NikL

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Posts by NikL

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  22

  Special talk today

  by OrangeBlossom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for all of you that missed today's special talk, here are the highlights.... blah blah blah blah blah, etc.

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  NikL

  Hey Francoise,
  What cong. was that? I may start going back to the meetings! ;)
• 
  22

  Special talk today

  by OrangeBlossom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for all of you that missed today's special talk, here are the highlights.... blah blah blah blah blah, etc.

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  NikL

  ROFL!
  I remember seeing the outline for that one!
  Very inspiring. Especially the part where Jehovah blah blah blah and the organisation yadda yadda yadda.
  Thanks for sharing this vital information. :)
• 
  14

  _______hates Jws!

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was thinking about this the other day.

  when i was a jw there were always stories circulating around concerning a certain entertainer hating jws.

  i suppose it was some sort of jw urban legend but it goes like this.... a jw couple is at a concert by some artist while in another town for an assembly.

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  NikL

  Thanks for reminding me nz. I did hear that as well.
  Pretty arrogent of them to think that people even care. LOL
• 
  14

  _______hates Jws!

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was thinking about this the other day.

  when i was a jw there were always stories circulating around concerning a certain entertainer hating jws.

  i suppose it was some sort of jw urban legend but it goes like this.... a jw couple is at a concert by some artist while in another town for an assembly.

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  3. 
• 

  NikL

  I was thinking about this the other day. When I was a JW there were always stories circulating around concerning a certain entertainer hating JWs. I suppose it was some sort of JW urban legend but it goes like this...
  A jw couple is at a concert by some artist while in another town for an assembly. During the show the artist asks all JWs to leave. Since there is a convention going on a bunch of the audience is composed of dubs and therefore many leave the show.
  I have heard this same story about Johgn Denver, Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Mack Davis and others.
  Anybody else remember this one?
• 
  11

  Lyman Swingle bites the big taco!

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i received this e mail tonight...thought you might like to see.... sent: wednesday, march 14, 2001 9:01 am.

  subject: bro.

  lyman swingle.

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  NikL

  I received this e mail tonight...thought you might like to see...

  Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2001 9:01 AM
  Subject: Bro. Lyman Swingle

  This letter was passed on to me by an elder in MD. He received it
  from a fellow Bethelite of Bro. Swingle's.
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

  Dear Friends,

  It was announced at morning worship this Wednesday morning by Brother
  Sam Herd that Brother Lyman Swingle finished his earthly course early this
  morning. He was born in 1910, baptized in 1923, entered Bethel in 1930;
  had
  70 years of full-time service. He married Crystal in 1956; she died a
  couple of years ago. He was appointed to the board of directors in 1945,
  served in the factory and in Writing Dept. and on the Governing Body.

  Brother Herd said that, though we miss him, he probably is getting
  accustomed to his new surroundings before being ushered into the presence
  of the Universal Sovereign.

  For about two weeks now he has been away from the dining table to which
  we are assigned. Still, the announcement took me by surprise, as I was
  talking with his granddaughter yesterday after she had visited him.

  May the things he did go right with him.

  Worth
• 

  The JW spin on events in Russia

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i submit the following for you edification.... 1. report given at london bethel on the moscow trial.

  (behind the scenes reports on the trial itself---a must read!).

  "orthodox priests lead mob attacks on jehovah's witnesses while.

• 

  NikL

  I submit the following for you edification...

  1. Report given at London Bethel on the Moscow trial
  (Behind the scenes reports on the trial itself---A MUST READ!)

  2. "Orthodox priests lead mob attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses while
  police refuse to intervene" (March 8 WT official news release)

  ***************************************************

  Subject: A report on Moscow given at London Bethel
  Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 21:32:00 -0400
  From: Darryl & Anna Rose ( [email protected])

  We just received this report which gives some of the details of what
  went on at the trial and how Jehovah gave the victory.

  Paul Gillies, London
  Report on the Russia trial, given March 1, 2001

  The victory on the 23rd of February will undoubtedly rank as one of the
  most outstanding court victories in our modern theocratic history. It
  was faith-strengthening and moving to see Jehovah vindicate his name. The
  case has been hanging over the Russian brothers for more than 5 years.
  Even now, the result was far from given beforehand. It could easily have
  gone against us, and would then have meant severe restrictions for the
  brothers in Russia, have hindered their preaching-work, literature
  distribution, meetings, and all other activities, not only in Moscow but
  also later in the rest of Russia and surrounding republics.

  Paul Gillies from London was appointed by Brooklyn to travel to Moscow
  to handle the press contacts and the dealings with foreign officials. He
  managed to get parliamentarians, embassy people, human-rights people,
  media people and many others interested in the case and be present in the
  courtroom.
  
  Paul says: "The week was one of whirlwind activity. When asked:
  'Have you been to the Moscow Circus?' I could say 'Yes, I have been to the
  trial!' Background: In 1997, a law on "freedom of conscience and religion"
  (meaning the opposite) was passed. It was engineered by the Orthodox
  Church and had clauses in it that were directly written as weapons
  against the Witnesses. Then a court case began in 1998. In 1999, the
  court appointed 5 experts, of whom 4 were backing the charges against
  JW's. Most of them did so by quoting each other: 'I believe so because he says
  so .' - Acts 25:7.
  
  On the Friday morning when the decision was to be made in the court, the
  morning worship at the Society's house in Moscow concluded with a prayer
  in which the Russian brother was quite blunt about what he wished Jehovah
  to do: 'Let the prosecution say words that will come out as nonsense.'
  Jehovah must have heard the prayer. One of the expert witnesses said:
  'If all in Russia were JW's, all would just sit around loving one another, and
  who would then go out and defend Russia?' This was not even taken up by
  the judge.

  Another expert witness began by using derogatory names about JW's, calling
  them a dangerous cult and so on. The female judge immediately stopped her
  and said: 'JW's are recognized as a known religion, and I will not have
  them referred to as a sect or anything else in this courtroom. Will you
  please restate your entire testimony using different language.'

  Another expert claimed: 'Everybody knows that the name of Jehovah is not
  to be found anywhere in the Bible.' Then Bibles were handed out to the
  lawyers and the judge, and for 45 minutes the defense was able to show
  one place after another in which Jehovah's name appears in the Russian
  Bible, including the Makarios translation.

  A pile of literature was present in the courtroom, since one of the key
  questions was whether our literature contains divisive and subversive
  material. Much of the time went with loud reading of portions from our
  literature. For example from the 'Family book.' When parts were read
  out, many would nod their heads and say that this was good stuff. At one
  point, the judge asked the expert witnesses if they knew about the good
  points made in the books. They had to say yes. Why had they not
  mentioned that to the court, then? Well, they thought 'there was no time'
  for it at the court hearings.

  An expert, Mr. Nabulsin, tried with sweet words to say that he liked the
  Witnesses and that they were good people, but their organization was bad.
  The judge asked: "How can an organization be bad if it only consists of
  people who are good?" Well, when he read in their literature how they
  attacked his church, he 'felt insulted.' Our lawyers, however, had found
  this man's own writings from the last few years. They read out portions
  that were filled with anti-semitic, nationalistic, racist stuff. The judge
  asked: "Did you write this?" He answered: "Yes, let them read on .
  I am enjoying this."

  The 5th expert witness, Ivanenko, gave a very fine witness, though being
  a non-Witness. He explained how each Witness has a personal relationship
  with Jehovah and acts on his own initiative. Many of the other Witnesses
  turned out to be "Balaam's asses," unwillingly telling the truth. An
  apostate brought many books that he wanted to read from. But the judge
  only wanted him to tell about his own experiences as a JW. So he had to
  explain why he became a JW, that no one forced him, that he was a Witness
  for a number of years, that he himself decided how much money he wanted
  to donate and how much time he would spend in the ministry, etc. Now he
  gets paid by church groups to go out and speak against JW's.

  One of these experts was asked for specific reasons why he believed JW's
  were guilty of the 5 points that they were accused of. The prosecutor said
  that she would deal with that matter in her final summary. The judge did
  not accept that but wanted to hear what this person could say on the 5
  points. He could not say anything definite, and the prosecutor quickly
  dismissed him when she saw that he was making a bad impression.

  One witness, an ex-boxer, is a Witness who has been disfellowshipped and
  is now reinstated. He gave many good reasons for the practice we follow.
  "You can't fool God," as he said.

  Our defense attorney, Galina Krilova, argued masterfully. On the question
  of Armageddon she said that this is a joyful hope for Christians, and
  referred to Revelation 21:3, 4. She also used some revealing comparisons
  between JW's and the Russian Orthodox Church, i.e. on the question of
  immorality. Both JW's and the Church preach that immorality is wrong, but
  only JW's practice what they preach.

  A faithful brother who has spent many years in prison - first during the
  Second World War and later in Siberia - was asked by the prosecution:
  "Did you fight for Mother Russia during the Great War for the
  Fatherland?" - "No," he answered. - "Millions were dying for Mother
  Russia, and you were not even fighting?" - He replied: "No, because I
  was living in Rumania at that time." There was laughter.

  The prosecution's material was taken straight from web-sites of the
  apostates. The prosecutor just read some of it aloud; if asked what it
  meant, she probably wouldn't have understood it.

  Our lawyer from America, John Burns, gave a strong defense. At one point
  a Witness claimed that JW's are banned in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden,
  France and other countries. John Burns jumped up and shouted, "That's a
  lie!" He sat down and quietly said to a brother next to him: "Don't
  worry, I've got to jump up and shout once in a while, otherwise they
  won't respect us." In the end, Brother Burns gave a forceful summary. He
  quoted Acts 5:30, 31: "Leave these people alone or you may find yourselves
  fighting against God." When read from the Russian Bible, this comes out
  even more strongly, because it says: "Back off!"

  When the judge retired to her chambers prior to her decision, nobody was
  able to tell what the decision would be. Her body language did not tell
  anything. Logics, justice, and fairness left no doubts, but who can tell
  in Russia what a verdict will be when things like justice do not count?
  While waiting in the corridor, a lawyer went up to our Public Affairs
  brother from Russia and said to him: "Are you praying to your God right
  now?" - The brother said: "Of course I am, and I can assure you that
  millions of my brothers are doing the same." The lawyer replied: "Well,
  then we will just have to see which side God is on!" The answer soon
  came. But up till the very last minute, the outcome was uncertain.
  When the judge came out, she just briefly said: 'The prosecution's
  charges have been rejected on all counts. The prosecution will pay the
  costs.' There was a moment's silence, then the brothers in the corridors
  started to cry out: "We have won!" The happiness was tremendous. The
  visiting brothers got progressively covered in lipstick.

  Additionally, February 23rd was the birthday of Patriarch Alexei. His
  various dealings as a KGB agent etc. are mentioned in Awake! of April
  22, 2001. This victory was quite a birthday present for him.

  It must be remembered, though, that although we have won this case, the
  prosecution is going to appeal the decision. And even if we win again,
  we may face many other court cases. There is still the reregistration
  issue, the situation in Georgia, and many other issues.
  But in any case, Jehovah obviously wants more work to be done in Russia.
  There must still be many more people to get into the Truth. A battle is
  won, but the war is not over.
  Isaiah 54:17: "No weapon."
  ==========================================================================

  MORE INFORMATION ON THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA PERSECUTION ON JW's

  For Immediate Release
  March 8, 2001
  http://www.jw-media.org/releases/010308.htm

  Orthodox priests lead mob attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses while police
  refuse to intervene:

  TBILISI, GEORGIA-On March 6, four Orthodox priests led a mob of about
  150 men on a violent rampage against Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of
  Sachkhere, western Georgia.
  According to Alexi Ichkitidze, one of Jehovah's Witnesses living in
  Sachkhere, "A mob led by the priest Avto Tshabadze and fellow priest
  Bartholomew of the Chorvila parish, invaded my home. They viciously
  assaulted me and a visiting friend, Savle Gotsadze. Then they savagely
  beat my wife, Nana."
  The mob then targeted an adjacent apartment on the same property, where
  religious meetings are held. They broke in through a window, looted the
  premises and burned the religious literature from the apartment.
  The priest-led mob went on a rampage through the city. They found a
  local Witness at his workplace and beat him. Witness passengers in a car
  were able to escape on foot as the mob damaged and looted the vehicle.
  This is the second day of such attacks by the same four Orthodox priests
  with Avto Tshabadze in the lead.
  
  Yesterday, on March 5, they led a mob of about 20 men
  in an attack on Jehovah's Witnesses meeting on private
  property. Four Witnesses were physically assaulted on that occasion.
  Alerted to these attacks, the mayor and local police refused to
  intervene. Armiran Macharashvil, the local deputy police chief, and
  A. Tsutskiridze, the local prosecutor, threatened that there would be
  further attacks. Even though this and similar recent attacks on
  Jehovah's Witnesses were brought to the attention of the authorities, no
  one has been arrested for viciously assaulting members of this religious
  group.

  On February 22, the Supreme Court of Georgia ruled that Jehovah's
  Witnesses are not banned in Georgia and are entitled to the
  constitutional right to hold religious services and import their
  literature.

  Contact in Republic of Georgia:
  Telephone: 995 (32) 76 23 59; Fax: 995 (32) 76 95 98
  Contact in the United States: J. R. Brown: Telephone: (718) 560-5600
• 
  36

  Assemblies...conventions...special days...

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is a phenomenon in dub dom that i have always hated.

  the circuit/district convention.. people will spend hard earned money, use up any vacation they may have to travel to a city they don't really have any particular reason to see to sit for entire days and listen to the same b.s.

  they could sit and listen to at the meetings in their home kingdom hall.

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  NikL

  Hay Auset,
  You reminded me of one of my last assemblies with your mentioning the "apostates".
  Apparently there was one sitting near me and during the final session on sunday as the afternoon progressed attendants started quietly asking for people in the area to move and the seats were then taken up by attendants. By the end of the final talk he was surrounded. As the closing prayer ended he jumped up to rush the stage and was summarily pounced upon. The poor sap had no idea!
  Later a friend who was with the attacking group of attendents rubbed his knuckles and told me, "Some of the brothers got a little over zealous". It made me wonder if the poor "apostate" wasn't going to be found dead in a ditch somewhere. That incident always bugged me. I mean we were supposed to be better then the world right? It was on that day I learned that J.W.s are sometimes nothing more then thugs and it was another brick in the wall.

  Edited by - NikL on 9 March 2001 2:0:56

  Edited by - NikL on 9 March 2001 2:3:11
• 
  36

  Assemblies...conventions...special days...

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is a phenomenon in dub dom that i have always hated.

  the circuit/district convention.. people will spend hard earned money, use up any vacation they may have to travel to a city they don't really have any particular reason to see to sit for entire days and listen to the same b.s.

  they could sit and listen to at the meetings in their home kingdom hall.

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  NikL

  There is a phenomenon in dub dom that I have always hated. The circuit/district convention.
  People will spend hard earned money, use up any vacation they may have to travel to a city they don't really have any particular reason to see to sit for entire days and listen to the same B.S. they could sit and listen to at the meetings in their home kingdom hall. WHY?!
  I have my own ideas but I am curious what yours may be. Did you hate these "wonderful" gatherings as much as I did? I used to volunteer to clean etc. sometimes just to break the monotony. I never enjoyed them at all. The hours after however...that is another story :-)
• 
  4

  Bloodless surgery!!!

  by NikL in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i received this e mail from a faithful dub who is all excited.

  i got to thinking about it and now i am excited too.

  since i am not going to change a dubs mind about the blood issue (brooklyn has to do that) at least i can try to get information out there so that those who insist on following the b.s.

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  NikL

  I received this e mail from a faithful dub who is all excited. I got to thinking about it and now I am excited too. Since I am not going to change a dubs mind about the blood issue (Brooklyn has to do that) at least I can try to get information out there so that those who insist on following the B.S. mongers in New York can hopefully do so a little safer...

  UPMC Health System Offers Bloodless Surgery to Those with Religious Or
  Personal Objections to Receiving Blood

  PITTSBURGH, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health System is offering patients
  who have religious or personal objections to receiving blood products the
  option of undergoing bloodless cardiac surgery. The recently established
  Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Program draws on UPMC's years of experience
  performing heart valve replacement and coronary artery bypass procedures, as
  well as organ transplants, without the use of donated blood.

  Jehovah's Witnesses constitute an important population of patients who refuse
  transfusion for religious reasons. However, there may be a significant
  number of patients who delay or even decline surgery because of concerns
  about the blood supply. While education is necessary to ensure that such
  patients are not acting out of misconceptions about the blood supply's
  safety, bloodless surgery provides an alternative for those who feel strongly
  about avoiding transfusion.

  "During a normal procedure patients lose anywhere from 100 cc to several
  units of blood, although it varies from patient to patient," says Brack
  Hattler, M.D., Ph.D., professor of surgery in the division of cardiothoracic
  surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hattler has
  performed more than a 100 bloodless surgeries in the past 10 years.

  Bloodless surgery is a complicated procedure which should only be undertaken
  by a multidisciplinary team of specialists. At UPMC, a patient would first
  undergo a thorough evaluation involving hematologists, internal medicine
  specialists, anesthesiologists as well as the cardiac surgeons, in order to
  determine if it is safe to undergo the procedure.

  Blood loss is reduced both during and after surgery using various techniques
  that allow patients to retain their own blood. Several weeks before surgery
  patients are injected three times a week with epogen, a genetically
  engineered drug that stimulates production of red blood cells in bone marrow.

  "The patient builds up to a supernormal level and can then stand to lose a
  small amount during surgery," explains Dr. Hattler. "Any amount of blood
  lost during surgery is captured and returned to the patient using a
  sophisticated operating room device called the Cellsaver, which is typically
  used during transplant operations to minimize donor blood requirements."

  Surgeons also use laser coagulators to halt capillary bleeding. Once the
  surgery is completed, the patient must remain in the operating room for an
  additional 30 to 45 minutes to be sure there is proper blood coagulation.

  More information about the Bloodless Cardiac Surgery Program and other
  comprehensive services at UPMC is available at http://www.upmc.edu.

  CONTACT: Lisa Rossi, [email protected], or Corrine Rushkowski,
  [email protected], 412-647-3555, or fax, 412-624-3184, both of UPMC
  Health System.

  SOURCE UPMC Health System

  CO: UPMC Health System; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

  ST: Pennsylvania

  IN: HEA MTC

  SU: PDT

  03/05/2001 08:04 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
• 
  29

  Watchtower and sex

  by claudia in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok maybe this is a dumb question, but i really am curious.

  why does it seem that fornication is the only "real" sin in the jw religion?

  i mean people can slander, be gluttonous, get drunk and have unethical business practices, but god forbid you should have a little sex.

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  NikL

  Hi Claudia,
  The reason is that it is just plain fun to sit in on an elders meeting and enjoy all the lurid details of someones "illicit" sexual encounters. Since the elders obvoiusly aren't getting any, jealousy develops on their part.
  Also, not everybody is a drunkard, and most people try to be honest and nice. But MOST love a good shaging once in a while and the power is so strong sometimes that we just can't help ourselves. :)

  Religion and sex are power plays
  manipulate the people
  for the money they pay
  selling sex selling god
  the numbers look the same
  On a credit card.