freddo

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Posts by freddo

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  144

  2.16.2017 NJ Star-Ledger Ad: "Were you sexually abused by the Jehovahs Witnesses?"

  by breakfast of champions in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  my wife found this 1/4 page ad on page 2 of yesterday's nj star-ledger, probably the biggest newspaper in nj.

  pretty telling.. .

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  freddo

  Is Richard Oliver a sock-puppet for Fisherman? Or vice versa?

  Anyway - the law firms think it is worth a punt don't they?
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  48

  Are baptized Witnesses that are no longer in the "truth", but were NEVER DF'D, now to be shunned and treated like disfellowshipped ones?

  by Dunedain in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a relative of mine was telling me, that in his, and a few neighboring congregations, there is a little confusion amongst some of the jw's about this "issue".

  some families are having a hard time about whether certain relatives will be attending certain family functions, because some family members that are no longer in the "truth", might be invited to these functions.

  mind you, these persons were never disfellowshipped.

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  freddo

  Cobweb has it accurately - this was at last summers regional convention. The WT ref they use is not new it goes back to 1985 - WT 1985 Page 19 para 14. It was all wrapped up in "loyalty" so that those that know how the org works and want to slavishly follow its harsher guidelines can do so.

  DATADOG also has it accurately too - the website says otherwise.

  This is because the borg wish to present themselves as whitewashed graves to the casual reader but inside they are full of rotten bones.
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  19

  Hospice and JW

  by Terry Clees in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i am a bereavement coordinator with a hospice company.

  i have noticed that most often jw patients decline chaplain care and also the family ends up declining bereavement care.

  where i work our chaplains do not proselytize at all...they merely walk with the patient in their faith at the end of life.

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  freddo

  Hi Terry,

  Thanks for asking; I appreciate it when folk look for feedback and I wish you well in your work - to me it shows wisdom and compassion to ask how you can be of service.

  It is probably fair to say that you have landed on a forum which is largely anti jw and if any of us were unfortunate enough to need your services (if you see what I mean) we would probably be grateful for your interest at what would be a very scary or even terrifying time.

  Devout jw's will be just as scared as anyone else knowing they are to die soon - often though they will have elders and congregation members who will visit regularly - they likely will not want your services for the reasons highlighted by several posters already.

  Other jw's will be lonely - maybe their family are not jw's or are even disfellowshipped jw's and they would love some companionship but might be fearful of engaging with anyone who identified as a clergyman by the way they dress.

  It truly is a minefield and I would simply suggest offer a warm smile, ask if there is anything you can provide or if they would like you having a chat with them and not feel rebuffed when they refuse.

  Thanks for posting.
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  49

  Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

  by Spoletta in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

  she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

  anyone else pick up on this?

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  freddo

  And of course amalgamating congregations so there are enough "qualified men" to go round.

  A little story from a circuit near where I live.

  Four congregations near each other (1,2,3,4) with the perfect storm of low attendances (>50) in two of them (2 and 4); two kingdom halls with one of them being old, costly but valuable in £££ terms ( - like £500K plus - valuable) and aging bodies of elders in the two low attendance halls and also in Cong 3 which had more publishers but only 5 elders of which 4 are between 65 and 80.

  What did they do in 2015/2016?

  Cong 1 and 2 have their hall sold. Cong 1 is shifted 8 miles down the road to the next town in its entirety and put in with 3 other congs and that hall is refurbed. Cong 2 is disbanded with publishers being spread to 3 congregations including boosting Cong 4 with 30 extra publishers and 3 extra elders.

  Congs 3 and 4 have their hall refurbished at a cost of about 50K (bear in mind that the org have sold a hall for 500K!) and the org is now eyeing up another cong. with a dilapidated valuable hall (this time the thick end of £1 million) to chuck in with them.

  5 Bethelites (2 elders and wives plus a single MS) have been booted out and they have landed in cong 3.

  So we have about £1.5 million for the London Branch coffers, 5 available elders and a couple of pioneer wives to put into the congregations that are struggling , a pair of halls with a lick of paint and new carpet that couldn't have cost more than £100K the pair.

  No need for sisters to break out the doilies just yet!
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  161

  ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

  by Richard Oliver in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

  i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

  it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

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  freddo

  Hi Richard,

  My opinion is that the most important number is the ZERO cases reported. To my mind God's sole channel should have always been leading the field in its way of protecting children and dealing with abusers and that includes ensuring they are reported to the proper authorities.

  ZERO means that the organisation is institutional in not reporting and I believe that up until this commission started to reveal their way of dealing with these cases they not only didn't report but they suppressed those who wished to with coercion, guilt-tripping and even threats of disfellowshipping.

  I believe their prime response to an accusation of child abuse has been the preserving of their authority/image and the preserving of their money above all other considerations.
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  63

  Life is changing for me: no pioneering, got a job!

  by Skepsis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a month ago i decided to register in this board.

  i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.

  i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.

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  freddo

  @Awakened now

  In answer to your question as to whether I regularly attend. About one meeting in three. My family know how I feel and various ones react in different ways. I am completely mentally free and they know it.
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  40

  Wife is Awake

  by freemindfade in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  following the news of stuckinarut2, over the past few months my wife has completely mentally woken up.

  i've been meaning to post but haven't had the time.

  i saw stuckins post and i figured i'd add my news too.

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  freddo

  Congratulations! Please remind us of the points that mattered to her.
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  12

  One Big Family... Except For When You Need Them

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  when i was in, we all used to claim us jw's were "one big family" all around the world, and how we're the happiest people on the earth.

  except that isnt true is it?

  i knew that when i was in, but i've just had some news which shows me how unloving, uncaring and un-family like they really are.. my ex-best friend (he has to shun me doesn't he?

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  freddo

  Look, these are young people who are obviously relatively healthy and are living in the UK. It's not hard to get basic work in the UK. As Judge Judy would say - "get a job".

  Warehouse work, supermarket work even at basic wages will pay £6.50 or £7.50 per hour.If they both knuckle down, get 35 hour jobs that is the better pert of £500 p.w.

  They're just used to being useless. Next step is to set up his own window washing business part time at the weekends - then he'll turn over £20 per hour easily. Then get some education.

  PE. If you want to help them put these suggestions to them in a letter and enclose a cheque for say £50.00 or a £20 note and say you would like to help more but of course you have your own bills to pay.

  Jeez this is some England where two healthy young adults sit on their asses and think that the creator of the universe will look after them if they stand next to a trolley 70 hrs a month.
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  61

  Is this a normal JW practice? Warning, this will be a bit graphic.

  by Sequoia in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this post may be disturbing and i apologize, but i'm just trying to find out if this is a practice the jw teaches.

  i was taken advantage of by a guy claiming to be a jw preacher.

  he took me to his house supposedly so i could give his daughter piano lessons, and then he basically forced himself on me while telling me he was in love with me and wanted to marry me.

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  freddo

  Absolutely press charges.
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  58

  baptised nearly 51 years

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  been reading this site for awhile now.

  i have had a long and often tragic life as a jw.

  my story is so long because i'm pretty old :) i feel sad i've been locked in fear and guilt for my entire life.

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  freddo

  A big welcome to you Phoebe.

  It's funny how all of us can relate whether we are in North America or Europe or Australia/NZ.

  It goes to show the problems are not just in our own corner of the globe but that they are institutional.

  Not wishing to make you feel uncomfortable but are you sure your older brother is not a risk to other children? I'm not asking you to comment openly on this unless you want to but it will be worth your reflection.