Posts by MadApostate

16

LATEST INFO ON THE BERRY v. WATCHTOWER LAWSUIT

by MadApostate in

would silentlambs/billbowen, or some other member of the xjw hierarchy clique, be so kind as to grace us xjw commoners, irregulars, and inactives with the latest info regarding the berry lawsuit?.

i do believe that it was early to mid august when you guys were so kind as to notify the board that the lawsuit was being filed, along with predictions that the berry lawsuit, and the undoubtedly avalanche of similar lawsuits, would bring the wts to its "financial knees".. well, its been over 120 days, and there must have been several pre-trial motions and rulings, including a motion to dismiss by the wts.. would you kindly fill us peons in on the details?.

what other lawsuits have been filed in this interim?

MadApostate

Well, did A&P spill the beans, xjw-boyz-in-writing?

17

MORE News Articles: JWs and Xmas

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

this reporter curiously had access to a number of jws.

jw himself???.

jehovah's witnesses reject many holidays and the notion that they are a dour group.

MadApostate

THIRD ARTICLE:

--------------------

No Noel: How holiday hoopla affects those who don't celebrate Christmas
Thursday, December 20, 2001

By Monica L. Haynes,
Post-Gazette Staff Writer

On Tuesday, millions of children will rise at dawn, run to the Christmas tree and rip open their brightly wrapped presents.

Ten-year-old Kevyn Taylor of Castle Shannon won't be one of them. Kevyn is a Jehovah's Witness. While this religious sect believes in Jesus Christ, its followers do not celebrate Christmas.

Jacqueline Wolfert hasn't been decking the halls at her home, either. She's Jewish. Nor will you find Saim Chaudhry, 15, of Monroeville, hanging any tinsel for the occasion. He's Muslim.
With seemingly every department store, television program and radio station steeped in Christmas carols, roasted chestnuts and reruns of "Miracle on 34th Street," it's difficult to keep in mind that not everyone has visions of sugar plums, holiday dollar signs or mangers dancing in his head.

In the five-county Pittsburgh region there are approximately 10,000 Muslims, said Kadir Gunduz, director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are 8,725 Asian Indians in the region. Many are Hindu. There are roughly 40,000 Jews in the region, said Sharon Stern, manager of community planning and director of human resources development at the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh.
Kevyn, a fourth-grade pupil at Myrtle Avenue Elementary in Castle Shannon, is quite confident when explaining his beliefs to schoolmates.

"I usually just say I'm a different religion, and my religion teaches us not to celebrate Christmas," Kevyn said.

He and his 14-year-old sister, Jamie, say they don't feel left out of all the traditional holiday activities at school.

**********************************
How Christmas got its start

Christmas was instituted in 354 as the Feast of the Nativity by the bishop of Rome.

While no one knows the exact date of Christ's birth, scholars agree it's not likely that he was born in December since the Bible states that shepherds were tending their sheep. It's more likely that he was born in September or October.
Religious scholars believe Dec. 25 was chosen to make it easier to convert the Romans, who already celebrated a festival on this date. The festival was called Saturnalia and honored Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Babylonians also held the Feast of the Son of Isis, Goddess of Nature, on Dec. 25.
Both festivals were marked by eating, drinking, merrymaking and giving gifts.
-- By Monica L. Haynes
**********************************
"When they do something Christmas-related, we just come home," says Jamie, a freshman at Keystone Oaks High School.

Most of her friends know about her religious beliefs so it's not a big deal anymore. "Nobody really asks me, [but] if they ask me if I want to come to a Christmas party or exchange gifts, I say, 'no.' They'll ask me why, and I'll explain I'm a Jehovah's Witness."

So is Sonja Dawson, who also lives in Castle Shannon. Asked whether she missed Christmas when she was younger, the 14-year-old replied, "Not really, because I knew that I was serving my God the way I learned to and the way that would please him."

There are a number of reasons Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas, said Suzanne Dawson, Sonja's mother.

"It's really out of our respect for Christ that we don't celebrate it," Dawson said. "So many of the customs used to celebrate Christmas don't come from a Christian origin. We try to honor him really all year round by trying to do our best to imitate him, have Christ-like qualities and apply the principles he taught."

There are those, however, who've been able to divide Christmas into two aspects -- religious and secular.

That's why some Hindu families don't feel out of place participating in certain aspects of Christmas, said C.S. Parthasarathy, a Hindu who lives in Monroeville.
"Our children do celebrate, if not in a religious way in a social way," he said. That includes exchanging gifts and getting together with family and friends since almost all are off from work and school. "In India we won't do it. Here we don't want to be left out."

Even though he is Muslim, Shaheryar Hafeez said as a child he believed in Santa Claus "because everybody else did."

The 19-year-old University of Pittsburgh student said he never felt like an outsider at Christmas because most of the time schools would promote the holiday season in general.

"I think Christmas as a holiday has gotten more commercial," Hafeez said. "It's closer to a holiday and further away from a religious holiday."

For that reason, Hafeez says he doesn't have a problem with his Catholic roommate putting up a Christmas tree in their room.

Jacqueline Wolfert, 17, recalls helping her baby sitter decorate a Christmas tree when she was around 9 years old. Her parents never mentioned it at the time, but looking back on it, Jacqueline said, "I don't think they felt completely comfortable with that." However, they knew, she said, that Judaism was the religion she would stay with.

The Shady Side Academy senior believes that attending a school with such a diverse population makes the students more open to learning about other religions and cultures. That doesn't mean you lose your own religion, she said.
She has friends who are Hindu, Muslim and Christian, as well as Jewish. "Just to get to know and understand your friends, you have to understand their traditions, their background and where they come from," Jacqueline said.
Even though Hanukkah is celebrated about the same time as Christmas and presents are given, it's not as big a holiday, she said.

"Christmas Eve would roll around, and my friends couldn't come out and play," Jacqueline said, referring to her younger years.

"Even though you had your own holiday, you wished you could take part. Even now, I feel that sometimes that would be a really cool thing, going to church and that stuff."

Talk of holiday gift-giving and merriment remind Saim Chaudhry of Eid ul-Fitr, a Muslim holiday held at this time of the year. Eid celebrates the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting and prayer. During Eid, Muslims hold communal prayers followed by socializing, eating and giving gifts. Saim, a sophomore at Shady Side Academy, said all the talk about Christmas festivities has never bothered him. In fact, it just heightened his anticipation of Eid.

"I knew I would get my time and have my presents at my day," he said.

16

LATEST INFO ON THE BERRY v. WATCHTOWER LAWSUIT

by MadApostate in

would silentlambs/billbowen, or some other member of the xjw hierarchy clique, be so kind as to grace us xjw commoners, irregulars, and inactives with the latest info regarding the berry lawsuit?.

i do believe that it was early to mid august when you guys were so kind as to notify the board that the lawsuit was being filed, along with predictions that the berry lawsuit, and the undoubtedly avalanche of similar lawsuits, would bring the wts to its "financial knees".. well, its been over 120 days, and there must have been several pre-trial motions and rulings, including a motion to dismiss by the wts.. would you kindly fill us peons in on the details?.

what other lawsuits have been filed in this interim?

MadApostate

A____Person:

As typical, you have your head up your ass.

AND, as usual, let's start with your erroneous statements:

Let me remind you that the WTS has won in some states but lost in others.

Please relate one single molestation case that the WTS has lost.

AND, STUPIDASS, I am not happy anytime the WTS wins. If you had half a brain you would know that in my posts re the Berry case, I was simply trying to show that Insiders were misleading r&f xjwers when they say that the Berry case is a slamdunk which will lead to an avalanche of successful suits. In case you haven't noticed, I'm also working to bring down the WTS.

However, I do appreciate what you seem to indicate between the lines. Your comments appear to indicate that the WTS has "won" on some issue.

Were they granted the routine motion of dismissal from the suit?

If they were, and XJW Insiders have not come forward and notfied this DB, then they are every bit as big of assholes as are Brooklyn JWs.

49

Request To Write Governing Body

by silentlambs in

jw
friends

i am enclosing a copy of a recent letter that i sent to the governing body.

the purpose of this letter is to establish clearly that our requests are simple and the purpose is to protect jw children.

if you agree with the points stated i encourage you to print out a copy of this letter and write at the bottom:.

MadApostate

Should we assume that your posting of this:

. http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=18395&site=3

means that SilentLambs is on the sidelines in the first USSC case directly involving the WTS in decades?

Of course, you are not alone.

Evidently, Freeminds nor any other XJW non-profit group did not bother to file an amicus curiae brief either.

Hopefully some of you valient warriors have at least sent some info to Abraham Cantor to help him battle the WTS.

Surely you have done that, right?

When the WTS and Stratton appear before the USSC, and in their oral argument the WTS argues that personal identification requirements and criminal background checks violate JWs' civil rights with statements about the educational benefits of their external ministry, as well as how JWs are known worldwide for their honesty and high morals, then it certainly would be nice if Cantor, during his rebuttal, could pull out documents showing that JWs suspected of crimes such as child molestation are NOT ONLY PERMITTED, BUT REQUIRED to engage in field service.

During oral arguments, one of the justices may very well ask Cantor why there is a need for Stratton to have a "solicitor ordinance" when long-existing civil trespassing law should provide homeowners with all the legal ammunition they need to prevent unwanted solicitors, including JWs, from entering their property.

It certainly would be nice for Cantor to be able to pull out a copy of the June 196X "KINGDOM SERVICE" and the February 199X "KINGDOM MINISTRY" and read to the justices how the WTS has either expressly or impliedly taught JWs that posted "No Solicitors" signs DO NOT apply to them.

Bill (and Randy), even if you warriors weren't motivated to file an AC Brief in this case, hopefully you are communicating with Cantor to provide him documentation on these issues???

4

Accused Murderer/Fugitive Christian LONGO Is XJW

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

warrants sought against longo .

hunt continues for former ypsilanti resident in connection to family's slaying.

saturday, december 29, 2001. by tracy davis and chong w. pyen .

MadApostate

bttt

17

Worldlies Discuss "Stratton" & JW...

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

homearchivesmetatalkloginaboutnew .

october 15 .

and by the way, if you ask someone to leave your property and they don't, it doesn't matter if they're door-to-door types or burglars, you can have them arrested just for that.. and if you post your property "no tresspassing" and "no solicitors," you don't even have to deal with the initial intrusion.. posted by rushmc at 6:22 am pst on october 16 .

MadApostate

Edited-spaced for readabiity (too lazy to do such initially).

One:

This is from a separate DB, and it is not "chat".

3

News Article Re Drowned JWBoy's Funeral

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

silsbee says goodbye to ira clutter.

associated press .

silsbee, dec. 29 - a light blue poster board at the head of the chapel displayed mementos of ira clutter's too-short life.

MadApostate

[quote]"Ira began to talk about Jehovah God from a very young age," said Caswell, who frequently referred to scripture during a 45-minute talk.[/b]

Typical JW funeral a/k/a JW recruiting opportunity.

The only personal info related is whatever can be somehow related as supporting the religion. The deceased's worth is weighed accordingly.

I'll never attend another JW funeral talk, regardless of how close the family member.

Despicable.

49

Request To Write Governing Body

by silentlambs in

jw
friends

i am enclosing a copy of a recent letter that i sent to the governing body.

the purpose of this letter is to establish clearly that our requests are simple and the purpose is to protect jw children.

if you agree with the points stated i encourage you to print out a copy of this letter and write at the bottom:.

MadApostate

Bump this back up so 'ol far-sighted Bill maybe will see this thread that he started.

4

Accused Murderer/Fugitive Christian LONGO Is XJW

by MadApostate in

jw
friends

warrants sought against longo .

hunt continues for former ypsilanti resident in connection to family's slaying.

saturday, december 29, 2001. by tracy davis and chong w. pyen .

MadApostate

Warrants sought against Longo

Hunt continues for former Ypsilanti resident in connection to family's slaying.

Saturday, December 29, 2001

By TRACY DAVIS and CHONG W. PYEN
NEWS STAFF REPORTERS

Oregon authorities issued warrants Friday against former Ypsilanti resident Christian Longo on four counts of murder in connection with the deaths of his wife and three children.

Lincoln County District Attorney Bernice Barnett announced Friday that autopsy results led to the conclusion that Mary Jane Longo, 35, and her 2-year-old daughter Madison Longo were victims of "homicidal violence." Their bodies were found in an ocean bay Thursday.

The couple's two other children, Zachary and Sadie, 5 and 3, were found dead in a nearby inlet last week. The Oregon Medical Examiner's Office had already ruled their deaths as homicides.

Still missing in the increasingly deadly puzzle is husband and father Christian Longo, 27.

Until Friday, he had been sought by authorities only as a witness. He was last seen in the San Francisco area Dec. 26, Barnett said.

The Longos moved to the coastal city of Newport from Ypsilanti about three months ago, police said.

Because Longo is believed to have crossed state lines, the Federal Bureau of Investigation also has obtained a federal fugitive warrant. An FBI statement said Longo should be considered an escape risk and armed and dangerous.

The Longos were associated with an Ypsilanti-based group of Jehovah's Witnesses while they lived in town with their three children, said congregant Howard Seitz.

But Christian Longo was "put out" about a year ago, Seitz said.

"Anyone that doesn't do what the scriptures tell us can be put out," Seitz said, adding that Longo was asked to leave the organization because of mounting legal troubles.

Longo, for whom a national law enforcement alert has now been issued, was wanted in Washtenaw County for a larceny and a probation violation. He was also more than $60,000 in debt, half of which is due to Wexford Homes in restitution for checks he allegedly forged, according to records and Wexford owners.

Longo incorporated a construction cleanup business in February 2000 with partner Joel E. Foster after he had worked for a fireplace and spa installation business. He did good work, said Bill Collins, co-owner of Wexford.

"I had him personally put a fireplace in my house," Collins said.

Longo's business, Final Touch Construction Cleaning Inc., seemed to grow fast. Longo began to talk of contracts in other towns and states, Collins said. But then Wexford's accounting department noticed different colored checks with forged signatures made out to the company.

In about four weeks, some $30,000 worth of checks for services never rendered showed up on the books. Then, said Collins, Longo stopped showing up.

Longo was eventually ordered to pay restitution, but Collins said they haven't received it.

Five creditors also have filed civil suits against Longo. And two small-claims suits against Final Touch were filed; one was disposed of in March, the other in July 2000.

Longo and his family lived on Eileen Street in Ypsilanti's West Willow neighborhood until last spring, when they moved to Toledo and then Oregon. Why the family moved to Oregon remains unclear.

The family's van, reported stolen in Ohio almost two years ago, was abandoned at an Oregon car dealership Dec. 19. A green Dodge Durango was stolen from the dealership that same day. Police said that is also the day they believe Zachary and Sadie were killed.

The deaths have jolted people in the small cities where the bodies were found. Neighbors said Christian Longo lived alone in a condominium near the Embarcadero Resort in Newport, though they said he was visited by his children and wife.

"It's just such a tragic, tragic thing," said a former neighbor and Ypsilanti resident. "Those innocent little babies. We would get a charge out of watching them play."