Posts by neat blue dog

7

The Ten Commandments

by APieceOfShitNamedTate in

who's watching?

i probably won't watch the whole thing, but i'll tune in here and there.

this will be my first time watching from a pimo/ttatt point of view.

neat blue dog

I find the '50s version to be overrated, and quite cheesy to be honest. Much prefer the 1920's version, which was also made by Demille.

22

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 4 (final part)

by neat blue dog in

here's the cruel, uncomfortable and dehumanizing description of transport for disfellowshipped ones:.

in cases of real need, the elders can determine wheth-er some assistance may be provided.

such assistance would be viewed as similar to public transportation in that there should be no conversing with the disfellowshipped or disassociated person.

neat blue dog

Here's the cruel, uncomfortable and dehumanizing description of transport for disfellowshipped ones:

In cases of real need, the elders can determine wheth-
er some assistance may be provided. Such assistance would be
viewed as similar to public transportation in that there should be
no conversing with the disfellowshipped or disassociated person.
(2 John 10, 11) The elders should monitor the situation to make
sure that any arrangements made are not abused.

As usual, the org wants no liability, but all the benefits:

no con-
gregation should conclude that it "owns" the Kingdom Hall. How-
ever, it is the responsibility of the congregations using the prop-
erty to care for it
It is expected that the majority of the maintenance and repair
work will be done by local volunteers in the congregations using
the Kingdom Hall and that the costs for such work will be cov-
ered by the congregations.

Regarding getting rid of old publications:

In the event that the bodies of elders decide to eliminate printed
publications from the library, care should be taken not to discard
items that have historical significance. The branch office may wish
to add such items to its library or to its archive of historical ma-
terials.

Records of judicial cases are to be kept for 5 years in most cases. Child molesters' are kept for life. Those who adulturously remarry are also kept for life, unless the innocent spouse dies, remarries or has sex.

When it comes to public witnessing, again, they want no liability:

Any application to
use a mobile cart or to set up a table or kiosk to display litera-
ture must be filled out in the name of an individual publisher, not
in the name of the congregation, any corporation used by the or-
ganization, or "Jehovah's Witnesses." If a small administrative fee
is needed in order to acquire space in a public area, it is to be
paid by the individual publisher, not the congregation. Publishers
should carefully review any such applications to see what respon-
sibility they are taking upon themselves with respect to liability.
Publishers who apply to distribute literature at these areas are
doing so on their own initiative as part of their personal ministry.

However, this is belied by their obvious control of the whole situation:

The Congregation Service Com-
mittee will determine what equipment (including posters) will be
used and where it will be stored. Only artwork approved by the
branch office should be displayed.
The equipment will remain the property of the congregation.
the cost of the public witnessing equip-
ment will be covered by their contributions to the worldwide work.
The Congregation Service
Committee will select qualified baptized publishers to participate
in this feature of the ministry
the service overseer or someone
designated by the body of elders should organize a midweek and
weekend schedule for each selected location
The training should be based on Public Witnessing Guidelines (S-148), and a copy of that document should
be provided to those participating. The group overseer and his as-
sistant will monitor and assist publishers
the service overseer will determine the quantity of
literature to be displayed

What should be the highlight of our ministry? God's Kingdom? Salvation by Christ? Maybe something else:

Publishers should widely publicize jw.org

Next, they give a diagnosis of "spiritual weakness", which is not necessarily anything of the sort, but is often the sign of waking up, and disenchantment with the organization:

RECOGNIZING SPIRITUAL WEAKNESS
7. Symptoms of spiritual weakness may include loss of enthusiasm
for the truth, neglecting daily Bible reading and personal study
or attendance at congregation meetings, missing entire months
of field service activity, undue emphasis on the pursuit of plea-
sure or material things, or criticizing the elders and the organi-
zation.

More disclaimers, this time about parties. You can't call them "congregation gatherings" anymore, this'll be a big cultural change:

Individuals who host social events bear personal responsibility for
what occurs at the event. Such individuals should not state or
imply that they are acting on behalf of the congregation. They
should not use terms such as "congregation picnic" or "congrega-
tion gathering."

And finally, one more ditching of liability for the road:

All publishers perform their ministry motivated by their
dedication to Jehovah and their personal obedience to
Jesus Christ's command, not in behalf of the
congregation or any other organization. This is the case
whether the publisher expends time working on
construction projects, in relief work, or any other
activity that advances Kingdom interests.

5

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 3

by neat blue dog in

judicial committees are famous for having 3 elders on board, but more can also be had:.

complex cases may warrant having four or even five experienced elders on the committee.. an interesting admission is the possibility of being harsh in judgment, and even insinuates that the elders would pay with their lives if the wrongly judged 'lost their spirituality':.

an individual unjustly dealt with may have difficulty maintaining his spirituality.-matt.

neat blue dog

DoC:

I'm pretty sure Atlantis leaked it a while ago. Links can probably now be found on avoidjw.org

5

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 3

by neat blue dog in

judicial committees are famous for having 3 elders on board, but more can also be had:.

complex cases may warrant having four or even five experienced elders on the committee.. an interesting admission is the possibility of being harsh in judgment, and even insinuates that the elders would pay with their lives if the wrongly judged 'lost their spirituality':.

an individual unjustly dealt with may have difficulty maintaining his spirituality.-matt.

neat blue dog

Judicial committees are famous for having 3 Elders on board, but more can also be had:

complex cases may warrant having four or even five experienced
elders on the committee.

An interesting admission is the possibility of being harsh in judgment, and even insinuates that the Elders would pay with their lives if the wrongly judged 'lost their spirituality':

an individual unjustly dealt
with may have difficulty maintaining his spirituality.-Matt. 18:6.
But whoever stumbles one of these little ones who have faith in me, it would be better for him to have hung around his neck a millstone that is turned by a donkey and to be sunk in the open sea.

When it comes to Judicial Committees, women and children are recommended to have their husband or father present in most cases, but for a man it's his choice.

Suicide or threats of lawsuits are a possible way to put a Judicial Committee in abeyance, at least temporarily if not indefinitely.

If an Elder is asked about a specific judicial case, they have a complete statement prepared:

"The spiritual and physical
welfare of Jehovah's Witnesses is of paramount concern to the
elders, who willingly provide spiritual assistance to congregation
members. The elders extend this spiritual assistance confidential-
ly. This makes it easier for those who seek the elders' help to do
so without worrying that what they say to the elders will be di-
vulged later. Consequently, we do not comment on whether el-
ders are currently or have formerly met to assist any member of
the congregation."
If there is a need to do so, the elders may ob-
tain the inquirer's name and phone number and inform him that
their attorney will contact him. The elders should then prompt-
ly telephone the Legal Department.

Here's a description of the opening minutes of a JC:

The judicial hearing is opened with prayer with the accused pres-
ent. Generally, observers are not allowed. (See 15:12-13, 15.) The
chairman then states the reason for the hearing and explains
that audio or video recordings of the hearing are not permitted.
He should then read a scripture

I include the following quote only because it's hilarious, in a sad way, how unchristian and legalistic the language is:

In the rare event that testimony presented during the hearing
causes the judicial committee to conclude that the matter should
not be handled judicially, the hearing should be suspended. In-
form the person that he will be contacted further regarding the
matter. The body of elders should then be consulted to deter-
mine whether the judicial committee ought to be disbanded.

Ex-JWs have often complained about the impropriety of Elders surrounding a woman to ask impertinent or titillating details of a sexual sin. As with many other things, the leadership keeps up with apostate material and addresses it sooner or later:

The judicial committee should be thorough but not in-
quire about needless details, especially in regard to sexual mis-
conduct.

If they decide you aren't repentant enough, then you could be decided to be disfellowshipped before the Judicial Committee even begins no matter what you do or say:

keep in mind that if the wrongdoer has demon-
strated few or no works of repentance before the judicial hear-
ing is held, it may not be possible during the hearing to move him
to demonstrate sufficient repentance to justify extending mercy

If you're insane you might get a pass:

if the
judicial committee discerns that his mental condition is so severe
that others generally regard him as not being responsible for what
he does, they may recommend to the body of elders that no ju-
dicia I action be taken, explaining the reasons for their recommen-
dation.

When it comes to the unscriptural practice of congregation reproof taking place by a few behind closed doors, there is one loophole to fulfill the scriptures:

If witnesses testified during the hearing, they may
be invited to hear the Scriptural reproof. In this way the wrong-
doer is reproved "before all onlookers.'' (1 Tim. 5:20)

If giving a public talk, you are NEVER allowed to use another translation on its' own. If another translation is quoted, it must be immediately followed by the same verse in the New World Translation.

Here is something I have never, I mean NEVER heard of, and if somebody has experienced this, please let me know:

Symposiums: The body of elders determines whether it would be
beneficial for an inexperienced public speaker to be assigned the
first 15 minutes of a talk and for a more experienced speaker to
be assigned the remaining 15 minutes.

To avoid liability, and have suicide vow cards be viewed as a 'personal decision', this:

The body of elders should not invite Hospital Liaison Committee
members or medical professionals to present or to share in a lo-
cal needs part, such as regarding filling out the durable power
of attorney (DPA) card or some related matter. Likewise, they should not arrange for such individuals to present special talks
or programs at Kingdom Halls or other locations for this purpose.

Here's just a random rule:

At congregation meetings, speakers should not project any mov-
ing video footage on screens or monitors unless directed to do so
by the organization.

Regarding tie in phone lines, I can say that my congregation doesn't obey the following rule:

it is not necessary to
monitor who has access to congregation meetings.

Regarding head coverings for female sign language interpretors, one is required for talks, prayers and songs, but not required for one on one tactile signing.

10

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 2

by neat blue dog in

then we get to one of the main purposes of the book, a catalog of all the sins you can get disciplined for.

just to be sure, this disclaimer kicks things off:.

listed below are offenses that may require review by a judicial committee.

neat blue dog

Lol if you switch hands it doesn't count

10

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 2

by neat blue dog in

then we get to one of the main purposes of the book, a catalog of all the sins you can get disciplined for.

just to be sure, this disclaimer kicks things off:.

listed below are offenses that may require review by a judicial committee.

neat blue dog

I wish lol

That book has long been rumored, I think alluded to in Crisis of Conscience, but no more clues beyond that. This is just the standard Elder's book.

10

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 2

by neat blue dog in

then we get to one of the main purposes of the book, a catalog of all the sins you can get disciplined for.

just to be sure, this disclaimer kicks things off:.

listed below are offenses that may require review by a judicial committee.

neat blue dog

Then we get to one of the main purposes of the book, a catalog of all the sins you can get disciplined for. Just to be sure, this disclaimer kicks things off:

Listed below are offenses that may require review by a judicial
committee. Of course, this list is not comprehensive.

You'll find the standard pornea definition:

It is not a casual touching of the sex
organs but involves the manipulation of the genitals.

In case you're a complete idiot and don't know what that means, the following illustration is lovingly provided:

For example, it is one thing to touch a
musical instrument; it is something different to make
"use of" a musical instrument.

Musical instrument? I guess they're referring to the skin flute? And while we're at it, what is this "casual touching" they speak of? Do you brush your hand lazily across while looking at the ceiling and whistling?

But I digress. BTW, if you're a doc or practice animal husbandry, you're in the clear.

For example, a
doctor may need to manipulate the genitals in
examining a patient. A veterinarian, farmer, or rancher
may do something similar to an animal. However, the
intent is not sexual gratification.

I remember reading a WT letter from years ago that said "all" instances of smoking are judicial, but apparently that's not the case now:

one
or two elders may handle matters by means of counsel
if a Christian abused an addictive drug or smoked
cigarettes on one or two occasions and the matter is
not widely known.

Marijuana is also okay and can be in good standing as long as nobody's stumbled:

If a medical
doctor authorizes and/or prescribes marijuana for a
medical problem, a Christian may choose to make use
of this form of treatment. Although no judicial action
would be taken, if an issue arises in the congregation,
the elders will need to determine whether the individual
can be viewed as exemplary.

Associating with disfellowshipped ones is also not judicial in nature if it's done discreetly:

he would not qualify for congregation privileges, which
require one to be exemplary. He would not be dealt
with judicially unless there is persistent spiritual
association or he persists in openly criticizing the
disfellowshipping decision.

There are two handy definitions of "fraud" and "slander", ironic because WT leadership practices both regularly with impunity:

Fraud is defined as the intentional use of deception, trickery, or
perversion of truth for the purpose of inducing another to part
with some valuable thing belonging to him or to give up a legal
right. Slander is defined as a false report meant to do harm to
the good name and reputation of another.

They practice fraud by not telling converts everything they should know before baptism, coercing children to get baptized, controlling information and using their right to family etc. as a threat. They practice slander by demonizing other religions and people, and doing the same thing to 'weak' ones, but especially by disfellowshipping and branding as 'wicked' or 'apostates'.

There are more inconsistent overreaching rules with regard to gambling. For instance, despite JWs saying they 'do not gamble', the book says that it is allowed as long as spirituality isn't affected and nobody gets stumbled. However, merely having a job in the industry IS judicial:

An individual continuing in employment directly involved with
gambling or employment making him a clear accomplice or pro-
moter of gambling would be subject to judicial action, usually af-
ter being allowed six months to make the needed adjustments.

I find the next quote funny, not because it talks about death, but because it refers to the government as "Caesar", with no quotation marks. Seriously? We aren't living in ancient Rome. It just stands out like a sore thumb and seems so unaware. I wonder what any non-JW would think reading that.

Aside from deliberate murder, bloodguilt may be
incurred if a person causes loss of life through carelessness or
because of violating a traffic law or other safety law of Caesar.

Moving on . . .

Apparently if you've faded they may not even bother to deal with you judicially, but it's a toss up and totally up to their discretion. And then there's also the possibility of self-imposed disfellowshipping, which they recommend:

Depending upon the length of inactivity and other factors noted
above, the elders may determine to hold the matter in abey-
ance. In such a case, they would make a record of the person's
questionable conduct for the congregation file. (See 22:21-27.) If
the individual shows interest in returning to the congregation,
the elders can clarify matters at that time.-w08 11/15 pp. 14-15
pars. 12-13.
If the sinful conduct is known only to believing family members
and no congregation action has been taken, believing relatives
will likely determine to curtail family association severely, viewing
the relative as bad association.

It's been brought out before that if Elders commit a judicial offence and a few years pass, it can be swept under the table. It looks like this privilege has been extended to everyone, including those with other privileges:

if wrongdoing occurred more than a few
years ago and the individual is genuinely repentant and recog-
nizes that he should have come forward immediately when he
sinned, counsel by two elders may be sufficient.
If the individual is serving in an appointed capacity, such as a
ministerial servant, elder, or pioneer, his qualifications should be
reviewed

If you're elderly and need to live with your non-JW child and their boy/girl friend, you wouldn't get privileges:

If a publisher were to allow an individual to commit sexual im-
morality while living in the publisher's home, he would be giving
tacit approval to immoral conduct.
Such a publisher would not be exemplary.
For certain reasons,
however, he may feel that he has no recourse at the present time.
For example, elderly Witness parents may need the assistance of
an unbelieving son or daughter. Under such circumstances, no
judicial action would be taken, but the qualifications of the pub-
lisher to serve in an exemplary position would be reviewed by the
body of elders.

A lot has been said of "marking", but not much said about un-marking. To accomplish this, an Elder must make a display of "associating" with a marked one, and that'll give the congregation the go-ahead:

If the disorderly one is moved to change, the elders can individ-
ually decide to resume personally socializing with him. This will
indicate to the congregation that they consider that the individ-
ual is no longer marked.

Apparently, not all pornography is abhorrent, as the book mentions:

abhorrent or nonabhorrent
forms

I guess everything but simple hetero stuff. Still bad, but may only require council. An Elder can also continue to serve as long as he doesn't 'manipulate the instrument' while watching, to use their own lingo:

Was the viewing of por-
nography accompanied by masturbation?

This couldn't help but remind me of Clinton, who smoked marijuana, but didn't inhale. Anyways, if you watch it regularly (non-abhorant) you won't be kicked out, but you also won't get privileges:

On the
other hand, a Christian who persists in viewing nonabhorrent
forms of pornography cannot be considered as exemplary and
thus does not qualify for special privileges in the congregation.

2

Review: revised Elder's manual, part 1

by neat blue dog in

recently the new super-top-secret no girlz alowd elders' treehouse club manual was released.

during phase one it was released to apostates for beta testing via file-sharing sites, and then it was rolled out to elders nationwide, together with precautions to keep it confidential.

here are the covers:.

neat blue dog

Recently the new Super-Top-Secret No Girlz Alowd Elders' Treehouse Club Manual was released. During phase one it was released to apostates for beta testing via file-sharing sites, and then it was rolled out to Elders nationwide, together with precautions to keep it confidential. Here are the covers:

So I'm just gonna read through it and see what catches my attention. Wait, here's a beauty:

Rather than making rigid rules for the congregation, rely on Scriptural principles and direction from Jehovah's organization.

Amusing, considering the very purpose of this book IS to compile rules covering every aspect of a JW's life. A closer look at the wording reveals however, that they aren't against rigid rules, just Elders making up their own. That's the Organization's prerogative. Just to make that point extra clear, the following sentence:

The body of elders should always base their decisions on Bible principles and written direction from "the faithful and discreet slave."

You know that mythical "Infirm Pioneer" status? You know, the one where you don't have to actually Pioneer? Well, turns out, all you have to do is look sufficiently sad and discouraged while having a certain level of seniority. And they aren't supposed to tell you this status exists or is available unless they're absolutely gonna give it to you:

In rare circumstances, a brother or sister may be approved to re-
main as a pioneer without having a minimum hour requirement.
This provision is only for exemplary, longtime pioneers who have
a heartfelt desire to serve always as regular pioneers and who
feel they would be taking a backward step if they had to discon-
tinue but who are unable to meet the hour requirement because
of infirmity.
There is no need to give
consideration to allowing an older pioneer who develops health
problems to serve as an infirm regular pioneer if he is willing to
transfer to the publisher ranks.

If a JW gets pregnant, the Elders should approach her and make sure she's prepared to risk her life for the faith:

When the elders learn that a sister is pregnant, they should in-
quire whether she has located a cooperative doctor and medical
facility that have experience in bloodless medicine. Elders should
ensure that such sisters and any parents with minor children are
familiar with the points contained in the article "Healthy Moth-
ers, Healthy Babies," in the November 2009 issue of Awake! pag-
es 26-29, and in the document How Parents Can Protect Their
Children From Misuse of Blood (S-55).

Part 2 coming soon . . .

26

Any ideas about what the ‘special’ talk is on Memorial Day?

by Bubbles001 in

the family are very excited because there’s a special interruption happening this friday which has supposedly only happened once before when rutherford announced jesus’ ruling in heaven.

requires tuning into jw.org.

meant to be this coming friday before the memorial.

neat blue dog

All it is is a memorial-themed morning worship video on JW Broadcasting.

1

Lighter Note

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

.

have a great week all !.

zing.

neat blue dog

And in that same spirit:

Honey, have you seen my . . . paaaaants?