Posts by OrphanCrow

5

Zimbabwe has a new President.

by zeb in

i watched the new president taking his oath of office.

well done mr president!.

rather than me repeat his words i suggest you go google and look it up.

OrphanCrow

LoveUni: "Let bygones be bygones" said Emmerson Mnangagwa today as he was sworn in as the new Zim president.
He was referring, of course, to Robert Mugabe. Comrade Bob has been given immunity from prosecution as part of the deal for him to go.

Huh.

I didn't interpret his comment in the same way you did.

I think he was referring to himself. Mnangagwa wants people to forgive and forget his role in Mugabe's atrocities

Let bygones be bygones? Yeah...he hopes so, for sure. Please forget is what he is saying and it has more to do with him that it does ol' Bob

39

Russian Court authorizes seizure of outlawed sect children

by cha ching in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nei6lvfl13q.

interesting development in russia... according to this article on youtube, it appears that children that are subjected to being involved in banned social or religious groups can be removed from their parents..

OrphanCrow

CrazyGuy: I wonder if the Russians see the Muslim religion as radical?

Islam is not banned in Russia just the same as Christianity is not banned in Russia.

But, some Muslim sects, of course are seen as extremist.

Certain Muslim sects are considered to be extremist and adherents of those particular Muslim sects face arrest and imprisonment exactly the same as the JWs do.

Check out this website for more information:

http://forum18.org/archive.php?country=10

15

How do JWs pronounce COBE?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

just wondering.

when i was a witness, we had presiding overseer, and would say p-o for short.

do they spell it out when they say cobe or do they say it with as a word?

OrphanCrow

wildthing: So at one time, the head of the congregation was called the Congregation Servant...Next, he was called the Presiding Overseer.
What were they called before the title of Congregation Servant?
freddo: I think before Congregation Servant it was Company Servant as in Company of men (military term not corporate term).

Congregation Overseer (60s)

I think the "Company Servant" pre-dated that. That term likely dated back to the days of Joe's Army

10

Baby parts story from 1989 Awake magazine

by OrphanCrow in

jw
friends

*this post was prompted by a reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/7eqno4/jehovahs_witnesses_promote_truth_by_verifying/.

so.. the org makes the claim that.

"anyone who reads our publications or views our videos can be confident that the facts were thoroughly researched and are accurate.".

OrphanCrow

darkspliver: But you haven't mention the letter that the US Information Agency wrote to the WT about it??

Oh gosh, no, darkspliver. What would be left for you to do if I did that?

But, then again...the OP was addressing the claim that the org always fact check first...but, who cares about that, right? Who cares that they claim to always have the truth?

Yup. They corrected it. Later. Just like the rest of the "world" did.

Not so special, after all, right?

10

Baby parts story from 1989 Awake magazine

by OrphanCrow in

jw
friends

*this post was prompted by a reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/7eqno4/jehovahs_witnesses_promote_truth_by_verifying/.

so.. the org makes the claim that.

"anyone who reads our publications or views our videos can be confident that the facts were thoroughly researched and are accurate.".

OrphanCrow

*This post was prompted by a reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/7eqno4/jehovahs_witnesses_promote_truth_by_verifying/

So.

The Org makes the claim that

"Anyone who reads our publications or views our videos can be confident that the facts were thoroughly researched and are accurate."

Let's test that claim.

This little snippet ran in the March 22nd, 1989 Awake magazine in the section Watching the World:

I recently read an article concerning Soviet KGB activities in the 1980s.

The KGB in the Third World

This is an excerpt from that article:

It is, however, possible to identify some causes of widespread anti-American indignation which were clearly of Soviet origin. Among them was the 'baby parts' fabrication which alleged that wealthy Americans were buying up and butchering Latin American children in order to use their bodies for organ transplants. The story was taken up by a Soviet front organization, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), and publicized extensively in the press of over fifty countries. Those taken in by the fabrication included groups as remote from the KGB as the Jehovah's Witnesses, who published the story in 1989 in their magazine Awake, which had a world-wide circulation of 11 million copies printed in fifty-four languages. In 1990 an American correspondent in Mexico noted that the 'baby parts' story was still current even in 'the respectable press'...

31

Name a song title..........

by punkofnice in

replace one word in a song title with the word 'elder/s'.. eg.

the elders are back in town' (boys).

smoke on the elder (water).

OrphanCrow

punk: topic deleted? If it was no one messaged me to say why. I don't seem able to locate it either

Gone.

Missing.

It was a funny thread. Entertaining and it didn't hurt anybody.

Somebody must have got their panties in a knot.

Eh. If every thread that offended someone somewhere got deleted, there wouldn't be a forum left.

Punky, I guess not everybody appreciates your British humor. The Brits and their potty humor! Lol!

18

Interview with Zimbabwe's Minister of Tourism at JW HQ

by OrphanCrow in

zimbabwe has been under the rule of a dictator since 1980. robert mugabe, the president of zimbabwe, is notorious for his ruthless ways of dealing with the problems of a post-colonial country.

his land reforms resulted in much economic hardship for the people of zimbabwe and anyone who was a white farmer in zimbabwe suffered dire consequences as a result of mugabe's land grabs post-2000.

the atrocities against the people of zimbabwe have been documented by cathy buckle and i have personally heard of the violence against those opposed to mugawbe's policies.. some comments from a 2003 article about robert mugabe:.

OrphanCrow

*damn editing...picking up where I left off...*

So.

A convention that was expecting 45,500 to 50,000 attendees had 50,000 stopped at the border and then, with the remaining ones who were scheduled to attend, there was, apparently, screening for Ebola done on them.

And...the full attendance turned out to be 82,500? Did it? When they were only prepared for less than 50 thou? turned 50, 000 away?...and yet still managed to accommodate over 80 thou.

Something doesn't add up. Something doesn't smell right.

18

Interview with Zimbabwe's Minister of Tourism at JW HQ

by OrphanCrow in

zimbabwe has been under the rule of a dictator since 1980. robert mugabe, the president of zimbabwe, is notorious for his ruthless ways of dealing with the problems of a post-colonial country.

his land reforms resulted in much economic hardship for the people of zimbabwe and anyone who was a white farmer in zimbabwe suffered dire consequences as a result of mugabe's land grabs post-2000.

the atrocities against the people of zimbabwe have been documented by cathy buckle and i have personally heard of the violence against those opposed to mugawbe's policies.. some comments from a 2003 article about robert mugabe:.

OrphanCrow

I am a little bit fascinated with the 2014 convention held in Harare.

Every time I read/hear something from the org's sources, the number of 82,500 is emphasized. This fellow in the video interview does it too - 82,500 in attendance!

Here is the fluff piece, the press release that follows all JW conventions:

Jehovah's Witness convention ends on high note
August 25, 2014
Bronfenbrenner Torubanda
The three-day International Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses ended in Harare yesterday with the giant National Sports Stadium filled to capacity. The convention, which ran under the theme “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom” attracted thousands of people, with a bumper crowd of over 82 000 attending yesterday. So huge was the crowd that some speakers and giant screens were mounted outside at the National Sports Stadium B Arena to cater for those who failed to secure space inside.
The convention was conducted in Shona, English, Ndebele, Chinese and sign language and everyone was counted when entering the stadium.
Out of 3 500 international delegates, 2 000 were from United States of America, while 1 500 were from Brazil and Germany.
About 2 000 delegates came from African countries such as Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa.

Now. Lets look at this article:

50,000 Jehovah's Witness pilgrims denied entry into Zimbabwe

by Staff reporter
15 Aug 2014
At least 50 000 pilgrims from South Africa who were supposed to attend the annual conference of Jehovah's Witness scheduled for August 22 -24 at the National Sports Stadium were stopped from coming into the country for fear of logistical nightmares.
Addressing a press briefing in Harare yesterday ahead of the conference, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive oficer Karikoga Kaseke said a good number of South Africans, who were supposed to come for the religious gathering, would no longer be attending the event.
"If they were allowed to come there was going to be chaos at Beitbridge Border Post as they were going to come by road. We are interested in religious tourism, but we do not have facilities to handle such huge numbers of people," he said.
About 3 500 international pilgrims from the United States and United Kingdom have been confirmed to attend the event and were booked in hotels around the capital, while over 42 000 locals were set to attend the annual conference.
Jehovah's Witness digital events co-ordinator Carl Lindstrom said locals would be staying in schools.
"Guests are booked into 16 hotels around the capital and 37 lodges. About 3 500 international guests are expected while over 42 000 locals are set to attend. Most of the locals would be accommodated at five schools that have offered to house guests," he added.
John Hunguka, another representative of the church, said internationally, the church has 7,9 million followers with an estimated 42 000 followers in Zimbabwe.
And then there is this:
Ebola Fears Cloud Jehovah's Witnesses Meeting in Zimbabwe
August 14, 2014HARARE — Zimbabwe's government is in a quandary as the country prepares to host a three-day Jehovah's Witnesses conference with 50,000 people from around the world expected to attend. Some delegates will come from West Africa, where there has been an outbreak of Ebola. Given the state of the host’s health care system, however, some delegates might be barred from attending.
Dr. Christopher Tapfumaneyi, the principal director in Zimbabwe’s health ministry, says the country has not had an Ebola case, but that the government is aware of problems that the conference might present. Tapfumaneyi says with the advice of the World Health Organization, Zimbabwe has started educating some medical officials about Ebola.
“They are going to ensure that if there is a visitor coming into the country who in the past three weeks has been in the three countries that have been targeted, they will look at the person closely. If there is reason to isolate that person, that isolation will be done. The centers have already been prepared for that," he said.
The Zimbabwean official is referring to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and that Zimbabwe is not taking chances. The government has since recalled all its soldiers on the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia following the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
The World Health Organization head in Zimbabwe, Dr. David Okello, says the southern African nation must not panic.
“The likelihood of Ebola coming here is remote," he said. "The risk is low, but we live in a global village. Somebody could be infected with Ebola in Liberia, flies to South Africa and is here the next day. I think my main worry is we are now dealing with, not an epidemic of Ebola here, but an epidemic of fear and panic."
Zimbabwe's health care system has been near collapse for more than a decade.
Earlier this week, the African Union said the continent’s ministers of health would meet in September to lobby their countries to replenish the AU's Special Emergency Fund for Drought and Famine, which will also now cover public health.
The AU said the Ebola outbreak provides an impetus to speed up the establishment of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention for early detection, preparedness and response. An early detection center is what all Jehovah's Witnesses coming to Zimbabwe will experience.
If they have been to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea, they might not attend the conference, but Effort Mugabe, the coordinator of the Jehovah's Witnesses conference, is convinced all will go well.
“We are not very much concerned, because very shortly the government assured that they are in total control of it. We do hope that with the help of the government, we will be happy to do it without any problems at all," he said.
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is probably the deadliest in history and led health ministers from southern Africa to meet in South Africa last week. They asked World Health Organization officials to provide for the control of the international spread of disease across borders.

18

Interview with Zimbabwe's Minister of Tourism at JW HQ

by OrphanCrow in

zimbabwe has been under the rule of a dictator since 1980. robert mugabe, the president of zimbabwe, is notorious for his ruthless ways of dealing with the problems of a post-colonial country.

his land reforms resulted in much economic hardship for the people of zimbabwe and anyone who was a white farmer in zimbabwe suffered dire consequences as a result of mugabe's land grabs post-2000.

the atrocities against the people of zimbabwe have been documented by cathy buckle and i have personally heard of the violence against those opposed to mugawbe's policies.. some comments from a 2003 article about robert mugabe:.

OrphanCrow

There we go. I found the interview on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6u9jASyLtA

18

Interview with Zimbabwe's Minister of Tourism at JW HQ

by OrphanCrow in

zimbabwe has been under the rule of a dictator since 1980. robert mugabe, the president of zimbabwe, is notorious for his ruthless ways of dealing with the problems of a post-colonial country.

his land reforms resulted in much economic hardship for the people of zimbabwe and anyone who was a white farmer in zimbabwe suffered dire consequences as a result of mugabe's land grabs post-2000.

the atrocities against the people of zimbabwe have been documented by cathy buckle and i have personally heard of the violence against those opposed to mugawbe's policies.. some comments from a 2003 article about robert mugabe:.

OrphanCrow

From this link here:

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/285370002/similarities-between-witnesses-wwll-witnesses-under-rulership-robert-mugabe-zimbabwe

joe134: ...I was having a conversation with a black brother from Zimbabwe while out in field service about the persecution the brothers would be enduring under the rulership of Robert Mugabe. To my surprise this brother actually said the exact opposite to what I thought. Robert Mugabe is quite favourable to the witnesses And prefers to have them working for him in none political roles e.g grounds men, cleaners etc. Because of political neutrality they arnt a threat to his ideals. Interestingly to I note that recently there was an international convention there, and I can't help but wonder if this was a political ploy to perhaps convert the masses to an organisation that will allow him to carry on unhindered. What I think to is this would of also allowed him to improve his public image with the locals e.g foreign currency /spending etc.. As let's face it at the time what other westerner would want to visit Zimbabwe.

And a later comment in that same thread (to add - oops, I see that Searcher posted the same thing earlier on this thread too):

The Searcher: I spoke (at a convention) with a white brother from Zimbabwe who related the story of a young black Zimbabwean man who was fleeing for his life from a group of men who wanted to kill him. He evaded a terrible death by running into a Kingdom Hall where he was hidden by the J.W.'s attending. The young man was Robert Mugabe. The brother also informed me that Morgan Tsvangurai warned the Witnesses a few years ago, that once he had dealt with Mugabe, he was going to deal with them.
This explains the enigma of Zimbabwe's tolerance of J.W.'s.

Can anyone confirm or deny this story?

Searcher? I find this story to be quite interesting. Especially now that Mugabe is gone and Tsvangurai is poised to share in the power re-structuring of Zimbabwe. That story of Mugabe being rescued by JWs - is that another of the those JW legends or is there any truth to it?