Posts by AndersonsInfo

17

Anybody interested in attending a professionally-arranged conference addressing cultic group issues to be held in Nashville, TN?

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

one of the paramount non-profit anti-cult organizations headquartered in the us would like to arrange a two-day conference to be held in nashville, tn in the fall of 2011. this organization sponsors conferences, workshops, local meetings and special lectures, seminars, and other events all over the world for those interested in this subject.

at a nashville conference there will be opportunity to network with and listen to experts in the field and with people adversely affected by cultic experiences.. recently, when examining their records, this organization found that former jehovahs witnesses made up the bulk of those attending their anti-cult workshops which definitely indicates that many former witnesses are seeking help to overcome the damage from cult abuse.

however, the nashville conference will not be solely for former jehovahs witnesses, but will encourage attendance by anyone interested in hearing the experts address psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments.

AndersonsInfo

bttt

17

Anybody interested in attending a professionally-arranged conference addressing cultic group issues to be held in Nashville, TN?

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

one of the paramount non-profit anti-cult organizations headquartered in the us would like to arrange a two-day conference to be held in nashville, tn in the fall of 2011. this organization sponsors conferences, workshops, local meetings and special lectures, seminars, and other events all over the world for those interested in this subject.

at a nashville conference there will be opportunity to network with and listen to experts in the field and with people adversely affected by cultic experiences.. recently, when examining their records, this organization found that former jehovahs witnesses made up the bulk of those attending their anti-cult workshops which definitely indicates that many former witnesses are seeking help to overcome the damage from cult abuse.

however, the nashville conference will not be solely for former jehovahs witnesses, but will encourage attendance by anyone interested in hearing the experts address psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments.

AndersonsInfo

One of the paramount non-profit anti-cult organizations headquartered in the US would like to arrange a two-day conference to be held in Nashville, TN in the fall of 2011. This organization sponsors conferences, workshops, local meetings and special lectures, seminars, and other events all over the world for those interested in this subject. At a Nashville conference there will be opportunity to network with and listen to experts in the field and with people adversely affected by cultic experiences.

Recently, when examining their records, this organization found that former Jehovah’s Witnesses made up the bulk of those attending their anti-cult workshops which definitely indicates that many former Witnesses are seeking help to overcome the damage from cult abuse. However, the Nashville conference will not be solely for former Jehovah’s Witnesses, but will encourage attendance by anyone interested in hearing the experts address psychological manipulation and abuse in cultic groups, alternative movements, and other environments. The word will go out about the conference through the media. Also, this organization networks with anti-cult groups all over the world.

This is just an inquiry, but let me know if there is interest whether you are a former JW, a family member or friend concerned about somebody in this group, a helping professional seeking advice, or a student or researcher studying a topic in this field, or a journalist, because attendance at a conference like this will truly be beneficial.

If at least fifty (50) former JWs express real interest in attending the conference, the organizers will begin to do whatever they do to arrange this conference. Note that attendance is not free, but usually costs at least $100.00 per person to attend or less if a student, or a member, etc.

Nashville is driving distance from many adjoining and non-adjoining southern states. Motels are reasonable and so is food. And Nashville is a great place to visit and tour the sights.

I have no personal agenda in this matter, just asking.

Any interest out there?

Barbara

270

WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY?

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

who are the false prophets today.

by barbara anderson.

in 1991, one of the watch tower societys senior writers, colin quackenbush, told me in the privacy of his office about letters which the society had received from prominent and credible elders, not apostates (thats exactly what he said), who were concerned about the increase in accusations saying that jehovahs witnesses were false prophets.

AndersonsInfo

Okay, here's another good comment posted over at Freeminds, too good not to share:

written by Eric Allen , August 10, 2010

Thank you Barbara for another good article. I recently read an old article from the June 15, 1962 Watchtower Pg 380-383 'Avoid Unprofitable Questions'. The first sentence reads...'Have you noticed how frequently the apostle Paul alerted Christians to guard against speculation and unprofitable questions?'. In that article the society cites if not quotes nearly 12 different places in God's word where we are warned against speculating. The very last sentence on page 383 in part says...."'remember Paul's counsel: Learn the rule: 'Do not go beyond the things that are written'"-1Cor 4:6.

The 'society' needs to go back and re-read that article and follow its' own counsel. The society, in particular the GB definitely has a problem practicing what it preaches. Over the years the GB has indeed indulged way too much time in speculating about the 'generation'. Sorry 'ryan9573', they have been wrong, wrong, wrong. I've been a JW for nearly 45 years. Am in my mid 60's. Have served as an elder. By choice have stepped down cause I can not in good concience continue to serve the friends 'koolaid'. The society's stand on the blood issue is a joke. They are harsh and unkind and definitely not Christ like when dealing with friends who need help. I can go on and on and on. Keep up the good work Barbara, 'Blondie', Freeminds and every one else!

270

WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY?

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

who are the false prophets today.

by barbara anderson.

in 1991, one of the watch tower societys senior writers, colin quackenbush, told me in the privacy of his office about letters which the society had received from prominent and credible elders, not apostates (thats exactly what he said), who were concerned about the increase in accusations saying that jehovahs witnesses were false prophets.

AndersonsInfo

Thanks folks for your posts where there's always so much food for thought.

Here's a perceptive comment that hit the nail on the head about 1975, which was just posted on Freeminds, in reply to the JW who thought my article "reeks of fiction."

Let's get real
written by katydid , August 10, 2010

Very interesting and insightful, as always. My parents knew Colin Quackenbush; I actually remember this article very well. As one who was around in 1975 (& before) I have to take issue with ryan 5973, as his comments are actually in error. The Society actually did predict 1975 as a valid date, although the reasoning was a bit circular, with comments such as "Since 1975 marks the end of mankind's 6000 years of existence, it is reasonable to conclude that the beginning of Christ's 1000-year reign would begin at that time." In 1976 Bro. Knorr gave a talk which many of us in Oregon heard by means of radio hookup; I was impressed that he actually apologized for misleading comments such as the one above. I don't believe any are saying the governing body makes these comments out of a wicked heart, with any kind of criminal intent. However, the fact is that they are made without regard for the full effect on those that read and take to heart all the words in the publications, while they themselves seem to take these predictions and instructions with a grain of salt. I have been in this organization for over 50 years, and had conversations with persons on all levels of responsibility. I understand one's reluctance to accept the "imperfections" that go so deep in the organization; most of us just want those responsible to step up, admit the defects, make right the wrongs they can correct, and show the love that Christ admonished his disciples to have for his sheep. We don't like the "spin," so noticeable in Quackenbush's article, and which continues on today whenever the policies are questioned.

270

WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY?

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

who are the false prophets today.

by barbara anderson.

in 1991, one of the watch tower societys senior writers, colin quackenbush, told me in the privacy of his office about letters which the society had received from prominent and credible elders, not apostates (thats exactly what he said), who were concerned about the increase in accusations saying that jehovahs witnesses were false prophets.

AndersonsInfo

The following material was posted in reply to my article WHO ARE THE FALSE PROPHETS TODAY? on Freeminds.org apparantly by another arrogant Witness who doesn't follow the GB's rules about STAYING OFF apostate websites!

The poster said, "The story reeks of fiction." My comment is,"As far as fiction goes, the statements used in defense of the WT organization by this poster are pure fantasy. His/her face-saving arguments are pure rationalization, not reasoning, but based on what the poster wants to be true, then selects the evidence to prove it's so. The evidence provided by the poster was taken out of the Society's literature which has been proven over and over again by investigators to be twisted half-truths, distortions of Bible texts, and worse. I was a very active JW for 43 years and lived through the 1975 era and know from first hand experience that false predictions were made regarding 1975. In addition, I lived at Bethel and worked one-on-one with WT leaders for many years. The burden of proof that my "story reeks of fiction" lies in the hands of the poster and this poster argues from ignorance!"

Barbara

Interestingly enough, these “prominent and credible elders” can't speak for themselves, nor can their names be revealed. The story reeks of fiction.

The faithful and discreet slave has sharpened its analysis of scriptural insight and literary output throughout the years.

The Watch Tower Society wasn't wrong about prophecy (how the outworking of events in the last days would unfold), they simply had some misconceptions about a time frame or an appointed time for a certain event. The only date that is at all noteworthy is 1925. For example, there were no miscalculations about 1914, simply the duration of the “time of trouble” that would follow the end of the “gentile times” leading up to Armageddon.

There was no official statement from the faithful and discreet slave about 1975. Their official statement was conversely the opposite of anything definite:

w68 8/15 pp. 500-501 par. 35 Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?

It does not necessarily mean that 1975 marks the end of the first 6,000 years of Jehovah’s seventh creative “day.” Why not? Because after his creation Adam lived some time during the “sixth day,” which unknown amount of time would need to be subtracted from Adam’s 930 years, to determine when the sixth seven-thousand-year period or “day” ended, and how long Adam lived into the “seventh day.” And yet the end of that sixth creative “day” could end within the same Gregorian calendar year of Adam’s creation. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, not years.

One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man’s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that “concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the “day and hour”!

According to the Bible, a false prophet is revealed by his motives and actions not a flawless prediction of future events.

“Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those [men]. Matthew 7:15-20

Infallible future predictions outside of what can be calculated using Bible and historical chronology would call for a visionary. The faithful and discreet slave have never claimed supernatural powers.

it-2 p. 1160 Visionary

A man who had or claimed to have visions from God regarding concealed or future matters. The Hebrew word for “visionary” is cho?zeh′, from cha?zah′, meaning “behold; vision.” Cha?zah′ and its derivatives are employed with reference to seeing visions.—Nu 24:4; Isa 1:1; 21:2; 22:1; Eze 13:7; Da 8:1; see SEER.

Some visionaries were false and were opposed by God. (Isa 29:10; Mic 3:7) Others were sent by Jehovah and spoke in his name. (2Ki 17:13; 2Ch 33:1

If you do find an error early on, as Jehovah's Organization was progressing, this doesn't change what the Bible teaches or anything about the impending future. Finding an error you falsely claim is a “lie” doesn't mean specific Bible passages can be interpreted to mean something other than what is stated in crystal clear speech.

http://bible.cc/matthew/5-5.htm

http://bible.cc/psalms/37-29.htm

“Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it. Psalm 37:29

The faithful and discreet slave, the governing body included never claimed infallibility and they direct those seeking perfection to the right source.

uw chap. 15 pp. 120-121 par. 8 How Does Jehovah Direct His Organization?

At times, of course, questions about doctrine and procedure might arise. What then? The 15th chapter of Acts tells how an issue regarding requirements for Gentile converts was resolved. It was referred to the apostles and older men at Jerusalem, who served as a central governing body. Those older men were not infallible; they were not persons who never made a mistake.(Compare Galatians 2:11-14.) But God used them. They considered what the inspired Scriptures said on the subject at hand as well as the evidence of the operation of God’s spirit in opening up the Gentile field, and then they rendered a decision. God blessed that arrangement.(Acts 15:1-29; 16:4, 5) From that central body, individuals were also sent out to further the preaching of the good news in harmony with what the Lord himself had authorized.—Acts 8:14; Gal. 2:9.

it-2 p. 603 Perfection

The Bible’s Perfection. The Sacred Scriptures constitute a perfect message from God, refined, pure, and true.(Ps 12:6; 119:140, 160; Pr 30:5; Joh 17:17) Though thousands of years of copying have evidently brought some variations from the original writings, these variations are admittedly very minor, so that, even if our present copies and translations are not absolutely flawless, the divine message conveyed is.

The law of Jehovah is perfect, bringing back the soul. Psalm 19:7

If the faithful and discreet slave errs unintentionally in some trivial way, what should be done? Should they be gutted out and replaced? Was the error deliberate?

For we all stumble many times. If anyone does not stumble in word, this one is a perfect man. James 3:2

Did the error corrupt God's Word in anyway? If the answer is no, they can continue as a teacher of the nations in the matter of faith and truth with a clean conscience, regardless of what unreasonable opposers say about them.

This was given us in connection with Christ Jesus before times long lasting, but now it has been made clearly evident through the manifestation of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death but has shed light upon life and incorruption through the good news, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher. 2 Timothy 1:9-11

For the purpose of this witness I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—a teacher of nations in the matter of faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:7

8

MORE on how JWs inadvertently helped support same sex marriage

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://oyetimes.com/views/columns/5119-jehovahs-witnesses-support-same-sex-marriage-inadvertently .

jehovahs witnesses support same sex marriage inadvertently sunday, 08 august 2010 10:16 written by stephan pate 5 commentsdespite jw fundamentalist ban of gay marriage, old supreme court ruling in their favour used to defeat prop 8 in california.

the california decision by united states district chief judge vaughn r walker reversed prop 8s ban of same-sex or gay marriage in the state.. part of the legal argument for gay marriage comes from a 65 year old supreme court ruling that granted freedom of religious expression to jehovahs witnesses.. walker said that the majority opinion does not eliminate fundamental rights for a minority.. ironically jehovahs witnesses ban same-sex marriage.

AndersonsInfo

http://oyetimes.com/views/columns/5119-jehovahs-witnesses-support-same-sex-marriage-inadvertently

Jehovah’s Witnesses support same sex marriage inadvertently

Sunday, 08 August 2010 10:16 Written by Stephan Pate 5 Comments Despite JW fundamentalist ban of gay marriage, old Supreme Court ruling in their favour used to defeat Prop 8 in California The California decision by United States District Chief Judge Vaughn R Walker reversed Prop 8′s ban of same-sex or gay marriage in the state. Part of the legal argument FOR gay marriage comes from a 65 year old Supreme Court ruling that granted freedom of religious expression to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Walker said that the majority opinion does not eliminate fundamental rights for a minority. Ironically Jehovah’s Witnesses ban same-sex marriage. They disfellowship or shun any member who openly participates in same-sex acts or relationships. The reference by Judge Walker to West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette will have the Watchtower Society scratching their heads. “How did we help those wicked sons and daughters of Sodom and Gomorrah?” they will be asking themselves. It was never the intention of the intolerant Witness religion to grant any freedom of expression outside their own narrow view. Any attempt to practice freedom of expression in act or speech within the ranks of Jehovah’s Witnesses is dealt with KGB-like control and punishment. In his story How Jehovah’s Witnesses helped kill Prop 8 documentary filmmaker Joel P. Engardio argues that Witnesses played a big part in the Judges decision through the old Supreme Court ruling. Engardio, who is openly gay himself, argues Walker used the Witness precedent of their Constitutional right to unpopular religious practices to support his order to quash Prop 8. “Will anyone thank Jehovah’s Witnesses for their role in getting the law declared unconstitutional?” USA Today Like many fundamentalist religious, Jehovah’s Witnesses doctrine is based on literal interpretation of bible texts. In the official Awake magazine article of April 8, 2005 Jehovah’s Witnesses come out strongly against same sex relationships

“Our Creator established rules governing marriage long before governments began regulating the institution. The opening book of the Bible tells us: “A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) The well-known Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah reveals God’s feelings about homosexuality. God declared: “The cry of complaint about Sodom and Gomorrah, yes, it is loud, and their sin, yes, it is very heavy.” (Genesis 18:20) The extent of their sinful depravity at that time was apparent when two guests visited the righteous man Lot.

“The men of Sodom . . . surrounded the house, from boy to old man, all the people in one mob. And they kept calling out to Lot and saying to him: ‘Where are the men who came in to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intercourse with them.’” (Genesis 19:4, 5) The Bible says: “The men of Sodom were bad and were gross sinners against Jehovah.”—Genesis 13:13. The men became “violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males.” (Romans 1:27) They had “gone out after flesh for unnatural use.” (Jude 7) In countries where homosexual rights campaigns are pervasive, some may object to using the word “unnatural” to describe homosexual behavior. However, is not God the final arbiter when it comes to nature? He commanded his ancient people: “You must not lie down with a male the same as you lie down with a woman. It is a detestable thing.”— Leviticus 18:22.” Awake

The matter is not just personal choice for a Jehovah’s Witness. Any witness who admits to homosexual or other non male-female sex inside a marriage will be disfellowshipped, which is the Jehovah’s Witness version of excommunication. A disfellowshipped ex-Witness is cut off from the congregation and will be shunned by their own family. They are not allowed to associate any further with their former families or church members. “If detected, gays and lesbian (Witnesses) who refuse to remain celibate are expected to repent of their actions and to refrain from same-sex behavior in the future. Those who refuse are almost inevitably disfellowshipped. The WTS expects all of its members to agree with and follow all of the requirements of the organization, which are based on the WTS’ interpretation of the Bible.” “While disfellowshipped, fellow members are required to shun him/her completely, avoiding all contact. If the disfellowshiped person is a family member, then they are treated normally within the family, except that they are made to understand that their actions are disapproved of. There is no discussion about church matters in their presence. This can have a devastating effect on a person whose entire religious, family and social life were grounded in the Society.” Jehovah’s Witnesses & homosexuality behavior The confidential guide for local elders to determine who should be excommunicated or disfellowshipped states that same sex acts are dealt with in a “judicial hearing”, the official process of disfellowshipping. The number of sexual acts that will result in disfellowshipping is quite broad including “oral and anal sex or mutual masturbation between persons not married to each other, homosexuality, lesbianism, [sic] fornication, adultery, incest, and bestiality”. Evidence of immoral sexual activity can be as little as “the accused stayed all night…with a known homosexual…under improper circumstances, is acceptable proof.” Jehovah’s Witnesses & homosexuality behavior

While making his arguments, I wonder if Engardio is hoping for some relaxed religious tolerance from Jehovah’s Witnesses that would allow him acceptance with his Jehovah’s Witness family. That would be a “faint hope”.

Comments

0 #5 William Belle 2010-08-08 14:30 An excellent article, well written, well researched. And most of all, it is hilarious! Good work Stephan. This very much reminds me of watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He reports something which unto itself is quite absurd then Jon leans into the camera and adds, "I don't even have to make up a joke." Quote 0 #4 Danny Haszard 2010-08-08 13:45 Jehovah's Witnesses have won 37 of their 46 US Supreme court cases assuring us all of freedom of speech and assembly and equal protection under the law.

The sad irony is that the Watchtower Society *daily* abuses the human rights of thousands of its members. It denies current members the right of free speech by forbidding them to speak to former members, even close family members.
And it denies former members their right of freedom of worship by refusing to allow them to leave the religion with dignity, should they come to disagree with Watchtower's practices or doctrines. --
Danny Haszard JW dissident my life story growing up JW
dannyhaszard.com Quote +1 #3 Vinny T 2010-08-08 13:44 Jehovah's Witnesses (JW's) predicted the end of the world, IN WRITING, numerous times. Not once did they come true. They are known for their false predictions the world over.

JW's are taught that they alone are True Christians and that all other people not JW will soon be destroyed. This is no exaggeration.

JW's will allow their children to DIE rather than accept a life saving blood transfusion even in severe medical emergencies.

JW's used to forbid Vaccinations and Organ Transplants (calling a life saving transplant "Cannibalism") for a combined 33 years.

JW's enforce extreme shunning for any member that decides to leave their religion or who commits a sin without showing enough repentance in front of the elders.

Families have been devastated because of these harsh shunning policies. I have literally seen Parents cut off all ties with their children solely because the kid did not want to remain a JW but went in another direction. Quote -2 #2 Caring2 2010-08-08 12:03 The JW organization fights for their rights that our Law provides. However, to their own members they take away personal right of free thought, personal research, to question any JW doctrine, to any degree. Otherwise, the JW organization has a form of an organizational execution (severe disfellowshipping) affecting the members relationship with their own family and personal JW friends. Please continue to INVESTIGATE JWs at freeminds.org and jwfacts.com Quote

-3 #1 Gay Bethelite 2010-08-08 10:47

Joel P. Engardio
writer, documentary filmmaker IS a former Jehovah's Witness member who was involved enough to have gone door to door.NOW he is an outspoken Gay activist.
He is NOT disfellowshipped (excommunicated,shunned,kicked out,treated as dead)or less severe even considered an 'unapproved associate'(like the thousands of gay and lesbian JW kids who have been disfellowshipped.
The fundy Watchtower society USES him to promote direct & star in their PBS Knocking promotional flick and also uses him as a major spokesman for 4 other outlets on the web this is
hypocrisy big time.

23

So...how EVIL was Theodore Jaracz??

by Joliette in

jw
friends

i'm reading crisis of conscience right now and even raymond franz mentioned in his book that ted jaracz didnt vote during governing body sessions based off of 'a gut feeling' like dan sydlik and lyman swingle did, but voted based off of having 'a mean spirit (dont quote me on that) but bascially got an overall vibe that ted jaracz was not a very nice man.

and whats this about the child abuse policy that he enforced?

what did he do that made every ex-jw's in america hate him?

AndersonsInfo

How evil was Ted Jaracz? Here's more information.

http://www.freeminds.org/organization/barbara-anderson/the-theocratic-life-and-times-of-theodore-jaracz.html

http://www.freeminds.org/blogs/musings-of-a-watchtower-insider/was-there-a-rift-within-watch-tower-walls-in-2001.html

25

Captives of a Concept

by dgp in

i'm reading "captives of a concept", by don cameron.

cameron holds that the one thing that keeps jehovah's witnesses prisoners in the watchtower is the idea that they are in "god's organization", and, therefore, the right thing to do, in spite of what one sees, is to stay within it.

cameron also says that those jehovah's witnesses who become convinced that the watchtower is not god's organization eventually leave.

AndersonsInfo

I wrote about the Witnesses claim of a link from early Christianity to Russell in "Discoveries of Barbara Andersons" which can be found on the Freeminds website at this link:

http://www.freeminds.org/organization/barbara-anderson/the-discoveries-of-barbara-anderson.html

This is what I said:

An important teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that after the apostles died around the end of the first century after Christ, a great apostasy developed producing imitation Christians from whom the Roman Catholic Church was eventually established. Nonetheless, the Witnesses say there were always “true” Christians on earth from the death of the last Christian apostle up until the days of Charles Taze Russell and his associates all of whom adhered closely to the original teachings of Jesus and his apostles. One memorable and lengthy assignment from Karl was to identify these true Christians.

My examination was based upon four points or standards which the “sons of the kingdom” needed to have in common to link up with each other; three of those standards were rejection of the Trinity, hellfire, and immortality of the human soul. However, the fourth standard was the most difficult—there had to be acceptance of the ransom sacrifice of Christ, that is, as defined by Jehovah’s Witnesses. For months the Writing Department brought in relevant library books from Europe and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. I read English translations of important foreign-language books discussing break-a-way nonconformist religious groups before and after the Orthodox Reformation, including groups during what is commonly called the Radical Reformation period. To say the least, it was extremely fascinating to study early Arian movements, along with the Lollards, Waldenses, Socinians, and Anabaptists with a critical eye.

Subsequently, my careful analysis of the facts convinced Karl there was not one generation of true Christians linking to a succeeding generation based on the four points as outlined above. Karl closed this research project by promising this assertion would never again be made, although, to this day, the teaching has not been abandoned. On page 44 of the book, Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, the best Karl could say in answer to the question, “What happened to true Christianity after the first century?” was, “True Christianity, then, was never completely stamped out.” Then he said, “Throughout the centuries there have always been truth lovers” and proceeded to list a few outstanding Bible loyalists.

23

Logic Gaps

by Paulapollos in

jw
friends

.

i thought i would share something i remembered the other day.

hope it sheds a little light for you.. when you translate publications for the society, you often become aware of logic gaps.

AndersonsInfo

PP,

You have a PM

5

Article: 100s of Deaf JWs gather in Norco, CA for DC. Speakers use ASL

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

if there are any posters familiar with the inside operation of watch tower's deaf ministry, please pm me.. thanx, barbara.

http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/pe_news_local_d_deaf10.22bb969.html click on the link and photos can be seen.

hundreds of deaf, hard-of-hearing jehovah's witnesses gather in norco for annual conference11:19 pm pdt on friday, july 9, 2010by david olson.

AndersonsInfo

If there are any posters familiar with the inside operation of Watch Tower's deaf ministry, please PM me.

Thanx, Barbara

http://www.pe.com/localnews/corona/stories/PE_News_Local_D_deaf10.22bb969.html Click on the link and photos can be seen.

Hundreds of deaf, hard-of-hearing Jehovah's Witnesses gather in Norco for annual conference

11:19 PM PDT on Friday, July 9, 2010

By DAVID OLSON The Press-Enterprise

Video: Norco convention is silent, but spiritual

Every summer for the past seven years, Aaron Hairston has eagerly awaited the annual 3-day Jehovah's Witnesses convention for the deaf and hard of hearing, which began Friday in Norco.

Hairston, 25, of Moreno Valley, enjoys learning about the Bible and strengthening his spirituality among hundreds of other deaf Jehovah's Witnesses.

"My primary language is American Sign Language, and when a speaker is directly speaking to me in my own language, there's more of a bond," Hairston said through an interpreter.

The regional convention is expected to draw about 1,500 people -- mostly from Southern California, Arizona and Nevada -- to the Norco Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. The meeting in previous years had also been geared toward Jehovah's Witnesses from other parts of the West, but the growing turnout in Norco -- which last year was 2,100 -- spurred the religious denomination to last week inaugurate a similar conference in the Bay Area.

Caleb Chapman traveled 340 miles from Phoenix to attend the meeting. Chapman, 26, said it's fulfilling to be among so many other deaf Jehovah's Witnesses.

"We're like a family, spiritual brothers and sisters," Chapman said through an interpreter. "We have this bond and unity with each other when we all convene like this and come together to worship as one huge group."

The meeting features Bible talks, ASL songs, Bible dramas and other activities.

Participants are notified of the beginning of sessions by the flickering of lights and a man who walks around with a sign that says, "Please Be Seated. Session to Begin." Two giant screens allow attendees in the assembly hall's auditorium to see presenters' hand movements. Claps are replaced by the deaf equivalent of shaking one's raised hands.

As hundreds of people Friday morning signed to the opening song, "Welcome One Another," virtually the only sounds were the whishes of suit coats and dresses and a few crying babies.

Jehovah's Witnesses, which has long put a priority in seeking new members, is a leader among religions in reaching out to people in their primary languages. The denomination's website includes information in 403 languages, including 39 sign languages.

There are 145 Jehovah's Witnesses congregations nationwide that are entirely ASL, including four in the Inland area, said Pasch McCombs, one of the organizers of the conference.

Many faiths rely primarily on ASL interpretations of spoken services, an approach that Jehovah's Witnesses has moved away from and which Hairston said doesn't convey the same meaning.

"When there's someone interpreting English, it's not as clear," he said.

Reach David Olson at 951-368-9462 or [email protected]

IF YOU GO

The southwestern regional conference of deaf and hard-of-hearing Jehovah's Witnesses continues today and Sunday.

Where: Norco Assembly Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1001 Parkridge Ave.

When: 9:30 a.m. to 4:55 p.m. today, 9:30 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. Sunday.

Cost: Free.

Information: [email protected] or 619-243-9388