Posts by Juan Viejo2

11

Last Letter to The Congregation Committee

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

last letter to the congregation committee.

today i uploaded a new article to my blog addressing a bit of watchtower history.

it shows the last letter sent to the congregation committee of congregations with instruction on how to go about forming their replacement congregational governing structure.

Juan Viejo2

WillyLoman - I'm from California too! You have a PM...

243

Victoria, Australia: Steven Unthank's Press Release: JW's Hierarchy Formally Charged Today With Child Abuse

by AndersonsInfo in

jehovah's witnesses hierarchy charged.

immediate press release: 26 july 2011. link to this press release: http://wp.me/p1g1hc-4o.

worldwide church hierarchy charged with child abuse.

I think it is very interesting that the Watchtower tries to appear different from all other religions, but then tries to appear as either a congregational religion (run by the members locally), and/or an ecclesiastical organization (run by a heirarchy from the top down). For most of their history they have pointed to the clergy of the Roman and Orthodox Catholic churches as being organizations of Satan, and yet they too run their peculiar brand of "theocracy" in very much the same manner. One such "sub-group" (which essentially covers everyone above the local elders) is the so-called "Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses."

From Wikipedia:

"Among their corporations, the Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses cares for matters specific to Jehovah's Witnesses special full-time servants. In a particular branch, traveling overseers, special pioneers, and branch staff are considered members of the Order of Special Full-time Servants and the Bethel Family; [ 5 ] globally, their order is the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah’s Witnesses. [ 6 ] Male and female members of such religious orders typically make a formal vow of poverty and are granted certain status and exemptions by many governments. While Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider members of their religious orders to be clergy, they recognize that a government may consider them such for administrative purposes."

Whenever the Watchtower gets into a bind, they always find a way to point away from WT headquarters. They will try to claim exemptions from local laws because they say they are a "religious order."

Give me a break.

I imagine that the New York HQ staff, should the Victoria state prosecutors actually take this case to court, will simply point at the local Australian branch as being at fault. A few local branch officers will take the heat and may have to fall on their own swords. Eventually the WT will comply - they'll have to - but will describe their travails in court as "persecution by Satan's agents."

The reality is that Victoria's laws make common sense and are designed to protect youthful and vulnerable young JWs and the public at large. This should simply be considered an obligation to Caesar. The Watchtower Society should welcome the opportunity to comply with this law to show the Australian public that they are "law abiding citizens," not law breakers who want to protect molestors and other criminals.

JV

243

Victoria, Australia: Steven Unthank's Press Release: JW's Hierarchy Formally Charged Today With Child Abuse

by AndersonsInfo in

jehovah's witnesses hierarchy charged.

immediate press release: 26 july 2011. link to this press release: http://wp.me/p1g1hc-4o.

worldwide church hierarchy charged with child abuse.

Juan Viejo2

Sweeney - Good point!

Although Barbara Anderson is as credible as any individual I've ever known, she is just the messenger in this case. I too noticed the "$144,000 in fines" and the fact that the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" (who are not faithful, discreet or "slaves") is also named as a "defendant." And while the State of Victoria is a very populous state, it would be equivalent to New York state in the USA. While populous, significant, and influential - it is not the government of Australia.

So my questions are:

If this is a federal law, why is it not being pursued in Au Federal Courts?

If this is a criminal indictment, why does an individual have to initiate the filing of charges?

So...I'm a little confused. But I hope that is just due to my ignorance of Australian federal and state laws.

I can only hope that the word gets out and that the Watchtower and its Governing Body get more than just a black eye over this, but that this case also exposes them for what they really are. I hope it is not us who are having our proverbial "legs being pulled."

JV

66

Youngest person disfellowshipped -- ever?

by FatFreek 2005 in

well?.

Juan Viejo2

FatFreek - "You have mail" (PM)

JV

11

Freedom From the Borg!!!

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

how does it feel to be free from the watchtower?

while you were in did you realize you were enslaved and/or mind-controlled?

now that you are out and looking back, what are your thoughts about the mind control you were under when you were in?.

Juan Viejo2

What? No audio on your preview for the 7/9 program? All the others are working fine...

JV

54

Growing up a Jehovah's Witness - New Video

by jwfacts in

i have put together a video - growing up a jehovah's witness 1960 -2010. it aims to show the things a witnesses would be taught as they age over those decades.

it is 15 minutes long.

this is my first attempt at a video and it took a while to work out how to use final cut, so please feel free to make suggestions if anything should be changed.

Juan Viejo2

jwfacts - Great piece of work! I especially liked the way that you did the end credits and your handling of the (c) and CC notices at the end. Very nicely done.

Lance's mid-American accent blended well, but also balanced nicely against your more Commonwealth voice over.

I intend to post it on one of my websites and take full credit for it. In the meantime I am working on developing an Aussie accent so that I can be credible voiceover pronouncer like you.

"Credits? I don't need no stinkin' credits!"

Seriously, I will be highlighting both your videos and your website in one of my future articles. And you can be assured you will get full credit for your fine work.

In the meantime, JWfacts please watch for a PM.

JV

52

Maximum Damage to the WT.

by Essan in

i have to hand it to the society.

they understand the power of organization.

they demonstrate that no matter how ridiculous your message and how much the facts don't support your position you can still accomplish a lot if you are organized.

Juan Viejo2

dgp,

I think your fears are misplaced. New people are stepping up and speaking out every day. Every so often we will lose some of our outspoken friends due to health, lack of funds, disinterest, and other natural causes. But just go to YouTube and type in "Jehovah's Witnesses" and you will find scores of new videos - everything from well-made ten-minute documentaries to satirical, but painfully true, cartoons. There are testimonies and demonstrations, along with announcements of new books or new podcasts practically every week.

This movement is not in danger of dying. There are dozens of nominally active JWs, faders, recently DA'd and DF'd elders and others connected to the JW religion that make themselves known here and on other forums every week. They are here where they want to be, while still showing up at a KH to keep the rest of their lives functional.

I'd like to see the day (I pray I live that long) where the practice of "shunning" begins to work against itself. If the power of "conversion" ever shifts to those who have left the religion and away from the brainwashed cult followers, then maybe a faster decline of the WT will become apparent. In other words, when "active JWs" realize that THEY will lose their friends and family members IF THEY STAY IN THE CULT, maybe they will finally wake up and come out SO THEY DON'T SELF-DESTRUCT AND LOSE EVERYONE THEY LOVE.

As editor of Ex-JW.com, I get emails and contact form responses every week from those trapped inside the WT cult looking for a way out. Thank goodness there are so many wonderful volunteers that run Meetups and support groups all over the US and Canada that hold out their arms in welcome. I've referred dozens of brothers and sisters to these good folks for help and consolation.

My own connection with the Menlo Park Kingdom Hall scandal has put me in touch with so many wonderful and supportive (but still "active") JWs that admit that they finally see the damage that the WT leadership has done to once tightly knit congregations. They know we are out here and most now know how to contact us. Forums like this one, created and managed by Simon, Moxie, and many others, have really made a difference and active JWs are reading them every day. The "conscious class" among JWs is a reality.

I once told my wife that if I could educate just one "active" JW enough to convince them to leave, I would feel that all of my efforts were successful. Maybe my involvement hasn't been the only thing to get some folks to leave, but perhaps in concert with efforts by Barbara, Silent Lambs, Randy, MadSweeney, Richard Rawe, and even Kool-Aid Man, my efforts may have helped a few sincere ones leave the Borg. May those efforts continue to pay off.

We can't stop this movement. Even if some of us leave or take a break, it will continue to grow and more JWs will find us and leave the JW cult forever.

JV

52

Maximum Damage to the WT.

by Essan in

i have to hand it to the society.

they understand the power of organization.

they demonstrate that no matter how ridiculous your message and how much the facts don't support your position you can still accomplish a lot if you are organized.

Juan Viejo2

Something is in the works that might be a step in the direction that this thread treds...

We'll see.

JV

140

The effect we are having on the Watchtower is HUGE

by jwfacts in

i was inspired by a recent thread i know i aint gunna crumble the wt, but a girl can dream to look at the effect we as individuals are having on the watchtower society.. 3dogs1husband quoted a story to show that even helping only one person is worth it.. it is encouraging to note that the one person you may have helped has lead to millions being helped, due to the power of compounding growth.. compounding growth is well illustrated by the rice on a chessboard problem.

if you start with 1 grain of rice on square one, and double it to 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, by the last (64th) square there would be 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains of rice.. likewise, if you help one person out of the grip of the watchtower this year, then next year you help one more and they help one, in a few years that is going to have a formidable result on the number of jehovahs witnesses.

look at the following statistics.

Juan Viejo2

Sweeney, Facts, and BOC,

As we move further into the 21st century, and the Internet becomes as much a part of everyones lives as TV and radio were in the late 1900s, the Watchtower will find itself forced into a corner and will have to change tactics.

Someone knocks on your door. Quick howdy-do and gives you a magazine. Who are these people? you ask. Let's look them up on the Internet. Let's Google them. Oops, what this? Freeminds - JWfacts - Watchtower Documents - JWN - Ex-JW.com? Oh my! Even Wikipedia! Obviously they're a cult, made bad predictions, covered up child abuse, treat women as second-class citizens, shun dissenters, break up families, etc., etc., etc.

No way would you want to join or even be a part of such a religion. Might as well join a Bible-thumping Baptist church. At least they let their kids celebrate their birthdays and play Little League baseball. And if you leave the church, you won't lose your family.

And if you're already in the religion, who's going to see you check out a site like JWN once in a while? Won't you want to find out what the latest scandal is or what the most recent version of the Elder's handbook has to say? You'd find that in about 5 minutes on the Web.

Let's face it. Every home will have a computer or iPad or something similar. Their new TVs will have Internet access so that they can get streaming movies. People are curious and will look to see what the latest "gossip" might be. As the over 50s JWs die off (or get DF'd) they will be replaced by a more informed group of people in an out of the WT who will finally have the knowledge that leads to "living a real life" unencumbered by the WT cult.

JV

18

What does REAL LOVE mean to YOU?

by nicolaou in

.

i'm not after heavy debate, i just want to hear some nice stories for a change.

lift me up, make me feel better, tell me about the time you really felt love.. .

Juan Viejo2

Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers - oh, and you guys, of course!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XDZjLAV66A

JV