Posts by under the radar

7

"New Light" and the Watchtower's quasi legal disclaimer

by jwleaks in

found this interesting quasi legal religious statement at the bottom of this 》》》 jw.org page advertising "bible-based books and magazines":.

some updates made to digital publications may not yet appear in the printed edition.. glad to know that jehovah and the governing body have seen fit to inform the entire world that certain doctrinal teachings of "truth" may differ between digital and print edition of the watchtower magazine and bible-based books.

doesn't say much for the credibility of the guardians of doctrine.. confusingly, some of the doctrinal teachings, particularly in the online versions of bible-based books and magazines from the watchtower, have already undergone updates but these updates only appear in the new digital version of the new printed edition.. good thing we have a digital-only version of the "research guide for jehovah's witnesses" which is updated every year to contain all the references to the new teachings and interpretations of the bible.

under the radar

I'm not sure whether poster Richard Oliver is a blatant shill for the Watchtower, a shameless apologist for them, or just the king of rationalization.

All the things he mentioned are actually plausible, but we're not talking about variations between different language versions of a particular magazine issue. I think we all know the real reason online versions and reprints, especially those of older literature, sometimes differ dramatically from the original printed versions. Changes are made from time to time to alter or remove embarrassing or blatantly false statements.

Just one example: In the January 1, 1989 Watchtower magazine, on page 12, it says, "The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th century." When the bound volumes of the 1989 Watchtower came out, the text of the January 1 article had been changed so that it now stated the work would be completed "in our day" instead of "in our 20th century." The only possible explanation for this change is that they wanted it to appear that they had never predicted that it would be completed in the 20th century.

I believe this policy of covering up earlier statements that are now embarrassing is the main reason the Society's online library only goes back a few years, to about 2000 or so. All that old light must be way too much trouble to edit out and rewrite, so the next best thing is to do away with the evidence itself. That's the main reason congregations were ordered to destroy certain older publications and are definitely NOT encouraged to have a collection of historical Watchtower literature in their Kingdom Hall libraries. I have heard of some congregations dispersing or destroying their valuable collections of early literature solely to keep it from "falling into apostate hands." Some of those older books are now so rare they command hundreds of dollars on eBay and such.

If this sounds familiar, just read 1984 by George Orwell. The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses, by Heather and Gary Botting, draws many more parallels and is an eye opening read. It was originally published in 1984 (coincidence?), but much of what it says is even more true today than it was then. Both books are still available on Amazon and the like, and you can often find copies on eBay as well.

11

Link to the English version of the Quebec (French) documentary, "The Kingdom's Dirty Secrets" (About JW's hiding child abuse)

by AndersonsInfo in

here's a link to the english version of the quebec documentary, the kingdom's dirty secrets that aired in canada at the beginning of december.

i was told that it's okay to share the documentary and post on social media.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ajphgmt9jibarbara

under the radar

Thank you much for posting this, Barbara. It was very well done, and I hope it opens people's eyes to the criminal way Watchtower hides behind cherry-picked scriptures to protect its public image.

It needs to protect that image, lest bad publicity interfere with its true objectives. I think the Society's main goals are (1) accumulate assets, (2) protect those assets through various kinds of legal chicanery, and (3) maintain almost total control over it adherents by demanding absolute obedience and conformity, demonizing any dissent or questioning of authority, and even directing what they can read, how far they can pursue their education, and with whom they can associate. And that's just scratching the surface.

You can boil it down to two powerful motivations that have been behind almost everything that has ever happened in human history: money and power.

21

Living Vicariously Through the Sheep.

by donny in

when i got baptized as a jehovah’s witness in the summer of 83, my honeymoon period lasted about two years before i began to wonder if the society and its adherents were all it claimed to be.

no of the things i encountered for the first few years was really faith shattering, they simply just made me pause and think.

after a short while, i would file those issues in the back of my brain files and move forward.. .

under the radar

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but I'm gonna call BS.

I fully believe the elders can and do ask extremely intrusive questions, and some sure seem to get a vicarious thrill delving into all the juicy details. I have no doubt some of them visualize and replay the incident in their minds for their own sexual pleasure and stimulation. But I seriously doubt any elder would makes notes in the "Penthouse Forum" format that donny says he found. If any notes include intimate details, which they're not supposed to, it's a lot more likely the elders would go out of their way to use clinical or medical terms to describe various body parts and the way they were used.

That said, I'll be in my room...

19

Jeremiah 10:23 - "...It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."

by HereIgo in

i have been accused recently of "trying to direct my own step" because of my questioning the org and refusing to come back to the "truth" for the past 6 years.

i personally still believe in god, i just doubt that he is behind the jw org, that's all.

why is that so hard for jw's to understand?

under the radar

"You're trying to direct your own steps!"

"You're too smart for your own good!"

"Why can't you be humble and just accept what the Brothers say?"

"You trust your own research and judgment more than the Brothers'."

I heard them all and a lot more like them when I was still mired in the cult. They were meant as something of a slight, but nowadays I consider them a badge of honor.

10

Draining your smartphone - JW app hits top 10

by OrphanCrow in

jw
friends

avast unveils top ten apps draining your android phone.

jehovah’s witness: this official app produced by jehovah’s witnesses was the heaviest user of smartphone storage.

it allows users to download their bible (in all languages) and browse a library of video tutorials and introductions in high-resolution.

under the radar

Your smart phone is the least of your worries. Everything I read, hear, or see anything promoting JW propaganda, I can feel my IQ melting away. Fortunately, a little actual research and critical thinking charges me right back up.

I feel sorry for those still stuck in the rut of bowing to ancient superstitions and other nonsense thinly disguised as religion. And even more for those who do so because they're trapped in a mind-control cult from which there is no honorable exit.

68

Elder wants to stop by with the CO for a visit .

by NikL in

jw
friends

so i got a text from an elder who i consider one of the good guys and a friend in his own way.. he asked if he could bring the co by for a visit.

he said it would be "just a pleasant call and visit and will hopefully encourage my wife".

he says that "he knows she is dealing with a ton of pressure".. in all my years around the organization, i never had a visit from the circuit overseer.

under the radar

NikL, you hit the nail on the head. Your wife just dropped the mother of all hints that she does not want the elders to drop by but is reluctant to say so directly. She wants to hide by you, her husband and protector. I would consider it a great compliment that she trusts you to "run interference" (an American football term) for her. It would also be an honor to show her that you love her enough to protect her from those religious bullies and take the bullet, as it were. Doing so can pay big dividends for both of you, now and in the future.

31

Living with Your Parents Well Into Adulthood the Norm?

by Sorry in

i don't want to seem like a jerk.

i know full well economic times are not the greatest.

there's no shame in struggling and staying with your family until you're back on your feet.

under the radar

There are many reasons why some choose to live at home with their parents well into adulthood. Some financial, some sentimental, some just pure laziness or a sense of entitlement. Still, it's really not anyone else's concern as long as all involved are ok with it.

But I strenuously object to anyone choosing not to work so they can "live at home and Pioneer" if they are on any kind of public assistance. If I knew or suspected that someone was on welfare and pioneering instead of working or actively looking for work, I'd turn them in in a heartbeat. Doubly so if they were mooching off the system with some "disability" scheme. If you can knock on doors for hours at a time, you can do some kind of work.

Welfare cheats and disability fraudsters cost all of us tons of money every year. Turn 'em in! If you know of someone pulling this crap and don't want to turn them in yourself, PM me the details and I'll start the ball rolling myself. I love it when supposedly upstanding people are exposed for the thieves and hypocrites they are.

36

JW Ideal candidates for Life Insurance?

by MNLifeAgent in

jw
friends

i am not a jehovah's witness, although i do respect your religion entirely.

i am 27 years old, and live in minnesota.

i have an older cousin, who's mother (not with my uncle -separated when my cousin was a baby) had been a witness, grew up in your word, and about 12 years ago she fully converted.

under the radar

Hello, MNLifeAgent, and welcome to the forum. As you may have noted, most of the posters here are either ex-JW's or folks who feel trapped within the JW's and wish they could escape without losing all their family and friends. There are a few apologists here, but they don't make much headway. It's hard to defend the indefensible clinging to a belief system based on superstition and hocus-pocus with no basis in fact or science and where unquestioning acceptance and belief is considered a good thing.

That said, most people other than certain over-the-top religious fanatics realize that insurance has its place as a form a protection for their families. Even the JW leaders recognize this. They published an article in one of their magazines a few years back specifically stating that buying insurance was a good way to take care of one's responsibility to provide for their family in case tragedy strikes. The article said doing so was not showing any lack of faith, but merely acknowledging Solomon's observation that "time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all."

The only way to sell to large numbers of JW's would be to partner with some JW "heavy" (to allay suspicions and make your products have a sort of "insider" appeal), offer some kind of group policy discount (to make them feel "special"), and most importantly, set up some sort of kickback to the Society. You still won't be able to use the Kingdom Hall or convention sites for anything, but individuals might arrange a get-together of invited guests to hear your spiel and word could get around that way as more and more find they like your products or services. Certain things have caught on, almost like fads, among the JW's in the past and this might too.

Good luck.

15

Daily text for 12-7-2016 Gods promises "Dynamic"?

by NikL in

jw
friends

wife read me the daily text this morning out of the blue this morning and a couple of sentences stuck out in my head.. all of jehovah’s promises are dynamic, not static, because he is constantly working toward their fulfillment.

(isa.

46:10; 55:11) once a person realizes this about jehovah’s word, what he reads in the bible can exert a powerful force in his life.. .

under the radar

"Dynamic" is just another buzzword becoming more popular at the moment. You could substitute "ever-changeable, washy-washy, work in progress, pie-in-the-sky, etc., etc."

sir82 has it pegged.

It's kinda like when JW's say, "Sometimes you can't understand Bible prophecy until it's fulfilled." Think about that vacuous statement. It undermines the very purpose of prophecy. Anyone could say, "I knew that was gonna happen. Remember when I said "something vague that a could be interpreted in a thousand different ways." Just about any statement made by anyone at any time can be massaged to seem to have predicted whatever you want it to.

11

Jehovah - I don't like you.

by berrygerry in

under the radar

I find little to respect about the J-dog. Of course, since he doesn't exist anyway, it's a moot point. It's just a crying shame that a civilization as advanced as ours still clings to old superstitions and thinks it's ok to kill others who cling to slightly different superstitions. This world would be a lot better off if there were no religion at all.