Posts by Lee Elder

23

What was the strangest off-the-cuff remark you ever heard from and elder or higher appointee?

by donny in

i showed up for saturday morning field service and i was partnered with an elder who had transferred to our congregation in the dallas, texas area from michigan.

i told him about a recent embarrassing moment where i had played a "worldly" song during the sunday meeting due to someone replacing the cassette i had placed in the cassette player late friday night that had the correct "kingdom melody.".

out of the blue he said "about 4 years ago i was giving the sunday talk and i kept sporting a boner from time to time which was bizarre since being horny and teaching about jehovah is typically not something one associates with one another.".

Lee Elder

Don't even get me started :-) There are so many bat shit crazy elders and C.O.'s that are off the rails, they probably have to have several full time people in the service departments just to answer letters about them.

64

E-Mail, Just recived. About Bethell adjustments.

by DwainBowman in

i just read an email from a friend, and she shared some very interesting emails from her friends about information on changes now happening at the bethels around the world.

here is the email: .

---------------------------------thanks sally, jesus is directing the org and all decisions and instructions to us may not seem practical from now on, neither will we understand the reasonings behind many of the changes that the organization makes.

Lee Elder

A lot of them will just not question anything. Hopefully, they never start passing out Kool-Aid because I'm pretty sure the majority of them would drink it.

20

Hemoglobin Infusion??

by Vetro in

i just got the new document about blood fractions from the wt, they will allow you to choose hemoglobin, but apparently not packed red blood cells, but in the medical journal i see nothing about hemoglobin infusions, is this even possible or just more bullshit from the wt?

Lee Elder

Nothing new there. The change allowing hemoglobin goes back to 2000. Hemopure has saved a few JW lives but it is problematic. Scroll down towards the bottom:

http://ajwrb.org/watchtower/blood-vaccines-and-organ-transplants

27

For me the worst thing is not having a helper anymore

by John Aquila in

one of the things that gave me confidence in life was that i believed i had the almighty creator/god watching over me, directing me, guiding my every step, protecting me from harm, and answering my prayers.

i now know that is not the case anymore.

i finally stopped praying.

Lee Elder

It seems clear, at least to me, that if there is a God - he is certainly a "non-interventionist". The reasons are unknown - perhaps unknowable. For that reason, I chose to think of myself as a Deist, because I am inclined to “believe” God exists, even though there is no concrete proof of this.

I am also inclined to believe that he has given us enormous power and the ability to solve our problems and take care of one another - if we chose to. I am also inclined to believe that prayer has some practical value even though I rarely pray myself anymore. There is great value in living your life with an attitude of gratitude. No matter what your station in life, you are wise to appreciate the amazing opportunity it is to be alive and ponder these kinds of issues. Life is nothing less than “miraculous” regardless of how it came to be – the same thing can be said for the Cosmos.

On the question of Jesus. I have little doubt he was a historical person. He clearly left a lasting impression on those who knew him, and is able to inspire all of us with his life and sayings. It is very unfortunate that so much evil has been done in his name by his followers.

Even if much of his life and story are fictional or metaphorical, I believe there is great value there if properly understood and used. I have no problem thinking of myself as a “follower” of Jesus and trying to live my life in way of Jesus.

Are Jesus or Jehovah “real” in the sense we believed as Jehovah's Witnesses? Almost certainly not. No one there to save us from ourselves or “time and unforeseen occurrence”. That is a disconcerting thought as you have said. On the other hand, what real value is there in believing fanciful notions with no basis in fact? I suppose part of the upside to the realization is that there is also no Armageddon or Great Tribulation to worry about. No mass destruction of billions of people to keep you up at night. There is also opportunity to live your life in such a way as to really count and make a difference for yourself, family and others - if so choose to do so.

17

Current blood doctrine

by Warren Wilson in

i am new to this site.

i was a jw from age 8 to 28. i am now 48 and leaving the organisation is the best decision i ever made in my life.

anyway,could somebody please tell me the current jw mis-stance on blood.

Lee Elder

The WTS current policy is that no one is "disfellowhipped" for taking a forbidden blood therapy. In fact, it is not considered a matter for a judicial committee. Instead, two elders are appointed to investigate the matter and speak with the individual. If the person admits to having taken the forbidden blood therapy voluntarily and without remorse, an announcement is made to the congregation that they are no longer one of JWs. Technically, they are disassociated. The effect is the same as disfellowshipping and the reality is that the person does not even have the benefit of a hearing anymore. How this works out in individual cases is going to vary widely depending on the individuals involved. There is apparently no appeal rights since no hearing took place. Its really more Orwellian than the old process when it comes right down to it.

17

Current blood doctrine

by Warren Wilson in

i am new to this site.

i was a jw from age 8 to 28. i am now 48 and leaving the organisation is the best decision i ever made in my life.

anyway,could somebody please tell me the current jw mis-stance on blood.

Lee Elder

The chart above is inaccurate. The Watchtower's policy permits the use of 100% of blood fractions.

210

TV.JW.ORG (September 2015) - Generation explained again

by Designer Stubble in

guess the overlapping generation concept is difficult for most to comprehend.

david spane does his best to explain it again.

the cutoff date for this generation has now moved to 1992 (was once 1935), the year that fred franz died.

Lee Elder

They have made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. They obviously feel this approach is their best option. Apparently not that different from the blood doctrine. They just slowly modify it till its pretty much unrecognizable; then proclaim that nothing has really changed. True believers will accept this "new light" as a test of their faith and just keep on keeping on. Nothing short of bizarre.

23

Please reach out to Te New Yorker

by Jonathan Drake in

i have found an article on their website that moved me to contact them.

i share it here hoping more will contact in a similar vein and maybe we can raise awareness and tear down this propaganda.

i'm writing regarding an article about jehovah's witnesses and their blood transfusion doctrine, found here:http://tinyurl.com/pxku9dgit is clear to me, reading this article, that it's writer is either profoundly ignorant or profoundly biased.

Lee Elder

They have published all 3 parts to the article. An AJWRB member is preparing a formal letter

to the editor. Objectively speaking, she does give some space to the limitations but should have

gone further in my view. Obviously, the piece will be used by the WTS to sell their policy and draw

conclusions that reach beyond what the data can support. The article has already been sited here:

http://www.hhnmag.com/Daily/2015/August/weekly-reading-uber-alternative-medicine-faith-santamour

and they have published my response at the bottom of the article in the comments section.

78

I believe that the greater percentage of JWs-You Will Not Be Able to Help, no Matter What Facts You Show Them.

by John Aquila in

so i ran into this brother whom ive known for a while and the conversation led into me being invited to come back to the kingdom hall.

we talked for about an hour during which time i explained to him 607 being the wrong date and a lot of other stuff including the child abuse cases in australia.

but what i wanted to relate was the last few minutes of our conversation.

Lee Elder

Some people like living in the Matrix, tasting the make believe steak and other goodies. The cold, hard truth is that your friend has about a 65% probability of his children leaving for the world by the time they reach adulthood. Then his perfect JW family will be in complete turmoil - particularly if they are baptized. He also runs the risk of being a part of the administration of the WTS abusive policies that wreck lives and cause premature death. So while its possible that his fairy tale life will remain intact, the odds are against it. No free lunches in life. He's making his bed - he will sleep in it - just like the rest of us.

49

GEOFFREY JACKSON THE PERSONABLE FACE OF JW.ORG...BUT IT AIN'T OVER YET BUDDY

by steve2 in

since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.

it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.

more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!

Lee Elder

This is a process in my view. They have created a highly valuable record for both criminal and civil proceedings in the months and years to come. I rather doubt we have seen the end of this :-)