Yes, unfortunately, diversity of belief and opinion is being slowly but surely dismantled. I am no Ann Coulter fan, myself; I disagree with many, if not most, of her main ideas, but to cancel a speech because supposedly violence cannot be controlled sounds like fascism to me. It is for this reason, as well, that I am in disagreement with JWs ban in Russia. When diverse voices are silenced because they differ from the mainstream, you can expect that a free press will be next. Free speech, freedom of association and freedom of religion aren't to protect what the majority happen to say/do/believe but the groups with whom we disagree.
Cadellin
JoinedPosts by Cadellin
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115
UC Berkeley orders cancellation of Ann Coulter speech
by freemindfade inuc berkeley administrators canceled a scheduled speech by right-wing pundit ann coulter, saying they can’t protect participants from rioting if it goes ahead.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/uc-berkeley-orders-cancellation-of-ann-coulter-11084299.php.
now i am no ann coulter fan (although the sjw police on here will accuse me of being a fan shortly after posting this), but i am a fan of free speech!
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It's about progress, not perfection...
by scratchme1010 ini guess at this point in time and space i'm ok if there's an indication of things going in the right direction.. my jw father, who joined the jws in 1973 when i was 8, has always had all the characteristics of the stereotypical brainwashed born again weirdo.
as a jw he always felt the need to show that he was more devoted than the rest of the crop.
to him, life became very easy from that point on: "the bible", interpreted by the millions of wt publications, along with the information in the meetings and getting involved in all jw activities, were the answer to everything and anything in his life".
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Cadellin
Thank you for sharing. This was interesting and moving without being sentimental; you are a compassionate and caring son, exactly the kind of son that any parent would want. I'm glad you have a happy and love-filled life.
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Apologists saying that the JWs shouldn't be banned, what the hell!??
by Crazyguy init's been brought to my attention that there are xjw that say they support the witnesses and don't think russia should ban them.
i would just like to remind all of you that jws are guilty of murder, causing higher rates of suicide, covering up child molestation, and keeping members in prisoned because if they leave they loose family, financial support, possible employment etc.. sure their not strapping bombs to their chests but they easily get members to kill themselves with their blood policies.
they are an extremist group!
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Cadellin
I'm with Coded Logic on this one. I am no apologist by any means but freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, no matter how problematic we might personally find various belief systems. The bottom line is that no government has the right to tell any human how or what to believe. Moreover, from what I've read about this ban, it appears that Russia is aiming at the fact that JWs criticize other belief systems, which involves freedom of speech.
Dictators and other oppressive regimes often start with the low-hanging fruit, the most extreme or least widely accepted groups and then move from there. Banning JWs is the thin edge of the wedge, and other groups, who think they are safe, had better take stock because they're next.
Issues like the blood ban, shunning and other more harmful practices can be addressed via a range of other means, through exposure, law suits and other less draconian measures which do not need to issue from Big Brother.
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July's watchtower leaves out some important info from a quote!
by stavro injerome over on discuss the truth has picked up on something interesting.. in the july watchtower on page 28 of the article entitled “winning the battle for your mind” the following statement is made “keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.
because propaganda is likely to be most effective, says one source, if people… are discouraged from thinking critically.”.
the quote comes from a book entitled: “media and society in the twentieth century: a historical introduction by lyn gorman, david mclean" the watchtower however, chose to leave out a portion of the quote.. the full quote is "therefore, it is likely to be most effective if people do not have access to multiple sources of information and if they are discouraged from thinking critically.. the following sentence which the watchtower also decided was best not to include states,.
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Cadellin
Thank you for sharing this! There is something delightfully ironic in how the WT chose to edit that sentence! The fact that they left out the part about access to a range of information sources suggests that they do not want JWs consulting multiple information sources. In fact, their clear opposition to followers consulting multiple information sources would place them squarely under the column heading "Propaganda" as indicated by the second sentence they chose to omit. So they have become their own ideal example of what propaganda is all about! They are living up to the definition of propaganda even as they seemingly warn against it.
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Warwick Tour Brochure
by konceptual99 inso we had this posted in the mega topic thread... wt: warwick world hq tour brochure.
the new world headquarters of jws, located at warwick, new york, will open for tours on monday, april 3, 2017.. in anticipation, a new eight-page glossy brochure about this facility has now been released:.
download pdf: https://download-a.akamaihd.net/files/media_cmsassets/70/fo_s-whq_e.pdf.
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Cadellin
That image of a whole conference room full of old white guys just reminds everyone that in JWland, the patriarchy is alive and well. Still, I'm surprised that they would include that in a public document since it such striking visual evidence of how out of touch they are with the diversity of the real world.
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The start of a rough patch ahead...
by confused3426 inlast night i told my mom my true feelings on the organization and what i've learned so far.
it all started from a conversation, we need to go visit the new headquarters.
my mom has been studying and just recently became an unbaptized publisher in the spanish cong.
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Cadellin
Hi, Confused:
First of all, I'm so sorry--this is super stressful for your mom, yes, but for you, too. You are not responsible for your mother's feelings but they are understandable. Remember one thing--your mind is your own and you have the right to investigate any religion in a thoughtful, critical way. As far as your questions, it all depends. If you need to live with your mother as a dependent, then you are in a more difficult position than if you are able to move out and care for yourself. If you need to keep living with her, then you might need to pull back and keep the peace for at least a little while.
One great piece of advice I got when I was leaving was this: There is no wrong way to leave a cult (or high control religion). You need to do what is in your best interests. That said, it will be easiest for you if you can start arranging your affairs so that you can live independently, even if that is a year or more off in the distance.
When I started fading, I moved very slowly. I stopped going to the service meeting/school but kept going to the Sunday meeting for quite a while. It's okay to say that you are depressed, that you are not feeling well, that you are stressed out.
Hang in there-it DOES get better!
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Heartbroken...advice please
by SPARKLEY ini am a non-jw and have been in an unhappy marriage for a few years now.
i met a nice man at work, we had a laugh together and got to know each other.
we were both really attracted to each other.
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Cadellin
Sparkley, I am so sorry you have had this unhappy experience. But take the good advice that you've received here and move on.
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My Introduction - An ex-elder's story of waking up later in life.
by doubtfull1799 inbackground:.
my parents got the “truth” while i was in primary school.
i was baptised at 14. i loved school and was extremely studious.
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Cadellin
Welcome! One of the best things about this site is realizing that you are not alone, nor are you delusional (both of which I felt when I first woke up). You are seeing the WT for what it really is.
It's hard--but worth it!
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Are the J.W's reaching a "Tipping point"?
by karter ini haven't been to a meeting in 15 years but my mother and sister are hard as j.w's.
the brothers they are appointing elders are at best suspect like one guy from my old hall made elder,big time drug used before becoming a j.w his talks are all over the place and would have struggled to make m,s years ago but with at least 60 to 70 % of young ones leaving the pool to pick from is at best reduced.. 2 other recent elders both young and zero life experience both on benefits one not well at all falls asleep all the time.. the decent,kind elders mostly older and are decent people with alot of life experience are burning out fast as there are so few of them left like 3 per congro of 100 publishers.. then you have the rich elders who wouldn't ever think of inviting some poor older or mis-fit person out to the expensive placers they go to as they couldn't afford to go so they are above the r&f and the r&f get pissed off with them.
then we have the ones who have "put the kingdom 1st" who are now old worn out and barely getting by from welfare cheque to welfare cheque that are saying "the system should have been over many years ago" it's still here and they are struggling everyday.. then there are the pioneers who have a low payed reduced hour job that seem to think anyone who has anything is totally materialistic and looks down on anyone getting a new car buying a house ect.. along with the child abuse issues,the generation change,access to information the the g.b don't want anyone to know ,not to mention the issues around blood.. is there a tipping point coming????
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Cadellin
I have been inactive for about a decade but my husband is still an elder. I happened to read this past Sunday's WT study article and was struck by how therapeutically-focused it was. What I mean is, the whole thrust of the article (and really, the magazine) is how to cope emotionally and mentally. Prayer, etc. is essentially reduced to therapy--do this and you'll feel better. That is, I think, what the whole religion has become. There is no longer any real doctrinal "meat" other than coping mechanisms and obedience lessons.
A second point related to Witness life: My husband was out in service with another elder and told me, when he got home, how he was able to make a pitch for his business to this other elder and the elder was going to arrange a meeting with someone in his own company. I said, "You were talking business out in service?!" since I remember how that was a no-no. My husband said, "Sure, we always do." Like it was normal.
Which, I guess, it is. Now.
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Day 5 - Fessler vs. Watchtower – Ends: Plaintiff settles in Jehovah’s Witness Child Abuse Trial
by darkspilver inday 5 in court - and apparently the plaintiff stephanie fessler has decided to settle..... http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/02/jehovahs_witness_sexual_abuse.html.
jehovah's witness sexual-abuse-coverup lawsuit settled.
february 13, 2017 at 2:37 pm, updated february 13, 2017 at 2:44 pm.
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Cadellin
"The matter with the Jehovah's Witnesses has been resolved," her attorney, Jeffrey Fritz, said Monday.
And that was all he could say due to the confidential settlement agreement, which bars all parties from talking about the case or disclosing the amount of the settlement.
And that's why they (JWs) settled. Confidentiality, limit the damages, silence the parties involved. Separately, let me add that the plaintiff had every right to settle and find the best way to deal with what she's been through.