So sorry to hear it. If there is to be a custody hearing, go to the Freeminds web site and read Lying In Court a review of the Watchtower's booklet, "Preparing For Child Custody Cases". Their playbook is somewhat dated and is no longer a secret, but it is wise to know what you can be facing. How that affects you and the best response will vary by local law and court procedures and is something to discuss with a lawyer. I wish you the strength to see this through!
GLTirebiter
JoinedPosts by GLTirebiter
-
44
The JW religion has just cost me my marriage & my family life
by jambon1 inafter leaving the organisation 10 years ago i fought with everything i had to stay in my marriage and with my three children.
after a tumultuous number of years trying to maintain a happy family life while living in a divided home, it's finally over.
the religion is single handedly responsible for destroying my marriage and my family.
-
-
GLTirebiter
-
7
Why is this scripture blank in some bibles and not in others? It is blank in the JW bible, too.
by Wild_Thing inand he replied, i do believe that jesus christ is the son of god.acts 8:37 (brg) | in context | whole chapter37 and philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
the officer said, i believe that jesus christ is the son of god.|acts 8:37 (gnv) | in context | whole chapter37 and philip said unto him, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
and he answered and said, i believe that jesus christ is the son of god.acts 8:37 (kjv) | in context | whole chapter37 and philip said, if thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.
-
-
GLTirebiter
Does anyone know why? It doesn't seem too controversial of a scripture to me, especially to the JWs since they reject the trinity anyway. I don't think there is a conspiracy or anything! I just want to know why.
While it is in the Douay-Rheims (DRA), newer Catholic bibles (NABRE, JB, NJB and RSV-CE) include this verse as a footnote, indicating that it is "an early gloss" and that it "does not appear in the earliest manuscripts". It also isn't in La Santa Biblia en Espanol (a Spanish-Language Catholic version).
-
24
Where Does Jehovah Live?
by Wild_Thing inwhen my niece was very little (over 20 years ago), barely walking or talking, my mother decided to teach her "where jehovah lives".
she would coach her and say, "where does jehovah live?
" in a sing-song voice.
-
-
GLTirebiter
Yes, according to The Judge, his throne is on Alcyone.
The constellation of the seven stars forming the Pleiades appears to be the crowning center around which the known systems of the planets revolve.... It has been suggested, and with much weight, that one of the stars of that group is the dwelling place of Jehovah and the place of the highest heavens;....
The constellation of the Pleiades is a small one compared with others which scientific instruments disclose to the wondering eyes of man. But the greatness in size of other stars or planets is small when compared to the Pleiades in importance, because the Pleiades is the place of the eternal throne of God.
J. F. Rutherford, Reconciliation, 1928, p. 14.
-
30
Kingdom Hall loans Cancelled? Lurkers...please read
by ToesUp ini hope that writing this, there will be some lurkers that i can shake.. if you have not listened to mays tv broadcast, please do.
it may wake some up.. note @ around 21-22 minutes into the broadcast lett brings up the the kingdom halls/assembly hall loans have been cancelled and the congregation can now send in what they can afford.
wow...how many banks would do that?.
-
-
GLTirebiter
"I have altered the arrangement. Pray I do not alter it further!"
-
24
Went to a Catholic Funeral Today
by Captain Schmideo2 init was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?
does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!
alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".
-
-
GLTirebiter
GrreatTeacher, 3 hours is too long for guys like me with "senior prostates" (luckily, our pastor is in the same boat, and he can't sneak out to the restroom!) They must have done all eight readings and had a loooong sermon to reach three hours. But it's still no all-weekend assembly, and it is optional. -
48
Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?
by cappytan inso, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.
chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.
i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.
-
-
GLTirebiter
All the hybrid crops we use for food now are "GMO", it's just that their genomes were modified by generations of selective breeding and cross-pollination (trial-and-error approach) rather than methodically in a lab (the factory approach). Even organic crops are nothing like their counterparts from a few centuries ago.
It really depends on how the GMO is different, and how it is used. Example: the big risk for "BT" corn is that pests constantly exposed to the BT toxin will be selectively bred for immunity to that natural pesticide, so there are regulations requiring mixes of BT and non-BT plots intermixed with each other (so that BT-susceptible pest genes won't become extinct).
-
24
Went to a Catholic Funeral Today
by Captain Schmideo2 init was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?
does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!
alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".
-
-
GLTirebiter
The last time I went to a WTBTS funeral, the elder read the obituary from the newspaper, verbatim. He read it in an expressionless monotone, like somebody reciting a school lesson just to be done with it. I do not recall that the elder made even one little addition showing he ever had met the deceased. Besides reciting the obituary, he just followed the approved script and cited the usual Watchtower references designated for the occasion.
How could the family find any comfort in that soulless imitation of a memorial to their loved one?
-
24
Went to a Catholic Funeral Today
by Captain Schmideo2 init was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?
does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!
alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".
-
-
GLTirebiter
I will go to Catholic weddings and funerals. What I will never do again is Easter Vigil. Oh. My. God. Sooo loong.
For reference, the Easter Vigil is about the same length as the weekly WT meetings (two hours). That's only once per year, and there is always the option of going to the regular length mass on Easter Day instead of the longer vigil service the evening before (unless you're a convert being baptized or confirmed during the vigil service or the convert's sponsor, in which case you obviously are expected to attend!).
-
24
Went to a Catholic Funeral Today
by Captain Schmideo2 init was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?
does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!
alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".
-
-
GLTirebiter
Why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?
That would be Gregorian Chant, a traditional form dating back to times before printing presses and mass literacy. The rhythmic cadence helps with memorization, as well as setting a solemn tone for worship. It is for the benefit of the faithful to help them follow the familiar sequence and thus pay attention to the mass, not to help God "hear better".
I get "why" it's probably done, but "whew" what a time consumer.
The "Alleluias" precede and follow the Gospel Antiphon, a Psalm passage selected to introduce the Gospel to follow (it relates to each day's Gospel reading). It also sets a reverent tone appropriate for hearing the Gospel, which is the highlight of the "Liturgy of the Word" (not merely a footnote, as it would be in a Kingdom Hall "talk"). Singing or saying the antiphon takes maybe a minute, hardly a big time consumer.
-
7
Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect
by OrphanCrow inin the united states, the statutes governing mandatory reporting of child abuse are determined at the state level with variances occurring between states.
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/clergymandated.pdf.
the statutes outlined in the above pdf are the statutes by which jw elders are accountable to according to the state in which they live.. candace conti's court case was filed in california and the reporting laws that apply to clergy in that state are as follows:.
-
-
GLTirebiter
‘penitential communication’ means a communication intended to be in confidence--including, but not limited to, a sacramental confession--made to a clergy member who, in the course of the discipline or practice of his or her church, denomination, or organization, is authorized or accustomed to hear those communications, and under the discipline, tenets, customs, or practices of his or her church, denomination, or organization, has a duty to keep those communications secret.
This statute consistently uses singular wording, not plural. That suggests that a Judicial Committee meeting would not be privileged as a penitential communication when than one elder is involved or if it includes witnesses. Is a legal professional in the audience able to confirm or refute this conclusion?