Run back to your cult SimonSays. You know good and well your masters don't want you debating with apostates on the internet.
Otherwise shut up and pay attention. You might actually learn something truley beneficial for once.
http://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/world/jehovahs-witnesses-in-prison-2/.
the witnesses make reference to article 18 of the international covenant on civil and political rights, in reference to their not being able to practice their religion in certain places.
how despicable when (in my mind) their policy of disfellowshipping, apostasy, etc, causes them coerce members to keep this religion.
i think now that the governing body is in this big power grab in order to stay alive as an entity, thus tighten control, the more controling the more they open themselves up to legal consequences.. blood tranfusion forbiden by a authoritarian religous corporation.. disfellowshipping enforcement that brought pain and suffering thousands i'm sure these type of lawsuits could break them but i'm not well versed in law so i thought i would thow this out for discussion.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/class_action.
in law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued.
class actions are commonly referred to as class action suits; however, this phrase is redundant as the historical distinction between "actions" at law and "suits" in equity is no longer recognized.
Wouldn't now be a good time, while watchtower has their legal teams and money tied up in smaller cases and Warwick to hit them with this? If nothing else it could at least help shine a light on the current and pending child abuse court cases.
A captive organization run by "guardians of doctrine", that openly encourage child baptism, has a history of covering up child abuse, and then infringes on those same children's religious freedoms. The cost for not shunning? You get shunned too.
It could be a knockout punch while they're on the ropes. Legal fees wouldn't be an issue with all the ex-jws out there who would be happy to get behind it.
I for one would love to see GB members getting grilled on the stand as to why they dont explain the shunning policy in their study aid that leads to dedication and baptism.
my mom especially had some go-to phrases that to this day echo in my head and piss me off.
things like, .
"don't get mad at me for enforcing the rules, because jehovah made them, so if you don't like it, you're disrespecting him.
sorry for the length of this, i hope anyone stopping by to read will take the time and read it.
i haven't included any things i would consider "apostate" specifics about doctrines, or major scandals.
it's just a general layout of the path i took to becoming an exjw.
I enjoyed hearing your experience of waking up. I could definitely relate to some of the things you went through. One thing was viewing apostasy as something scary but also the last major violation of the rules. I remember for a long time telling myself that no matter what I would never read apostate material and being terrified at the thought. I remember my hands trembling the first few times I began researching the organization on the internet.
But I feel as though eventually my distrust and anger at the organization built to the point that it was finally stronger than my fear. Tony Morris also played a role in that for me. I heard him give a talk at the International convention where the things he said caused rage to well up in me.
In retrospect I'm so glad Tony is marketing himself as Rutherford 2.0. I think he's causing a lot of people to question the credibility of "God's Earthly channel".
there were many addressed to me.
for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.
i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.
Played a song on guitar at a "wetness gathering". It was something top-40 and inoffensive. Later an elder from my KH pulled me aside to say I shouldn't have played it because another elder from a different hall who was there just informed him that the VIDEO of the song I just played has questionable content.
I tried to reason with him that it was doubtful many there had seen the video. Besides, I didn't play the video- I played the SONG. He said it was the same thing.
It struck me as odd since this was normally a pretty laid back elder. A heavy drinker and was well known to perform some questionable songs himself. So it was clear to me that the other elder was forcing him to discipline me.
Exasperated, I said: "well fine, I already played the song. I can't take it back. I'm sorry if someone was offended. Should I apologize to everyone or do you think that would be giving further attention to something inappropriate? Do you think some could be tempted to look up the video?"
He dropped the matter once he realized that bringing this to my attention was fruitless.
i was paired with this older "brother" when i was a teenager.
he was very very strange.
he was a nice guy but goofy.
On the very first day, the first year they started having a special campaign for the district convention invitations me and another brother were assigned to go work with old brother Smith. He was in his 80s and had only studied and gotten baptised in the past couple years and was still extremely intimidated by FS.
Before we left the hall the FS conductor stressed for 10 minutes not to engage with the householders; that we were to simply hand them the invitation and tell them they were invited to an upcoming event. That if they had any questions we should take their info and return another time so as to focus on canvassing the territory. We were also told not to go in pairs but just one publisher to a door.
So at the first house that morning Bro Smith shuts his car off and goes around the corner to the front door. A minute goes by. Then two. A few more. Over an hour goes by and me and the other brother are unsure what to do. I went and knocked on the door to see if everything was ok but no one was answering because apparently they had gone into the basement and couldn't hear me knocking. So we just waited in the car for about another half hour or more then Bro Smith appeared.
He sheepishly introduced us to the householder who had followed him out to the car. Then he explained that he had been "enlightened" by the householder as to some of our incorrect beliefs involving the Trinity. He didn't agree with what the guy was saying but I think he wore bro Smith down and forced him to come out and admit his defeat to us.
Poor bro Smith was a nervous wreck after that but we didn't care because it was time to meet back at the KH and end our morning and we didn't have to do a single door.
there were many addressed to me.
for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.
i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.
One time I showed up at the now-defunct weekly book study at jackass elder's house. With humidity it was about 95 degrees outside and this cheap turd didn't believe in running ac. Most evenings like this I would skip wearing a sports coat or jacket to avoid getting even hotter and sweating buckets. Well since I was the only baptised brother in attendance besides himself, and he was conducting, it then became my responsibility to read the paragraphs of the Revelation Grand Prolapse at Hand book.
This moron elder pulls me aside after to tell me I need to wear a coat next time in order to be approved to read or pray. That his home was serving as a substitute kingdom hall and should be treated as such. Meanwhile almost every week his home phone in the next room would ring off the hook causing a disruption. It would go to voicemail and he would sometimes excuse himself from the book study to go fiddle with his answering machine and try to turn it down.
From then on if it was especially hot weather, or I just didn't feel like reading, I would "accidentally" forget my jacket.
That's a great analogy. I love the Twilight Zone and this one is one of my favorite episodes.
The power this organization uses against people through manipulation and fear is disgusting. And what happens if someone thinks "bad thoughts" and doesn't nod along to their bullshit chart pointing? The Elders treat them like they're William Shatner's character screaming there's something out on the airplane wing.
question 1 comes and the speaker asks for their response..they all yell no!.
what would happen then?.
over time a number of different 'classes' of members have arisen on this forum.
1] apple watch watchers - this group takes a great interest in watches worn by members of the governing body.
2] cult escape consultants - one who freely offers advise on how to flee from a cult - mainly the wt society.