Posts by freddo

I seem to recall a case in North-east England where 3 elders (obviously leant on and "guided" by London branch legal) tried this "confession" defence to avoid giving evidence in court (they weren't charged with a crime because UK does not have mandatory reporting) but they had to testify due to a court order summoning them to do so.

7

Baptisms and Assembly attendances

by freddo in

jw
friends

last year we had a thread posting baptisms in relation to assembly attendances.

the numbers seemed to be down.. please keep'em coming.

and describe whether you think they might be born-in (kids/teens) or adults from outside.

freddo

Any more with any more?

6

2 BOEs arrives!

by Atlantis in

2016 march 7, through march 28, answer sheet.. .

.

.. .. 2016 revised talk outlines.

freddo

The Public Talk outlines letter may seem innocuous. But it shows yet more control. Public talks are divided into a few subheadings with the number of minutes allowed for each subheading printed alongside. Typically a 45 minute talk might be:-

Title: Obedience Preserves us Alive!

Introduction: Why we obey Jehovah (5 minutes)

God will bless you if you obey him

God will kill you if you don't

Why We Are Ready to Obey Jesus (3 minutes)

Jesus loves you!

But he will destroy you at Armageddy if you slip up!

Obedience to the Faithful and Discreet slave brings blessings! (30 minutes)

The GB really love you and want you to succeed.

Give us your money

Give us your ice cream money

We want a lakeside apartment so leave us your condo in your will

The GB want you to have a happy life

But if you don't believe the Overlapping Generation or 1914 you're dead.

Be blessed and pet that Panda while eating bowls of fruit in Paradise (7 minutes)

Listen obey and be blessed

Today's trials (that we put upon you) are transitory.

Keep obeying now and for ever!

When elders first had 45 minute public talks reduced to 30 minutes they were given free rein to remove what they liked from each section and were guided to cut each section proportionately. This meant a thinking elder might have a subsection of the talk of e.g. originally 15 minutes which he would reduce to approximately 10 minutes and he could leave out what he disliked and emphasise what he liked within that section.

And no there is no talk (yet!) as I have described above!

Now, just like good old OCLAM meeting, there is less room for freedom.

22

Daily Mirror article about JWs destroying evidence

by Tornintwo in

i can't see another thread but maybe i missed it:.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jehovahs-witnesses-paedophile-sex-abuse-7278824#comments-section.

freddo

@Konceptual - you are 100% correct.

I speak as a U.K. ex elder/ex secretary and as a member of a service committee who sat and went through our congregation records in around 2000/2001 and complied with the branch direction.

EXCEPT FOR CHILD ABUSE CASES - All judicial records (envelopes and contents) were read, noted and destroyed and the basic dates and actions became a one line entry on the "specialised shepherding list". This actually benefited those on the wrong end of a J/C whose notes included how many times they rogered each other and other gory details.

CHILD ABUSE CASES - all records were sent to the branch and the basics were to be put on a congregation "Child Protection File" including whether the "authorities were involved" and who the "alleged victims were" - WHETHER THERE WAS A JUDICIAL CASE OR NOT. A one witness allegation should have been included on this file whether a J/C occurred or not.

I know this for a fact - I kept the files myself as Secretary from 2000 until my resignation in 2004.

EVERY YEAR SINCE a reminder to destroy elders notes as per the form has been sent to the BoE and the Service Committee primarily via the Secretary were to check it had been done.

ALL details of OLD AND NEW CHILD ABUSE CASES WERE to be kept and/or sent to the Branch. Not destroyed.

Looking at Australia and the ARC and their successful subpoena of so many records and elders letters/notes I believe the Branch kept them.

49

The wonderful things you hear AFTER you step down as an elder!

by redpilltwice in

well, well, that was quite a heartfelt welcome on this site four days ago.

thank you all for the encouraging replies.

one of them was this one from magnum: "hey now, don't just pop your head in and disappear.

freddo

@Toesup

And they have huge offices - like a suite really with a massive desk, sofa, big office chair. All overlooking (now) a prime New York area - and soon a luxury apartment over a remote controlled lake.

And power. Power with toadies and flunkies to do your bidding.

1st class flights around the world, staying in prime hotels, chauffeur driven and being butt-kissed by local branch heavies that want to stay in their relatively comfy and powerful positions.

36

Good news to report: Congregations merged because lack of attendance, publishers & field service

by Khaleesi in

so it's official, i am happy to report that we merged with another congregation having the same problem.

why is it good news???

because people are either waking up, fading or just not buying into this organization any longer or walking away.... i think many young ones are just not buying into it as much, i see many in the congregation i go to very depressed and some i know personally going thru major depression especially the young "sisters" in their early 20s.... .

freddo

Good news from the south Welsh borders of the U.K. here -

Sometimes they disband a cong. Sometimes they sell a hall and move a complete cong. into share with another.

Just heard that Abergavenny - south east Wales UK - has had its hall closed and they've had to bunk up (i.e. share k. hall) with Ebbw Vale 10 miles away. Lots of very unhappy bunnies there! This is fresh news to me although it may have happened in late 2015.

On the other hand also in 2015 late last year Cinderford on the Gloucestershire/south east Wales border has been disbanded and the publishers split up among nearby halls. (No KH sold in this case)

This means Lydney (now incorporating half of Cinderford) has the hall to itself. And Chepstow, ten miles down the road has a hall to itself as it lost it's sister congregation Caldicot who were moved to the Newport hall in 2014.

Chepstow is now rumoured to be on the hit-list and to be moved in to use Lydney's hall.

And of course it was reported on here that in September 2015, just over the Bristol Channel in England - Portishead and Clevedon lost their hall. Clevedon moved in its entirety to the Weston-super-Mare hall and shares with 3 other congregations. Portishead got disbanded among nearby congs.

Wonderous expansion is truly taking place!

If Britain branch reports an increase next year then I know they "lie like a carpet" in the publisher figures.

37

Stepping out of the shadows

by contramundum in

i have been lurking on the site for a few months and thought it about time i plucked up the courage to step out of the shadows and say hello.. i am in the process of fading after realizing all is not right with the organization i had trusted implicitly for over 40 years.

there have always been 'truths' i have struggled to accept entirely, even as a child, but was confident that trusting in jehovah, building my faith and remaining patient would be enough to settle any nagging doubts that remained, so i pushed any inconsistencies to the back of my mind and concentrated on being the best witness that i could be.. over the last few years, however, i have been preoccupied with a number of crises in my family and stepping back slightly from 'theocratic' activity has allowed me to re evaluate a number of concerns and research sources other than the sanitized wt publications.. my eyes are now wide open - i found things which have appalled me and left me feeling extremely let down and disappointed by people i had really trusted.. i tried gently raising a few subjects with my mum (who was baptized early '70s and still remains a staunch wt supporter) but she will hear no criticism of the organization.

i understand this because the best part of her life has been invested in the religion and to acknowledge it may have got things wrong would be to recognize the last 40 years have been a vain waste.

freddo

@Hi contra ... and welcome.

Keep on keeping it positive, light and fluffy.

A little story. A few months ago I just decided I didn't want to go to the meeting so I just said to my wife "Bit of a sore throat I'll have one off."

Wife: "You going to listen on the phonelink?" (She knows I never do.)

Freddo: (Laughing) "No, I'm gonna watch the telly (TV) and sit by the fire."

Wife goes to meeting.

Next day is a lovely autumn day and I decide to get up early and get some work done in the garden. I'm just getting some work gear out of my car and up drives our Service Overseer from doing early morning trolley work with a young MS sat alongside.

S.O. winds down the window, grins at me and calls out "you don't look very unwell to me" (meaning I hadn't been at the meeting).

Freddo: "Why did you think I was unwell?"

S.O. "XXXX (my wife) said you weren't feeling too good."

Freddo: (Looking puzzled) "No ... I just wanted one off so I watched the telly, had a whisky and went to bed about ten o'clock so I could start work on the garden early as it's such a glorious day."

S.O. and MS (Fixed grins and not knowing what to say.)

Freddo: "Anyway, I'd better get to it - my jobs won't do themselves! Have a good one. 'Bye."

Don't explain yourself. Ever.

46

exJW Billboard is up.

by cappytan in

jw
friends

waiting on higher resolution photos from wifibandit.. but here is the (redacted) notification from the company.

apparently they take photos with a potato.. (the billboard directs folks to http://jwawake.com ).

freddo

"were" was correct.