Joe Grundy

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Posts by Joe Grundy

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  12

  Jewish Holidays

  by moomanchu in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  .

  since jw,s cannot celebrate "christian holidays" can they celebrate jewish holidays.

  i asked my mom this question never got an answer.. jesus was at the temple for the feast of the dedication for starters.. thoughts

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  Joe Grundy

  I understand now why I may have offended some JWs when I went to the 'Memorial' service (?) and wished people a 'good Passover' - tov pesach.
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  155

  I found this and am in total agreement. Feel free to answer the Questions.

  by jw in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  regardless of how you feel about jehovah's organization--the true religion, one thing for sure, you will not escape the almighty jehovah's judgement right along with satan the devil and his destructive organization.

  how will you save yourself and those who follow you...?

  it's ashame that your energies could not be put to a more positive use.

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  Joe Grundy

  Happy birthday for 4 days ago L2BW. Hope you had a big cake and candles and things.
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  155

  I found this and am in total agreement. Feel free to answer the Questions.

  by jw in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  regardless of how you feel about jehovah's organization--the true religion, one thing for sure, you will not escape the almighty jehovah's judgement right along with satan the devil and his destructive organization.

  how will you save yourself and those who follow you...?

  it's ashame that your energies could not be put to a more positive use.

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  Joe Grundy

  jw:

  I am pleased that your 'care in the community' programme gives you access to a computer and the net. But are you sure that this is the best way to spend your time?
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  23

  Is the WTBTS a Bully?

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am not, and never have been, a jw.

  i spent my career (30 years) fighting bullies.

  is wtbts and its subsidiaries (not talking about individual jws here) a bullying organisation?.

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  Joe Grundy

  I am not, and never have been, a JW. I spent my career (30 years) fighting bullies. Is WTBTS and its subsidiaries (not talking about individual JWs here) a bullying organisation?

  I think I know the answer to this question, from what I have read here - but I would like to hear your answers.

  Thanks.
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  37

  Do Individual JWs Pay For The Publications They Distribute?

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  excuse my ignorance, and i've read on boards about the us not selling/inviting contributions issue, but do individuals jws in effect pay for the publications they give out?

  if so, is that only for their magazines or for hardback books as well?

  how is this organised, please?.

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  Joe Grundy

  Thanks for the info. I was prompted to ask it because of the books etc. given to me by my neighbours, which I have considered returning (if I can think of a way to do it without causing offence).

  But I went on to think - if the road to glory for JWs is going out and 'placing' publications, and seeing that JWs seem to be most active in developing countries (or at least the less rich ones) and they seem to attract (perhaps) the less well-off or successful recruits, this may be quite a financial burden for some individual JWs?
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  37

  Do Individual JWs Pay For The Publications They Distribute?

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  excuse my ignorance, and i've read on boards about the us not selling/inviting contributions issue, but do individuals jws in effect pay for the publications they give out?

  if so, is that only for their magazines or for hardback books as well?

  how is this organised, please?.

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  Joe Grundy

  Excuse my ignorance, and I've read on boards about the US not selling/inviting contributions issue, but do individuals JWs in effect pay for the publications they give out? If so, is that only for their magazines or for hardback books as well? How is this organised, please?

  Thanks.
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  34

  Ongoing Saga; Privacy Commission, WTS and my attempt to get personal files

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i posted a while ago that i had asked the aust bethel for my personal records under the privacy act 1988. bethel refused.

  i then lodged a complaint with the privacy commission.

  bethel signed a stat dec that they are not covered by the privacy act, and so the case was closed.

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  Joe Grundy

  Hamilton, the site you need for UK information is: http://www.ico.gov.uk/eventual.aspx

  It's now called the 'Information Commissioner's Office'.

  I did a quick search for the JW's registration under 'Watchtower' and 'Jehovah' - the only result was 'Watchtower Investments Ltd' which I would guess is the UK overall financial arm of the JWs. (It would be possible to do an online search of Companies House records for them, it might cost a couple of pounds, but would give you names of directors, accounts and all sorts of useful stuff).

  As far as I can see, there is no exemption for religions. In fact in the 'myths and facts' bit of the site it raises the question of a priest giving out personal data by praying during a service for someone who is sick. The answer given is NOT that clergy are exempt but that the personal data about the individual is not likely to be held in searchable personal records.

  Hope this helps, and I hope somebody might pick up this ball and run with it!
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  34

  Ongoing Saga; Privacy Commission, WTS and my attempt to get personal files

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i posted a while ago that i had asked the aust bethel for my personal records under the privacy act 1988. bethel refused.

  i then lodged a complaint with the privacy commission.

  bethel signed a stat dec that they are not covered by the privacy act, and so the case was closed.

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  Joe Grundy

  Reply to Hamilton: AFAIK, the UK Freedom of Info Act applies only to government departments, local authorities, police, etc. BUT the Data Protection Act applies to any organisation, company, etc., that keeps 'searchable' personal data (whether in computer or written form) on individuals. Never been a JW but from what I've read the records they keep would certainly fall into this category.

  Any organisation, company, authority, etc., that wants to keep such info must register with the office of the Data Protection Registrar and specify such things as what data they want to keep, what use they will make of it, who they will share it with, how long they will retain it, etc. There are also rules about not using it for unspecified purposes and so one. The purpose behind this is so that anyone considering giving personal data can check to see how their data will be used, etc., and the Register is open to the public.

  I don't know (but I'm sure others on this board do) what the legal position of JW groups is. If each congregation is a separate legal 'entity' (and I assume if, for example, they hold the deeds to their premises then they must be) each congregation would have to register separately. More likely, there would be an 'umbrella' registration on behalf of WTBTS (UK) or whatever the overall UK organisation is.

  Under the legislation it is an offence to fail to register, to use data other than in accordance with the registration, and any individual has the right to ask the company/organisation what data is held about them and how it has been used. Failure to comply with a request is an offence.

  AFAIK, JW organisations would not be exempt from this legislation.

  You have sparked an interest, and I will research further.
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  39

  Infiltration by Apostates

  by Kenneson in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i mentioned recently that i belong to a pro-jehovah's witness forum and how they were having internal problems requiring the lockdown of a thread for a 24 hour cooling period.

  someone on the forum admitted that it caused their posting to drop.

  now, they are beset with another problem.

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  Joe Grundy

  In my very limited knowledge of JWs (from the outside) it seems to me that the internet with its research capabilities is the biggest threat faced by WTBTS.

  It also appears that their strongest areas are in developing countries, or at least not the most developed ones, and perhaps amongst less privileged people who are less likely to have access to the net. If this is correct, is it coincidence?
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  20

  Advice for non-JW please

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  having visited this site on many occasions, and having been recommended to it, i am confident that it is a source of good advice from people who know about these things.

  i would be grateful for any advice you can offer me.. i have been an atheist for 20+ years, but before that was a non-conformist protestant with degrees of belief varying from acceptance to enthusiasm.

  my atheism resulted from research because of my (continuing) interest in the effects of religion.

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  Joe Grundy

  Thanks again for your further replies.

  Thinking about it further, there has been a lot less contact from them since the memorial service, after which I also asked them if they wanted their books back (they had given me a copy of the NWT Bible, 'All Scriptures, and a couple more about 'Creation' etc.). I don't know what the JW term is for somebody who has been shown the way to their 'truth' and rejects it (I'm sure they have a term for it) but whatever it is, I am one.

  BTW, do JWs who hand out these books have to pay for them personally, or are they paid for by the local group? I have never been asked for 'contributions' for these or the (too many) magazines they used to give me - none recently.