Posts by doinmypart

44

Society letter read to all congregations July 28,2006 !!

by headmath in

i got news of this from the jw grape vine today that at the meeting on thursday(yesterday) there was a letter read to all the congregations from the society.

for the first time the society says in the letter to prepare for great tribulation and to have plenty of emergency supplies in case of a disaster.

this has shaken the up the jws it seems.

doinmypart

I heard the letter read. There was no mention of the great tribulation. The letter references the recent hurricanes and tsunamis, and the need for congregation elders to have contact info on all publishers and emergency plan in place.

Basically the book study overseer will get home phone, cell phone, other phone, address, and contact info of nearest relative living outside the congregation's territory. This information will be compiled by PO, and all elders will receive a list...I think the CO will compile a list from all congregations. This already happens for the most part...most congregation secretaries use a software program to keep the publisher's time and contact info. The new part of this process is to gather info on the nearest relative living outside the territory.

Last year in the U.S. after Hurricane Katrina hundreds of JWs left the New Orleans area and the WTS had a hard time locating them. The WTS doesn't want this to happen again, they want to hold onto as many publishers as possible. After all they're losing enough publihsers as it is.

Again, there was no mention of great tribulation or anything like that. The WTS and local elders simply want to be able to keep track of it's human resources.

9

How to Revoke WTS' Tax-Exempt Status?

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

the irs (u.s. government agency responsible for collecting taxes & enforcing tax laws) can remove an organization's tax-exempt status if the organization has doctrine contrary to public policy, or it carries on propaganda.. as much as the wts prints on blood, not voting, shunning, etc.

which of these items can be submitted to the irs?

how does one submit a complaint to the irs?

doinmypart

The IRS (U.S. government agency responsible for collecting taxes & enforcing tax laws) can remove an organization's tax-exempt status if the organization has doctrine contrary to public policy, or it carries on propaganda.

As much as the WTS prints on blood, not voting, shunning, etc. which of these items can be submitted to the IRS? How does one submit a complaint to the IRS?

"Contrary to public policy" and "propaganda" seem to be fairly broad, could something so simple result in the loss of tax-exempt status? Is instructing your membership not to vote contrary to public policy?

I was reading a news article about how the IRS is warning churches not to engage in improper political campaigning or lose tax-exempt status. Maybe now is the time to find areas for complaint against the WTS...perhaps getting hit from the courts and the IRS will substantially weaken the WTS.

41

CO Meeting w/Elders ("Lazy elders", Tattoos, Auto accidents)

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

a few points from the 2006 biannual c.o.

meeting w/elders & ms. the theme was "take a personal interest in others"...phil 2:4,5. shepherding work.

we have lives in our hands.

doinmypart

A few points from the 2006 Biannual C.O. meeting w/Elders & MS. The theme was "Take a Personal Interest in Others"...Phil 2:4,5

Shepherding work
We have lives in our hands. Spend time having meaningful conversations at the KH. Shepherding calls can be done at meetings, by phone, and in field service. Determine the spiritual condition of the person and try to use at least one or two scriptures. The elders & servants should know where all the publishers live.

Public talk
Some elders are taking this privilege lightly, not showing up for talks and leaving the congregation in the lurch. Notify the congregation asap if an unusual circumstance prevents you from giving a talk.

Tattoos
Some are wearing tattoos they got after being baptized. How should this be viewed? (Lev 19:28; g00 8/8 p 18, 19) All things are lawful, but not advantageous. This could affect us as ministers, we don't want to be associated w/certain elements that wear tattoos. If a publisher has a tattoo he should be discrete and cover it.

Reporting auto accidents
If a publisher is involved in an auto accident resulting in death or serious injury, immediately call the Legal Department. The Organization is not responsible for us going into field service, this is a personal matter. To protect the Society's interest call the Legal Department immediately.

My comments:
Shepherding calls aren't being done. Between the fact that some elders are busy and some don't care, shepherding/pastoral care is going by the wayside. WTS doesn't want elders to restrict shepherding calls to a person's home.

Elders not showing up for public talks is a problem I've witnessed in more than a few congregations. Again, the problem has to do mostly with the quality of elders the WTS has.

Tattoos...of all the things to be concerned with, these guys have weightier things to deal with (blood policy, pedo problem, dwindling funds) and they still try to control the smallest details of people's lives. Issuing prohibitions on whether a person puts ink in his/her skin based on an OT scripture...these old fools don't have a clue.

Auto accidents
I found it interesting that the WTS would print/CO would read a comment about field service being a personal matter. I really hope one day some pissed off CO/DO publishes all these type letters & memos online.

114

Announcement: Another favorable court ruling regarding Napa County lawsuit

by AndersonsInfo in

i'm thrilled to tell you about the latest court decision made in california a few days ago which kimberlee norris said would be announced today, monday, on jwd.. on july 3rd, i started a thread where the last two rulings in the napa county, california lawsuit, charissa w. v. watchtower, new york, et al., were posted.

both decisions were favorable to the plaintiff.

see http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/8/116108/1.ashx.

doinmypart

So does the Superior Court's order stand, or can the WTS appeal to the California Supreme Court?

59

Elder admits to porn problem

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i posted a week or two ago that i would stop attending meetings and being an elder.

i decided to wait on this after we received the june 7th boe letter.

i was interested in getting more information from other friends & family at bethel.

doinmypart

IP - Man, you are funny! I thought about it, but there is no way I would surrender to these men in such a way.

Sparkplug - I felt bad for the brother. I wanted to tell him to shut the hell up, it isn't our business to know such things. But what do you do? This is his belief system, if he felt the need to cleanse & purge in such a way, well best of luck to him. I'm hoping he sees the truth behind the WTS from the treatment he's about to receive and get out of JW land.

59

Elder admits to porn problem

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i posted a week or two ago that i would stop attending meetings and being an elder.

i decided to wait on this after we received the june 7th boe letter.

i was interested in getting more information from other friends & family at bethel.

doinmypart

I posted a week or two ago that I would stop attending meetings and being an elder. I decided to wait on this after we received the June 7th BOE letter. I was interested in getting more information from other friends & family at Bethel. They wouldn't share with me if they knew I was on the outs. I'm still waiting on that, but in the meantime something happened after the meeting Sunday.

One of the elders, Brother So-and-so, called for a BOE meeting after the WT lesson. We met in the library and the PO asks Brother So-and-so what's up, why the meeting? Brother So-and-so was all nervous acting, shifting around...he hands his Pay Attn. book to the PO and tells everyone he no longer qualifies to serve because he has a problem with porn. We sat there for a few seconds, completely floored by this. I was shocked that he would tell a room full of men something like this. He told us that he had been viewing porn repeatedly over the last few years and paying for topless dancers. He told us he felt bad because of all the information that had been written lately, and the June 7th BOE letter was the final straw for him, he had to confess since it was bothering his conscience.

Some on our BOE are a tough bunch. Because this elder admitted there was some manipulation of reproductive ------ by dancer on several occasions, he might have to be DF and his wife has grounds for divorce. The judicial committee hasn't even met with him yet and they're already speculating on DF & divorce...so much for compassion. No concern for him, his wife, or children.

It is hard for me to believe that some of these elders seemed to almost enjoy having the prospect of dealing with such a "problem" and "cleaning up" Jehovah's organization. After Brother So-and-so was dismissed the elders were talking about how the Slave is really taking care of us in these last days, Satan is so busy today, and on & on. I actually felt a little sick. It is getting harder for me to believe grown people can act this way. They are so disconnected from reality.

18

WTS getting desperate, Notes from CO talk

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

here are my wife's notes from the co talk this past tuesday.. 1c christians preached despite demonic activity (acts 4:1,2).

acts 4:18-20 shows they continued b/c they had god's spirit.

acts 5 all the apostles were imprisoned and about to be put to death, but were beaten & released instead.

doinmypart

Here are my wife's notes from the CO talk this past Tuesday.

1C Christians preached despite demonic activity (Acts 4:1,2). Acts 4:18-20 shows they continued b/c they had God's spirit. Acts 5 all the apostles were imprisoned and about to be put to death, but were beaten & released instead. They kept preaching & teaching w/out letup. In Acts 6 the persecution culminated in the death of Stephen after he gave a public talk. Acts 9 Christians were persecuted throughout the city and then they experienced a period of peace (Acts 9:31), but they still didn't slow down.
Today, are we keeping active? Are we taking advantage of this time of peace to be built up? We are wise to prepare for the coming time of trouble during this time of peace. If we've started to slow down or get distracted during our time of peace, we won't be prepared when times get hard. At Heb 12 Paul was concerned the congregation would get tired over the passing years and not be at all of their meetings. At 1 Pet 3:14 Peter didn't want the congregation to be focused on economic loss, or loss of health. Today we don't fear these things, rather we do all we can in service. Don't feel as if you have to be entertained every weekend. Don't be primarily concerned with health & diet. Don't worry about what people think of you in the community/a loss of status. We need to take advantage of all the meetings, be in field service, study, and prayer. We continue w/out letup.

WTS is really trying to gear the R&F up. Three special campaigns this year. Deliverance district convention. Keep a Simple Eye special assembly day. All I can do is shake my head.

13

At a crossroads, need advice

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

over the last few years i have been trying unsucessfully to get my wife out of the org.

we've had a lot of ups & downs, arguments, and miserable times.

well, my wife has finally told me that she will respect my decision to no longer be a jw, and i can also do what i feel is best for our children in this respect.

doinmypart

Over the last few years I have been trying unsucessfully to get my wife out of the Org. We've had a lot of ups & downs, arguments, and miserable times. Well, my wife has finally told me that she will respect my decision to no longer be a JW, and I can also do what I feel is best for our children in this respect. In the past she talked about leaving or otherwise distancing herself if I couldn't be a JW, but she is going to stay and we're going to do the best we can to have a good relationship. My plan is to step aside and stop going to the meetings immediately. I am not going to DA myself or fade, I will simply stop all things JW-related.

My questions:
Our children are pre-teen, do I immediately stop allowing them to go to the KH? How do I explain our situation and begin "unteaching" them? How do I help them deal with missing the other kids at the KH?
My wife...do I keep trying to get her out or be happy with the compromise we reached? When I stop going to the meetings I know she is going to get all kinds of "support", how do I (or should I) counteract this?
What do I do now? I want to be happy and have a real relationship with God, or understand my spiritual side. I want my wife and JW family to see that things are ok outside the WT walls and good people exist everywhere. I want to let the bitterness go and in time add something to the human experience. I want to be a friend to workmates or people that I meet in settings outside the KH...which brings up another question, and I feel stupid asking, but how/where do I meet people?

I know a lot of you have been at this point so I appreciate any answers or additional advice you can offer.

32

Met a Laid off Bethel Couple

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i met a married couple caught up in the recent bethel layoffs.

they are a fairly young couple in their mid to upper 30s, i didn't think to ask which department they worked in before being laid off.

the couple was driving cross country from new york to california, and stopping overnight at jw homes along the way.

doinmypart

It is very hot in this area. I can understand why the brother wouldn't want to be dressed up. Between the heat and the long drive, why bother?

Wednesday - Most of the talk was about how the brother didn't seem to be very nice. In this area they expect everyone to respond a certain way to their southern hospitality (love bombing), and if they don't people's feelings are hurt. A few of the publishers expected this Bethelite brother to be all hugs, smiles, and experiences from Bethel. A couple of elders were complaining about not being able to ask the brother to say an opening/closing prayer because he wasn't dressed appropriately. I was thinking, "These guys really need to get a life!"

32

Met a Laid off Bethel Couple

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i met a married couple caught up in the recent bethel layoffs.

they are a fairly young couple in their mid to upper 30s, i didn't think to ask which department they worked in before being laid off.

the couple was driving cross country from new york to california, and stopping overnight at jw homes along the way.

doinmypart

Sir82 you're spot on. After the meeting a lot of publishers were wondering what is going on with the brother. They were still being talked about among the publishers while going door-to-door this past weekend. Even our own poster W-A-C, has had publishers in his area wondering what is going on.

I've said it before...WTS is in a crisis so to speak. They don't have anyone on board that can manage what they're going through, so they try to maintain business as usual...beat the R&F, hunker down, and wait for things to blow over. The WTS is always reacting and they're only hurting themself.