Is this a record amount?

Proverbs 14 v 15 said:
What's the dead internet theory?
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That the internet is full of bots seeking advantage for information gathering to control the population and its needs. There is undoubtedly truth in that, but it can only gather what people are writing and speaking - one can it have one without the other. The theory then is part gaslighting, part truth, part theory but probably has some truth to it. The touchstone that always is true, is that there are no measurable depths to which human intrigue cannot sink. Bots will not get a lot of satisfaction from watchman. The recipient of bot information still has to be astute in their thinking. There is no commercial gain to be had from watchman as the content requires understanding of spirituality and has no value to anyone not specific in that need because the identity of need comes from within. If there is any value, it would be governmental intrigue on the most superficial level of seeking out groups that might affect their power fears.
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
That the internet is full of bots seeking advantage for information gathering to control the population and its needs. There is undoubtedly truth in that, but it can only gather what people are writing and speaking - one can it have one without the other. The theory then is part gaslighting, part truth, part theory but probably has some truth to it. The touchstone that always is true, is that there are no measurable depths to which human intrigue cannot sink. Bots will not get a lot of satisfaction from watchman. The recipient of bot information still has to be astute in their thinking. There is no commercial gain to be had from watchman as the content requires understanding of spirituality and has no value to anyone not specific in that need because the identity of need comes from within. If there is any value, it would be governmental intrigue on the most superficial level of seeking out groups that might affect their power fears.
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That last paragraph is what I'm worried about..
 
Proverbs 14 v 15 said:
There's 1107 at the moment Robert. Very few say "bots" vast majority say "guests" I've got an idea that Friday afternoon's symposium upset a lot of brothers and sisters. The conventions are in full swing now..
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What was the trigger?
(BTW - I watched some of the material and it’s amazing how many Bros now have beards - always thought that ban was odd considering our role model Jesus - but I guess it had more to do with 1950’s corporate America than anything else)
 
Prodigal One said:
What was the trigger?
(BTW - I watched some of the material and it’s amazing how many Bros now have beards - always thought that ban was odd considering our role model Jesus - but I guess it had more to do with 1950’s corporate America than anything else)
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It’s actually a psychological response. Under normal conditions, most men would choose not to have a beard and many choices would be made upon occupation, such as medical, judiciary, political, culinary/catering, carers, labourers; the list is comprehensive and it depends also upon culture. Jehovah made a distinction on hair length as well as beards. A beard portrays a character. To make it shine amongst others as part of your personality one needs to be kindly along with it - and often wise too!

Having said that, the response of the brethren to beards also reflects their self perceived status as illustrated by the more self opinionated ones amongst them that grabbed the opportunity as soon as the ban was reinvented by the GB as no longer necessary to show their assumed independence. It’s a rather unfortunate facet of the abdication of responsibility for self to another as encouraged by the gb. Another facet of the issue is their readiness to comply.

Overall, the psychology comes under the heading of remoulding one’s identity - called “reframing” and frequently entails a reaction to cognitive dissonance within implied guilt. This was most obvious in those who quickly grew a beard amongst the gb as a show of solidarity with the sheep that the decision to be clean shaven was nothing to do with him! A sort of self-absolution from guilt in the ban.

There is also the psychological facet of assumed “morality” now that the law has been lifted - also as a way of showing that they complied with the ban, rather than agreed with it.

I think the gb are becoming increasingly aware that their control of the sheep is fragmenting. Their teaching is appallingly infantile and superficial now, not to mention flagrantly untrue under inspection, but also that what they can offer in mitigation to keep the brethren enthralled is likewise devoid of anything that is scripturally sustaining. The brethren feel this ever more keenly it seems and if the latest offering at the assembly is anything to go by, their milky words are more like sour yogurt upon the tongue.
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
It’s actually a psychological response. Under normal conditions, most men would choose not to have a beard and many choices would be made upon occupation, such as medical, judiciary, political, culinary/catering, carers, labourers; the list is comprehensive and it depends also upon culture. Jehovah made a distinction on hair length as well as beards. A beard portrays a character. To make it shine amongst others as part of your personality one needs to be kindly along with it - and often wise too!

Having said that, the response of the brethren to beards also reflects their self perceived status as illustrated by the more self opinionated ones amongst them that grabbed the opportunity as soon as the ban was reinvented by the GB as no longer necessary to show their assumed independence. It’s a rather unfortunate facet of the abdication of responsibility for self to another as encouraged by the gb. Another facet of the issue is their readiness to comply.

Overall, the psychology comes under the heading of remoulding one’s identity - called “reframing” and frequently entails a reaction to cognitive dissonance within implied guilt. This was most obvious in those who quickly grew a beard amongst the gb as a show of solidarity with the sheep that the decision to be clean shaven was nothing to do with him! A sort of self-absolution from guilt in the ban.

There is also the psychological facet of assumed “morality” now that the law has been lifted - also as a way of showing that they complied with the ban, rather than agreed with it.

I think the gb are becoming increasingly aware that their control of the sheep is fragmenting. Their teaching is appallingly infantile and superficial now, not to mention flagrantly untrue under inspection, but also that what they can offer in mitigation to keep the brethren enthralled is likewise devoid of anything that is scripturally sustaining. The brethren feel this ever more keenly it seems and if the latest offering at the assembly is anything to go by, their milky words are more like sour yogurt upon the tongue.
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So you didn't reckon much of Saturday's program then Barney? 😅
 
Prodigal One said:
What was the trigger?
(BTW - I watched some of the material and it’s amazing how many Bros now have beards - always thought that ban was odd considering our role model Jesus - but I guess it had more to do with 1950’s corporate America than anything else)
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It was 100% because of Rutherford's hatred for whatever reason of Russel. I heard a story that a brother running a branch office needed something for his branch. This brother was wearing a beard like Russel, and the story goes, Rutherford told him, "I'll give you what you want as long as you shave that beard." That story while being hearsay, it may very well be true, because in the 70's WT actually published in a year book that the reason for the beard prohibition was because after Russel died, a number of brothers were wearing beards in imitation of Russel, and so as to avoid "creature worship" they put forth the prohibition. I read it myself, and I have tried to find it since, but WT admitted back then the real reason!

I'll try again to find it again. But what begs the question is this, who was everyone else whose ever worn a beard, imitating? It was clearly a childish and frivolous reason. Oh BTW. it was Rutherford who put up the Pyramid at Russel's grave site, which was NOT Russel's tombstone as many have claimed. Robert even has a video of himself at Russel's grave site. So I guess the rivalry continued even after Russel died. It seems to me, Rutherford is the one who really slid the Org into the Freemason direction. All the claims Russel was a Freemason have been debunked my Freemason's themselves. Which doesn't not mean by itself that he was not, but I don't believe he was.
 
Here it is. It's from the 1974 yearbook page 97-98.

“Brother Balzereit asked Brother Rutherford for permission to buy a rotary press. Brother Rutherford saw the necessity and agreed, but on one condition. He had noticed that over the years Brother Balzereit had grown a beard very similar to the one that had been worn by Brother Russell. His example soon caught on, for there were others who also wanted to look like Brother Russell. This could give rise to a tendency toward creature worship, and Brother Rutherford wanted to prevent this. So during his next visit, within hearing of all the Bible House family, he told Brother Balzereit that he could buy the rotary press but only on the condition that he shave off his beard. Brother Balzereit sadly agreed and afterward went to the barber. During the next few days there were several cases of mistaken identity and some funny situations because of the “stranger” who was sometimes not recognized by his fellow workers.”
 
Proverbs 14 v 15 said:
So you didn't reckon much of Saturday's program then Barney? 😅
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I was getting Cosmocidal so had to sit down and have a nice whiskey with a block of ice in it. I have visions of all the witnesses now back home after three days of listening to pontification personified and wondering what the hell they have been doing these last three days. And all this advice about safety and compulsory name badges - where on earth is the welcome and trust in each other? It’s really sad to see. It gives insight into the scriptures “…He makes me lie down in green pastures beside still waters ….”, and that’s just what I’m doing right now….
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
I was getting Cosmocidal so had to sit down and have a nice whiskey with a block of ice in it. I have visions of all the witnesses now back home after three days of listening to pontification personified and wondering what the hell they have been doing these last three days. And all this advice about safety and compulsory name badges - where on earth is the welcome and trust in each other? It’s really sad to see. It gives insight into the scriptures “…He makes me lie down in green pastures beside still waters ….”, and that’s just what I’m doing right now….
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All those rules etc are actually enforced by the venues throughout the UK now, after the Manchester Arena bombing (Ariande Grande) This year for the first time, Sheffield Arena have body scanners too, and you couldn't get in without going through the scanners either, this is for all events..
 
Prodigal One said:
What was the trigger?
(BTW - I watched some of the material and it’s amazing how many Bros now have beards - always thought that ban was odd considering our role model Jesus - but I guess it had more to do with 1950’s corporate America than anything else)
Click to expand...
I think the trigger was the symposium that included the family where the wife was very sick with cancer and the GB told her off for putting on social media that she was sick and undergoing treatment and also, one of their best friends was wanting to tell the brother something about what's going on behind the scenes with the org and the GB said we're not to listen to anything from anyone, I'm fact, we're to tell that person to go talk to the elders about the negative stuff and if they don't, then we're to report them to the elders. It was all a lot more in-depth than that but you get the gist.
 
Nomex said:
It was 100% because of Rutherford's hatred for whatever reason of Russel. I heard a story that a brother running a branch office needed something for his branch. This brother was wearing a beard like Russel, and the story goes, Rutherford told him, "I'll give you what you want as long as you shave that beard." That story while being hearsay, it may very well be true, because in the 70's WT actually published in a year book that the reason for the beard prohibition was because after Russel died, a number of brothers were wearing beards in imitation of Russel, and so as to avoid "creature worship" they put forth the prohibition. I read it myself, and I have tried to find it since, but WT admitted back then the real reason!

I'll try again to find it again. But what begs the question is this, who was everyone else whose ever worn a beard, imitating? It was clearly a childish and frivolous reason. Oh BTW. it was Rutherford who put up the Pyramid at Russel's grave site, which was NOT Russel's tombstone as many have claimed. Robert even has a video of himself at Russel's grave site. So I guess the rivalry continued even after Russel died. It seems to me, Rutherford is the one who really slid the Org into the Freemason direction. All the claims Russel was a Freemason have been debunked my Freemason's themselves. Which doesn't not mean by itself that he was not, but I don't believe he was.
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You can find out if Russel was a Freemason simply by contacting the Freemason society in London. They have a site especially for that and they may even tell you what lodge he was in - if he ever was, that is. If you wish to run a search by them it will cost about $30.
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
You can find out if Russel was a Freemason simply by contacting the Freemason society in London. They have a site especially for that and they may even tell you what lodge he was in - if he ever was, that is. If you wish to run a search by them it will cost about $30.
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30 dollars Barney?? is that the currency in Margate these days? 😂
 
BARNABY THE DOG. said:
I was being charitable and translating for our foreigners across the pond. I don’t actually use English Pounds anymore - I have a woman that deals with all that sort of stuff….. a bit like Prince Charles.
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Gotcha! You've got a good woman there Barney 👍 what does Jehovah say us women are? Better than Coral 🤔 or something just as nice anyway 😜
 
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