I'll pm the letter to you.
Worked well last time.
Wingman
JoinedPosts by Wingman
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Once again eclipse to the rescue.
Thanks so much.
I would like to start a new thread with this letter at the top. What is IE?
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Sorry that is not how I intended to post it.
Could I please pm someone who knows how to post this properly formated.
eclipse was good enough to do this for me the last time.
Wingman (newbie and computer dumby)
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Please see below the letter to Bodies of Elders with the correction to the w95 reference some revisions to grammar as suggested, thanks to IT Support. Lets hope enough can get behind this to have an effect. If you are confident in the value of this letter to your loved ones please also send them a copy. I will also post this in a new thread. To the Body of Elders, Dear Brothers, It is with matters of great concern that we write you. We feel at this time the organization is in serious crisis. Indications are that Jehovah may have removed his spirit from the organization as he did to his people in ancient times. This is reflected in the yearly report and a definite downturn particularly in countries where the work is well established. Many have lost their zeal for the ministry and are inactive. Too many young ones are not staying with Jehovah. The increase of family breakdown, poor meeting attendance, fewer baptisms each year and the apathy of the brothers also indicate a withdrawal of God’s spirit. Depression is a real issue among the brothers. The internet is having a major impact with thousands of brothers frequenting ex-witness sites while remaining nominally active in meeting attendance and field service. A number of issues may have lead to this situation and need to be addressed as a matter of urgency. 1) Our young people in general are not learning to be spiritual men and women. Too many are turning to the world. Many seem to have a foot in both camps. It is common practise for young ones to be in the field ministry in the morning and drinking at night clubs in the evening. Little is provided for our young people. Other religious groups are flourishing because they recognize the special needs of youth. We urgently need programs for our youth. Individual congregations are unable to initiate such programs. The future of the work depends upon our young people. They are the elders and ministerial servants of tomorrow. 2) Too much emphasis has been placed upon the organization and following its lead rather than on a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. Following Christ has become equated with following organizational directions. For instance the blood issue is now so complex that many are confused and an example of how they must consult the publications on every little matter. It is noted that many brothers do not seem to have a personal relationship with Jehovah and are better able to explain congregational or organizational tradition and procedures than the scriptures. 3) Our record of interpretation of Biblical prophecy is very poor, one for which we all need to take responsibility. It would seem own words condemn us. (w97 5/1 p. 8 Identifying the Right Kind of Messenger.) Much of the older literature is now available through the internet enabling anyone to confirm our embarrassing record of failed predictions, e.g. the truth of what we said prior to 1930 regarding 1914 and the manner in which it was presented. The Proclaimers book was less than candid about many things. Jehovah’s blessing depends on setting things straight with a detailed apology and recognition that Jehovah had nothing to do with these interpretations as was claimed. It is time for honesty and repentance. No other religious organization can match the list of failed predictions made on a worldwide scale for which we are responsible. 4) Abandoning the ‘1914 generation’ teaching in 1995 – after it had clearly failed – showed we acted with hindsight, not insight. For nearly fifty years we preached that the generation of 1914 would see the end of this system: every issue of Awake! claimed it was God’s promise. Yet in 1995 this fundamental teaching was abandoned. (w95 11/1 p. 17 par 6. “A Time to keep Awake”.) This teaching was not speculative as suggested in the Watchtower – it was taught as definitive truth. (pe chap. 18 p. 154 par. 8 "The End of the World" Is at Hand!) It was listed among the unique truths of Jehovah’s Witnesses and any voiced denial of this teaching were grounds for disfellowshipping for apostasy. It was far more than mere speculation and the Watchtower was less than honest in the way it dealt with this major change. 5) The discovery by a British journalist and report in the London Guardian newspaper that, from 1992 until 2001, the Society had applied for, and was associated with, the United Nations as a Non-Government Organization (NGO). Only after this article did the Society disassociate itself as an NGO. The UN was so inundated with requests for information from brothers who couldn’t believe this was true, the NGO Section chief posted a notice on their website. The notice still appears there. A Watchtower article condemned other religions for their association with the UN as NGO’s the year before the Society applied for and was accepted for NGO status. w91 6/1 p. 17 pars. 10-11 Their Refuge—A Lie! Time is overdue for a printed apology in the Watchtower for such hypocrisy in light of the faithful example of our brothers in Malawi and other countries. Many have left the organization over this issue having felt betrayed, including some anointed ones. (The library card excuse is not valid as an NGO associated with the UN DPI must support the principles and the charter of the UN.) 6) We have become legalistic, even Pharisaic in many ways. Insisting on trivial matters and creating a myriad of rules both written and unwritten that weigh the brothers down and rob them of the joy that should be theirs in serving Jehovah. While disfellowshipping wrongdoers keeps the congregation clean, there is little consistency between congregations and a myriad of guidelines has devalued the ransom sacrifice of Christ Jesus. We find no scriptural example for our judicial procedures. Thousands of families have been torn apart and many are suffering. This goes far beyond what Jesus implied at Matt.10:37 and is solely a result of our policies. 7) We have been too judgemental of others, belittling them as ‘so-called Christians.’ Though quoting Christendom’s past leaders and condemning them and their religions to destruction, we have distanced ourselves from our own words, explaining them away with terms such as ‘present truth’ or ‘new light.’ If we have judged others for what they said and did in the past, then surely we too should be responsible for what we said and printed in Jehovah’s name. Don’t Jesus’ words at Matthew 7:2 apply equally to us? 8) Most concerning is the issue of child abuse. A recent court case in the Superior Court of California saw Jehovah’s people fighting a case against a victim of abuse for the right to withhold information it held about the abuser. How is this different from Christendom’s behaviour? We lost the case. Will elders be asked to destroy information regarding child abusers to deny courts access to this information? Would the brothers be happy to know their donated money is being used to fight cases in court that really only protect the rights of abusers and the organization rather than the victims? This is most disturbing after the distribution of Kingdom News #37, highlighting the failures of other religions in handling child abuse. Of further concern, the Society lawyers claimed before the court ‘clergy penitent privilege,’ despite the fact we have always claimed to have no clergy as distinct from Christendom. The court rejected this claim. One recent out of court settlement to sixteen victims of child abuse by elders and ministerial servants cost the Society millions of dollars in donated money. This was widely publicised in the media. Many more cases are pending. While our procedures have tightened up in recent years this has only been a result of legal action and bad publicity. We face years of ongoing legal actions by abuse victims and costly settlements for our lack of insight in the past. In ancient Israel, God’s earthly organization at the time, Jehovah sent faithful men to set things straight. Men like Jeremiah, Samuel, Isaiah, Ezekiel and others fearlessly spoke out before kings and priests, Jehovah’s anointed ones at the time. Sadly, anyone who speaks up today – even with the best of motives – is fearful of being disfellowshiped. Individuals have no voice within the organization. Anointed brothers with many years of faithful service have been disfellowshiped for raising concerns with the Governing Body. It seems in reality that the “faithful and discreet slave” does not include these anointed ones after all. (Matthew 24:45-47.) Any expressed criticism of the Governing Body is considered apostasy. This is an unhealthy situation. For this reason we have decided to remain anonymous for fear of losing our families. Many active brothers are in contact about these matters, including anointed ones, Bethel family members and elders who require, of necessity, to secretly communicate with each other. How sad an ‘underground’ has even developed among Jehovah’s people. These brothers have genuine concern, love Jehovah and have strong faith in the ransom of Christ but have lost confidence in the earthly organization. We do not make any claim to being used by God in this matter. Love of Jehovah, Christ and our brothers is our only motivation. We feel more can be accomplished by remaining in our positions of oversight and having an effect upon the brothers at a local level and working for change with Jehovah’s direction. Attacks by apostates are increasing particularly through the internet. This can be negated by being honest both with ourselves and with others. As Luke 8:17 says, “There is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, neither anything carefully concealed that will never become known and never come into the open”. Instead of shooting the messenger, we need to take responsibility and repent before Jehovah. The apostate problem will disappear if we become more reasonable and admit our mistakes. The internet problem will not go away by simply warning the brothers against typing ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ into their search engines. It is hoped this letter will appeal to the conscience of those with honest hearts to make a real examination of the situation. We believe Jehovah’s future blessing is dependant on our repentance. We can not say we have the Truth if we are not truthful with ourselves. It is our prayer that all Bodies of Elders will pray on these matters and express their concerns to their Circuit Overseers and the local branch. We have no doubt it will bring Jehovah’s blessing. Our fear is the organization will become irrelevant if change is not made. The very fact we need to send you this letter anonymously is a striking example of the situation we have created for ourselves. We pray for Jehovah’s blessing in your consideration of these matters. Your Brothers in Jehovah’s service
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Thanks IT Support,
I really appreciated your comments regarding the letter and your improvements to the grammar.
I am very distressed that the WT quote is wrong. Thank you for noticing this.
One suggestion I would make is not to include the actual quotes but only the references. The letter was designed with this in mind.
It is amazing how most will not accept information presented to them but when read direct from their own literature it can have an effect.
As you know we all generally accept things when we discover them ourselves. The letter is designed to help people first think and then hopefully act. Let the brothers do their own research. This is an important part of the purpose behind this letter.
This letter is a joint effort and your input is valuable. It is not owned by Wingman and is free of all copyright.
Please feel free to post your edited version with improved grammar and additional references in a new thread, but I strongly suggest you do not include actual quotations.
Let me know if you do not agree with these comments. I do think we need to be united on this.
Once again many thanks.
Wingman
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Thank you all for the feedback and overall support.
Please feel free to send the letter to anyone you feel will benefit.
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Many thanks eclipse,
Excuse me for being so computer illiterate.
This letter may have an effect if it can reach thousands of congregations over a short period of time. There are still many good honest men in positions of oversight with real concerns about things in the organization.
While many are honest in the true sense they suffer from a bad case of intellectual dishonesty.
This was the case with me and others I know. Only by appealing to a persons honesty will their conscience begin to react.
What needs to happen is for the organization to be removed from the equation in serving God. This can only happen over time and from within. Personally I do not need the organization but sadly many do. Many will put it before family mistakenly believing that God is asking them to make a choice.
Too many families have been destroyed as many here on this board know. Its time to act. Not by using a hammer to the head but an appeal to the heart.
If anyone can assist in this please send a copy of the letter to as many congregations as possible addressed to "The Body of Elders".
Many thanks
Wingman
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
This may not be the place to ask for assistance.
We may try other means.
Thanks anyway.
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Sorry folks,
New to this.
Trying to add a copy of the letter. Can someone tell me how to do this.
I would like to post it so that everyone who wishes can print it out in a professional manner.
This letter is designed to touch the hearts of honest men within the organization to effect change and stop the damage caused by the organization to so many families.
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112
A CALL TO ACTION: HIGH PRIORITY
by Wingman inhi everyone,.
a letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to bodies of elders around the world.. of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.. your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.. we ask that the letter be addressed to "the body of elders" in each respective congregation.. please do not add any further information or commentary.. we are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.. it will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.
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Wingman
Hi everyone,
A letter has been prepared by anonymous brothers to be sent to Bodies of Elders around the world.
Of course this is a massive undertaking and we are asking for assistance from active and inactive ones around the world who share the sentiments of the letters contents.
Your participation in this action indicates your sincere desire to see change within the organization that has become authoritarian in recent years.
We ask that the letter be addressed to "The Body of Elders" in each respective congregation.
PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY FURTHER INFORMATION OR COMMENTARY.
We are also relying on non-english speaking brothers to translate and distribute this letter.
It will not matter if more than one letter is received by each congregation.