Posts by OrphanCrow

14

Catholic Funeral - Rosary and Viewing

by Gram in

jw
friends

tonight i attended a rosary following the viewing.

it was held at the funeral home.

the rosary is a series of prayers led by a priest.

OrphanCrow

garybuss: I've attended Catholic weddings and many Catholic funerals including a couple that were High Masses at the Cathedral in Sioux Falls. As far as religious services, Catholic is my favorite. I'm extremely appreciative of my Catholic friends.

Me too. I must have some Catholic running in my blood somewhere. There is Orthodox for sure. The heavy rituals and chanting get me.

I have spent over 40 years being a religious tourist, in a way. I have attended services of everything from Ukranian Orhtodox to Native healing ceremonies.

The Ukranian Orthodox wedding I went to was over 2 hours long - they put my JWs sister's hour long service to shame. I was entranced - the bride and groom actually donned heavy crowns at one point and all the chanting and ritual was quite the performance - heavily scripted. I hardly understood a word of what was said and I almost passed out from the heat and the getting up and down kneeling for the prayers. The food and drink that followed was memorable.

A Ukranian Orthodox funeral from where I come from is an event that requires incredible stamina from all who are involved. I worked as a floral designer for several years and did the flowers for several.

The most outstanding experience came when an elderly Ukranian woman died. The entire family took over the funeral home for 10 days leading up to the funeral. The casket was open the entire time and they had a 24 hour watch - sometimes there was as many as 20 people in attendance, complete with babies crawling on the floor and order in pizza boxes scattered around the chapel.

It was the largest casket spray I have ever made, out of entirely red roses. The funeral director said that the church service was pure insantity - the service went on forever and ever, the family video taped the whole thing, there were candelabras with lit candles on each side of an open casket and when everybody filed past, weeping and kissing the grandmama, the lit candles would almost fall into the casket - the funeral directors had to grab the candelabras many times. It was a spectacle beyond spectacles.

And then...the old lady's son died the next week. And it all happened again. except half the time and half the participants. I guess they were all tired out. Including the funeral directors. They had just had time to get the carpets all cleaned in the funeral home and it was a relief that the second time around wasn't so bad. The funeral home tightened up their rules on family viewing after that.

83

As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

by Sail Away in

after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

OrphanCrow

Nicely done, Sailaway.

Maybe you will no longer be counted in those "20 million associated JWs" that Jackson bragged about at the Royal Commission.

21

I wish Geoffrey Jackson wasn't being questioned at all vs a video link...

by thedepressedsoul in

i'd rather them not even question him at this point.

by allowing a video link, they put the ball 100% in his court.

i don't get what they expect to accomplish by having a video link only.. 2. he won't feel any pressure.

OrphanCrow

thedepressedsoul: The video link put the ball in his court and took most of the pressure off. If he was forced to be there in person I doubt he'd be as cocky.

You wanted to see him grovel on the floor like the other Wt goons, didn't you? Lol! He did, he lost his composure in several places. It was quite the comedy show, if you like dark humor.

Actually, I think his performance was perfect. Jackson made a utter fool out of himself. He sat up there and proudly stated that he had left school at 15 to go into missionary work. And then proceeded to act like the arrogant idiot that he truly is.

He is one of those people that drive me crazy: "He is so stupid he doesn't even know he is stupid."

Jackson believed he could hide but all he did was reveal himself. He offered up tons of material that can be utilized for public exposure when doing activist work - his tirade on women deserves to be cut and some major awareness done with it. Maybe somebody has already done that - I have to look around.

I, for one, am quite pleased that Jackson acted so smooth and polished - perfect arrogance with no substance. A pope saying stupid things. Hurtful, hateful, ignorant, stupid things.

Pope Jackson's "gawdly" attitude did not go by unnoticed by the Commission. Wazzat they say? "Pride goeth before a fall?"

84

The Kingdom Halls are empty

by punkofnice in

my jw spies tell me that the kingdom halls are empty compared to how they used to be, since i left 5 years ago.

not saying they're empty because of me though.. is that what you are hearing?.

OrphanCrow

James Mixon: Attendance goes up after a earthquake.

And in times of political unrest. Growth occurs when people perceive that the JWs offer them sanctuary.

For example, it has been reported that there are men in the Ukraine that are joining the JWs just to avoid conscription.

But, back to empty Kingdom Halls. When I returned to my old home town not long ago, the KH was now some other kind of holy roller church and the JW congregation had been split to two neighboring towns - one town was 36 miles away and the other was 24 miles away.

There are just a few die-hards left lurking around in my home town - a population of about 3500.

However, in the town that is 36 miles north of there, there is a concerted effort to convert the Aboriginal community. Lol! I make sure that my "crow" friends up north get all the latest updates on the Royal Commission in Australia. The JW pedophile paradise is the last thing that the Aboriginals need after the horror of the Residential School system. I am going to do my best to make sure that the drive up north to fill the Kingdom Halls with brown faces gets stopped before too many more vulnerable people get hooked.

61

Today's WT glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and therefore immortality

by purrpurr in

in today's wt study it makes the point that just glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and can lead to sex!.

so are jw's now to wear blinkers?.

also jw's are told to go and confess to the elders if they have any immoral thoughts?!!.

OrphanCrow

Thanks, Scully.

Does the WT also say that these thoughts crimes are to be confessed to the elders? Or is that just a "platform" directive?

61

Today's WT glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and therefore immortality

by purrpurr in

in today's wt study it makes the point that just glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and can lead to sex!.

so are jw's now to wear blinkers?.

also jw's are told to go and confess to the elders if they have any immoral thoughts?!!.

OrphanCrow

34

[Day 8 - 14/8]Governing Body, Geoffrey Jackson - Royal Commissions On Child Sexual Abuse, Australia. + VIDEO

by C0ntr013r in

the big day finally arrived!

these amazing royal commission proceedings are available on youtube :).

part 1 has been uploaded and part 2 will soon be available.. part 1:.

OrphanCrow

flipper: 1:41 to 1:50 Angus Stewart uses an example from the Hebrew scriptures indicating that a man who rapes a woman was to be put to death only though SHE the victim was the only eyewitness. Then Angus asks Jackson, : " So we see it's NOT necessary even in the Scriptural sense to have two eyewitnesses to child abuse is it ? " Jackson replies ridiculously, " I'd like to ask Jesus Christ that in the future. "
1:46 to 1:50 Angus Stewart states that , : " The 2 witness rule needed could be the circumstances involved as well. " He proves his point by showing how elders stake out homes all night lying in wait to see if someone has committed adultery with another- all based on circumstance. " Why not the same in child abuse cases ? "

This is a really interesting segment. It is in this exchange that Jackson reveals himself. At the 1:41:07 mark, Jackson reveals his anger. He sets his Bible down in frustration, almost contemptuously, angry that Stewart continues questioning after Jackson had so emphatically 'taught' Stewart the right answers. Jackson's gesture doesn't look like much, but it speaks volumes.

Following the 1:50 mark, Jackson loses his composure. He answers a couple questions with an "Umhumph", not even bothering to say "yes" - he is pissed. And then, right after that, at the 1:50:22 mark, he scratches his eye (the first face touch in his testimony - this is a signal he is being deceptive or angry - it is a defensive response) and he then appears puzzled and asks Stewart to "walk me through that a little further". Another signal that he is experiencing discomfort. It was an easy question, far easier than others that Jackson faced and indicates that his mind was actively involved with formulating his response - something that isn't necessary if you plan on telling the truth.

And then...the infamous watch check at 1:51:05. Jackson's gesture indicates two things: 1.) he would rather be somewhere else and 2.) contempt for Stewart for taking up his time.

34

[Day 8 - 14/8]Governing Body, Geoffrey Jackson - Royal Commissions On Child Sexual Abuse, Australia. + VIDEO

by C0ntr013r in

the big day finally arrived!

these amazing royal commission proceedings are available on youtube :).

part 1 has been uploaded and part 2 will soon be available.. part 1:.

OrphanCrow

Good note taking, Flipper!

Jackson - seeming flustered said condescendingly , " This is the problem when trying to explain our arrangement from the scriptures to secular authorities. "

Yeah, Jackson made several disparaging remarks about secular law/authority during his testimony and he insulted the Commission many times. I had listened to that part you quoted again earlier today and Jackson had said "...this is the difficulty with secular commissions trying to analyze a religious subject". The insult was actually worse than just him trying to explain their religion to the commission - Jackson actually said that it was the Commission who lacked the ability to analyze their religion. According to Jackson, he wasn't the one with the problem - the Commission was.

Thanks for your notes...they fill in spots I missed getting written down. I was busy taking notes on his body behaviour and I missed some of what he said.

49

GEOFFREY JACKSON THE PERSONABLE FACE OF JW.ORG...BUT IT AIN'T OVER YET BUDDY

by steve2 in

since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.

it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.

more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!

OrphanCrow

NewYork44m: For example, do you think that Monica Applewhite's career will ever recover after this?

Nah. She will be just fine. The Catholics will keep using her skills. So will the WTS.

Applewhite has done extensive work within the Catholic community and will continue to do so. She will still appear as an expert witness - the States will take her. She is the one who gave testimony for the Conti case and the American legal system didn't challenge her testimony then...she will be safe as long as she picks her court locations carefully.

28

The sheer lunacy of Jackson's view regarding mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.

by DATA-DOG in

lunacy?

insanity?

without a doubt.

OrphanCrow

LisRose: What also bugs me is that elders had knowledge that allowed them to protect their children, but did nothing to protect other children in the congregation.

In addition to that - not protecting the other children in the congregation - the way that a child abuse issue is handled within a family once an allegation has been made is a set-up for the abuse to happen again.

Early in the hearings, it was revealed that the JWs in BCG's case actually encouraged the abuser to move back into a family unit with children he had already abused. This simply is a situation that is created that would allow the elders to collect more evidence.

Returning an abuser to the family unit, expecting that the mother would be the supervisor when she didn't do that before, is negligent to the welfare of the children.

Even Jackson talked about how a second abuse allegation could be aquired by leaving the abuser in the home (at about 35:50 of part two). He stated that if the mother sees the father do something inappropriate that "then we have the two witnesses".

It appears like the JW elders are well aware that the child(ren) will be further abused and are just waiting for it to happen so they can proceed with their disciplinary committee. The welfare of the child(ren) is secondary to the collection of evidence. The child is used as bait for their judicial process.