Posts by OrphanCrow

9

Old is Becoming New Again?

by Tazemanian-devil in

is it just me, or does it seem like jw.org is returning to some very old methods from rutherford's era?.

- their carts / booths is very reminiscent of the sandwich board system, including the fact that they no longer personally engage.

- showing videos via the tablet / smartphone is almost exactly like the phonograph method they used.

OrphanCrow

Another way in which the old Rutherford era is being replayed.

The baptism of children. In Rutherford's day, very young children were baptized - 5/6 years old and up. The WTS needed the children to bolster their stance in court. The children were used to challenge the constitution.

Also, in Rutherford's day, the WTS used a radio channel to broadcast. Today they have jw.borg.

One thing that hasn't changed and it looks like it never will:

The organization is still, and always will be, a patriarchal institution that treats women like shit.

64

E-Mail, Just recived. About Bethell adjustments.

by DwainBowman in

i just read an email from a friend, and she shared some very interesting emails from her friends about information on changes now happening at the bethels around the world.

here is the email: .

---------------------------------thanks sally, jesus is directing the org and all decisions and instructions to us may not seem practical from now on, neither will we understand the reasonings behind many of the changes that the organization makes.

OrphanCrow

Yes, that's it, Millie. Almost two years ago. Remember the specualtion and buzz at the time as to "whatever could 'they' come up with"?

Well...now we know some of the possibilties.

78

Need Help with Blood Transfusion Illustration

by Dissonant15 in

please, who can provide an intelligent rebuttal to the following illustration?

i always thought it was bullet-proof:.

"if your doctor directs you to 'abstain from alcohol' would you be ok to have it injected into your veins rather than drink it?

OrphanCrow

Somebody should have explained the error in the alcohol/blood anaolgy to Dr. Ron Lapin - the bloodless surgeon that is called a pioneer of blood management. He is the JW hero of the bloodless world.

From the biography written by Gene Church - No Man's Blood - where a JW explains the alcohol blood theory to Dr. Lapin:

http://roman142.blogspot.ca/2014/09/no-mans-blood-gene-church-1986-version-1.html

313 Lapin raised a thick black eyebrow as he inquired, “God says you’re not supposed to have blood transfusions?”
314 “Absolutely. On several occasions.”
315 “Oh?” Lapin’s subtle double-take went unnoticed. “I guess I missed that.”
316 “Not if you read the Bible,” Dennis said. “Leviticus 17:11 says, ‘… the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I myself have put it upon the altar for you to make the atonement for your souls, because it is the blood that makes atonement by the soul in it.’”
317 Lapin didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, then replied, “Sorry, I didn’t get anything in there about blood transfusions.”
318 “Let me go on,” Dennis said. Lapin’s tone of voice fell somewhere between mild understanding and guarded pessimism. The tone was one Dennis had heard thousands of times, to the point where it didn’t bother him in the least. “It continues in Leviticus 17:14, ‘… you must not eat the blood of any sort of flesh, because the soul of every sort of flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it will be cut off.’”
319 “I’m impressed,” Lapin said. “Those sounded like direct quotes.”
320 “They were.”
321 “Then I’m more impressed.”
322 “With the Scripture?”
323 “More with your memory.”
324 “Being cut off,” Dennis explained, “means exclusion from eternal life.”
325 “Eternal life…” Lapin pondered with the same raised eyebrow. “What does that have to do with accepting a blood transfusion?”
326 “Everything,” Dennis answered, “absolutely everything! If a man, any man, eats the blood of any sort of flesh,” Dennis smiled and added with emphasis, “… any flesh… he’ll be cut off… and out. That’s what it says.”
327 A confidence swept through Lapin. He loved to win. He was nearly smug with his reply, “‘Eats the blood.’ You said, ‘eats the blood.’ I’m sorry, but I still don’t get what that has to do with blood transfusions. Being brought up as an orthodox Jew, I’ve read Leviticus and I used to salt all my meat for forty-eight hours before I’d eat it. That would draw out all the blood. But I’d still take a blood transfusion if my life depended on it and I’d still remain a good Jew.”
328 Dennis was unshaken by Lapin’s alleged profoundness, “Let’s look at it this way,” he resumed. “If a man was an alcoholic, a confirmed alcoholic, and he went to his doctor for help… treatment… and his doctor told him that he was absolutely going to die if he didn’t stop drinking… you with me?”
329 “So far,” Lapin answered attentively.
330 “And the man stopped drinking… and for all practical purposes the man’s life was saved… does it seem logical that the man’s life would once again be placed in jeopardy if his doctor or anyone else for that matter gave him alcohol intravenously? By transfusion? In his veins?”
331 “Yes, but…”
332 “And the man would probably die?” Dennis interrupted.
333 “Yes, but…”
334 “It’s the same thing. The Bible says… God says… don’t take blood. If you do, you will not attain everlasting life. It’s just that simple.”
335 Lapin was momentarily speechless, almost thankful when he heard his name announced over the P.A. Saved by the bell was his uncontrollable thought as he excused himself and walked toward the wall phone. A gnawing feeling erupted inside him. It wasn’t so much that he’d lost a confrontation, it was just that Dennis made sense. It was difficult to absolutely pin down, and he was sure that at that moment he couldn’t convey the same controlled rationale Dennis had just expressed, but he knew it sure made sense.
336 Lapin had trouble getting the analogy out of his mind as he spoke to the operator on the phone. It was the recovery room calling. A patient was coming out from under the anesthetic and a nurse needed some further orders. He gave complete instructions and informed the nurse that he was on his way.
337 Medically, Lapin was sound. But emotionally… emotionally, it was an altogether different thing for him. He returned the phone to its cradle and looked at Dennis, not knowing how to respond. What could he say?
338 He stopped at the table on his way out of the cafeteria. When their eyes met, Lapin knew he was looking at a man whose beliefs came from deep within his heart. The aura about Dennis transcended belief in mere theories; it gave evidence of his absolute knowledge. Dennis knew deep within him — without reservation, without question — that what he said was the truth. Lapin could feel that conviction also.
339 Lapin’s question of how to respond resolved itself. He didn’t understand exactly where the answer came from, or why, or the logic behind it, but nevertheless the answer was there. He chose acceptance, at least for the time being. “You know what, Dennis?” Lapin finally concluded. “You’re right.” And then he left.

64

E-Mail, Just recived. About Bethell adjustments.

by DwainBowman in

i just read an email from a friend, and she shared some very interesting emails from her friends about information on changes now happening at the bethels around the world.

here is the email: .

---------------------------------thanks sally, jesus is directing the org and all decisions and instructions to us may not seem practical from now on, neither will we understand the reasonings behind many of the changes that the organization makes.

OrphanCrow

As we get closer to the end, some decisions may be made that we perhaps don’t understand, that may seem to go against all logic. Whatever the reasons, obeying and accepting those decisions will result in blessings.

And there we go.

When was that put out as a directive?

It seems like somebody(ies) higher up knew that big shakeups were going to happen. This is not news to somebody...

113

World Wide Construction comes to a Shuddering Halt - Jehovah's Blessing has Evidently been Suspended!

by Slidin Fast in

the chelmsford project in the uk has already come to a halt and every one has been sent home.

the bethel family in london is to be cut by several hundred.

my impression is that most ambitious youngster in the org dream of being involved with the building program.

OrphanCrow

Maybe their building projects didn't fall in line with the allowable exemptions for non-profit status.

This could be a reaction to the charity investigations that are heating up.

The WTS will contort into whatever shape it needs to in order to hang on to that precious non-profit tax exempt status.

33

A simple explanation for the financial changes

by JeffT in

jw
friends

as i've mentioned from time to time, i'm a retired accountant.

i have tried many times to come up with some logical, sound business reason why the wtbs has made the big changes in its financial arrangements: taking the congregations savings, the monthly donations per congregation etc.

i finally came up with the answer.. the leadership of the watchtower society is batshit crazy.

OrphanCrow

Money drain. I am with Oubilette on this one.

It is difficult to move money out of a non-profit corporation. The branch construction and translation offices were a way to drain money out of the WTS and into the pockets of those who supplied the building products, etc. Their building projects are cluster fucks with no real focus other than to buy, buy, buy whatever was needed for those projects. Now the building material sits. And the profits have nicely been banked into the companies the WTS makes deals with.

The WTS needs to appear to be cash poor. They have heard the footsteps coming for a while now. The land down under will be coming after the WTS for redress payments and the WTS does not want to pay.

*on a side note...Brian Concannon just dumped some more shares of Haemonetics (again) a few days ago...jus' sayin'...and Taurus Investments is really, really quiet.

113

World Wide Construction comes to a Shuddering Halt - Jehovah's Blessing has Evidently been Suspended!

by Slidin Fast in

the chelmsford project in the uk has already come to a halt and every one has been sent home.

the bethel family in london is to be cut by several hundred.

my impression is that most ambitious youngster in the org dream of being involved with the building program.

OrphanCrow

Elvis has left the building.

20

Hemoglobin Infusion??

by Vetro in

i just got the new document about blood fractions from the wt, they will allow you to choose hemoglobin, but apparently not packed red blood cells, but in the medical journal i see nothing about hemoglobin infusions, is this even possible or just more bullshit from the wt?

OrphanCrow

Vetro: Who are these companies?

This comes from the book No Man's Blood by Gene Church, 1986 (the biography of Ron Lapin, the "bloodless surgeon").

http://roman142.blogspot.ca/2014/09/no-mans-blood-gene-church-1986-version-1.html

I do not have the name of the insurance company that is spoken about in this account of three JW men who met with Ron Lapin but from the following, it is evident that it is a JW owned insurance company:

204 Three men from the insurance company arrived for their appointment with Dr. Lapin. As Lapin’s secretary, Jodi, greeted the staunch visitors, she observed how much they looked like elders from some sort of church. Interestingly enough, she was right.
205 After introductory handshakes, the men settled down in comfortable chairs to discuss business. The company they represented served only families in which both spouses were baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
206 A little extreme, Lapin thought, but then, it’s their business.
207 The men had heard about Lapin through Mr. Nathan, Maria, and other Witnesses who had called Lapin and received free consultations and advice. They were there to inspect him, determine his motives, and discern his reason for operating on Witnesses while respecting their religious convictions.
208 Lapin leaned back in his chair and calmly expressed his belief in the Witnesses' right to concordantly exercise their faith while having the best medical care available. He became louder and noticeably irritated as he spoke of the indifference exhibited by his peers toward the JWs. He was upset by the fact that many Witnesses waited too long to get help and that a number of others had come to completely distrust physicians in general.
209 They appreciated Lapin’s directness. He supported and defended the rights of the Witnesses and emphasized that all people are entitled to their chosen beliefs.
210 When the elders finished, Lapin had a question of his own. He wondered what the real purpose was behind their visit and questioning.
211 One of the men, Herk Hutchins, explained that their company received countless calls from Witness policyholders in desperate need of either medical treatment or advice. Whenever they sought medical assistance directly, they encountered frustration, futility, and dead ends. Most doctors refused to treat them.

I have ran across a few health insurance companies that are JW owned and operated (one in India) but, I apologize...that info is somewhere in my archives on a different computer. I will try to dig it up when I have more time.

20

Hemoglobin Infusion??

by Vetro in

i just got the new document about blood fractions from the wt, they will allow you to choose hemoglobin, but apparently not packed red blood cells, but in the medical journal i see nothing about hemoglobin infusions, is this even possible or just more bullshit from the wt?

OrphanCrow

Dissonant: I don't know what insurance company is going to pay for that.

There are JW owned insurance companies that sell health insurance to the JWs who can afford it. There are several that have been around for many years.

Vetro: I did find this interesting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemopure

Then you may find this interesting too:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/328020001/hemopure-what-has-wt-jw-org-actually-said-on-this-stuff

37

Officials in Remote Northern Canada Thank Jehovah’s Witnesses for Special Bible Education Campaign

by OrphanCrow in

this article was published by the wts on their website.. i find this jw practice of targeting vulnerable populations to be so disturbing.

the last thing that canadian aboriginal communities need is yet another institution that victimizes their members.. http://www.jw.org/en/news/releases/by-region/canada/inuit-bible-education-northern-canada/.

officials in remote northern canada thank jehovahs witnesses for special bible education campaign.

OrphanCrow

Magnum: I believe that some of them really do care and think they are doing a good thing, but I know from vast experience with JWs that they love visiting these types of people - those who are ill-informed and present no challenge to them. They wouldn't be so ready to visit if these people were educated and knowledgeable.

Magnum, You are right on with all the points you make.

Misplaced charitable works and misplaced charitable feelings are self indulgent and nothing more. The JWs think they are doing good because it makes them feel good.

They feel empowered when around the less educated.

Exactly. JW "charity" is all about the JWs themselves and has little to do with those they have targeted. This kind of misguided "charity" makes my stomach heave.