Posts by DT

312

Mass disassociation pact...

by freemindfade in

any takers?

we can pick a date and pull the plug?

lol .

DT

I think the perfect day for a mass disassociation would be August 8th. A good slogan would be, "Disassociate on 8/8." It even works in countries that like to list the day before the month.

The Watchtower Society usually records its highest number of publishers in August. This would also undermine their yearly report.

I participated in an author interview and answered questions about Jehovah's Witnesses.

by DT in

jw
friends

at first, i thought this interview might just involve some basic questions about my book, the great apocalypse.

however, the interviewer was interested in my past and i ended up discussing jehovah's witnesses and the ex-jw experience.

here is the link if you would like to take a look:.

At first, I thought this interview might just involve some basic questions about my book, The Great Apocalypse. However, the interviewer was interested in my past and I ended up discussing Jehovah's Witnesses and the ex-jw experience.

Here is the link if you would like to take a look:

http://proofpositive.com/interviews/daniel-thompson-author/

1

The Context for the JW Articles About Child Abuse

by DT in

i watched the "expert" testimony of dr. monica applewhite last night for the royal commission in australia.. it was painful to watch.

it appeared that she simply read some articles that were presented to her.

at one point, she suggested that the watchtower society produced about four of these issues a year.

DT

I watched the "expert" testimony of Dr. Monica Applewhite last night for the Royal Commission in Australia.

It was painful to watch. It appeared that she simply read some articles that were presented to her. At one point, she suggested that the Watchtower Society produced about four of these issues a year. I don't doubt that she has extensive experience in her field, but her comments indicate that she has a profound ignorance of the context in which those articles appeared.

At the time, Jehovah's Witnesses were producing a total of four Watchtower and Awake magazines a month. That is in addition to the books and brochures that are published every year. She didn't seem to realize that the Awake magazine, especially, is primarily a recruitment tool. Jehovah's Witnesses generally don't have the time or desire to read most of the articles.

Angus Stewart (assisting counsel for the Royal Commission) pointed out that the context is important for understanding these articles.

I suggest that the context indicates that these articles are part of a propaganda campaign that puts children at further risk. An organization that uses aggressive proselytism needs a brand to promote to the public and its own members.

Jehovah's witnesses advertize a future paradise earth. That distinguishes them for most major religions. In addition to the prospect of a literal paradise, they claim that their members enjoy a spiritual paradise now. They point to scriptures that talk about animals behaving peacefully and claim that those scriptures have an early spiritual fulfillment among their own members. The implication is that Jehovah's Witnesses are now peaceful lambs rather than aggressive lions; those who once displayed animalistic tendencies have put on a new personality.

That context causes Jehovah's Witnesses to interpret articles about child abuse as referring to those outside the organization. This propaganda encourages them to further retreat from the outside world and seek security within the organization, where their children might be in even greater danger.

There have been many articles gloating over the issues that Catholics and other religions have had with child abuse. Yet, they haven't acknowledged their own issues and have made strenuous efforts to cover them up. It would tarnish their image. Their branding campaign would be compromised. Growth would suffer.

The use of judicial committees to prosecute even minor offenses causes many Jehovah's Witnesses to conclude that they handle allegations of child abuse aggressively. The problem is that they greatest perceived threat to their branding comes not from the alleged abuser, but from the victim. An abuser is unlikely to talk about his transgressions, but the victim could reveal that their spiritual paradise is an illusion.

I'm sure that many elders are happy to disfellowship a child abuser when guilt can be established, but they generally have no interest in further protecting children by allowing the abuser's actions to become known to the police and the public. If they reinstate such a person under the assumption that the abuser is repentant and unlikely to offend, then children in their own congregation are once again put at risk.

I'm happy if those articles about child abuse have helped some. Ultimately, however, I think they are at the root of a problem that has put children in even greater danger and resulted in aggressive coverups and harsh treatment of victims.

9

The Great Apocalypse (Sparlock Book One) hit #1 on Amazon UK (Metaphysical Category)

by DT in

jw
friends

i realise that the metaphysical category for free ebooks isn't a huge category, but, as a new author, i'm still excited about it.

it also hit #7 in the free psychological thriller category (amazon uk) and it is appearing on other amazon bestselling lists in the united states and other english speaking countries.. .

this book is partially a satire of sparlock the warrior wizard.

DT

Thank you, nibbled, for catching those. It's amazing what slips through the editing and revision process. I will get those issues corrected soon in the ebook.

I'm nor sure I understand this point, "month that never was — skipping the month for the 360 year to equate to 365.25 literal days —> leads to Israel 1948/1967 from proper 2520 calc??"

9

The Great Apocalypse (Sparlock Book One) hit #1 on Amazon UK (Metaphysical Category)

by DT in

jw
friends

i realise that the metaphysical category for free ebooks isn't a huge category, but, as a new author, i'm still excited about it.

it also hit #7 in the free psychological thriller category (amazon uk) and it is appearing on other amazon bestselling lists in the united states and other english speaking countries.. .

this book is partially a satire of sparlock the warrior wizard.

DT

Thank you for your comments.

Nibbled, it's free even if you don't have Kindle Unlimited. First, I would check the right side of the page. If it doesn't give a price of $0.00 above the buy button, you could try clicking the link that says "$0.00 to buy" below the section that gives the Kindle unlimited price.

"I'm thinking of doing something of a similar vein and am thrilled to see you ahead of the game!"

I would love to hear your ideas, either here or through private message.

9

The Great Apocalypse (Sparlock Book One) hit #1 on Amazon UK (Metaphysical Category)

by DT in

jw
friends

i realise that the metaphysical category for free ebooks isn't a huge category, but, as a new author, i'm still excited about it.

it also hit #7 in the free psychological thriller category (amazon uk) and it is appearing on other amazon bestselling lists in the united states and other english speaking countries.. .

this book is partially a satire of sparlock the warrior wizard.

DT

I thought I would bump this thread to give people another chance to get the ebook for free. Amazon limits the number of free days I can have and this is the last day of the giveaway.

9

The Great Apocalypse (Sparlock Book One) hit #1 on Amazon UK (Metaphysical Category)

by DT in

jw
friends

i realise that the metaphysical category for free ebooks isn't a huge category, but, as a new author, i'm still excited about it.

it also hit #7 in the free psychological thriller category (amazon uk) and it is appearing on other amazon bestselling lists in the united states and other english speaking countries.. .

this book is partially a satire of sparlock the warrior wizard.

DT

I realise that the Metaphysical category for free ebooks isn't a huge category, but, as a new author, I'm still excited about it.

It also hit #7 in the free Psychological Thriller category (Amazon UK) and it is appearing on other Amazon bestselling lists in the United States and other English speaking countries.

This book is partially a satire of Sparlock the Warrior Wizard. It is also a philosophical thriller that discusses religious oppression, heresy, apostasy, and the obsession with predicting the end of the world.

I tried to make it accessible to a general audience that isn't familiar with Sparlock or Jehovah's Witnesses. I think that is helping with the marketing.

You can still get the Kindle ebook for free until July 24th at the appropriate link for your country:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011M755CC

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011M755CC

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B011M755CC

http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B011M755CC

After July 24th, it will be available at a reduced price for a limited time before reverting to the full price.

5

The First Sparlock Novel is Free on Amazon (July 20-24)

by DT in

jw
friends

the great apocalypse has finally arrived!.

get your free copy here:.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/b011m755cc.

DT

Here is a little more information about the novel:

I tried to write a story that doesn't require any pre-existing knowledge of Sparlock or Jehovah's Witnesses. I thought it would be better to appeal to a wider audience than just ex-jws. I haven't really tampered with the mythology of Sparlock the Warrior Wizard. Instead, I portrayed events in an alternate world that take place at about the same time as the Summer of Sparlock and it's aftermath. I also used history and mythology to present a fictional backstory for Sparlock.

There is an evolving mystery about a missing person and a financial collapse. The protagonist's investigation leads him to clues related to the Millerites and the Great Disappointment, Nelson Barbour, and Charles Taze Russell. The second book will deal with Joseph Rutherford and the later history of Jehovah's Witnesses.

I worked hard to present certain issues familiar to ex-jws in a fresh dramatic context.

If you would like to keep up with news from the Sparlock Multiverse. There is a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparlock-of-the-Multiverse/622974621116960

https://twitter.com/SparlockOTM

5

The First Sparlock Novel is Free on Amazon (July 20-24)

by DT in

jw
friends

the great apocalypse has finally arrived!.

get your free copy here:.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/b011m755cc.

DT

Thank you for your comments.

Rebel8, you should be able to get it for free even if you haven't subscribed to Kindle Unlimited. You could try clicking the link that says, "See all 2 formats and editions." Then you should see the Kindle edition listed for free.

5

The First Sparlock Novel is Free on Amazon (July 20-24)

by DT in

jw
friends

the great apocalypse has finally arrived!.

get your free copy here:.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/b011m755cc.

DT

There haven't been any comments here yet, but numerous people have been downloading the ebook. This book hit #8 today in the Amazon list of free ebooks in the Metaphysical category.

If you don't have an ebook reader, you can still read this book on your computer by using the Kindle Cloud Reader http://www.amazon.com/CloudReader. There are also numerous apps for reading Kindle ebooks on phones and tablets.

If you have an ebook reader, but it doesn't support the Kindle format, then you can convert the file to a different format by using software such as Calibre

http://calibre-ebook.com

(I turned off Digital Rights Management to make the conversion easier.)

I would like to thank everyone who downloaded the book. Hopefully, this will help to expose a wider audience to Sparlock and some of the issues that former Jehovah's Witnesses have to face.