it's been a while since i've posted, but i've been lurking more and more lately (men never made it to the moon :p).
i recently saw a copy of the august awake magazine entitle cells!
living libraries!
It is simply amazing that as a publishing house, the WTS never seems to learn to stop the partial quotations out of context, and printing non-cited material. If I remember correctly, Richard Dawkins succinctly called out the WTS quote by quote in The God Delusion for using his quotes out of context in the Creation publication from '80s.
A university student would get expelled for that level of intellectual dishonesty.
d4g
since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.
it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.
more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!
Steve2 - Spot on post.
Despite their extreme delusion, the GB are not your "ditch digger by day, power tripping part-timer by night" elder. They did not get where they are in the corporation without a level of political savvy. This is the sole reason Jackson's presentation did not appear as undignified to the viewer.
Having said that, as I have been consistently stating from the beginning, this is not about a short-term windfall. The RC's work is a key example of societal change at large. The RC is an example that makes clear that "worldly" modern governments do a better job at protecting human rights than any "theocratic" system.
To the degree the organization makes changes from this or not will affect the organization's future. If they do make changes, this has a level of reprieve for victims or would-be victims moving forward, which is obviously a positive development. Unfortunately, this will likely be limited, simply because none of the changes will come from the need for the organization to make ground-up social reforms for the benefit of its members and society as a whole. Any change will be made in the name of the organization's own survival only. There will not be much more than bare minimum changes, however if these save one victim, they are worth it on a localized scale.
Longer term, this will hasten the organization's demise, along with other organizations that stubbornly refuse to accept social responsibility for the well being of members under their care. This RC was a most excellent example of social evolution, its work is not over and larger social change will take place because of it directly, as well as others that will undoubtedly take place in other developed countries. We should celebrate this. It is a big win.
d4g
dont wanna be a watchtower idiot.dont wanna be some door-knocking dipshit.can you imagine the things that they go through?public embarrassment trying to convert you.. but now the times, they seem to be changing,loyalty oaths and doctrine-rearranging,debit machines and refurbished kingdom halls...real estate and investment speculation,psas about deaf masturbation,barely recognize it at all!.
dont wanna check out the shiny new website,dont need to hear a homophobic soundbite,rhetoric that justitfies the shun gun,propaganda, or cheezy animation.. underneath theyre still shallow and shoddy, idolizing the governing body,convinced that theyre still better than the rest...forget the suicidal depression,or all the profits from bloodless medicine,just listen, obey, and be blessed!.
in the end, what goes around comes around,its all exposed as a pedophile playground,and when theyre busted for cover-ups and lying, i wouldnt wanna be them for anything.. coming down to the end of the page,all thanks to the information age, public humiliation, one and all....its gotta be the great tribulation,so head to warwick for permanent vacation,either way, the writings on the wall!.
Yes, too easy and one of my favorite all time albums. Nice work!
d4g
words that motivate.
our communication has to pass through the mind of another human being and survive what his or her mind is going to do with it!.
wordsby themselveshave to motivate the listener in the same way a combination lock will open if the correct numbers are dialed in exactly the correct sequence.
Good post, Terry.
d4g
i just thought i would mention this on the off chance they might be lurking here.
the two quotes are.
(1)vincent toole ="i've never heard of the term 'theocratic warfare'".
TheOldHippie-Speaking from personal experience I had people tell me,,,,,,,"Speaking from MY personal experience, in my congregation's district there are some 8-10 inactive ones, and they are greeted and well treated by everone in the congregation, visited from time to time etc. One of them has been an elder, two servants. So it is a risky business to try to broaden one's own personal experience to be the one and only truth for the entire world. I never would try to say my experience is the universal one, and perhaps neither should you.
This does not wash, and reads as typical apologist bullshit. You are using a straw man. No one is saying it applied to the "entire world". What people are saying holds true mostly, and that is the point. Stop being so intellectually dishonest.
JWs do not tolerate former believers. "Inactive" is a JW proprietary term, and its importance does vary from person to person. That is really about as subjective as this matter becomes. The second a JW openly admits to no longer being a believer, (DF/DA or not), just watch how many "greet [this individual] and well treated by everyone", he/she is. Former believers are a direct source of cognitive dissonance for a believer. They will shun them automatically. And yes, I do speak from experience, and it does damn near apply almost universally.
d4g
why doesn't the wtbts just lie and increase the published amount of people who attend the memorial?
who would know the difference?
the same with the amount munching on the crackers and sipping the wine.
FayeDunaway - I completely agree with sir82, and it reflects the mindset of JW philosophy ....be meticulously accurate about the little stuff, totally screw with the big stuff.
That is what happens when one uses an ancient bronze age tribal assemblage of writings as a moral compass.
d4g
here is a quick breakdown of our conversation (by text message).
me: "have you read about the royal commission?
the org has been covering up child abuse.
The silver lining is it means they know about it. You cannot do much about the cognitive dissonance, it is expected.
This is getting coverage, the WTS is scared, and the inmates are getting restless. This is a win-win.
d4g
why won't they (the wbt$ head honchos), simply change policy on sex offenders?
will they?..especially after the arc for eg?
it seems that with all the bad press and now the arc among other institutions that are exposing the wbt$ for a haven for paedophiles, why hasn't the wbt$ simply changed it's insane policy?.
Two reasons.
1. It sends a powerful message to the R&F that things are very broken in the organization and it is not "The Truth".
2. Once the two witness rule changes, it provides the slippery slope that would cause the whole judicial process the organization uses to fall apart.
The first one they can do little about. The longer they wait to address the issue, the truth will be exposed anyway, and will be uglier than ever. That is happening now, and will only increase as time passes. The second one they are holding on to dear life for, because once the judicial process in the organization is weakened, the organization loses a key control mechanism it is ill equipped to do without. The organization would crumble as we know it, even if it survives in some form.
d4g
i ask because my gf, who knows all about my jw upbringing, convinced me to grow a goatee, just to see how it looks.
we both decided it looked good so i decided to keep it.
i tried to explain to her that as a jw, i wasn't allowed to grow one, but then drew a blank when she asked me why.
Terry nailed it.
It is about obedience. Basically, if they can get you to obey on something so banal, they can get you to obey on anything they expect.
d4g
ask any jw the question "why do jehovah's witnesses impose their views on others?
we do not impose our views on anyone!".
do you impose your views on others?
There are times when I really do think there are moles in Bethel...
d4g
