Senator Bednar Leaves Watchtower!

by Voyager 46 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  Voyager

  Hi everyone:

  This forum has uncovered many JWs who were found out to be Political Officials. If this information should be old to some,--then perhaps for those who have just left the borg, might find the information helpful to reinforce their freedom. The thread is very long, so if it should not work, then please go to Kent Steinhaug's Forum at Watchtower Observer.

  http://kent.steinhaug.com/forum/showthread.php?s=f3aa440065982e1f53cc3efe02055681&threadid=2744

  Voyager
• 

  Double Edge

  uhhh, are you missing some information in your post?
• 

  Voyager

  Friends--the thread was so long , that it was totally erased after I hit the submit button. So please go to Kent's forum, and check out (Sebastian's) article. Thanks everyone , and have safe and wonderful holidays.-------Voyager
• 

  Voyager

  Double Edge:

  As I explained before, the thread was so long, that it was erased after I entered it, so please go to Kent Steinhaug's Forum. Thank you for your understanding.----Voyager
• 

  Lady Lee

  Not sure what happened when you tried to post it but we've had much longer threads here.

  Please note that this refers to university student politics and NOT government

  Here is the post

  Hi everyone:
  
  Many Jehovah's Witnesses are unaware of the Political connections the Watchtower Society has held--and still holds with the world. Investigations have shown many Jehovah's Witnesses who were revealed to be Political figures in Government.
  
  Even Jehovah's Witnesses who are Political Officials, can get tired of the teachings, proceedures, and the mind controling effects of the Watchtower.
  
  Do Jehovah's Witnesses really believe that the Watchtower Society (doesn't know) that members of their own congregations are high ranking officials? Investigations have shown, that many officials have even been (used) for favors by the Watchtower Society.
  
  Government Officials are certainly able to access information, that we would never be able to get a hold of. It is not surprising that many of these JW officials, knew very well the relationship of the Watchtower and the United Nations, and saw the hypocrisy involved in the Watchtower organization.
  
  In time viewing so much hypocrisy, these JW officials became tired of putting up with going from door to door, and many of the unreasonable claims of flip flop New Light flashes of supposed spiritual knowledge, that only the Watchtower Governing Body had privy to.
  
  Please note that Senator Bednar within the same year of 1999, showed that he could no longer participate as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. In a meeting of high ranking officials, (March 1999) Senator Bednar was inviting other members of the political conference to the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. Just a few months later, (October 1999) Senator Bednar was no longer a Jehovah's Witness, and even gave the other Senators a demonstration of the beliefs and practices of JWs.
  
  Don't you (if your a JW) wonder just how long Mr. Bednar was a Senator, and a member in good standing in the JW congregation? Don't you think the Elders knew who and what position he held in the Political world? Yet the Watchtower preaches to (have no part in politics, or of the world). However, if there are ones who are political figures in the world, the Watchtower turns a blind eye to them,--but disfellowships others for even thinking about political associations.
  
  Go here and scroll all the way to the bottom, and read the last part of the last paragraph,--where Senator Bednar invites his Senator buddies to the JW meetings.
  http://www.unc.edu/student/orgs/di_...9/204-B-10.html
  
  Now go here, and scroll down to the four bold letters (PPMA).
  http://www.unc.edu/student/orgs/di_...99/205-A-6.html
  
  Jehovah's Witnesses are just not aware of how Politically involved the Watchtower Society is. The Watchtower is struggling for finds, like other faith based groups. This struggle for funds just may end up in the Watchtower changing it's beliefs--or practices, if it still wants to receive Uncle Sam Money. There are several programs that the Watchtower performs, that funds are given for their participation.
  
  Instead of losing those needed funds, the Watchtower just might shock the whole world in changing some serious issues. Go here and read the (5th) paragraph.
  http://www.businessweek.com/magazin...13/b3725124.htm
  
  Don't you think it's time to investigate the organization that is playing Politics with you,--and your families lives? Isn't it time to ask the Watchtower some serious questions? If you are ignored as a JW member in good standing,--wouldn't this evassive attitude on the part of the Watchtower,-prove that guilt is present? Don't you and your family deserve the truth for a change? Senator Bednar could have been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for years. Yet he sat through every meeting, hearing the announcements from the platform, just as you and I, yet he was allowed to be a United States Senator.
  
  Think about it.
  
  Sebastian
• 

  Lady Lee

  Senator's Bednar's invitation at

  http://www.unc.edu/student/orgs/di_phi/minutes/minutesSpring1999/204-B-10.html

  FINAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

  President Presnell requested three dollars to cover the expenses of her recent party at her apartment from everyone who had attended. Sen. Alderson announced a Passover dinner at 6 PM that Wednesday in Cobb basement. Sen. Pond requested to see all lady
  senators in the back of the Di after the meeting. Sen. Blate invited senators to help him imbibe his store of potent potables during the upcoming three-day weekend. Di President Spitzer announced the next Greats would be Bad Poetry Night. Sen. Sefcik announced a Forum on Genetics sponsored by the Johnston Scholar Program, to be held April 15th at 6:30. Sen. Simun announced President Presnell was a lousy Johnston Scholar who rarely volunteered her time for such events. Sen. Hoffman announced a discus sion on diversity sponsored by the Campus Y, to be held the next day in Carmichael dorm. Sen. Bednar announced a meeting of Jehovah's Witnesses, open to all, to be held that Thursday from 7 to 8 PM.

  At 10:39 the meeting adjourned.
• 

  Lady Lee

  The senator states he is no longer a JW

  http://www.unc.edu/student/orgs/di_phi/minutes/minutesFall1999/205-A-6.html

  PPMA

  Sen. Bednar explained that he was no longer a Jehovah?s Witness, and gave a thorough description of what it was to be a Jehovah?s Witness. He explained why followers do not celebrate any holidays or birthdays, or accept blood transfusions. He also gave a demonstration of what it was like to go door-to-door, through re-enactments with Sens. Chapman, Scott, and Blate. He added that some people had been even more rude than he had demonstrated, releasing dogs into the yard instead of answering the door.
• 

  Lady Lee

  the last link text in question is highlighted by me

  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_13/b3725124.htm

  Bush's Leap of Faith May Fall Flat

  Why support is fading for the President's faith-based initiative

  On the campaign trail, George W. Bush pledged to "rally the armies of compassion" if elected President. Instead, the foot soldiers of his faith-based initiative are on the edge of all-out mutiny. While Bush had expected criticism from the Left, the outcry from the Religious Right could prompt him to reevaluate one of his touchstone issues.
  
  Almost immediately after taking office, Bush moved swiftly to make good on his promise of a "compassionate conservatism" by unveiling a plan to incorporate so-called faith-based organizations, or religious charities, into the social service network. Yet in seeking to appease critics on the Left upset about further breaching of the barricade between church and state, Bush has touched off a firestorm of opposition from the Right. Marvin Olasky, one of the architects of compassionate conservatism and a former Bush adviser, says the faith-based program's rules will so dilute the mission of religious groups that evangelicals won't participate. He points out that Teen Challenge, a nationwide antidrug program singled out for praise by candidate Bush, would not qualify for federal aid because it uses religion to promote its message.
  
  DAUNTING RULES. Even if Bush calms the fears of Olasky and others, his initiative still may fall flat. Judging by the government's past experience in funding religious organizations that provide job training for welfare recipients, faith-based organizations aren't likely to jump at the chance to become Uncle Sam's partner. One reason is that the method of disbursing funds inherently favors groups that are up and running, not those with hefty startup costs. And since fundamentalist churches are less likely than others to have existing social programs, the initiative's reimbursement rules will seem daunting. Rather than ushering new faith-based players into public service, Bush's plan may give more money to groups that have been pulling down federal funds for years. Ironically, the biggest beneficiary may be African American churches, not the Christian Right groups that form the core of his support.
  
  Behind Bush's Executive Order creating an Office of Faith-Based & Community Initiatives in the White House and similar offices in five agencies was a simple assignment: Clear away regulations that impede religious groups from bidding on federal contracts. To spearhead the effort, Bush tapped University of Pennsylvania political science professor John J. DiIulio Jr., long an advocate of using religious charities to achieve national goals.
  
  Before the ink was dry on the President's orders, however, leaders on all sides of the political spectrum began launching fusillades. But it's the Religious Right that threatens to stop the program cold. "The danger is [that] biblically oriented groups struggling for funds could come under pressure to change their programs," gripes Olasky. Evangelist Jerry Falwell, chancellor of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., has complained that Uncle Sam might wind up writing checks to groups such as the Church of Scientology or the Jehovah's Witnesses.
  Falwell's advice is likely to be ignored. To pass constitutional muster, the Bush plan can't discriminate among church programs even if they are run by Louis Farrakhan's Nation of Islam, a group some view as anti-Semitic.
  
  The problems go much deeper than that, however. One recent poll shows that most faith-based groups are not interested in bidding for federal money. Experts say that the long lag between securing contracts and receiving checks is a major deterrent. "It's not like thousands of organizations are ready to jump into the fray," says William L. Raymond, president of FaithWorks Consulting Service in Holland, Mich., which forms partnerships between churches and state and local governments.
  
  STUMBLING BLOCK. That reluctance was evident in 1996 when Congress created Charitable Choice as part of welfare reform. The program allows faith-based groups to receive tax dollars as long as the money is not used for proselytizing or sectarian worship. Churches can discriminate on the basis of religion when hiring staff but cannot insist that clients be of the same religion. At first, Charitable Choice applied only to block grants given to states to provide welfare services, but Congress later extended it to a few other programs.
  
  Most faith-based organizations were uninterested. Of the 12 states participating, Indiana conducted the most aggressive outreach effort. After distributing 10,000 postcards to houses of worship and conducting informational sessions, the state granted contracts to just 42 groups.
  
  The major stumbling block appears to be how funds are disbursed. Under Indiana's performance-based system, for example, a church running a job-training program gets checks as clients pass an exam, land a job, and remain employed for 60 days. For churches without an existing program, the prospect of hiring staff and buying supplies when federal funds may never arrive--or may arrive long after costs are incurred--is enough to dissuade them from signing up. "Small churches can't make a significant investment in program infrastructure up front," says the Reverend Bud Walter of the 70-member Immanuel United Church of Christ in Crothersville, Ind. "Most of the grants went to the organizations that were already in business. So much for the initiative part of faith-based initiatives."
  
  Even tougher is the system DiIulio has proposed for evangelical groups that view conversion as an integral part of their mission. These organizations, DiIulio told the National Association of Evangelicals, will receive federal help only if clients use a voucher to enroll in their programs. Evangelicals who hoped to cure drug addicts by urging them to accept Jesus Christ could find it difficult to hire counselors and outreach workers when their funding is uncertain.
  
  Even though Bush planned his initiative as a way to curry favor with his religious base, the groups most likely to tap into government funds aren't evangelicals but African American congregations. Black churches are far more likely than other congregations to seek public support for social service activities, according to a 1998 National Congregations Study, a survey of more than 1,200 religious groups. In Indiana, over half of the Charitable Choice contracts went to African American churches.
  
  In the end, Bush may not reap much political capital from his faith-based proposal. "Rallying the armies of compassion" may have been a catchy trope on the hustings, but these days, another phrase seem more apropos: No good deed goes unpunished.
  
  
  By Alexandra Starr in Washington
• 

  Voyager

  Lady Lee:

  Thank you so very much for your assistance. This is the second time I have lost (total) thread by trying to post a thread from Kent's forum. I don't know what the problem is, but I am getting cut off every time. But thank you ever so much once again----Voyager
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  Guest 77

  I want to thank Lady Lee & Voyager for this great material, of course Kent. I'm going to print it out and have a copy given to my young elder brother. I'm involved with local politics. Hmmmm just wondering what he would say, besides he sits as an occasional judge in town. The difference is, he's a JW and I'm an ex., anyways we got both bases covered.

  Guest 77