Posts by umbertoecho

22

Strange but Sad!

by John Aquila in

i had a couple of elders come visit me about an hour ago.

they wanted to inform me that a brother who was well known throughout the circuit had died.

(i actually knew about it but did not go to the funeral) he was about to hit 90 years old, missed it by a few weeks.

umbertoecho

This is ugly to the core. My father was given a witness burial and I was left out. I went anyway and threw a nice pile of stones at coffin. I just could not forgive him.

13

new update on Conti case

by violias in

got an update email about the conti case.

maybe someone can tell us what it means.. http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/disposition.cfm?dist=1&doc_id=2025979&doc_no=a136641 .

It sound like they are saying that the WT is not going to have to pay damages for the abuse Cont experienced. That although it was initially (the WT) found to be a guilty party in allowing this to happen. This initial finding has been reversed and remains reversed.

26

Witnesses called for a bible study

by umbertoecho in

hello all.. i haven't been here for some time to post as mainly i read the comments and such.

yesterday was a really interesting, unnerving experience though.

two sisters had called last week when i had an abscess on my tooth and was sort of sick from it.

umbertoecho

I think I may have upset them when I asked them to show me anywhere in Genesis that, from the outset, when the first couple had been created. God said "...it/they were perfect, for there is no passage that says this..." Although God did say ...." it was good.." This is a far cry from saying it is perfect.... ........They did look this up as it was very early into our discussion. This was a good point for discussion as there is no way the first couple are said to be perfect. That is when they asked me if I blamed God for the downfall of Adam and Eve. I told them that it actually made sense to the whole fiasco that occurred in Eden, for although they may have been quite perfect in the physical form, with all the potential for perfection........The admonishment, not to eat of "that" tree, was (to me) the test that could lead them to a perfect state in Gods' eyes.

Then I reminded them of Christ's being tempted by Satan, passing that test and thereby creating a bridge for the rest of us. For, Christ came in a physical body and never allowed his self to be lured away from his or is Fathers purpose by any sort of promise. This was worth a discussion as far I was concerned. As to why I even bother. I suppose a part of me is hopeful that there is some place I can find where there is a genuine exchange and a place to learn. They did not like my comment about there "not being any elders" mentioned in the bible. I read in one of the responses above about this point. And I did address it that day.

26

Witnesses called for a bible study

by umbertoecho in

hello all.. i haven't been here for some time to post as mainly i read the comments and such.

yesterday was a really interesting, unnerving experience though.

two sisters had called last week when i had an abscess on my tooth and was sort of sick from it.

umbertoecho

Thank you for the comments and the advice given here. I am going to read the scriptures recommended by oppostate and try to be ready with a rational attitude. I realize that religion is such an emotional subject that it is easy for people to lose tempers due to frustration. I secretly hope that perhaps this next visit with the elder and his wife.....is due to some desire on their part to study in the same way as me.

I was nearly baptised a few years ago but some of the very last questions were asking me to align myself with the actual religion. I had not found any substantiation when I was reading the actual bible. In the bible there is no sort of title to call oneself except to say that we follow the Christ and believe we are saved. What I mean is.....there is no actual name except for the one that is Christ; to associate myself with. This stirred up some contentions when I questioned the study conductors at the time. Still, I believe I am supposed to be baptised in order to be acceptable to God.

26

Witnesses called for a bible study

by umbertoecho in

hello all.. i haven't been here for some time to post as mainly i read the comments and such.

yesterday was a really interesting, unnerving experience though.

two sisters had called last week when i had an abscess on my tooth and was sort of sick from it.

umbertoecho

Hello all.

I haven't been here for some time to post as mainly I read the comments and such. Yesterday was a really interesting, unnerving experience though. Two sisters had called last week when I had an abscess on my tooth and was sort of sick from it. Still, I said to them "Please come back if you wish to really discuss the bible and only the bible, for that is the only book that I consider to be of any merit here. No books about the bible, no mags, no pamphlets please, as I am sick of them and they are not for me" They said okay and so arrived yesterday. After preliminary hello's and sit downs and the like. They started on about what I believed in regarding God etc and so I told them of my basic belief in God and the Son. With a deft flick of her hand, it was in her bag and out with a study book. I reminded her and her friend of our agreement the prior week and told her to put it away and get her bible out. Then I suggested we start at the very beginning of the bible. Well! This made them so uncomfortable, both of them, that they read a few sections of Genesis and then diverted away from the bible all together, trying to find out my position in regard to "their version of it". I said that I am not obliged to read any of their books and that as far as I knew, only the bible is traditionally held to be the authorized word of God.

They closed in on me then and asked me if I blamed God for all that had happened. I said no, and what relevance did this have to my request that we use the bible solely as our basis for discussion. No reply...........really. Instead there was an awkward sort of sitting back and fidgeting in their seats. Then the leader of the two asked if I would be prepared to meet again on Saturday at 11am., and could she bring her husband. I asked her if she felt she needed her husband to help her cope with a bible discussion and why she felt uncomfortable now. She said he would be able to refer me back and forth between scriptures and hence, forward the case for their beliefs ( This is the gist of what she said, for I have used my own words here)

I agreed and also asked her if her husband was an elder, for I suspected he was. He is. She said she felt out of her depth not going with the method in which the society prepares them for teaching. And so it went........with me trying to get them to drop their suspicions of me and loosen up, just read and discuss, perhaps disagree even, but at least discuss without some prior interference as to what these verses mean. No way was this going to happen and I confess that I felt uncomfortable at being treated with this amount of caution. I told them they were already two against one with me being the only one. What was the reason for bringing in some elder or expert, this was no contest. It was a genuine "Let us read and talk freely together approach I had". They did not believe me, of this I am quite sure. I could see the discomfort in them and they would not read anymore from the bible at this meeting. I really feel strange about this turn of events for I was raised in this religion and although never became baptized, I have never tried to cause problems and have always been willing to talk. Now I feel as though I am the one who, for some reason, has been deemed as doing a wrong thing.

I will see the elder and his wife on Saturday. If it proves worth while I will let you know how it goes. Has anyone had this strange sort of experience before.

24

Jehovah's Witnesses recover best from surgery, despite refusing blood.

by nicolaou in

that's' the headline of an article in the sydney morning herald.

my jw family are sharing it with glee on facebook right now.

here's the link; .

umbertoecho

nicolaou.

It's in the Western Australian. I will have to search online or phone the newspaper up. I will do this as it is scandalous for this religion to blatantly affect the rights of those who are not witnesses. This is religion involving itself in pharmaceutical companies and of course they would like that very much. It came out last year about Sept or Oct. I will get it to you as it is a very reasonable article on the rights of individuals

24

Jehovah's Witnesses recover best from surgery, despite refusing blood.

by nicolaou in

that's' the headline of an article in the sydney morning herald.

my jw family are sharing it with glee on facebook right now.

here's the link; .

umbertoecho

Yes I can. I did keep the papers for a long time as I was so angry at the influence they have in the medical community here. I need to do a search now and it may take a day or two so be patient with me. I recall the that these brothers made millions from their alternative proposals given to the Royal Perth hospital here and other hospitals. They were supporting some drug companies and promoting alternatives that were not necessarily proven to be safe. Stay with me and I will search out the newspapers for you.

I did throw my newspapers away in the end as I was unable to upload the content to this site. I don't have a scanner. This will be sorted out soon. The newspaper was very cautious in it's defense of the rights of those who are not witnesses. You see, the problem is this. Now we have a policy here in WA where only a tiny amount of blood is allowed at best. This was directly due to the tireless canvassing of these liaison witnesses. My blood is boiling a bit so I will go for now and look tomorrow.

All the best

24

Jehovah's Witnesses recover best from surgery, despite refusing blood.

by nicolaou in

that's' the headline of an article in the sydney morning herald.

my jw family are sharing it with glee on facebook right now.

here's the link; .

umbertoecho

The brothers who go around for the liaison committee here also made millions out of this setup. It was in our news paper here in Perth. Two weekend articles that made me very angry at the way they could influence, not just other JWs, but the general public as well.

3

Sexual abuse Royal Commission starts in Perth today.

by umbertoecho in

it is sad to see the terrible abuse that has come out of religious socities and how well they have covered things up...so sad infact that i felt compelled to make an application to this commission this morning asking why the wtbts has mangaged to stay out of the news.

i know this is a controversial subject but my story is just one of many stories.....i was a child raised in this religion, i never felt like a good person and was told that i was crazy by my father and the rest of my family, more times than i can recall.

the fact is, i wasn't crazy.

umbertoecho

ABible Student

I suppose this is a problem of the world and not indigent to a religious community. Still. I seemed worse to me as I tried to understand the contradictions that I lived. I have no wish to be a "downer" on this site. There are many times that I have laughed my head off at some of the comments. However, I wonder if god can be with people who hurt others, not just me, but others. Thank you anyway for your support. This commission was inevitable and is global is it not?

I think that there must be a better future for all the exposure that is occurring. I also belive there is a God. Just a bad day happened today with the onset of this commission.

I don't think the entire world is as evil as people would paint it. There are those balanced and good souls trying to unravel this awful mess that we have created.

3

Sexual abuse Royal Commission starts in Perth today.

by umbertoecho in

it is sad to see the terrible abuse that has come out of religious socities and how well they have covered things up...so sad infact that i felt compelled to make an application to this commission this morning asking why the wtbts has mangaged to stay out of the news.

i know this is a controversial subject but my story is just one of many stories.....i was a child raised in this religion, i never felt like a good person and was told that i was crazy by my father and the rest of my family, more times than i can recall.

the fact is, i wasn't crazy.

umbertoecho

It is sad to see the terrible abuse that has come out of religious socities and how well they have covered things up...So sad infact that I felt compelled to make an application to this commission this morning asking why the WTBTS has mangaged to stay out of the news.

I know this is a controversial subject but my story is just one of many stories.....I was a child raised in this religion, I never felt like a good person and was told that I was crazy by my father and the rest of my family, more times than I can recall. The fact is, I wasn't crazy. I was a child who would be driven to long meetings that were then held in a rented hall, my father would go out for a cigarette between breaks ( or if he couldn't wait he would just go out anyway) So now you can guess my age and it don't care. The problem was the sexual abuse that I endured between these meetings and shortly after these meetins. They would be followed up with the usual crazy making statements about how I WAS EVIL. I was nine years old....just a little girl. I had to try to protect myself so I would try to be as ugly as I could by scratching my face and pulling my hair out. I was an angry frightened little girl who wanted to please God.

My father never let up on me and I left home at 14 years of age or there abouts. I lived with a bit of peace for some time with a friend, but I had to go home in the end and it started again. By then I would fight for my dignity, my right to my body, my right to have some love and peace. I never, ever found it. The last time my father abused me sexually was incredibly public. I had married to get away from him and whilst my husband was getting a drink for us at a bar in a jazz club, my father tried to ............how can I say this? He grabbed me and said it ........."was okay, and just let myself go..." He told me I could not call him "father". I did not understand why he did this, and as he groped me (for the last time) I realised it was some tragic means to hide his identity.

I was horrified at him, I pushed him away and told him I had just lost a baby and needed love and support.............so on and so forth....My husband came back from the bar...(He was not a JW) and I asked him to take me away immediately...He did, but he was confused about my sudden panic. I told my mother about the secret life imposed upon me throughout my life and I believe that she "believed" me in the end. But it was too late. I was a problem child with a history of bad behavior and I had always been inclined to have an imagination....

That was my life...trying to please a God who seemed absent, trying to get away from a father who had a great personaltiy and could play great jazz. He eventually gave up the religious life, but when he died he was given a witness type funeral i.e. and elder decided my father was so great that he deserved it even at a private event. I wrote my father a letter, a certified letter that gave me the right to say what needed to be said to him quiet a few months before he died, and he showed it to the rest of my family, my sisters, my brother, my brother inlaw. They were religiously outraged at my Satanic attack on my father!!! They were certain that I was quite out of my mind and making it all up.

They threatened me with legal action but I said that I had told the complete truth and would never sway from it. I told them that my last experience had been as a nineteen year old woman grieving over the loss of her baby. I said that I had chosen to tell of what was absolutely concrete, that I had chosen the ages that were very very clear and above some "childhood memories" and this was my only way to claw out of the despair of misunderstanding. They said I was crazy because it did not happen to them.

The only joy I ever gained was at his funeral....I grabbed a pile of the hardest bits of pebble and rock and threw it hard on his coffin......

I have always carried this matter deep within. I have had to put up with an elder who tried to teach me by example...ie. He would try to show me how a man shoud kiss a woman....his wife in this instance...I could not refuse this bible study as he was what would be called an "elder" or what ever you call them. Then there would be these painfull joureys in this car on the way home as he plied me with questions about my personal feelings about .......boys. His name I will never forget Ray Brambles. He ended up getting a warning in the end, I have often wondered how far he went in hurting some other child of god in his personal agenda within religiously safe boundaries.....I hated him and my father. I wanted them dead. I felt wicked for thinking this....My father is dead and I still feel angry. Angrier than I realised as I awoke today to the truth of the damage done.

I can't hold this in. I feel like a threat to myself and my memories are terribe as I have striven for outward composure through my life. I have accepted rejection on a religious basis, and realise that this is just a way to shut people like me......up.

Sincerely readers.

Juliette.