Posts by lepermessiah

24

The Barbara Anderson Appreciation Thread

by Quillsky in

jw
friends

there are many newcomers who may see references on this website to barbara anderson but not understand the complete awesomeness of what she has done, and continues to do, in the pursuit of truth.. for those who don't know, a brief summary: barbara and her husband joe spent most of their lifetime being uber-witnesses, bringing 80 or so people into the organization and ending up at brooklyn bethel.

barbara landed up in the sacred heart of bethel, the writing department, and wrote awake!

articles.

lepermessiah

I hope i dont sound too corny, but Mrs. Anderson (like others who post on here) is really a hero to me.

She was willing to give up everything for the TRUTH - I have the utmost respect for people who go with their conscience and do what they believe is right at great personal expense. Not only that, but she has worked tirelessly at bringing out the facts about many of the child abuse cases, the real history about prominent members of the WT society, etc.

This world needs more renegades like Mr and Mrs Anderson.

The thing I love is that I use her court documents all the time to show my family that I am not piling on the Watchtower - this stuff is REAL. There is an ugly reality out there that the organization tries desperately to hide - people like Barbara have made sure that this stuff is out there for people who are ready and willing to look for it.

As she has shown, the only thing the "organization" cares about is the preservation of the "organization" - not the people in it who are supposedly precious sheep.

My hope is one day to get out behind this internet avatar and pay it forward the same way that Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have. There are so many of you on this board that I look forward to getting to know personally and let you know how much I appreciate you coming on here.........all of us have a story to tell as a result of this ------- organization, and this to me is a great form of therapy!

May they, along with the others who continue to expose the Borg, continue to be blessed!

41

JWs don't leave the organization over doctrine

by doublelife in

can anyone help me with a quote from a publication studied in '09 that had a box that said jws leave over selfish reasons but not over doctrine?

i think it was studied in the bs but i can't find it and i already tried the search feature.

i remember someone posted about it at the time it was studied.

lepermessiah

I've heard of another very recent disfellowshipping. This poor person has been disfellowshipped for something he/she did when he/she was a teenager, 20 years ago (immorality has been hinted at).

Isnt that a total disgusting thing????

And yet the WTBS will tell you that disfellowshipping is much more than "Crime and Punishment"......and that it is a last resort!

I know of friends who had done things years previous, were good "JW's", begged to stay, etc...and still got the gauntlet.

No, none of us ever leave over doctrine......LOL

Doctrine + their loving, compassion policies toward the "Flock" = SEE YA!!

20

Sexual abuse and how the WTS handles it - 2 issues that get confused

by Lady Lee in

the wts proudly proclaims that its 2-witness rule is sufficient to deal with cases of sexual abuse.

and internally they would have the right to hold to that policy.. but they fail to separate the internal handling of the case with the external -- going to the authorities.

the wts uses it 2 things to stop jws from going outside the congregation.. they believe their policy is higher than the world's policies on dealing with the abuse.

lepermessiah

Lady Lee -

That post was brilliant. It completely calls out the fallacy that the WTBS has successfully "cleaned up" the issue.

I can only comment from the position of a former elder and a person with a history of victims in my family.

Sexual predators make sure no one is around when the prey on their victims. That 2 witness rule is the biggest bunch of bull---- , how can you apply that to a case involving a criminal act with a devious creep and a child ????

Even with all of their new policies and procedures, most Elders are totally inept on how to handle the issue. I have been on a few appeal JC's where a person with a history of sexual abuse was disfellowshipped due to "porneia" or "fornication" and their sexual abuse was NEVER considered. Anyone who does even superficial research on the topic knows that it affects how a person views their body, sex, their esteem and ability to say NO!, etc.......instead the victims are treated like perpetrators and cast out. These people need tender compassion and they get the star chamber treatment. I caused an uproar because I came out and said I could not in good conscience come out and ever disfellowship a victim of abuse - of course I am no longer an elder!!

I just had a conversation with my mom regarding this - all of the additional stipulations and procedures are to protect the WTBS from monetary damages and so they can do "damage control" if the things go public. Its NEVER NEVER NEVER ABOUT THE VICTIM!!!!

Most elders continue to guilt-trip the victim with comments such as 'Well, we dont want this to get out and bring reproach on Jehovah and his organization" or "We can handle this within the congregation" - that is unless state/country law forces them to contact the authorities. Most parents in my experience are never determined to call the police since they get the same guilt trip and veiled threats.

The last case I was on where this came up went like this:

1) I begged the parents to call the authorities, and the other elders were more passive "Well, you could do that but the Society has been notified and they are aware." The parents chose not to call, and out of respect for them, i did not call.

2) The society opened a "case" on it and asked to be notified as soon as the parents decided on the police part.

3) I asked off of the case at that point since I would not follow the BS policies and would not under and circumstances DF the victim (she was on a JC for porneia).

In other words, in my opinion - not much has changed. They have only cleaned up the legal portion so they can cover their rear ends.

2

A legendary vocalist interprets a classic!

by lepermessiah in

singers like this come along once in a generation!.

(unless you are the wt, then they overlap) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3bnrf9icc.

lepermessiah

I was going to make a crack about the new song book......

The new songs are nothing but mumbling since no one knows the songs....hahaha

64

What Are Some Ridiculous Things JWs Have Said?

by minimus in

jw
friends

....either in publications, during talks or by individual witnesses?.

lepermessiah

1) Holding hands and embracing during prayer could STUMBLE others....

2) A Generation can span centuries.....

3) Elders and MS could come forward and admit a wrongdoing, as long as it was 3 years ago or longer, Hey, all is forgiven!

4) Any letter they have sent out regarding their care and compassion of young children and protecting them from pedophiles.

5) Organ transplants are cannibalism

My personal favorite platform experience:

We had this whack-job of an elder, and he was an embarrassment of a speaker, even by WT standards.

He was giving a talk about bible reading and went on and on how we should read the Bible on every occasion possible.

"Even while we are sitting in the bathroom, taking care of business, we should be READING OUR BIBLE!" he thundered.

I almost crapped my pants from laughing.

There were a number of new ones in attendance - never to be seen again - LOL!!

44

Charles Taze Russell: His Life and Times: The Man, the Millennium and the Message

by RR in

jw
friends

charles taze russell: his life and times: the man, the millennium and the message by fredrick zydek is the latest biography on pastor russell, and i must say i am very impressed.

i have read other historiees on the pastor russell by zydek (all unpublished manuscripts) but this one is far better than the last one authored by charles redeker aq few years ago.

zydek is a catholic.. the author is neither a bible student or a jehovah's witness.

lepermessiah

Thanks RR, I have looking for a good book on Russell from an outside source!

Do you think the book would appeal to current JW's as well? The reason I ask is that I would love to read it in front of my family under the guise of wanting to learn more about Russell from an unbiased (or at least outside) source.

26

German media (Der Spiegel) "The World Bids Farewell to Obama"

by Nathan Natas in

jw
friends

link: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,673192,00.html.

the world bids farewell to obama.

us president barack obama suffered a painful defeat in massachusetts on tuesday.

lepermessiah

I dont think the significance of this can be downplayed.

Obama just lost his fillibuster protection on his magnum opus- this thing may not be completed in his first term, and if the trend continues, his first and last term.

I am not anti-Obama, I actually respect him on many levels, just dont agree with much of his politics.

This is really fascinating - a Republican senator in Massachusetts in 2010?

Taking the seat of fellow Health Care champion Teddy?

You couldnt write a script like that!

Wow....even if the democrat came across like an idiot (which she did), I would have thought she would have won in a landslide.

2

A legendary vocalist interprets a classic!

by lepermessiah in

singers like this come along once in a generation!.

(unless you are the wt, then they overlap) .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3bnrf9icc.

lepermessiah

Singers like this come along once in a generation!

(Unless you are the WT, then they overlap)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3BNRF9ICc

34

how much longer do you give it?

by agent zero in

jw
friends

how much longer do you think it will be til the borg implodes?.

with april's rediculous generation renewal, the hyped 2012, then the 100th aniversary of 1914 two years later, the continued increase and spread of internet use, the age of the gb, and the lackluster of the rank n file, i give it 8-10 years before the whole show collapses.. .

lepermessiah

Unfortunately, I believe the WTBS will be like Rasputin and Detective John McClain.....it will Die Hard......

The main thing is that its importance in my life expired in 2008 - in that case, TIME'S UP!

It has very deep pockets, and some dedicated followers - it isnt going anywhere soon......

It would be fun to see another post-Russell type uprising in the organization, or a post 1975 defection.

I would love to see that in my lifetime.

55

Letter from WT's Haiti Branch Committee re: Society's relief response

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

just got this in, don't know if it was mentioned here yet, but this illustrates how the watchtower views/responds to emergencies.

note the dig on university and "higher education" (especially sad for a poor country like haiti with poorly educated masses).. randy.

it was a terrifying moment for all!

lepermessiah

We suspect not a few of our young brothers and sisters attending
universities may have died when those buildings crashed to the grounds
with everyone in them. One nice experience--one sister was scheduled to
attend a lecture on pyschology and she decided she did not want to hear
that stuff. As soon as she got outside the entire structure collapsed
before her eyes! Visible proof where 'higher learning' takes you--right
into the ground!! Now if any want to attend university--they will have to
move to another country--as all their bldgs crashed to the ground!! And
believe me--their parents will work to send them there--that is the god
they have confidence in--Jehovah is a sideline one!

Those comments regarding those who are in university are just ridiculous and stupid, especially in a country where many cannot read or write.

If that is the case, why doesnt Jehovah collapse university buildings around the world to punish the EVIL ones who pursue higher education?

What a thoughtless, self-righteous ASS!!