Marjorie

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Posts by Marjorie

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  13

  PHOTOS President receives chilly reception at the Naval Academy

  by SixofNine in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  midshipman graduate michael david aragon, of tucson, arizona, reacts after shaking hands with president barack obama.

  midshipman graduate christopher nicolet, of lakeside, arizona, reacts after shaking hands with president barack obama .

  president barack obama hugs john sidney mccain iv, son of arizona senator john mccain.

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  Marjorie

  ¡Gracias!
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  28

  Spanish JW's Upset Over Bethel Move

  by Gary1914 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on april 1, 2009 a letter was sent from the governing body of jehovahs witnesses to congregations in spain informing them that the printing, shipping, and storage of watchtower publications would be discontinued at the madrid branch office.

  the letter expressed confidence that the spanish witnesses would, despite the move, continue to generously support the world wide work and ends with an appeal to remain united under the direction of the witness leadership.. at a glance, this story may seem like a non-issue, perhaps, just another example of reorganization and consolidation within a multinational corporation; however, the dissolution of the printing branch has caused considerable hard feelings among some of jehovahs witnesses in spain.

  to understand the reason we must first look at the history behind the branch office and external factors that some feel prompted this abrupt move.. early in their history, jehovahs witnesses began printing their trademark watchtower magazines and associated books and tracts in-house at their bethel headquarters in brooklyn, new york.

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  Marjorie

  There you go, Gary 1914!

  I didn't mean to take liberties with your post, but the font came out really tiny. Please forgive...
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  28

  Spanish JW's Upset Over Bethel Move

  by Gary1914 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on april 1, 2009 a letter was sent from the governing body of jehovahs witnesses to congregations in spain informing them that the printing, shipping, and storage of watchtower publications would be discontinued at the madrid branch office.

  the letter expressed confidence that the spanish witnesses would, despite the move, continue to generously support the world wide work and ends with an appeal to remain united under the direction of the witness leadership.. at a glance, this story may seem like a non-issue, perhaps, just another example of reorganization and consolidation within a multinational corporation; however, the dissolution of the printing branch has caused considerable hard feelings among some of jehovahs witnesses in spain.

  to understand the reason we must first look at the history behind the branch office and external factors that some feel prompted this abrupt move.. early in their history, jehovahs witnesses began printing their trademark watchtower magazines and associated books and tracts in-house at their bethel headquarters in brooklyn, new york.

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  Marjorie

  On April 1, 2009 a letter was sent from the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses to congregations in Spain informing them that the printing, shipping, and storage of Watchtower publications would be discontinued at the Madrid Branch office. The letter expressed confidence that the Spanish Witnesses would, despite the move, continue to generously support the world wide work and ends with an appeal to remain united under the direction of the Witness leadership.
  At a glance, this story may seem like a non-issue, perhaps, just another example of reorganization and consolidation within a multinational corporation; however, the dissolution of the printing branch has caused considerable hard feelings among some of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Spain. To understand the reason we must first look at the history behind the branch office and external factors that some feel prompted this abrupt move.
  Early in their history, Jehovah’s Witnesses began printing their trademark Watchtower magazines and associated books and tracts in-house at their ”Bethel” headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. As the religious organization grew and expanded overseas, “branch offices” and printing facilities were established in different locations across the globe to support the preaching work in those territories. Such was the case in Spain in 1980, where the need for a local printing facility was explained at Spanish district conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  At the time, expansion at the headquarters in New York left the Watch Tower corporation without the finances to build offices and a printing facility in Spain and so the Spanish Witnesses were solicited to follow the example of the Israelites in bringing their gold, silver, and valuable items to Moses in order to build the Tabernacle. ( Exodus 35:5-9) The 1983 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, reports the generous way that the Spanish Witnesses responded to this appeal.:
  At the close of the conventions, people were lining up to contribute their jewels, gold and silver rings and bracelets, so that these could be turned into cash to finance the new project. At the convention in San Sebastián in the Basque country, an elderly sister handed over a heavy gold bracelet. When asked if she was sure that she wanted to donate such a valuable item, she answered: “Brother, it is going to do far more good paying for a new Bethel than it will on my wrist!”
  With the unsparing financial support of the Spanish Witnesses a new branch office and printing facility was later constructed in Madrid. Being financed within the country, this new Bethel was a source of pride for the Spanish Witnesses. Many would make special trips just to tour the facility. Now some are hurt to watch as the printing presses that they gave their precious heirlooms to buy are shipped to Germany and the Bethel that they sacrificed their savings to build is anticipated to be sold, with the proceeds of the sale returning back to the US Watch Tower corporation that was originally unable to finance its construction. This situation might not be near as bitter if it were not for the events that transpired in Spain that some feel to be the impetus behind this relocation.
  In December 2007, after an investigation , the Social Security office of Spain issued a ruling that the Madrid Bethel was required to provide a pension for those who worked in its printing facilities. Historically, Bethel workers receive no such benefits. Upon joining the Bethel “family” they take a vow of poverty and are inducted into a religious order, not unlike a Catholic monastery. While at Bethel they receive a small monthly stipend for personal items in addition to room and board. Though they are working in a modern printing operation, they are viewed as religious volunteers and have no workers’ compensation benefits or pension to support them, if injury, health, age, or other circumstances should force them out of their Bethel “home”.
  In recent years, the Watch Tower has seen a fair share of corporate downsizing. This has been particularly felt in the United States headquarters, which has experienced significant cutbacks within the New York Bethel family. Many men and women in their youth were encouraged to make service at Bethel a “life career”, at the expense of family, education, and a secular career. They entered Bethel with the idea that they would stay there for the rest of their life, making it their “home”. Now as older adults they are feeling the sting of cutbacks as they are asked to leave their Bethel home, starting all over again in the secular world without pensions or without having contributed toward retirement or Social Security. This is the current situation in Madrid, where it is estimated that up to 200 Bethel workers are being asked to leave without reassignment.
  The Spanish Social Security office’s decision to hold the Madrid Bethel responsible for providing benefits for printing factory workers and other members of the order presents a considerable financial hit in a religious organization that has already experienced hardships in tough economic times. This has caused some Spanish Witnesses to believe that the decision to relocate printing operations to another country is specifically motivated by the fiscal implications of the Social Security office’s decision, despite what the Branch Office claims about the reorganization being motivated by other factors such as simplification.
  The Spanish Witnesses who might normally completely trust the decisions made by the organization’s leadership have reason to be suspicious. After losing their petition against providing Social Security benefits to Bethel workers, the Spanish Branch Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses sent a letter to the local congregations announcing the new provision. In the letter, Witness leadership implies that it was they who petitioned Social Security for entry into the system in order to provide benefits. The congregations were kept in the dark about the real reason that these contested benefits were being provided to those in the religious order.
  A similar situation occurred in the United States in 1990. At the time, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries was in the US Supreme Court, challenging taxes assessed on publications sold by the popular televangelist. Unknown to US Witnesses, the Watch Tower, filed a “friend of the court” brief (amicus curiae) in the Swaggart Taxation case, because the ruling would open the door for taxing the Watch Tower, as Jehovah’s Witnesses went door to door selling their Watchtower magazine and associated literature. When Swaggart lost the case, the Watch Tower, quickly adopted a new “donation arrangement”, where the magzines and literature were offered without a specified cost, and a donation request was made.
  In a letter sent to all US congregations the Watch Tower explained the new arrangement saying,
  “By adopting a method of literature distribution based completely on donation, Jehovah’s people are able to greatly simplify our Bible education work and separate ourselves from those who commercialize religion.”
  No mention was made of the connection between the new “donation arrangement” and the Jimmy Swaggart case, and to this day, this is relatively unknown among Jehovah’s Witnesses. Similar to the way the Spanish branch handled the Social Security ruling, the US branch office spun the “donation arrangement” as a way of simplification without revealing the real reasons.
  The Spanish Witnesses feel slighted that the religious organization they gave their life and finances to is now treating them so carelessly. Equally they are hurt by the lack of candor and honesty coming from headquarters about the current situation. Currently the discontent among the religion are organizing and making their case that any funds coming from the sale of the Bethel facility should be go back to the ones that financed it the first place. They suggest that such money could be used in a charitable way, such as providing a retirement facility for those in their ranks that are now aging, without provision, having giving their life in service of the religion. Ironically, they are vying to provide the very care that Witness leadership itself is reluctant to give.
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  426

  One of the Governing Body had a stroke yesterday

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on may 19th, theodore jaracz had a stroke.

  he's in very serious condition in the hospital.. that's all the information i have for now.. barb.

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  Marjorie

  Wantingtruth:

  I used to do a food drive every year around X-mas time. About 10 years ago, I was doing a food drive in the apartment complex I was living in at the time. I met these 2 women who were sisters (real ones, not the JW kind), both in their late 70's. Somehow it came up in the conversation that one of them had come to New Mexico back in the 1930's to help establish the JW's here. It was very unusual back then for a single woman to be doing such work, but she was ready, willing and able, so they went with that. Because she was successful here, she became close personal friends with Prez Knorr and they remained so for decades. She told me that on his death bed, he called her to him and told her to get out of the JW's immediately and not to waste another minute of her life with their lies, that they were a completely false religion and that the only reason he had stayed as long as he did was that he was an old man with no where else to go and at least with them he knew he would be cared for in his old age. She did leave the JW's.

  ...
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  20

  Long Time Reader

  by wantarevolution in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  where do i start?

  i suppose with "me".

  i am mid 20's, born in and live abroad with my wife, "serving" in a foreign language congregation.

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  Marjorie

  Welcome, Wantarevolution! Glad to have you here.
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  26

  snubbed by the dubs...

  by undercover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as most of ya'll know, i'm not dfd or dad, just faded and i've commented about how i still have some contact with some jws that i used to associate with.

  only on rare occassions do jws that i didn't know that well to begin with treat me as persona non grata...no big deal, i usually couldn't remember their names to begin with so it wasn't like i was being shunned by family or friends.. this story begins at the mall, where i was with my wife (*sbm), not my favorite place to be...but the sacrifices we have to make sometimes...you married guys know.... anyhoo, we're in a common area near the food court, deciding if we wanted to get a snack or just hold out for real food in a real restaurant somewhere else, when a "sister" we've known for years spots my wife and comes up.

  we've known this person for over 20 years...we go way back.

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  Marjorie

  Superiority complexes in the name of God. Refreshing.
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  22

  My JW Daughter's M-I-L Tries to Shun Me in Bank Parking Lot- Sad / Funny

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the way the jehovah's witnesses treat us is so bizarre - you couldn't make this stuff up !

  have i ever had two weeks from jw hell.

  so i parked at the bank and as i was getting out of my truck my jw's daughter's mother in law ( also jw ) was walking to her truck.

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  Marjorie

  A persecution complex is not the only complex that the WTS inculcates. It can also inculcate a superiority complex.

  So much for "the love that refreshes" (I'm sure that I've read that line somewhere... ).
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  22

  My JW Daughter's M-I-L Tries to Shun Me in Bank Parking Lot- Sad / Funny

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the way the jehovah's witnesses treat us is so bizarre - you couldn't make this stuff up !

  have i ever had two weeks from jw hell.

  so i parked at the bank and as i was getting out of my truck my jw's daughter's mother in law ( also jw ) was walking to her truck.

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  Marjorie

  Boyzone:

  What I'm finding is the sisters are a lot firmer with the shunning than the brothers.

  True, true, true!
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  22

  My JW Daughter's M-I-L Tries to Shun Me in Bank Parking Lot- Sad / Funny

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the way the jehovah's witnesses treat us is so bizarre - you couldn't make this stuff up !

  have i ever had two weeks from jw hell.

  so i parked at the bank and as i was getting out of my truck my jw's daughter's mother in law ( also jw ) was walking to her truck.

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  Marjorie

  I have never shunned anyone by my own choice.

  Let me explain. In the KH, I always went up to the DF'd one, and greeted him/her. I would refuse to shun them, and told them so. But the person wanted to be reinstated, and not appearing to shun them would interfere with that. In between meetings we would talk. The person would be so scared that the elders would find out, but I told them not to worry, that I would never openly jeopardize their reinstatement. I did not like it, but it was not my call to make.

  The elders would sometimes give me a mild scolding. "Sister Marjorie, that person is applying for reinstatement..." You all know the rest.

  But I want them to feel like they're welcome to come back to the congregation, I would say. How could the elders argue with that?

  "Well, as long as you remember not to have any further contact, with him/her, it's okay," the elders would reply. And I would nod yes. Sadly.

  I don't know why the DF'd one would trust me. Maybe it was because I hadn't spent my entire life in the B0rg, or maybe it was because my hubby was not a JW. I guess that I'll never really know why now. But I will say this: I wish that I had had the presence of mind to leave the WTS after this happened the first time. {sigh}
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  12

  Introduction

  by milola in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well i have been watching and reading long enough.

  i have posted a couple of times but never told anything about myself so here goes.. i have been df'd for at least 30 years.

  always had doubts even of the existance of god let alone one that could and would be so vengefull towards.

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  Marjorie

  Welcome Milola.

  I'm glad that you were wise enough not to rear your children in the 'Truth™'. That's one less family that didn't sacrifice their lives for lies!