Posts by Don Smith

16

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

by Unchained in

jw
friends

this is my first time at this so bare with me.

i will be turning 21 tomorrow so i decided to celebrate like this.

my family threw me a surprise birthday a week ago and we even had a pinata .

Its not where you go but to WHOM you go to. The WT mislead us into believeing that this was Gods visible org. quoating a passage in reference to the faitfull slave. All religeous org use the same approach. The catholic church does the same claiming Peter was the first pope " and upon this rock the universal church would be built"

If one simply reads Gods Word we find that He now speaks to us individually through his Son. Kindly encourages us to work in the yoke with him to find refressment for our souls and learn from him and if the going gets tough for us and we are in the YOKE with Him he will pull us out if we get bogged down in the mud so to speak Not like the WT " your hours are low brother pull up your socks if you want to be an elder. He tells us "to seek first the Kingdom and GODS righteousness" and not rely on what we think we know ,but in ALL our ways acknowledge HIM a He will make staight paths for our feet.

Jesus left no doubt in Thomas mind as well as the disciples to going though intermediators when He said Thomas you are looking at the WAY the TRUTH and the LIFE and NO ONE comes to the FATHER except throuhg ME.

God and his Son have always worked that way towards his children in kindness and compassion as good parents individually seek to fill the needs of each child.

Don Smith

328

Journal of Church and State: WT NO-BLOOD EXPOSE'

by AndersonsInfo in

(baylor university, waco, tx) an essay entitled, "jehovah's witnesses, blood transfusions, and the tort of misrepresentation," found in the autumn issue of baylor universitys prestigious journal of church and state, published december 13, 2005, exposes the vulnerability of jehovahs witnesses religious organization to massive claims for compensation because of the religions misrepresentation of the medical risks of blood transfusions.

this milestone essay critically examines one of the religions main publications for teaching their children and new recruits about their blood beliefs, how can blood save your life?

the peer-reviewed essay details many misrepresentations of medical facts, which the religion partly relies on to support its blood prohibition, thus denying its members from making fully informed medical decisions.

Don Smith

I understand how all of us feel that the WT is getting away with murder and no one seems to crack and stop the carnage legally A friend of mine by the name of Joseph Ried has come close after more than 20 years and 31 attempts on the grounds of that according the B.C. Society Act stipulates that the membership elects the

President ,Secretary& treasure. It is a violation of the act to have appointed WT elders acting on behalf of the WT and is requesting the Attorney General to revoke ,cancel their Tax -Exemption status for not following the Articles of Association. His appearance before the Supreme Court of B.C.is to be set for sometime in Feb/06.

Mr Reid had in his previous case had sent letters to the Canadian Branch as the Court suggested they should be notified and as stated by the Attorney General. Mr Reid stated he had notified the Canadian Branch but did not get a response. He ageed to send invitations to the President Ken Little and SecretaryRamseyer as i recall.Letters came back from WT Lawyers office stating they would not attend as the proper procedure had not been followed.

Of course this did not deter Mr .Reid thus the tentative date.

My point in both issues NO BLOOD or violation of the B.C. Society Act we see as unjust one important fact.is paramount. Vengance is mine said the Lord I will repay.There is time,place when God Alone acts through his Son.That is consistently demonstrated from Genesis to Revelation ,Oh how long oh Lord? But God acted at the proper time and place,dealt with Adam & Eves fall and Devils destiny.World powers such as Babylon, and others that followed he used them to bend to his will calling Nebuchadrezzar his servant and who had to admit the God of Heaven that he can do what he wants and praised and lauded the God of Heaven after regaining his sanity and throne as promised

As sad and unjust as things are i feel we have to keep in mind indivdually that we are admonished 'To seek first the Kingdom and HIS RIGHTEOUS. He did a supperd job in the past and the future will be no different as each one will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid.

2

The watch tower change to discontinue the system of elective elders in 1931

by Don Smith in

dear brothers an sisters i made a mistake on my last post {my.

04.feb 05 22:16 not realizing i should have posted it as a new topic instead of reply to post re any one like me where you still believe most of their doctrine .

could some one in authority do that for me if possible .

Don Smith

Dear brothers an sisters i made a mistake on my last post {my. 04.feb 05 22:16 not realizing i should have posted it as a new topic instead of reply to post re any one like me where you still believe most of their doctrine

Could some one in authority do that for me if possible

Thanks Don Smith

72

Anyone like me where you still believe in MOST of their doctrines?

by inquirer in

like i don't like that un involvment, record keeping.

i don't know what to think about the paedophile stuff, because you could accuse the catholic church of that too.

but apart from those things i still believe that god's name is jehovah, his son is jesus, no trinity, and he died on a torture stake... i love reading the new world translation, i believe it's the best one, but i love reading other translations too!

Don Smith

A correction about believeing in most of'' their doctrines"and the admonition to seek first the kingdom and Gods and his righteous and if we follow that advice we will find which doctrines are true and which false as indicated in most of the postings.

Remember when we became JWS we were told we alone were Gods chosen people and were in the truth a Special people like the nation of Israel whom he made a covanent with, but they didnt keep their word and he nullified the covanent and brought in a and new one, a better one and wrote it on our hearts and minds.Now it becomes a personal thing individually and encouraged to walk by faith and not by sight.

Its interesting in adopting the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931 at the Columbus Ohio assembly of 15,000 because of the designations we identified ourselves as the church, annointed,brethren, bible students Russellites etc.caused confusion.So Rutherford presented the resolution that was adopted based on the 2300 days after Gods sanctuary would be victorious. Claiming this would mark the cleaning out from God's congregation those called "elective elders"who had been elected to an office in a democratic fashion .This exposed the system of "elective elders"as being an unclean practice of the world and not according to the principles of the Great Theocrat. Another resolution followed and was adopted stating " that henceforth we will not elect any person to the office of elder; that all are anointedof God are elders,as that term is defined by scriptures, and all are servants of the Most High. And that our service may be orderly ,we will select certain ones from the company to perform specfic service.A service director shall be nominated by us and confirmed by the Society's executive or manager a member of the service committee of this company. See" JWS in the divine purpose"Pages 125-127.

I mention resolution in respect to " still believeing in most of their doctrines" because what Jehovahs Organization did at this time in terminating the elected elder arrangement and appointing or selecting elders to office is in violation of civil law.as set out in Romans 13:1-7 as regards the Christian and civil law " Every one ought to obey the civil authorities for all legitimate authority is derived from Gods authority, and the existing authority is APPOINTED under God, and such opposition is bound to be punished. Phillips Modern English "Note God makes the appointments"

What most of us are not aware of ,myself included that by law that every nonprofit corporation which is incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania for example, is required to complete the form , once a year and send it to the State Dept.Therefore every JW CONG. must complete the form.The officers of the Cong. must give their names and titles... and this annual statement is to be signed by "a duly authorized officer thereof" elected by the membership

According to the bylaws the 3 officers President, Secretary and Treasurer must be voted in office by the membership at the General Annual Meeting after being notified of the meeting by the secretary as the law requires a Congregational VOTE.

How many of you brothers and sisters missed these meetings scheduled by "the existing authority that is appointed by God" Much of this infomation came to me from a joseph Reed and he tells me it has also been sent it to Watch Tower headquarters.

I believe that this information would engender a lively bible discussion and i have most of Joseph Reeds material but will need assistance from Simon or other capable brothers to set it up for disscussion

HELP! Don Smith

17

"Train up a boy according to the way for him... (proof against the Dubs)!

by upside/down in

proverbs 22: 6 says, "train up a boy according to the way for him; even when he grows old he will not turn aside from it.

i heard this scripture cited at a district convention and used to show that if the family heads were indeed training their children properly than this scripture would be proved out- because "god" cannot lie.

also, it was pointed out that this scripture doesn't say "he might not" or "probably won't" turn aside- it says he won't turn aside .

Don Smith

This again is a typical WT example of bait and switch. When we went from door to door we would suggest a bible study if they showed interest. And guess what, they would end up with a BOOK study with WT spin.

Even the JW ? are you in the truth is a misnomer.The correct answer to both Proverbs 22;6 is found in the word "WAY"and the word "TRUTH" When Jesus responded to Thomas ? show us the way with the words. IAM the WAY the TRUTH and the LIGHT and NO ONE comes to the FATHER except THROUGH ME.period.The WT has always used these 3 word to focus on the ORGANIZATION,eg where did you learn the truth. The bible tells us the holy spirit will lead us in the way of all the truth and will not lie

Don Smith

9

Bible Student's C.T Russell gave 'organisation' the thumbs down!

by be wise in

c. t. russell was against organizing his own religion, or at least he said so (see the watchtower, 1895 p.216; also 1894 p.384 & 1893 p.266).

"the endeavor to compel all men to think alike on all subjects, culminated in the great apostasy and the development of the great papal system, and thereby the gospel, the one faith that paul and the other apostles set forth, was lost - buried under the mass of uninspired decrees of popes and councils.

the unity of the early church, based upon the simple gospel and bound only by love, gave place to the bondage of the church of rome...each new reform movement (like protestantism) has made the failure of attempting to make a creed just large enough for its prime movers.

Don Smith

I have all the reprints of the watchtower distributed by the Chicago bible students from July 1879 to Dec.1 1916 and it was primarily what I read in these volumes in conjuction with Ray Franz books that helped me see the big picture of the intrigue, the infighting, that culminated in accusations that Russells wife being accussed of trying to take over as editor of the WT when in fact she was as ,Russell was tourring the Pryramids feeling they contained information on the end times.

On his return his wife and the Bethel family were disturbed by the pryramid factor and because it was a man thing she was dumped and the marriage terminated admidst allegations of molestation.

The big turning point came as i see it was when Rutherford launched his campgain to unite all the splinter groups ,bible students , Russellites,etc.at the 1931 JW convention in Columbus Ohio,where 15,000 associates adopted a resolutoin embracing the new name.Then came the real clincher when he tied in the 2,300 days prophecy would be victorious. Quote "This was to mark the cleaning out from the congregation those called "elective elders"who have been elected to an office in a democratic fashion" Another resolution was forthcoming stateing in part " That, to the end that our service may be orderly WE WILL SELECT SOME OF THE COMPANY TO PERFORM SPECIFIC SERVICE. That is why the WTS now appoints elders in the local congregations.But is this legal in accordance the law of the land. See JWS in the divine purpose book pages 126-127

I just received a copy of the annual statement-nonprofit corporation of the State of Pennsylvania from an xjw by the name of Joseph Reed who has investigated the congregations procedures in conformity to state or provincial law. Following are his thoughts and comments.

How many of us were aware that the bylaws require that each cong. hold" General Annual Meetings" for the election of officers, their names and titles and the annual statement is signed by a duly authorized officer thereof.

Here is the enigma :Are persons who are "appointed", by an outside corporation into positions of administration within the Cong. and call themselves ELDERS ,committing a crime by posing themselves off to the Pennsylvania Department of State,as being duly authorized officers of the JW Cong? Being that the Cong,have not voted them in as Cong. President, Secretary and Treasurer,for which latter officers, Pennsylvania Law requires a Congregational VOTE?

A further Enigma :Is the Watch Tower Society committing a crime by instructing its "appointees", its Elders ,to assume to themselves the titles such as President,Secretary and Treasurer of the incorporated JW Cong.,when those such Elders have not been lawfully voted in by the incorporated Cong.Membership? But by Elder vote only?

In closeing, on a lighter note can you recall being notified by the Secretary to attend the G.A.M.for the election of officers in accordance with the law ?

Don Smith

68

A proud brother writes. letter to Bill Bowen.

by avengers in

"so william bowen, what did you get disfellowshipped for?

i can't believe.

the false information you are giving about jehovah's witnessess.

Don Smith

Re your comment about child molestation and hearing about a child molestation case that was handled different whatever that means.

I recently noticed the news speculation on the on the Michael Jackson case on child molestation on the aol Canada news boards were not complmentary about Michael and i felt that rather than throw stones in judgement to the statement " that the molestation seemed to be a recurring theme with Michael and why i dont know."

I responded to his query that the answer may be found in his childhood years as a Jehovah's Witness. His sister La Toya Jackson wrote a book with Patricia Romanoski entitled "growing up in the the Jackson family" In the preface of the she states the following. " Here is my book, the one my family doesn't want you to read."

"On the pages the shocking Jackson family secret is revealed for the first time.The secret never hinted at in all the glowing press releases and fun-filled features stories. The secret of brutal child abuse that began when the children little more than infants and lasted until one by one they fought themselves free and had to deal with the scars"

These are La Toya's words as a family member and the answer may be found in the premise of a lost childhood" and they must now deal with the scars"

Don Smith

16

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

by Unchained in

jw
friends

this is my first time at this so bare with me.

i will be turning 21 tomorrow so i decided to celebrate like this.

my family threw me a surprise birthday a week ago and we even had a pinata .

Don Smith

The where do i go from here? is a WT spin answer to a ? most jws ask when when they express doubts as to whether this is really Gods org . When they finally awaken to the fact that they have been misled by the lies it is due to the fact that the holy spirit is already operating in your life as a helper as Jesus promised according to Gods Word " that the holy spirit will lead you in the way of ALL the truth and will not Lie " Phillips modern English trans.

As to where you would go is a misnomer because that ? came about when the ? was asked "to WHOM shall we go Lord { not WHERE } as you have the words of life eternal." Thus when Jesus indicated that NO ONE comes to the Son UNLESS the Father draws them and to to his word his Son has initiated an appeal " to all his sheep to come to him and learn from for his load light , kindly and promises refreshment for your soul and should we falter in the YOKE with him he puts his shoulder to the yoke and helps us out of the mud to continue on .

So basically Jesus is awaiting your response to his invitation to work by your actions with Him for your benefit . Take your time read Gods word and as suggested Rays books and other books by exjws to get a good perspective .Dont rush around expecting to find other groups to have the whole truth and nothing but the truth as it can only be found in Gods son who said "Iam the way ,the truth and the life period ,and on his baptisim his Father in heaven said he was well pleased with his Son and admonished us to LISTEN TO HIM and not some other yahoo who claims to know it all

Hope this is of some help as i was the WT for over 40 years and never been more refreshed. Don

38

Can an ex elder help me please

by orangefatcat in

jw
friends

i have been reading the publication, "pay attention to yourself and to all the flock',

under the subject of the "proper view of disfellowshipped and disassociated persons.

unit 5 (a), it says, " the principle set forth in jesus' words, at matthew 10:34-38 has a bearing on situations involving disfellowshepped or disassociated relatives.

Don Smith

Hi Terry

I saw your post and re the elder manual"Pay Attention" which the WT Legal Dept. updates depending on the prevailing conditions that exist in the Congregations at a particular time As an example if you recall that there was a time the WT got hung up on beards and boys sporting long hair . A fellow elder had a son who chose to grow his hair longer and the WT sent the word down that if an elder allowed that " he did not have control of his family " and was forced to step down . I disagreed and the Elder Body accused me of speaking against the Elder arrangement and wanted me to step down and i refused to step down and they replied ,then we will remove you .which they did . Later on the WT realized that they had shot themselves in the foot as elders were dropping like flies and reversed their policy .I was called to meet with them 6 months later as they wanted to reinstate me as an elder and i declined.

The reason i mention the above Terry is as regards you ? is the principal set forth at Math: 10:34-38 has a bearing on disfellowshipping and disassociated persons is untrue as verses 32 and 33 set the tone for disowning Christ and Christ would disown them before the Father.If one goes back and reads the context its obvious he giving instructions to his 12 apostles as what they would be facing in their ministry. But the WT has selected those 5 passages to make a case for disfellowshipping and disassociation and refer to it as " the proper view"

Now because the prevailing conditions have changed and the numbers are falling the " special and difficult problems of their making are causeing the WT problems that is why the new spin on !Cor,5 :11 Re "normally etc, unless etc., plus the families in the WT are probably not now buying into being separated from each other as they did in the past.

As far as being able to give you the latest facts Terry that would be difficult because from my past experience i learned the WT like any business floats an idea to see if it sells and if it does not and numbers decline the " new light " change policy kicks in hoping it will correct the previous blunder

If it was me and i felt that that they had policy change i wouldnt hesitate to go and see her . In fact i would go and see her even if there was no policy change unless she told me she did not want to see me . I say that because my sister is still a jw and a diabetic and my brother told me she was not well so i called her and asked her how she was doing and she said fine . She then asked if i was going to the K.H and i said that i was not and she said well we have nothing in common and hung up.

So you do the right and kind thing and it always works out for the best in the end.

Hopes that helps Terry getting tired didnt get a chance to check for errors In Gods Love Don Smith

79

Public debate on how the forum is run

by Simon in

just a reminder / clarification.. i'm not interested in public debate or questioning about hwo the forum is run, especially individual decisions we make.. if you have any questions about anything or want to challenge any decision then do it via email or pm.

any posts like this made on the main board will be deleted and, if continued, will result in suspension of the account used (as happened with minimus who's account has now been reactivated).

i'm sure you will appreciate the reason for this.

Don Smith

I read the forum rules about being , friendly and welcoming , legal and relevant ,and reserving the right to delete at discretion what is considered unacceptable if one repeatedly chooses to ignore the rules intended to keep the forum civil. Its like me saying i dont have to abide by the rules of the road after getting my license to drive and i dont have to stop at that stop sign.People can get hurt if the rules are ignored

I find most exjw forums upbuilding and encourageing but also appreciate after being Muzzled for over 40 years i can understand why some may shoot from the LIP for one reason or another. But i think all in all the majority are very kind and very considerate in their posts as we have all been there and felt the pain and are consoleing. Remember the fruitages of the spirit ,love joy ,peace ,long suffering , kindness, goodness and SELF CONTROL.. Plus the cardinal rule where Jesus warns his disciples about spoiling the spirit of the new Kingdom when he told them that it is inevitable that there whould be pitfalls, but alas for the man who is responsible for them! As it would be better for that man to have a millstone hung around his neck and thrown into the sea,than that he should trip up one of these little ones So be careful.how we live and what we say.

So we want to watch how we walk and watch how we talk and if i read the comments correctly i dont feel Simon is lording it over us he is just doing his job, isnt that right Simon , Don Smith