Posts by elderINewton

44

Need advice

by Darkknight757 in

hi.i've been pouring over this site for the past few days looking for some advice and i hope there is someone here that can help a guy out.

i'm desperate.....short bio: i came into the organization after high school and shortly after married a wonderful girl who was born-in.we have been happily married now for nearly 20 years and things were well until 2015 hit.

by the way, i currently serve as an elder and have the ""privilege"" of being the "watchtower overseer".. either here nor there, we were told we would never have children but late last year my wife became prego!!

elderINewton

Darkknight,

I'm sorry for your losses, and can empathize with you and your wife. There is a large army of sisters and brothers that have lived with the loss of child through miscarriage. Its one of those terrible things that for some reason the expectation is for you and your wife to suffer in silence. When my sister lost her second, I berated the elder body for being so clueless and uncaring especially when her hours slipped. It was one of many things that woke me up.

As you are the watchtower conductor it will likely be very difficult for you to step down as they view you as the best teacher, per the instructions in ks10 and the last CO visits. But you can do it. I was only the TMS conductor so it was a little easier this year to step down from it. I just told them it was too stressful and I needed some time away from the position. They won't complain too much if you say its just too much for a bit. Just remember its a private family matter that my wife and I need to work on.

I too had a bit of a crisis of conscience, when the WT asked me to bend the rules I could feel my grandfather roll over in his grave and I knew I had to get out. It took two years to slowly wake up my wife's mind to critical thinking, and its a step many profess that works. I did not want to loose those 20 years together (we must have gotten married the same year). Once her mind was awake to thinking for itself at all worked out.

For your sake, do the research you need to do at this stage. I'm not sure your ready yourself to take that next step of spirituality that many are not willing to take. jwfacts.com helped me reason with myself and understand the true history of watchtower. For me that was a first step. But take some advice from others as well about getting away and chilling. Good luck.

15

2016 Calendar: Give us more money!

by wifibandit in

just got a peak at the 2016 calendar and i cannot tell you how much it bothered me.

it's all about constructing new kh and assembly halls, which is completely ironic given that the construction stopped almost worldwide.obviously this is proof that the borg is shifting from a magazine publisher to a real estate conglomerate, no wonder they're getting rid of 12 issues of magazines all together.. now, while the pdf of this is not up on the site yet, i will post confirmation as soon as it becomes available.

weather that is by legitimate means or other wise..

elderINewton

Not that too many would notice, but it's interesting that the number of KH's built in each 2 year period is shrinking fast....

2001-2002 - 4607

2004-2003 - 4520

2006-2005 - 4447

2008-2007 - 4151

2010-2009 - 4170 (only increase and its 19 halls)

2012-2011 - 3275

2014-2013 - 2905

Still from afar it appears that they are trying for a 280 people per KH per memorial numbers. I'm missing something in the numbers, but I just can't put my finger on it.

Such a surprise to see that they would actually publish that they have been asking for more $$ for KH's in past years, but have been making less. How odd.

24

You have a $100,000,000 budget to do a global campaign against the WTBS worldwide. How would you spend it?

by JWchange in

what if by inheritance, winning the lottery or any other way, you suddenly got your hands on $150m after tax.

you maybe would spend a third of this giving your extended family financial security for life.

you maybe would buy a boat and a few investment properties.

elderINewton

Superbowl commercial - I like that idea about a pedo at the door. Only 8 million (two 30 second ads).

Hire a nation state to hack them beyond belief to get all the data out. Probably only a 2 million charge.

then let the chips fall.

112

Did an EX-JW wake you up to TTATT or did you put the effort to wake up yourself?

by John Aquila in

how many of us were woken up by some apostate yelling false prophets at a convention?.

how many of us were woken up by someone holding a sign and yelling, what happened to 1975.

how many of us were coerced to investigate the wt because some ex-jw pulled up a bunch of old watchtowers magazines and told us to read the false predictions?.

elderINewton

Funny for me, it was simple, I had lines that could not be crossed, that one being of supporting victims and justice for them. The other was money, they could never mislead anyone with money, if they did I couldn't be part of it.

I read the letters to elders and lived with the first line, but I showed my wife and said that if it happens to me I'm crossing the line. I told her about the money line and said I'd cross it again.

Then the "forgive the loans" crock of lies letter came and I really let them cross that line waiting to fix it. Then I saw for the third time how they treated victims of pedo's and that was a line I could not live with being crossed.

In many ways though the first time the line was crossed, I opened myself up to the internet as I could not believe I was the only one with a problem on the money. Then the world was opened up to viewing apostate information, but to me I've personally never been scared of apostate information, as I believe light can shine through any darkness. Funny when you realize your in the dark though.

10

Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse

by Dissonant15 in

all states in the us mandate health care workers and teachers to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement.

this year our commonwealth expanded the law to include clergy, and to include a mandatory two hour training on what to look for and how to report, required for all mandatory reporters.. my coworker at the hospital said she and her husband did the training together, because her husband volunteers in the sunday school at the church, they required him to take it too.

i asked several witnesses when this law came into effect if all the elders and ms are going to be taking the training and everyone looked at me like i was an alien and they had no idea what the heck i was talking about.

elderINewton

To me this is the biggest secret that they hold over every single elder in the world. First and foremost, the watchtower expects:

1) To follow the letters.

2) To not ask liability questions.

Why liability?

Say for an elder they say that its "confidential talk" - as so they view that information is privileged, so that even countries that have mandatory reporting laws, usually get some clergy exemption. So if your an elder ask yourself, am I exempt? - My own personal lawyer asked me one question, and I was floored, the question was so where is your proof that you are even a member of the clergy? - My reply was that I don't have it and that I did know that brothers who marry have to request it. Without proof, I'm personally liable, and ignorance is not a defense in the eyes of the law. Now, I'm 100% positive, that if the court ever requested such document one would magically appear.

So even most elders have no proof they are a member of clergy, and as such could (and in my opinion) and should be held accountable for not following the laws as they can not prove they even have any clergy privilege.

Either way - this information is really hid from all publishers - think about it, when your baptized, your all baptized as ordained ministers of Jehovah's Witnesses, at least they tell you that, but offer dick all proof that you are.

I'm amazed that I have never even heard of any cases trying to highlight this blatant side stepping of the law.

Its one of the many reasons I disappeared, just like my lawyer said, they will take your $ before suing the WT. Low and behold we have letters warning elders to shut up so they don't get personally sued.

So mandatory reporting is useless, when a society side steps the law.

(I just wonder if the WT spy's will recognize this loophole as I asked them about it directly and was told "its a theocratic organization." - theocratic my ass)

16

The Org's Chariot Rolls On - Over the Top of People!

by The Searcher in

information just received from a reliable source.. here is an example of how the org's "expansion" is being carried out in 3 continents: .

japan - special pioneers under age 50 are being told they will now only be regular pioneers.barcelona spain - the regional translation (catalan) office is being closed.mexico - special pioneers being told they will only be regular pioneers - no age specified on this one.. the scene of the org's world is changing - rapidly!.

elderINewton

I wonder if they plan on pushing the cost of CO's to the congregations fully. Maybe even the remaining special pioneers.

11

Question - thoughts on explaining your fading to teachers?

by elderINewton in

jw
friends

weird/odd question, but with our family fading, and our daughter in school how or should one approach teachers with this?

our child is a little too young to understand why we are fading, but it proves challenging in school as they have been, well brainwashed, to say i shouldn't do that etc... .

i don't like explaining anything to teachers about the fade, etc.

elderINewton

Weird/odd question, but with our family fading, and our daughter in school how or should one approach teachers with this?

Our child is a little too young to understand why we are fading, but it proves challenging in school as they have been, well brainwashed, to say I shouldn't do that etc...

I don't like explaining anything to teachers about the fade, etc. as they could very well have friends that could report back to the cult center.

Anyone with experience with this? I'm just trying to open my mind to other ideas.

42

Warwick, What is it good for?

by freemindfade in

absolutely nothing.... has anyone dared ask what they need this place for?

think about a few things.

in bethels hay day, there was a shit ton of literature being printed, they even need a giant factory with elevators a truck could fit in.

elderINewton

Sh@t, after all this time, I am now reminded of why during the Conti case the WT was acting so funky around the bond costs and wanting to use real estate. At the time, and I bond stuff all the time, I was thinking that's a shit load of work to use real estate instead of 50k for a bond, and now the answers are finally coming, money f'n crunch. Only in this tread I see the damn "new light."

I get the feeling that some scriptures from the OT are going to be used to require our own Mecca experience to bethel to cover the use of this new facility. Its over the top for its needs.

14

money

by Defianttruth in

jw
friends

i keep seeing references to the 750 million in sales of the nyc properties and confusion around the apparent cash flow problems of the wtbt society.

here's the reality.

if they went, to a bank and asked for loans for the buildings here's what a bank would say, "absolutely.

elderINewton

Crazyguy - the D&B actually does list them as a religion, but in the credit request documents Bethel identifies themselves as in the printing & construction business. So its Bethel identification, not D&B, so its quite ironic.

As for the float, if they are being required to use outside contractors, then they are needing quick payment turnaround. If vendors are jumpy they might also be requiring large deposits or bonds as well.

14

money

by Defianttruth in

jw
friends

i keep seeing references to the 750 million in sales of the nyc properties and confusion around the apparent cash flow problems of the wtbt society.

here's the reality.

if they went, to a bank and asked for loans for the buildings here's what a bank would say, "absolutely.

elderINewton

FYI - I have yet to personally see a credit downgrade. They are a customer of the company I work for and the D&B indicated "good" credit. Funniest part to me was when they said they are in the "printing & construction" business, religion was not listed.

The likely issue is that you can't get a mortgage on contaminated property. Banks don't lend on buildings with issues like that. It might have caught them off guard so the cash grab could be to maintain a float rather than have a bank provide the service.

They will need a sizeable float to maintain construction of Wakhill.

I have also seen a fair number of special pioneers shipped out for assignment via airplane, so they are not acting like its a money issue with the ministry. Only construction, it further clouds the whole issue.