Posts by LoneWolf

19

"What Is Truth"

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

for those of you who have seen this before, please forgive me for posting it again.

it is the other article that was included in the letter to garrett, and is necessary in order to clarify the different types of "truth" mentioned in the first one.. lonewolf.

what is truth?.

"What Is Truth"

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

for those of you who have seen this before, please forgive me for posting it again.

it is the other article that was included in the letter to garrett, and is necessary in order to clarify the different types of "truth" mentioned in the first one.. lonewolf.

what is truth?.

LoneWolf

Eric ---

Keep in mind that those definitions are not mine. They originate with an acquaintance of mine who is a professor of ethics in an eastern university.

Your points are of course valid in the absolute sense. However, what he is doing is using a broader definition in order to illustrate how the common man views and interprets things. Both are appropriate, depending upon the circumstances.

I guess we could say that some problems are only solved by the use of straight math. Others require quantum theory.

LoneWolf

9

LA TIMES: Losing Faith and Lots More

by AMNESIAN in

jw
friends

anyone have any credible notion as to why jws are never one of the religions mentioned in articles like these that discuss what life becomes for those who leave the fold?.

mormons who quit the church find themselves ostracized by friends, co-workers and even families.

annual gathering offers support, shared experiences.. by william lobdell.

LoneWolf

Well, this is only a hunch, but usually my hunches are fairly close.

The reason that few are interested about the plight of the ex-JW's is that there is such a reservoir of resentment the Society has built up in the world's eyes, what with all the door-to-door work, resolutions, court cases, self-righteous claiming of God's favor, etc, etc, that anyone that has even been a part of it is tainted. The organization has been so belligerant that most people take a look at this tempest and shrug their shoulders, figuring that we all deserve each other.

View it like this: If the ACLU suddenly had a bad schism after all their combativeness, etc., wouldn't it be fun to just stand back and watch them slug it out?

One thing I know as an absolute fact: I called the F.B.I. office in Medford, Oregon looking for some more information on a donnybrook involving the WTBTS and a family named Hansen. The agent told me point blank: "Whatever you do, don't get involved with either party!"

Figured I'd add two more cents.

LoneWolf

19

"What Is Truth"

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

for those of you who have seen this before, please forgive me for posting it again.

it is the other article that was included in the letter to garrett, and is necessary in order to clarify the different types of "truth" mentioned in the first one.. lonewolf.

what is truth?.

LoneWolf

For those of you who have seen this before, please forgive me for posting it again. It is the other article that was included in the letter to Garrett, and is necessary in order to clarify the different types of "Truth" mentioned in the first one.

Lonewolf

“What Is Truth?”

To my readers: This article is not for the purpose of “instructing” you in anything, but simply submitted in the hope that you can use some of these concepts or (especially desired) add to them. My thought is that we all use up too much time and effort fighting over our respective “truths” and completely overlook the marvelous opportunity to use other’s insights to advance the body of human knowledge beyond where it is now.

Pontius Pilate’s question to Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) is as apropos now as it was then. Billions of people have pondered that question down over the milleniums.

Ever since mankind has come into existence they have been gaining in knowledge. It was slow at first and gradually picked up speed until, in the past two centuries, it has literally exploded. That knowledge has turned much, if not most, of our ancestor's knowledge on its head.

This steady advance in knowledge is normal, natural, and prophesied. It was mentioned numerous times in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13: 9-12 is a good example, while 1 Peter 1: 11, 12 enlarges on it to the extent that even the angels themselves were looking forward to additional knowledge. Ezekiel's vision as recorded in Ezekiel 47: 1-6 is especially enlightening inasmuch as most authorities understand that the "water" spoken of here is a reference to knowledge and how it increases down through the centuries.

Due to this factor, then, we function on the premise that everything is subject to examination and nothing and no one is too sacred to escape that examination.

The Three Kinds of Truth

A learned friend of mind, a professor of ethics in an eastern university, divided truth into these three categories:

1. Absolute Truth --- That truth which corresponds to absolute reality, and is usually known only to our heavenly creator and to those whom he decides to give it. The term "absolute reality" refers to the totality of knowledge that exists on any given subject as viewed through His eyes.

2. Relative Truth --- The progress that we imperfect humans make toward gaining "Absolute Truth", but never quite reach in spite of our best efforts. There is always more to learn.

3. Relative Truth Believed Absolutely --- A "Relative Truth" that we have gained such confidence in that we refuse to consider any further evidence concerning it.

I find this concept fascinating in that it is a way to structure knowledge and emphasize to all regardless of our education or intelligence, that there is a whole world of “truth” out there that is as yet untouched. To those who understand it, it tends to reduce conflict and encourage the sharing of viewpoints without ego interfering with our helping one another to advance. It is a way to sharpen one another’s “face”, as the scripture says. (Prov. 27:17) It’s a whole new frontier where everyone can explore and be thrilled by their part in it.

It also clearly depicts a danger that we are all prone to make.

Expanded Thinking

We might view it in this manner:

Truth is much like an artichoke. It has many leaves and each leaf has a small amount of nutrient under it. Most people will pull off a few leaves, be satisfied with what they’ve found, and never think that it would be advantageous to pull off a few more to see what is under them too.

To illustrate: Most of us know that 1+1=2. It becomes to many a “relative truth believed absolutely’ that they ‘know’ and won’t question. However, is it always?

What if we are dealing in the binary base where the only numbers used are “0” and “1”? Then it isn’t 2, it’s 10. At one time, such a concept would have been considered a silly mind game, but now that principle is the very heart of the computer world. They wouldn’t work without it. Who would have believed a century ago that the binary base would come to have such importance in the world now?

Or what if we are in the world of biology? There 1+1 can equal 2, or 200, or 2,000, or 2,000,000. It all depends upon how long the 1 has been with the other 1. Look at the rabbits in Australia and all of the environmental damage they’ve caused.

Please note that neither of these “expanded” concepts contradicts the original. They merely add to the standard body of “Truth”.

Another example of the different layers of truth would be a riddle I’ll bet you’ve heard. It’s about a bear hunter and goes like this:

The hunter woke up in the morning, ate breakfast, grabbed his rifle and left camp looking for bears. After walking one mile due south, he spotted a bear to the east. Heading due east, he caught up to the bear and shot and killed it at a point exactly one mile from where he first saw it. After skinning it out, he packed the hide exactly one mile due north, which brought him back to his camp, only to discover that another bear had raided the camp.

Now, what was the color of the bear that raided the camp?

Most people will say that the problem is impossible in the first place, as if one were to go one mile south, one mile east, and one mile north, he won’t be back at his camp. He’ll still be one mile east of camp.

Others, though, will feel good about themselves as they’ve recognized that the clues are in the directions. They can see that if the camp was set up exactly on the North Pole, you would end up right back where you started. The eastern leg would be merely an arc going around the pole. From there the answer is obvious. The bear was white.

However, we can take this one step further. There is an infinity of other places upon the earth where we can follow the same directions and still get back to the same place. Can you tell me the general locale where they exist, and what the route will look like?

It is this “expanded thinking” that can be extremely valuable. It is from there that we gain new knowledge and add to our ‘”relative truths”. Just like wandering through an unexplored wilderness, one never knows what will be discovered.

Identifying Those “Leaves”

One way to discover new knowledge is to search for commonalties or “patterns” in things that are seemingly unrelated.

An excellent example of one would be the experience of Dmitri I. Mendeleev and the way he came to formulate his Periodic Table of Elements. He noticed that some of the various elements had similar qualities, and that they appeared on a predictable basis in relationship to their atomic weight. (For further information, please check him out in the encyclopedia.)

But let’s look at an example in another subject. The need for love, peace, kindness, honesty, integrity, and a host of other qualities are yearned for by people of all races, languages, and eras. The laws as set forth by Genghis Khan reflect an astonishingly similar value system as that of the laws given to Israel, even though the man was neither Christian or Jewish nor familiar with either. That these same feelings are found in all peoples is de facto evidence that this is the way that Jehovah designed us, as well as a witness to His qualities.

I would say in regard to the ‘heavenly court case’ that is going on right now between Jehovah and Satan, that a good attorney could make a beautiful ‘closing argument’ on the basis of that one commonality alone. Satan keeps maintaining that all humans prefer his ways of doing things, but when humans strive to get as close to Jehovah’s ways as possible even when they are unaware of them, it makes Satan look like a fool.

It has been said that much can be told about an artist by examining his works. If even the stones can bear a witness (Luke 19:40), how much more can a living thing? This is why I have always laughed at the concept of removing all windows from Kingdom Halls, ostensibly for the reason that the young will be less distracted from the proceedings under way. If the truth was known, the average tree can give a better witness to Jehovah’s qualities than the average elder. One just has to know how to “read” the language.

Of course, both are valuable, each in its own unique way. They compliment each other.

Another Valuable Resource

There are those who frown on reading or dealing with contrary thought. Those who do, appear to have forgotten a few things. In 1 Cor. 9:19-20, Paul speaks of how he strove to become different things to different people in order that “ . . . I may become a sharer of it (the good news) with others.” To do that means becoming familiar with what and how they believe. At times it is necessary to know their beliefs even better than they do.

Of course, that by no means indicates that we should become exactly what they are, even as the passage points out more than once. Rather, he’s saying that it is necessary to know their thought processes. In a very real way it is like learning another language, it’s just that the two languages happen to use the same words.

Then too, we might just ask ourselves these questions: Is truth weaker than falsehood? If not, then why are we afraid?

Here are some other advantages to knowing contrary thought:

a. Contrary thought provides the questions that need answered.

b. Most advances spring from unusual, independent, or heretical thinking. Even if an idea is totally crazy, it may trigger a good one in someone else’s mind.

c. In looking over our work, we can contrast it with the old and see the advantages for ourselves.

d. So that we will have the tools and freedom necessary to make a decision for ourselves, and glory in that freedom, which incidentally, is the only way to formulate the type of answer that Jehovah requests of us.

A Matter of Perspective

We need to keep in mind that the “truth” we possess right now is miniscule in comparison to everything that can be learned. Look at it this way:

If, in the 1600's, we would have walked across the room, flicked a switch on the wall and a bright light suddenly appeared in the ceiling, we would have probably been hung for witchcraft.

Or, to use another example, picture two of the most intelligent men of their age, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, trying to understand and fix one of today's computers when it was broken down.

When we look into the past and compare our knowledge now with what they had then, we appear to be light years ahead of them. That makes us feel good and flatters our egos. But in the process we tend to forget that there is far more yet to learn; many more “leaves” to discover on our “truths”.

We could say that we are like a sand flea on the beach in Alaska. Every evening at dusk they migrate down to the water line and every dawn go right back up to the vegetation line to sleep during the day. All we are is like the one who decided to go a little farther, climbed the 15 foot bank above the shore and looked out at the magnificent view that no other sand flea in history ever saw.

He would be quite proud of himself, wouldn't he? He may even wish to lord it over his fellows and claim to have all knowledge. But what he doesn't realize is that a few miles further inland, there is a mountain that goes up another 20,305 feet. That rather dwarfs his measly 15 feet, doesn't it? How are we any different?

How foolish we are to allow any of our "truths" to become "relative truths believed absolutely"!

7

The Natural Life Cycle of a Religion

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

here is one of the pieces i sent along with my letter to garrett.

to understand what is referred to by "relative truths" etc., that is explained in its companion piece, "what is truth".

i'll post it too, although i hope those who have seen it before will forgive me for posting it again.. lonewolf.

LoneWolf

Here is one of the pieces I sent along with my letter to Garrett. To understand what is referred to by "relative truths" etc., that is explained in its companion piece, "What Is Truth". I'll post it too, although I hope those who have seen it before will forgive me for posting it again.

LoneWolf

The Natural Life Cycle of a Religion

"But let God be found true, though every man be found a liar. . ." (Romans 3:4)

A Natural Progression

There appears to be a natural progression that a religion passes through on the way from its infancy to the time that it becomes 'established'. One can see some evidence of this from the history of the Christian movement in the days of the apostles. Numerous times the scriptures record their warnings about how false teachings and false shepherds would enter the faith after " . . . he who is right now acting as a restraint gets to be out of the way". (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)

Sometimes this occurs in an overt manner, with a man proclaiming himself as a holy man and then teaching that which he wishes. Remember Jim Jones of Guyana fame or Koresh down in San Antonio? (Matt. 24:23-26)

Other times it happens in a much more subtle way, and involves the entire religion. Here's how:

Those who establish a new faith are usually visionaries who work hard and suffer for their introduction of something new. Human nature resists change, and their work is controversial. But they are human beings, and they too will grow old and pass away. Now what?

The ones who take over are the functionaries, the ones who have gained their positions by their long and faithful obedience. Even if this advancement to power doesn't go to their head, as oft time happens, they rarely have the vision and insight of those who established it in the first place.

They know this themselves, and the responsibility that has been thrust upon them frightens them. Therefore, instead of continually reaching out for more knowledge, they hesitantly limit their role to the preservation of what was handed down to them. The "relative truths" get codified into creeds and doctrines that become unchangeable, set in concrete, and thus become "relative truths believed absolutely". This effectively stymies any additional growth.

This invariably leads to trouble. Time passes and new circumstances arise. Sooner or later some portion of their "relative truth believed absolutely" becomes suspect, if not disproved outright. An example: look how long it took the Catholic Church to admit that Galileo was correct in his discovery about the earth orbiting the sun rather than the other way around.

Those who have been inculcated to think that they should believe for the simple reason that "holy" men have told them they should, find that they have built their faith on sand, rather than the rock-mass. (Matthew 7:24-27) Why? Because when one piece of their faith has been proved wrong, it calls into question everything else they have been taught.

Crux Ansata by H. G. Wells
Rather than try to describe the next developments, let us quote H. G. Wells' book Crux Ansata --- An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. (Please be assured that we are not picking on the Catholics here, for the principles he speaks of applies equally to most organized religions and, for that matter, most bureaucracies of any kind.)

" . . . In the jangle of these incompatibles the Church, trying desperately to get on with its unifying task, became dogmatic and resorted to arbitrary authority.

"Its priests and bishops were more and more men moulded to creeds and dogmas and set procedures; by the time they became popes they were usually oldish men, habituated to a politic struggle for immediate ends and no longer capable of worldwide views. They had forgotten about the Fatherhood of God; they wanted to see the power of the Church, which was their own power, dominating men's lives. It was just because many of them probably doubted secretly of the entire soundness of their vast and elaborate doctrinal fabric that they would brook no discussion of it. They were intolerant of doubts and questions, not because they were sure of their faith, but because they were not. The unsatisfied hunger of intelligent men for essential truth seemed to promise nothing but perpetual divergence.

"As the solidarity and dogmatism of the Church hardened, it sloughed off and persecuted heretical bodies and individuals with increasing energy. . . ." (Pages 12 and 13)

He goes on: "The intolerance of the narrowing and concentrating Church was not confined to religious matters. The shrewd, pompous, irascible, disillusioned and rather malignant old men who manifestly constituted the prevailing majority in the councils of the Church, resented any knowledge but their own knowledge, and distrusted any thought that they did not correct and control. Any mental activity but their own struck them as being at least insolent if not positively wicked. Later on they were to have a great struggle upon the question of the earth's position in space, and whether it moved round the sun or not. This was really not the business of the Church at all. She might very well have left to reason the things that are reason's, but she seems to have been impelled by an inner necessity to estrange the intellectual conscience in men.

"Had this intolerance sprung from a real intensity of conviction it would have been bad enough but it was accompanied by an undisguised contempt for the mental dignity of the common man that makes it far less acceptable to our modern ideas. . . ." (Pages 17 and 18.)

The "feeding of the sheep" in circumstances like these usually takes a back seat to their own pride and positions. The maintaining of those is paramount. Shortcuts are taken. Rather than taking the time and effort to be "ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in you, but doing so with a mild temper and deep respect" (1 Peter 3:15), they concoct a generic soup of "truth" consisting mainly of generalities and platitudes, then dish it out like so much slop to the hogs.

They further simplify the job by proclaiming themselves holy, adopting grand airs and dress, and demanding that people believe what they tell them to believe on that basis. It is the religious equivalent of saying, "Because I'm the mother, that's why."

The Bible Warns Us of a Corrupted Clergy
When men become convinced of their own glory and power and sanctity, there are no bounds to which their egos can take them. This includes the elevating of their own opinions to the status of being equal to, or above the authority of scripture. It is reputed that at one time Jim Jones slammed the Bible onto the podium and screamed at the congregation: "You are paying too much attention to this and not enough attention to me!"

When an organization's leaders reach this point, all kinds of unhealthy influences can be brought into a faith. Remember how Jesus said at one time, " . . . Why is it you also overstep the commandment of God because of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:1-9) Later, the Apostle Paul added this warning: "Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2:8)

There are many men who will gladly promote their own selfish agendas by masquerading them as being God's will. Remember how Jim Baaker seduced that young girl by implying that it was God's will that she "strengthen him" by submitting to his amorous advances? Circumstances like these are all too common and are the reason why Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-23:

"Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them. Never do people gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles, do they? Likewise every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit; a good tree cannot bear worthless fruit, neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit. Every tree not producing fine fruit gets cut down and thrown into the fire. Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.

"Not everyone saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?' And yet then I will confess to them: I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness."

Please note that these warnings are directed to the common people, people like you and me. We do not need to ask the permission of some august religious leader in order to think and examine critically what they have to say. What is more, when we do find something that is questionable; we should not allow them to intimidate us into going along with it anyway. (See Deuteronomy 18:22)

How a Faith Can Be Corrupted
Three of the prime routes through which falsehood becomes part of a religion's dogma are as follows:

1. Codifying --- Life is full of problems. Few people, though, have the courage to face them head on, to research and reason in order to find an answer, and then take responsibility for that answer. It is far easier to go to someone else and ask for his or her advice. As a bare minimum, it gives them the comfort of knowing that they can "pass the buck" if things go wrong.

In their role as spiritual shepherds, religious leaders face this constantly, as it is a legitimate part of their duties. However, instead of teaching their parishioners how to think and reason on a matter and then have the courage to come to and take responsibility for a decision, many encourage them to "sit back, relax, and leave the driving to us." It is much easier to simply tell them what to do, rather than to bother with the why's of the matter.

But the religious leaders are also human beings with the same weaknesses and fears. They too like to cover their butts by passing the buck to someone else. Therefore, when a situation is handled in a certain manner, many will refer to and follow the precedent. Repeated many times, this soon leads to the formation of an entire body of "one size fits all" generic law that leaves little room for extenuating circumstances, independent thought, or advancements in knowledge.

This is dangerous in two ways.

a. It's dangerous to the laity --- If you wish to strengthen a muscle, you must use it. The principle is the same when dealing with right and wrong. The ability to distinguish between the two must be exercised or else it is lost. Lack of such training leads to an amoral society. It also leads to a much more critical situation, the violation of the very purpose for which Christianity exists. (That is taken up in another portion of this site.)

b. It's dangerous to the clergy --- It concentrates the "authority to think" to only a few individuals. Should they misuse it, whether inadvertently or deliberately, it is very difficult to get matters straightened out.

Satan would love such a situation, as he would need to subvert only a few individuals in order to turn an entire faith off course.

2. The desire to be accepted and respected --- No one in their right mind enjoys persecution and contempt from others. It is far nicer to bask in their adulation. Yet --- who among us truly appreciate being told the truth?

Jesus, the apostles, and nearly all of the ancient prophets were highly controversial figures, hated, chased from place to place, and even killed at times. Why? Because they spoke the plain, unvarnished truth when what their listeners really wanted was for someone to tickle their ears. The clergy of the time demanded every jot and tittle of the respect and deference they felt they deserved (and still do), and the common people wanted to be told they were holy. That way they could lord it over the next faith.

It is a frightening thing to be given the commission to speak an unpopular truth to a people who don't want to hear it. Few men have such courage and integrity. Jonah didn't. (Jonah 1:1-3) Consequently, many if not most will sugar coat it, dilute it, or simply give up and tell people what they want to hear. Once this process starts, how do you stop it? The consequences of this practice, when multiplied over time and codified into doctrine can be devastating to the integrity of a faith.

3. Expansion --- Most religions, feeling that they have the truth and that they are God's representatives here upon the earth, try to proselytize and spread their faith worldwide. That is indeed what the Bible recommends. However, it takes a lot of work and teaching ability to do that job correctly. People do not change easily. As a result, shortcuts have been taken that, many times nullifies the very purpose for which it is done.

For example, in what way does the conversion of an entire people or nation at the point of the sword demonstrate or live up to the spirit of peace and love that Jesus Christ taught? Review his Sermon on the Mount recorded in Matthew 5:1-12 and ask yourself if the methods used by Christendom over the centuries to convert the "heathen" reflected those values. Look over the history of the crusades. Does your heart tell you that they were a credit to God, or a disgrace?

There was another shortcut taken here too. Many times the clergy, feeling that they were holy themselves, felt that it was sufficient merely to bring these "converts" under the church's (their own) control for them to be "saved". As a result, insufficient attention was paid to their actual heart conversion. The name "Christian" was plastered on them, many of their pagan customs were revamped and renamed in order to "Christianize" them and the clergy figured their job was complete. It has been a monumental case of appearances being more important than substance.

Thanks to the accumulative effects of these factors down over the last two milleniums, if it were not for the fact that they claim to be following him, Jesus would be hard pressed to recognize any relationship at all between what they teach and what he taught originally.

Some Wise Advice
It is our thought that in view of the critical times we live in (2 Timothy 3:1-5), it may behoove us to take seriously the advice we were given in 1 John 4:1. It reads: "Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world."

15

Ruminations on the Whole WTBTS Mess. Part 1.

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

hi, folks,.

hmmm.

ive bitten myself off a pretty good chunk here, so bear with me as i try to figure out where to start.. two things id better say up front, though: none of this is meant to be in any way, a devaluing of the phenomenal work thats been done by anyone here on the board.

LoneWolf

Hi, All,

Klaus Vollmer and Mr. Magoo --- A campaign, yes, but not in the usual concept of one. I’ll be enlarging on this in Part 2 and beyond. That is a beautiful idea about being able to download in different languages. I’ve always been envious of those who were fluent in other languages, but never had the chance to do anything about it.

Blondie --- Interesting points.

Metatron --- I enthusiastically agree on all points. Now, let’s take the idea a little further. If we come up with a way to strengthen each individual guerilla in a manner that he or she can operate independently not merely in cyberspace, but in face to face confrontations with the Organization, yet still be cooperating with one another in purpose, we would have a much more powerful effect. That’s the purpose of this series: to show what can be done and how.

Room 215 --- Always wondered where that room was and what its significance was.

Can anyone explain to me why the Society refuses to print a comprehensive article, or policy statement on blood, detailing in plain English, perhaps on a chart, what they consider acceptable and what is banned? In view of their many vacillations and changes, and the immense cost in human suffering, setting the record straight once and for all would save many lives, including innocent children... without question.

In my opinion, it is because the subject is in flux and anything printed would soon be out of date.

In the big picture, remember that the 144,000 were to take part of the judging work. Apparently some at the top saw no reason to wait until they were resurrected and decided to get a head start on it, ignoring the parable about the wheat and the weeds. (Matthew 13:25-30)

They, being unable to judge by any criteria other than appearances, chose all the ones who caused them no trouble, the boot lickers, sycophants, naïve, frightened, etc., etc., and now that they find themselves between a rock and a hard place, are worried that any sudden change will cause these “chosen” ones to start thinking and fall away. In this their fears are well grounded.

However, in this matter they have again forgotten something: Their first responsibility is to feed the sheep accurate knowledge. True, they do not want to stumble those sheep, but that concern takes second place to the first, as is well demonstrated by the circumstances recorded in John 6:52–68.

In short, it has become glaringly apparent that in their rush to get started in that judging work, they mistook an awful lot of “weeds” as “wheat”, and they don’t know what to do about it. Many, if fact, are unable to recognize it, let alone admit it. Then, of course, there are those who operate solely on pride and to hell with scripture or right and wrong.

Beroea --- No fair!! LOL.

Trevor Scott --- Yeah, that makes me wince too.

LDH --- About the tape recorder --- I won’t make that mistake again!

JeffT --- Will do. It should be there now.

MacHislopp --- Thanks for the offer. I think that the prime things would be to help build up the strength of the individuals and identify the opportunities that become available. Stay tuned and I think you will see what I mean.

RipVanWinkle --- Dang!! I’m sure kicking myself for not marking all that down. Somehow, that name doesn’t sound right.

LoneWolf

24

Letter to Garrett

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

36929 row river road.

cottage grove, oregon 97424. .

ernie garrett, elder.

LoneWolf

Hi, Everyone,

Frenchy --- Thank you and you’re welcome. I’m looking forward to your thoughts.

Zev --- I’m looking forward to your’s too. Have you sent your DA notice yet? If not, you may find Part 2 rather interesting, as I’m including some suggestions as to how to use such things in some powerful ways.

Avengers --- and a big ornery one too! Hehehe!! I’ve had people do that to me all my life, and is part of the reason that I’ve evolved the methods that I use. It is possible to make people think, whether they want to or not, and man! Does that make them mad? You bet.

Skally --- I hope so. Thanks.

LDH --- I’ll post it on the board. I’ve got some other requests for it too.
LOL on the part about the elders thinking. I must agree, like the Light Brigade, they are supposed to do and die, not reason why.

Hillary_step --- Hi, there! It’s been a while. Thanks, and I hope so too.

RipVanWinkle --- I must agree whole-heartedly. My observations down over the years are the same. Your comments about Barber were intriguing. You write:

For whatever the reason the past 20-25 years have seen a squelching of freedom to think, reason and question without being put under the magnifying glass to discover sometimes superficial faults that give a reason to disfellowship those for whose questions there are no answers.

Man, is that the truth. I think you will find H. G. Wells’ words deeply interesting. They are included in the piece “The Natural Lifecycle of a Religion”. I’ll post it as I mentioned to LDH above.

Take care.

D wiltshire --- Thank you for that honor. When one loses all his brothers, it means something special when someone volunteers.

LoneWolf

24

Letter to Garrett

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

36929 row river road.

cottage grove, oregon 97424. .

ernie garrett, elder.

LoneWolf

36929 Row River Road
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424

Ernie Garrett, Elder
Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, East Unit
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424

Dear Br. Garrett,

Thank you again for your warm approach and gentle dealings with my wife and family. I too wish that we could have become acquainted years ago before I was disfellowshipped.

This whole situation has me deeply concerned. It’s not for my safety, as I’ve no concern on that matter at all. Rather, it has to do with the principles involved with the case, for there is no way to compromise on such matters without violating one’s conscience. As you know, a violation of conscience is considered a sin, whether that conscience is accurate on the subject or not. Heaven knows I’ve received enough scoffing when I say that I won’t violate mine, as most people question whether I have one in the first place.

I’m also especially concerned about what would be the right and fair thing to do in light of other’s safety and welfare.

Bear with me for a few minutes and I’ll try to explain.

As to the principles: For many years now I’ve been made to know that my application to be reinstated would be welcomed. My standard answer to them was that sure, I’d like to be reinstated. However, first, we would have to have a thorough discussion of the circumstances around my disfellowshipping. They have always maintained that could not be done, and my position is that it not only can, but will be, and that their only choice was where and how public it would be. This in a nutshell, has been the impasse.

I suppose this appears to be resentfulness and stubbornness on my part, and it has been portrayed that way. But the way I see it, the principles behind this are far more important than even the one of which Jesus made an issue when he refused to wash his hands (Matt. 15:2), and therefore all the more important that they be considered. Here are a few of them:

WHY I’M RELUCTANT TO SUBMIT A LETTER REQUESTING REINSTATEMENT

1. This Organization claims to be Jehovah’s chosen path for people to approach him, to the exclusion of all others, and is under his divine direction. If this is true, then there are certain things that one could expect of it. That includes:

That scripture should take precedence over any other consideration, including such things as the personal pride of people in official positions or any ‘established’ procedures. He speaks of himself as “loving” (1 John 4:8), “just” (Deut. 32:4), “understanding” (John 12:12), “merciful and gracious” (Ex. 34:6), and “good and ready to forgive” (Ps. 86:5), among other things. Therefore, any organization that is indeed Jehovah’s spokesman will put these qualities first and foremost and no ‘procedures’ and/or pomposity would be allowed to interfere. If they don’t do this, then they are liars for having claimed to be Jehovah’s servants in the first place and are serving themselves instead.

Yes, it is true that all organizations are imperfect and cannot live up to Jehovah’s standards completely. But we must not use that fact as an excuse to encourage wrongdoing by ‘accepting’ a minimal amount as normal and then allowing it to slide by without doing all that’s humanly possible to correct it. That someone wishes to save face is not important and their problem, not mine. To compromise with this is to become part of the problem.

That is why I pose the question to everyone, especially those in Brooklyn: “If I did nothing deserving of disfellowshipping, for what reason should I need to do anything (other than calling it to their attention) to be reinstated?” Those who actually are Christian in the true sense of the word would be hastening to do something about it as soon as they became aware of it, not demanding that I jump through hoops in order to guarantee that their grandeur remains unsmirched.

This is also the reason that I declare openly that if this is indeed Jehovah’s organization, then I will be vindicated. If it is not, then for what reason should I care? In addition, if it is not, then of what use is either their approval or disapproval?

If the organization that I gave 45 years of my life to cannot bring itself to do even this simple, elementary act of Christianity, then it looks like to me that I’ve wasted those 45 years. Worse, I’ve taught my family to have faith in an organization that follows the conduct of the rest of Christendom in using the name as a front to hide their personal agendas and pride behind.

And I’m not interested in that nonsense about going along with such things in order to keep reproach away from Jehovah’s name. See item 2 below.

To sum up: If ‘procedure’ is used to either commit or prolong an injustice, then that procedure, and their priorities, are wrong.

2. It appears to me that there is a complete reversal of priorities here in another manner. Jehovah speaks of himself as the God of the “fatherless boy and the widow” (Deut. 10:17, 18), and the number of scriptures that emphasize the care and gentleness that should be exercised toward them is impressive. Yet it seems to me that no one in this organization gets justice or fair play unless they have the political pull to force it into being. That’s wrong, and the finger of blame points right at the top. It begins with ‘established procedures’ and those who ‘established’ them.

The institution of Christianity was not created for the purpose of impressing the elite. Rather, while all were welcome, it was the widows and orphans, the sick and weak, the ones loaded down with sins and depression --- in other words, the very ones that the elite classifies as losers --- that were the special assignments of those who would be Christians. Remember how Jesus answered when he was condemned for associating with prostitutes and tax collectors? (Matt. 9:10-13)

Yet we have a widespread attitude --- especially in the ranks above elder --- that is fairly well summed up by one elder’s comment after a committee meeting, “I feel like I’ve been eating dirt.” How would you feel if you were sick and needing an operation and all the doctor could worry about was getting his hands dirty?

But the fact is that such conditions exist, and are then exacerbated by intransigent officials worried about their dignity by covering up their transgressions and stone walling people when they object. This means that the reproach already exists in the minds and hearts of those who count, the very ones of whom Jehovah claims to be their God. And why does it count more with them? Because it makes them afraid to approach their own Creator. (Luke 17:2)

To sum up: Apparently there is a widespread impression that no reproach is a real reproach unless the elite says it is.

3. There is also far too much emphasis put on 1 Cor. 15:33: “Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” Yes, they do, but it is primarily among those same “bad associates” that we are to find and help those who have good heart conditions, and that holds true whether those individuals are in or out of the Organization. If we allow an over application of that scripture to inhibit our reaching out to those individuals, then we are not only using the scripture wrong, we are failing in our God-given commission.

As it is now, many congregations have been reduced to little more than ‘one-up-man-ship societies’ whose prime function seems to be to keep an eagle eye on one another to see who is the most ‘worthy’. It’s kind of a religious equivalent of “Everyone in the whole world is an idiot except you and me, and I’m not too sure about you.”

To sum up: There is far too much time being spent in judging people instead of “feeding” them. (John 21:15-17)

4. Next, don’t blame the local elders. I don’t see how they could be expected to be any other way considering the example the ones at the top have set.

That begins with the endless drumbeat of articles that propose to impress others with how holy and important they are and how they are the embodiment of so many prophecies. None of them, or for that matter, all of them rolled in together, are as holy and important as Jesus Christ was and is; yet he did not see the need to endlessly boast of that importance. Rather, he let his works and words do the convincing, one heart at a time. (John 10:2-5) Sometimes it seems they have subscribed to the worldly philosophy, “If you can’t dazzle ‘em with brilliance, bury ‘em in bullshit.” Such as:

They become guilty of Matt. 23:5 by taking scriptures such as Psalms 45:16 and Isaiah 32:1 and construing them as applicable to the elders of today. I remember when this was first brought out in a study article. It was carefully and correctly applied to the New Order, and the suggestion was made that the elders of today could be their forerunners. Gradually it came to be applied in full force to the elders now. What is the difference between this and what the Corinthian elders did in their day? (1 Cor. 4:8) (I’m using the term “scripture-containing cases” in the sense of the doctrines taught, not some item of apparel.)

But tacked on top of this is something else that has been a curse to all of the rank and file, and an especially heavy millstone around the neck of any elder that has a lick of sense or an ounce of integrity. It’s one of the biggest reasons that so many elders quit and that the increase has stalled and even regressed in places. What is it? This:

Such scriptures as Matt. 18:18-20 went to the heads of those in power. If a meeting was introduced with prayer, then Jehovah’s spirit was guiding them. No consideration at all was given as to whether those present at the meeting were in an approved state in God’s eyes, whether the things prayed for were in harmony with God’s will, whether that passage applied to them as well as the apostles, or any of a dozen other things. All of it was just assumed. Suddenly it became a sin to even ask questions about what we were being told.

I remember the final words of one drama at a District Assembly (1989, I think), and this is a direct quote: “This man was appointed by Holy Spirit! Why would you even question such a man?” Why??? Good Lord! Let me list just a few of them.

a. Because 1 John 4: 1 commands us to do so, while Hebrews 13:7 and Acts 17:11 cannot be obeyed without questioning, and doing so in a manner that certainly takes in the possibility of the information being wrong.

b. Because the only way that flaws and cracks in our faith can be reinforced and repaired is to pose those questions in the first place. Those that are not dealt with become like abscesses that grow until they weaken the whole body. Far better it is to deal openly and non-judgmentally with an unseemly reality than it is to pretend it doesn’t exist and then find they are our Achilles heels during crunch time.

c. We are told in scripture that the Truth should be sounded down into our hearts, so that we will be building on the “rock mass” and not “sand” (Matt 7:24-27). The only way that can be done is to have the freedom to question, test, or do anything else that will convince our hearts that it is something worth putting our confidence in.

d. If we wish to respond to Jehovah’s request that we give him an answer (Prov. 27:11), our answer must contain two special elements. First of all, our testimony must be just that: ours, and it will need to be obvious to all that that is the case. Secondly, carefully memorized lists of "'sposed to's" and "not 'sposed to's" won't work, and neither will any careful repetition of dogma. If that were all that was needed, then Jehovah would have created us to be like glorified tape recorders, faithfully spouting only that which had been recorded. The only way we can possibly formulate such an answer is to have the freedom to question.

To sum up: We all have the scriptural, God given freedom, right, and responsibility to think independently and critically regarding any information that is set before us. No one has either the authority or the importance to demand that we accept anything without question.

5. This leads to something even more critical. The words at the end of that drama and the attitude since has been (again): “This man has been appointed by Holy Spirit! Why would you even question such a man?”

The implication of those two questions is that the Holy Spirit is guiding that man in his thinking and decisions. To be appointed by and have that guidance --- what is the difference between that and being inspired by Holy Spirit? None, that I can see. They are claiming to be inspired, and any denials to the contrary will be hairsplitting and mere cant.

Do you realize that not even the Catholic Church with its 2,000-year history of tradition has the utter gall to claim such a thing? Sure, it does in a partial way, in regard to the Pope himself, but that’s only in a limited way. But it doesn’t even begin to do that in regard to all of its priests. What does that say about us?

And that leaves begging such questions as would be raised by the case of King Saul proving that being appointed by Holy Spirit is no guarantee that the individual will remain faithful, or that 1 John 4:1 commands us to test all utterances, whether they are inspired or not.

To sum up: The manner in which these scriptures have been misconstrued and the resulting shift in teachings is not only utter hogwash, it has been an unmitigated disaster for the faith of millions. This includes those still in the organization, for the gullible have been led to place their faith on blind obedience. That’s not only building on sand, it’s preventing them from forming the answer that Jehovah desires from us. Both are forms of futility.

As to those who can see through it --- They stay in, not due to love for Jehovah and his ways, but due to the fear of the devastation that this organization will deliberately wreak upon their families if they don’t go along. That too is a form of futility. Am I to compromise with this?

I’m sure that many thousands of elders would throw a conniption fit upon reading these words and instantly label me one of the worst apostates that ever lived. But am I? Or am I merely doing all I know how to live up to Ezekiel 3:20, 21?

6. I listened with interest to the ‘service talk’ Greg Olds gave on that Saturday. I can understand and respect his joy and enthusiasm in defending Jehovah’s organization and people, and I identify with his desire to be on the front lines. I have found, though, that sometimes this zeal can be overdone unless it is tempered with insight, knowledge, and wisdom.

I wonder if he has considered that maybe Jehovah would prefer to have his society lose some of its assets rather than perpetrate an injustice? I’d like to ask him if, in his opinion, Jehovah wouldn’t prefer that wrongdoing be corrected immediately, even if it does leave his organization legally vulnerable? I think that monetary assets are the last of Jehovah’s worries. Matt. 17:27. His hand is not short. (Num. 11:23; Isa. 59:1)

Could it be that in his zeal, Br. Olds actually forestalls any opportunity Jehovah may have to exercise his own abilities to protect? Could it be that in his haste to protect he has overlooked an opportunity that Jehovah has arranged in order to allow His ways to bring forth beauty from ugliness? It can, you know.

A good example of this is in his stories of the child custody cases. One man simply gave up when he learned that the Society was entering the case on her side. The audience laughed at this, but I didn’t. Why?

Because in nearly every case of where “widows and fatherless sons” are spoken of as in need of special consideration, the “temporary residents” are also mentioned. In fact, they are usually listed first. Would this not indicate that while it is highly important that we exercise justice and fair play with one another, it is doubly important to exercise it with persons on the outside? There is no witness that can attract other people and convince them that this is God’s organization better, than to see it exercise these qualities when they have no reason other than the principle of justice itself.

Please note that this, the fair dealing with the temporary resident, was one of the principles that was to be inculcated into the Israelites (Deut. 27:19) and one of the reasons that the nation eventually fell out of Jehovah’s favor and was destroyed. (Ezekiel 22:7 and Mal. 3:5) Those who feel that this organization is to be exempted from such principles are utter fools. Why do you think Jehovah allowed such things to occur to his chosen nation if they were not to be signs and portents (and therefore warnings) to us now?

Sadly, this is an area where we as Witnesses have failed miserably. Everywhere I turn out here, I meet those who have attempted to approach the elders trying to get justice due to some “brother” doing them an injustice, only to be scoffed at and turned away. What kind of a name does this give Jehovah?

To sum up: This entire organization needs to get down out of its ivory tower and realize that being Jehovah’s spokesman is a privilege, yes, but it is a far greater responsibility. If we get blinded by our own brilliance, that privilege will be taken away from us.

And now, my friend, lets get to the bottom line. Would I be willing to submit a letter to the elders concerning reinstatement? Yes. But only under the strictest of conditions. They include:

a. That all parties concerned know in advance that I have no feelings of repentance whatsoever concerning the events for which I was disfellow-shipped. In addition, should the occasion call for it, I will repeat my conduct of before, and probably do so even more emphatically.

b. That I have every intent to speak freely of the things I have listed above –-- and more --- to my family, friends, and in writing to the Society itself.

c. That I will continue to think independently and critically, if necessary, and freely express those thoughts to those they apply to, regardless of rank, position, or any other distinction.

d. If I can see that there is some hope that my efforts could have some effectiveness.

However, if it appears that I will get nothing more than the “shut up and sit down” routine that has been almost my sole experience in the past, then I pass. I would far rather follow Moses’ fine example and take my place with the “riff-raff” that the super-fine apostles have determined everyone else is.

Now, if in the face of all this you would still wish to speak with me, I would ask one favor of you. It involves the thing I mentioned to you before, that of your own safety. I’m vulnerable in only one way (Heb. 13:6) --- through those who would dare get too close to me, and thereby getting hurt themselves. In one case in Alaska I had to stand by and watch two fine men, managers of a good-sized corporation, get fired in order that the powers that be could get to me, not that it did them much good.

Here in Oregon, I had a case involving a multinational corporation and two national labor unions embroiled in a donnybrook involving the sexual harassment of one of my fellow workers. I took a hand and warned those near me to get away. One just laughed at me. About two days later I saw him again, and he looked at me like he’d seen a ghost. He’d been chewed to a frazzle and was transferred about a day later. I never saw him again.

Some of these men were just as capable as you are. I don’t want that to happen to you.

So before anything goes further, please take this letter and send it to whomever necessary. Make sure of your backing. If you don’t, and in the remote possibility that I would be reinstated, I predict that I’ll be disfellowship-ped again within 90 days, and you will be booted right along with me.

I’m taking the liberty to enclose two other things that, if you’re interested, will throw light on why my stance is so adamant. You will see that I’m looking at something that is far greater than my own welfare, or even that of my family’s.

One of them, “What Is Truth?” you will need to familiarize yourself with in order to understand what I mean when I say that all of the above are “relative truths”, as well as why freedom of thought is so important.

The second, “The Natural Life Cycle of a Religion” places everything in context and shows the pitfalls that nearly every one of them are prone to, including this one.

In any event, thank you again, and I sincerely hope that Jehovah will bless you for your efforts.

Sincerely,

Tom Howell

15

Ruminations on the Whole WTBTS Mess. Part 1.

by LoneWolf in

jw
friends

hi, folks,.

hmmm.

ive bitten myself off a pretty good chunk here, so bear with me as i try to figure out where to start.. two things id better say up front, though: none of this is meant to be in any way, a devaluing of the phenomenal work thats been done by anyone here on the board.

LoneWolf

Hi, Folks,

Hmmm. I’ve bitten myself off a pretty good chunk here, so bear with me as I try to figure out where to start.

Two things I’d better say up front, though: None of this is meant to be in any way, a devaluing of the phenomenal work that’s been done by anyone here on the board. That includes the crew who put in so much time and work on the UN scandal, Silentlambs and the Dateline program, The Liberal Elder and the Blood issue, or anyone else. Rather, my endeavor is to paint an overall picture of our circumstances and possibilities with a view towards the use of these tools that they have provided us, as well as fill in a few of the chinks.

Secondly, I’m a bit under the gun, as on the third of December, I’ll be needing to leave for about three weeks. One of the trucking companies that I’ve worked for before has a contract hauling mail for the upcoming holiday season, and I’m not in any position to turn down the $22.00 an hour that they pay. I’ll be making three round trips a week from here (Cottage Grove, Oregon) to the Bay area. That’s approximately 550 miles each way. Therefore, I’m going to try to post as much of this matter as possible before that time.

We are, in short, at war. This is not a war of our making or desire. It is a war that has been imposed upon us by the simple expedient of demanding that we submit our integrity and consciences to other people’s will, or face the consequences. We chose to face the consequences for many reasons depending on the individual, however, the prime ones revolve around scriptural principle and/or the fact that we had to be able to live with ourselves.

Our greatest weakness right now is that we are fragmented, and that is for good reason too. We’ve been taught all our lives that thinking for ourselves is a sin, and that unquestioning obedience is of paramount importance. When the crunch came, we were scorned and ridiculed, publicly held up as wicked and unworthy and shunned as though we had the plague. This makes any unifying extremely difficult, for the psychological effects of such treatment are profound. It is hard to trust after that. When we come on forums such as this one, we tend to lash out at one another, forgetting that the others too have reasons for mistrust. Our enemies use this to keep us fragmented and impotent. A mechanism needs to be set up to counteract that influence. I’ll have some suggestions on that in a later post.

Perhaps foremost in my mind right now is that I don’t want you to be getting the idea that I have the desire to set myself up as some sort of guru or religious leader. That is the furthest thing from my mind for many reasons that I won’t go into now, except for this one: Life is uncertain, especially for truckers. It becomes even more so when the doctors find a small patch of melanoma on one’s temple, as happened about a month ago. (We think they got it all.) My prime concern is that what knowledge I may possess may be publicized in such a way that others may benefit from it regardless of whether I am around or not.

It is in that spirit then, that I offer the ensuing posts.

But again, where to start? For lack of a better idea, I’d like to start with my own situation here in this congregation, both because it is interesting and it is possible that it may be of some use. A few of you are aware of some of the details, so this will be an update for you.

About a year ago over on the old H2O board, I posted some extremely blunt challenges to the WTBTS. I did this openly, using my real name and address. (I still have copies of a few of them, if anyone wishes to read them.)

Shortly after that, I noticed an influx of some very high octane elders coming into this congregation, which surprised me as this is somewhat of a backwater. These are men who would stand out in any crowd of elders. What especially distinguished them was the way they handled the congregation. If you or I had been treated this way, we would probably still be in. I was intrigued, but not yet interested to the point of looking closer at the situation.

It wasn’t too long until my immediate family was being given the same treatment. After my wife had some gallstones taken out, one of them brought supper over one night. Then when my 15 year-old son gave a talk in the School, another one of them, acting as school servant, had us all dying with laughter when he said that he was giving him a “W” on the counsel slip. He explained with a big grin that it wasn’t that he needed to work on anything, but that he’d done such a beautiful job, he wanted to see if he could do it again.

Needless to say, these things caught my attention. I don’t need to explain to you how families with DFed heads are usually treated. I figured it was time to do some homework.

Contacting some of our mutual friends here on the board, I sent out feelers as to their backgrounds and connections. The result was highly intriguing. Most of the information that came back was about the obvious leader of this bunch, one Earnest Garrett. Scuttlebutt had it that he did a considerable amount of research for the Awake! magazine and had deep roots in Brooklyn Bethel. One of his acquaintances was Ciro Aulicino, and he had even contributed a few articles for the magazine itself. (Two of them are “We Do Not Blame God” in the 7-22-89 issue concerning the death of his son who was a steward on board the jet that went down at Lockerbie, and “Removing Misconceptions About Jehovah’s Witnesses” in the 11-22-96 issue. His picture is on page 18.)

Other sources brought in that he was a friend of the mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown. It seems that one of the ways the problem was solved in Moscow, Russia when an assembly was cancelled by the authorities at the last minute, was that he asked Willie to call the Moscow mayor and question the situation. As San Francisco is Moscow’s sister city, that carried the day. There’s more, but these are some highlights.

I’ll simplify the ensuing events. I was then contacted. It was through a third party and the message consisted primarily of an invitation to submit a request for reinstatement. In this manner they would feel free to speak to me at length on any subject. As I’ve had a long history of teaching the local elders the error of their ways when they got out of line, and made no bone of my attitude towards my disfellowshipping, etc., I found that startling.

After considerable thought, I wrote a letter to them, declining the invitation. I’m posting it under a separate thread, “Letter to Garrett.” If you read it, you will see why I was and am astonished to find that no change whatsoever has been noticed in the way that they treat my family. In fact, in the middle of the investigation of the WTBTS affiliation with the UN, I drew up a brief synopsis of it and delivered it to Garrett, asking respectfully for an explanation of the matter so that I and my family could understand.

My request was taken very seriously and with considerable astonishment on his part. Nothing was even hinted at concerning the “unreliability” of the Internet or that the whole thing could be concocted by “apostates”. As he said very bluntly, “We’re going to get to the bottom of this!”

Meanwhile, I’d shown the material to my cousin, a man in his 60’s and a retired police officer. He’d been around the organization all of his life, and his mother was harassing him about getting on the stick and coming into the flock. He showed her the proof of the WT being an NGO affiliated with the UN, and she promptly laid a whole truckload of concrete blocks edgewise. Going to Garrett, she asked him to correct such an impression.

He’d looked into it some by this time and told them both that it was true, using the explanation that later became the official line. Some weeks later, they arranged a short meeting with my wife and son after the sessions and explained things the same way. Again, all through this I have detected no change whatsoever in their attitudes towards my family or me.

During all this time, there were a series of officials from Bethel that came in to give talks here in this congregation. Usually they would give a “service talk” on Saturday night, and then a special talk on Sunday. There were three of them, as follows, in order.

1. Greg Olds, Legal Department. Highlights: details of some of the legal cases they’ve handled and the victories, especially the child custody cases. Assured the congregation that should they ever find themselves in need of a lawyer due to their faith, that they had a free lawyer available to them.

2. Abrahamson, Secretary-Treasurer. Which corporation I forget, but it’s one of the prime ones. Highlights: This was just after my letter to Garrett. You will note I hit the business about the brothers being “inspired” pretty hard in that letter. The title of his Sunday talk was “How Can We Claim to be Guided by God’s Holy Spirit if We Are Not Inspired?” The talk was an hour and a half long, and somewhere in the center was this statement: “We can claim to be guided by God’s holy spirit because the Bible was inspired by holy spirit and we follow the Bible.” (That’s as my memory recreates it.)

3. On this third one I must apologize to all, for I’ve forgotten his name. He’s the head of the Society’s Hospital Liaison Committee though, so it should be easy enough to come up with it. Plus, I waited until the last minute to look for my little pocket tape recorder, and couldn’t find it. Wouldn’t you know it, this one was the most interesting of the three.

He expounded at length on the new blood policies. He was personable, low-key and persuasive, but in watching the faces in the congregation around me, the puzzlement mixed with astonishment was obvious. One particular passage stood out for me. He was lamenting the death of a sister in California (as I recollect) due to refusing blood. He was saying that the death was totally unnecessary, as with the new technology using blood fractions, etc., there was a lot that could have been done to avoid it. He was practically begging the congregation to contact his department in such circumstances so that such loss of life can be avoided. Even I had my mouth open.

Now, I am by no means claiming that all of this was for my benefit. I’m not that conceited. However, these and other details leave me wondering, for if it’s all coincidence, it is a phenomenal one. Regardless, I see no reason that I can’t utilize it wherever possible.

There is one amusing sidelight. It seems that the surrounding congregations are getting wind of the special talks being given here in this congregation. The second speaker had two congregations show up. The third had three. What happens next I don’t have the foggiest, as we were in there like sardines this last time. I guess jealousy is alive and well, LOL.

Enough for this time. Next: An unusual form of warfare.

LoneWolf

108

My father just beat my brother-

by ashitaka in

jw
friends

one more topic.. my wife just called up to tell me that she was over my parents before a doctor's visit, chatting with my mother, when my crazed jw father threw my small 14 year old brother down the stairs and punched him for not wanting to study.. i've been beat, thrown down stairs, had potted plants thrown at me, chased around the house, and such, for not wanting to do the family study.. this is what the "truth" does to people, all you loyal jw's....take note...... (i'm so angry i'm shaking).

ashi.

p.s-my father said he was leaving my mother--oh god, pretty please, you motherf**ker.

LoneWolf

Heck, ashitaka, just post your father's name and telephone number here on the board. We'll take care of him for you.

LoneWolf