Posts by truthsetsonefree

3

The WTS is sticking their nose in married couples

by sseveninches in

jw
friends

truthsetsonefree

They always have. Even Jehovah has no place in the bedroom!

Isaac

33

Has Anyone Seen "Prometheus"?

by Low-Key Lysmith in

i loved it!

but then, it went right along with my own personal beliefs concerning mankind's origins, so i'm a little biased.. wondering what a religious person's thoughts would be?.

truthsetsonefree

I saw it. Like you Terry I need to do some reading on it before I see it again. I did feel it presented some interesting notions on the possibilities of our origins.

Isaac

Casting Call and stories for Documentary

by truthsetsonefree in

i haven't been able to post much over the past few years.

living life outside the dubs has been exhilarating and rewarding.

but i have continued to work on exposing the wt for what it is.

Greetings everyone! I haven't been able to post much over the past few years. Living life outside the dubs has been exhilarating and rewarding. But I have continued to work on exposing the WT for what it is. Recently I did an extended interview for a journalist in the NYC area who works for a Russian TV station. He is doing a documentary on WT. He is very serious and has interviewed some of our best known ex-JW colleagues, even traveling to do so. He is looking for two things now:

1. Recent stories involving sexual abuse and WT that are concrete and not just hearsay.

2. Individuals comfortable with being on camera for reenactments of field service and possibly other JW activities. This is being filmed mostly in NYC so those of us in the NYC Metro area are most likely to be used.

For further info contact me at [email protected]. This seems like a good opportunity and I hope some can do it.

Isaac

47

Hospitality after Public Talk - ???

by RubaDub in

i see a lot of mentions about hospitality after the public talk and honestly, i guess it is a practice that was not in the ny/ct area i grew up in or here in south florida today.. i grew up with an elder father and grandfather who gave public talks and were generally well-liked.

as a child, i never recall being invited to someone's house after the meeting.

granted, it was rare to travel more than an hour but regardless, it was typical to get in the car and head home after the "amens.

truthsetsonefree

In the last few years before I left in 2007 we had hospitality at our NYC congregation. Bethelites from the MidWest had started this in our Hall. It was divided up among book study groups. Needless to say with busy schedules and folks not having much money, small lunches at local spots paid for by the few in the congo who could afford it was the most hospitalty speakers usually ever saw. Most declined it anyway. In some cases a lunch was brought to the Hall before or after the meeting.

Isaac

1

Crown Heights Ultra Orthodox Jews Meet To Combat Child Sex Abuse

by truthsetsonefree in

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/jun/10/crown-heights-ultra-orthodox-jews-meet-combat-child-sex-abuse/.

this sounds so much like the judaic philosophy of jws.

several moderates here in nyc have been talking about the need to have secular law enforcement involved, not religious rabbis.

truthsetsonefree

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2012/jun/10/crown-heights-ultra-orthodox-jews-meet-combat-child-sex-abuse/

This sounds so much like the Judaic philosophy of JWs. Several moderates here in NYC have been talking about the need to have secular law enforcement involved, not religious rabbis. I'm glad this issue is being brought into the public spotlight.

Isaac Carmignani

"Mordechai Feinstein felt obligated to tell his story. The 19-year-old stands nearly 6-feet-tall with square shoulders and an unmistakable Brooklyn inflection in his voice. When he was 15, he joined a group led by a local rabbi in Crown Heights who mentored at-risk youth.

“I went there for Sabbath meals. He was the spiritual guide and mentor I would go to when I had questions. He helped get me into different religious schools,” explained Feinstein. “So in effect, he was my personal rabbi.”

This rabbi also became his abuser.

Feinstein shared his story with the approximately 100 ultra-Orthodox that attended the public meeting at the Ohel Nosson Shul in Crown Heights on Sunday. He joined a panel of speakers, including Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, child advocates and rabbis, to talk about how to prevent child sex abuse in the community — and what people could and should do when faced with it.

This isn’t the first meeting of its kind, but it comes at a time where the Brooklyn D.A.’s office faces increased scrutiny for its handling of child sex abuse cases within the ultra-Orthodox community. Hynes has consistently defended his office, pointing to intimidation from within the ultra-Orthodox community itself — on par or beyond that of organized crime cases — that stymies sex abuse prosecutions.

But in Crown Heights, home to the Chabad-Lubavich Hasidic community, an awakening may be emerging. Last year, the local rabbinical court ruled it was forbidden not to report cases of child sex abuse to secular authorities, breaking a long-standing tradition within the community where people sought the counsel of their rabbi before engaging with law enforcement.

“If I could get religious courts around this county adopting that policy, we’d be a much longer way towards solving this problem,” Hynes said, referring to the large ultra-Orthodox communities in Williamsburg and Borough Park.

Last month, Hynes set up a task force to address intimidation in the ultra-Orthodox community. The second meeting of that task force is Monday.

While prosecution is an important element of cracking down on child sex abuse, Rabbi Yosef Blau of Yeshiva University said the community itself needs to understand the severity of the problem.

“Does the community understand that victims are victimized again and again when they get no support from the community, when they are seen as the troublemakers, when people are afraid to be whistle-blowers,” Blau said. “The mentality of the community has to change.”

In some ways Feinstein was lucky. His case was successfully prosecuted by the Brooklyn D.A.’s office, and with the help of civil rights lawyer, Norman Siegel, he had a say in how his perpetrator was punished. But Feinstein is no longer part of the Crown Heights community. He now lives in Miami, Florida.

“It’s been painful, very painful at times,” Feinstein told the audience. “If you care about the community, do something positive for the children.”"

40

Merry Christmas!

by botchtowersociety in

jw
friends

just stopped by my desk for a sec to hope you all are having a good one.

my house is packed and a zoo.

maybe i am finally having a good christmas after leaving the tower.

truthsetsonefree

Merry Christmas everyone. This is my fifth Christmas out. Now it's almost totally natural to enjoy the holiday. I must confess to feeling a little out of place still. But having a new family that were never JWs but understand them really helps. Anyway I hope everyone here can find some comfort today.

Isaac Carmignani

32

My Wife wants to allow a Sister from her congregation to provide before and after care for my oldest daughter...

by garyneal in

jw
friends

when my littlest one was born we knew finding affordable daycare would be tough.

a sister in her congregation was suggested over and over and we finally checked her out and allowed her to keep the baby.

my oldest has had a fairly normal life (thanks largely to me and my wife before she became a witness) and because of that she is quick to speak of birthdays, holidays, etc.. i want her to continue to have a fairly normal life as i know how hard it would be for her to be 'singled out' because her friends decide to do these things.. she's about to start kindergarten and my wife wants to try some sister from her congregation who is looking to make some extra money providing before and after care.

truthsetsonefree

I've been through this and am still experiencing it. While it's still too early to say what effects my daughter will have from JW babysitting I can say from my experience that what Scully and Lady Lee are saying is preferable. JWs do not know genuine respect for other belief systenms and are quick to work behind a person's back. As Lady Lee states "theocratic warfare" strategies dictate being deceitful and duplicitous.

Isaac Carmignani

44

i think i might return to the WTS

by dm6 in

man im so drained right now and tired i cant say a whole lot.. but you know, i was thinking about going back to them and just to see a bit more about it all.. i dont know to be very honest with you if its thr right thing to do or not on a personal level.. .

i guess i need to mull things over.. .

any suggestions from previous jw's would be awesome for me.

truthsetsonefree

Darren, cattails correctly states that they "will always use the truth as a hook to reel you in." Remember this: If you don't do as told you can never be fully "in." It's not possible. Now many who are JWs find a measure of peace flying under the radar and doing what they please without getting caught. But they are the "weak" ones who "can never get their act together" in the mionds of JWs. In some congregations they get "marked" and on the "outside." If you're not in, why enter a situation like that? It's very schizophrenic. It generally leaves peole conflicted and chasing their tails when they could be out in the "real world" with all of us making life happen for them. Just some thoughts.

Isaac

243

Victoria, Australia: Steven Unthank's Press Release: JW's Hierarchy Formally Charged Today With Child Abuse

by AndersonsInfo in

jehovah's witnesses hierarchy charged.

immediate press release: 26 july 2011. link to this press release: http://wp.me/p1g1hc-4o.

worldwide church hierarchy charged with child abuse.

truthsetsonefree

I'm sure WT has some legalistic argument to use here. I can't see them incurring the wrath of the government without some legal justification however distasteful it might be. One they like to bandy about when calls are made for religious instructors to be vetted is that they don't teach "Sunday school." Or some other folderol which ignores the fact that whether the school is called "Sunday school", a Bible study or something else the law's intent is to vet people who spend time with children. the name of the activity is not important. But I'm sure we will hear some such silliness from their legal and PR people if this case goes public.

Isaac Carmignani

243

Victoria, Australia: Steven Unthank's Press Release: JW's Hierarchy Formally Charged Today With Child Abuse

by AndersonsInfo in

jehovah's witnesses hierarchy charged.

immediate press release: 26 july 2011. link to this press release: http://wp.me/p1g1hc-4o.

worldwide church hierarchy charged with child abuse.

truthsetsonefree

Wow!