Thanks for all the kind words, we will let you all know how this plays out. And my husband and I will be here when they need someone to turn to, only time will tell what happens though.
thanks again and good night
he told my husband ?i don?t care, i just need to know is this the truth or not?
i just don?t understand why.
once again i was asked a question that i could not answer.
Thanks for all the kind words, we will let you all know how this plays out. And my husband and I will be here when they need someone to turn to, only time will tell what happens though.
thanks again and good night
he told my husband ?i don?t care, i just need to know is this the truth or not?
i just don?t understand why.
once again i was asked a question that i could not answer.
Hi All
My husband and I have shared a ton of info with a couple that we meet 2 years ago this month and they have tried to blow it off, but lately her husband has been approached by a number of the publishers and other elders who have expressed the same issues as we have, well anyway-- her husband could not take it anymore and he decided to write the Society a letter and let them know what was on his mind. She gave me a copy of the letter that he wrote and I asked her did she think that he would mind if I shared it with some of my friends on the Net
And at first he was concerned but then a few days later he told my husband that he changed his mind. He is at the point where he don?t care what they do to him. He is tired of being an elder and as he put it,
?If they are true brothers they will answer my letter in a brotherly way and if they are not- they can have their little position of elder back?
He is Pissed at what he has learned that they are doing- We told him that if we were to post his letter it could come back to bite him. He told my husband ?I don?t care, I just need to know is this the TRUTH OR NOT?
He told us do you remember what Jesus told Judas : ?DO WHAT YOU GOT TO DO AND GET IT DONE QUICKLY? and that is how he feels about whatever the Society does or does not do.
WELL HERE IS HIS LETTER HE WROTE
What do you think will happen to him???????
Sis In Distress
#################################################
Christian Congregation of Jehovah?s Witnesses
2821 Route 22
Patterson, NY 12563-2237
Dear Brothers
During the past year I have been approached privately by a number of sincere brothers and sisters about a number of disturbing issues that have taken place within the Organization. Therefore, I?m writing this letter with a heavy heart and even personal questions and issues of concern. Although the Faithful and Discreet Slave have cautioned the brothers about the need to be careful in the use of the internet (Nov 99 KM), many friends have come to have in their possession information about the Organization that have raised questions in their minds. The KM indicated that one of the dangers of the internet is that the information is ? generally not verifiable and may be untrue.? I?ve often pointed this out to the friends on many occasions, however, a number of them have taken advantage of obtaining further information by means of the Freedom of Information Act and other means such as search engines; therefore verifying that a number of things that were viewed as untrue, were in fact true.
In my desire to follow the counsel of Paul in Gal. 5:21 ?To make sure of all things?, I investigated to see if such information was true and to my surprise it was indeed true. What is most troubling to me and a number of other elders I have spoken to privately is what implications and ramifications this means for us as Jehovah God?s chosen people.
I have had the privilege of serving as an Elder, Bethelite and Pioneer over the years. In fact, I was raised from infancy in the Truth like Timothy as it were (1 Timothy 5:21). During that time as Jehovah?s people we had taken bold biblical positions that have oftentimes resulted in dear brothers putting their very lives on the line.
I was taken aback when it was presented to me that the Society was connected to the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization or NGO. While it is my understanding that the Society addressed this issue with a number of brothers by letter explaining the reason for becoming a member was to get a library card and to be recognized by the United Nations as a humanitarian organization.
I find it of great concern to know that the Society was ?REQUIRED? by the UN to do the following as taken from the UN Criteria guidelines for all NGOs:
The NGO must have the commitment and the means to conduct effective information programmes with its constituents and to a broader audience about UN activities by publishing newsletters, bulletins and pamphlets; organizing conferences, seminars and round tables; or enlisting the attention of the media ;
My dear Brothers, why would we as Jehovah?s people agree to allow the Wild Beast to use the pages of our publications to spew forth their propaganda?
A number of friends, long time elders and even a travelling brother with whom I have spoken to find it somewhat surprising that God?s Organization would allow the Wild Beast to use the columns of the magazines to put forth their message. I just don?t understand why.
When I see such requirements from the UN as below it pains my heart:
The NGO should have a satisfactory record of collaboration with UN Information Centres/Services or other parts of the UN System prior to association ;
When the friends approach me with such documentation it is very difficult to explain why we would have a ?record of collaboration with the UN?.
As one elder stated to me: ?We disfellowshipped persons for signing up with the YMCA just to use the pool, so why would the Society do this?? As Jehovah?s people we have scripturally been able to condemn the religions of Babylon the Great for doing this very thing: ?collaborating with the UN.? The question that was raised to me was:
?Are we as Jehovah?s people compromising in view of our many years of neutrality that many brothers have died for?? And I could not answer that question in view of our stated position as pointed out in the w66 6/1 p. 346 Can You Avoid the Mark of the Beast:
?There is no middle ground. Jehovah?s witnesses know this, and they know that they must keep their spirituality at a high level by watching their course of action every day. From 1919 onward they have refused to join in this international worship of the political State and the League of Nations and its successor the United Nations?
For many years the Society has been clear about not getting the mark of the wild beast either in our hand or in our forehead according to Rev 13:16, yet many dear friends have posed the question to me about the Society.
One dear sister who is a pillar in the congregation pointed out to me the June 1, 1991 article: "Their Refuge-A Lie!" where y ou brothers pointed out scripturally that Christendom had turn to the UN for help instead of waiting on Jehovah. The article asked the question:
How extensive is her involvement with this organization??
and the Society?s reply was and I quote:
?A recent book gives an idea when it states: ?No less than twenty-four Catholic organizations are represented at the UN?
Well what I found shocking is that these were NGOs the same as the Society. When I went to the United Nations website to see the listing of all it?s NGO?s the Society was listed right along with dozens and dozens of other religions looking to the UN for some type of help. To see longtime Writing Dept member Brother Ciro Aulicino and deceased Governing Body member Lloyd Barry listed as the ones who signed the application ? was shocking to say the least.
My dear Brothers please understand that I am in no way trying to question you, but it is very difficult as an Elder to have publishers present this type of clear documentation on our positions on matters from our very own publications and then try to explain it away in a satisfactory way. While it is easy to just tell the publishers to spend more time in service and meeting attendance, it in no way addresses the valid issues raised they have raised. So while many will not ask about these issues anymore it has not addressed them at all.
I hope you brothers understand why I am so concerned. To read how the Wild Beast is asking of the following of Jehovah?s Organization is something of a concern for many.
The NGO should provide an audited annual financial statement, conducted by a qualified, independent accountant ;
One longtime elder and I discussed this issue at length. Once again I was asked a question that I could not answer. On the congregational level and the circuit level an accounting of all monies are publicly presented for all to hear, yet in all my years in the Truth I had to admit to him that we have never seen the District Conventions accounting given or the Society?s accounting given for all the funds sent in along with wills, stocks, bonds, property and etc. When he asked me: ?Why has the Society never shown us their financial statements, yet they are showing the Wild Beast??
I could not honestly give a satisfactory answer to him or myself, other than we just need to trust that you brothers are using the monies for Kingdom interest. Matt 24:14
It is such questions as these that challenge many of us as we try to deal with pressures from this Old System.
You brothers will not believe how many of the dear friends (including elders) in the field are trying to cope with the ramifications of our new understanding on the ?Generation? teaching of Jesus? words in Matt 24:34.
This has in effect produced for many literally a crisis of conscience. While publicly many friends appear to have accepted the new explanations, but in private conversations the ramifications are noticeable, especially in the area of their zeal for Theocratic activities. So many of the friends including elders, merely perform their duties in a perfunctory manner.
I write this letter expressing my concern about these issues with full confidence that this letter will remain in private confidentiality between the Society and myself and not the Body of Elders.
I thank you in advance for giving me a listening ear- for I prayerfully contemplated as to whether to send this letter to you or not, but I felt that you brothers needed to know what the concerns are here in the field. May Jehovah continue to help you men to shoulder the responsibilities of providing the needed food at the proper time.
Matt 24: 44-45.
Your Brother
XXXXXXXX
PS:
Enclosed is an entire outline and instructions that I found posted on the internet. This is the type of documentation that I mentioned that is available at the fingertips of the publishers today.
i've heard for years how we should really appreciate the circuit overseers and their wives for all that they give up to enter the circuit work... do you think that's true?
?
sis in distress,it is kind of rude to copy and paste another person's words without giving them due credit, this is the second time today I've seen you do this with one of JT's posts. Has he given you permission to do this?
Dan the Man don't worry about it. Me and JT are cool. In fact, I slept with JT last night.
P.S. My silly husband didn't log me out of the computer and then posted under my name.
Lady C
he looked like al jareau/ louis farakan with his little bow tie and his wife looked like venessa williams a light skinned woman with green eyes.
they were the cooliest couple i had ever met in the traveling work- they had a style that was very unusal, in most cases the wife if often times unknown and stands in the showdow of her man, not levine she was all woman- smile.
alot of the boys had a crush on her - she never got fresh but she was just nice-.
does any one know where they are know
he looked like Al Jareau/ Louis Farakan with his little BOW TIE and his wife looked like Venessa Williams a light skinned woman with GREEN EYES
They were the cooliest couple i had ever met in the traveling work- they had a style that was very unusal, in most cases the wife if often times UNKNOWN and stands in the showdow of her MAN, not Levine she was all WOMAN- SMILE
ALOT OF THE BOYS HAD A CRUSH ON HER - she never got fresh but she was just nice-
they were a super couple that never played by wt rules and for that the local friends even elders found them to be breath of fresh air
they NEVER IN MY EXP beat the friends in THE MANNER that most are used to, they often tried to soften the blows of wt directions from the society much like many former elders here on this site tried to do, before we left-
they are no longer in the traveling work i just wonder what happed to them, did they go back to Philly
any help would be appreciated
i've heard for years how we should really appreciate the circuit overseers and their wives for all that they give up to enter the circuit work... do you think that's true?
?
They have to pay for some food,[breakfasts fruit etc] , their clothing, their medical expenses, telephone, and computer. The fact is all their needs and expenses are not cared for.This is ridiculous. Many a times as an MS I read resolutions to the congregations to pay for the CO's expeses. I've seen what they record as their expenses (I was also accounts servant) and it listed such things as cereal, the phone bill, gas and other minor things. They also get plenty of golden handshakes as well. My brother in law's grandfather was a CO and I know for a fact that he would get many "perks" from the friends. He was an avid golfer (his name was Sam Reno, btw) and he once told my brother in law that he never paid for his golf outings. In short, although you are correct that the CO life is not some sort of panacea, you are quite wrong in stating that it is economically difficult for the majority. Bradley
This is really a YES AND NO ANSWER let me explain, CO and thier wives get $20 a pc from bethel and they are to submit thier expenses to the local congo to pay- if they are in a very poor area and the congo can't pay they are to submit it to bethel/branch now this is THE KICKER IT ALL DEPENDS UPON THE CO as has been stated CO are like any other jw some are very sincere and others are not, some elders are sincere others are yes men and A$$ kissers i have exp many types of CO we had one co who would not submitt his personal expenses and we had to ask him, he would often pay out of his pocket and we would tell him we would cover it, i cked around and he did all the congo like that, esp for small items (fruit, a soda, etct) then we had OTHER CO who would give us this Itemized list of every damn thing he touched during the week for us to pay for and due to tHE MINDSET OF HE IS REP OF GOD ORG IT WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF well being that our Circiut and congo had lots of BETHLITES LIKE MYSELF we felt he was DOGGING HIM so unlike alot of local elders who may not know folks at bethel one of my boys dropped a DIME ON THE CO TO BETHEL well at the next Circuit assembly elders meeting we REFEUSED TO PAY SOME OF HIS expenses IT WAS kinda unusally but we had former bethelites like myself who werwe used to GETTING OVER ON THE BRO DUE TO OUR TITLES so when he tried to pull that trick on us as former bethjelites we called him OUT- anyway a number of the elders that day were like HE IS GOD REP, AND WE A WERE like So What!!!!!! if it had not been for the number of former bethlites in our circuit i don't think an issue would have been raised or survived disscussion at any rate we had a committee formed to meet with him and discuss his charges and he got PISSED so we dropped another DIME on his Black A$$ and he got the dog letter from the SErvice desk- THE PO IN MY hall is a Voting Member so we were not worried about him taking any titles from us as retribution for dogging him at any rate after he left our Circuit in about 4 years we found out that They are now leaving in Reston VA with his NON-JW brotherin law yep got the SHAFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
one of the main themes i have noticed to former jehovah?s witnesses boards, is the mentioning of apostate jehovah?s witness organizations and publications.
while i realize the reason behind these organizations, i also see them as far less powerful then many would like to think.
not that their efforts are wasted, as i know many take a lot of passion and time to their work.
sounds like another splinter off the old tree to me
i am thinking of writing a letter of disasociation, sometimes when faced with a hard decision i make a list, a lot of times it takes a number of lists befor i get any clearity.
here is my list so far.. 1) do i really need to in order to recover?
its been almost 8 years doesnt time help to heal?.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/5574/66584
here is a good thread my friend on this subject as well and yes feel free to contact me
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
repost
One of the most painful things I continue to see here on this forum as well as all the others is that many who want to leave wt simply don't know how to leave and remain "Intact" as it were.
I recall talking with jw who "Formally Disassociated themselves back in the 70?s and it was not till the 90?s and the net did they finally feel free
or many who ?jump UP? and write a letter off to Mo Larry and Curly (CONGREGATION SERVICE COMMITTEE)
While I feel there is absolutely nothing wrong with writing a letter for many it is a matter of
1. Poor timing and
2. not being prepared for what will follow
When I read of folks who wrote letters feeling bad or feeling that must ?meet? with the elders ? to me that means they were not ready AT THAT TIME.
The net is really the answer for all lurkers and those who are thinking about leaving ? why not Learn how to leave WT at least somewhat ?Intact?
Before writing a letter be sure to get the Pros and Cons of writing a letter- for me personally I wouldn?t waste the paper or stamp- but I fully understand for those who do ? there is no right or wrong ? should I send one or not
But more of a
1. When should I do this and
2. How-
I highly recommend throwing it out here in the forum for suggestions- the reason why is simple
The avg. jw has so little understanding of the WT Corporate Procedures when it comes to how they deal with folks
Being Former ?Society Man? the rules and policies swallow up the avg. person
I recall seeing persons who are leaving spend weeks Xeroxing 40=50 pages of copies of wt history to ?Let the bro. know why?
They don?t give a RATS A$$ and once a person comes to understand that then they know how to proceed
Much like explaining Gravity to a 6 month old baby it means absolutely nothing-
Also understanding that the avg. Joe blow elder is as much a victim as we were
What I have seen here on the net is how some of the most condemning folks ( she got low hours can?t be too spiritual)
( she can pioneer her hubby make s enough money) etc myself INCLUDED ? once we learn the truth about the truth
we feel so bad about how we treated others when we were in the Org-
I look back at some of the judicial cases that we handled and being a Society Man I went by the BOOK?
VERY LITTLE feeling for the ?Individual person? GOT TO KEEP THE ORG CLEAN-
SO FOR me know I only hope that all the folks I dealt with in an unloving way can forgive me for it was done out of ignorance and being blinded.
So for any who want to get out--------- please and I beg of you feel free to ask here on the forum what things you need to consider so when you decided to make your move ? you can LEAVE INTACT
JAMES
"I'd rather have questions I can't answer than questions I can't ask (or answers I can't question)."
i am thinking of writing a letter of disasociation, sometimes when faced with a hard decision i make a list, a lot of times it takes a number of lists befor i get any clearity.
here is my list so far.. 1) do i really need to in order to recover?
its been almost 8 years doesnt time help to heal?.
The whole thread on this subject is here
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/9/60973/1.ashx
REPOST?FROM JT- YOU CAN CONTACT HIM IF YOU LIKE
let me share with you where this entire concept of "Dissassocation" came from and then you decide-
one of my mentors at bethel explained to a group of us young bucks how this came about his name is RP Johnson, he is known is the Service Dept as a "Troubleshooter"
for the society, he will fly out to an area and remove entire bodies of elders and appoint men on THE SPOT AS ELDERS
he explained to us that it DA is the brainchild of the Legal Dept to enable the wt to be free of legal liablity
in many countries if a young man went to the army he would be hauled into a committee and dfed, well in some countries the gov views this judical action as forcing a citizen to renounce serving his country
so the society needed a way to get folks like that "He!! Out" without having to be libel
so the legal dept along with the service came up with this wonderful concept called DA - where one by letter or Actions- ( THAT HAVE BEEN DEFINED BY THE SOCIETY) would constitute grounds for classifying one as being DAed
so what they are now able to do is avoid having the elders take any ACTION such as calling you, setting up a committee meeting, meeting with the person again and then finally making a decision,
instead they are able to get you A$$ without having to lay a finger on you
in fact the society WANTS YOU TO SEND THAT LETTER-- o yea baby- they want you to send that letter
in fact they are going to continue to move wt violations over from DFing Status to DAed status in due to protecting them
in fact they have recently moved TRANSFUSION from DFing to DA,. the legal ramification is to great to have a sick person A BEING THREATEN WITH a Judical committee if they take the blood
it is viewed as coreicion- so instead now they simply find out you took blood and say
"She has DA herself by her action" case closed and the elders never had to touch the case, the society's service dept was never called about how to handle this case-
it's like big time drug dealers don';t haul drugs around in their car and they are always sitting at some Huge Party on thier yachts when Leroy is getting shot in the streets of /Detriot
yep they keep their hands clean- same with wt now
in fact from what i understand more and more issues will be moved over from DF to DA
so while for some it give them closure and that is good, for others they are not fully prepared for the backlash
each person must decide for themselves
When folks come to the net and mention they are concerned about how THEIR FAMILY WILL TAKE IT
to me that is a flag that DA might be something to consider latter
but if one comes here and says-- my folks, cousin, bro sister can kiss my "Black A$$"
then DA will have no affect on you
i tell folks to always make sure before you cut all ties and that is what DA often does due to the wt programming in its; memebers to view you as wicked-
the wt has programmed jw to react like an ATM Machine on the 3rd WRONG TRY with your PIN number it SHUTS DOWN
and that is how JW are programmed to act- if that will not bother you THEN GO FOR IT, BUT if at this point it will then hold up
personally since i know what the basis is for the wt asking for you to DA yourself i wouldn't waste the paper and stamp, but hey that just me-
we faded and it was the best way to go, for after a period of time you don't really give a Sh!t what they think
but more important in my view is you give yourself time to BUILD ANEW CLIENTE OF FRIENDS
and the reason why is that most former jw ONLY HAD JW friends and when one DA themselves and they have not built up a cliente of new friends a DEEP DEPRESSION SITS IN FAST
my wife and i used to have 20-30 former jw, dfed , da and just plain ole tired and wore out jw- smile
here at the house to help them make the transition to THE REAL WORLD and it ain';t easy
all im trying to say is WHY MAKE THE TRANSITION HARDER THAN IT HAS TO BE
So that is why i often recommend fading due to the fact that most persons are simply NOT PREPARED FOR THE BACKLASH
keep this in mind :
if you decide to fade and you get to that point where it matters not- you can always DA down the roadf
but once you DA, if you are not ready, YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK to Pre-DA days
so it often times revolves around the relationship with family and friends
by fading it made it possible to help others since according to THIER RULES THEY COULD STILL TALK TO YOU-
SO WE used to used it to Pose THINKING QUESTION if we had DA we would not even have been able to talk to them, if it matters not to you THEN GO FOR IT
but we were able to help my inlaws, mother, bro and sister to see
they knew i was very serious about this religion, elder, bethelite, and then all of a sudden i gave up ALL TITLE
so they wanted to know why AND WE started dropping seeds of questions
and in a couple of days my inlaws will be here in DC for some good times
just my 2
if yo like feel free to call me
here in DC---301-209-4629
or at
one of the main themes i have noticed to former jehovah?s witnesses boards, is the mentioning of apostate jehovah?s witness organizations and publications.
while i realize the reason behind these organizations, i also see them as far less powerful then many would like to think.
not that their efforts are wasted, as i know many take a lot of passion and time to their work.
I fully agree that there will not be any BRINGING DOWN OF THE WT and the reason is simple, history teaches us that there are very few things in life that impacts folks as much as the concept of "GOD" and all the things that are attached to that concept, - ie- holy book, prophets, holy temples, ritual, rules, organized structure, a social circle known as bro & sis, etc-
this basic foundation is found in practicallY ALL BELEIF SYSTEMS in some form or another,
the best example that i can site it the catholic church, - it currently has over a billions follower, yet a person using Critical thinking would look at the facts and conclude they should have very very few if any followers, and why
well look at their track record, they have Killed, murder, tortured and brutalized more folks in the name of god than perhaps any other well known, faith,
with that as the history of the church, one would assume that very few folks would look at all that blood on the alter of innocent men, women and child and conclude THE "LARD" not :ord, but the "LARD" is indeed using this group-
and this can be repeated over and over and over- in all kinds of belief systems, even when exposed there are always some followers who will give them a WAVER- IN some cases more folks give them a bye and perhaps in other cases less folks, but the bottom line is THEY WILL GET A BYE from their followers
so to me i see very little difference in the basic foundation upon which for the most part all BELEIF SYSTEMS ARE BUILT
"We speak for god , don't listen to US and our god will kill you"
that is the basic message at it's core level, and it has to be for withouf scaring the hell out of folks how else could one get others to do the GOOFY STUFF THAT belief systems require of it's folllowers
the concept of PUNISHMENT AND REWARD IS as old as man and that is the foundation upon which belief systems operate
and it's kinda cool at just how EFFECTIVE it has proven to be over the years-
so after the Break with the Catholic church with the Prodesant Reformation the church didn't tumble down, it just merely reworked some dogmas and techniques of recuritment and kept on stepping and the same with JW if one take a serious look at the Wt of the year 2003 and the wt of 1903, there is almost no comparision, and that is the same for most belief system, they either change or die out- and most Opt to change to survive-
take a look at your avg church, my mom tells me that most churches almost on a monthly basis - at least regualarly had a sermon on sunday that was HELL FIRE AND BRIMSTONE and she would tell us that when she was a little girl she would come home scared shi!tless
now on monday go to work and ask your avg fellow employee when was the last they had a sermon on a ADULTRY, PREMARTIAL SEX AMONG YOUNG AND OLD FOLK leading to HELLL AND BRIMSTONE
INSTEAD MOST sermons ARE FLOWERY soft peddle not to offend type, and WHY well that Sh! t don';t work today
trying to scare kids who dress and look like Snop Dog and Tupac that they are going to hell is a JOKE!!!!!!!!!!1
In my exp in dealing with former jw very few of the real serious ones who are "Organizing" any type of effort don't do so with the intent or desire to BRIING WT DOWn - most do it simlply to inform the public and current jw of what THE REAL DEAL IS-
IF there are legal ramifications that cost wt a few dollars all well and good, but i have found very few who seriously think that wt will fall
religon and belief system by default typically don't fall due to the fact of the product they selL
THEY SELL HOPE AND as long as mankind has problems, issues and challenges there will always be a need for Hope-
as long as folks drive SUV we will need GAS - if the gas engine is replaced, places like Iraq will never see troops regardless of how their folks are treated- same with the need for Hope, if the desires of mankind are filled and we have no need to hope for something better, either in this life --osperty Mininstries--or the life after the --PEARLY GATES OF HEAVEN -- MOST OTHER CHURCHES then the product that most belief systems sell will be useless-
so in my exp very few former jw are holding thier breath for wt to fall, it is like any other INSTITUTION it is self surviving,
look at communism there are folks out in Russia who still want to go back to that system- so folks longing for things even if it is GOOFY will always be here
just remember this about religion or Beleif Systems
Religion is what the common people see as true, the wise people see as false, and the rulers see as useful."
-Roman philosopher Seneca-
i'm new to this forum and i am in desparate need of help.
i recently started a new job and i just found out that my new employer is a witness kid.
in fact, i made the big mistake of talking about the jw's although i did not reveal that i am one.
Thanks everyone for your advice. I have decided not to take this any further. But I won't know what he's going to do until Monday morning. I'm hoping he has decided to drop the issue. However, due to the fact that he's already called Bethel, I think not. Can you believe I was actually sitting in his office when he called the society? I could hear it in the tone of the brothers voice that they were very frustrated with my boss for calling. In fact, they asked him why he had not called the local congregation yet? The only thing the brothers did was referenced a Watchtower article for him to look up. What a trip!!!
I will definitely keep you all posted as to what happens tomorrow. Thanks again for your help.