freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  9

  One of the Most Obscene Phrases in Any Language; the Judicial Committee

  by TMS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a tribunal of religious, if not spiritual, men, whose decision can alter lives, disrupt, no, destroy, families, ruin young lives, create angst, pain, depression, hopelessness, sorrow, despair can be the job for three typically unqualified men known in jw land as the judicial committee.. my first judicial experience as a kid of 18 serving on the jc involved disfellowshipping an elderly sister for apostacy when she would not promise to quit frequenting a neighborhood christian science reading room for personal study.

  my second big case involved a baptized 12 year old who allegedly stole a hot wheel from k-mart.

  he admitted to nothing, answering every question with "i dunno" and was put on probation, the 60's equivalent of reproof.. in subsequent years, i "served" on committees judging accused adulterers, fornicators, thieves, gamblers, non-providers, taking up boxing, slanderers and yes, apostates, sitting also on so-called appeal committees as well.

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  freddo

  I can fully vouch for TMS's description of the "arrangement" prior to 1971.

  In a congregation the only "elder" (presbyter) was the Congregation Servant. The Assistant Congregation Servant was termed an "assistant ministerial servant" (diakanos) - as was the Bible Study Servant. These were the service committee.

  Also the Watchtower Overseer and School Overseer were "assistant ministerial servants" but unless there was illness or someone being away for a long time or it was a close relative being dealt with then the three brothers described by TMS always did every judicial committee.

  You need a hard copy of Qualified to be Ministers (1967 was the last copy I think) to check I have this right.

  I was just a kid but even in our hall at the time where we had several baptised men our Bible Study Servant (forerunner of service overseer) in 1970 was a keen pioneer of only about 20 and so would have been on the judicial committee.
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  22

  Disfellowshipping Question

  by Elizabeth Thompson in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been a baptized witness for about 30 years.

  from the time i was a kid.

  i've been the only one in my family who is baptized until 15 years later when my mother got baptized.

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  freddo

  Time is on your side Elizabeth. Take your time and think things through over many months.

  Resist the urge to tell/confess. That urge is your decency and honesty being twisted by the self serving interests of the Watchtower self appointed mediators.
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  49

  WTBTS: Do Not Mark Donations For Relief Efforts - Mark World Wide Work

  by Honesty in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i have just talked with the wtbts service department at 718-560-5000.. you can contribute for hurricane katrina relief efforts through your local kingdom hall and put your donation in the contribution box marked for the world wide work.

  you may also send donations directly to the branch office... to the brooklyn address.

  donations should be marked for the world wide work and not specificically reserved for relief efforts.

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  freddo

  And $4,000 a day is being paid to a U.S. court to ensure unredacted documents about who was involved in a pedophile case don't get shown ...
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  24

  Elder who taught at private school for JWs accused of abuse

  by Robo Bobo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.presstelegram.com/article/lb/20160630/news/160639983.

  note: southwestern longview was a private school that catered to witness children.

  buena park – a south carolina man who worked as a teacher at a private school in long beach a decade ago has been arrested by buena park police officers on suspicion of the “continuous sexual abuse of a child” who was a student of his, authorities said today.. jason gorski of fort mill, 43, was arrested on june 21, said buena park police sgt.

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  freddo

  Quite right K99!

  And spot on Mr. Flipper - that sort of concise and accurate explanation is what keeps me in my resolve to eventually not "just go along for family" and to fade.
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  29

  Calling All Who Were JWs Between 1967 and 1980

  by -Crossroads- in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello jwn,.

  to introduce myself, i am still in the jws but learned ttatt some months ago.

  i now ask this question to get more info on a past teaching.. between 1967 and 1980 was when the 'current understanding' of the wts was that organ transplants were cannibalism, and thus abhorrent.

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  freddo

  @crossroads

  Good 'ere innit?

  
  
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  29

  Calling All Who Were JWs Between 1967 and 1980

  by -Crossroads- in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello jwn,.

  to introduce myself, i am still in the jws but learned ttatt some months ago.

  i now ask this question to get more info on a past teaching.. between 1967 and 1980 was when the 'current understanding' of the wts was that organ transplants were cannibalism, and thus abhorrent.

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  freddo

  I was going to meetings as a kid during the 60's and baptised in the 70's - UK.

  In 1967 there was the world's first heart transplant (Christiaan Barnard South Africa) which brought into focus the witness view. But of course kidney transplants were becoming more common too.

  As mentioned above it was generally viewed as cannibalism and linked to blood transfusion (as in back then you would "obviously" need a blood transfusion if you had a major organ transplant) and QFR in 1967 was weighted heavily against it as were small references between then and the QFR of 1980. I cannot say if it would have been a DF offence as I was a baptised teen with no appointment in 1980. (I always thought it was but can find nothing in the WT CD library.)

  But my understanding was that it was definitely "wrong" because the articles were disapproving but I can go no further than that in what if any the sanctions might have been.

  The way it was "fed" to me by elders at the time was that it was a "no-no".
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  28

  Breaking news: Subcontracted logistics in US and Canada, more layoffs coming...

  by sp74bb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  more changes in us and canada operations.. new "arrangements" in jw.org to get more benefits and less costs.

  logistics in canada and the united states will be managed by a new arrangement.. confidential: a famous supermarket and logistics company will take care of sending literature, keep an eye not getting your wt supplies together with a butter cream pot.. read well: wal **** logistics .... more layoffs.... headquarters in canada of this famous company only at 37 km away from watchtower canada..

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  freddo

  @orphan crow

  How long before each cart will have its own built in printer and supply of paper? (funded by the congregation or circuit of course )
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  43

  At a regional convention today....

  by Nobodyspecial in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it really stands out to me just how phoney the bonds of forced brotherhood are.

  the smiles are paper thin when they see each other in hotels.

  the laughs forced.

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  freddo

  Quite true, nobody special.

  We even had one of those animated cartoons as one of the reminders for the convention showing a little old sister on a "zimmer" (walking) frame being knocked over by a stampede of "seat getters."

  Everyone laughed at the kingdom hall. Not realising how pathetic we must be to need such a reminder!

  Obviously even that childish reminder was not enough and so the elderly have to be let in first.
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  8

  Lurking JWs, if you're to love Jesus more than family, does it make sense to withhold family to coerce persons to return to Jesus?

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jesus said that his true disciples would love him more than family.

  (matthew 10:37) therefore, ex-jws worthy of reinstatement should be returning because they love jesus more than family - not because of wanting to restore family association.

  if they truly love jesus more than family they would still return despite their family continuing to communicate with them, because they will value their relationship with jesus as a prize to be attained above and beyond their relationship with their family.

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  freddo

  @mrquik

  Got scripture references for your post please?
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  43

  At a regional convention today....

  by Nobodyspecial in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it really stands out to me just how phoney the bonds of forced brotherhood are.

  the smiles are paper thin when they see each other in hotels.

  the laughs forced.

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  freddo

  Welcome and Hi! nobody special - I understand completely. When I was an elder I hated the power trips some of my fellow elders went on.

  How many baptised at your convention and what was the attendance? We get great satisfaction seeing the massive increases. (sarcasm)

  We've seen a marked drop in baptisms to assembly attendance ratio since late 2014 and wonder if it is worldwide or just North America and Europe.