Posts by Sugar Shane

61

The Watchtower Org will die.

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

i was just reading through some posts and had a startling realization.. the comment that sparked this went something like this: why oh why when i started into this in 1989 did i not research the history of the wtbts?

etc....... i too was studying and moving towards baptism around that same time.

i got dunked in dec of 1990.. my thought.

Sugar Shane

As for the younger JWs being more IT savvy, there is no doubt. But, imagine you are a householder, and you simply 'Google' the term 'Jehovah's Witness.' Don't type 'abuse,' or 'lawsuits,' just 'Jehovah's Witness.' Then, click the Google "News" icon. Try it, right now...

...got it? See the results? They are from actual news outlets, not random 'apostates.' Now ask yourself, as a non-JW householder, why would ANYONE in their right mind be attracted to this group? With headlines like "Groomed Girl for Sex," or "Pedophile Cover-up," or "JW Elder Arrested for Abuse," I would RUN, not walk away from JWs at my door, or at the outdoor carts!! I'd also give them a piece of my mind before slamming the door in their smug faces.

I think the JW.ORG IT department, is mostly impressive to those who are already in, and that it will continue this way. The very fact that sites like THIS one are checked out by so many JW 'lurkers' speaks volumes. Social media has more than 'leveled the playing field.' And, as I mentioned, only the most gullible, and uninformed Non-JW would be attracted to this cult.

61

The Watchtower Org will die.

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

i was just reading through some posts and had a startling realization.. the comment that sparked this went something like this: why oh why when i started into this in 1989 did i not research the history of the wtbts?

etc....... i too was studying and moving towards baptism around that same time.

i got dunked in dec of 1990.. my thought.

Sugar Shane

From the outside looking in, as a non-JW, I can understand why many ex-JWs are not convinced the downfall will happen soon, if at all.

Consider this, however: the Watchtower no longer controls the message. In fact, the message (from the outside world) controls them. Why else would they become so reactive? Why else would the GB make those ridiculous broadcasts, which show them on the defensive?

Skedaddle is spot on, I think.

Moore's law was brought up. A good parallel might be the industrial revolution. Look the effects of it, in the span of a century, compared to the slow technological progress in the centuries leading up to it. The same thing is now happening with the information age: look at how much the 'borg' has changed in the past decade, compared to the 100 years prior. Who would've thought, back in...1982, that the GB would become money-begging tele-evangalists, fleecing money from their churches (halls), being grilled in front of judges for child abuse, cutting their once reknown publishing empire, closing branches, cutting the Bethel workers....all within a decade, and all coinciding with the seemingly exponential spread of information technology.

You might say, "well, the shakers & amish are still around, and so the JWs will still continue." To which I say, "agreed." Sure, they might endure in small, isolated pockets here and there. They might become a splintered fringe-cult. But even THAT outcome would be desirable IMO. They might not go extinct, but they'd certainly end up on the endangered species list.

29

Deleware child abuse case major implications

by poopie in

jw
friends

follow case it may change judicial comittees

Sugar Shane

The feds can read erased hard-drives...but, time is of the essence. They need to get a warrant and move in.

29

Deleware child abuse case major implications

by poopie in

jw
friends

follow case it may change judicial comittees

Sugar Shane

I'm surprised fisherman hasn't posted yet!

Any bets on when he'll pop up on the thread? I know he can't hold back much longer--probably about to blow a gasket.

29

Deleware child abuse case major implications

by poopie in

jw
friends

follow case it may change judicial comittees

Sugar Shane

Right you are Poopie. Add to that, the Carholics don't use the confessional as an enforcement tool to kick people out, as the JWs do. So the statement by the elders, that both victim and perp approached them privately, to seek counsel, is such a boldface lie.

I'm quite certain that the Shepard of the Flock book contains this language, which would be self-incriminating, IMO.

I'd assume the judge, or the AG in the Delaware case have access to the 'Flock' book and other materials. If not, someone needs to email them a copy ASAP, along with references to the DF procedures.

That seemed to be the case with the ARC: people submitting materials & info to Mr. Young and McClellan while the hearings were in progress. The email is mightier than the sword.

I'd do it myself, but I'm pretty busy working this weekend. Plus, as a non-JW, I don't have the knowledge of that book as some of you do.

29

Deleware child abuse case major implications

by poopie in

jw
friends

follow case it may change judicial comittees

Sugar Shane

That's the one in which the Delaware Attorney General went after the JWs! Wow. Serious shite!

24

WT March 15, 2016 - Kids pressured toward baptism again

by Designer Stubble in

the study wt of march 2016 is up on jw.org and is the standard article around this time of year...pressuring young kids to dedicate their lives to the organization again.

this wt will be studied during may, so just in time to pressure them into baptism at the regional conventions this summer.such articles really upset me, as the realization of how many young promising lives will be destroyed.

how many families will be broken up, when the child who got baptized as a minor (ages 6 and up are mentioned in the literature) decides as a young adult that his/her conscience no longer allows him/her to be part of such a destructive cult.

Sugar Shane

I'll pose this again, since this thread has gotten bumped up.

Kid's mom is JW. I'm not. Never was, hence not 'apostate' by their definition. I've been invited to some of the social gatherings, ect., despite my worldliness. So, maybe it's love-bombing on their part. I'm a professional, with a pretty solid career & varied interests, so perhaps they see me as a worthy recruit?

Anyway, my oldest kid is wising up to all the abuse problems. I showed him some video of the ARC. He's NOT in a hurry to get baptised.

So, in light of the WT article promoting baptisms, and the fact that big conventions are normally held during the summer, I plan to head this off by politely, yet firmly, letting the elders know that ANY DECISION to baptize one of MY KIDS goes through ME first. I'm the head of my household, and I have WT literature (provided to me by one of the elders) which states my headship very clearly.

NOTE: my personal view is that they not be baptised in ANY religion (including the Methodist denomination I was raised in) until they are of age to make that decision on their own, as a legal adult (18).

I'm wondering, based on some of your experiences, what sort of backlash, if any I should expect from these elders. I'm not at all intimidated by them, but I would like to know what to expect, so I can be ready for a counter-jab, or 'knock-out'-LoL

In the end, I won't get sucked into debating Bible doctrine with them. If they so much as challenge my headship, I'll beat them over their heads with their own literature, and threaten to take legal action against them. My attorney's last name is...Zalkin. "Hey elder Bob, go call your legal department just like your little 'Flock' book says, and run that name by them."

83

Christadelphian

by Billy1000 in

my name is stephen and i am new to the forum.

i am a christadelphian and through my discussions with fellow members of my ecclesia it has inspired me to reach out to other religions to find out exactly what others believe to enhance my own faith and further bring me closer to our heavenly father.

in no way do i mean disrespect if it has been caused.

Sugar Shane

Understood, thanks

83

Christadelphian

by Billy1000 in

my name is stephen and i am new to the forum.

i am a christadelphian and through my discussions with fellow members of my ecclesia it has inspired me to reach out to other religions to find out exactly what others believe to enhance my own faith and further bring me closer to our heavenly father.

in no way do i mean disrespect if it has been caused.

Sugar Shane

I don't buy into the whole 'Noah's Flood killed the dinosaurs' thing myself. I love science. I don't take Biblical 'Fire & Brimstone' literally. I love reading Asimov, Carl Sagan, Arthur C Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, and the like. Steven Hawkings as well: both Sci-fi & sci-fact.

I've seen plenty of scientific evidence to refute the JWs literal interpretation of the Bible, as well as the literal interpretation of certain other religions. Despite what we know about black holes, gravity waves, dark matter, gamma-ray bursts, ect., there is still room for spirituality, IMO, to help understand the wonders around us. But yeah, 6000 years of human existence, my ass. Ha.

Maybe my 'damaged goods' label was a little blunt, but the JWs I've known to 'wake up,' are pretty...rattled, for quite some time. As if they just broke out of a cacoon. The movie 'Matrix' comes to mind.

83

Christadelphian

by Billy1000 in

my name is stephen and i am new to the forum.

i am a christadelphian and through my discussions with fellow members of my ecclesia it has inspired me to reach out to other religions to find out exactly what others believe to enhance my own faith and further bring me closer to our heavenly father.

in no way do i mean disrespect if it has been caused.

Sugar Shane

BILLY! Here's a great article that touches on WHY so many JWs become atheist, or agnostic, as opposed to switching to other denominations, or developing a more personal relationship with JC through the Bible. BTW: most 'mainstream' denominations do just that, try to help the believer foster a personal relationship. Few, that I've run across regard themselves as the one and only TRUE religion, though unfortunately, that's what all JWs believe about theirs. They are taught that all other churches are part of evil 'Chistandom.' They are also staunch Biblical literalists, yet the interpetations they take so literally are often twisted to begin with. Add all the Pharisee-like rules and regulations, and it's no wonder they want nothing to do with organized religion of any kind, after 'waking up.' Spiritually speaking, they've become 'damaged goods' by this time, whether they want to admit or not.

I'm a non-JW, though I have some in the family. So, I'm on the outside looking in. I do consider myself a believer in JC's sacrifice, but I don't judge. I don't shun. And some of my best buds are what you'd consider agnostic/atheist. One of them is a dog lover, and raises service dogs. Anyway, here's a link to that article:

http://thewatchtowerfiles.com/ex-jws-atheists/