no problem
We're Coming After You, Watchtower
by Farkel 42 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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UnDisfellowshipped
Thank You Farkel for posting this information.
I have a feeling (and I hope) the Watchtower Society is in deep trouble over this issue. It is so sad to see how many families the Watchtower Cult has ruined.
I want to do my little part in helping out, so I'm going to post some Watchtower Quotes for everyone to get an idea of certain Policies, such as "Theocratic Warfare Strategy".
First, here are Quotes from the August 2002 Kingdom Ministry:
Our Kingdom Ministry August 2002 Issue [Monthly Internal Publication of the Jehovah's Witnesses]
"The bond between family members can be very strong. This brings a test upon a Christian when a marriage mate, a child, a parent, or another close relative is disfellowshipped or has disassociated himself from the congregation."
"How to Treat Expelled Ones: God's Word commands Christians not to keep company or fellowship with a person who has been expelled from the congregation"
"Jesus was... instructing his followers not to associate with expelled ones."
"This means that loyal Christians do not have spiritual fellowship with anyone who has been expelled from the congregation. But more is involved. God's Word states that we should 'not even eat with such a man.' (1 Cor. 5:11) Hence, we also avoid social fellowship with an expelled person. This would rule out joining him in a picnic, party, or trip to the shops or theatre or sitting down to a meal with him either in the home or at a restaurant."
"What about speaking with a disfellowshipped person?"
"A simple 'Hello' to someone can be the first step that develops into a conversation and maybe even a friendship. Would we want to take that first step with a disfellowhipped person?"
"The fact is that when a Christian gives himself over to sin and has to be disfellowshipped, he forfeits much: his approved standing with God;....sweet fellowship with the brothers, including much of the association he had with Christian relatives."
"Former spiritual ties have been completely severed. This is true even with respect to his relatives, including those within his immediate family circle....That will mean changes in the spiritual fellowship that may have existed in the home. For example, if the husband is disfellowshipped, his wife and children will not be comfortable with him conducting a family Bible study or leading in Bible reading and prayer."
"The situation is different if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home"
"It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative."
"Loyal Christians should strive to avoid needless association with such a relative, even keeping business dealings to an absolute minimum."
"Sometimes Christian parents have accepted back into their home for a time a disfellowshipped child who has become physically or emotionally ill. But in each case the parents can weigh the individual circumstances."
"Will he bring 'leaven' into the home?"
"Cooperating with the Scriptual arrangement to disfellowship and shun unrepentant wrongdoers is beneficial."
"After hearing a talk at a [Jehovah's Witnesses] circuit assembly, a brother and his fleshly sister realized that they needed to make adjustments in the way they treated their mother, who lived elsewhere and who had been disfellowshipped for six years. Immediately after the assembly, the man called his mother, and after assuring her of their love, he explained that they could no longer talk to her unless there were important family matters requiring contact. Shortly thereafter, his mother began attending meetings and was eventually reinstated. Also, her unbelieving husband began studying and in time was baptized [as a Jehovah's Witness]."
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The Watchtower April 15th 1988 Issue
(This Article is available on the Official Watchtower.org Website)
"Cutting ourselves off completely from all association with (my disfellowshipped sister) Margaret tested our loyalty to Jehovah's arrangement. It gave our family opportunity to show that we really believe that Jehovah's way is best." -Lynette."
"God's fatherly discipline, which can affect our spiritual lives, can take many forms. One is his arrangement to exclude from the Christian congregation a person who no longer wants to live by God's standards, or who refuses to do so. A person who is thus strongly chastised or disciplined may repent and turn around. In the process, the congregation of loyal ones are also disciplined in that they learn the importance of conforming to God's high standards. 1 Timothy 1:20."
"Occasionally... a person deviates from the path of truth. For example, despite help from Christian elders, he may unrepentantly violate God's laws. Or he may reject the faith by teaching false doctrine or by disassociating himself from the congregation. Then what should be done?"
"shunning would be appropriate... for anyone who rejects the congregation [of Jehovah's Witnesses]"
"So the direction at 2 John 11 could well mean not to say even "hello" to such ones"
"We can be... sure that God's arrangement that Christians refuse to fellowship with someone who has been expelled for unrepentant sin is a wise protection for us"
"By also avoiding persons who have deliberately disassociated themselves, Christians are protected from possible critical, unappreciative, or even apostate views."
"Cutting off from the Christian congregation does not involve immediate death, so family ties continue. Thus, a man who is disfellowshipped or who disassociates himself may still live at home with his Christian wife and faithful children. Respect for God's judgments and the congregation's action will move the wife and children to recognize that by his course, he altered the spiritual bond that existed between them. Yet, since his being disfellowshipped does not end their blood ties or marriage relationship, normal family affections and dealings can continue."
"The situation is different if the disfellowshipped or disassociated one is a relative living outside the immediate family circle and home. It might be possible to have almost no contact at all with the relative. Even if there were some family matters requiring contact, this certainly would be kept to a minimum, in line with the divine principle: "Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person [or guilty of another gross sin], ... not even eating with such a man."--1 Corinthians 5:11."
"Understandably, this may be difficult because of emotions and family ties, such as grandparents' love for their grandchildren. Yet, this is a test of loyalty to God"
"Lynette's comment about her choice 'to cut herself off completely from all association' with her disfellowshipped sister Margaret. She and her Christian relatives 'believed that Jehovah's way is best.' And it is!"
"Lynette's sister later told her: 'If you had viewed the disfellowshipping lightly, I know that I would not have taken steps toward reinstatement as soon as I did. Being totally cut off from loved ones and from close contact with the congregation created a strong desire to repent. I realized just how wrong my course was and how serious it was to turn my back on Jehovah.' "
"In another case, Laurie's parents were disfellowshipped. Yet she says: 'My association with them never stopped but increased. As time went on, I became more and more inactive. I got to the point of not even attending [Jehovah's Witnesses] meetings.' Then she read material in The Watchtower of September 1 and 15, 1981, that stressed the counsel of 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 and 2 John 9-11. "It was as if a light bulb were turned on in me," she writes. 'I knew I would have to make some changes. I now better understand the meaning of Matthew 10:34-36. My decision was not an easy one for my family to swallow, for my son, five, is the only boy, and they love him dearly.' It is hoped that losing such association will touch the parents' hearts, as it did Margaret's."
"What may seem harsh to outsiders is both necessary and really a loving thing to do."
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Preparing For Child Custody Cases Booklet published by the Jehovah's Witnesses
"Many try to portray the beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses as dogmatic and restrictive. When answering questions about your religious beliefs and practices, emphasize the fact that you have formed your beliefs and adopted your practices after much study and reflection your religion is not simply a matter of rules which have been imposed by the elders. You want to emphasize the fact that you are a thinking, well-balanced, and reasonable individual who is competent to act as a parent. Avoid any response which gives the impression that you are unwilling or unable to provide for your child's best interests because of your religious beliefs."
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Riches Book, 1936, Page 177
"A lie is a false statement made by one to another one who is entitled to hear and to know the truth, and which false statement tends to work injury to the other. A false statement made for the purpose of deceiving and working injury to another is a deliberate and malicious lie."
------------------------------------The Watchtower May 1st 1957 Issue, Page 285
"Use Theocratic War Strategy"
"A WITNESS of Jehovah was going from house to house in Eastern Germany when she met a violent opposer. Knowing at once what to expect she changed her red blouse for a green one in the very next hallway. No sooner had she appeared on the street than a Communist officer asked her if she had seen a woman with a red blouse. No, she replied, and went on her way. Did she tell a lie? No, she did not. She was not a liar. Rather, she was using theocratic war strategy, hiding the truth by action and word for the sake of the ministry."
"In this she had good Scriptural precedent. Did not Rahab hide the Israelite spies by both action and word? Did not Abraham, Isaac, David and others likewise hide the truth at times when faced with a hostile enemy? They certainly did, and never do we read a word of censure for their doing so. Rather, we read of their being termed exemplary servants of Jehovah. Their actions were in line with Jesus' wise counsel: "Look! I am sending you forth as sheep amidst wolves; therefore prove yourselves cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves."-Matt. 10:16"
"At times [a Jehovah's Witness who takes the witness stand in court] may prefer to refuse to speak and suffer the consequences rather than betray his brothers or the interests of God's work."
"...hiding the truth, which he is not entitled to know, from an enemy does not harm him..."
"So in time of spiritual warfare it is proper to misdirect the enemy by hiding the truth. It is done unselfishly; it does not harm anyone; on the contrary, it does much good."
"Today God's servants are engaged in a warfare, a spiritual, theocratic warfare, a warfare ordered by God against wicked spirit forces and against false teachings. God's servants are sent forth as sheep among wolves and therefore need to exercise the extreme caution of serpents so as to protect properly the interests of God's kingdom committed to them. At all times they must be very careful not to divulge any information to the enemy that he could use to hamper the preaching work."
-----------------------------------The Watchtower June 1st 1960 Issue, Pages 351-352
"God’s Word commands: “Speak truth each of you with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). This command, however, does not mean that we should tell everyone who asks us all he wants to know. We must tell the truth to one who is entitled to know, but if one is not so entitled we may be evasive."
"As a soldier of Christ he is in theocratic warfare and he must exercise added caution when dealing with God's foes. Thus the Scriptures show that for the purpose of protecting the interests of God's cause, it is proper to hide the truth from God's enemies."
-----------------------------------Aid to Bible Understanding Book, 1971 Edition, Pages 1060-1061
"Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another person"
"While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it."
------------------------------------Insight on the Scriptures Book Volume 2, 1988, Pages 244-245
"LIE"
"The opposite of truth. Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another person."
"While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it. Jesus Christ counseled: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open." (Mt 7:6) That is why Jesus on certain occasions refrained from giving full information or direct answers to certain questions when doing so could have brought unnecessary harm. (Mt 15:1-6; 21:23-27; Joh 7:3-10) Evidently the course of Abraham, Isaac, Rahab, and Elisha in misdirecting or in withholding full facts from nonworshipers of Jehovah must be viewed in the same light. -Ge 12:10-19; chap 20; 26:1-10; Jos 2:1-6; Jas 2:25; 2Ki 6:11-23."
------------------------------------The Watchtower June 15th 1991 Issue, Page 31
"If a Christian is asked to submit to something that would be a violation of God’s higher law, the divine law comes first; it takes precedence [and if a court] ... authorized the forcing of a blood transfusion on a Christian ... Christians must take the same stand that the apostle Peter did; “we must obey God as ruler rather than men”--Acts 5:29 ... [and must be] absolutely determined to obey God even if a government directed them otherwise"
"[A twelve year old Jehovah's Witness] would fight any court-authorized transfusion with all the strength she could muster, that she would scream and struggle, that she would pull the injecting device out of her arm and would attempt to destroy the blood in the bag over her bed.” She was firmly resolved to obey the divine law."
------------------------------------The Watchtower August 15th 2001 Issue
"Sarai could say that she was Abram's sister because she really was his half sister. (Genesis 20:12) Furthermore, he was not under obligation to divulge information to people who were not entitled to it. (Matthew 7:6) Faithful servants of God in modern times heed the Bible's command to be honest. (Hebrews 13:18) They would never, for instance, lie under oath in a court of law. When the physical or spiritual lives of their brothers are at stake, such as in times of persecution or civil distress, however, they heed Jesus' counsel to be "cautious as serpents and yet innocent as doves." -Matthew 10:16; see The Watchtower, November 1, 1996, page 18, paragraph 19."
------------------------------------Awake! February 8th 2000 Issue, Page 21
"Of course, being truthful does not mean that we are obligated to divulge all information to anyone who asks it of us. “Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never ... turn around and rip you open,” warned Jesus, at Matthew 7:6. For example, individuals with wicked intent may have no right to know certain things. Christians understand that they are living in a hostile world. Thus, Jesus advised his disciples to be “cautious as serpents” while remaining “innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16; John 15:19) Jesus did not always disclose the full truth, especially when revealing all the facts could have brought unnecessary harm to himself or his disciples. Still, even at such times, he did not lie. Instead, he chose either to say nothing or to divert the conversation in another direction.–Matthew 15:1-6; 21:23-27; John 7:3-10"
------------------------------------The Watchtower January 15th 1983 Issue, Page 22
"This fact cannot be overemphasized: We are in a war with superhuman foes, and we constantly need to be aware of this."
------------------------------------The Watchtower November 1st 2002 Issue, Page 17
"Unfortunately, some "unreasonable men" in [governmental] authority persecute us or oppose us in other ways - such as by promoting smear campaigns against us. Still, in Jehovah's due time, their lies are always exposed, and their "ignorant talk" is effectively muzzled."
------------------------------------A Reporter's Comment from the Australian Sunday Program Television Show "Silent Witnesses", which aired September 22nd 2002
"Officially, the [Jehovah's Witness] church denies all knowledge of the concept of theocratic warfare"
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metatron
Excellent work, Farkel. Keep chipping away!
It would be wonderful to see solid legal precedents set against the Watchtower - that could be used
elsewhere.
metatron
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mouthy
Farkel.... Doesnt it make your heart ache when you read this...When will the get caught....
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TheOldHippie
The public relations spokesman over here told in a radio interview that df'ing changed nothing when it came to the relationship between family members, and that no-one was required or asked to cut the ties with for example a child who was df'ed. If "some" chose to do so, that was entirely their own private decision, and nothing they were encouraged to do.
The same spokesman was the anonymous chief inquisitor (his name was by accident given by the local, present inquisitor at their jc against me), who single and alone decided, unknown and anonymous to me, in the jc aginst me. And the reason he / they started it, was that I kept contact with my df'ed child and strengthened that contact AFTER the child had asked for reinstatement. I stepped down as an elder after a quarter of a century, in protest, but that kind of was only the beginning - because you don't resign in protest without being persecuted afterwards. The same spokesman ruled I was to be df'ed - but after heavy protests and careful ways of speaking and writing, it was changed to severe control and restrictions - which more or less has been going on for a year now.
Masters of speaking with two tongues - one externally for the public, one internally for the belowed brothers.
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Joyzabel
Good point, Old Hippie, "Masters of speaking with two tongues - one externally for the public, one internally for the belowed brothers"
Until we can get the public to understand this, wtbts will hide behind their public sayings.
Great thread Farkel. Thank you for keeping us informed of what some of the courts are looking into. I hope this case sets a precident for future cases.
j2bf
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unclebruce
Hey Farkel,
what's this "You cold-hearted, bloodless person who's only expressed concern is if YOU'VE chatted with her or not.
I spit on you, and I send you to the cold-blooded hell of uncaring that you have created for yourself." bullshit?
Nice article ol' fella and i know it musta taken much time to post (it's sure taken long enough to read) .. but sheesh kabab a wildhorse! - give the lady a break!
unclebruce disracted by a grumpy farkmeiser
oops, ya made up already .. unc sheepishly slinks away
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czarofmischief
Farkel,
I feel like i should be doing more to destroy the watchtower. what kind of additional service can I reach out for?
Is not destroying the Watchtower truly a fine way to spend the remaining years of this old system?
CZAR
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Farkel
czar,
: I feel like i should be doing more to destroy the watchtower. what kind of additional service can I reach out for?
You might want to consider changing your viewpoint a bit, and yet you'll still be able to accomplish that feat.
Rather than worrying about how to destroy the Watchtower, concentrate on how to reach honest JWs and/or those JWs who are beginning to see cracks in their religion.
By helping such people to see the WTS for what it really is, the Watchtower will be severely weakened by loss of membership. They will likely never actually be "destroyed," so the best we can expect is that they will be forced into the civilized world at last. Money is the only thing that matters to them. Less members means less money, which means more coercion for more money which will piss off dubs who already feel they are giving too much, which will then mean even less members and less money.
Farkel
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DevonMcBride
You might want to consider changing your viewpoint a bit, and yet you'll still be able to accomplish that feat.
Rather than worrying about how to destroy the Watchtower, concentrate on how to reach honest JWs and/or those JWs who are beginning to see cracks in their religion.
Good idea, Farkel. Another angle would be to educate the public about the JW's. The public is open minded and willing to listen to flaws within the JW religion without automatically accusing critics of lying. We spent a lot of time printing up flyers and distributing them to the public informing them of the JW's. We even conducting a seminar in one community about JW's and other mind controling groups and gave them questions to ask. Not long after, the JW's did come by to minister in their neighborhood and many of the people brought up big issues with them. It didn't take long before the JW's figured out this community was on to them and they left.