SOME OF THE FEED-BACK COMING IN SO FAR FROM SOME OF THE FRIENDS ABOUT THE 2009 STATS: S emailed: “Few thoughts about the stats page (and others). There is a text in Finnish that is no Finnish at all, but a garbled text of nonsense. Ireland and Greece do not count themselves in East Europe. +the page is very difficult to read (it is too wide)” G emailed: “Heard from one knowledgeable commenter: ‘I was so glad to see Germany, Poland and Japan with ZERO growth!! I know that the growth in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece is due to the illegal immigrants pouring into them from Africa, NOT from the natives. We can only hope that as the economy recovers, numbers will go down next year!’ “I appreciated those comments. In those countries where there are illegal immigrants the Society can seem to provide a "quick fix" with love bombing, promises to a new world coming, etc., but with time, many of those will leave the organization in a short time as quickly as they came in. I remember last year you had a good analysis report and breakdown of these statistics that I enjoyed. I know many stats now are perhaps discouraging to us because of too many increases and how they may "cook" their books. But so encouraging, bottom line, that their baptisms they admit are dropping and that is big! That is even when they are baptizing so many children at ages younger than what is socially acceptable as mature enough, especially when it involves in second part to a man-made claiming 'spirit-directed (?)' organization. Thank you again, Joe, for all your work. Good health to you and 2010!” Some other thoughts: They used to require that to be counted an active JW, JWs had to put in a minimum of many more hours a month, later dropped it to only one hour and in the case of elderly or sick JWs they may count them as active too if they put in just 15 minutes a month. So the 4% rise in the U.S. is a manipulation of the reality. Only the Spanish language community is growing for JWs in the U.S. It’s important as we see Watchtower sinking that we ourselves stay strong as believing Christians and help out anytime we see some jumping off the sinking ship into the sea. To me it is not discouraging but encouraging for I know that to have any "increases" that actually don't exist, they are having to resort to trickery and manipulations, which means they are desperate.

January 3, 2010 First, I was just sent the following link to pass along. It invites ExJWs to attend a West Coast ExJWs Meetup; details here: http://www.exjwslosangeles.org/wcnx Second, it's being reported at the JWD forum (rightly or not as this is still to be confirmed one way or another) there was an 8.7% increase in memorial partakers to 10,857 in 2009, up from 9,986 in 2008. Watchtower is claiming to now have about 7.3 million members, a 2.2% increase worldwide, though (supposedly) a 4% increase in the United States, which most outsiders believe is false. Worldwide the Bible Studies being conducted by JW publishers (rank-and-file JWs) for the 2008-2009 Service Year increased 3.2%, to 7,619,270 publishers. A poster on JWD had mixed up the Bible Studies figures with the professed membership growth figures. Third, yesterday night I sent you an English and Swahili item, but below here am sending something better. Please share with any African facebook friends. Finally, today being Sunday, I encourage each of us to open our Bible, read a chapter and while doing so ask “how might I be able to apply this chapter to my own life somehow??” If you do so, you may be amazed at how applicable God’s Holy Spirit makes it. FACTS ABOUT THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY OVER JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES Watchtower Society teaches Jehovah’s Witnesses to not use emergency blood transfusions. 1 Samuel 14:31-35 shows God forgave Saul's men. They had eaten meat together with blood. Jesus Christ said God wants Mercy not Sacrifice. (Matthew 12:7) Watchtower Society sends all Jehovah’s Witnesses to preach at doors. Some of the people are pedophiles. They sexually molest children. Christ says protect children, and he also says people who hurt children are evil. (Luke 17:22) Watchtower Society says Jehovah’s Witnesses must do what its Governing Body commands. The Bible says do what Jesus Christ commands. Jesus Christ says show love to other people including enemies. (Matthew 5:44) Watchtower calls people who disagree with it enemies. It commands families to shun those Jehovah’s Witnesses who disagree with Watchtower. Watchtower Society teaches many people will never die, but Paul says all people sin and therefore ALL people will die. Read 1 Corinthians 15:22. Watchtower Society says a Great Crowd of dead Jehovah’s Witnesses will live again on earth, but Revelation 19:1 says the Great Crowd is in heaven. Paul says only one faith exists which is true, (Ephesians 4;5), but Watchtower Society says it is the only faith which is true. Paul was speaking about Christianity in general. Watchtower did not exist when Paul said one Faith exists. The one Faith is Christianity, and it has many branches. Some are good branches, some branches are average, and some branches are very bad or evil. Watchtower teaches Jehovah’s Witnesses to not celebrate Christmas and other holidays, but Colossians 2:16 says Christians can celebrate holidays. Christian Love and Joy are fruits of God’s Holy Spirit. They help to defeat evil. (Galatians 2:16) Love never fails! (1 Corinthians 13:8) Christ is the most faithful and loyal servant of God, not men on the Governing Body of the Watchtower Society. Watchtower Society said people alive in 1914 will see the End of the World then paradise on earth. This is false. 2014 is 100 years after 1914. You will know the Truth and it will set you free. Christ says he is The Truth, (John 14:6) not the Watchtower Society. He is gentle, his yoke is easy not heavy. (Matthew 11:29, 30) Christians need the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16), not the Watchtower Society. UKWELI KUHUSU WATCHTOWER SOCIETY JUU YA MASHAHIDI WA YEHOVA Watchtower Society hufundisha Jehovahs Mashahidi si damu zitokanazo na matumizi ya dharura. 1 Samweli 14:31-35 inaonyesha Mungu alivyosamehe watu wa Sauli. Nao waliokula nyama pamoja na damu. Yesu Kristo alisema Rehema Mungu anataka siyo Sadaka. (Mathayo 12:7) Watchtower Society zituma Mashahidi wote Jehovahs kuhubiri saa milango. Baadhi ya watu ni pedophiles. Muudhi kingono kwa watoto wao. Kristo anasema kuwalinda watoto, na yeye pia anasema watu ambao kuumiza watoto ni maovu. (Luka 17:22) Watchtower Society anasema Jehovahs Mashahidi lazima kufanya nini Linaloongoza amri yake. Biblia inasema kufanya kile Yesu Kristo amri. Yesu Kristo anasema upendo kwa watu wengine pamoja na maadui. (Mathayo 5:44) Watchtower wito kwa watu ambao hawakubaliani na ni maadui. Ni familia amri waachane Mashahidi Jehovahs wale ambao hawakubaliani na Watchtower Society. Watchtower Society inafundisha watu wengi kamwe kufa, lakini Paulo anasema watu wote na kwa hiyo dhambi ALL watu watakufa. Soma 1 Wakorintho 15:22. Watchtower Society anasema umati mkubwa wafu Mashahidi Jehovahs wataishi tena duniani, lakini Ufunuo 19:1 anasema Mkuu Crowd mbinguni. Paulo anasema lipo tu imani moja ambayo ni kweli, (Waefeso 4; 5), lakini Watchtower Society anasema ni imani tu ambayo ni ya kweli. Paulo alikuwa anazungumza kuhusu Ukristo kwa ujumla. Watchtower hakuwahi kuwepo wakati Paulo alisema mmoja Imani lipo. Imani ni mmoja Ukristo, na ina matawi mengi. Baadhi ni matawi nzuri, baadhi ya matawi ni wastani, na baadhi ya matawi ni mbaya sana au mabaya. Watchtower hufundisha Jehovahs Mashahidi si kusherehekea sikukuu ya Krismasi na mengine, lakini Wakolosai 2:16 anasema Wakristo wanaweza kusherehekea sikukuu. Mkristo Upendo na Furaha ni matunda ya Roho Mtakatifu wa Mungu. Msaada wao kushindwa maovu. (Wagalatia 2:16) Upendo kamwe inashindwa! (1 Wakorintho 13:8) Kristo ni mwaminifu zaidi na mtumishi mwaminifu wa Mungu, si wanaume juu ya Uongozi Mwili wa Watchtower Society. Watchtower Society alisema watu hai mwaka wa 1914 wataona Mwisho wa Dunia juu ya ardhi kisha peponi. Hii ni uongo. 2014 ni miaka 100 baada ya 1914. Mtaujua ukweli na itawaweka ninyi bure. Kristo anasema yeye ni Ukweli, (Yohana 14:6) si Watchtower Society. Yeye ni mpole, nira yake ni nyepesi si nzito. (Mathayo 11:29, 30) Wakristo wanahitaji Biblia (2 Timotheo 3:16), si Watchtower Society.