2023 Governing Body Update #8 / BEARDS!!!

[Percy]

On 4/20/2025 at 2:51 PM, LeolaRootStew said:

if they aren't JWs they are worldly...

Is worldly positive or negative? It is ambiguous.

 

Generally speaking, if you use it referring directly to a person they would only perceive it as a compliment - meaning experienced and sophisticated. 

 

Conversely, the negative connotation of the word is when you use it in a sentence like "obsessed with worldly gains" or "focused on their worldly possessions".

[Cool.As.Ice]

In my congregation, some still use that word both in comments and from the speaker’s platform. Even with beards on

[truce]

2 hours ago, Cool.As.Ice said:

In my congregation, some still use that word both in comments and from the speaker’s platform. Even with beards on

That word should have been abandoned as soon as they put their beards on. Lol.

[Cushi]

Lately, I’ve been trying to get out of the habit of saying worldly. I think about how those who don’t know Jehovah would feel if they heard it. I try to say “those who don’t know Jehovah, or those who don’t know Jehovah yet”, holding out hope for them. It helps to say this even when talking with friends or family and there’s no non-Witnesses around. This helps me to get into the habit of saying it.

[Alikay]

In my mother tongue there’s no word for ‘worldly’ or ‘unbeliever/unbelieving mate’. We use the expression - one who’s not yet a servant of Jehovah. From the time we were born we are worldly but what sets us apart is that we choose to live by Jehovah’s high moral standards. I remember we never have use the word disfellowship or excommunicated, it was always “no longer recognized as on of Jehovah’s Witnesses. 

[Pabo]

On 4/19/2025 at 9:29 AM, jdcarlson said:

 

I do not like open collar shirts with no tie at the Kingdom Hall. Some of this comes from working over 50 years as a Certified Public Accountant. A VERY conservative industry. The firm I started with even required a coat and a tie when we would come in on weekends during income tax filing season (because of the heavier workload of individual tax returns on top of the audits and tax returns for commercial clients).  

 

We haven't worn a tie for 20 odd years at our firm. The boss hates them, so it wasn't required to wear them, nor a suit. We would generally wear either dress shirts or logo'd polo shirts, but even jeans are acceptable.

I generally wear nice collared shirts and business trousers, but I wear shorts when it is summer time to the office. 

[jdcarlson]

Your comment reminded me of a time when a man selling life insurance products to bankers (it accomplished nothing taxwise, but it had the effect of increasing the bank's regulatory assets, enabling room to make more loans) approached a bank client of mine. In the conference with him, I was able, through understanding "time value of money" concepts (aka "present value"), and with the help of a Hewlett-Packard 12C calculator, I was able to tell him how much commission he were making on the proposal.

 

The man then asked me to go with him to make a presentation to a bank in Hawaii. I was not going to refuse a free trip to Hawaii, so I said yes. 

 

When we got to Honolulu the bank executives were all in open collared, short sleved, "Hawaiian Shirts." I felt a little overdressed in my dark gray pinstriped suit with a vest.

 

This was in 1988. MANY years ago.

 

Yes, times have changed!

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

 

P.S. The tie & jacket requirement for weekends was 1968. In 1977 I decided to "push the envelope" one week, and wore a turtleneck sweater with a jacket on saturday. The next weekend, the partners all showed up in "leisure suits" (a fad in the late 70s).