Posts by DT

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

I have acquired a domain that I think would work well for this site. I have a modest set of goals.

1. A description of the change in understanding of the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" concept. It will be explained why this doctrine is important and why it could even be considered a core doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses.

2. It will be stated that this change constitutes a coup and power grab by the Governing Body.

3. It will be explained that this is a change in the conditions of membership of the Jehovah's Witness religion.

4. It will be pointed out that nobody is required to accept this change.

5. This presence of a group of current and former Jehovah's Witnesses that reject this change will be acknowledged.

6. An open letter will declare that the Governing Body have disassociated themselves by their actions. This will discuss the involvement in the United nations and other actions since. This might also be used as a petition and or a press release.

7. It will be explained that the website is not a revolt, but a response to a coup and power grab within the organization by those who don't accept the change.

8. Guidance will be given for those who don't accept the change and don't feel that the Governing Body and it's representatives have the authority to punish them in any way. Nonparticipation in meetings and the ministry will be discussed as a way of showing that the person doesn't support the Governing Body coup. A statement may also be provided that can be downloaded, signed and witnessed by others that can be used to show the date when the person resigned from the religion.

9. If the proper arrangements can be made, an address might be provided where those who wish to disassociate can send a letter of resignation. This would be processed by a group that has some claim to authority as representatives of Jehovah's Witnesses (either anointed ones or current or former elders or other officials). These letters would be handled without passing on this information to the Governing Body or its representatives, since they are viewed as illegitimate representative of Jehovah's Witnesses. A certificate, suitable for framing, would be mailed back to the person with the date their resignation was processed.

I have limited time for this project at the moment, but I wanted to give us a chance to discuss it. PM me if you want to help.

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21

This is RayPublisher I need suggestions for captions on these pics!

by RayPublisher in

13 years ago

we were goofing around at the pier and took some photos a few days ago.

here's the first one i was thinking of captioning:.

here's the second one- i added a caption but am not completely happy with it:.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

Air Frisbee Champion Of The World!!!

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45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"Hi DT ,can you explain these points ?

"The Governing Body could face some serious legal challenges if they ever tried to punish those who never joined their coup. A religion doesn't have the right to punish nonmembers. The Mormons have gotten into trouble for this very thing, so there is a precedent.

There is one very useful thing that this rival group could accomplish. They could process letters of disassociation. I would recommend that they keep the identities of those who disassociate private, but they could send them a letter saying that the request has been approved. This letter could be used to threaten legal action against any elders who represent the Governing Body and try to punish them in any way, including an announcement that is intended to get the congregation to shun them.""

Here is some information on the Mormon precedent.

http://www.mormonnomore.com/legal-precedent

That same website says, "Legally you can submit your resignation to any representative of the church". Assuming this is true, it should be valid to send a letter of resignation to a group of anointed Witnesses who are maintaining the traditions of JW's rather than the Governing Body or those who support them in their coup.

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47

So Men tell me

by Lady Lee in

jw
friends

13 years ago

what do you like as a gift?

i have absolutely no idea what to make or give my son-in-law for his birthday or for christmas.

he has all the newest gadgets which i could not afford anyways so i am stumped.. gotta be inexpensive (on a strict budget) and if i can make it all the better.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

Micro brewed beer can be a good choice. If you can find out what basic type of beer he likes, you can buy him a brand that he is unlikely to be familiar with. You can just start buying six packs until your budget runs out. If he likes beer, he will think about you every time he drinks a bottle.

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13

Possible Reasons For The Faithful And Discreet Slave Change

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i've been thinking a lot about the new faithful and discreet slave understanding.. first of all, i regard the faithful and discreet slave doctrine to be the core doctrine of jehovah's witnesses.

without a single charismatic leader like other cults, the watchtower society needed to have something to keep the rank and file in line.

the fds doctrine was mysterious and served to give the organisation a leadership structure that appeared to be directly connected to god.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"Its a consolidation of where the power structure was already; a pretty natural evolution, considering."

I tend to agree. However, I'm referring to the claim that Jehovah's Witnesses have agreed to follow the direction of the Faithful And Discreet Slave (as previously understood) and therefore are subject to the organization's disciplinary procedures. Changing the identity of the FDS in a move to consolidate power calls into question whether the Governing Body has any right to discipline those who refuse to accept this change.

Link

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"you mean replace one organization...with another organization?...this is rather small-minded, isn't it dt?..."

I have no interest in replacing one organization with another.

My primary goal is to help people leave without facing the traditional sanctions. I am of the opinion that the Governing Body changed the conditions of membership of Jehovah's Witnesses and may have lost their claim to authority over those who refuse to go along with the new changes.

This provides possible legal defenses for faders who are later threatened by elders representing the Governing Body. I believe that simply no longer participating in meetings or the ministry is sufficient to establish that one is no longer associated with Jehovah's Witnesses. However, having a letter from a group that is following the traditional beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledging that the person resigned could make for an even stronger case.

Link

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"Yeah right, a splinter group wouldn't have the $$ to stay active. That's why the WT has everything in its name."

It wouldn't require much money. All you would need is a simple website and some postage to reply to those who send in a letter of disassociation.

Suppose someone fades and formally disassociates by sending a letter to this group that is following the established tradition of Jehovah's Witnesses (unlike the Governing Body).

Now imagine that two years down the road the elders try to disfellowship him. If he can show that he already resigned and never supported the coup and power grab of the Governing Body, it could very dangerous legally for the elders to try anything. A lawsuit might not be automatically thrown out if it can be shown that it is not an internal religious matter since the one party resigned years earlier.

Link

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"I personally think that is unlikely as the current GB have the money and the infastructure. Who would actually listen to a group of annointed men from nearby areas marching on Bethel?"

I would like to see a large scale rebellion, but my goals are more modest. Any group of anointed that challenges the Governing Body could have an enormous symbolic impact. It could be argued that they have the traditional authority and that the Governing Body is the group that defected by changing long established JW doctrine in a sneaky power grab.

It would expose this coup for what it is and possibly give dissidents a way to escape the authority of the Governing Body without experiencing the normal repercussions.

Link

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

"you just linked back to your own thread."

Oops, fortunately I was able to fix the link in time.

Link

45

We Need A Group Of Anointed To Challenge The Governing Body

by DT in

jw
friends

13 years ago

i believe that a coup is one of the governing body's worst nightmares.. imagine a splinter group led by anointed ones that draw off enough of a following to cause confusion about who is directing the organization.. this may be one of the reasons the governing body removed the special status of the anointed and placed it on an organizational arrangement that they just happen to occupy.. the irony is that this action is a coup in itself.

by declaring themselves leaders in complete control of the organization, they have created a rival group composed of those who disagree.

these people have no obligation to follow these newly self appointed leaders.

13 years ago

DT 13 years ago

If there were a group of three or more, they could formally invite every member of the Governing Body to a judicial committee.

Link