Posts by Juan Viejo2

13

Looking for scans of

by jamiebowers in

jw
friends

the picture of a train falling off a cliff at 1975.... and.

isn't there a photo of russell's tombstone in one of the early publications?

if so, what book was it, and does anyone have scan of it?.

2nd video on 1919 Watchtower's Wacky Chronology

by Awakened at Gilead in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfrz4bepvye.

.

i had some time to put this together... let me know what you think... .

Excellent work - as usual AaG! I always enjoy watching your vids because they are calm, collected, researched and well-reasoned. You are definitely an asset to those of us who look to insiders and former ranking JWs to clear up some of the issues looking from the inside out.

Keep them coming!

73

Cure/Treat Cancer with Apricot seeds

by EndofMysteries in

she refused chemo and started the seeds.

if you want his phone number send us e-mail.. steve j. was going to the bathroom 4-5 times per night.

he was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a biopsy and is doing fine and will continue to do so.

Juan Viejo2

EOM,

I'm trying to make a point about all three issues.

Yes, my friend was an idiot for getting into that MLM at a time when she was very tight on money. She even knew that former MLM scammers were behind it, but she did it anyway because their marketing made it look feasible.

Yes, Acai berries may have some health benefits, but so do orange, tomato, grape, and cranberry juices. So does red wine, but at least some red wines might be worth $39 a bottle, where the MLM goofy drink surely does not. But acai berries are not the cure-all that their backers claim them to be.

I love apricots, and nectarines, and peaches, and plums. They all have wonderful taste and I'm sure they are ultimately good for health reasons. But eat enough apricot or peach pits and you can suffer the symptoms of cyanide poisoning - and I would certainly caution anyone reading your post to consider that issue. How much cyanide is too little or too much for a person? How much of any poison can you take and still not injure your body or kill yourself?

You may not be pushing an MLM, but I sincerely feel that you need to do a lot more research about this before promoting it to others. Next time you go into see your doctor, tell your doctor that you are eating apricot pits every day as a cancer cure. I'd love to be a flea on the wall so that I could hear your doctor's response.

73

Cure/Treat Cancer with Apricot seeds

by EndofMysteries in

she refused chemo and started the seeds.

if you want his phone number send us e-mail.. steve j. was going to the bathroom 4-5 times per night.

he was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a biopsy and is doing fine and will continue to do so.

Juan Viejo2

I had a very good friend get involved with acai berry juice MLM. She invested $7500 and lost most of it. The backers were the same ones who did Amway and Herbalife. Same deal. Get a lot of people under you to sell the stuff at $39 a bottle (you can get the same thing at Costco for $17). I think it is still going on - very slick advertising, weak product line - just like Amway and the others. No one but the top 100 or so ever make a dime on this bunkum.

I recently read a short article that stated that the amount acai berries that are harvested each season would only supply enough juice for about 15% of the bottles of acai juice being sold. Huh?

I wish I could find another article that stated that one unnamed brand of high dollar acai drink was actually being made with a combination of red grape and cranberry juices, not acai. Now that makes sense.

The ads for acai make all sorts of claims for healthy living and cure of various ailments. Yet most of the same ads also have extensive disclaimers written in tiny, unreadable typeface. Any time I see that, I know it's a scam.

EOM, I'm sorry, but what you have is total bunkum and a waste of good forum space. Use your common sense for once. Go on Google and read the OTHER articles about the pit cure. Go to snopes.com and check out everything you read on the Internet before passing it around.

75

I'm curious...

by JediMaster in

did anyone here claim to be of the anointed and partook of the emblems at memorial when you were still a witness???

if so, was there really a force telling you, you were special and would go to heaven?

or was it more so overjoy at how spritual you though you were?

Juan Viejo2

Not me, but when I was a teenager I had a family friend who claimed to be of the Anointed. One day we were out in service and I got up the nerve to ask him how he knew he was anointed or "special."

He told me that several years before, after he moved to a new Kingdom Hall, he realized that he was surrounded by a bunch of brothers and sisters who seemed "to lack the big picture." They went through the motions of going to meetings, out in service, etc., but there was no joy in their lives - they acted like they really hated being a JW. He said that most were going through the motions similar to government employees - hating the job, hating their co-workers, hating the public that they had to preach to - but afraid to quit for fear of having to find a real job. They lacked understanding of the fine points of being a JW, showing love for the brothers, talking about the Bible, discussing teachings and prophecy. One "Company Servant" that he went in service with made it clear that he only went because of his assigned position - he knew that he would never have a leadership position in the world - so he continued with the JWs only because he didn't want to give up that authority.

At some point, he realized that he was only one of a few that seemed to really love being a Witness, loved to talk about the Truth, loved to be in service. He was sitting at a Memorial, watching as the wine and matzo was being passed around. He noticed that most of the very few who partook were the ones that seemed to be honestly humble and loving - that lived for Witness work. He went home and prayed over what he had seen and asked God to help him understand where he fit into His Plan. One day while he was out in field service, he felt dizzy and pulled his car over to the side of the road. He was afraid he might be having a seizure or a stroke (he was in his early 50s). He grabbed the top of the steering wheel and put his head down between his arms and just rested. When he looked up, the sky was dark - like a storm was brewing. He put his head back down and rested some more, apparently dozing off for a short time. When he awoke the sky was clear, bright blue, and the weather was beautiful, there was no sign of a storm anywhere around him. It was like he fell asleep one day and woke up the next - but when he looked at his watch, less than 20 minutes had passed since he pulled over to the curb.

After that he noticed a change in his whole attitude. He didn't care about living in the New Earth any longer. All he could imagine was that he was in Heaven looking down on the Earth from thousands of miles away - but he could see individuals and hear voices - but he wasn't there. He found that he was less critical of the other brothers and sisters. Rather than being judgmental, he sought them out and felt like he needed to try to help them.

The next time the Memorial came around there was no question in his mind about partaking. He told me that is was as natural as breathing - that the wine tasted sweet and mellow (not at all like most Mogen David wines I've ever had to endure), and the cracker melted in his mouth like butter.

Later on, he walked over to one of the other brothers who had partaken of the emblems. He shook his hand and looked right into the other fellow's eyes. He was startled when the other fellow asked him, "Well, did you enjoy the emblems?" It was like the other fellow knew that he was "one of them." He said he never doubted for a moment his heavenly reward after that.

All he would say after that was that he hoped he could remain faithful, because "having a prize like that awaiting you makes you a target - like someone wearing a big diamond ring and and having to walk through a ghetto at night."

I don't know if what he told me was all BS, but at the time he seemed very credible. Later on, after the big changeover of the Governing Body in the 1970s I heard that someone who was really one of the "anointed" would never tell a non-anointed person how "the anointed know they are anointed."

Maybe someone like Kool-aid Drinker can comment on this issue.

45

The Theocratic Life and Times of Theodore Jaracz - NEW

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

the theocratic life and times of theodore jaracz .

by barbara anderson.

[we are doing a special focus on the dark side of brooklyn bethel for a couple of weeks over at freeminds.org].

Juan Viejo2

Whenever I watch "Mad Men" on cable TV, I think of the politics going on in the WT headquarters.

Although "Mad Men" is set in an advertising agency in the 1960s, during the early Kennedy presidency era, there are many similarities to the way the WT Society was run during that same time and up into the mid-1980s.

Everyone is properly dressed. The men in middle and upper management are all striving for higher office. Women are secretaries or given menial jobs - and are treated badly or simply ignored by the men.

The whole purpose of the organization is to make their clients (many of whom are crooked or in trouble with the authorities) look good, but painting rosy pictures in their advertising of vacations in paradise, appearances of happiness and wealth, achieving higher social status for the common folk.

There is a lot of drinking going on.

Some of the lower managers, writers, and artists come up with new ideas, only to see their ideas either stolen or poopooed by upper management. If they complain, they are fired or demoted.

Women are treated like cattle, and only one or two break through the barriers and into management - but they are not given public credit for their work - that always goes to their bosses.

Watch a few episodes of "Mad Men" or rent a season or two from Netflix. Clear your head and think Bethel HQ and Columbia Heights instead of advertising and Madison Avenue as you watch it. Not all matches, but there is enough to give you insight into what goes on in the offices of the GB, the Service Department, and the Writing Department.

24

PROUD KIDS' TRIBUTE TO DAD JACKO at Kingdom Hall???

by Gayle in

each of the king of pops kids will speak in turn at a jehovahs witness meeting hall where jackos mum katherine, father joe and other relatives have worshipped for more than two decades.. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/140593/proud-kids-tribute-to-dad-jacko/.

Juan Viejo2

What ever happened to the "We don't do memorials for the dead, even at their own funeral, because we don't want to exalt the individual - only Jehovah" attitude by the JW elders?

I couldn't even get a brief memorial read at my father's funeral, and he was a faithful JW for over 50 years.

I see a lot of hypocrisy on the part of the JWs and the Jackson family in having these memorials in MJ's honor. It's clearly because of his fame and his money that they are getting these waivers.

Let's face the facts. The WT and its leadership, ever since the formation of the the Watch Tower and People's Pulpit corporations, have always been just about making money and building up the strength of the organization. If making allowances for Michael Jackson, a worldly, fame-seeking, sexually confused, DF'd or DA'd former brother - who mixed and sought close friendships with Nation of Islam leaders, Jewish Rabbis, Islamic imams and shieks, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other ministers of evil Christendom - is going to be OK now - then allowances should also be made for the families of those JWs who were faithful to the end.

Something is very, very disturbing in all of this.

49

Michael Jackson---What Was Your Opinion Of Him?

by minimus in

jw
friends

a year ago, mj suddenly died.

for years, multitudes of people said michael jackson was a "sicko" a "wacko", a "child molester" and an "addict".. once he died, the man was glorified by people, the media and his family.. what did you think about michael?.....personally, i thought he was an eccentric ultra-gifted artist who was childlike and brilliant.

i was never convinced that he was a child molester but i will say i thought his behavior was "weird" with kids (and adults)..

Juan Viejo2

I strongly recommend that everyone buy a copy of the July 2010 Vanity Fair magazine and read the "The Thriller Diaries" article (or read it here: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/07/michael-jackson-thriller-201007). It has an entire article dedicated to the Thriller video and album. Unlike anything else I've ever read about Michael Jackson and the pressures that were on him during the late 70s and 80s.

What upsets me is how the JWs treated him during that time, and now they all seem to want to say that he came back to the religion in his later life and that his good works will be judged favorably by Jehovah.

What also upsets me is that he protected his children from the direct influences of his family during their lifetimes, giving them birthday parties and celebrating other holidays. He wanted them to be normal (although having them wear masks everywhere they went is not exactly what I would call "normal"). Now we read that Katherine Jackson has them going out in the door-to-door service. I hope she does not force them to make a decision about baptism until they are adults - that would be equivalent to child abuse as far as I'm concerned.

87

Official: Ted Jaracz's Funeral Brochure

by yknot in

jw
friends

i received this generous offering from 'anonymous brother'.

his comments : hmmm...why do i not see such things at most jw funerals?.

please give your 'thank you' to "anonymous brother'.

Juan Viejo2

Blondie,

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the Assistant Congregation Servant would get up during the first Service Meeting of each month and read off the KH financial report. At that time, he would also announce:

"There was an average attendance at the Watchower Study of XX. There was an average attendance of XX at the TMS and Service Meetings. There were XX publishers reporting time in service. There were XXXX number of field service hours reported. There were XX personal Bible studies reported. There were xxx magazines and xx books reported as being placed during the month. The congregation received $XXX in contributions and $XXX for literature orders. Our expenses were $XXX for utilities, $XXX for insurance, $XXX for maintenance and materials, $XXX for literature, etc. The KH deposited $XXX in reserves and sent $XXX to the Watchtower Society's general funds. Our available balance is $XXX and our reserve balance is now $XXX."

That was a pretty complete report. Everyone knew where we stood financially. If the bank account and reserves account were too low, the Congregation Servant would then come up and announce that each family should contribute more, if they could. He would also remind us that we would be covering some of the CO and DO expenses and would also have to send in certain amounts to cover the local circuit assembly funds.

He would also mention the average number of hours reported per publisher and encourage us to go out at least one more morning or evening per week to increase those hours and to make the our KH rank better. However, he would never tell us how we performed in comparison to other KHs in the circuit.

87

Official: Ted Jaracz's Funeral Brochure

by yknot in

jw
friends

i received this generous offering from 'anonymous brother'.

his comments : hmmm...why do i not see such things at most jw funerals?.

please give your 'thank you' to "anonymous brother'.

Juan Viejo2

Drew,

You were lucky to have a liberal brother do the funeral talk. When my father passed a couple of years ago, the brother (supposedly a very close friend of the family) agreed to read a ten paragraph eulogy that I wrote about my father. The first paragraph was a basic newspaper bio. Very brief - birth, death, married to, number of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Then I wrote: "That's how the local newspaper will probably describe [name]'s life of 91 years. Just statistics and a few names. But his life was far more interesting than that..."

The next ten very short paragraphs briefly described his teenaged years during the Great Depression, his brief Army service at the end of WW2 that he hated, his conversion to the JWs and his faithful service to them for over 55 years. I mentioned that he loved playing catch with his boys, how much he enjoyed his time with his grandkids, and that he spent most of his life as a mechanic, both as an occupation and as a hobby. I mentioned a couple of his favorite little quips and his self-deprecating sense of humor.

When my brother and I attended the funeral at the KH, the brother who gave the funeral talk, the very one that promised to read my brief eulogy and was supposedly close to the family did read what I wrote - BUT ONLY THE FIRST PARAGRAPH - the paragraph that was intended to show how little the newspaper would say about this man we all loved. That's all he read. He then went into his standard JW Watchtower outlined funeral speech.

I was shocked and disappointed. My brother looked at me like, "WTF was that?" It's a good thing I wasn't armed. There would have likely been blood splattered all over that stage. That guy not only lied to us, he stuck it right up our nose, probably because he knew we were both ex JWs.

After the funeral speech, one of the sisters and her husband came up to greet us. When she said, "Wasn't that a beautiful talk by Brother X?" - I said, "Maybe for you it was, but for us it was the absolute worst!" No one else came near us after that.

I was so glad to get out of the KH that day. I was physically sick over the whole thing. As it turned out, my father's newspaper bio was more extensive and better than his funeral talk.