It's a high control group where 'privilege' is holding a microphone. It's their little internal secrets as initiation. They have special knowledge of the 'truth'. The elders have special knowledge beyond that. Even the segregation caused by the individual schools for different people (eg pioneer school). The great secret reveal in the book could be the sun rises every morning and it would still be top secret because of who is allowed to access it and what they must do to be able to gain access.
Mephis
JoinedPosts by Mephis
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21
ARC: why the contstant secrecy?
by SecretSlaveClass inanyone watching the inquiry would have heard the org's attorney asking that the documents outlining the stucture and mechanics of the wbts be kept confidential.
all this subversive and clandestine behavior is not helping their image.
what do you all suppose is potentially damnimg in these documents?
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UK Watch Tower branch financial info
by paradisebeauty intaken from http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/showcharity/registerofcharities/charitywithpartb.aspx?registeredcharitynumber=1077961&subsidiarynumber=0.
i wonder what exactly the uk charity commission is looking into.
just financial data or also practices of the watch tower?
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Mephis
There are three investigations currently going on. Barry congregation is also undergoing an operational compliance investigation (ie do the trustees know what they are meant to be doing according to law).
The statutory inquiry into the whole organisation is linked to but separate to the New Moston inquiry.
The one which is for the whole organisation will cover whether their policies are proper, whether they're legal, whether trustees of JW charities are aware of their legal responsibilities, and whether they're giving the right advice to congregations. So things like hauling people who've been abused to confront the pedophile, just out of prison for those crimes, in a judicial committee run by the CO sent by the organisation are going to be questioned.
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ARC: why the contstant secrecy?
by SecretSlaveClass inanyone watching the inquiry would have heard the org's attorney asking that the documents outlining the stucture and mechanics of the wbts be kept confidential.
all this subversive and clandestine behavior is not helping their image.
what do you all suppose is potentially damnimg in these documents?
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Mephis
The documents which they're trying to keep secret are available to be read in older versions. There's nothing there which is smoking gun or improper as such. It's more a revelation on how the GB does micromanage things, the things which are kept secret from your average JW (would they know women write Awake articles but aren't allowed to write anything related to the bible? would they know that there is provision to help cover with things like medical costs but it's to be kept secret from them?), and organisational approaches to things like bad publicity and scrutiny by governments. It's secrecy for the sake of secrecy as others have said. There may be other documents which reveal dubious tax avoidance strategies, or which give a full overview of financial affairs, but these aren't them. Would think that anything truly interesting in those terms would be conducted by letter between branch and Brooklyn in any case. -
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Jwfacts tv appearance
by sparrowdown inshout out to jwfacts.. just saw the drum.
excellent job !
!.
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Mephis
Youtube link. (via fb)
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There is likely to be two parts to Geoffrey Jackson's Subpeona
by Listener inwe've been focusing on the fact that geoffrey jackson will be subpoenaed to be a witness at the australian royal commission but he will also be required to present a witness statement before his appearance.
even if he continues to wiggle out of the appearance he has no excuse for not presenting his witness statement.. this statement will have to address questions set out by the commission and will need to be answered.
without doubt the answers he is able to be aided by his lawyers and more 'experienced' jws but as he is signing the document they will be his answers and he will be responsible for their truthfulness.. had he shown more willingness to appear prior to yesterday the questions asked by the commission in that statement would not have been written with the same amount of insight that they now have.
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Mephis
Think much depends on how much has actually seeped through into the JW mindset.
O'Brien could sit there, having prepared and with full knowledge of what had happened in the previous days, and still think that the issue was they've not printed the right book. They have no desire to accept any accountability or responsibility. McClellan made the point that "if you place yourself in a position to care for others and then fail, then consequences follow", but the WBTS is quite convinced that this isn't their problem. They even tried to argue that the commission was operating outside its remit because many of the cases of abuse occurred within families who just happened to be JWs. (This is in the letter exchanges related to the analysis of the WBTS' files). In other countries, they've already shown that they aren't even keen on accepting responsibility for the actions of ministerial servants and elders. McClellan seemed astounded that, in spite of months of work and discussion which they were invited to share in, the WBTS had not considered for one second how they would handle redress. But if they feel they have no responsibility, then there would be no redress. Can you imagine trying to meet a WT definition of a 'fair and just' claim even should they ever set up a fund? The organisation which specifically tells branches not to make it known their funding can be used to help publishers with things like medical expenses? Which takes the insurance premiums once paid by others but doesn't take out the external insurance and tries to persuade those supposedly covered never to claim?
I think that's the key issue for Jackson's testimony. All their publications shunt responsibility, whatever the circumstances, onto the parents. If he doesn't get that he does have a responsibility for a lot more than offering crap advice based on a pick and mix approach to how to read the bible, then it's not going to end well for him on the stand. But to accept that responsibility will be to explode any idea of this being something to handwave away as apostate lies or false media stories. I shall enjoy watching him twist because these ******* will accept the authority to inform a man he can't wear tight trousers but not their responsibility to prevent further harm to an abused child or woman when they come to know of it.
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Jehovah’s witnesses hearing adjourned
by InquiryMan indoes anyone know if this is a temporary decision?
will it continue?
or is the hearing completed?.
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Mephis
The hearing's complete now other than Jackson's evidence. Jackson will have to convince Stewart that he shouldn't appear. The commission's already said that his father being very ill is not going to be sufficient on its own to excuse him. There'll be a report out relatively soon from the commission, and McClellan has said that at some point in the next 2 1/2 years the JWs will be called back to demonstrate that they've made changes. So this part is pretty over other than Jackson, but it's not the last of it. -
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Questions Regarding All Those Lawyers
by Magwitch inapologies if this has been addressed elsewhere.. has every elder called to the stand had his own personal attorney?
it certainly appears this way.
if this is the case, how are they able to afford this?
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Mephis
There was a senior counsel for the WBTS and the branch staff, and one for the still-in elders. Monty Baker had his own. As did each of the survivors. Angus Stewart was counsel for the commission.
There was some tag-teaming (judging by a couple of whispered 'thank yous' between counsel) by the counsel for Baker and the survivors when they were trying to get the points made onto the record.
Believe that the commission provides counsel, or at least financial support to employ one for individuals. Not sure on how it works for organisations and whether the two used by WBTS and the local elders were provided for them or whether one or both were paid for by the WBTS.
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ROYAL COMMISSION: ARE JWS TAUGHT TO REFRAIN FROM SWEARING ON THE BIBLE OR NOT? JW.ORG PLEASE EXPLAIN!
by steve2 induring yesterday's rc proceedings (wednesday 5th august 2015), one of the victim's lawyers questioned mr vincent toole, the jw organization's legal counsel for the australian branch office.
she asked him why at least two of the jw elders who gave evidence last week refused to swear on the bible.
mr toole appear puzzled by her question and said he did not know.
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Mephis
It's not directly named as theocratic warfare in the 15th November 2004 WT which covers being able to say anything but the truth when under oath and it would "cause needless harm" to the borg.
Just to agree with Diogenesister. Swearing on bible was taught to me as wrong in 80s and 90s Britain because of Matt. 5.
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Attorney General: JW congregation didn't report child abuse
by betterdaze indelaware attorney general: sussex co. jehovah's witnesses congregation didn't report child abuse.
by associated press 1:47pm, august 5, 2015. the delaware attorney general's office is suing a jehovah's witnesses congregation in sussex county, claiming that elders failed to report an unlawful sexual relationship between a woman and a 14-year-old boy, both of whom were congregation members.. oral arguments in the civil action are set for november.. authorities say elders learned in january 2013 that katheryn harris carmean white was having sex with the boy and failed to immediately call a child abuse hotline.. the congregation's attorney argues that the elders are protected by clergy privilege from the reporting requirements, similar to the confidentiality of a church confessional.. carmean white, who worked as a teacher's aide at seaford middle school, was later convicted of rape and child endangerment and sentenced to six years in prison..
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Mephis
Darn that Satan wanting criminal matters reported to the police so criminals can be caught and punished without delay. -
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Did you hear that!? His Honour is insisting that Jackson attend the Royal Commission
by umbertoecho ini actually started clapping at that point, as his honour explained to the wt type creep sycophantic slithery lawyer that........" i understand that we all have issues to face in life and .....that is a part of life...........however it has become obvious that this man ....is in such a position to assist with this investigation.....".
it boils down to the fact that stewart outright accused the latest witness of misleading the royal commission and this lead to some document searches which led his honour to conclude that they had been protecting mr jackson.
this was a warm and fluffy moment folks.................brilliant stuff!!!!!
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Mephis
@sir82 - in Britain, there's not really a right there in the first place (bar for CofE clergy - and that's not been tested for a few hundred years). Courts will generally try to work with the religion to avoid having to bring out the stick to get them to testify. In the US, it tends to be the other extreme, although I think Zalkin has been pressing against its application for JWs in recent cases on these grounds?