power and wisdom of jehovah that guided the gb into allowing jws to grow beards.. the study article is ‘can you still learn from basic bible teachings?’ under the subheading ‘jehovah is the creator’ paragraph 7 states-.

“ 7. what did rahela do to accept a change in direction?.

your answer.

Rivergang

Wearing beards are just a sign of the laziness and rebelliousness of the people today.

"Laziness", did you say?

In fact, keeping a properly groomed beard (such as depicted in TD's post) requires at least the same amount of effort and attention as does being clean shaven.

I speak here from experience!

31

Curious? How many members of this group feel we are living in the "End Times"?

by Balaamsass2 in

i like to take a peek at the kids over on reddit every week or so.. this thread caught my eye:" curious….

do any ex jw or pimo, still believe the world is ending.

i see people who have never been witnesses think that the world will end soon and they say things like “jesus is coming soon”….

Rivergang

It would seem that each generation has had its "The End is nigh" moment (e.g. Barry Maguire's 1965 song Eve of Destruction).

Certainly, this time around the world order of things has reached another crossroad in history. The "old" order of things is now rapidly unravelling itself. It must be remembered, though, that the present order of things only established itself after WWII - following the 30 years of instability which WWI ("The Great War") initiated.

In turn, the order of things prior to WWI had survived for 100 years, following the Battle of Waterloo - a pivotal battle which ended the chaos caused by French Revolution.

And so on it goes, all the way back through history!

If there ever was a time when human beings had justification for thinking the "End of the World" had really arrived, the year 536 AD would have to be a front contender:

Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive' | Science | AAAS