Posts by Listener

40

PIMI wife told to go against her husband and take the vaccines?

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

if a pimi sister has been told by her unbelieving husband not to take these experimental vaccines then what is official jw policy in this situation?.

should she go against her husband and tell him i will do what the men at my church tell me?.

what on earth will the husband think then?

Listener

I agree with Samcats. Her husband was a control freak.

27

the magazine that they are studying in the congregation this month has an article at the back about how pornography in a marriage could damage the relationship.. there's one piece of advice that sounds rather scary, the wt suggests that the couple should "consider asking an elder with whom you are both comfortable to sit in and guide your discussions for a time.".

how many of you would want an elder present in your home while you and your partner discussed your personal sexual cravings and the type of porn videos being watched?.

Listener

They are worried about porn in the marriage, what about abuse? They have interesting priorities and there has to be a reason why.

63

Leaked. Nov 6th Secret Boxes

by Beth Sarim in

jw
friends

self-aware npc has an upload that the ""top-secret"' elders only secret boxes is a drum roll here......a new brochure.....ta dahhhh🤪.

i mean how more dramatic can we get..

Listener

The new "Love people, make disciples" brochure has been leaked and can be found at https://avoidjw.org/whats-new/love-people-new-publication/

It's a recruiting brochure where JWs are initially instructed to be people focused, natural and to basically tell them what they want to hear then once they've been snared by means of accepting book studies, they are instructed not to talk too much and stick to the study material.

The brochure is a basic guide as to how to go about their preaching work, it's all been said before but suggests they will no longer have campaigns where they focus on a particular 'memorized program'. Of course they will, they are always wishy washy in their approach. Still, they are taking a lighter approach to preaching. The instruction is to engage in chit chat, focusing on the individual and what they would like to tak about. Then they can edge their way into mentioning a 'basic truth'.

There is no focus on the real Bible message. It does mention the term 'good news' but it does not discuss what it is. No mention of the gospel is made at all in all of its 32 pages. It does not talk about faith in Jesus and the significance of his ransom sacrifice in the forgiveness of sins or God's free gift and growing in our love towards God. Yet they talk about reaching a persons heart at the initial stages. Nor does it mention his rulership as King. There is a section devoted to 'Truths we love to teach' which they are instructing JWs to speak about - BASIC TRUTHS. Under "Jesus" they only include these four basic truths about him - He is a Great Teacher, He foretold events we see today, He is God's son and He is not God Almighty. At the very best, it's not until a person gets to the stage of committing to studying do they have the potential of hearing about Christ's sacrifice and God's love.

83

Thought on “0 hours” reporting

by FFGhost in

so everyone knows the “big news” of this past weekend, no more reporting of hours, placements, return visits, etc.

beginning november 1, jws just tick a box indicating whether they “shared in any form of the ministry during the month”.. so there was a brief comment by a redditor that seems like a brief joke “throwaway comment” but after thinking about it….why not?.

the idea is, what is “any form of the ministry”?

Listener

The wording on reporting on the new form is "any form of the ministry"

How will they define what 'ministry' is in this context?

This is from a Watchtower in 1971 8/1, an article that defines what it is to minister and in part states

"The expression “to minister” in this text translates a Greek verb (di·a·ko·neʹo) meaning literally “to serve.” Yes, basically the Christian ministry is Christian service. If we keep this in mind we will be better able to grasp the full meaning of such ministry" It clearly explains in the article that it is not limited to field ministry and gives a number of examples as to what ministry includes. Even a Christian mother properly attending to the needs of her family is considered ministry. It includes the work Bethelites do and includes feeding or helping those in need. It is not limited to spiritual feeding.

As far as the Watchtower goes, it is often a matter of 'follow the money'. If we apply that here, then their new strategy becomes clearer. If correct, it hasn't got much to do with their failing numbers but more about driving the dollars in.

They are moving the focus from field ministry to other forms of 'acceptable service'. That would include Bethel Service, as a remote worker or living on site. Providing material help where ever they see it as being advantageous to them and this will be ramped up more. Spending more time on making video's. Devoting time to their biggest money spinner, the building work. Even more emphasis will be placed on donating as being part of person ministry.

Providing more material aid to those in need helps with Watchtower in a number of ways. Firstly, it establishes them as a 'charity' even more so, or beyond question in many countries. Being identified as a charity brings numerous financial benefits as well as creating a better public image to help in lawsuits.

'Jehovah's fast moving chariot' is quite slow and this appears to be part of their revamp that's been taking place over the past number of years. We've seen the articles and talks more and more promoting those other areas of ministry over that time but it's not so effective if JWs are still focused on the field ministry as being an important part of their Christian service, devoting at least 10 hours a month. With this step of removing the reporting of hours of field ministry and instead just asking whether the JW has been involved in any ministry over the last month, helps to shift the focus further.

Now there's a possibility that a JW may feel that donating money and being a good Christian is giving his best whereas in years gone by, it wasn't. They are becoming more and more like their enemy, the Catholic religion.

I love how they have designed the form, it's very sneaky. It says check the box if you have shared in any form of ministry during the month. If a JW feels that they haven't and puts a cross in the box, they'll still be counted as having done so. Very clever, all they need to do is be insistent that the JW fills out the form and hands it back. If they were being genuine they would have two boxes, a yes and a no box.

83

Thought on “0 hours” reporting

by FFGhost in

so everyone knows the “big news” of this past weekend, no more reporting of hours, placements, return visits, etc.

beginning november 1, jws just tick a box indicating whether they “shared in any form of the ministry during the month”.. so there was a brief comment by a redditor that seems like a brief joke “throwaway comment” but after thinking about it….why not?.

the idea is, what is “any form of the ministry”?

Listener

CDN media

33

Why is the Faithful Slave Now Admitting Ignorance?

by Vanderhoven7 in

dbm writes on the question: will sodomites get a resurrection?.

i guess it depends the date that you asked this question.

here is a screenshot from a video which gives an overview of the changes (new light) on this question:.

Listener

It looks like their last position on this was that the Sodomites would not be resurrected. The problem with this is that it doesn't fit in with their new idea about people dying at Armageddon, the possibility of resurrection, also the idea that ex JWs can return after the start of the GT and God being merciful. Instead of taking the opposite viewpoint again, they've decided not to take one at all.

However, when you look at their new ideas/light, one could only conclude that the Sodomites or those dying in Noah's day would be treated the same. That means that even though they do not want to be dogmatic about the Sodomites but they are being dogmatic with these new idea's/light.

7

No Blood Policy and some repercussions

by Listener in

thank you atlantis for the emails that you send out to so many of us.

in one email that i received dated 21st october was a jw document title "information for patients requiring chemotherapy or surgery".

the organization never ceases to shock and i was disgusted with the information included in this document because it leads to their followers not getting the best medical care, not just because of their no blood policy but because of the other repercussions which they highlight in this information guide.. they begin by stating they are not giving medical advice, just information to help individuals make their own decisions.. point 7 states.

Listener

Thank you Atlantis for the emails that you send out to so many of us. In one email that I received dated 21st October was a JW document Title "Information for Patients requiring Chemotherapy or Surgery"

The organization never ceases to shock and I was disgusted with the information included in this document because it leads to their followers not getting the best medical care, not just because of their no blood policy but because of the other repercussions which they highlight in this information guide.

They begin by stating they are not giving medical advice, just information to help individuals make their own decisions.

Point 7 states

7. Oncologist: He is a cancer specialist. He may recommend chemotherapy, radiation, or other therapies to treat the cancer. Some treatments will impair the body’s ability to produce new blood cells.
(1) Ask how he can individualize or modify your chemotherapy protocol by extending the cycles or reducing the dosage if needed.
(2) Ask about the use of drugs that stimulate production of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

They are telling followers to reduce the amount of chemo simply based on the idea that there is a possibility of needing a blood transplant.

Point 8 states

8. Hematologist: He is a blood disorder specialist. For a very limited number of patients with certain conditions, he may recommend a hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cell trans?plant (also called a bone marrow transplant). Such stem cells can be collected from your own blood or the blood of another person. Since these can be complex medical matters, the Hospital Liaison Committee (HLC) can assist you to understand the issues and to communi?cate with caregivers. However, the HLC will not make a decision for you regarding a stem cell transplant. Because the transplant will also unintentionally include other blood cells, you will have to decide, in harmony with your Bible-trained conscience, whether you can accept it.
(1) Ask your caregiver how the stem cells will be stored before they are reinfused.
(2) If the stem cells are from another person, ask your caregiver how he will manage your condition without using infusions of donor lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells).
(3) Some hospitals routinely administer blood transfusions in the course of recovery. Ask your caregiver to explain how he plans to avoid this

They advice that a stem cell transplant will unintentionally include other blood cells and it is up to the individual as to whether they accept it or not. Given that they state any blood transfusion is also up to the individual to accept or not, it's hard to conclude that it is okay to do this. However, they suggest that they can but need to clarify a couple of matters first.

The only basis they give for it being acceptable seems to be because blood cells are 'unintentionally' included with the stem cells. This is just a word game here as they are obviously 'intentionally' included if they are there. What they are suggesting is that the individual isn't 'intentionally' having blood, instead their main aim is to have the stem cell transplant and since it's just a 'byproduct' it's okay.

30

Jehovah's Witness' bid to be excluded from abuse inquiry dismissed

by Tahoe in

link to article.

a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church to get out of being part of the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the high court in wellington.. after nearly three years of behind-the-scenes legal wrangling to avoid scrutiny from the inquiry, the church applied for a judicial review in june.. at a hearing, held earlier this month it argued it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not operate institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people and the inquiry had uncovered no evidence of abuse in that context.. lawyers representing the inquiry argued that jehovah's witness elders - equivalent to ministers or pastors - exercised a level of control over the congregation that allowed them access to children.. the inquiry informed abuse survivors who gave evidence to the inquiry in relation to the jehovah's witnesses of the news this afternoon.. "we have received advice from the high court that none of the causes of action brought by the jehovah's witnesses has succeeded and the application for judicial review has been dismissed.

the judge's reasons are not yet available, but are expected in the near future," the email to survivors, seen by rnz, said.. the church was the only faith-based institution in the country to legally challenge its involvement in the inquiry, although it had attempted to challenge its status in other countries where similar inquiries have also been carried out.. the inquiry said, in a statement, that the dismissal "means the royal commission can continue to investigate the jehovah's witnesses, and all other faiths, in accordance with the pastoral care approach we have been applying since 2019".. "reasons for the high court's judgment are not yet available but are expected in the near future.

Listener

They act as though their organization is above being investigate and question by the higher authorities. They justify that Jehovah's name must be sanctified.

Yet when it comes to the scathing conclusions these higher authorities make against their organization they don't even bother to use their own website to defend and sanctify his name. The only conclusion that can be made is because they can't.

27

Selena Vertolomo "The Mower" and her sister Sherrie call into The Six Screens TIME STAMP 2:53

by RESPECTFUL OBSERVER in

jw
friends

selena vertolomo, former jehovah's witnesses who was sexually abused in watchtower, went to visit tony morris in north carolina.

selena and her sister call in and explain their position.

callers dial in from around the world and ask plenty of questions.

Listener

I forgot to mention that the video above was uploaded a month ago. I haven't heard of anything since.

27

Selena Vertolomo "The Mower" and her sister Sherrie call into The Six Screens TIME STAMP 2:53

by RESPECTFUL OBSERVER in

jw
friends

selena vertolomo, former jehovah's witnesses who was sexually abused in watchtower, went to visit tony morris in north carolina.

selena and her sister call in and explain their position.

callers dial in from around the world and ask plenty of questions.

Listener

Not that I know of and excellent that you ask. Some ex JWs don't even bother to do any research before they believe her, even going to the point of making video's supporting her claims.

About a month ago Youtuber, Jimmy Bell did a couple of interviews with her. He asked her some great questions but she presented absolutely no evidence. Some of the excuses were that we don't deserve to know, things must be kept hidden for the time being, she will share it later as she see's fit and she doesn't want to share insurance documents about her house's burning down. Funny that, but you would think there would be a police report or two about this. I've seen absolutely nothing so it would be good to see anything that might support her crazy claims.

On one of Jim's Youtubes a poster commented that she had made claims that "she's an "apostolic descendent" and part of a secret group inside the JWs that is above the Governing Body that cares about apostolic bloodlines, which sounds pretty non-sensical."

Here's a link to the interview with Jimmy Bell but it's not worth watching other than for the fact that she is really clever in avoiding answering anything factual or proving any of her more weird claims other than what is already public knowledge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhreBV9L3eQ&t=4335s

She's very intelligent and it sounds like she had an awful childhood but some of her ideas are whacky. It's such a shame, not only for her but for the naïve ex JWs that believe this stuff.