Don’t forget to turn in your last field service report. You wouldn’t want the elders to have to keep hounding you about it. You wouldn’t want to get in trouble with them, would you – you might not be able to handle the penises – that is, the microphones – whenever you come and visit the congregation.
Posts by SAHS
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22One less JW in Scandinavia
by Powermetal4ever inyes that's me, i am victorious!
i had enough after about 4 years knowing ttatt.
sent my da letter and it has been anounced at the meeting.
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Finally watched the anti-gay WT video
by undercover ini avoided watching the wt video where the daughter/mother discuss 'leaving' gaydom behind in order to reach paradise for as long as i could, but finally gave in and watched it; just so i know exactly what it says and how it's presented, should it come up in conversation with jw family.. it wasn't as shocking as i expected, having read some of the angst filled posts here and on facebook (thanks to george takei).
they're presenting their beliefs as supported by scripture from the bible.
and if you're a true believer in that book, then you would find yourself having to at least give some thought to what is said.
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SAHS
Could you provide a link to that specific JW video about a mother and daughter discussing homosexuality? -
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Panama Papers - Watchtower
by snare&racket inthe panama papers have just become available,.
https://offshoreleaks.icij.org.
happy hunting........ after 30 secs hunting.. 'jehovah jireh ltd' came up with british virgin islands and singapore connections.
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SAHS
I just used that same Website to search for “Watch Tower,” and it came up with the following link which I found even more interesting:
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Circuit Overseer Coming For Lunch – Everything Has to be Perfect
by SAHS inwe have the circuit overseer’s visit this week, and my folks are having him and his wife over for lunch today.
of course, i’m making it a point of hightailing it out of there to have my lunch elsewhere.
when my mom asks me “why don’t you stay and meet him,” i just say, “well, he’s just a man like everybody else.” she says, “well, of course.
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SAHS
“careful”: “Would your mom's name be "Martha" perhaps?”
Actually, believe it or not, my dad has always sarcastically called my mom “Martha” since I was a little kid whenever she would doddle getting ready to go out to the meetings, or anywhere else (of course referring to the Biblical Martha, Mary’s sister). Even to this very day, my dad tells my mom whenever she is doddling at the last minute when it’s time to get ready to leave somewhere: “You gotta stop all this Martha stuff!”
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Circuit Overseer Coming For Lunch – Everything Has to be Perfect
by SAHS inwe have the circuit overseer’s visit this week, and my folks are having him and his wife over for lunch today.
of course, i’m making it a point of hightailing it out of there to have my lunch elsewhere.
when my mom asks me “why don’t you stay and meet him,” i just say, “well, he’s just a man like everybody else.” she says, “well, of course.
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SAHS
“ToesUp”: “"Made him a gluten free pizza because he had celiac disease." Was it just in our area? The Co and or his wife always had a special diet either due to a physical problem or some other conjured up issue?”
Funny you should mention that! Before the week of the circuit overseer’s visit, they announced that he and his wife have requested special dietary instructions: no gluten (wheat) and no deserts (glucose intolerance).
I guess for the preparation of the circuit overseer’s visit, all the rank-and-file members are expected to be like Noah and ‘do just so.’
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Circuit Overseer Coming For Lunch – Everything Has to be Perfect
by SAHS inwe have the circuit overseer’s visit this week, and my folks are having him and his wife over for lunch today.
of course, i’m making it a point of hightailing it out of there to have my lunch elsewhere.
when my mom asks me “why don’t you stay and meet him,” i just say, “well, he’s just a man like everybody else.” she says, “well, of course.
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SAHS
We have the circuit overseer’s visit this week, and my folks are having him and his wife over for lunch today. Of course, I’m making it a point of hightailing it out of there to have my lunch elsewhere. When my mom asks me “Why don’t you stay and meet him,” I just say, “Well, he’s just a man like everybody else.” She says, “Well, of course. We know that. But you should stay and talk with him. He’s such a really nice man, and it would be really encouraging association to talk with him.”
He’s just a man. Acknowledged, apparently. But whenever we’re going to have the circuit overseer and his wife over, my mom always goes on a little spree to make sure that everything is perfect, or at least appears to be. She makes sure that the bathroom is all cleaned up, and things are rearranged throughout the apartment and spiffed up to look extra presentable – more so than for just the usual guests, for sure. The dining tablecloth gets replaced with a really elite-looking one, things like the coffee table are all shined up, and there’s the pronounced smell of fine perfume in the air. All that just for lunch!
The circuit overseer is “just a man,” as is duly and readily acknowledged. Yet, however, it sure seems like people definitely make a fuss over them, certainly above and beyond the usual guests.
A very recent Watchtower study (Jan. 2016, p. 27), in the supplemental article “Love ‘Does Not Behave Indecently,’” counselled against making an overt show of idolization toward brothers with high positions in treating them as celebrities or some kind of movie stars. That article asked: “Would we ask them to autograph our books and Bibles? Would we push in front of others and aggressively demand that our photo be taken with them?” HOWEVER, there is a definite unwritten rule that things have to be “perfect” – or at least much more “perfect” than usual – whenever a residence is to be graced with the privilege of entertaining the circuit overseer, . . . . even for a so-called humble lunch.
“Just a man,” indeed. But, my how things seem to have to be extra spotless and fancy whenever he comes by! Such adulation and exultation certainly shows up the intense feeling of reverence of the rank-and-file toward their higher-ups. (At least with the circuit overseer, unlike the Pope and the governing body members, there’s no “special ring” to kiss.)
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Fraud
by fulltimestudent inif someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.
of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.
all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.
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SAHS
Full disclosure of what would be expected of those being presented with a religion/group/cult, especially a high-control, totalitarian outfit such as the Watchtower organization, is so important because, otherwise, people would, in effect, be subjected to a kind of “spiritual statutory rape.”
Our western governmental legal/judicial systems judge a person’s sexual exploits as being “statutory rape” if the sexual activity is perpetrated by an older person upon a minor, and even more so if it involves exploitation upon a prepubescent child. The reasoning? Minor children, especially young children, are deemed to be naturally and fundamentally incapable of rendering such consent as would be acceptable and required of a “mature” person, or legally considered an adult.
Now, in the context of proselytizing (or peddling) by a religious group, even upon “mature” adults, it is really tantamount to “spiritual statutory rape” if an honest full disclosure is withheld from the prospective new convert until after they have already been slyly and progressively indoctrinated and “sucked in” to the mental and emotional vortex of deceitful enslavement (i.e., emotional blackmail with the threat of eventually losing all their friends and family).
Governments require a person to be old enough to be considered capable of rendering valid consent for sexual activity (i.e., “consenting adult”). So, likewise, it just seems fair that there also be some sort of basic legal requirement for these aggressive religious prostelizers to at least provide some basic and truthful disclosure – especially concerning something which many people would end up believing to be an eternal life-and-death proposition!
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Last night's talk re sisters wearing head covering, puke making!
by purrpurr indear sisters,.
when you are fortunate enough to be in the presence of a jw penis you must take care to show the proper respect for it!
doesn't matter if said penis is prepubescent!
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SAHS
I can see the women at the kingdom hall and out in the field service having to wear some kind of burka, maybe dark blue with a white JW dot org on it – as long as it doesn’t go above the knee.
That’s instead of the ancient Israelite robes with fringes along the bottom and a blue thread with wool dyed reddish purple. So glad to see the Watchtower organization keeping up with the times. The men don’t even need to wear a turban. (Unless they want to.)
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Fraud
by fulltimestudent inif someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.
of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.
all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.
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SAHS
“fulltimestudent”: “Everyone here would have been richer if religions were banned.”
Well, I’m not so sure that outright banning of religions would be the best option because that might put a monkey wrench in our Western freedoms and separation of church and state, which ensures free belief for everyone; HOWEVER, the one thing which we should hold every religion to, which all commercial businesses have been held to all along, is: full disclosure up front.
If religions want to go around telling people their bizarre and fanciful ideas and stories, that’s one thing; BUT, they should be honest and up front about what is really involved down the line (i.e., shunning, blood transfusion ban, no holidays, etc., etc.).
Just like on the TV commercials advertising psychic hotlines when they display in the somewhat fine print something like: “For entertainment purposes only,” or “Individual results may vary.” Full disclosure.
So, if various religions want to exist and peddle their wares, as they will, then I suppose that could be tolerable under a truly free and democratic society – as long as they’re just honest and upfront about it from the beginning! And then, if some folks still want to go ahead and indulge themselves in the fantasies being preached and peddled, well, then I guess all the power to them. At the very least, they’ll know what they’re really getting themselves into – because they would have been properly forewarned, as they really should be.
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Steven Hassan's interview on a new fictional cult film, "The Path" Fact-Checked: The Ugly Truth Behind Real-Life Cults
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/the-path-cults.
the path fact-checked: the ugly truth behind real-life cults .
part of hassan's interview: "a lot of the older cults that have been around for a really long time, like the jehovah’s witnesses, for example, and even the mormons, are having a really hard time with young people growing up in the age of the internet, because they’ve been basically telling lies to their followers about their history, and now people can easily find out what’s true and not true, and look at their own literature and copies of their own literature.
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SAHS
Steve Hassan: “Money is not always number two but power is always number one.”
That is a very important point which Mr. Hassan brought out! Charismatic cult leaders have a way of pursuing and obtaining money, property, fame, and sex; however, the most significant underlying motivation for them consistently is power.
When you take a look at the leaders of the Watchtower organization, especially the well-known charismatic leaders of their monarchical era (i.e., Franklin Rutherford), they are infamous for their quest for total control of their adherents, getting them to spend countless hours and money in support of the organization. As many of us are already aware, Rutherford managed to amass an extremely luxurious mansion and sizeable property (i.e., Beth Sarim), including two of the most expensive, high-end Cadillac cars around. Now, you may think that this was a monetary accomplishment – and it was – however, all that would not have been possible without first securing (apparently by legal strong-arm tactics) the one main thing which made him what he was and carried him along on the seas of unquestioning loyal support: POWER!
And where do all the current governing body members live? Bethel headquarters. Those desirable accommodations, all nice and neat and clean, with all the amenities – and, of course, all tax-free and served well by basically slave labor – are where those leaders live – that’s their “home,” and so the better their institutional facilities become, then all the more so their “home” becomes. It is all a reflection of themselves – and, subsequently, their power.
Remember, first comes the power, and then the fruits of people’s loyalty (i.e., various donations, wills, trusts, estates, insurance policies, etc.) will follow.
Mr. Hassan spoke well in identifying “what drives people who are leading cults.” He’s obviously been there himself and knows what he’s talking about.