BluePill2, please check your PMs. Thanks, Barbara
AndersonsInfo
JoinedPosts by AndersonsInfo
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New low for Watchtower Society: slips below North Korea on the scum index!
by BluePill2 inif you have been following the news these days, you maybe have seen images like this one:.
heart breaking stories about people that where separated from their relatives for over 60 years.
i've seen an interview with a crying old man, saying that he fears that he will not be able to recognize his sister or that he will not have any feelings for her, because of the many years and the indoctrination by the north korean regime.. all of this reminded me of the watchtower society.
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Article: Humanity Becoming Less Violent, Except Religious Violence
by AndersonsInfo inend: byline .
http://www.alternet.org/print/belief/humanity-becoming-increasingly-less-violent-one-exception-religious-violence start: headline .
humanity is becoming increasingly less violent, with one exception -- religious violence alternet by cj werleman published on alternet (http://www.alternet.org) <div id="sticky-social-sidebar"></div>
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AndersonsInfo
Humanity Is Becoming Increasingly Less Violent, with One Exception -- Religious Violence
AlterNet By CJ Werleman Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org) January 14, 2014 |
Studies demonstrate the world is becoming less violent, and that human warfare is on the decline. There is one aspect of the human existence, however, that continues to ignite humans to commit violence and atrocities against fellow humans. A major new study published by the Pew Research Center [3] shows that religious hostilities reached a 6-year high in 2012.
Dr. Steven Pinker, Pulitzer prize-winning author and Harvard psychology professor, writes, “Today we may be living in the most peaceful era in our species’ existence.” He acknowledges: “In a century that began with 9/11, Iraq, and Darfur, the claim that we are living in an unusually peaceful time may strike you as somewhere between hallucinatory and obscene.” Pinker points out, wars make headlines, but there are fewer conflicts today, and wars don’t kill as many people as they did in the Middle Ages, for instance. Also, global rates of violent crime have plummeted in the last few decades. Pinker notes that the reason for these advances are complex but certainly the rise of education, and a growing willingness to put ourselves in the shoes of others has played its part.
Religiosity, however, continues to play its part in promoting in-group out-group thinking, which casts the difference between people in terms of eternal rewards and punishments. Sam Harris, author of Letter to a Christian Nation, observes, “Faith inspires violence in two ways. First, people often kill other human beings because they believe the creator of the universe wants them to do it…Second, far greater numbers of people fall into conflict with one another because they define their moral community on the basis of their religious affiliation: Muslims side with Muslims, Protestants with Protestants, Catholics with Catholics.”
According to the Pew Research Center, a third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012, up from 29% in 2011 and 20% as of mid-2007. Notably, religious hostilities increased in every major region of the world except the Americas, with the most dramatic increases felt in areas still reeling from the effects of the 2010-11 political uprisings known as the Arab Spring.
The study demonstrates there has been a sizable increase in the share of countries with high or very high levels of social hostilities involving religion. “Incidents of abuse targeting religious minorities were reported in 47% of countries in 2012, up from 38% in 2011, and 24% in the baseline year of the study (2007).” Pew cites several illustrations of religious minorities being attacked by the perpetrators of the majority faith. In Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka, for example, monks attacked Muslim and Christian places of worship in April 2012. Several worshippers were killed in an attack on a Coptic Orthodox Church in Libya, which according to the U.S. State Department was the first attack on a church in Libya since the 2011 revolution.
“One of the common things we see in that group of countries is sectarian conflict,” said Brian J. Grim, senior researcher at Pew Research. “In Pakistan, even though minority religious groups like Christians face hostility, there’s also inter-Muslim conflict between Sunnis, Shias and Ahmadi Muslims.”
The study finds rises in religious motivated threats of violence, harassment of women over religious dress, mob violence related to religion, sectarian violence, and religion-related terrorist violence. One in five countries experience religious motivated terrorism in 2013, which is up from one in ten countries in 2007. Examples cited include the killings of a rabbi and three Jewish children by an Islamist extremist at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France. The study also mentions the August 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin that left six worshipers dead and three others wounded. While the 2013 al-Shabab attack on a Nairobi shopping mall fell outside of the date range studied in the analysis, the Islamic motivated terrorist attack highlights a steady increase of religion-related terrorism in Kenya, which ignited when more than a dozen Christians were killed by Islamists near the Kenya-Somalia border in November 2012.
Wherever you look in the world, there continues to be religious motivated violence. From the fighting that has plagued Palestine for the past six decades (Jews vs. Muslims), to the dispute over Kashmir (Muslims vs. Hindus). Also, there’s Nigeria (Muslims vs. Christians), Philippines (Muslims vs. Christians), Iraq (Sunni Muslims vs. Shiite), Sudan (Muslims vs. Christians), Sri Lanka (Sinhalese Buddhists vs. Tamil Hindus), and the Caucasus region (Orthodox Russians vs. Chechen Muslims).
While most of the above examples have basis in disputes over land and political control, it’s religious belief that shapes the terms and the willingness of one party to negotiate with the other. War, by definition, suggests an all-or nothing conflict to determine a dispute against an enemy one believes in hell-bent on our destruction, and therefore cannot be placated via diplomatic means. In other words, war and violence becomes an excuse for not finding compromise. Religion provides the excuse to be violent.
Harris writes, “Scripture itself remains a perpetual engine of extremism: because, while He may be many things, the God of the Bible and the Qur’an is not a moderate. Reading scripture more closely, one does find reasons to be a proper religious lunatic – to fear the fires of hell, to despise non-believers, to persecute homosexuals etc. Of course, anyone can cherry pick scripture and find reasons to love his neighbor and to turn the other cheek. But the more fully a person grants credence to these books, the more he will be convinced that infidels, heretics, and apostates deserve to be smashed to atoms in God’s loving machinery of justice.”
Charles Kimball's book When Religion Becomes Evil begins with the following claim: "It is somewhat trite, but nevertheless sadly true, to say that more wars have been waged, more people killed, and these days more evil perpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional force in human history.” It’s easy for American Christendom to dismiss this and studies that show increases in religious violence, for it’s something that can be waved away as something that happens over “there” in those “crazy countries.” But lest we forget that it is right wing American Christians that have helped shape Uganda’s anti-gay laws, which carry life imprisonment for homosexual acts and the death penalty for repeat offenders.
The findings of the Pew Research Center’s study confirm the importance of secularism, as one sees a strong connection between governments imposing religious beliefs, customs and norms on its citizens and the outbreak of sectarian violence. Let’s hope America is listening.
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The Vatican will be questioned by UN Committee-Rights of Child-Jan. 16-Geneva
by AndersonsInfo insurvivorsnetwork of thoseabused bypriests this thursday, for the first time ever, the vatican will be questioned about its record on child sexual violence by an international body.
the un committee on the rights of the child in geneva is holding the meeting in two sessions on jan 16, each three hours long.
snap and our attorneys from ccr will be there.
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AndersonsInfo
S urvivors N etwork of those A bused by P riests This Thursday, for the first time ever, the Vatican will be questioned about its record on child sexual violence by an international body. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva is holding the meeting in two sessions on Jan 16, each three hours long. SNAP and our attorneys from CCR will be there. Later in the evening (Geneva time) CCR and SNAP are hosting a reportback via Livestream directly after the review to report about it to survivors, advocates and supporters. Two separate events and you can view them both on the internet.
Watch the UN review via livestream here! The review will take place on Thursday, January 16, 2014 from 10am-1pm CET, (4am-7am EST) where the Vatican will be reviewed on their compliance with the Convention on Rights of the Child and then from 3pm-6pm CET (9am-12 noon EST) the Vatican will be reviewed on their compliance with the Optional Protocols on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
**This will be broadcast in the English language. This is broadcast by the UN.
Then two hours later at 8 pm CET (2 pm EST) we will have the “reportback” by CCR and SNAP. Tune in here .
You can follow the conversation on Twitter and ask questions before or during the livestream by tweeting to the hashtag #HolySeeConfessor by emailing questions to [email protected] .
SNAP and CCR submitted reports to the Committee on the Rights of the Child detailing how the Holy See has violated the core principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
If you have questions please email or call the SNAP office at: 312 455 1499 or [email protected] .
Don’t miss the chance to participate in this historic event!
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Read a tribute to Ray and Cynthia Franz and leave your condolences at this webpage:
by AndersonsInfo ina webpage tribute to cynthia & ray can be found at http://www.commentarypress.com/.
on the bottom of that webpage is a place that you can leave your condolences and thoughtful commentsfor the families of cynthia and ray.. for more information about cynthia's death, see http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/270338/1/cynthia-franz-died-december-29-2013#.utl16zdnbl8.
barbara and joe.
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AndersonsInfo
A webpage tribute to Cynthia & Ray can be found at http://www.commentarypress.com/. On the bottom of that webpage is a place that you can leave your condolences and thoughtful commentsfor the families of Cynthia and Ray.
For more information about Cynthia's death, see http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/270338/1/Cynthia-Franz-died-December-29-2013#.UtL16ZDnbL8
Barbara and Joe
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Cynthia Franz died December 29, 2013
by AndersonsInfo ini am sad to report that while being treated for various ailments in an atlanta hospital for eight days, cynthia franz died of massive heart failure on december 29, 2013. .
cynthia franz comes from a very large, loving, close-knit family.
they have decided to keep cynthia's funeral arrangements private.
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AndersonsInfo
I am sad to report that while being treated for various ailments in an Atlanta hospital for eight days, Cynthia Franz died of massive heart failure on December 29, 2013.
Cynthia Franz comes from a very large, loving, close-knit family. They have decided to keep Cynthia's funeral arrangements private. In that light, many have asked how they might express their condolences to the family. A webpage tribute to Cynthia & Ray can be found at http://www.commentarypress.com/. On the bottom of that webpage is a place that you can leave your condolences and thoughtful comments for the families of Cynthia and Ray.
Cynthia's family is hopeful that the webpage will comfort you as you grieve her passing.
Barbara and Joe -
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For the many who remember "just2laws," he had a massive heart attack last night...
by AndersonsInfo inand died at home in panama city beach, florida.
steve imhof, a bethelite in the 1970s and former very active elder who became a very vocal wt critic starting in 2002, was 65 years old when he died.
he was father to three children and two grandchildren.
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AndersonsInfo
and died at home in Panama City Beach, Florida. Steve Imhof, a Bethelite in the 1970s and former very active elder who became a very vocal WT critic starting in 2002, was 65 years old when he died. He was father to three children and two grandchildren. Many posters on this board have fond memories of the hospitality of the Imhoffs who kindly welcomed former JWs to their Florida home on the beach during the years 2002-2005.
Barbara and Joe
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How would you answer these questions that came to me in an email through my website? ...
by AndersonsInfo inmany emails are sent to me through my website, watchtowerdocuments.com.
all are answered.
remember 1corinthians 6: 1-2 (i'll answer this question.
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AndersonsInfo
Many emails are sent to me through my website, watchtowerdocuments.com. All are answered. However, the following email written by someone soon to be baptized contains so many questions that I just can't take the time to answer them all, yet I feel the sincerity that this man has and I believe he should hear TTATT as he has been so blinded by the Witnesses.
Anyone out there want to help with some of the questions that are more generic which don't need a personal reply from me? I know that the bulk of the questions are ones that can be easily responded to by experienced posters who are on this board to help others escape the mind manipulation of the Watch Tower organization.
Many of you have helped out in the past, so I'm asking again. Thanks, Barbara
"I have read your blog with utmost surprise and bewilderment. Although, I am not yet a baptized witness but Jehovah's Witnesses have studied with me from infancy to date. I recently became regular at meetings and began my ministry in 2011.
While I note your publication with rapt attention, please, permit me to ask you the following questions if you don't mind:
(The first three questions I will answer myself because they are about my personal religious beliefs.)4. I understand your emotional feeling as a woman regarding the molestation of teenage girls and women by members of the organization and the manner the in which the policies are applied in managing the issues, but shouldn't you have waited for Jehovah's own time? Deuteronomy 32:35
5. I understand the hypocrisy you are trying to highlight but is leaving the organization a better choice? Remember John 6: 66-70; 1Samuel 16: 7-9
6. What is then the hope for salvation or have you believed there is no salvation for mankind?
7. Is your anger directed at the leaders or you have believed there should be no religion to worship God? Remember Acts 28:21
8. Why go public and initiate a lawsuit? Remember 1Corinthians 6: 1-2 (I'll answer this question. Barbara)
9. As a man, I hate rape and child molestation, but shouldn't there be reasonable evidence to convict somebody of a crime?
10. I understand your frustration with the two witnesses account policy but if someone denies the allegation, the organization have no means of establishing the truth without adequate evidence. In this case, shouldn't you have thought that vengeance belongs to God? Remember Romans 12: 17-19; Luke 12: 52 -59
11. On the issue of higher education, I do not think the organization banned members from seeking higher education. There a lot of witnesses in Nigeria that are in the higher school of learning. Except you can provide me with evidence to the contrary. What I understood was members should be careful not to be overtly pursuing higher education when they have a qualification that can provide them a basic means of sustenance e.g. if you are a degree holder, at least it could provide you a decent living so why go further when the time spent for further education can be used for God service. As an individual, I do not think anyone can talk me out of my personal dreams. The issue in religion I see amongst people generally is the application of the doctrines. Some are bigots while others are liberal.
12. On the issue of flip-flops and the failure of witness message of doom, it maybe due to lack of understanding of the scripture at that time. Every day, new understanding is perceived. Remember 2Peter 3:16
13. The issues you highlighted on more dangers are baseless as I do not see anything wrong in being neutral in times of war or refusal to salute the flag. There are scriptural basis for it e.g. Isaiah 2: 2-4; Deuteronomy 4:16
13. Talking about losing friends and family members as a result of associating with witnesses, I think there is also a scriptural basis for it. Matthew 10: 32-38; Luke 12: 52-53; 14: 25-27
14. On the issue of witness viewpoint, I think it has to do with individuals. Remember how the disciples of Christ were also seeking prominence. Matthew 18: 1-4, Luke 22: 24-27. As for me, doing God's work is most important to me. I do not seek to be elder any day and I do not look forward to it.
15. On the issues of excommunication, there is a scriptural basis as well. Remember 2John 8-11
16. I did ask the question - Who were the true Christians after the death of the last Apostle? but I did not get any convincing answer. I decided to take it that Jehovah knows best and he will always find a way to get his purpose accomplished
17. Even I have challenges with the behaviour and attitude of people in general. However, I strongly believe Jehovah will use people to reach out to the ones he has chosen without necessarily rewarding all those he may have used. That is the attitude I am using to get along and I have also somehow adopted a neutral approach to avoid being hypocritical or doing eye service. In the same breath, I decided not to take responsibilities other than preaching.
18. Although, you have a thorough knowledge of the organization and scriptures than I do, I just thought to respond to you on the issues you have raised. I would have loved that you and your husband never left the organization you have dedicated so much time and energy to work with. You should have seen it as a service for Jehovah and allow the scriptures to be fulfilled regarding molesters. Remember Matthew 18: 6-11, Mark 9: 42. I may not be able to turn you back to the organization because the scriptures itself made known that it is only Jehovah that can attract someone to himself John 6:44-45
I hope you will see some light in my opinion and questions raised.
I will be grateful to get a response from you. -
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Florida teacher suspended over [JW] kids Pledge of Allegiance
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.azcentral.com/news/free/20131106florida-teacher-suspended-over-kids-pledge-allegiance.html?odyssey=obnetwork.
associated presswed nov 6, 2013 3:34 pmspring hill, fla. a florida school district has suspended a teacher after requiring a fourth grade jehovahs witness to participate in the pledge of allegiance.. the tampa tribune (http://bit.ly/1arwmom) reports that the hernando county school board recently concluded an investigation.. the student, who is jehovahs witness and prohibited by the religion from worshiping objects, refused on religious grounds, the investigation found.. officials said teacher anne daigle-mcdonald twice placed the students hand over his heart when the class recited the pledge.. the student told mcdonald during the incident that jehovahs witnesses do not worship objects, and that he stood during the pledge of allegiance out of respect for the country, but was not permitted by his religion to place his hand over his heart, according to the investigation.. after the student informed mcdonald of this, mcdonald went to the front of the class and said, if you dont want to say the pledge, you still have to put your hand on your heart and if you dont want to do that, you should move out of the country, according to the report.. the report also shows mcdonald said something about there not being a religion that prohibits doing the pledge, according to the investigation.. the district says that mcdonald violated a host of state education rules, professional conduct principles and the students right to free speech and freedom of religion.
several other students in the class corroborated the allegations, according to the investigation.. mcdonald was removed from student contact, and placed on alternative assignment on sept. 12.. while speaking to administrators at the school on that date, mcdonald said she thought the religion applied only to holidays, but said she did not attempt to contact the students parents for clarification, according to the report.. the investigation showed that she also said she didnt think it was good practice to regularly place hands on students, and that she feels strongly as a citizen of the united states that one should show respect to the flag.. superintendent lori romano ordered mcdonald be suspended five days without pay, reported the incident to florida department of education and ordered mcdonald provide proof of completion of diversity training..
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AndersonsInfo
Associated Press Wed Nov 6, 2013 3:34 PM
SPRING HILL, Fla. — A Florida school district has suspended a teacher after requiring a fourth grade Jehovah’s Witness to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/1arwmoM) reports that the Hernando County School Board recently concluded an investigation.
The student, who is Jehovah’s Witness and prohibited by the religion from worshiping objects, refused on religious grounds, the investigation found.
Officials said teacher Anne Daigle-McDonald twice placed the student’s hand over his heart when the class recited the pledge.
The student told McDonald during the incident that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not worship objects, and that he stood during the Pledge of Allegiance out of respect for the country, but was not permitted by his religion to place his hand over his heart, according to the investigation.
After the student informed McDonald of this, McDonald went to the front of the class and said, “If you don’t want to say the pledge, you still have to put your hand on your heart and if you don’t want to do that, you should move out of the country,” according to the report.
The report also shows McDonald said something about there not being a religion that prohibits doing the pledge, according to the investigation.
The district says that McDonald violated a host of state education rules, professional conduct principles and the student’s right to free speech and freedom of religion. Several other students in the class corroborated the allegations, according to the investigation.
McDonald was removed from student contact, and placed on alternative assignment on Sept. 12.
While speaking to administrators at the school on that date, McDonald said she thought the religion applied only to holidays, but said she did not attempt to contact the student’s parents for clarification, according to the report.
The investigation showed that she also said she didn’t think it was good practice to regularly place hands on students, and that she feels strongly as a citizen of the United States that one should show respect to the flag.
Superintendent Lori Romano ordered McDonald be suspended five days without pay, reported the incident to Florida Department of Education and ordered McDonald provide proof of completion of diversity training.
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philipines disaster news up on jw.org
by Captain Blithering inhttp://www.jw.org/en/news/
wouldn't it be nice if they said 'you know what, we've made millions in property sales recently, lets donate a couple million to a philipines relief fund..'
ten vans full, probably just for jw's.
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AndersonsInfo
More news from JWs:
Brother Howard posted this update on his page: -
WorldNewsMedia Tuesday
Kingdom Hall @ Bingawan, Ilo-ilo, Philippines after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan)
Latest Update:
Sadly, 32 of our brothers & sisters from Tacloban City (the worst-hit place) are confirmed dead from super typhoon Haiyan, many are still missing and 1 Kingdom Hall destroyed.
Brother Armstrong (the DO) has visited the brothers and sisters. They said they always get hit by storms all year round but never as strong as this.
Many people along with their shanties have been washed away by the sea.
The society is of course on the move to come to the aid of our friends. They need all the prayer, water, food, clothing they can get. Their situation is so heartbreaking.
---The following message is from Brother Bert Hoefnagels... -
WorldNewsMedia Tuesday
Dear friends,
This is just a short update, as we know that you are all waiting to hear from us.
Bert and 3 other brothers are this week at the Island of Bohol. That is where the 7.2 earthquake was 2 weeks ago. They have had meetings with all the brothers and met with the families of the 3 brothers who have died in the quake.
There are 8 Kingdom hall destroyed and another 7 will need repairs. Also there are about 200 homes that need to be repaired or even rebuild. The homes there are made mostly out of a hollow block layer with coconut lumber on top, so that can not withstand a quake of this size. They could not rent a place to set up shop, so now we are using the parking area of the Kingdom hall. We can use the brothers of the Kingdom Hall Construction teams to help out. From the last storm 'Pablo" we have a nice system to rebuild homes fast. Some of our local brothers are able to do the work themselves and they will be helped with construction materials.
That was till last friday…
Then the super typhoon hit. For the island of Bohol it did bring a lot of rain and it did storm, but not as strong as they expected. It added a few homes to the list of repairs but not to much.
Now the rest of the country, that is another story. You might have seen on TV that it looks like a true war zone. Communication is very difficult as power lines and cell sites are down. The circuit overseers are visiting the brothers and local elders are caring for their sheep.Tomorrow a brother from the Branch Committee will go and visit the Taclooban area to see what needs to be done.
This storm came at our District Convention time. Quite a few of the Bethel speakers are stranded at airports. Others arrived to find the assemblies cancelled and the venues turned into evacuation centers by the government.
Metro Manila with it almost 19 million people, escaped the storm completely. They have been cleaning out gutters and drainage-ways for days. Some of the low areas had emergency rubber boats for evacuations given to them, as we expected heavy floods there too. We did get a part of the storm, but rain was not enough for flooding.
I wish I could tell you more, but we have no more information at this moment.
The Philippines always get a lot of typhoons during the rainy season, but the people never seem to loose their smile. Jehovah will help our brothers as he always has.
This is it for now.
For all my lovely Filipino friends, please send no balikbayan boxes. We do appreciate you concern, but at this time, due to the large scale renovations that are going on at Bethel, we can not handle relief goods. Most of the needs are focussed on rebuilding and feeding our brothers. That will take a lot of financial support. Therefor such funding can be sent to the Branch and is so desired, earmarked for Disaster Relief Philippines.
---Sad news just in that 47 of our brothers have died in the worst hit area (Tacloban City Philippines) and there are many still missing
Brothers,
Just to let you know I have had contact with Bro Andrew Struyf who is on international construction assignment in the Philippines with his wife Gabrielle constructing new translation offices. They are in Bacolod which was about 180km SW of the path that the eye of the typhoon took, however as the typhoon covered an area of some 600km they were well and truly effected.
8 Kingdom halls and 147 of our brothers homes have been destroyed, but none of our brothers in that area have lost their lives. The project is underwater and has ceased as focus turns to the Disaster relief efforts required there now. Much of the communication is still down in the worst hit areas and no doubt more information through the appropriate channel will follow shortly. Whilst I am not in the habit of dispersing this type of information I thought it may assist you in your assignments as no doubt many of our brothers will be keen to know how our brothers are getting on. May we all continue praying for them all.
Kindest Regards,
Chris Hagan
Project Development -
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philipines disaster news up on jw.org
by Captain Blithering inhttp://www.jw.org/en/news/
wouldn't it be nice if they said 'you know what, we've made millions in property sales recently, lets donate a couple million to a philipines relief fund..'
ten vans full, probably just for jw's.
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AndersonsInfo
Here's more news from JWs
http://theworldnewsmedia.org/Update+on+the+brothers+and+Typhoon+Yolanda
The following email was received via a sister in Brooklyn. -
WorldNewsMedia YesterdayHello friends,
In response to so many of you who are concerned about our brothers and sisters and relatives in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, I have the following to report that is about as accurate as we can get at this time. Please keep in mind that as information becomes available, the situation will change. Also, I am relying on information that has been given to me by Jona, her family members and others, including a brother in our congregation whose wife is alive in Cebu.
As of yesterday (Monday) evening, Jona received a report from a brother who visits the Philippine branch office in Quezon City on an almost daily basis. According to him, there are an unconfirmed number of 34 brothers dead from the typhoon. That report was modified by the branch, which issued a report of 26 confirmed dead. All of them had sought shelter in a Kingdom Hall in Tacloban, and were killed when the storm surge swept the building away.
Many more are missing and a thorough search is being conducted to locate survivors and victims. The primary area of death and destruction stretches along a path from east to west in the middle of the country in the Central Visayas from Leyte province where the storm first made landfall to Iloilo in the west, then to Palawan a couple of hundred miles in the South China Sea.
To give you some perspective, the Philippines is about the size of California and similarly is long from north to south. If the storm had hit California, it would have entered at Death Valley in the east and traveled westward through Bakersfield and exited near Morro Bay. Angeles would be equivalent to just north of Sacramento, Manila at San Francisco, GenSan at San Diego and Tacloban just west of Las Vegas.
Cebu Island and Cebu City also suffered a lot of damage, destruction, deaths and injuries, but reports are incomplete since the primary focus of attention has been Tacloban, Leyte Province. We do not have any reports from Iloilo or any other places yet. In all of the Central Visayas, there is no electricity, little or no cell phone service, looting has stripped the areas of food and gasoline and martial law is in effect. As soon as I hear anything further, I will let y'all know. The official death toll as of 8 am EST today was over 1700. It is expected to top 10,000. Many JWs could be among that number since not everyone has been accounted for and the search continues.
Many of you have asked about Jona's family. Her parents live in General Santos City (commonly called GenSan) in the far southern end of the country on Mindanao Island. They experienced a lot of rain and tropical force winds, but they are fine and have no damage. The rest of her family, and where we lived while I was there is in Angeles City, 60 miles north of Manila on Luzon Island. Being protected in a central valley and surrounded by mountains, they had only tropical force winds and lots of rain and some minor flooding, which is considered normal for the area. Everyone there is fine.
In the meantime, some have inquired as to the best way to make a donation to the relief effort. Here is my suggestion: if you send a check to the Philippine branch, it will take at least a week to get there, maybe two. Then, it will take at least 45 days for the check to clear and the funds won't be available for two months. If you put a check in the local contribution box marked "Worldwide Work," it will be sent to Patterson at the end of the month. That will also take time. If you send a check directly to Patterson, as our part on this week's service meeting allows, they can wire the money directly to the Philippine branch and the money will be available almost immediately. Remember, this is my suggestion from my personal experience having lived in the Philippines for nearly a year. You should corroborate this by asking your congregation service committee for more specific direction.
