Atlantis and Petra should not be criticized for sharing the documents they shared.
All documents are important to one degree or another. However what others do with them and the conclusions they draw- that's an entirely different matter.
For some reason, a few have taken these docs to mean something is "afoot" with Watchtower- and they are circling the drain. That would be nice - but these docs don't prove it. But once again- as I said, I agree completely with sharing the docs.
Also- most docs like these are publicly available from each state. Every title-holding congregation has to deal with the election of officers each year. it's business as usual for Watchtower- at least the way they have been running things since 2000/2001.
I'll share some docs when I redact what needs to be redacted so the community can see for themselves.
John Redwood
JoinedPosts by John Redwood
-
104
2020-Articles Of Association--Bylaws--Notice Of Special Meeting! (as of 2020-11-25)
by Atlantis in2020--articles of association and bylaws--3 pages.. .
2020--notice of special meeting in december--8 pages.
if you are a jw read carefully before you sign.. .
-
John Redwood
-
9
Jehovah’s Witnesses Reject Plasma Injections for COVID-19
by Rattigan350 injehovah’s witnesses reject plasma injections for covid-19.
https://www.newsintervention.com/jehovahs-witnesses-reject-plasma-injections-covid-19/.
the jehovah’s witnesses have issues with modern medical information because this is seen as against the tenets of the religious faith.
-
John Redwood
It appears that Scott Davidson lifted the JW directive directly from my JW Survey article.
https://jwsurvey.org/news/jehovahs-witnesses-denied-plasma-treatment-amid-coronavirus-pandemic
Unless I am missing something, he did not quote JW Survey or mention that I was quoting from a leaked Circuit Overseer letter.He is opening himself up to heavy criticism by citing something as fact with no backing foundation. Earnest is right to question the validity of this quote, as there's no foundation or reference.
The bottom line is that the letter and quote is real, but when someone reports on this kind of information they MUST provide a narrative explaining where the information came from. Then the reader can go back to the source and question my article, demand confirmation or an explanation for why I posted the text of the quote and not the entire letter itself.
Question everything- including ourselves.
-
19
Watchtower President Dies From COVID-19!
by Atlantis inwatchtower president dies of covid-19.
https://nycinews.com/jehovahs-witnesses-president/?fbclid=iwar3n7jwlxwtmvhkjswhhdxekgxcvogw0jxp-rkyhfb_mg1trztlsb3uhkiw .
petra!.
-
John Redwood
The Stuffpost website is a fake-news website.
Their WordPress theme is an Envato market template theme in which they never even bothered to change the name of the sample news site "Stuffpost."
Seems like they are having some fun though. Curious why they selected Ciranko and the JWs. -
11
More on Maryland Conventions, 1970-1975! Do you Remember?
by Atlantis in1970 circuit assembly program, sherwood high school, maryland.. .
rented schools were the accepted places for assemblies before 1970. the high school was used all the time.
the last one in a school in maryland came in january 2,3,4 1970.. .
-
John Redwood
Well, this is very interesting.
Just a few days ago, a victim who is now 60 years of age came forward about a Circuit Overseer and Special Pioneer who raped and impregnated her as a very young teen. He was from Pennsylvania but also served in Maryland all the way up to Massachusetts.
That man gave the Saturday pioneer talk at the 1970 Circuit Assembly and is listed on the program posted here.
More to come on this
-
35
Memories of Maryland Conventions!
by Atlantis inposting for brother x. petra!.
if you were a child during the years of 1960 to 1970, the question isn't; do you remember these conventions?
the question is; how could you forget?
-
John Redwood
I noticed the comments regarding Wayne Schafer also. I've known him since I was a small child. In fact, his mother lived just a few houses away from me and taught me piano in my elementary years, and was our closest JW friend.
Wayne has an interesting history you might not believe if I told you. During my later teen years he was disfellowshipped and went full-on apostate, and he came to the Crownsville Assembly Hall with another disfellowshipped JW to allegedly disrupt the assembly.
The attendants scampered and posted guard by all the stage entrances to prevent him from storming the platform- which was their fear. Everyone was frightened, including me.
Later he returned to the religion, and the last I checked he attends the same Kingdom Hall I attended for all those years in Perry Hall/Carney (outskirts of Baltimore)
And yes, his son is Governing Body Helper David Schafer.
I was not close to David growing up because Wayne's wife high-tailed it out of Baltimore and moved to the west coast, Portland as I recall. Wayne's mother was Naomi Southard, the grandmother of David Schafer. She would travel whenever possible to Oregon to spend time with David her grandson, and she would always bring me back souvenirs.
When Mount St Helens erupted, Naomi brought be back several bags of volcanic ash which had settled everywhere. I still have that ash, 40 years later.
-
35
Memories of Maryland Conventions!
by Atlantis inposting for brother x. petra!.
if you were a child during the years of 1960 to 1970, the question isn't; do you remember these conventions?
the question is; how could you forget?
-
John Redwood
I can give you guys a rundown on Crownsville if you like. Back around 2008-2009 we tore down the entire assembly had as well as the caretaker home, and we rebuilt an entirely new Hall and home. I worked on that project from the very beginning until all the way through the dedication by Sam Herd.
I'm guessing the person who knows me worked on this project with me? I worked with people from all over and in several departments. I was a site photographer and aerial photographer, and shot nearly all the aerial photos from start to finish. I flew around 8 flights throughout the building project. I also had the construction department erect a tower build of several levels of scaffolding, upon which they placed a small building in the air so that I could permanently mount a camera, which I used to shoot a time-lapse of the entire project.
When I wasn't shooting, I managed the installation of the sound system under the low voltage overseer. That was a major undertaking that took up a great deal of my time. Nearing the end of the project I was on site every day of the week without break. I have the entire Crownsville archive of photos (over 50,000) and I shot over 50,000 photos for the time-lapse end of the project, which I distilled down to 13,000 images- then turned them into a time lapse.
Anyway, Crownsville is still around, and boy did they milk the JWs for cash to pay for it. Millions.
Lots of Crownsville stories if anyone cares to hear :-) For the most part I had a great time, despite all the ridiculous drama that happened down there. I was in the very early stages of waking up back then, although I was not conscious of waking up. Subconsciously I think I buried myself in that project to avoid so much of the nonsense that plagued our congregation and the project itself. -
37
A Stroll Down Memory Lane!
by Atlantis inhow many of you remember these?
(since these are old i don't think the tower will get a hernia.).
a stroll down memory lane!https://docdro.id/ylyfur6peace among men of good will.
-
John Redwood
@TD I don't recall circuit assemblies at Laurel but I will take your word for it. I recall many District assemblies at the racetrack, and it was an absolutely awful, burning hot hellfire of a place to be, especially for a child.
We even camped there on the parking lot of Laurel racetrack in our pop-up camper, on the sweltering hot asphalt.
There was an indoor section, but I don't recall being behind that large glass wall which faced the platform. I think most people were stuck outside in the heat, and used lawn chairs with umbrellas which clamped to the arms of those chairs. Outside, vendors hawked portable battery-powered fans, which JWs purchased readily.
I imagine they scheduled these assemblies around those summertime racing events
-
37
A Stroll Down Memory Lane!
by Atlantis inhow many of you remember these?
(since these are old i don't think the tower will get a hernia.).
a stroll down memory lane!https://docdro.id/ylyfur6peace among men of good will.
-
John Redwood
Very interesting Petra,
You've found materials from my neck of the woods. I can try to track down that address for you. I believe this would likely be the home or location of the District Convention overseer or the Rooming overseer.
Back then we had our District assemblies at Laurel Race Course (Laurel Maryland) so this would explain why the rooming address would be in Laurel. There were only a few rare exceptions to Laurel back in the late 60s, when the org held a few assemblies in Baltimore at Memorial Stadium. One of them was quite famous as it's the one where Fred Franz gave his infamous speech about 1975.
-
65
US Letter Read Sunday 4/26 at Meeting - No KH Use and No Field Service Indefinitely
by JWTom inthere was a letter read sunday at our meeting that mentioned some parts of us are starting to open back up.
however, regardless of things opening up that no kingdom halls should be used for any meetings of any kind.
also, no door-to-door ministry or any form of in-person ministry is allowed.
-
John Redwood
If you folks would like to hear the reading of this letter in a North Carolina congregation- here is the link:
https://soundcloud.com/john-redwood-1/april-26th-2020-jw-announcement-to-all-congregations
-
3
Looking for Carl and Julie Bruce
by John Redwood into everyone:i am trying to locate anyone who might know carl bruce or his wife julie.
carl was a bethelite as far back as the mid-1980s in brooklyn new york.
it appears that he was married to julie during that time period, and he may still be a bethelite serving in wallkill.
-
John Redwood
Thank you both for your comments, very helpful. I have received additional confirmation that Carl was in the circuit work as suggested, so we are on the right track.
Petra if you have any additional Bethel telephone directories they would be helpful. Thank you again!
JR