Posts by maksutov

77

GEOFFREY JACKSON TO APPEAR BEFORE ROYAL COMMISSION ON FRIDAY 14TH August!!!

by defender of truth in

the royal commissions public hearing into the jehovahs witnesses will recommence in sydney on friday 14 august 2015 at 11:00am.. it is anticipated that the hearing will hear from one witness, mr geoffrey jackson, a member of the governing body of jehovahs witnesses.. .

.

www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/2015-08/public-hearing-into-the-jehovah%e2%80%99s-witnesses-to-rec.

maksutov

So he can pull the plug when things get difficult and blame technology? Or am I being cynical?

60

$$ Get your ROKU on! $$

by pixel in

to all congregations in the united states branch territory.

re: discount on roku devices.

dear brothers:.

maksutov

When I went to an international convention, we were strongly encouraged to book through the Society's travel agent, with the Society's approved hotel. It was very expensive, but we were told they had negotiated a special deal. The hotel staff hated us (not without reason - JWs were stealing food they weren't entitled to). The hotel 'accidentally' forgot to provide breakfast on one of the mornings. I guess we deserved it.

60

$$ Get your ROKU on! $$

by pixel in

to all congregations in the united states branch territory.

re: discount on roku devices.

dear brothers:.

maksutov

Their standard affiliate scheme pays 5%, so the borg are probably getting at least that much. https://www.roku.com/about/affiliate

32

Branch Manual 2015

by Marvin Shilmer in

apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided.

the royal commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 branch manual.

watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible.

maksutov

Page 100, is also interesting, and maybe illegal in some countries:

"Files for Those Disfellowshipped and Disassociated: A permanent file of those disfellowshipped and disassociated is kept. If S-79a/b cards are used by the branch office, they are filed alphabetically by last name, first name, and middle name and should be stored in a very secure, locked room."

32

Branch Manual 2015

by Marvin Shilmer in

apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided.

the royal commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 branch manual.

watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible.

maksutov

Page 47, talking about a bethelite being disfellowshipped, and having lost an appeal:

"When the disfellowshipping is upheld, there is no further arrangement for appeal. However, if an individual persists in believing a serious error in judgment has occurred, the appeal committee should inform him that he may submit his allegations in writing to the appeal committee within seven days for transmittal to the Branch Committee. The appeal committee should not mention this provision unless the individual indicates that he believes a serious error in judgment has occurred."

Bold and italics theirs.

So much for transparency. This is how they treat their own - the ones who have given up having their own life and dedicated themselves to the organisation. They don't even tell them what measures of redress are available to them unless they specifically ask.

13

shunning verses victamization

by Sabin in

i know i`ve put this out there before but i want to put it in a different context & see what you think.

i`ve shunned my parents for 20 years (farther, step-mother) because they victimized me every day of my life as a child, believe me when i tell you that writing this , is unbelievable hard, it is making me shake & cry to be pulling up the memories.

all of what happened i could have forgiven, but one thing.

maksutov

Hi Sabin, firstly, I apologise if I gave the impression I was accusing you of feeling unjustly hard done by - I was merely offering an opinion on the overall impression I immediately get when I hear certain words. You have evidently been through a great deal of hardship, and have probably given the subject a lot more thought than I have. I agree it is hard to put into words the complex web of actions, reactions, and emotions that result from the demands and behaviours of a high control group like the JWs.

I thought you were floating the idea that we should stop using the word 'shunning', and start using 'victimisation' instead. My take on that is that if a person really understands what the word means, it may well convey the pain and injustice more accurately, however, I don't think most people would immediately recognise the meaning of that word in the same way you do, and as such, much of its power to convey understanding is lost. But if you are advocating increasing awareness of what is involved in victimisation, I'm all for that.

Just as a side note, and for completeness, another word that possibly fits the situation quite well is 'ostracism'. That does focus on the bully and carries a negative connotation - it is less likely that someone would use it in a positive or justified way.

86

Geoffrey Jackson. Seems he will be compelled to front up.

by umbertoecho in

pray for brother jackson of the governing body!.

in todays news from australia it appears that, despite his previous declination to appear when invited, justice mcclellan from the australian royal commission on child sex abuse will officially summon brother geoffrey jackson to the stand after all.. ..... the commission was due to conclude its hearings into the jehovahs witnesses on wednesday but justice mcclellan said he will now call geoffrey jackson, a senior member of the churchs governing body in new york who is currently in australia, to appear next week.. .

source.

maksutov

It would be interesting if Mr Stewart were to ask Jackson whether any member of the GB, past or present had ever been accused of sexual abuse of a child.

13

shunning verses victamization

by Sabin in

i know i`ve put this out there before but i want to put it in a different context & see what you think.

i`ve shunned my parents for 20 years (farther, step-mother) because they victimized me every day of my life as a child, believe me when i tell you that writing this , is unbelievable hard, it is making me shake & cry to be pulling up the memories.

all of what happened i could have forgiven, but one thing.

maksutov

To my mind, the word 'victimization' is not very strong - it makes me think of someone who feels as though they have been hard done by (whether justified or not). 'Shunning' seems like a stronger word to me, although it might still not be clear whether the shunning is justified or not. I think the word 'bullying' is appropriate, although that can imply some form of ongoing active interference in the victim's life, which is usually not the case. 'Emotional blackmail' is another appropriate term, although it still doesn't seem strong enough to describe the devastation caused. 'Emotional abuse' might be used, but again that implies direct action, not withdrawal of interaction. I'm not sure there is a word or phrase in the English language that ideally fits the definition of JW shunning.

25

SO IM JUST WONDERIN.....

by brandnew in

jw
friends

as the story of "annointed" ones goes.....when their spouse is left behind on earth, are they free to remarry?

that would kinda suck, being in heaven...watching the wifey , or hubby gettin doinked by someone new.

just sayin.....shewt...i got way too much time on my hands..

maksutov

Blondie: Were those angels seeking sex (since they were neither male nor female in heaven) or power/legacy of having children, forming their own tribe and rulership? I believe it was not sex but the latter, building up their families and power and rulership on earth, something they could not do in heaven unable to have offspring.

But Gen 6:2 specifically says that they were enticed by the women's looks:

Gen 6:2: the sons of the true God began to notice that the daughters of men were beautiful. So they began taking as wives all whom they chose.

22

Evolution is not even a theory! So says the WTBTS writing dept!!

by DATA-DOG in

has anyone read the new awake ragazine??

it's a doozy!!

i thought we had a thread concerning this subject, but i can't find it.

maksutov

Finkelstein: Biological evolution isn't a theory anymore its an accepted and proven science.Its was a proposed theory in Darwin's day.

The word 'theory', when applied to a scientific theory, does not mean what most people think it means. Biological evolution by natural selection is a theory, and always will be. It is also a fact. A scientific theory is not just a guess, a hunch, or a hypothesis - it is a model that explains how and why something works.