Okay, so I've been seeing the occasional comment here and there on the forum that some JWs, even elders, do not seem to have heard about the Society ever being an NGO. Am I not remembering accurately? Back when this scandal happened (2001?) and the Society withdrew their membership, wasn't there a letter read during the announcements in the service meeting explaining the Society's reason for their membership (the famous "library card" excuse)?
Wasn't a letter about the NGO situation read at the Hall?
by Apognophos 12 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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DesirousOfChange
I never saw nor heard the letter.
No one in Borgland that I've ever spoken to has known about it (except from an "apostate" source).
Doc
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OneEyedJoe
They might've (I don't recall ever hearing it) but even if they did I wouldn't expect anyone to know about it. Of the 60% of JWs that would have been at the meeting where the announcment was read, only 20% at best would be paying good enough attention by the half way mark for it to affect them, and half of those wouldn't think twice about it. So by my math, you wind up with about 6% of JWs that might actually have remembered it the day after the announcement, and surely many of those have forgotten it by now.
This doesn't help you much, though - I have no idea if an announcement was even made. I suspect, if it was, it was only made in the UK or areas where the gaurdian was widely circulated.
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AndDontCallMeShirley
My understanding is the WT did respond only to BOEs and only if that BOE initiated the query to WT headquarters. No letter has ever been read to the cong. in general that I have heard of firsthand. WT never freely volunteered information about the NGO scandal, as that would be close to transparency for WT's tastes.
And, predictably, the few BOE's that did enquire about it and received a letter from WT, the explanation/answer/B.S. was completely dishonest. In other words, A BIG FAT LIE !
( I know this because I talked with an elder who's BOE did receive a letter...and the "explanation" WT gave was pure, unadulterated bovine residue).
BTW- I doubt 99.9% of JWs have a clue about this issue. WT is very good at hiding the truth...and JWs are very good at voluntary ignorance.
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sloppyjoe2
Yes, there was a letter read at my hall.
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Phizzy
I really cannot recall a letter being read in my Hall, but maybe I was zoned out at the time as was usual for me, a survival technique.
There was without doubt a letter to B.O.E's telling them how to respond, sorry, LIE ,about the reason for NGO status. It is available on the Internet.
Maybe some B.O.E's decided to read this letter out ? or was there another ?
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Atlantis
Go to jwfacts and scoll down, click on United Nations on the right and you will find this letter. This might be the one you are looking for.
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Atlantis!
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StarTrekAngel
I would not doubt that most of those who read the letter are no longer around and those who had no authority at the time, did not pay enough attention or were not in a cong that was informed of the issue. Once presented with the new opportunities (like becoming and elder) I can see many issues being put aside. In the case of the spanish cong, I doubt the letter was ever read.
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Island Man
Maybe the letter was only read in kingdom halls where publishers heard or read of the issue in the news and started question the elders about it.
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Apognophos
Thanks for the feedback so far, this is surprising. I seem to recall hearing the letter read as part of the announcements in my congregation at the time. I specifically remember the library access being mentioned. As I was not reading any material critical of the religion back then, that I can recall anyway, I don't think I could be mis-remembering where I heard this.
Years later, I came on sites like this and saw the letter for myself, but I have been under the impression this whole time that everyone heard this letter read in their congregation back in 2001. I wonder if it's because the friends were talking about the rumor in my cong., and maybe in your congregation, sloppyjoe2. [Edit: Island Man beat me to this hypothesis while I was typing.]
