Richard Oliver

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Posts by Richard Oliver

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  41

  Numbers don't lie... and these numbers are beautiful!!

  by ILoveTTATT2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the numbers don't lie... definitely slowing down!!.

  in the 40´s the average growth per year was 20%in the 50´s it was about 10%they had four decades of solid 5% per yearnow the average for the past 16 years has been 2%.

  maybe in the future it will be 1% or 0 or even negative????.

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  Richard Oliver

  You cannot just look at percentage as the only number you look at. Think about it this way, if you get a raise of $1 per hour each year. If you start at $15 dollars an hour the raise equals about 7% but the next year when you get the raise because the starting point is now $16 dollars an hour the increase is now less percentage wise it is now only 6%, then the next year the percentage increase is even lower is only 5% and so on and so on. So Yes in the 40s and 50s the percentage increase for Watchtower was greater because they had a smaller starting number, but as that starting number gets bigger, unless the amount of people you add gets bigger at the same rate the percentage is still the same.

  I am not saying that Watchtower doesn't have a increase problem, but you cannot solely look at the percentage increase.
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  27

  More congregations? One of the strategies they used to inflate the numbers in my city.

  by Tempest in a Teacup in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i looked at the 2017 yearbook figures this morning, and it reminded me of something which happened in my former congregation 2 years ago.

  it was a tiny foreign language congregation with at most 25-30 publishers.

  comes and splits a 30 member congregation into....three.

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  Richard Oliver

  For a long time people on here, possibly some of the same people who comment on this thread, have been saying that Watchtower has been merging halls in order to sell off property to make money. It cannot be both where Watchtower is trying to make these large central congregations in order to sell off property, but at the same time making small congregations everywhere in order to inflate numbers. These are contradictory things, so which one is it. Are they money hungry so they are forcing people to travel longer distances to that they can sell the property or are they number-centric and they just make congregations everywhere to inflate the congregations number?
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  15

  Injustice In India Over National Anthem

  by Iown Mylife in

  1. social
  2. current

  jehovah’s witnesses will seek to overturn the apex court’s order .

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  Richard Oliver

  I find it ironic that so many people here have the problem with Watchtower because you claim that Watchtower forces you what to think and believe, but have no problem with this. This is a way for a government to tell people what to think and feel, to feel patriotic and show honor for a government. The 49ers QB Kapernick kneeled during the US Anthem because he felt that the government did not show him and other African Americans with respect, so you can't say that only JWs have a problem with the National Anthems around the world. If you were a FARC rebel how would you feel if there was a Columbia law that forced you to sing the Columbian Anthem. How about the Basque Separatists feel about singing Spain's Anthem.

  In the US, Justice Jackson wrote "[t]hose who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard." This was after he gave evidence that such unity is a futile thing when it comes to patriotism.

  He goes on to eloquently stated: "no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein."
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  33

  Leaving the jws is a "lifestyle choice" according to a counsellor

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i had my first appointment with a counsellor, of course i explained about being a born in jw, mentally leaving, the penalty of doing so and therefore the mental strain of pretending to be someone i'm not.

  her response was that she couldn't help me with that because leaving a cult was a "lifestyle choice".

  i tried to say to her that its a cult not a religion and how it brain washed me but no.

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  Richard Oliver

  I do believe that, that counselor should have waited before giving you advice like that. But on the other hand people go see counselors not so that someone to reinforce what they already believe, but for an objective professional to listen to help you in the best way possible. I know for myself when I go see my psychiatrist for my depression, I sometimes think that the depression is caused by problem A, but after our conversation he helps me to recognized it is being caused by problem D and he knows that trying to work on problem D would be much more beneficial for me. So my point is, it is more beneficial to go into a situation with a counselor or psychologist or psychiatrist with an open mind as to what the root cause of the issue is. That is the point of going to see a mental health expert is to have a productive analysis of your issues and to have a professional help you work through the most damaging parts.
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  13

  ROJW - Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going through some research i had done a few years ago and came across something that referenced rojw healthcare support and a note to myself to take a look at rojw when i had the time.

  so i did a search for rojw (an acronym for religious order of jehovah's witnesses).. the search turned up some interesting bits of information.. according to dun & bradstreet, rojw was founded in 2011:.

  since 2011, rojw has been providing nonclassifiable establishments from wallkill.. for a list of persons who have worked for rojw:.

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  Richard Oliver

  Actually sorry. When I said that the PA was the parent company I forgot what recently courts have ruled, that the PA Corp doesn't have operational control over the others. That is why when you read transcripts of suits against watchtower the lawyers contend when the acts occured because that determines which corporation is potentially liable. If the acts occured before 2000 a civil action can be brought against the the PA corporation, after 2000 it is harder and may only be brought against CCJW.
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  33

  Leaving the jws is a "lifestyle choice" according to a counsellor

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i had my first appointment with a counsellor, of course i explained about being a born in jw, mentally leaving, the penalty of doing so and therefore the mental strain of pretending to be someone i'm not.

  her response was that she couldn't help me with that because leaving a cult was a "lifestyle choice".

  i tried to say to her that its a cult not a religion and how it brain washed me but no.

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  Richard Oliver

  Many health insurance companies and psychiatrist and psychologists will only diagnos and pay for treatment for recognizable mental health conditions in the mental health community as listed in the DSM. If it is not recognizeable most companies won't pay, you could always pay for a counselor on your own who accepts your contention.
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  13

  ROJW - Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going through some research i had done a few years ago and came across something that referenced rojw healthcare support and a note to myself to take a look at rojw when i had the time.

  so i did a search for rojw (an acronym for religious order of jehovah's witnesses).. the search turned up some interesting bits of information.. according to dun & bradstreet, rojw was founded in 2011:.

  since 2011, rojw has been providing nonclassifiable establishments from wallkill.. for a list of persons who have worked for rojw:.

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  Richard Oliver

  ROJW was officially formed in 2000, paperwork was probably prepared and started to go through the NY Secretary of State office in 1999. Prior to this, bethelietes and other special full time servants still took a vow of poverty and obedience just under a different Corporation. In 2000 there was setup 7 US corporations to handle matters in the US.

  WTBTSPA- it is the parent corporation and publishes the material.

  WTBTS-NY- they oversee operations such as printing the material.

  CCJW- they are the corporation's that service department has control over, elders and co duties fall under this

  Worldwide Order of Special Full-time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses- is the corporation that oversees bethelietes and COs, construction volunteers and US BIFS. They oversee the actual person not the work.

  Kingdom Support Services- oversaw the work at bethel, RBCs, transportation of literature and a few other stuff.

  WTBTS-FL- they owned a orange grove at one time, but I think they got rid of it because ur became cheaper just to buy oranges.

  WTBT-NJ- I am not sure what they do, I just know it exists. I believe all it does now is handle Stanley theater.

  There is a corporation that handles the cemetery at wallkhill, but I forget it's name.

  Recently there was added a new corporation to handle the US LDC operation
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  13

  ROJW - Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was going through some research i had done a few years ago and came across something that referenced rojw healthcare support and a note to myself to take a look at rojw when i had the time.

  so i did a search for rojw (an acronym for religious order of jehovah's witnesses).. the search turned up some interesting bits of information.. according to dun & bradstreet, rojw was founded in 2011:.

  since 2011, rojw has been providing nonclassifiable establishments from wallkill.. for a list of persons who have worked for rojw:.

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  Richard Oliver

  I know for a certainty, at least in the US, no member of the order receives anymore money than the usual allowance. If you find these things on LinkedIn, what is most likely people will put an equivalent job title and what an average salary would have been. Every bethelite that leaves struggle with how to define their work. I know for myself and people I know, will sometimes put it down as in job experience and some as volunteer experience. I had professors who were also current or former hiring managers who didn't agree with the others opinion, even some of them would tell me to put it as volunteer experience and some as job experience.
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  44

  Update to UK “Child Safeguarding Policy”

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  a known poster on this site (anon) says:.

  i have just received a text from an elder i've known for decades in my circuit who has some sympathy for my feelings and who is aware of the arc, the uk charity commission, etc., etc.

  here it is verbatim, and my reply.

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  Richard Oliver

  OrphanCrow. Then in the same light who are to condemn people who want to JWs or even condemn Watchtower. What position are you in to do that.
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  44

  Update to UK “Child Safeguarding Policy”

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  a known poster on this site (anon) says:.

  i have just received a text from an elder i've known for decades in my circuit who has some sympathy for my feelings and who is aware of the arc, the uk charity commission, etc., etc.

  here it is verbatim, and my reply.

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  Richard Oliver

  OrphanCrow. You state that IF are not valid things. And you used the Bear thing as an example. Then please explain how do things change. It is someone comes up with an idea and then determines what would be the result of making those changes, those are hypotheticals until the changes are implemented. Just admit that no matter what Watchtower does, even if every expert and government in the world agree that their policy protects children you wouldn't be satisfied.