Posts by Juan Viejo2

62

On A Scale Of 1 to 10 How Much Knowledge Does A Jehovah's Witness Have About Their Religion?

by minimus in

jw
friends

years (many decades) ago, most jws knew what their religion taught.

they could go toe to toe with a minister or priest and make some good points.. i believe today's witness knows little about most of the convoluted teachings and revisions of the "truth".

yesteryear's witnesses got a 9/10.

Juan Viejo2

The simplistic 3rd grade reading level of most of their magazines and books does nothing to educate the rank & file great crowd of JWs.

Everything has been dumbed down since the late '70s when books like Insight to the Scriptures and Commentary on the Book of James were published. The new "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" book is nearly unreadable, which I did in about 15 minutes. Good thing I was on sitting on the crapper when I was reading it. It's a gagfest for sure.

There is no encouragement for the R&F to really study the Bible or even the WT books. Why? They can't really think about what they are reading. They can't ask questions without raising suspicion about their motives. During field service, they won't stand at a door and take on an argumentive householder like I was trained to do - even as a 12-year old publisher. Except for the two dozen or so verses they've memorized during TMS, they can rarely look up any scripture that doesn't have a bookmark already in place. The skills and art of debate are undeveloped talents for modern JWs.

What I see now when JWs want to respond to an Internet discussion or want to make a comment on an ex-JW website is this:

They've opened up their Watchtower CD, looked up a word or phrase that appears in the post or article, and then copy and paste the Watchtower quote directly into the answer or comment box. 80% of the time their "comment" isn't even on subject. If you respond back and ask them to clarify the points they've tried to make, you'll get some statement like "Satan has blinded you!" or "You won't understand until you unblock Jehovah from your heart."

I'm sorry. The few JWs that I've come in contact with in recent years - even among the older adults who seem to have been long-time members - don't seem to have the skill or the desire to get into any meaningful discussion. They just want YOU to listen to them with YOUR ears open and YOUR mouth shut, but not to engage in any kind of meaningful dialogue. To them, "dialogue" is "monologue," with them talking and you listening (or reading).

JV

23

Identifying God and true religion

by Terry in

there is no doctrine required for kindness.. you can't get it "wrong".

there is no judgement.. there is nothing to memorize when putting your hand out to a suffering person.

the human touch on a fevered brow and the comforting squeeze of the hand is irrefutable.. you don't have to graduate from a seminary to offer a smile and ask somebody how they are---how they really are.. there are no grounds for debate or rebuttal in visiting the ill, the dying, the widowed or the orphaned.. .

Juan Viejo2

Geezus, Terry. You are on a roll. Can you bottle some of that talent up and ship it to me?

JV

13

Inside The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

just found this new site named inside the watchtower.

has articles written by jwners.. .

http://insidethewatchtower.com/.

Juan Viejo2

Blondie's latest "Comments You Won't Hear" (7-31/2011) has just be posted.

9

Watchtowers Covergirl

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

watchtowers covergirl .

today i uploaded a short article to my blog showing how watchtower once did its covergirl spread.

my article is titled watchtowers covergirl and is available at: http://marvinshilmer.blogspot.com/2011/08/watchtowers-covergirl.html.

Juan Viejo2

Don't forget the naked lady being tortured in Rutherford's book, "Enemies." I bet he got off on that one.

JV

13

Inside The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

just found this new site named inside the watchtower.

has articles written by jwners.. .

http://insidethewatchtower.com/.

Juan Viejo2

Just a quick FYI.

Mad Sweeney's 2nd part of his District Convention article is up at InsidetheWatchtower.com . Nice work - thanks Sweeney!

Last night after dinner I noticed a message had come in through the form located on the Contact page. So I know it works. That was the good news.

The bad news was I was accused of telling a fib! I was shocked!

I've gotten some harsh stuff in the past, and I'm used to JWs screeching hate on Yahoo! Answers, Topix, and other sites. But as long as I've been a webmaster and editor (Ex-JW.com), I've never caught hell like I did last night from one anonymous JW (I think).

After I cooled down, I decided NOT to ignore it. I really don't appreciate being called a "liar" (I still remember getting my mouth washed out with soap by my mother whenever she thought I'd fashioned a big one), so I felt this time I'd respond rather than just delete the message and go on with my evening.

I was accused of lying about JWs use of corporal punishment and the existence of "spanking rooms." I know how it was when I was growing up - and that's really what I was writing about.

But maybe I'm wrong.

Maybe JWs DON'T spank their kids any more.

Maybe the existence of "spanking rooms" is just a myth.

I invite everyone here to pop over to InsidetheWatchtower.com and comment on the article "J'accuse." I'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue. You can make a comment without giving away a thing - use a pseudonym and a fake email, if you want. I'd really love to see some third party views on this subject.

I'm sure that Sweeney, FatFreek (Len), Paul Grundy and the others would love to see your comments on their articles as well. They've all done some great work and allowed me to shamelessly steal their best stuff.

THX again for checking it out.

JV

13

Inside The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

just found this new site named inside the watchtower.

has articles written by jwners.. .

http://insidethewatchtower.com/.

Juan Viejo2

Thanks for the TU, Curtains!

13

Inside The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

just found this new site named inside the watchtower.

has articles written by jwners.. .

http://insidethewatchtower.com/.

Juan Viejo2

Well you guys beat me to it. You and nearly 750 viewers, over a third from JWN alone. Here's the link to the home page: http://insidethewatchtower.com

I was going to announce the site on Monday, August 1. I had a half dozen or so additional articles to put up (Len Miller's went up late this afternoon, and Sweeney has a part 2 following right behind), when Comcast decided to do some maintenance on their Xfinity high speed internet service in my neighborhood. Damn them all to hell!!!

I was making good progress early in the day yesterday, when down the net went again. Called Comcast and got this answer: "We haven't really shut it down, but just reduced the circuits and slowed (choked) down the speeds for a few hours.

So I've been unable to do anything substantial until this afternoon - although I am told by Comcast that they will be working most every night for the rest of the week.

I want to thank Mad Sweeney, Len Miller (FatFreek), Paul Grundy, Blondie and all the others who chipped in or allowed me to steal their stuff. I haven't scratched the surface yet, and hope that a few more of you folks (Marvin Shilmer, call me!) will allow me to steal your stuff too.

Actually, Inside the Watchtower is designed to take a little different approach to JW and Watchtower criticism. In my introductory article, I explain what I am hoping the site will do:

"This website is primarily dedicated to revealing what it is like being a Jehovah’s Witness – or a member of a Witness family. Why do we care? Why bother? Why don’t we just go on about our lives and leave the Witnesses and their Watchtower Society alone?

"We feel that revealing the real truth about “The Truth” will open the eyes and hearts of many Jehovah’s Witnesses, forcing them to actually examine the facts about their religion. We want to help them to decide if they are part of a cult, or are actually legitimate followers of Jesus Christ. We are not going to criticize individual rank and file Jehovah’s Witnesses – but intend to very carefully scrutinize the teachings and actions of the leadership of the Watchtower organization."

All you have to do is just page back through the archives of JWN and some of the other forums and you will find amazing posts and comments that are written with far more clarity (and, yes, brevity) than I could ever hope to produce. ItW.com is designed to become a filter for some of the best stuff available and an archive for some gems that have been moved to dusty online storage files.

In my research I have come across some amazing material that has barely seen the light of day. Barbara Anderson, Paul Grundy and others (Marvin Shilmer - call me!) have come up with some amazing finds. But my goal is not entirely to criticize the Watchtower - but rather to set a palatable table of real "food" and "truth" before current JWs who might be having second thoughts. I am also hoping that people who are studying with JWs will also find the site and be forewarned about how their lives will change if they let the Watchtower's hook set into them.

New articles are coming from Dick Kelly and a couple of writers who have been very quiet lately. Blondie has given me permission to publish her current "Comments You Won't Hear at the Watchtower Study" and some of her older gems in a "Best of Blondie" section. I think everyone will enjoy the "Watchtower Book Review," an actual revisiting of many of the past books published by the Watchtower over the years. Amazing stuff awaits us!

Again - thanks for everyone's support. Visit and comment when you can. Use the comment form to send comments and suggestions about the site. Let me know if you want a copy of the submission guidelines emailed to you.

Juan Viejo

AKA "exjwdotcommie"

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.

Juan Viejo2

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