Posts by maksutov

69

Could the Independent Inquiry in England and Wales expose jw.org's child abuse failures? And how can we help?

by defender of truth in

with all the talk about the org's policies and failures regarding child sexual abuse being publically exposed in australia, i thought that it may be a good time to highlight this... i apologise if this has already been discussed, but on the 9th of july the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in england and wales was opened.

here is some information regarding it's aims.. "about the inquiry.

the inquiry offers an unprecedented opportunity to examine the extent to which institutions and organisations in england and wales have taken seriously their responsibility to protect children.. the inquiry will investigate a wide range of institutions including:.

maksutov

I just sent this:

Hello,

I understand you are currently considering which institutions to investigate as case studies in your inquiry. I would like to recommend that you include Jehovah's Witnesses as one of your case studies, as they have consistently refused to make improvements to their child protection policies (believing as they do, that their archaic and inflexible interpretation of the Bible is superior to "worldly" best practice).

You are no doubt aware that the JWs were included as a case study in the Australian Royal Commission, which exposed the severity of the situation (their policies and practices are pretty much identical in every country in which they operate).

Thank you for considering this request, and I send my best wishes and support for your work over the coming years. I am hopeful that it will have a positive impact on the lives of many children.

81

Do you believe Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body is the "faithful slave"?

by Marvin Shilmer in

this question is known to be posed by jws to other jws as an acid test of loyalty.

i'm not the first to notice what i'm about to point out and comment accordingly, but today i felt compelled to add a short article on my blog highlighting the new language that governing body member geoffrey jackson supplies as a response.

a person who honestly hesitates to respond with a robust "yes!

maksutov

I know I shouldn't feed the trolls, but...

SimonSays: Better email the Pontiff to let him know that he’s mistaken about papal infallibility and worldwide Bishops are liars according to you people, since they hold themselves to a higher standard than the GB. The Pope speaks directly with God, and the Bishops are Apostles according to their creed.

You are correct, the pope is mistaken about papal infallibility. I don't think we have grounds to call all bishops liars unless they actually make deliberately deceptive statements though. It is very clear that GJ tried to use prevarication to deceive. But that's not really the point of this thread. There is clearly a stark incongruity between the way GJ answered the question (as to whether the GB are God's spokespeople) in comparison to the required response of a rank-and-file JW whose loyalty to the organisation is being questioned. Of course you can claim that technically he was telling the truth, but that doesn't resolve the irony.

81

Do you believe Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body is the "faithful slave"?

by Marvin Shilmer in

this question is known to be posed by jws to other jws as an acid test of loyalty.

i'm not the first to notice what i'm about to point out and comment accordingly, but today i felt compelled to add a short article on my blog highlighting the new language that governing body member geoffrey jackson supplies as a response.

a person who honestly hesitates to respond with a robust "yes!

maksutov

I don't think it will make the slightest bit of difference to the way a fader is treated. Consistency and logic have never been their strongest points.

30

Hello!

by BeautifulMind in

jw
friends

i've been enjoying all of the discussions here for a good while now.

i found this site as i was researching things about this religion i've been in (finally after nagging curiosity and questions) but i wanted to figure things out more before coming on here and posting.

i'm glad to see that im not alone or crazy!

maksutov

Yay! Another family freed! Well done.

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.