freddo

Joined

• started 77 topics
• posted 3,022 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by freddo

• 
  16

  Street witnessing to Christmas Shoppers Yesterday

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, ok, but targeting a german christmas market seems a little hypocritical...

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  @Thomas Covenant

  I googled "Bristol German Christmas Market"

  Looks like it is indeed Bristol, England.
• 
  8

  Child Sexual Abuse and Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Rules – Part 1 of Gumshoe’s Royal Commission Series

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  child sexual abuse and jehovahs witnesses rules part 1 of gumshoes royal commission series.

  this is a fairly lengthy article describing and examining the royal commission in australia.. the author ends the article with this:.

  in general, we see, from watchtower australia, how depriving a person of fellowship was seen as a severe punishment.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  What Mephis said.

  I don't believe JW's as an organisation want to harm children though I accept that it it quite possible at least one of the GB since the 1970's might have been a pedo.

  It's always been about protecting "the name" and now losing the money is just as important.
• 
  21

  I'd report THAT to the police, but not THIS...

  by Northern Star in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am new to the boards, so a little background info may be a good idea?

  also, i'm not quite sure which sub-forum to post this to....

  i have a typical religious background for my country; grew up with lutheran christianity (which was our state religion up until 2012; we now have a secular constitution).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  Hi Northern Star and welcome!

  I have little to add except, in my 50 years experience as a JW - kid, teenager, adult, MS, elder, ex elder, now just nominally in for family - here in the UK I have never come across any JW that would not go to the police for a witnessed murder.

  Mind you it has never actually been put to the test around my experience.

  I know I have heard of those that have covered up drink-driving offences, drug abuse and theft at the low to middling range of offences and those that have probably perjured themselves.

  Certainly child protection issues are generally viewed as a congregational problem and not a police matter. Witnesses would typically ask an elder or close friend's view before going to the authorities.

  When I was an elder I just went to the police about two child protection matters but told them (the Police) that I was "breaking ranks" and hoped they could proceed without divulging my involvement. I further assured the police that if it was absolutely necessary to come forward publically then I would do so.

  The couple calling on you are:

  Happy to count time and a bible study on their reports.

  Even crazier than most JW's if they would not report murder.

  Why not show them their own older publications about false prophecies?

  May 22nd Awake 1969 about young people "facing the fact" that they will not fulfill a career in this old system" which will be gone in a few years.

  1984 Watchtower about the generation that will not pass away.

  That sort of thing.
  
  
• 
  17

  Congregation average

  by dothemath in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a while back at our co visit, he commended the cong.

  because our average hours had gone up.. we went from around 7.3 to about 7.5. i recall the days when anything less than 10 was considered awful.. of course now, they don't even print the hours in the km or anywhere.. i was wondering how these numbers compared to other congregations?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  It's slowly dropped over the past twenty years from 8.8/9.0 to 7.5/7.7.

  Sister Bumwipe and Brother Depends (you know, they survived til 1975 and were the generation that saw 1914 ...) at 0.25 of an hour don't help the averages mind.

  But then we had a pioneer removed but who carried on doing the hours of a pioneer so that added almost an hour to the joe publisher averages for twelve months a couple of years back! When he got his badge back the average dropped again. Ha Ha!
• 
  26

  Morning all! Just here to say hi and join in the discussion

  by park ave boy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm happy to join every ex-jw.borg site i can and support in whatever way i can.

  i now regularly donate to these sites when available.

  i'm bitter but i don't hate jws because they were brainwashed like we all were.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  Welcome!

  Child Abuse and Australian Royal Commission is certainly known by some elders here in the UK. A few of these are perturbed by it. Even less act upon it. I know for certain it factored in the resignation of one well known middle ranking elder in our circuit (along with money grabbing broadcasts and letters).

  (Middle ranking = did smaller CA parts, was a Cong. Secretary who did circuit accounts and stuff.)
• 
  5

  Am I recalling this correctly? Ray Franz depicted in WT as dying at Armageddon?

  by freddo in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i seem to recall years ago that someone posted some watchtower "art" with a typical wiping out the wicked at armageddon scene - you know, city blocks crashing to the ground - guy with a gun, cars falling into crevices, and there was a middle aged guy with his eyeglasses/spectacles hanging off his face led dead in the foreground.. it was suggested that in this was supposed to be ray franz.

  not in words but in what the character drawn looked like.

  a sort of sick "in-joke" for schroeder and jaracz worshippers in the writing department.. am i dreaming this?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  I seem to recall years ago that someone posted some Watchtower "Art" with a typical wiping out the wicked at Armageddon scene - you know, city blocks crashing to the ground - guy with a gun, cars falling into crevices, and there was a middle aged guy with his eyeglasses/spectacles hanging off his face led dead in the foreground.

  It was suggested that in this was supposed to be Ray Franz. Not in words but in what the character drawn looked like. A sort of sick "in-joke" for Schroeder and Jaracz worshippers in the writing department.

  Am I dreaming this? Was it in the Revelation book or some WT article in the late 80's?

  I know this forum will not disappoint in it's response!
• 
  4

  Brother exposed, spanked, and maybe even disfellowshipped?

  by morningworship in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  maybe this is a start to combating the sex abuse epidemic?

  .

  http://www.sceneoftheworld.com/2015/12/dad-spanks-guy-for-dating-his-underage.html.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  Only in America ...
• 
  73

  Everybody loves Raymond

  by Saintbertholdt in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  a while ago the user vinman started a forum thread called: "ray franz was an idiot".

  the reaction to it was quite negative but i have to admit that the title of that thread was intriguing to me.

  by nature i am an iconoclast.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  I just recently bought a copy of CoC. I have dipped in to it at several points and have found that what Ray Franz says happened has the absolute ring of truth to it. The lack of bitterness and ranting by Ray makes his words all the more powerful.

  It has cemented my desire to remain mentally distanced from the "self-preserving at all costs" and the "self-aggrandising" of the governing body. Any good motive they have ever had has become submerged into these two cravings.

  Thank you Ray. And thank you to those who tell about him on the internet!
• 
  63

  "And Your Little Dog Too...." WTS not content with taking kids' ice cream money, now they want them to give up their puppy dogs too.

  by sir82 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  don't know if anyone else caught this subtle but malicious photo from the 12/13/15 wt study article.. not sure how to post pictures here, but the photo is on the website's copy of the article, just below paragraph 12:.

  http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20151015/give-us-more-faith/.

  note the 3 pictures in sequence tell a "story":.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  FAMILY STUDY

  Dad: (Who has either fallen out with his body of elders and wants to get the XXX away or may just have a screw loose, who knows): "OK loved ones, let's go where the need is great!"

  Wife: "Yes dear, let's get away from Brother and Sister negative who read all the old publications and keeps telling me about "failed prophecies"!"

  Daughter: "I'm home schooled anyway so yay! One long holiday!"

  Son: "But we can't take my dog with us!"

  Dad: "Don't worry son, we're going to South Korea. They really love dogs in South Korea."
• 
  27

  Missed the Meeting

  by konceptual99 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so yesterday was a lovely day where i live and so instead of going to the meeting we went, as a family, out for the late pm/early evening to have a bbq.

  we were far more relaxed than if we had gone to the meeting.

  we spent far more time talking that if we had gone to the meeting.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  freddo

  @Konceptual and @confused

  It is so much easier when you resign from being an elder. But you have to resist the urge to help your ex elders especially if there are few elders. You can feel guilty.

  Step one is to get your wife to accept you are the way you are without running to the elders. Hammer home points you think will make her give you a free pass at home. E.g. Child abuse/generation/parents getting old, sick and dying even though they truly believed they would be in paradise by now.

  Do they really want the same for their kids? Kids are paramount to most women.