the governing body have painted themselves in a corner, so to speak.
if they acknowledge their response to abuse claims was insensitive, unloving and inadequate they are denying the belief that "god's way" is best and risk losing abuse cases.
if they stick with it and say it is "god's way according to the bible" they will be seen as cult leaders and risk losing abuse cases.
They will certainly try to spin it the way cappytan quotes them as remarking on previously. That said, the bigger problem is not going away. If it is not Candice Conti, or the Royal Commission, it will be something else. These cases are now beginning to hit the organization fast and furiously, and the GB know it. AMIII would not have mentioned the above quoted in a broadcast a few months back, were that not the case.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks.
d4g
i was born into this religion.
i was a jw for well over 30 years.
i did much research before i had internet, i compared bibles and prayed deeply to help me to know if this was the truth.
maksutov - I think they both believe it (consciously) and also know it is not true (suppressed) - just like I did when I was a member. I suspect they can bear a lot more cognitive dissonance than average because they have more to lose from admitting to being wrong.
Closest to the truth, for sure.
d4g
it's getting to the point where cnn should start announcing "breaking news" if there *hasn't* been a mass shooting !.
it's crazy.. i was watching the 70's documentary they are running and that's the point when media hype about mass serial killers seemed to begin the danger-gun-solution hype cycle.
sure, people had guns before then but nowhere near like it is now.. when will it end?
John Aquila -
You are correct. The main differences there are the level of regulation imposed on nukes and fear associated with the obvious outcome of using them, (the old MAD concept from the cold war days). Theoretically all those factors do is buy time, they are no guarantee nukes will not be used in the future. That is the sober truth.
This would make for a another good thread, really
d4g
it's getting to the point where cnn should start announcing "breaking news" if there *hasn't* been a mass shooting !.
it's crazy.. i was watching the 70's documentary they are running and that's the point when media hype about mass serial killers seemed to begin the danger-gun-solution hype cycle.
sure, people had guns before then but nowhere near like it is now.. when will it end?
Btw, I expect lots of dislikes, and little in the way of cogent argument against my assertion above. Cognitive dissonance at its finest.
d4g
it's getting to the point where cnn should start announcing "breaking news" if there *hasn't* been a mass shooting !.
it's crazy.. i was watching the 70's documentary they are running and that's the point when media hype about mass serial killers seemed to begin the danger-gun-solution hype cycle.
sure, people had guns before then but nowhere near like it is now.. when will it end?
Guns, are not the problem. The amount of non violent gun owners far outweigh these acts carried out by these people. Take the guns away, and a psychopath will find another weapon whether it's knives, cars, bombs, etc, etc.
Understand probability theory, and you will understand why you are wrong. More guns = greater probability they will be used, and misused, regardless of the majority of ownership being of those who are non-violent and responsible. This is science, and something right wing nuts just can't get their heads around.
No one is saying most gun owners are violent. We need to re-frame this discussion as a narrative, so non-math and non-science folks can understand. Too many in the US that just don't know how to understand numbers, so I suppose we need to dummy this discussion down, aka WT style. Maybe then it will sink in.
d4g
since becoming atheist i have been paying more attention to world events and issues.
this is giving me some worry's when i see what's going on.
as a jw i could just dismiss stuff saying "armageddon is coming, jehovah will look after us" etc etc now of course i can't do that.
This is a normal response to existential fear(s). Religion plays a role for some in allying such. This may be good for some, but really does little more than provide a drug for most. Very fundamentalist religions, (i.e. like JW), are very black and white when it comes to things, (such as world events), and as such provide a powerful catch-all drug, (they social equivalent of heroin), for explaining them. In the case of JWs, this would be their Armageddon and Paradise doctrines. When one leaves such an extreme belief system, it is very common to experience withdrawal, and respond to negative world events with existentialism and with a certain amount of fear.
As others have pointed out, when the bigger picture is considered, (all known human history), today is a much safer and happier time to live in on a world wide scale, than any other time in human history.
Hint: Reading a lot will help.
d4g
i am currently having to spend a little time waiting for an appointment in the vicinity of a central london station.
whilst waiting i am catching up on some work in a cafe.
i can see a couple of trolleys and have been watching them for around an hour now.. not one person has stopped to take literature.
I have to say, I work in NYC and have yet to see one of these things.
I also have not even seen JW in my neighborhood in NJ in several years.
d4g
once a month about 15 to 20 elderly jw publishers would meet at the kingdom hall and one elder was assigned to set up the system so they could view jw broadcasting.
these publishers were long time pioneers, former elders, and long time publishers who know nothing about computers or the internet.
they are the last batch of those expecting the generation that saw 1914 or understood it--- to not die off.
The cavalier attitude towards the elderly is disgusting. WT just does not care.
d4g
a few years ago i heard of a story about two jw's being at a green day concert.
i think that the witnesses were bethelites.
the person that told me that story said that the band was about to play but they couldn't.
JW urban legends have a way of repeating themselves in different contexts. While all urban legends have a bit of that facet, the JW type seem to repeat over and over.
I remember the Gloria Estefan, John Denver, and Don Ho nonsense from the 70s and 80s. There may have been some offhanded comment made by these folks at one time or another, (Just as Green Day made a record about losing one's faith, etc.), but clearly it amazes me that JWs don't recall the similarities of these stories. Talk about a persecution complex.
d4g
a few years ago i heard of a story about two jw's being at a green day concert.
i think that the witnesses were bethelites.
the person that told me that story said that the band was about to play but they couldn't.
To edit, I still doubt it much, (it is just too much like other JW urban legends, and I know better), but that album in particular was very important to my exit.
d4g
