by young hearts, be free.. 15 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Well it's been a while since I posted here, hope you're all well !!
I've been wondering for a while, you know those "Publisher Record Cards" that the JW's hold which detail each "publisher", well I remember reading that they are not for the person to view, they are strictly for the elders use..If that's the case, (that bugged me even when when I was a JW) would that not be a breach of the Privacy Act ?? Man that secret squirrel shit pissed me off !! Any help !!??
You may see your own card, but it's viewed as the property of the congregation [ahem, the elders]. The circuit overseer gets to examine it when he comes around. If you move from one congregation to another, they don't trust you to take the card to the next congregation. The Society wants you to notify the secretaries of BOTH congregations so that your card will get transferred.
You can't take the card with you if you leave the organization. The congregation secretary writes on it "Inactive," and they keep the card until you die (or "forever" if they don't know whether you're dead or alive).
yeah that's not quite right....
usually, all publishers were given their cards to review at one of the bookstudies once a year...but you did have ot turn them in...
and probably if you asked your secretary to look at your card, they would let you review it....
as for the "files" those are what only the elders are supposed to have access to..and then, accessed is limited.
the cards themselves are nothing special..just a tally of the stats you reported each month..
but since there are no "membership rolls" kept, officially..the cards on file is what designates the congregations membership...
-eduardo
"forever" if they don't know whether you're dead or alive).
FOREVER...are you serious?
lisa
I imagine it's still true that a card or two is on file and nobody knows the whereabouts of the person or persons. When I became secretary in one congregation or another over the years, I discovered that there was a card or more on file for a person none of the elders remembered. In some cases, most or all of the elders became such after the name on a card was no longer in anyone's memory.
There are ways to get them when you leave. My wife and I managed to get ours:
-ithinkisee
fjtoth:
When I was secretary, I got tired of dragging out all these old record cards of people who [knew better] had faded/moved on, so one day I just shredded heaps of them....all gone, and before I "stepped aside" I shredded all of ours bar one. They are supposed to send 8 years worth of them when and if you move.
In a JW forum where concern was expressed about finding a suitable marriage partner, I found the following entry dated May 4, 2006:
In my old congregation, it was considered a sign of maturity to ask to see an intended spouse's publisher record card before making a proposal of marriage.
I wonder how many secretaries would be that cooperative.
Publisher's Record Cards are filed according to 8 categories: Regular, Irregular, Inactive, Disfellowshipped, Disassociated, Moved Out, Deceased and Deleted. (Deleted refers to those who were unbaptized publishers but, for the moment, are not permitted to participate in organized field service activity.)
A computer program called Congregation Publisher File (CPF) is used by secretaries to keep tabs on congregation activity. The User's Guide is supplied by the program's developers, not by the Society. Here is a section that tells of the program's benefits and uses:
Perhaps the most powerful aspect of CPF is its ability to generate a wide range of custom-made summaries at a variety of levels. Would you like to know exactly what the congregation and each book study group did last month? Or over the last 6 months? Would you like to know what the elders and ministerial servants did over the last 6 months? Or how each pioneer is doing so far for the service year? CPF can provide answers to these and many other questions.
Summaries can also be filtered to focus in on a specific age group, gender or baptismal status. Would you like to know what the teenagers did last month? Or over the last 6 months? As they become young adults, do they have an increased or decreased share in the ministry? As publishers become older, what changes in field service activity occur? CPF can provide you with the answers to these and similar questions in seconds.
Since its inception in 1990, CPF has proven to be a valuable diagnostic tool in helping brothers quickly pinpoint areas within a congregation that may need special attention. CPF’s goal has always been to help those in a position of oversight carry out their responsibilities more efficiently, thereby benefiting the congregation more fully. (Acts 20:28)
In order to help you benefit fully from CPF, much help has been provided. As you use CPF, help is only a keystroke away. Pressing the F1 key at any point in the program will provide you with detailed information specific to the screen you are currently looking at. Additionally, this User’s Guide was designed to help you understand the basic concepts behind CPF and to help resolve any problems you might encounter during the setup and use of the program. But before we continue, it would be good to review a few important points.
As members of Jehovah’s theocratic organization, all of us can appreciate the need to follow established procedures. (1 Corinthians 14:40) In accordance with the Society’s arrangements, it must be kept in mind that ALL of the Society’s original paperwork MUST be maintained and kept up to date. CPF was NOT designed to circumvent this arrangement but rather to compliment it, replacing the worksheets most congregation secretaries create to help compile reports sent to the Society.
Additionally, this program and its documentation are to be used only by those who are duly authorized to have access to the publisher file. Please keep in mind that publisher information is CONFIDENTIAL and that a trust exists between publishers and those who have access to the file. All efforts must be made to ensure that trust. (See w71 4/1 Questions from Readers.)
Besides an emerging awareness of our privacy rights, there's also the concept of openness and transparency. Here in Canada, government agencies must disclose any information they have on you. You have the right to view it. The file belongs to the goverment, but the information itself belongs to you. How we work around this distinction is that we make copies for you to read.
It won't be long before these rights are extended to private agencies.
You are entitled to look at your own record card at any time - but they are the property of the congregation
