They won freedom of speech, while steeling mine!

by BackSlider 15 Replies latest jw friends

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  BackSlider

  So oftin I recall being excited about all the cases that were won in the name of Jehovah. I would talk with my dad and ask him how could it be possible that the supreme court judges haven't become witnesses. It made no sense to me, that these men and women were not moved by all the wins that the Organization was piling up. Its only logical that they have God's spirit directing them, right? It never once crossed my mind that this Organization, that I was so enamered by, was busy in the work of creating their own laws, that were not only unjust and against human rights, but were uncontestable. You see, the Watchtower was being treated unfair so they sued and sued and sued, until someone heard them. Is this what I have to do? Is this what we have to do? How many phone calls can I have where I have to act as if I am in North Korea, and dare not speak against the supreme leader. How many times do I have to be on the other end of a call wanting to just scream, because, because I fear losing my family and those I love. We have enough people on here and other sites to start a class action lawsuit against them for so many things, but the number one thing would be putting minors in a contract at baptisim. The new 1/15/2012 Watchtower eems to be enough evidence that it encourges families to shun children. Not one kid knows the depth of what they are entering, beliving that now they have gods spirit backing them to preach to all the nations! All the while signing over the little freedom they have left as humans.

  Just a thought I was having.

  BS
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  sizemik

  A nicely drawn parallel . . . banging on about freedom from their carefully constructed totalitarian regime.

  Hypocrisy is there middle name . . . the standard dictionary definition should be; - see Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  Aussie Oz

  They were never champions of human rights.

  They fought for their own rights and others got to benefit thats all. Thats why they dont care a squat about others, its their history, their nature.

  Oz
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  Heartofaboy

  Well done BackSlider some excellent points.
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  irondork

  A class action sounds like a great idea on the surface, but things like child baptisms (contracts), shunning, etc... falls under a religious rite which is protected by laws. Satan has all his bases covered. His governmental systems protect his religious systems.

  Welcome to the forum, BackSlider.
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  cobaltcupcake

  That's an excellent point! Never thought of it that way.

  I remember hearing an experience about a WWII vet who went to law school after the war. He said that his studies showed him that while he was at war fighting for freedom, back home his freedom was being taken away. However, JWs had fought in the Supreme Court to retain or restore those freedoms. He was impressed with the JWs for that reason.

  And now here they are becoming more restrictive with every passing year. I've lost my freedom of associating with my family just because of their laws. Hypocrisy indeed.
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  DesirousOfChange

  Satan has all his bases covered. His governmental systems protect his religious systems.

  Now THAT is turning-the-tables!

  Doc
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  Vidiot

  One of my "light bulb moments" was reading this (paraphrased, but fairly verbatim):

  "While JWs championed freedom of speech in the courts, they are not known for practicing it internally..."

  Damned if can remember where I read it, now.
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  Simon

  They are takers and hypocrites - they take advantage of any system for their own advantage but they don't really believe in the ideals they benefit from, if they did they would treat their own members differently.

  And also, they are a not the same group of people as they were 50 years ago or more or even believing the same religious doctrines.
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  Band on the Run

  I was so moved by the wins that I became a lawyer. Sometimes we would discuss our career goals in college and law school. I would mention that my mom was expelled from high school at fourteen b/c of the flag salute issue. After the ACLU win, she could not be expelled. My uncle scored the highest in a statewide ranking of NJ students, he had two weeks to graduation date. He and my mom were expelled the same day. It was not only losing school but a slide in self esteem. My profs were moved by my short tales. They asked if I ever wondered why my mom was expelled. Their academic and personal view was that the Supreme Court paid no support to the First Amendment for many decades. Dissidents in America had no recourse when they should have been protected under the Const'n. Why did I see glitter?

  I've thought about the matter. They practically ordered me to ponder it. Now I realize what an outsider being a Witness made me. I was used to a much lower life style b/c of the Witnesses. B/c my father labored at Bethel for a long while, he had no job prospects when he left. No publisher would hire him b/c of prejudice. He was granted an exemption during WWII. Veterans' preference programs were in force. I was used to no toys. So when the Supreme Court justices agreed with the Society, I was overly impressed.

  Now I see these cases in a very different light. It was not only the Witnesses who were persecuted. Gays, blacks, biracial couples, Beatniks, political progressives all faced heavy repression and prosecution. My father knew Manhattan neighborhoods from Field Service at Bethel. He used to pack us into the family car and we would gape at interracial couples in Greenwich Village or blacks in Harlem. Manhattan is very different today. IN those days, if you were an "out" group, you had to live within the confines of Greenwich Village or move to the Left Bank of Paris.

  I don't think it is any accident that I lived in both Greenwich Village and the East Village for most of my life. The Witnesses made me a member of an "out" group and I felt comfortable with other outsiders. I was explaining to younger people about purchasing banned books when I was in high school. They knew books were banned but the details fascinated them. They could not conceive of the world I detailed. Heck, my great aunts were Bible Students and went to jail in Paterson, NJ. They were so law abiding. Yet they sat in jail and faced going to prison.

  My father was drinking buddies with Hayden Covington, though I expect many Bethelites could claim that privilege. I later worked for the ACLU. The Witnesses richly deserved to win those cases! The cases were clear cut. The issues we face today as dissident JWs are not as clear legally. David is now Goliath.