Sometime in the late 1970s or early 1980s the Society published a half-hearted apology for being too eager regarding the 1975 issue.
Amazing1914
JoinedPosts by Amazing1914
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34
Selling homes and property - pre-1975
by Bonnie_Clyde ini just had a discussion with a relative who attended the district convention.
he gave me the booklet, "keep on the watch.
" according to him, the speaker who introduced the booklet talked about the people who were stumbled because of the change in understanding regarding "this generation.
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Day 8, Visit to BRCI
by jst2laws inhello my loyal friends who apparently have little to do in life considering you are reading this thread.
we are in chicago for two days for the brci conference.
brci?
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Amazing1914
Hi Jst2laws,
Ray Franz was not involved in the creation of BRCI ... and he has never served on its board or been a member. He has attended. Before posting a rebuttal, please call me. Thanks. - Jim W.
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125
It's Time to Find New Vistas
by Farkel ini cannot compete with threads anymore.
they beat me!
threads about pit bulls and other dogs and virginity get all the attention.
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Amazing1914
Dave,
Thanks. I really appreciate your kind comments.
PS: Wow, I can't believe I said all that without using one god dammed cuss word.
No shit Sherlock ! ... you're good !
PS: Check your PMs. I left you my work number. Call me when you can. Thanks again. - Jim W.
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125
It's Time to Find New Vistas
by Farkel ini cannot compete with threads anymore.
they beat me!
threads about pit bulls and other dogs and virginity get all the attention.
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Amazing1914
Farkel,
I understand where you are coming from. However, if I have not told you so before, then I need to say it now: You have two excellent talents. You are great on the piano ... a musical inspiration. You also have a unique way of taking topics other people miss and turning them into humor par excellence ... all the while teaching a lesson as you expose the lunacy of the Watchtower. This second talent, in my opinion, should work its way into books about life ... you would and should be a best seller. Then you could sip a scotch and play your heart out on the old ivorys ... as you watch the dollars flood into the bank.
When you get a chance, give me a call. I will also try calling you tomorrow. - Jim W.
Dave: Thanks for the honorable mention ... I appreciate being mentioned in such good company.
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Watchtower Society holding personal information / files?
by Celtic ina matter just occurred to me a few minutes ago which was on my mind quite a long while back.. does the local kh and the society hold personal information and/or files about members and/or former members?
if they do, how long do they keep this information?
is this a fully legal practice?.
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Amazing1914
Farkel,
(Sorry to make light of such a serious subject, Amazing1914)
No problemo ... your "Farkel with a Sparkel" humor is sorely needed around here ... well there too ... in fact, everywhere.
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Watchtower Society holding personal information / files?
by Celtic ina matter just occurred to me a few minutes ago which was on my mind quite a long while back.. does the local kh and the society hold personal information and/or files about members and/or former members?
if they do, how long do they keep this information?
is this a fully legal practice?.
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Amazing1914
Hi Celtic,
Does the local KH and the Society hold personal information and/or files about members and/or former members? If they do, how long do they keep this information? Is this a fully legal practice?
The Kingdom Hall Elders are supposed to destroy a file after 5 years (or the local statute of limitations, whichever is shorter). However, they can retain files longer for ongoing cases. Where a person was removed as a Pioneer or Elder or Disfellowshipped or Disassociated, the Society will retain a copy of the "action" forever. They are a religion, and therefore, not regulated by the government.
What access rights do I have to gain access to my files held by the local KH or WT HQ in London?
You have no rights. The best you might do is to have a lawyer subpeona you records, but you have to have an cause of cation, and you would only get a copy. The original would stay with the Kingdom Hall. A copy would be sent to the Society because your request would have alerted their legal department.
Is this practice a worldwide practice and if so what are the rights elsewhere of former members to see what they, the WT has about them or has written about them?
Yes, it is worldwide. Most nations have religious freedom, including the UK. So, the likelihood you would have special rights would be uncommon. In those nations where the individual has rights over the Society, the Society would not keep such records or not keep them in that country.
How do I obtain a full copy of such information?
File a lawsuit, and hire the best lawyer money can buy. Also, given my recent deposition and trial testimony, I was confronted with some issues from my past ... embarassing ... and very old, dating back nearly thirty years ago ... but the Society saw fit to bring them up to me in a failed attempt to upset me, and get under my skin. So, my advice to any active JWs who are thinking about leaving the religion: NEVER hand in anything in writing ... and never confess to anything at any time for any reason whatsoever. For everything you say can and will be used and twisted against you. Jim W.
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Congradulations to Valis!
by Farkel injust a quick note to let you folks know that valis has been approved for his trans-gender surgery!
he has scheduled his several operations to be completed and he will be finished with his recovery from the operations in time to be the maid of honor at not perfect yet's upcoming wedding!
his new name will be "valisia.
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Amazing1914
Yep Farkel,
You nailed this one to a tee ... but be careful, certain people are humor impaired, and may over-react.
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Are we giving the Watchtower more power than it deserves?
by willowstreet injust recently, npy and myself were at a party and the subject came up as to how we knew six.
i found myself hesitate to explain that our connection was that we had all been jehovah's witnesses.. after i told them...it was no big deal.
they all explained how they had been penecostal and catholic and they had their abusive stories to tell... we were all the same.. .
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Amazing1914
Hi Willowstreet,
"After I told them...it was no big deal. They all explained how they had been Penecostal and Catholic and they had their abusive stories to tell." ... "We were all the same."
If a woman tells her story about some trauma, a man might try and relate to it by making some comparative statement ... but does he really understand? Does that comparative statement make men and women the same? I find that when Pentecostals, Catholics and Baptists, etc. make such comparisons about their own problems with their religions, they are sincerely trying to make a connection. However, having grown up Catholic and also functionsed in other religions, I find there is no real comparison, except in certain congregations where the pastor goes goofy. Pentecostals, for example, are overall a nice group. They have few cult-like features. Sometimes a Pentecostal pastor will become a cult leader. Whereas Jehovah's Witnesses are a cult from top to bottom, stem to stern, inside and out, through and through.
The point is...I think we make a bigger deal of our past affiliation than it deserves to be.
I believe that some x-JWs do carry on too much over too long a period. Some ex-JWs go as far as connecting the Watchtower to conspiracy theories that affiliate them with the ever-feared secretive Illuminate. Some ex-JWs even attribute special Biblical fulfillment to the Watchtower, making them he Wild beast of Revelation. But, otherwise, I don't think we make too big a deal on average. We need to work out what happened to us, and try to make sense of it, heal, and move on. As you watch these discussion boards, ex-JWs come, stay for a while, and many move on ... some stay for various reasons, usually good reasons. I don't see much in the way of unhealthy attitudes or makeing too big a deal.
Its kinda narcisistic really. We are not special because we are ex witnesses, remember, we deluded ourselves into thinking we were something special while we were in the organization. Could we be doing the same thing ... but this time because we are ex witnesses?.
I agree that for a time after leaving the Watchtower, a person could and sometimes does go through new delusions as they evolve and adjust back into normal society. However, it took a great deal to end the initial delusion of being a JW in the first place ... I have not found ex-JWs on average to be self-deluded very often. Most are the opposite, far more hard core realists who have lost all sense of fantasy.
Maybe its all in our head?
No, it is not all in our heads. It was all very real. The self-delusions are in a person's head. The extremely negative experiences are not in their heads. Sorting it all out takes time and some of this involves getting our "head" clear.
Why give it more authority and power, unless we believe it to be somehting that it is not.
True. The healing, sorting, discovery, discussion, debate, additional research, sharing, growing, evolving, and moving forward all help us to end Watchtower authority. It takes time to openly engage in new things like celebrating birthdays, Christmas, etc. without feeling odd, nervous, like a fish out of water. It takes time before being able to fully be who we really are ... good normal people who have a right to enjoy life as normal people do.
Jim W.
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WHY ARE THE WT LAWYERS RUNNING THE SHOW?
by badboy in.
it has been mentioned how the wt lawyers are checking the magazines for anything offbeat etc etc.. why do the lawyers appearing to be running the show?
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Amazing1914
The lawyers are involved because much of what the Society has published in the past is coming back to haunt them. Eventually, this will lead to their religion becoming "milk-toast" like all the other Protestant groups who used to be militant. The law is a wonderful thing at times. Jim W.
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Correcting Falsehoods About Ray Franz's Beliefs (Holy Spirit, Trinity)
by allpoweredup insee what he himself says at http://www.commentarypress.com/essay-holyspirit.html i was told many falsehoods by watchtower diehards such as he is now "a rabid trinitarian," "a nondenominalist or pentecostal.
" also he's transdenominalist (associates with christians and others) not just those of one belief system.
i'm sure many of you also heard a lot of falsehoods put out about him.
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Amazing1914
The article you cite does not specifically state that Ray Franz wrote it. While he approves what is posted on the Commentary Press site, he does not write all the articles. I know Ray personally, and the writing style seems like it could be his, but I was not 100% sure. However, the views expressed are similar to those he has expressed to me. - Jim Whitney