This truly pisses me off

by Terry 18 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  Terry

  http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/asia/kyrgyzstan/court-ruling-for-conscientious-objectors/

  

  DECEMBER 30, 2013 | KYRGYZSTAN

  Kyrgyzstan Court Rules in Favor of Conscientious Objectors

  BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan—The Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan unanimously declared on November 19, 2013, that the country’s current law on alternative service is unconstitutional and violates the right of freedom of religion. The Court directed the government to amend the law to allow for genuine alternative civilian service for those who, for reasons of conscience, object to military service.

  In 2009, Kyrgyzstan adopted a law that recognized the right to alternative service. However, it became evident that this service actually fell under military control. Those serving were placed under the supervision of military personnel, and some were ordered to make payments in support of military activities. After completion, those who were in alternative service were automatically enrolled in the reserves of the armed forces. As a result, Jehovah’s Witnesses refused to accept the alternative service offered, a stand that prompted several criminal cases against the Witnesses.

  The November ruling recognized that the Witnesses had valid reasons for rejecting the alternative service offered to them and were not attempting to evade their civic duty. On the contrary, the Court found that the Witnesses were willing to perform alternative service that is civilian in nature. It is expected that all criminal cases imposed on the Witnesses will be reopened and decided in harmony with the amended law.

  Khamit Iskakov, spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kyrgyzstan, states: “In addition to resolving the issue of conscientious objection to military service, this ruling will be helpful in further demonstrating to Kyrgyz officials that Jehovah’s Witnesses are a respected, international religion.”

  On JW.ORG (official website of the Watch Tower) the above article appears.

  This organization acts as though alternate service is a blessing from Jehovah.

  This is the selfsame organization who privately counseled me I COULD NOT ACCEPT alternate service and

  remain in Jehovah's favor!

  This duplicity, flip-flop and mindset is what caused me to write my story:

  I WEPT BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON (A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War.) (Available on Amazon.com)

  Either Jehovah guides this religous group OR He does not. I doubt very much the Supreme Being cannot make up His mind!

  These people aren't guided by anything but hubris and blindness.

  They are the most confident jackasses on the planet.

  More Detail I WEPT by the RIVERS of BABYLON (A Prisoner of Conscience in a Time of War)By Terry Walstrom
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  nicolaou

  Agreed. At least you've done more than JUST get pissed off Terry, I look forward to reading your book.
• 

  humbled

  ROTTEN TO THEIR CORE
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  steve2

  Terry, I so get what you're saying. Thankfully, in my home country, I just missed out on being called into military training in the late 1960s simply because there was a law change that went from compulsory training to ballot selection. I was never selected so it was never an issue for me. But not so my JW male peers who wewnt through sheer hell in the law courts due to the organization's unbending stand back then. Alternate service was roundly condemned and other religions who accepted alternate service - most notably the Seventh-Day Adventists - were scorned and severely criticised by the organization and from the platform.

  Now, with the stroke of a pen, a flip-flop has occurred. One would at least expect the organization to acknowledge that a flip flop has occurred and to apologize to those numberless men (seldom did the law encompass females althrough I'm aware it does in Israel) who suffered - and continued to suffer - because of the impact of the Watchtower's then unbending demands on military-age males in the organization.
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  KateWild

  Such inconsitency truly shows how controlling they were then and they are now. This "do as you're told or else" attitude is controlling and destructive. All the best with selling your book Terry. Love Kate xx
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  hamsterbait

  Remember when they just tossed away the misery of young witlesses who went to prrison over this?

  They said it so weasel: "How should a witness who went to prison conscienciously feel now that Brothers can accept alternative service WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES" - why dont these duplicitous swine admit that young men were threatened with DF if they took alternative service?

  Why dont they admit that in Poland young brothers left school and got jobs in the coal mines, since then they would not be called for service, but brothers called to the military were not allowed to accept coal mining as alternative service and were coerced into going to jail.

  Why dont they admit that for some young men prison was a hell of rape. That some were so starved of love they ended up DF IN PRISON and shunned by the other Dub prisoners for falling in love with another inmate?

  I see a pattern:

  Russell came along and trashed Barbour's teachings.

  Rutherford came along and trashed Russell's teachings.

  Knorr and co came along and trashed Rutherford.

  The current leaders are trashing Knorr and co.

  When they croak their last their teachings will be trashed too.

  What is the point of learning or believing any of the rubbish they have printed for 140 years? Why not do your own trashing now?

  I can see why Terry is MAD - I just read his book.
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  Bruja-del-Sol

  I recall when they changed this. Somewhere end 90's/early 2000's it was a subtle subject in a WT-study, but one bro in our hall who had spend several years in jail because he wasn't allowed to do alternate service (or he would be DF'd, while HIS choice would've been to do alternate serivce) nearly exploded when this came along. He was soooo upset, like you are now, and he stood up and really burst out in anger and shouted through the hall in the midst of the WT-study asking 'who they thought they were, playing with people's lives like this!' He asked who was going to give him back the years he had lost because of the earlier stand of the WTS, which appeared to be wrong now...

  And I felt for him, as I do for you now. It must be so hard to know that you've 'done time' for nothing, because of some assholes that made a decision over everybody's heads and later decided to change it. It's frustrating. My ex-FIL had the same thing, he also spent 2,5 years in jail, but he was pretty submissive to the GB so he didn't blink an eye when they flipflopped to accepting alternate service all of a sudden, calling it 'a matter of conscience'...

  It was one of the things that made me question if this really was the 'Truth'...
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  Finkelstein

  Flip flopping doctrines is one the more obvious signs that the WTS. isn't being guided by

  anything other than itself.

  .

  Its the same situation with the issue of blood and its fractions, where JWS were once told that no

  fractions of blood would be allowed or approved, JWS obeyed that policy resulting in the deaths

  of many. A few years later on fractions of blood were approved by the WTS.
• 

  Violia

  They ruined so many lives, some never recovered from the harshness of prison . Further, the community in our area is very patriotic , as was many in WW2, Vietnam, and having a prison record did not make you an upstanding citizen in the eyes of the community.

  Catch 22 , no way to be right.
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  rathfear

  I remember the flip flop on the blood issue to allow "fractions"... painted it as this revolutionary new medical treatment. Of course plasma and platement seperation is old hat to put it mildly. Reminds me of the pharisees straining out the knat and gulping down the camel! Only reason that the military service wasn't an issue was growing up in a neutral country with a pathetic army anyway.

  But the "brothers" dedication to the "cause" was used to guilt trip us into being good little dubs. Obey god as ruler rather than men.. where did god say military service was anything like being drafted to go and actually kill your fellow man. All these "legal" challenges to boggle the mind though "be in subjection to the superior authorities" only seems to apply to the underlings and not the legal department!