Topics Started by 88JM
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Hello to everyone - new member from Scotland - just registered and wanted to introduce myself
by 88JM ingreetings to you all from scotland!
it's nice to finally be able to say hello to you all, having been a long time reader of the forum.. i put off signing up as i didn't feel i had much to contribute, but if i'm honest, seeing atlantis' post about confidential information pushed me into it.. i hope i can get round to writing my story - i always enjoy reading others and it never ceases to amaze me how many have had similar experiences.. so there goes my first post!.
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25 YEARS of compiled yearbook statistics
by 88JM inhello again folks - as promised in my last thread here, i've been working on turning yearbook statistics into excel spreadsheets.. coincidentally, today is my 25th birthday (spare a thought for a fader).. i've now updated the spreadsheet with yearbook data all the way back to 1988 (the year i was born), therefore it now contains 25 years of statistics.. there were a lot of countries changing around and for some it was possible to create a continuation of data.
some are a simple change of name like south-west africa to namibia.
others, for example - in 1993 with czechoslovakia splitting into two countries (czech republic and slovakia) i have added an extra row that provides a continuation of the data, combining czech republic and slovakia back together as if they were still one country.
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BBC Radio 4 reference to 607 Babylonian conquest?
by 88JM inwas listening to bbc radio 4 late sunday night, and in a programme about migration, they referenced the "babylonian conquest of jerusalem in 607 b.c.
" which caught my attention.. did they not mean 587 b.c., or did i understand it wrong?.
the link to the programme is below - sorry if you're not in the u.k. as you probably won't be able to listen to bbc programmes.
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JWs in the UK: 27 years of yearbook stats and stagnation
by 88JM inokay, so i went on a bit of a statistics binge after looking at poland.
i thought i would have a look at my home country's yearbook stats here in the uk (britain).. so here they are for your consideration.
had to go into the loft for some of the older yearbooks, and found some other older publications too.. nothing too remarkable as such here, as far as i can see, apart from:.
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Markan priority and the synoptic gospels
by 88JM inthis might be a question for leolaia, but i noticed in researching the gospel of mark this week that the dates the wtbts gives for the writing of the other synoptic gospels does not seem to agree with most new testament scholars.. the all scripture book gives the following dates:.
matthew: writing completed: c. 41 c.e.mark: writing completed: c. 6065 c.e.luke: writing completed: c. 5658 c.e.this would put mark as the last of the three synoptic gospels to be written, and therefore the wtbts does not adhere to the markan priority hypothesis.. wikipedia states that: "the theory of markan priority is today accepted by the majority of new testament scholars".. .
is there a good reason why the wtbts dates the synoptic gospels in that order?how can they date matthew and luke so early?is it merely because the wtbts rejects the possibility of a "q" source, and possibly even the idea of collusion between the writers altogether?or is it because many scholars put the writings of luke and matthew after the destruction of jerusalem, meaning the "prophecies" of destruction became historical accounts of past events by the time they were written?
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New Rooming Arrangement for some district conventions in the UK - what are they up to?
by 88JM inso i missed this letter below being read out last week - i got a look at it from the notice board this week.. from what i heard, this announcement was not received entirely positively as such, but there were apparently one or two for who this is a bit annoying.. staying at hotels for the district convention is nothing new here - many are used to staying at the same hotel/b&b/campsite every year, and get quite friendly with the owners.
but this year, it looks like not only do we have a new location for our district assembly (glasgow - the s.e.c.c.?
) but we are being told what hotel to stay at, supposedly to make things cheaper.. what i can't understand is, if this is really for the benefit of people, why didn't they do this years ago?
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Letter: 30 hour quota to be extended to additional months
by 88JM inread out at the service meeting this week.. ===================================.
january 21, 2013. to all congregations.
re: thirty-hour quota for auxiliary pioneering.
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11 years of compiled yearbook statistics: spreadsheet downloads
by 88JM in(edit: sorry about that - i clicked submit before i finished writing the post.
and its now 11 years, not 10. anyway...).
hi folks.
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"Foreigners" and today's Watchtower
by 88JM ini know this is true every week, and i say it all the time, and i know blondie will be doing her review later, but.... today's watchtower was bat-shit crazy!.
i knew it was going to be a bizzare one just reading it, but the comments at the meeting took it even further.
i can't post all the crazy ones, but in summary what they were saying was:.
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Horrible day
by 88JM ini just had to come on here and vent - i'm having a horrible day.. firstly, had to sit through a horrible public talk about obedience to the "superior authorities" (whoever they decide that is this week) - all kinds of crazy stuff taking verses in romans way out of context.. then had to sit through that hideous watchtower defending david.
one brother actually used the words "we want to follow in david's footsteps" - i was nearly ready to vomit.
just a total gloss-over.