Posts by under the radar

40

NEWS 5 INVESTIGATES: Sex offender going door-to-door

by OrphanCrow in

http://www.koaa.com/story/32799137/news-5-investigates-sex-offender-going-door-to-door.

by carlos vergara, investigative reporter.

colorado springs -66 year old waymon ivery is re-living a nightmare that happened more than two decades ago.

NEWS 5 INVESTIGATES: Sex offender going door-to-door

by OrphanCrow in

http://www.koaa.com/story/32799137/news-5-investigates-sex-offender-going-door-to-door.

by carlos vergara, investigative reporter.

colorado springs -66 year old waymon ivery is re-living a nightmare that happened more than two decades ago.

under the radar

Does anybody know for certain whether he was a JW when he molested his stepdaughter?

Even more important, in my opinion, is how the heck did he only serve a year or less of a 10 year sentence for molesting a minor he was supposed to protect?

There may be more to this story that we've heard so far...

49

Sharia Law in the US, it's coming folks.

by James Mixon in

my question, why would one immigrate to the west and refuse to adopt the western cultural?.

if you believe our way of life is so degenerated why bring your family to this place.. in a very close 5-4 vote, the city of irving ruled to back the texas state bill banning foreign.

law from the state.

No religious or cultural group should be allowed to have their own legal system or exclusively police themselves. There must be one set of laws for all citizens and legal residents, and here in the US, that must be the civil laws enshrined or backed by the Constitution.

I don't think anyone cares if those of similar backgrounds choose to live near each other and associate mostly with those they identify with. But no group, religious, cultural, or otherwise, should be allowed to establish exclusive enclaves where their own set of rules applies and where the civil authorities, including the police, fear to tread.

I have heard of such areas in London and Paris where Islam and Sharia Law reign supreme, though their existence is officially denied. I know for a fact that there are areas in and around New York City where certain sects of Jews run their own neighborhoods and the police simply let them. Even reports of child abuse by certain of their leaders are covered up and the people are warned not to talk about such things to outsiders.

A recent reality TV show revealed that certain Romanian gypsy bands forbid education to their daughters and marry them off to each other as young as possible. Certain outlying Mormon groups openly practice polygamy and the local governments turn blind eye while they intentionally become a drag on society by having as many children as possible and expecting the welfare agencies to support them.

The US Constitution forbids any laws respecting the establishment of any religion. I hold that giving any religion special privileges like running their own show in their own communities and policing themselves IS the de facto establishment of that religion. So is giving religious organizations special tax treatment, but that's another topic.

The US government need to make it abundantly clear that while people are free to congregate and live near and among whomever they want, there is one set of laws that applies to everybody. No one can be allowed to impose their religious or cultural laws, superstitions, practices, or taboos on anyone else. Saying something is required or justified by one's religious belief is no get-out-of-jail free card. If it's a crime, it's a crime. End of story.

This position needs to be even more stringently enforced when we're talking about someone who wants to enter this country, whether to live or even just to visit. Each one must be individually screened and vetted to determine if they truly want to embrace American culture and the freedom of the individual and live under our laws. They must not be allowed to enter if they want to bring their misogynous, hateful, bigoted religious or cultural beliefs and superstitions with them and impose them on others, including family members. They must prove that they totally reject jihad and any other form of terrorism or coercion to force others to believe as they do. If they don't want to live under the freedom that our laws guarantee them, and extend that same freedom to others, including females and other individuals typically oppressed by organized religion and tribal cultures, then they must not be allowed to enter and spread their filthy bile here.

We are supposed to all live under the temporal civil laws backed by the Constitution, not laws based on religious superstition and tradition. I hope that never changes.

26

Off On A Trip - But Little Enthusiam

by Joe Grundy in

jw
friends

never was a jw, but been here a long time.. off on a trip in a week or so, uk to andorra to stay with a friend for 10 days or so (beautiful place) then a week or so wending through france back home.. did the same trip the last couple of years -it was wonderful.

met some lovely people, including an ex-polce woman over coffees and calvados after dinner.. but ... i don't feel so enthusiastic about this trip.

i'll visit the cathar sites and other places.. maybe- just maybe - i've come to the conclusion that these trips are not as much fun if you don't have a companion to share it with..

under the radar

Joe Grundy, that's a breathtakingly generous offer. I hope you find a delightful traveling companion or two. And who knows? This trip could create wonderful memories and lifelong friendships. I believe joy, like love, is multiplied when it's shared. Good karma is headed your way, I'm sure.

My hat's off to you, Sir. Safe travels.

21

Openly converting to another religion but not disfellowshipped

by R Franz Ferdinand III in

jw
friends

odd.... friends of mine recently became members of an evangelical church.. up until they got baptised in this church, they still were visiting the jw meetings on a regular basis.they weren't really fading in the true sense of the word.. they came out of the closet about their new conviction quite publicly and even didn't shy away from getting in debate with the elders on biblical topics.. the elders are obviously very aware about their position and as they still were attending the meetings not so long ago, they clearly can be considered as people associated with the jw organisation.. as far as i know it seems they won't get disfellowshipped.

as long my friends don't harrass fellow witnesses with their 'renegade ideas' and 'false religion', elders seem to comply and leave things as they are.. this puzzles me as defecting to babylon the great always has been one the most worst offenses a jw could possibly commit.. could this be a case of local elders interpreting/applying things their own way or is there a (new) general policy trending ?.

anyone who knows about similar cases ?.

under the radar

According to the Flocking the Sheep book, they won't be disfellowshipped but will be considered to have disassociated themselves, a distinction without a difference. Same announcement ("So-and-so is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses") and same treatment from the faithful (shunning). Of course, some will assume they have joined some sex orgy club, or worse, but the elders are not supposed to comment further, even to clear up scandalous rumors.

17

JW over-rode our Choice of Funeral music

by snugglebunny in

jw
friends

a few years on and the funeral of my jw momma still galls me.

she left instructions for which kingdom songs to be sung and we gladly abided by her wishes.

the funeral was held in a public crematorium, not a kingdom hall.

under the radar

Where does the "preacher" get off overriding the family's wishes? I wonder if there other JW family members who sided with the "preacher." Still presumptuous to do so, regardless.

19

Help Me Regain Contact With My Still In Family

by pale.emperor in

situation is, i'll never return to the wt.

my family with never leave the wt.. depending on who you ask you'll get the following answers when you ask about me:.

my family: he's confused.

under the radar

If you allow your mother to spend time alone with your daughter, she WILL try to indoctrinate her, perhaps in small doses at first, and WILL paint you in a bad light. "Don't you wish Daddy (or Mommy) would come back to Jehovah so you all can live forever in Paradise and pet lions every day?"

13

An Odd Request from Our Ex-JW Son

by TMS in

my wife and i, both out of the religion for nearly twenty years, live in the same border town as our 44 year old only son.

we have scant contact with our numerous jw relatives, although a handful of clever "double life" nieces and nephews socialize with our son.. we care for our six year old grandson weekdays while our single parent son makes a living.

we've been infinitely better grandparents than we were parents, primarily because of our exit from a high control cult, but also because of life experience.

under the radar

I agree with all the above. A well-rounded education must include knowledge of (as distinct from belief in) the Bible, its major concepts, and at least some of its most referenced stories. I would argue the same applies to general knowledge of other subjects like the history of Islam, the Greek myths, the Roman Empire, etc. Things like this were taught as history, not theology, when I was in high school in the 70's. Other things like Roman numerals and cursive writing come in handy, too.

Your son is smart to make sure his son at least knows about other people's beliefs. And you are smart to present them in a matter-of-fact way without belittling the believers. The little fellow will figure out pretty quickly what makes sense and what doesn't. "Forbidden" knowledge has an appeal all its own, so the more informed your grandson is (age-appropriateness considered, of course), the better off he will be.

13

(A Childhood Memory) THE MYSTERY OF THE LOCKED CABINET

by TerryWalstrom in

the mystery of the locked cabinet.

when i was about 10 years old, there was a tall, white handmade cabinet back in one of our storage sheds (a converted chicken house from back in the 30's, when my grandparents raised chickens in the great depression).

affixed to its door, there was a big padlock on the cabinet.

under the radar

Fernando has it right, Terry. He just says it better than I ever could.

I really enjoy your stories. Keep 'em coming!

13

(A Childhood Memory) THE MYSTERY OF THE LOCKED CABINET

by TerryWalstrom in

the mystery of the locked cabinet.

when i was about 10 years old, there was a tall, white handmade cabinet back in one of our storage sheds (a converted chicken house from back in the 30's, when my grandparents raised chickens in the great depression).

affixed to its door, there was a big padlock on the cabinet.

under the radar

Another amazing story, Terry. Thank you so much for posting it.

That comment your granddad made about the Klan being "as good or as bad as the men in each chapter" hit home. I don't want to start a firestorm, but if one looks into the actual history of the Klan and its founding members without prejudice or preconceptions, it's clear that the organization's original purpose was soon perverted and it morphed into an excuse and a cover for all kinds of evil. Most of the original members, including founder Nathan Bedford Forrest, were horrified by this and formally disassociated and distanced themselves from it early on.

I do not claim to be an expert of Klan history, and I'm certainly no apologist for it. I have never had any personal contact with the Klan or any Klan member (that I know of). I only know of my late father's impression of the Klan, based entirely on his own experience of growing up in the deep South in the 1930's. He told me several times that he had never even heard of Klan members in his area harassing black people. He said they didn't "come out" very often, but when they did it was to deal with "white trash." This mainly meant wife-beaters and "sorry" white men who wouldn't support their families and drank up whatever money they could occasionally scrape together. My dad said it usually only took one "visit." The offender would be confronted by several fierce-looking men wearing their Klan robes, sometimes with torches and ropes in hand. He would be warned, "Don't make us come back!" On the rare occasions when a second visit was necessary, it usually involved a beating or a thrashing with a rope or whip. He said he never heard of anyone being killed, much less being strung up.

My dad was the most honest and straightforward man I've ever known, so I simply accept his statements at face value. By that I mean that I believe he believed what he said, but I cannot know whether his impressions were accurate or not, even considering only what the Klan did in that small rural area in that narrow time frame. After all, he could not have known everything they did. He could only know of the stories he heard, and how the Klan was generally viewed when and where he was growing up.

Another family story has it that one of my mother's brothers once saw what he thought were Klan robes among their father's (my maternal grandfather's) belongings in an old steamer trunk. My grandmother told him never to ask or tell anyone else about it. No one knows whether it was actually my grandfather's or possibly his father's. There are absolutely no family stories about that robe or anything else that could be remotely connected with Klan activities. My grandfather died when I was an infant, but I sure wish I could have asked him about that. Whatever stories there were have been lost to history.

Sometimes, I think there are family cupboards that are better left unopened.