Posts by ScenicViewer

8

HELP NEEDED: In publications, reference to suffering due to DF/DS

by EdenOne in

hello everyone.. i need your help again.. please point me to instances in the publications of the watchtower (video links also valuable) where there is evidence of the watchtower's awareness that shunning inflicts suffering / damage to the excommunicated and to family members, friends, fellow witnesses, friends .... .... or that shunning is designed to cause distress and suffering to the excommunicated (with the purpose to hammer him/her back into submission).. .... or that shunning treatment is objectively and purposely a differentiated treatment vis a vis to what treatment is given to unbelievers in general.. i need to be able to locate those publications in the wol, and then find the portuguese version of it, to then print.. thank you in advance for your help.

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ScenicViewer

This is not a specific example, but In the Awake Magazine, Watchtower quoted Psychology Today showing that "isolation is a killer". Of course the Watchtower practices of DF'ing and DA'ing takes away peoples' entire lives by putting them in a state of deep isolation. The quote shows the horrible effects of isolation, including suicide.

(Awake 5-22-1983 p15)
And the consequences? “I know of no more potent killer than isolation. . . . It has been shown to be a central agent in the etiology [starting cause] of depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, rape, suicide, mass murder, and a wide variety of disease states.”—Psychology Today, August 1980.

Despite being fully aware of the negative effects of isolation, Watchtower continues with practices that isolate people, calling it, in so many words, 'God's loving way.'

Related to isolating people is giving them the "silent treatment," something the Awake Magazine also condemned.

(No quote box below, it wouldn't work for some reason.)

(Start quote) Awake 6-2013, p4, par3)
"when it is used as a means to retaliate or manipulate, the silent treatment not only prolongs conflict but also erodes [...] respect" (End quote)

The silent treatment between spouses is directly condemned by the Awake article as unloving, unproductive, retaliatory and manipulative. Just because you might not be married to someone doesn't make this behavior any better or somehow loving all of a sudden. In fact participating in the systematic and indefinite "silent treatment" of shunning is far worse than giving a spouse the silent treatment for a few days.

39

Vice doc spotlights Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Rattigan350 in

https://www.c21media.net/news/vice-doc-spotlights-jehovahs-witnesses/.

us cable network vice tv will debut an original documentary that claims to uncover corruption and abuse within the jehovah’s witnesses community.. vice versa: crusaders, which will air on july 28, is part of the channel’s vice versa brand, known for docs including fear of a black quarterback and the neglected pandemic.. the project comes from hollywood director aaron kaufman, who was shunned by his jehovah’s witness family after investigating paedophilia within the organisation.. crusaders is directed by kaufman and executive produced by lauren terp, as well as daniel levinson and robert fernandez for us-london prodco moxie pictures, and danny gabai and andrew freston for vice studios.

executive producing for vice tv is catherine whyte.. kaufman said: “after witnessing first-hand the cycle of abuse that runs deep within the jehovah’s witnesses, i could not rest until the dark truth of this organisation was brought to light.

ScenicViewer

Thanks Minimus ... I'll keep looking. Hopefully it will show up on Youtube sometime.

39

Vice doc spotlights Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Rattigan350 in

https://www.c21media.net/news/vice-doc-spotlights-jehovahs-witnesses/.

us cable network vice tv will debut an original documentary that claims to uncover corruption and abuse within the jehovah’s witnesses community.. vice versa: crusaders, which will air on july 28, is part of the channel’s vice versa brand, known for docs including fear of a black quarterback and the neglected pandemic.. the project comes from hollywood director aaron kaufman, who was shunned by his jehovah’s witness family after investigating paedophilia within the organisation.. crusaders is directed by kaufman and executive produced by lauren terp, as well as daniel levinson and robert fernandez for us-london prodco moxie pictures, and danny gabai and andrew freston for vice studios.

executive producing for vice tv is catherine whyte.. kaufman said: “after witnessing first-hand the cycle of abuse that runs deep within the jehovah’s witnesses, i could not rest until the dark truth of this organisation was brought to light.

ScenicViewer

Minimus, which link did you use?

I tried them all and got nowhere. I'm using a computer, not a smart phone, if it matters.

Thanks!

25

CO said; “Friends (plural) who’ve been raised in the truth are beginning to have doubts regarding their faith”

by pistolpete in

here is what a co said at the elders and ms meeting.

it goes to show that no matter how hard the governing body tries to instill fear of apostates, it's just not working on the young crowd of jws.. it's a new generations of born in jws--------and they don't buy this shit anymore.

it's really over for the watchtower.

ScenicViewer

After the 1925 failure, not so far removed from the 1914 failure, MANY people did leave (I seem to remember reading 75%). Then Judge Rutherford went to work literally reinventing the religion, and it recovered.

I believe that kind of reinvention would be much more difficult today because of the internet. In the past the Watchtower Organization depended on people not knowing about it's past, or JWs would conveniently forget if they did know. But the internet doesn't forget, and the growing number of those revealing the real truth about Watchtower, such as Youtube presenters, is amazing. Most are very good at documenting their information.

Who knows ... Watchtower can be very clever in a deceptive way, but it will definitely be an uphill climb this time around, and I tend to think it won't succeed.

39

Vice doc spotlights Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Rattigan350 in

https://www.c21media.net/news/vice-doc-spotlights-jehovahs-witnesses/.

us cable network vice tv will debut an original documentary that claims to uncover corruption and abuse within the jehovah’s witnesses community.. vice versa: crusaders, which will air on july 28, is part of the channel’s vice versa brand, known for docs including fear of a black quarterback and the neglected pandemic.. the project comes from hollywood director aaron kaufman, who was shunned by his jehovah’s witness family after investigating paedophilia within the organisation.. crusaders is directed by kaufman and executive produced by lauren terp, as well as daniel levinson and robert fernandez for us-london prodco moxie pictures, and danny gabai and andrew freston for vice studios.

executive producing for vice tv is catherine whyte.. kaufman said: “after witnessing first-hand the cycle of abuse that runs deep within the jehovah’s witnesses, i could not rest until the dark truth of this organisation was brought to light.

ScenicViewer

Channel 276 on Xfinity (Comcast) in the Fresno, Ca area.

11

The Queen's Gambit (2020) One of the most enjoyable miniseries I've seen in awhile

by TD in

the queen's gambit is a 7 episode netflix miniseries about a female chess prodigy in the 1950's and 60's.. the story chronicles the life of the fictitious character, elizabeth harmon (anja taylor-joy) from the time she learns the game as an orphan clear up to the point where she defeats russian grand master, vasily borgov (marcin dorociński) to become the world champion.. female grandmasters are a rarity, so i was afraid the series was going to morph into an anti-male screed.

(it easily could have).

nearly every male character in the series, from the gruff but kindly william shaibel, the custodian at the orphanage who taught her the basics of the game and fronted her the money for her first tournament to vasily borgov himself is gracious and clearly delighted to play against a woman so talented in a sport dominated by men.. two notable exceptions were her pos adopted father who didn't care about her or his wife and a russian player who got a little salty when she kicked his butt in 21 moves.

ScenicViewer

I saw this several weeks back and enjoyed it immensely. I have absolutely no interest in the game but got caught up in the great story and the characters. I would like to have watched it a little at a time, stretching it out to make it last, but I couldn't help myself and binge watched it.

13

Where is Kenneth Cook?

by Mary2 in

jw
friends

video from new publication.

https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/pub-lffv_542_video.

now only 7 members of fds.

ScenicViewer

Even if it is an old photo/video, the publication is recent so they should have updated.

Yes, you would think they would have used a more recent photo that showed all the GB members, just to prevent questions from being asked, if nothing else.

8

Belgian Civil Rights Attorney's comments on the Ghent decision

by vienne in

this and several other articles are here: https://bitterwinter.org/excommunication-looking-for-a-balance-of-interests-between-opposite-freedoms/.

ScenicViewer

No journalist would be so sly as to bring up that half truth as an excuse for shunning.

Very well said Diogenesister!

Watchtower literature has reported on baptisms of children as young as 6 and 8 yrs old. I recall an assembly part where the speaker said he was baptized at 6 yrs old too.

Do we read of small children, or even teens, being baptized in the Bible, or was it only adults? Jesus himself was about 30 I believe.

66

Watchtower fined in Belgium

by Vanderhoven7 in

jehovah's witnesses in belgium have to pay €12k fine for shunning policy.

news.

you have probably heard of the trial going on in belgium about the shunning policy of jws.

ScenicViewer

There is a misconception here that this Belgian court decision is dictating to people whom they must associate with.
Rather, it is upholding the right of individuals to choose for themselves whom they want to associate with or not;

Exactly!

You can choose to talk to or not talk to anyone you want, to be friends with or not be friends with whom ever you want. But if someone else tells you who you can speak to, or associate with, or be friends with, that crosses a line to being a hate crime.

Watchtower is the one that is crossing the line, dictating to JWs who they can speak to, email, text, talk to or have association with. That is what the Belgian court found Watchtower guilty of.

40

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Wrong Regarding Staying Out of Politics?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we were told we were part of the world if we got involved in politics.

if we had employment that had political involvement we were instructed to get another job.

we were told we might be considered disassociated if we voted and then it became questionable.

ScenicViewer

To say that Christians cannot have a say in the laws and policies that God himself requires them to live under (Rom 13:1, I think) seems wrong. Further, to say that Christians can't have a say in the leaders who enact those laws and policies seems equally wrong.

Voting does not, in and of itself, mean you are against God's Kingdom, which isn't ruling over us yet. All we have as of now are the "superior authorities" that God has appointed.

So yes, I think Watchtower has gone way overboard on the neutrality issue.