Posts by AMNESIAN

24

Dateline Precursor: CBS 60 Min. w/Leslie Stahl

by Room 215 in

how many of you out there remember the cbs 60 minutes program several years ago when correspondent leslie stahl examined the jw child custody issues?

it may well have provided a clue as to how the upcoming dateline segement will play out.

predictably, the society emerged with something of a black eye, especially because of its cowardly refusal to produce even one gb or bethel bigshot spokesman to defend its duplicitous policies.

AMNESIAN

Room ,

Upon re-viewing the "60 Minutes" piece by Leslie Stahl, my exceptionally keen skills of investigative analysis reveal that its original broadcast was the last Sunday of December, 1992. I had been pretty certain that it'd aired quite some time ago and I'd recalled correctly.

Just fyi, the clues were obscure, but I managed to apply my incredible powers of deduction: the commercials that ran wished viewers "Happy Holidays from CBS"; an ad for Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes ran---deadline for contestants' entries, January 29, 1993; finally, and the toughest to crack, was Mike Wallace's sign-off at the end of the broadcast with "That's it for tonight. We'll be back next year with more episodes of '60 Minutes.'" Boy, am I good.

Btw, in re-watching the program, I am able to objectively conclude that there were significant aspects of Stahl's on-camera interview with an attorney who was a JW and her overall presentation that, imo, made her arguments much less persuasive than they might have been. Neither did the non-JW parents fighting for custody make strong cases for why they would be better custodial parents for their children other than the fact that the JW lifestyle is so restrictive for youngsters. Imo, that is quite the weak argument in a society that is arguably too indulgent and permissive with its minors. There is much, much more that is indicting of JW life for adults and children alike than the fact that they are generally forbidden participation in extracurricular activities and have to go door-to-door. It's the stuff that's not even mentioned in the fine print in the shiny, smiley marketing brochures, the stuff you don't learn until you've signed on the dotted line that should have parents fleeing with their children in tow as far away from WT dogma and practices as possible.

Anyway, from what I am reliably informed regarding the upcoming "Dateline" broadcast, I am confident that its impact will far exceed that "60 Minutes" might have had---owing both to its content and presentation and the fact of today's highly-sensitized environment regarding the subject on tap.

Bluesapphire ,

I'm happy to make you a copy of the telecast. I am going to dub it onto a fresh cassette---hope the quality doesn't degrade much---and add the "Dateline" story to it. I'll then make you a copy. Contact me at my email with your mailing particulars.

AMNESIAN

24

Dateline Precursor: CBS 60 Min. w/Leslie Stahl

by Room 215 in

how many of you out there remember the cbs 60 minutes program several years ago when correspondent leslie stahl examined the jw child custody issues?

it may well have provided a clue as to how the upcoming dateline segement will play out.

predictably, the society emerged with something of a black eye, especially because of its cowardly refusal to produce even one gb or bethel bigshot spokesman to defend its duplicitous policies.

AMNESIAN

Room 215:

My question is whether you've marked down the date it ran.

Good question. I just pulled it out and the earliest date I have recorded on the label is April 15, 1996, however, I have a few other pieces on the tape with dates showing June, 1999 and one from October, 2000---stuff I wanted to keep. I'll re-view the tape and see if I can pick up from the broadcast when it actually ran. I won't be able to do that, though, before the week-end, but as soon as I have I will post it. I am curious myself as my recollection seems to be that the broadcast was longer ago than 1996, but obviously I could be mistaken.

AMNESIAN

24

Dateline Precursor: CBS 60 Min. w/Leslie Stahl

by Room 215 in

how many of you out there remember the cbs 60 minutes program several years ago when correspondent leslie stahl examined the jw child custody issues?

it may well have provided a clue as to how the upcoming dateline segement will play out.

predictably, the society emerged with something of a black eye, especially because of its cowardly refusal to produce even one gb or bethel bigshot spokesman to defend its duplicitous policies.

AMNESIAN

I still have the ep on videotape. I was so offended by the segment at the time that I drafted a rebuttal letter to the producers that I wound up never sending. I did stop watching "60 Minutes" for quite some time and developed quite the cynical attitude toward those Stahl stories whenever I did watch. <shakes head>.

My own reaction then is probably a reliable indicator of what to expect from sincere true believers in reaction to next week's Dateline piece. Otoh, I don't believe there are nearly as many true believers in the organization today as there were back in the 20th century when the GB had not done as much back-peddling, waffling and about-faces as they have in years hence and there was still the expectation, however dwindling, that Armageddon might occur before the year 2000 [8>].

What I personally expect is that there will be plenty of JWs, already wrestling with doubt and loss of confidence, who will dutifully protest the unfairness of the pedophilia report and the treachery of "apostates" with their lips while harboring profound concerns privately---concerns whose pernicious effects on the religion will become increasingly evident to the leadership.

Anyway, your post causes me to plan to re-view that "60 Minutes" piece sometime before Tuesday.

Btw, why is this topic posted to this forum? Just curious.

AMNESIAN

38

there, their and they're

by LDH in

jw
friends

ok, quick posting tips.... there= a location.

"the contribution box is over there.

a quantity.

AMNESIAN

Spell Chequer

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

-Author Unknown
---
AMNESIAN

38

X-FILES Final Episode

by Yerusalyim in

jw
friends

ok, i just watched the final episode of the x-files!

who else is disappointed?

does this mean that dana and mulder are christians now?

AMNESIAN

Scully is Catholic. I don't recall Mulder ever having mentioned his affiliation. Scully had her god, Mulder had his UFOs.

Scully is Catholic, moreso nominally now than when she teamed with Mulder. She lapsed considerably after her abduction and drifted in and out of faith as she dealt with her various crises, e.g., cancer, death of her first child, Emily.

My impression isn't that Mulder is suddenly Catholic. Rather, that he conceded that there could be a higher power. Possibly.

The point has been made on innummerable occasions that Mulder does not believe in God, although there has been suggestion that his family may have been secular Jews. Some of his and Scully's most vigorous disagreements have owed to her religious faith and his absolute refusal to believe in God while wholeheartedly embracing the existence of aliens and all manner of paranormal phenomena. His words in the final act of "The Truth," though, do suggest he's come to believe that there might be some higher force "out there" and life after death, to which Scully replied "Then we believe the same thing."

During its run, TX-F has had a barely-concealed religious slant, many of its episodes each season even tackling the subject head on.

zev,

That's not even a credible fake of GA!

AMNESIAN

38

X-FILES Final Episode

by Yerusalyim in

jw
friends

ok, i just watched the final episode of the x-files!

who else is disappointed?

does this mean that dana and mulder are christians now?

AMNESIAN

As with every one of its 9 seasons and the movie, I loved the finale, "The Truth." Sure, there are episodes out of every season that don't make my favorites list, but the series overall is the best drama tv has ever seen, imo, and Mulder and Scully my all time favorite fictional characters.

Although I continued to watch the Doggett/Reyes episodes---really grew to like Doggett, not so much Reyes---I consider the real "The X-Files" Mulder and Scully. Period. I eagerly await the next movie to catch up with the best damn crime/alien-fighting duo ever. I love that they are pressing on together on the same page finally.

As for my having been a JW during my TX-F addiction, I was definitely a closet fan, not wanting to "stumble" my brothers. There were only three JWs who ever knew of my fanaticism---2 were a husband-wife couple who were closet fans themselves; the other was my husband who wasn't a fan himself but had no problem with my being one. What a ridiculous life for a grown woman to have submitted to and for so many years.

AMNESIAN

10

The New Book

by metatron in

jw
friends

i have read thru the new book to be released at the assemblies.. it is intended to replace the "united" book in moving people.

into baptism.

i think it's called worship the true god.

AMNESIAN

Whoa, hold up, time out.

Say what? What new book to replace "United in Worship..."? What's its title? What are its table of contents? Most urgently, what color is it?

Seriously, did I miss discussion of this somewhere???

It's not like you to be coy---or so brief . No mention of the blood doctrine ---surely you missed it!--- or Jesus' death on the "torture stake"??? Details, man, details. Effective advertising results from knowledge of one's product.

Thanks,

AMNESIAN

5

California, USA Circuit Being Dissolved

by AMNESIAN in

according to the cos service talk this week to a local congregation, a southern california circuit is being disbanded, its congregations dispersed to other circuits.

as i was not there and did not hear his comments first-hand, i have no further information.

i doubt, however, that being there wouldve yielded much more in the way of info as i am told that, naturally, he gave no reason(s) and simply reported that this circuit would be acquiring two additional congregations while a currently-assigned one would be moving to another circuit.. while shuffling congregations among circuits is not an extraordinary occurrence here, dissolving one altogether that draws from its many urban communities is.

AMNESIAN

Additional bit of info: name of the CO of the circuit disbanding is Patterson. The circuit meets at the Woodland Hills AH of JWs.

-AMNESIAN

5

California, USA Circuit Being Dissolved

by AMNESIAN in

according to the cos service talk this week to a local congregation, a southern california circuit is being disbanded, its congregations dispersed to other circuits.

as i was not there and did not hear his comments first-hand, i have no further information.

i doubt, however, that being there wouldve yielded much more in the way of info as i am told that, naturally, he gave no reason(s) and simply reported that this circuit would be acquiring two additional congregations while a currently-assigned one would be moving to another circuit.. while shuffling congregations among circuits is not an extraordinary occurrence here, dissolving one altogether that draws from its many urban communities is.

AMNESIAN

According to the CO’s service talk this week to a local congregation, a Southern California circuit is being disbanded, its congregations dispersed to other circuits. As I was not there and did not hear his comments first-hand, I have no further information. I doubt, however, that being there would’ve yielded much more in the way of info as I am told that, naturally, he gave no reason(s) and simply reported that this circuit would be acquiring two additional congregations while a currently-assigned one would be moving to another circuit.

While shuffling congregations among circuits is not an extraordinary occurrence here, dissolving one altogether that draws from its many urban communities is. In the past it has always been the case here that you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a JW. Things, apparently, are changing.

-AMNESIAN

8

Chicago Sun-Times - JW's Face Sex Scandal

by Jackson in

jw
friends

the chicago sun-times in todays issue has decided that the jehovah's witness molestation story has merit and printed it.

the story is in the religion section page 32. the headline is "jehovah's witnesses face sex scandal.

" the story describes the tribulation of william bowen in kentucky who has tried his best to get to wts to clean up the congregation as to child molesters.

AMNESIAN

Seeker4:

For an organziation that for decades has harped on not doing anything that "would bring reproach on Jehovah's name,"...

"Jehovah's name," of course, always understood tacitly to really mean "the [WTBTS] organization."

...they sure royally fucked up this time.

How's that for ironic justice? The very same thought occurred to me.

AMNESIAN