Several of my former brothers-in-law were ministerial servants and elders. Only one might have had some formal training (he was a missionary, so I suspect he went to Gilead at some point). It's sad little emphasis the Watchtower puts on formal education, not even having theological seminaries for their clergy. When a young man from the local congregation went away to Bethel, I was surprised to learn that he was crossing the continent be a laborer. The way they praised Bethel I thought it was Jehovah's Theological Seminary for Future Elders, not a printing plant (how naive of me!)
GLTirebiter
JoinedPosts by GLTirebiter
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WT Society Appoints Elders/MS Based on " Functions " Performed - not ....
by flipper in........... holy spirit or any " fruitages of the spirit " like love, kindness, mildness, meekness , etc.
shown by men considered for elder or ms positions.
qualities or true positive character traits are not that important to the wt society in appointments of these men in jw congregations.. no, the real " qualifications " that a jw man needs to exhibit is being able to report 10 hours a month in knocking on people's doors offering wt and awake magazines !
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Should Joe Paterno resign over the Penn State child sex abuse scandal?
by james_woods infirst, i don't know if we have had a thread on this yet - so if this is a repost, ignore appropriately.. but i am thoroughly disgusted by this developing scandal - an assistant coach at pen state is accused of multiple, repeated, child sexual offenses.
a member of the football staff exewitnesses and incident reported it to paterno (years ago, it is reported) - and paterno reported it to the athletic director.
nothing was done, nothing was reported to the authorities.. finally, the scandal broke over the weekend.. i am deeply dissapointed with paterno - this guy was one of my football heros.
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GLTirebiter
As to who is legally required to report differs from state to state in the US.
A brief summary of Pennsylvania reporting laws, per US Department of Health and Human Services:
- Mandatory reporters include school administrators, teachers, peace officers and law enforcement officials [the H.S.S. article does not say whether this statute's use of "school" and "teachers" includes college-level]. Reporting is mandatory when they have "reasonable cause to suspect". Attorney-Client and Clergy-Penitent privilege is recognized according to other statutes. (Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6311)
- Any person with "reason to suspect" may make a report (Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6312).
- Mandated reporters must do so in writing, including their name and contact information (Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6313).
- Anyone making a report in good faith is immune from criminal and civil liability for doing so. (Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. Ch. 23, § 6318)
- Mandatory reporters who willfully fail to do so commit a misdemeanor (Cons. Stat. Ch. 23, § 6319).
- Identity of mandatory reporters must be kept confidential "unless the secretary finds that the release will not be detrimental to the safety of the reporter" (Cons. Stat. Tit. 23, § 6340).
In the Shepherd the Flock of God book...page 131 p.19... regarding sexual child abuse..."Whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make."
In light of what is going on at PSU, is the above statement legally wrong?
I am not trained and licensed to give legal advice, so I can't say if the statement is "legally wrong". But I can say that my "personal decision" is to act based on legal advice from a qualified attorney, not the "Flock" book.
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How do you go on when married to a JW who doesn't want to be a JW
by marriedtoajw ini've posted on here a few times under the screen name of sahara but had to change it, long story... anyway i've posted some of my story being married to a jw for twenty years with four children, none of whom are jw's or are studying to be one.
i've stated on my other posts that i've done lots of research on jw's and watchtower history, i don't think there is anything about the history and tactics of jws that i haven't personally come across or studied, though i could be wrong.
people who are not intimately familiar with jw beliefs and practices seem to view them as strange simply because they don't celebrate holidays or salute the flag etc, but those of us who are more familiar with them know that there is far more than meets the eyes of casual observers.
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GLTirebiter
I struggle still to give them a pass on this but, well I do...
Yes, it is hard hard to stay sympathetic to the victims when the organization they follow is so contemptible. If you've managed to keep it together as the UBM for 20 years, give yourself a pass too--you've earned it!
Being married to a JW for as long as I have, there have been many land mines I've had to manuver through in just keeping my family in tact while trying to hedge all the JW stuff ... Fighting that monster has become more than a 12 round slug fest taking body blows and hooks from different directions while never really throwing many of my own. Biting my lip and strapping my tounge to the roof of my mouth to keep the peace has been more than draining.
Walking on eggshells every day is draining. I thought that was the worst part, taking all the verbal shots while knowing that any response in kind would only makes things worse. One thing we UBMs have in common with the DF'd and DA'd is the experience of being considered the enemy, an outsider in our own family. It brings a clear understanding of what it means to forgive "seven times seventy" times.
Why would she do these things if in fact she wants to be a JW?
That's hard to say, it could be many different things. She might feel that by making accomodations to you and the children that she is holding the family together. It may be a little act of rebellion for her, tasting the forbidden fruit. Or it may be a taste of normalcy that helps her cope with the Watchtower pressure. Perhaps she is mentally "out", but can't quite let go because she fears the reaction from other JWs. If you ask her about it, there's a good chance she can't tell you why; she may not really know herself. Switching between a Watchtower personality at the Kingdom Hall and a genuine personality elsewhere causes that confusion.
You can't force her to change; she has to want it herself. So the best you can do is love her no matter what, and show her that you do.
Good luck to you and all your family!
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Are you sure leaving the JW religion has made your life better?. Lurkers think twice
by mankkeli inon this forum, i have carefully read most of the experiences of those who left the jw religion, i have even read experiences that have dated back to 2001, i have read the different circumstances surrounding their exits and what ensued upon leaving.
for the majority, i observed they are better remainning in the religion than leaving.
what benefit is there to strain family relationship because you want to be free?, please tell me, of what value is that freedom?,.
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GLTirebiter
My message can be consummated with a proverb that goes this way "The devil we know is better than the God we don't know".
So, are you admitting that you follow the devil instead of God?
Are you saying it is better to cower in fear of the unknown than to explore, to examine, to verify "whether these things are so"?
I think it's sad that anybody would be so scared that they would prefer to stay in the darkness than to seek the light. It is more so when you recognize that the darkness where you hide is a lair of evil. Becoming familiar with it breeds contempt for its dangers, complacency for the price it carries. As Alexander Pope wrote:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien,
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
we first endure, then pity, then embrace
When you recognize that you are in the wrong place, your most important goal is to GET AWAY!
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Is this an anti-JW website?
by keyser soze inwhen i registered here over 4 years ago i thought it would be a good place to interact with like-minded christians who loved jehovah as much as i do.
but after reading some of the posts on here i'm beginning to believe that the sentiment on here is largely anti-witness.
i justed wanted to tell you all what vile and hateful people you are..
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GLTirebiter
No, this is Faithful and Discrete Slave's specially approved web site, where special pioneers go for advanced training in defense against false religion. Where else could they go, to learn how to resist ear-tickling opposers when they are out in field service six days a week? Until you can survive at JWN, you aren't ready for work in unassigned territory. Posting on JWN is as good as a college degree in Apostate tactics!
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Hello - new
by freshstart inhi, just wanted to introduce myself.
born-in, as was my husband.
we were both baptized as teens, married when we were teens (he was early 20s) and we were both the "perfect" witnesses.
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GLTirebiter
Freshstart: what an appropriate screen name! Welcome, and congratulations to you and your husband for not bringing your child up as a slave to the Watchtower. It sounds like you both realize the truth about THE TRUTH, and now can look forward to a rewarding life together. I hope you enjoy the forum, and will be around here for a long time to come.
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This site is a bad site! I am ashamed that i have joined!
by MsPassach ini am so ashamed that i joined this site!
i thought that i would meet people here that honour jehovah here.
insread most of the people here are not here for the service of god.
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GLTirebiter
i thought that i would meet people here that honour Jehovah here.
I honor the Lord, the Christian God. His name is not "JEHOVA"; that is a translation error made centuries ago by a Catholic monk. The Hebrew name, represented by the English letters "YHWH", would be pronounced approximately as "Yahweh" in English. But we are not equals on a first-name basis with God and are commanded not to use the Lord's name in vain, so it is traditional (going back to Old Testament Hebrews) to use the title "Lord" instead as a sign of subservience and respect. In fact, assuming the vowels for "Adonai" (Lord) went with the consonants of the tetragram (YHWH) led to the corrupt translation "Jehovah".
insread most of the people here are not here for the service of God. they don't know what it means to honour Jehovah. most of them show by their actions trhat they are in the service of man and not the service of Jehovah. For them the service of man is more important than being loyal to the Creator of mankind...
Consider this carefully: whom do you serve, the Lord or a publishing corporation in Brooklyn, New York? Do you take directions from the commandments and the sermon on the mount, or from Watchtower magazines?
This site should feel so ashamed to carry the name of JEHOVA because this is definitely not a witness to Jehovah.
This originally was a pro-Watchtower site. That changed with time and exposure to other points of view. Hang around if you wish, if you dare--there is much to learn that is not printed by the Watchtower Society!
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Is There A Sin That Is Justifiably, For Excommunication Or Shunning?
by AvocadoJake ini know this question is a "slippery slope.
" but i am wondering if you belive there is a sin, that merits excommunication?
i vote child molesters and rapist and murding (a unjustifiable murder, serial killers, outright evil by community standards.
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GLTirebiter
It reasonable to "boot" somebody from the organization, provided it is done in a fair, evenhanded way. But WT disfellowshipping goes far beyond mere removal. It includes encouraging members to cause emotional pain to those in the organization's bad graces, and effectively slandering them with a public announcement at a meeting where the accused is likely to be present. The literal wording of the announcement is innocuous ("Tirebiter is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses"--not that I ever was!). But the sinister connotation those words have to those hearing them ("Apostate! Fornicator! Bad Association!") conveys a different meaning--a case of loaded language.
The WT policy on disfellowshipping has not always been so extreme. Aussie Oz has documented the history of how this policy has changed through the years, which you can read at freeminds.
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Is There A Sin That Is Justifiably, For Excommunication Or Shunning?
by AvocadoJake ini know this question is a "slippery slope.
" but i am wondering if you belive there is a sin, that merits excommunication?
i vote child molesters and rapist and murding (a unjustifiable murder, serial killers, outright evil by community standards.
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GLTirebiter
There is an important distinction between disfellowshipping and shunning, as practiced by the Watchtower and other high-control groups, compared to excommunication as practiced by most major religions.
On one hand: treating somebody as if they did not exist, limiting contact to "necessary family business", "hating with a true hate" and humiliating a person by publicly announcing their status as a grave sinner (thus seeding the local gossip grapevine with unfounded speculation about what the accused might have done). On the other: excommunication means limited participation in some religious rites, no restrictions on dealing with the person in everyday life, maintaining normal family and social contact, and limiting disclosure to those with a genuine, legal "need to know"--not making the situation a matter of public speculation.
The watchtower presumes the authority to dole out public punishment and humiliation; others seek to correct while leaving public punishment to the law of the land. What sins deserve a Watchtower-style shunning? I can't name one. Which deserve the more traditional excommunication? Offenses against the community of believers: acts of sacrilege, heresy, and the like. For offenses punishable by the law of the land, neither is appropriate: "Render unto Caesar" is the proper response.
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Who is Homeschooling - what works and does not?
by skeeter1 inmy in-laws really wished they had taken control and homeschooled their one granchild.
today, i witnessed a middle school bus stop bully and another group of teenaged girls smoking something illegal.
my 5th grader is headed to middle school next year.
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GLTirebiter
Unless you can teach well and have the time to do it.....don't homeschool your children!
I agree with that--and would add commitment to the list (see my previous post on this thread). Home-school parents have no monopoly on ineffective, uncaring teaching. Unfortunately, some teachers in traditional schools are merely marking time, going through the motions but accomplishing little in the way of education. You've had them, I've had them, and our kids have some of them too. You know who they are: they use the same lesson plans, assignments and tests for at least a decade, and are famous among the students for being easy graders. They are equivalent to home-school parents who toss their kids some workbooks and say the job is done. Both are do a disservice to the children entrusted to them.
(and he IS an opinionated curmudgeon)
There's nothing wrong with that! (RIP, Andy Rooney: America's best-known curmudgeon)