freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  37

  Just curious - is apostasy grounds for divorce?

  by LifesNotOver in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know only adultery is supposed to be grounds for "scriptural" divorce.

  i'm a wicked apostate in their eyes, but my believing husband and i still can't get a divorce that would allow him to remarry.

  we currently are separated - i have left him.

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  freddo

  I was on a committee where the wife came forward and admitted adultery and told us she needed to be disfellowshipped! It was surreal - we were saying no, no, think about your relationship with Jehovah (I know, I know ...) but she insisted she was not repentant as she couldn't stand being with her insensitive bullying husband. I even suggested I had never heard of her having a "male friend" - or her adult children who were witnesses had never seen one with her either. But she insisted it was true.

  So we DF'd her and he got his "scriptural" divorce.

  I always liked her (no, not in that way) and volunteered to do those occasional follow up visits every year or so and about three years later (ex hubby had remarried) I visited her with another brother and asked her about whether she wanted to "work towards reinstatement".

  She said "Freddo, I don't suppose it matters now that (her ex) has remarried but I never committed adultery, I just wanted to be free of him and to be honest I'm glad I'm not a Witness anymore!"

  
  
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  6

  Salvation Army Apology Video Regards to ARC

  by LevelThePlayingField in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  if only the gb did this!

  notice how in this 2 minute video he says that he says he "accepts that abuse has happened" and offers an "unreserved apology" and "will not defend this failure on our part".

  he said he is personally available to meet with survivors and to offer a personal apology.

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  freddo

  There you go whacko Jacko! That's how a true Christian responds ...
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  39

  Front cover of the 2017 Watchtower - unbelievable!

  by freddo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  study edition.

  january 2017.

  (can someone put up a link please?).

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  freddo

  blondie: the footwear is not suitable - they are not walking on highways, pavements or even smooth ground. Snow or no snow.

  If you walk on stones and rocks like that you need hiking boots with ankle support and good tread. A turned ankle can ruin the whole expedition as a limping person is tended to. (As opposed to getting out of an SUV and walking 50 yards to make a photo opportunity)

  I've walked and scrambled in similar terrain enough times and in groups with women. No woman in real life wears that gear in those conditions - except in the narrow minds of cult leaders who decide what should be worn and by which gender.

  It is the subliminal message of "if they can wear skirts in these conditions then so can you sister" that I am more derisory of. It indicates the borg mentality is not changing and they will suffer even worse recruitment levels than they would have.
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  39

  Front cover of the 2017 Watchtower - unbelievable!

  by freddo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  study edition.

  january 2017.

  (can someone put up a link please?).

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  freddo

  @blondie

  I didn't. Pixel did!

  Also if you are walking in that terrain you will get mud on the lower portions of your clothing; its like Jesus and the apostles depicted in JW publications - white robes seem to be the result of washing powder being within ten paces rather than in the reality of the dusty and muddy environs of the sea of Galilee!
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  39

  Front cover of the 2017 Watchtower - unbelievable!

  by freddo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  study edition.

  january 2017.

  (can someone put up a link please?).

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  freddo

  Study edition. January 2017. (Can someone put up a link please?)

  So there depicted are a group of younger dubs out witnessing in remote Chile following a river in the Andes mountains. Just look at what the women are wearing. Skirts!

  They're out hiking with backpacks on the ministry and they're wearing freakin' skirts.

  Who in their right mind expects women to wear skirts in such circumstances? If you ever thought the GB and its band of crusty helpers were going to move into the latter part of the 20th century, let alone the 21st without being forced to by the desire for money or self preservation then this surely illustrates the point.

  Edited to add: And the brother is wearing a tie! Jeeez.

  
  
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  17

  Can't think how they will respond

  by Giles Gray in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've been chatting to the jws the past couple of weeks.the last time they called they showed me a video about a scientist who claimed that she had once been an atheist, but after studying with the jws she had changed her mind and now believed in an intelligent creator.

  what had convinced her was the process that activates the functioning of the lungs just after a baby has been born.after we had watched the video, the jws said that there are many people who believe that creation indicates an intelligent designer.in reply i asked them what they thought about the 'unintelligent' aspects of creation and i went into a few examples.at first they tried to write things off to imperfection due to adamic sin, but as the conversation went on they slowly realised that arguing 'imperfection' wasn't an adequate explanation for the points i was making.to cut a long story short, i ended up sending them a video via email where professor dawkins comments on an autopsy that highlights the impracticality of the laryngeal nerve in giraffes.i also sent them evidence of vestigial limbs in whales and a short article about biological atavism.in addition, i sent them an article that coincidentally was on the bbc news a few days ago about a boy in india who had a 7 inch vestigial tail removed.

  here is the article i sent them:-http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3823461/the-teenager-7-inch-tail-18-year-old-finally-growth-removed-painful-sit-sleep.htmli'm really looking forward to seeing what they will come back with.

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  freddo

  I predict they will not return.

  You might get an email with some canned response and then when you blow that out of the water you'll get - at most - a "we'll have to agree to differ and goodbye" reply.
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  15

  WOW - 18 Elders in ONE congregation!!!

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hazel grove congregation in stockport, cheshire, u.k.. not only is the congregation saturated with elders, it is/was pretty well saturated with cash - according to its 2014 financial statement to the charities commission.

  http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/accounts/ends82/0001066282_ac_20140331_e_c.pdf.

  its elders are listed as frank broadhurst, nick ashton, nigel bailey, noel crossley, peter davies.

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  freddo

  The Widdecombe congregation in Devon has amalgamated with the Trumpton congregation of Camberwick Green. Their elders are,

  Pugh, Pugh, Barney Mc Grew, Cuthbert, Dibble, Grubb, Flack, Windy Miller, Murphy, Hazel, Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davey, Daniel Widden, Harry Hawke and Tom Cobleigh. Oh and Tom Pierce.

  That's 18 elders. They are unique in that seven of them are firemen! (Google "Trumpton firemen" if you don't believe me.) One is a miller, one is a baker one is a postman and the remainder (the ex-Widdecombe lot) were done for cruelty to animals (Google Widecombe Fair Song) except for Tom Pierce who went to the police about it.

  True story that.
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  28

  Chinese Communist Party to commence nationwide crackdown on Christianity including Jehovah's Witnesses

  by jwleaks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  8 october 2016. china's governing communist party is set to launch a nationwide crackdown on the christian church.. by matthew carney - abc.

  the communist party has just enacted much tougher laws that criminalise christians if they do not pledge loyalty to the state.. chinese president xi jinping has warned that all religions now have to become "chinese" and the new laws will attempt to bring churchgoers and their leaders under party control.. the new laws will put the state firmly in charge, giving the communist party the ability to hire and fire church leaders and change religious doctrine to make it more chinese.... that means churchgoers will have to pledge loyalty to the communist party first.. there is good reason to be afraid.

  chinese authorities have already started the crackdown in the christian heartland in the southern province of zhejiang.. it's been extensive and brutal.

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  freddo

  Where does Hong Kong fit in to all of this? Being nominally "autonomous" and being China's link with the west and all.
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  40

  Spain: A group of elder requires clarification to Ministry of Justice regarding sexual molestors

  by sp74bb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  letter sent today to the ministry of justice... .

  spain bethel sent a letter recently last oct 3 interpreting that no elder or sm should request a certificate of sexual offenses as other churches or persons in contact with kids.

  again jw.org interprets the law to their behalf.. a group of elders in madrid has sent this letter to ask clarification !!.

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  freddo

  Gotta love the Spanish!

  If the Spanish (and Spanish speaking countries') JW's start rebelling then their whole ex Catholic power base is vulnerable!

  Mexico, Central and South America, Phillippines, Spanish congregations in the USA ...

  Bring it on!
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  44

  The Great October 2016 Invite to the Sunday Meeting campaign ...

  by freddo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well how's it going round your way?

  massive increase of interested ones?

  did you even know it was supposed to be happening?

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  freddo

  @saename

  They do care. But not enough because they are frightened of you (us) and what you (we) represent.

  They think they are strong but if they let anyone who knows the ttatt behind their facade they are scared and frightened and terrified.