I follow Guardian on twitter. Just had this in my feed
Have you experienced abuse by Jehovah's Witnesses in the UK
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/08/have-you-experienced-abuse-in-the-jehovahs-witness-uk
cobweb
JoinedPosts by cobweb
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UK IndependentUK Commission on Child Sexual Abuse possible new, separate inquiry into JWs
by Lostandfound inthe guardian newspaper today reports that the iccsa has received “numerous” reports relating to child sexual abuse among jehovahs witness's, and it is possible they will establish an entirely separate inquiry into these reports.
the government set up the iccsa independnt inquiry into child sexual abuse some time ago and their has been a delay in the inquiry operating as thw role of chair s established.. typo in heading, sorry .
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cobweb
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64
Wave your phone lights and dance at the Assemblies!
by days of future passed inmy sister sent me this youtube.
in it are witnesses waving their phone lights and dancing in the aisles.
sorry if this vid has been posted before.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k7iw-zisgw.
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cobweb
Clearly we all share a view of how weird and wrong this is but was there a watchtower that clearly condemned this kind of evangelical type singing, clapping etc? A slam dunk quote from a publication saying how this type of emotion based singing is bad could be a handy thing to have, otherwise JW's would probably conveniently forget and say 'no this was always okay'.
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QFR - Posting JW publications on a personal website/social media
by Listener inthe following is a qfr from the april, 2018 watchtower.
just a couple of articles back the organization was explaining how jws need to be encouraging and even when admonishing congregations jesus would start out with encouraging words.
we see none of this in the qfr, rather, it is heavy handed and legally incorrect.. why is it not permissible to post publications of jehovah’s witnesses on a personal website or on social media?.
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cobweb
https://www.reddit.com/r/JWs/comments/7ku1qi/what_is_this_subreddit/
This is a thread on the JW reddit in which they discuss whether they ought to be on a jw discussion board.
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QFR - Posting JW publications on a personal website/social media
by Listener inthe following is a qfr from the april, 2018 watchtower.
just a couple of articles back the organization was explaining how jws need to be encouraging and even when admonishing congregations jesus would start out with encouraging words.
we see none of this in the qfr, rather, it is heavy handed and legally incorrect.. why is it not permissible to post publications of jehovah’s witnesses on a personal website or on social media?.
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cobweb
Some brothers have been drawn into online debates and thus have brought added reproach on Jehovah’s name. An online forum is not an appropriate setting for “instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed.” (2 Tim. 2:23-25;1 Tim. 6:3-5)
I suppose this doesn't necessarily rule out reddit jw forum or jwtalk as these are supposed to be witness only although reddit jw forum does invite questions from non witnesses & they have been getting into debates lately & are forced to constantly delete posts, posters & threads. Its a thin line they are walking.
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Sources of John's vivid imagery
by Doug Mason inin common with other apocalyptic writings, such as daniel and 1 enoch, john’s letter employs vivid, memorable imagery.
as with the other elements of his apocalypse (revelation), john draws on existing sources for his material.. meanings inferred from the images need to keep the following firmly in mind:.
1. the symbols had to have meaning for and be clearly understood by his immediate intended hearers.. 2. john intended that these images encourage those hearers to “overcome”, then and there.. 3. john anticipated that the coming of jesus was imminent, “soon”.. it is my belief that the images were intended to depict earthly opposition (rome and apostate jews) as well as heavenly opposition (wars in heaven involving satan).. the writers/compilers of daniel also employed vivid imagery.
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cobweb
Yes its interesting stuff. I'm still a bit fuzzy on it so you've inspired me to do some reading. I'm wondering for example : it seems pretty clear that the beast is Rome and the name of the beast 666 seems to be a reference to Nero. There is also a verse about 7 kings - 5 fallen, one is and one to come ruling for a short time. That also seems to point to Nero as being the ruler at the time of writing as Nero is the 6th emperor and the next one only lasted 6 months or so. But that doesn't fit with the date of the Revelation being written which is around 95. There doesn't seem to be a satisfactory resolution to this and so there are competing ideas. If he was talking about kings as emperors rather than world empires then this indicates his view of the imminence of the end.
Your question about the power of mythology over the human mind. Mythology has a great deal of effect in manipulating our conceptual framework. I think of the difference between the Abrahamic tradition of good/bad as being opposite - with people and things falling into one category or the other. This creates black and white thinking which isn't nuanced and seems to be a recipe for conflict and domination. Compare that to the Chinese philosophy of yin and yang where there are two forces that are complimentary and interconnected. In Japan too there seems to be none of the mythology that generates black and white thinking and they focuses on kiving in harmony with nature. I have watched Japanese anime like spirited away and its very striking to see the difference to Disney cartoons for instance - good characters can do unpleasant things & unpleasant characters can do good things - its mixed up so characters you initially think of as bad you end up liking. Its very different. Their mythology therefore seems to have created a different way of viewing everything that fosters more acceptance and toleration in my view.
I listened to a series of conversations with Joseph Campbell a while back who has interesting things to say about archetypes in mythology. Its amazing how similar the archetypal imagery is from culture to culture. There are themes and motifs and stories that seem to resonate with humans everywhere. But he suggests it would be better for us as a civilization if we could abandon the Abrahamic structure that focuses on good vs bad & judges people - views certain things like sex as linked to shame and sin etc & create new myths that are more harmonious, flexible and enlightened.
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Wave your phone lights and dance at the Assemblies!
by days of future passed inmy sister sent me this youtube.
in it are witnesses waving their phone lights and dancing in the aisles.
sorry if this vid has been posted before.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k7iw-zisgw.
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cobweb
I'm with you on REM's Stand. I can't help but hear that too. They certainly do look like a bunch of evangelicals in this. Is this the only song they do this too i wonder.
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Leah Remini to do episode on JW's
by cobweb insaw this on reddit so this is a bit of a copy/paste jobie but i thought there would be people here excited about this as i am.
i've enjoyed her show on scientology and seems like in season 3 she is branching out with jw's getting the first episode.
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/leah-remini-returning-to-ae-to-investigate-other-cult-like-religions/.
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cobweb
Saw this on reddit so this is a bit of a copy/paste jobie but I thought there would be people here excited about this as I am. I've enjoyed her show on scientology and seems like in season 3 she is branching out with Jw's getting the first episode.
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Crazy statements from JWTalk
by Jehovah lol ini'm sure many of you are aware of the jwtalk site, a message board which has yet to succumb to apostasy (give it time).. some of the forums there are visible to the public, and i've seen some crazy stuff.
here is a sampling:.
"satan is really trying his best to make things worst for the witnesses, knowing the 6,000 years is almost up, from eve's creation!".
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My final topic
by pomo6780 ini have noted that the irritable part of me got the better of me when posting about j f rutherford.
i acknowledge that a few on here have pointed out flaws in my reasoning and the way i reason.
and i agree with them.
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cobweb
Dramatic much! Its an open forum, you don't have to act like Machiavelli.
You post isn't one of a troll, but seriously - this isn't a spy movie & you don't need to reveal your dastardly plan.
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How do I handle this?
by Phoebe ina little advice please.. it's now 7 months since i stopped going to meetings.
we still get regular calls by elders - at least every 2 weeks.
i can handle them.
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cobweb
There are 3 options and you've already been given all three. 1)Ignore it. 2)write back explaining all the reasons you don't feel you can be part of this false religion. 3)write an appreciate letter back not mentioning anything incriminating.
The only bad choice in number 2 because the mother will take it straight to the elders & that is evidence against you.
I'd say there's a good case for ignoring it if you've only spoken to her twice as its not a letter born of genuine feeling for you. Its a cult response in the sense that anyone leaving the group upsets ones peace of mind. But if you do feel the need, maybe choose a very small thank you card - very small lol, and simply thank them for their thoughts and how much you appreciate it. Don't attempt to explain - its not her business. Maybe quote an appropriate scripture about love or something - that could go down well.
All the best Phoebe