Posts by Hoffnung

347

ARC - Case Study 54 - All Exhibits have been released

by jwleaks in

all exhibits for case study 54, jehovah's witnesses and watchtower, have been released by the arc.. http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/exhibits/10908a67-70c5-4103-94cc-dac096fdb585/case-study-54,-march-2017,-sydney.

exhibit list.

joint statement of o'brien and spinks.

Hoffnung

The ARC report issued in Nov or Oct 2016 about case study 29 is pretty damning for the Jehovah's Witnesses. The JW responses to allegations of child sex abuse are highly inadequate. And the ARC has gone great lengths to allow the JW to present their viewpoints and to provide an objective evaluation. The replies provided by the JW 10 days ago do not give much reasons to believe it will be improved a lot.

And neither have the 16 pages on this thread demonstrated anything further than an unwillingness of the JW to make the JW policies adequate. JW apologists RO and fisherman seem to be quite happy with that. And that is a real shame

35

New member + anyone attended/seen the Zone Visit?

by Isambard Crater in

jw
friends

i'm a new member so wanted to say 'hi'.

i live in the u.k, was born in, fell away as an unbaptised publisher, got baptised in my 30s for reasons i'm retrospectively unsure of, and lost my faith about five years ago around the time of the original a.r.c.

now, being unable to leave is making me physically, emotionally and mentally ill.. i have been visiting this forum for a couple of years and wanted to post my first message to see if anyone has attended, heard or watched the zone visit broadcast thing happening this month?

Hoffnung

Hi IC,

Welcome on this board. I think you are particularly in a more comfortable position than many others when your husband is not a JW. If you have a social circle outside the society, it should be easy enough to call it quits. If your parents are using pressure or guilt to make you stay, it is time to take your life back in your own hands. It will be better for your mental and emotional health in the long run. that is what we did. No matter how you go forward from where you are now, I wish you all the best

46

Do You Trust The News Media?

by minimus in

jw
friends

obviously, trump doesn't.

but do you?

do you think that they are generally fair, unbiased and honest?.

Hoffnung

You should not look just at truthfulness, but also on topic selection. Everybody got heated up on the Obama Trump tower wire tap. What was quickly forgotten because of this... obvious and proven connections between Trumps elected secretaries and the Russian spy nr. 1 in the US. Since this has now lost interest, nobody cares any more. Good job Trump. You got the Russians on board, on record and all... but we are looking at Obama now... who is stupid now

95

Who can explain why the "Two Witness" rule is wrong, in the simplest term?

by DATA-DOG in

with all the legalese being tossed around, and the expert manipulation on the part of the wtbts, who can explain why the "two witness" is being perverted by the wtbts?

i don't care if you're a bible believer and want to approach this from a biblical standpoint, or if you simply use logic and reason.

how would you explain this subject to a j-dub, or even a non-dub?.

Hoffnung

As Eden already correctly wrote, the 2-witnesses-rule is wrong, when it is used as a reason for not having to report to the police a criminal offense of which you have been informed.

If a "brother" confesses he has murdered a 10 year old kid to a JW elder, or if someone reports that the has seen a brother murdering a kid, then i believe the elder would not need a 2nd witness to report this to the police.

Not reporting what you know about such a crime, exposes the congregation members and the society at large to the crime to be repeated.

14

How can I succeed in life not being a jw again?

by victory in

jw
friends

when i was a jw, i was taught that i can never succeed in life if i leave the sect.

now that i am no longer a member of the fold, how can i succeed in this only life i have and achieve my dreams?.

Hoffnung

If you have concrete goals as part of your dreams, it could be easier than before. You have more tome and energy at your disposal, since you do not have to go meetings, or prepare for them. No field service, no conventions. Socially, you will be less awkward, you can wish people happy birthdays, happy new year and merry Christmas. However, if your friends were all witnesses, you will have to build a new circle of friends, and that will take time. Do you want to share some of your dreams and the challenges you see to reach them..

26

Follow up: the baby did not survive

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

it was always a long shot anyway.

but, after a week of emotional pain for the mom, and extreme physical pain for a helpless infant, the baby's body finally succumbed.. all those prayers from the parents, from family, from friends, were absolutely worthless.

that is a deity for ya!

Hoffnung

Steel, My mother-in-law died of one of these muscle-nerve deseases a couple years ago, and i had exactly the same thought as the OP. if there is an almighty, all powerful God, and he sees poor people, and babies, suffer and die horribly from awful sicknesses, without doing something about, then this God is extremely far away from the God of Love that he is supposed to be. Sorry that it is not politically correct, but it was and is my opinion and i stand for it. Now you claim we are not entitled to even mention it... Shove it!

26

Follow up: the baby did not survive

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

it was always a long shot anyway.

but, after a week of emotional pain for the mom, and extreme physical pain for a helpless infant, the baby's body finally succumbed.. all those prayers from the parents, from family, from friends, were absolutely worthless.

that is a deity for ya!

Hoffnung

Hi,

I have become a dad not long ago, and occurrences with newborns are really heavy (my kid is doing good). There is no righteousness involved in the way health problems strike babies. No baby deserves to suffer and no baby deserves to die. But sometimes they do. Luckily it happens a lot less than it used to. if it would be an animal in wild nature, chances would have been a lot worse. the paradise hope does not comfort any parent. The practicalities make a resurrection of a baby quite impossible.

Your friend will get lots of attention up to the funeral. after that you can show to be a real friend. Any show of sympathy will do good, as long as it is authentic. Probably there will already be lots of stuff in the house that will make them remember the baby. Kids room, baby cloths,.. it will be hard for them to go through that.

55

A question to Non-US forum members.

by Spoletta in

now that trump is on his way to making america great again, will you consider moving here where you can get the best healthcare and education that anyone with a lot of money can buy, plus the ability to buy all the guns you need to protect yourself?

and it gets better!

if you are caucasian, you need never worry about discrimination.. am anxious to hear your replies.

Hoffnung

I definitely prefer to stay in Europe. i do not feel much for getting on the gun death statistics.

102

Day 2 - Fessler vs. Watchtower – Thomas Jefferson Jr takes the stand in Jehovah’s Witness Child Abuse Trial

by darkspilver in

day two (wednesday 8 february 2017).

see also posts and threads regarding: pre-trial / day one / day one update / day five (last day, settlement).

jefferson: not totally.. zeff: okay.

Hoffnung

The question for the moral code by Fisherman is super hypocritical. JW claim themselves that they obey the superior authorities as per Romans 13. In this case, they willfully disobeyed the laws of this authority

78

The handling of child abuse allegations

by Landy in

there's a lot of criticism surrounding the jw's handling of chiild abuse within their ranks with a lot of it being well deserved.

but i'm interested to know how people on here think child abuse allegations should be handled.

there's a few scenarios below, the first couple are easy then it gets a bit more complex.

Hoffnung

If it is announced upfront that all accusation of child abuse will be immediately reported to the police, you do not violate anyones right.