Posts by Fernando

5

When your friends are bad for you: JWs as a case study in the dangers of ingroup bias

by Apognophos in

how do you convince someone to get help when their friends all say they're fine?

from time to time i think about how certain illnesses must be very difficult to treat because the sufferer's actual perceptions are skewed.

for instance, how do you convince someone to seek treatment if they are under a paranoid delusion that they know too much and the establishment wants to put them on drugs to dull their minds?

Fernando

Just when you think it is not possible to add to or improve on the many great explanations of what exactly is wrong with our favourite cult/ists...

Awesome post Apognophos.

3

Jehovah's Witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told

by 4thgen in

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/jehovahs-witness-elders-were-spiritually-7258297.

jehovah's witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told end of widget id: 6806849, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh .

area main: items from config.article.news section area main: area replaced with items from config.article.type.news section start of widget id: 6806672, name: pagetools, view: articlerefreshmetadata jun 12, 2014 13:23by ciaran jones end of widget id: 6806672, name: pagetools, view: articlerefreshmetadata start of widget id: 6806699, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh end of widget id: 6806689, name: pagetools, view: mediashare start of widget id: 6806697, name: storycontent, view: article end of widget id: 6806697, name: storycontent, view: article start of widget id: 6806703, name: relatedcontents, view: pictures mark sewell is standing trial at merthyr crown court end of widget id: 6806703, name: relatedcontents, view: pictures start of widget id: 6806709, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh church elders in a jehovah's witnesses congregation where a worshipper allegedly raped a woman and abused children were "spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt", a court heard today.. the father of mark sewell, who denies 12 historic sex charges, even tried to "conceal" a rape claim against his son, it was claimed.. jurors trying the 53-year-old heard from the father of sewell's first alleged victim, who was just a child when the defendant is said to have kissed and touched her.. the man, in his 60s, said sewell had been a close friend of his after they met through the church, even describing him as "the brother i didn't have".. when his daughter was aged about 15, he said, she began self-harming.. she later left a note for her parents on their bed detailing the alleged abuse by sewell against her.. the man said he and his wife and daughter went to sewell's house to meet the defendant and his wife where they handed them a copy of the letter.. "he (sewell) actually laughed but didn't say anything," the witness told the court.. "his wife did all the talking and said 'if you show this to the elders (of the church) we are finished, you won't be coming round to our house any more and we won't be having anything to do with you, you will be cut off.'".

Fernando

*** g95 4/22 p. 6 Are We Living in the Last Days? ***
But some of the most ungodly acts take place under the veil of religion. A tragic example is the sexual abuse of children by the clergy... Truly, any form or pretense of godly devotion these clergymen display is exposed as mere hypocrisy by their wicked works.

*** g94 1/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
According to a support group for the victims, sexual abuse by the clergy is more widespread than the church admits. A spokesman for the group said he believes the church’s focus is more on protecting the clergy than helping the victims. He added that the message “at the very core of the church’s documents is, don’t tell the truth.”

*** g93 4/8 p. 31 Victims of Pedophile Priests Speak Out ***
According to Richard Sipe, a former priest turned psychotherapist and expert on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, all this institutional denial reveals “a deep, desperate and knowing personal involvement in the problem.” He added: “The church knows and has known for a long time a great deal about the sexual activity of its priests. It has looked the other way, tolerated, covered up and simply lied about the broad spectrum of sexual activity of its priests.”

*** g93 3/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
Dark Side of United Church
“Most of us come from a rather naive assumption that such things as sex abuse would not occur in the church and would never be committed by clergy,” said United Church minister Sylvia Hamilton. However, Hamilton suggests that “it is a major problem.” According to Canada’s Toronto Star, sexual abuse “ranging from jokes to forced sexual activities—is as prevalent, if not more prevalent, in the church as in society as a whole.” Peter Lougheed, a United Church task-group member, confessed that “the church is a less safe place for the parishioner and for women than the secular workplace.” The Star report adds: “After years of denial and cover-up, the problem is only now percolating to the surface like bubbles in a swamp.”

*** g92 8/8 p. 28 Watching the World ***
The Clergy and Sexual Abuse
Australian National Television recently broadcast a documentary entitled “The Ultimate Betrayal.” The program claimed that 15 percent of clergymen in Australia had committed sexual offenses, ranging from the molestation of children to the rape of women parishioners. Within hours of the television program, various centers set up to handle complaints of sexual assault were inundated with telephone calls from alleged victims. Many callers said they had kept their experience secret for many years. One woman said that she was speaking about her ordeal as a child for the first time in 40 years! Another said that after her clergyman had sexually abused her as a child, he threatened her with hellfire punishment if she dared to tell anyone.

3

Jehovah's Witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told

by 4thgen in

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/jehovahs-witness-elders-were-spiritually-7258297.

jehovah's witness elders were 'spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt', court told end of widget id: 6806849, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh .

area main: items from config.article.news section area main: area replaced with items from config.article.type.news section start of widget id: 6806672, name: pagetools, view: articlerefreshmetadata jun 12, 2014 13:23by ciaran jones end of widget id: 6806672, name: pagetools, view: articlerefreshmetadata start of widget id: 6806699, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh end of widget id: 6806689, name: pagetools, view: mediashare start of widget id: 6806697, name: storycontent, view: article end of widget id: 6806697, name: storycontent, view: article start of widget id: 6806703, name: relatedcontents, view: pictures mark sewell is standing trial at merthyr crown court end of widget id: 6806703, name: relatedcontents, view: pictures start of widget id: 6806709, name: storycontent, view: articlerefresh church elders in a jehovah's witnesses congregation where a worshipper allegedly raped a woman and abused children were "spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt", a court heard today.. the father of mark sewell, who denies 12 historic sex charges, even tried to "conceal" a rape claim against his son, it was claimed.. jurors trying the 53-year-old heard from the father of sewell's first alleged victim, who was just a child when the defendant is said to have kissed and touched her.. the man, in his 60s, said sewell had been a close friend of his after they met through the church, even describing him as "the brother i didn't have".. when his daughter was aged about 15, he said, she began self-harming.. she later left a note for her parents on their bed detailing the alleged abuse by sewell against her.. the man said he and his wife and daughter went to sewell's house to meet the defendant and his wife where they handed them a copy of the letter.. "he (sewell) actually laughed but didn't say anything," the witness told the court.. "his wife did all the talking and said 'if you show this to the elders (of the church) we are finished, you won't be coming round to our house any more and we won't be having anything to do with you, you will be cut off.'".

Fernando

Although sad, and shocking, it is commonplace in the Watchower.

Very simple too:

(Matthew 7:15, 16) . . .“Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to YOU in sheep’s covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits YOU will recognize them.. . .

(John 8:44) . . .YOU [the Watchtower hierarchy and ruling religious clergy class] are from YOUR father the Devil, and YOU wish to do the desires of YOUR father.. . .

(Ephesians 2:2) . . .according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience. . .

(2 Corinthians 11:13-15) . . .For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps transforming himself into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end shall be according to their works.

65

I'm afraid I'd be single for life

by ohnightdivine in

this is quite embarrassing for me to share, but as a 30+ year old single female i have lingering doubts as to whether i can still meet a decent man and get married.. you all know how difficult it is for sisters to find an appropriate partner in the congregation.. and now, all the more so that i've learned ttatt.

i still am bound by low self-esteem, and i do have trust issues, especially with men.

i am very lonely and so i just keep myself busy with work to avoid depression (although it is also a great source of stress).. any other single females out there having similar thoughts?.

Fernando

Meetup.com can be a great place to locate people with similar interests who live near you.

The more normal people you interact with outside the cult, the less you will fear loss of community, friendship and companionship.

After time in the Watchtower we all need to heal and develop socially. It is crucial for mental health.

It can be hard work, especially initially.

But it is definitely worth it.

You'll be shocked how many good and decent people can be found outside the confines of the pernicious, supremacist and self-congratulatory Watchtower organisation.

65

I'm afraid I'd be single for life

by ohnightdivine in

this is quite embarrassing for me to share, but as a 30+ year old single female i have lingering doubts as to whether i can still meet a decent man and get married.. you all know how difficult it is for sisters to find an appropriate partner in the congregation.. and now, all the more so that i've learned ttatt.

i still am bound by low self-esteem, and i do have trust issues, especially with men.

i am very lonely and so i just keep myself busy with work to avoid depression (although it is also a great source of stress).. any other single females out there having similar thoughts?.

Fernando

ohnightdivine, what a beautiful and hope filled screen name, which I am sure is the direction you are headed, and is the future which awaits you.

You may have to cut yourself some slack along the way though. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Meaning that it is a process, not an event.

I'm sure many reading your post can relate and are touched and would love to help, support and encourage as best they can.

Waking up to TTATT is a process, with distinct phases.

So what you are going through is "normal" under the circumstances.

Many have been down this road.

It can only get better - as long as you progress through each phase of the process and do not get stuck.

Look for and accept help.

From non-JW family, friends and professionals.

A genuinely good Psychologist can be worth far more than their fee.

It is important that you have a plan to gradually resolve the conflict between your behaviour (membership of a controlling and deceptive cult) and your beliefs. Humans are hardwired in such a way that we become ill and dysfunctional when our behaviour and beliefs are not aligned. Psychologists call this Cognitive Dissonance. And it is very serious.

One imagines if you proactively clarify and consolidate your beliefs, that it will become easier to modify your behaviour. It was the case for our family, who managed to exit intact and on very solid ground mid-2009.

Our family has found a lot of power, peace, freedom and healing through a focussed pursuit of the liberating gospel of grace (whilst rejecting toxic religious legalism and moralism).

If we can support in any way please feel free to send a PM.

Greetings and blessings

Fernando

South East Queensland, Australia

77

How would you define RELIGION, and why?

by Fernando in

"judge" rutherford defined or classified all religion as "a snare and a racket" in his books "religion" and "enemies".. after rutherford's death in 1942, his protege, watchtower vice president, and aclu darling, hayden c. covington, in the early 1950's, for reasons of legal expedience and supremacist aspirations, suddenly converted the watchtower into a religion.. this was done alongside one of the most audacious, spurious and longstanding swindles of the us legal system.

this involved twisting philippians 1:7 and misrepresenting the watchtower's true nature, objectives and activities.. .

this meant that it became necessary for the watchtower to suddenly reclassify and redefine religion (w51 1/15 p. 43 new legal booklet well named; w51 8/15 p. 511 questions from readers; yb75 p. 161 part 2 "for gladys bolton...").. two new watchtower classifications were suddenly created: "true religion" and "false religion".. now "true religion" meant "true beliefs" whilst "belief" in ever changing watchtower doctrine was equated with the one "faith" of scripture.. all this while the watchtower increasingly and maliciously truncated, obfuscated and hid the liberating full "good news" (or unabridged gospel) of scripture, which it lyingly claimed (in court) that it was actually "defending and legally establishing".. how would you have defined religion before learning ttatt?.

Fernando

I really liked your great definition Giordano.

Personally I might add to it as follows:

A religion is simply man's interpretation [and exploitation] of God's [supposed] silence.

Religious men mostly exploit the situation by appointing themselves as God's representatives, presuming to speak for him, gathering followers, and controlling them to suit their myopic, legalistic, moralistic, and powermongering agenda.

In a word: "Pharisaism".

Or simply: "GB" and "elders".

15

Archbishop Didn't Know Sex With Children Was a Crime

by Stealth in

wtf .

the st. louis archbishop embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal testified last month that he didnt know in the 1980s whether it was illegal for priests to have sex with children, according to a court deposition released monday.

archbishop robert carlson, who was chancellor of the archdiocese of minneapolis and st. paul at the time, was deposed as part of a lawsuit against the twin cities archdiocese and the diocese of winona, minnesota.

Fernando

What a lame cop out by your mother, to say the least, blondie.

I'm saddened by just how common sexual abuse seems to be in the Watchtower (then and now).

23

FAITH is another word for OPINION

by Terry in

i strive to understand things by standing in a different spot and looking again.

i like to recontextualize things everybody seems to accept automatically and comfortably.. why?

to be able to see it for the first time, again.. .

Fernando

Religionist steals faith, and then hides its crime by redefining faith as (religious) belief.

21

Wearing a wire

by Hairtrigger in

hye folks-just wanted some info.

is wearing a wire to a jc or any other meeting an easy-to-do thing.

how do you go about trying to find to an agency that hires out equipment?

Fernando

If you choose to attend, you absolutely MUST record.

Both audio and video if you can.

Even if you never intend to use the recording afterward.

You never know.

77

How would you define RELIGION, and why?

by Fernando in

"judge" rutherford defined or classified all religion as "a snare and a racket" in his books "religion" and "enemies".. after rutherford's death in 1942, his protege, watchtower vice president, and aclu darling, hayden c. covington, in the early 1950's, for reasons of legal expedience and supremacist aspirations, suddenly converted the watchtower into a religion.. this was done alongside one of the most audacious, spurious and longstanding swindles of the us legal system.

this involved twisting philippians 1:7 and misrepresenting the watchtower's true nature, objectives and activities.. .

this meant that it became necessary for the watchtower to suddenly reclassify and redefine religion (w51 1/15 p. 43 new legal booklet well named; w51 8/15 p. 511 questions from readers; yb75 p. 161 part 2 "for gladys bolton...").. two new watchtower classifications were suddenly created: "true religion" and "false religion".. now "true religion" meant "true beliefs" whilst "belief" in ever changing watchtower doctrine was equated with the one "faith" of scripture.. all this while the watchtower increasingly and maliciously truncated, obfuscated and hid the liberating full "good news" (or unabridged gospel) of scripture, which it lyingly claimed (in court) that it was actually "defending and legally establishing".. how would you have defined religion before learning ttatt?.

Fernando

"Judge" Rutherford defined or classified ALL religion as "a snare and a racket" in his books "Religion" and "Enemies".

After Rutherford's death in 1942, his protégé, Watchtower Vice President, and ACLU darling, Hayden C. Covington, in the early 1950's, for reasons of legal expedience and supremacist aspirations, suddenly converted the Watchtower into a religion.

This was done alongside one of the most audacious, spurious and longstanding swindles of the US legal system. This involved twisting Philippians 1:7 and misrepresenting the Watchtower's true nature, objectives and activities.

This meant that it became necessary for the Watchtower to suddenly reclassify and redefine religion (w51 1/15 p. 43 New Legal Booklet Well Named; w51 8/15 p. 511 Questions From Readers; yb75 p. 161 Part 2 "For Gladys Bolton...").

Two new Watchtower classifications were suddenly created: "true religion" and "false religion".

Now "true religion" meant "true beliefs" whilst "belief" in ever changing Watchtower doctrine was equated with the one "faith" of scripture.

All this while the Watchtower increasingly and maliciously truncated, obfuscated and hid the liberating full "Good News" (or unabridged gospel) of scripture, which it lyingly claimed (in court) that it was actually "Defending and Legally Establishing".

How would you have defined religion before learning TTATT?

How would you now define religion?

And why?