Too bad most JWs will never watch the hearing(s). The testimony is very damming.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
the royal commission hearing starting on monday, july 27, 2015 - australian day and date - (and it could go on until august 7th depending on how many witnesses testify) regarding jehovah's witnesses handling of child abuse is supposed to be streamed.. it could be that the hearing will only be audio not video although we were informed it will be streamed.
we'll find out in a few hours.. i live in the central time zone of the us and right now here it is sunday, 3: 45 pm.
in sydney, australia, it is 15 hours ahead of us.
Too bad most JWs will never watch the hearing(s). The testimony is very damming.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
and money wasn't an issue, what would it be?
Vidiot -
Take it a step further.
Start up or join a lobbyist group whose primary focus is the review and investigation of groups (religious or secular) whose tax-exempt status is/may be being abused... and/or lobbying to get the standards for tax-exemption raised to something closer to decent standards.
I have been trying to interest other lobbyist groups such as First Focus, NOW, SNAP, ACLU, and gay rights organizations. I sometimes feel that those types of organizations don't want to solve the problem, because how would they exist without something to be against.
I don't feel too bad since Steven Hassan has been trying for more than 30 years to convince people, bureaucrats, politicians to revoke the tax-exempt status of organizations who victimize their members with "undue influence" without changing the Tax Code. I feel that the Tax Code must be changed before the IRS will pro-actively enforce it for non-profits.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
and money wasn't an issue, what would it be?
Donate money to the political campaigns of key members of Congress to review a draft bill with members of Congress that would revise the Tax Code to protect children from sexual abuse, and prevent non-profit organizations from using 'undue influence" (e.g., shunning) on their members or promote that their members use it on each other. The draft bill and its executive summary are available at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lbrkte086omivtt/AADN7PQHNylsdKwbltjHxBUea?dl=0 .
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
recently it seems very quiet in jw land.. jw broadcasting has been in full swing for months now, nobody bats an eye lid at that anymore.. so the question is, what is next?
the next organisation change, the next doctrine change.
it seems like this is the quiet before the storm.. the way things are going, it's almost like they try and one up their last change, things in jw land get that bit more crazy every year.. i'm hedging my bets toward a monthly public talk broadcast straight from new york.
I believe that a corporate re-organization is going to occur within the next 2 years that will cull the R&F, so that only the most "Spiritually Strong" (non-thinking) JWs will remain.
The WTBTS will praise how effective the cart work and JW broadcasting are doing, The WTBTS will some how spin (or keep silent) about selling more Assembly and KH properties. Of course, the WTBTS will brag at how money is needed to fund JW broadcasting, distributing literature on-line through JW.org or through smaller sized retail outlets in strip malls. I would not be surprised if the WTBTS's owned entire strip-malls with a JW retail store in the mall someday. Of coarse, the WTBTS will also attempt to shame JWs to do more and give more money.
JW broadcasting, the writing, and printing departments could be spun off into an independent corporation that will donate excess funds to the WTBTS and hopefully reduce liability for the WTBTS. If the NewCorp prints anything that can be litigated, WTBTS representatives will just say, "JWs abhor . . . "
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
i know that jws like to boast about how virtuous jws and the wtbts are and believe that the wtbts abhors child sex abuse.. if a co is equivalent to a catholic archbishop, would the wtbts ever df a co and support him being prosecuted for child sexual abuse like the catholic church is doing to wesolowski, who paid to have sex with children ( http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33491956 )?
i wonder if this news will appear in a watchtower or awake.
i doubt it for obvious reasons.. peace be with you and everyone, who you love,.
I know that JWs like to boast about how virtuous JWs and the WTBTS are and believe that the WTBTS abhors child sex abuse.
If a CO is equivalent to a Catholic archbishop, would the WTBTS ever DF a CO and support him being prosecuted for child sexual abuse like the Catholic Church is doing to Wesolowski, who paid to have sex with children ( http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33491956 )? I wonder if this news will appear in a Watchtower or Awake. I doubt it for obvious reasons.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
happy independence day to those in the usa.
i can't help but think of our own personal struggles for freedom today.. "question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."1.
--thomas jefferson.
Happy Independence Day to you too and thank you for Thomas Jefferson's quote!
BTW the Father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, James Madison, also was very adamant about keeping Church and State separate, so at least two colonists (and many more) were leery of religious leaders trying to "unduly influence" their followers. Have you read James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments to protest passing a bill to fund religious leaders through taxation?
History has many lessons for those willing to do some research. Too bad many people would rather watch reality TV.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
"don't you believe that this is god's spirit-directed organization?".
"do you believe that god is teaching us through the faithful & discreet slave?
"who else has the truth?
What about paraphrasing the 15 Nov. 2013 Watchtower, page 20, paragraph 17, conclusion # 3?
(3) At that time, the lifesaving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.
How ready are you to obey any instructions that you receive from Jehovah's Organization, whether it appears sound from a strategic or human standpoint? The following might be follow on questions to clarify a JWs level of commitment:
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
"hot topic on topix seems to be candace conti settlement.
but it's all quiet here.
are you guys aware that your hero, who was not in it for the money but to change policies, settled without changing anything?".
Candace Conti was raped as a child by Jonathan Kendrick, then was emotionally abused by the Fremont Congregation elders when she tried to get them to protect other children, was legally abused during depositions by the WTBTS's lawyers during legal proceedings, and finally gutted by the 1st Appellate Court of California on April 13, 2015.
Condace has nothing to prove to anyone especially people who are unwilling to confront the WTBTS about its practices of enabling and protecting pedophiles, victimizing JWs with BITE control techniques, or fleecing jWs of money to financially support the WTBTS. I would like to see anybody do half as much as Candace has done to confront the WTBTS to change its behavior.
Best Wishes for Candace to enjoy the rest of her life in peace.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
http://time.com/3939143/nows-the-time-to-end-tax-exemptions-for-religious-institutions/?xid=newsletter-brief.
june 28, 2015 .
nows the time to end tax exemptions for religious institutions.
Thank you Barbara. The article reads more like an opinion than a news report.
Although I would like all non-profits to be treated equally, transparently, and pay for more public services, I'm too busy writing to members of Congress to promote tweaking the Tax Code to protect children from sexual abuse than to write more about my opinion.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
would it really affect them?
how would it affect volunteers at any construction project since that work would now be taxable.
any materials they buy would be taxable.