THE INTERNATIONAL BIBLE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (IBSA)
Registered Company Number: 136726
Registered Charity Number: 216647
Web Link for Charity Details
www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=216647&SubsidiaryNumber=0
Web Link for 2011 Accounts Report
www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends47/0000216647_ac_20110831_e_c.pdf
Extracts from the International Bible Students Association Financial Report August 2010
"The charity was incorporated on 30th June 1914 and is governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association of that date as amended by special resolutions on 20th April 1951, 10th January 1958, 28th November 2005 and 4th January 2006."
"Charities with similar objects exist in many countries around the world. Co-ordination is through the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, located at their headquarters in the United States."
"The Association works closely with Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain (Watch Tower). It provides volunteers for Watch Tower to use in its activities. It permits Watch Tower to use its facilities for Watch Tower's charitable work and provides accommodation for the volunteers. A service and maintenance charge is made which includes the cost of the volunteers. The Association purchases religious material from Watch Tower and donates this to congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses."
"The object of the Association is to promote the Christian religion by supporting congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses and others in connection with their spiritual and material welfare in Britain and abroad within the charitable purposes of the Association."
"Our grant making policy is as follows. From time to time we are asked by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses to consider helping Jehovah's Witnesses in countries where a need exists. We first consider whether the budget permits. If this is the case we satisfy ourselves that the expenditure will further the religious work of Jehovah's Witnesses and we then send the money to the organisation caring for Jehovah's Witnesses in that country. Finally, we obtain reports to confirm the money was properly used."
"We had adequate funds to be able to respond to all of the requests received from the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, in connection with lands where the economy is poor. The total was £1,010,000."
"Because of the consistent support we enjoy from congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses, we do not engage in fundraising activities as such. We include a reminder about methods of donating, either in our monthly letter of thanks to congregations, or in our internal newsletter prior to the annual conventions. We find this to be adequate. It is good to see that in spite of the recession, voluntary income increased again. To fund the property developments described elsewhere in this report, we sought and received grants provided by Jehovah's Witnesses in other countries. We do make an "at-cost" charge to Watch Tower for giving them office, printery, warehouse and domestic accommodation."
"The Association has cash of approximately £2.7 million. The Association has a reliable donation base, being primarily the 1,543 congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses in the UK. Hence, we can plan confidently with relatively small reserves, having in mind that we charge Watch Tower for the cost of running the HQ complex and we respond to the needs for funds overseas only after filling our domestic requirements. Our established policy is to ensure that we have on hand in liquid funds at least two months' working expenditure. At the year end, liquid assets on hand equate to 2.3 months of expenditure (2009: 4.4 months)."
"The charity is funded by donations and legacies. Also, grants are received from Jehovah's Witnesses in other countries. £12.2 million was received by way of grants, through a charity in Germany, Jehovas Zeugen in Deutschland. Also payments from Watch Tower cover the cost of operating the headquarters complex."
Posts by JWB
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7A Question About the Watchtower Corporations
by Infowarrior inwe know that the watchtower has many corporations.. .
zion's watch tower tract society in pennsylvania - 1881. watch tower bible and tract society of pennsylvania - december 15, 1884. international bible students association, which was founded in 1872 in pittsburgh by charles taze russell.. .
my question is about the international bible students assocation.
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JWB
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Urban Legend, or TRUTH? How did story of Ray Franz "spitting on" Karl Kline get started?
by dreamgolfer ini heard a story and wanted to get some follow up.
did anyone hear the same?.
supposedly at a mutual friends funeral (i dont know who) ray "supposedly spat" on karl kline for not talking to him after ray was df'd?.
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JWB
Rumors About Raymond Franz
(Extracts from Crisis of Conscience, pages 322 & 323:)
One rumor that circulated widely, in fact internationally, was that these three men (Vázquez, Sánchez and Kuilan), all of whom worked in the Spanish Translation Department, were deliberately making changes in material when translating and that I knew of this and had condoned it. (In French-speaking countries the rumor was adjusted to apply to French translation work.) René’s comments on this were:
That is ridiculous. It would have been impossible to do. There were no changes made and that never came into our minds. No one ever accused us of that. Everything translated had to go through about five different persons for checking, Fabio Silva being the last one to read it. In translating it was always necessary to strive to be faithful to the original idea. [32]
Probably the most vicious rumor, passed on as "truth" by elders and others in various parts of this country, was that there was homosexuality being practiced among the "apostates." Where such a blatant lie originated is difficult to imagine. The only explanation I can think of is that, about a year before the inquisition tactics began, an organizational member in a position of considerable responsibility had been accused of homosexual tendencies. The Governing Body handled the case and endeavored to keep the matter quiet. Nonetheless, it seems that some talk did circulate. In the rumor mills this man’s actions were now transferred over to the "apostates." This was easy to do since spreaders of rumors are seldom concerned about facts. I can think of no other possible explanation.
Why would people priding themselves on their high Christian principles pass on such vicious rumors when they had absolutely nothing but gossip on which to base them? I believe that in many cases it was simply because many felt a need somehow to justify in their own minds and hearts what had happened. They had to have reasons other than the true ones to explain why such summary and harsh actions were taken against people with unblemished records, people whom even their closest associates knew to be peaceful, unaggressive persons. To see the ugly label of "apostate" suddenly placed on these people required something more than the facts of the matter provided. Without such, those who knew these people, and others who heard of them, would have been obliged to face up to the possibility that the organization they viewed as God’s sole channel of communication and guidance on earth was perhaps not what they thought it to be. For many this was to think the unthinkable. It would severely disturb their feeling of security, a security that rests largely (far more so than most would acknowledge) on their unquestioning reliance on a human organization.
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[32] Not only was everything checked by a number of different persons in Brooklyn, but a large percentage of Branch Office personnel in Spanish-speaking countries know English and read the publications in both languages. Had such charge of deliberate alteration been true, it would have been quickly reported. To think otherwise simply betrays an ignorance of the facts or a lack of concern for facts on the part of those originating and spreading the rumors. -
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Urban Legend, or TRUTH? How did story of Ray Franz "spitting on" Karl Kline get started?
by dreamgolfer ini heard a story and wanted to get some follow up.
did anyone hear the same?.
supposedly at a mutual friends funeral (i dont know who) ray "supposedly spat" on karl kline for not talking to him after ray was df'd?.
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JWB
I haven't heard of that rumour, but there certainly were others (see post below)!
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Why Russell could not have been the faithful and discreet slave (from the standpoint of JW belief)
by JWB inwhy russell could not have been the faithful and discreet slave (from the standpoint of jw belief).
this thread was started in order to answer a question raised elsewhere about russell being the faithful and wise servant (aka fds).. .
the reason russell was originally considered the fds was that he taught 1874 as being the start of the parousia, with 1878 as the time that jesus began to reign proper.
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JWB
WHY RUSSELL COULD NOT HAVE BEEN THE FAITHFUL AND DISCREET SLAVE (FROM THE STANDPOINT OF JW BELIEF)
This thread was started in order to answer a question raised elsewhere about Russell being the Faithful and Wise Servant (aka FDS).
The reason Russell was originally considered the FDS was that he taught 1874 as being the start of the Parousia, with 1878 as the time that Jesus began to reign proper. That would mean he was alive at the time (according to his calculations) of the selecting of the FDS. Remember that the FDS was identified as such, in the parable, only AFTER the Master's return. However, we know that Russell's calculations for the 1874 date was based on a 100-year error. His dating hinged on the supposed start of human creation and a time period of 6,000 years stretching from there up to 1874. However, JWs base their FDS time calculations on 2,520 years stretching from 607 BCE to 1914 CE, with the subsequent selection around about 1918-1919. So, by the current reasoning, Russell could not have been selected as the FDS (or part thereof) since he died before the time of selection!
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Charles Taze Russell's Hundred Year Error
"In 1877, Russell joined Nelson H. Barbour in publishing the book Three Worlds, and the Harvest of This World. It indicated that the end of the Gentile Times in 1914 would be preceded by a forty-year period to open with a three-and-a-half-year harvest beginning in 1874 C.E. According to Bible chronology thereafter adopted, it was understood that 6,000 years of man's existence on earth ended in 1872, whereas six millenniums of human sin concluded and the seventh millennium began in 1874. Christ's presence was thought to have begun in October 1874, at the start of the great antitypical Jubilee.--Lev. chap. 25; Rev. 20:4." [Watch. 15 Aug 1974, pages 506-507, "No Spiritual 'Energy Crisis' for Discreet Ones"]
"Man's creation was placed in 4128 and sin's entrance in 4126 B.C.E. Such chronology followed an incorrect manuscript rendering of Acts 13:20 in the Emphatic Diaglott, which said that God gave Israel judges 'about four hundred fifty years, till Samuel the prophet.' A footnote stated that this was at variance with 1 Kings 6:1, where the Hebrew letter daleth (thought to represent the number 4) supposedly had been mistaken for the similar character he (5). Hence, it was suggested that 580 (not 480) years elapsed between Israel's exodus from Egypt and the time that Solomon began building Jehovah's temple. But the oldest manuscripts spell out all numbers. So a transcriber's visual error could not have occurred at 1 Kings 6:1, which gives this period correctly as 480 years. This harmonizes with a correct reading of Acts 13:20, which indicates that the period of 'about four hundred and fifty years' there mentioned preceded the era of the Judges. In 1943 the Watch Tower Society's book "The Truth Shall Make You Free" did away with the nonexistent extra 100 years in the period of the Judges and placed the end of 6,000 years of man's existence in the 1970's. It also fixed the beginning of Christ's presence, not in 1874, but in 1914 C.E.'" [Watch. 15 Aug 1974, footnotes, "No Spiritual 'Energy Crisis' for Discreet Ones"] -
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Dear Recovery...
by OneDayillBeFree init is 3am here and i just finished reading your last post and even though i have to be up at 6am tomorrow morning (technically later), i felt obligated to login to jwn and write to you.
i thought about saying many things.
hurtful things.
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JWB
Onedayillbefree, thank you so much for writing that letter. What a gentle, kind tone you showed. That is indeed the type of attitude I would expect from many folks at the local KH. We were always taught to be careful how we treated householders, as we did not want "the truth to be spoken of abusively". Unfortunately, I found out that there were some 'brothers' who did not appear to manifest such a Christ-like disposition in the FS. Thankfully, they were in the minority! But no doubt it made it difficult for those returning to the territory some time later.
"But a slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to teach, keeping himself restrained under evil, instructing with mildness those not favorably disposed; as perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil, seeing that they have been caught alive by him for the will of that one." - 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (NWT)
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Rutherford's smear campaign (a must read)
by Leolaia inthere has been some interest recently about the moyle case, and how it may have set a precident in what became the society's disfellowshipping policy.
in july 1939, the chief legal counsel of the watchtower bible & tract society, olin r. moyle, resigned from his position in a protest over conditions at bethel and rutherford's mistreatment of workers.
he did not want to continue living under those conditions and he felt he could effect positive change for his brothers by taking such a stand.
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JWB
First of all, I'd like to thank Leilaia for taking the time and effort to post all the information so far.
frankiespeakin, it seems I'm not the only one who questions the appropriateness of someone with Rutherford's personality in leading an organization that claims to be acting under the direction of Jesus himself.
The following comments are simply my own views. I have come to the conclusion that Joseph Rutherford suffered from some form of megalomania. The way he handled the Olin Moyle affair reveals, I believe, an example of this condition. Rutherford's over-the-top reaction to the private letter sent to him by Olin Moyle shows he was a man with a huge ego and feeling of self-worth. His control of the Society was maintained by demonizing what he saw as his 'opponents' and gathering around himself various yes-men. He couldn't cope with the criticism Moyle brought and seemed to equate it with an attack against "God's Organization"!
"Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'. [I. B. Weiner/W. E. Craighead, The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology: Vol III (2010) p. 977] Historically it was used as an old name for narcissistic personality disorder prior to the latter's first use by Heinz Kohut in 1968, and is used these days as a non-clinical equivalent. [Megalomiacs abound in politics/medicine/finance Business Day 2011/01/07] [Kohut H The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders: Outline of a Systematic Approach, 1968] It is not mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association] or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD)." "A quotation by Bertrand Russell gives his interpretation of megalomania: 'The megalomaniac differs from the narcissist by the fact that he wishes to be powerful rather than charming, and seeks to be feared rather than loved. To this type belong many lunatics and most of the great men of history.' ['The megalomaniac differs from the... at BrainyQuote'. Brainyquote.com. 1970-02-02.]" "During his final years, and especially after the death of Hephaestion, Alexander the Great began to exhibit signs of megalomania and paranoia. [Green, Peter Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age, pp. 23–24] His extraordinary achievements, coupled with his own ineffable sense of destiny and the flattery of his companions, may have combined to produce this effect. [Green, Peter Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age, pp20–21]" - Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalomania
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Possibly The Most Important Issue Of Our Time
by metatron indoes the us government have highly advanced technology that it is concealing?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n0fo_htf5s&feature=youtu.be.
forget the obamney election.
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JWB
Could this technology be of a more earthly origin?
Nazi Flying Saucers of WW2(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3swu_lC-7zc)
Maybe "Operation Paperclip" brought in some expertise in this area?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Paperclip -
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I would love for you to know my Oompa.... (from one of his closest friends)
by Robert7 in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp /> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables /> <w:dontvertalignintxbx /> <w:word11kerningpairs /> <w:cachedcolbalance /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="--" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].
[endif][if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><!
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JWB
Some people just don't think about the consequences of their actions in connection with those who are under a huge emotional burden. Those representatives of the WTS, who consider themselves to be spiritual physicians 'binding up the broken-hearted', do well to consider that medical maxim "first, do no harm". As far as I'm concerned, there is huge culpability attached to those who help the WTS in enforcing the shunning policy. To some who are extremely emotionally fragile, this can cause the end of not just their spiritual life, but also their physical life.
I'm so sorry for Oompah that it came to this. Believe me, I do understand. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
In a related matter, it is a pity that a person would have to actually threaten suicide for a WTS judicial committee to back off (see below), rather than approaching each case on an individual basis according to awareness of a person's general emotional/mental state. It is also a pity that JWs are not allowed to exercise their own consciences, based on the understanding of mitigating circumstances, to decide for themselves whether or not to shun.
"In judicial cases where the accused threatens suicide, it may be best for the committee to suspend the hearing to focus on helping him regain his balance. (See 7:12) They should assure him of the committee's desire to help him, then broach the subject of depression and suicide, using the Scriptures and Bible-based publications. (Prov. 3:11, 12; 4:13; Heb. 12:5, 6, 11-13) Depending upon his emotional state, it may be best to do this a day or two later. The elders can prepare by reviewing articles that will help them deal sensitively with the depressed individual. (w00 9/15 pp. 3-7; w88 10/15 pp. 25-29; 11/15 pp. 21-24; w82 6/1 pp. 9-14) The judicial committee should avoid prolonging the case unnecessarily, as this can cause stress for the accused. They should take notes for the confidential file, outlining the dates of their conversations and the scriptures and articles that were considered. They should sign it and place it in the file for the case. The judicial committee should communicate with the branch office if there are questions about a certain case." - Shepherd the Flock of God, page 86, paragraph 16 ("If the Accused Threatens Suicide") -
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The European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses and the OSCE
by JWB inthe european association of jehovah's christian witnesses and the osce.
on 29 december 2000 a document originating from ibsa (international bible students association) house in london was signed by david carpenter.
the purpose of this document was to give notice of the first annual general meeting of the european association of jehovah's christian witnesses (teaojcw).
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JWB
THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF JEHOVAH'S CHRISTIAN WITNESSES AND THE OSCE
On 29 December 2000 a document originating from IBSA (International Bible Students Association) House in London was signed by David Carpenter. The purpose of this document was to give notice of the first annual general meeting of The European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses (TEAOJCW). It was stated that the meeting, to be held in the morning of Tuesday 23 January 2001 at IBSA House, would be "for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, passing the following resolutions." Those resolutions included "to elect a chairman, secretary and treasurer for the Charity" and "that the Constitution be adopted as the Charity's governing instrument as from the date of the First Annual General Meeting." Those to be proposed as the Charity's Management Committee were Rollo Burgess, David Birch, David Carpenter, Robin Williams and Geoffrey Young. [1]
According to the Constitution, adopted in 2001, the main reason for TEAOJCW's existence is "to advance from the Continent of Europe, the Christian religion as practised by that body of Christians called Jehovah's Christian Witnesses", by means of "promoting Christian missionary work", "providing, maintaining and building places of meeting for public Christian worship", "advancing religious education" and "providing and promoting spiritual assistance anywhere in the world in particular to the poor, the homeless, and the sick and to those suffering from the effects of natural or man-made disasters and in other times of need."
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By 1975 the Cold War had thawed enough for 35 States, including the United States and Russia, to sign what came to be called the Helsinki Agreement. The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was born. It was a multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiation between the two blocs.
At the Budapest Summit in 1994, the CSCE changed its name to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Today, it is composed of 54 participating States, including the United States, Canada, and all the countries of the former Soviet Union.
The objective of the member nations of the OSCE is to guarantee the security of Europe as well as to foster the implementation of human rights, disarmament, democratic freedoms and the management of regional conflict.
A summit meeting of the OSCE was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on December 2-3, 1996. At first, attention was focused on NATO, since several NATO members, including the United States, are in favor of the expansion of NATO to include more nations from Central and Eastern Europe. But rather than support the enlargement of NATO to include former Eastern bloc allies, Russia and some of her former Eastern bloc allies want the OSCE to become the forum for matters of European security. [2]
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One might wonder what connection there is between TEAOJCW and the OSCE. On 13 and 14 September 2004 there was an OSCE Conference (held in Brussels), on the subject of "Tolerance and The Fight Against Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination." The participants at that conference included Marcel Gillet, Paul Gillies and Luca Toffoli as representatives of TEAOJCW. [3] On 9 and 10 December 2010 another OSCE conference was in Vienna, with the title "OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Freedom of Religion or Belief", which was attended by Paul Gillies on behalf of TEAOJCW. [4]
It is interesting to note that a number of other JW-related participants have also been involved with the OSCE. Between 29 September and 10 October 2008 there was a "OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting" held in Warsaw. Represented at this meeting were: the Administrative Centre of Jehovah's Witnesses Russia, The European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses, the Office of General Counsel for Jehovah's Witnesses, the Religious Center of Jehovah' Witnesses in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society - Poland. [5]
For more information of TEAOJCW's interaction and association with the OSCE, simply go to the OSCE website (www.osce.org) and do a search (including double quotes) using such terms as "Paul Gillies", "Watchtower", "General Counsel for Jehovah", and "Christian Witnesses".
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[1] A copy of this document is available along with the European Association of Jehovah's Christian Witnesses' 2001 Constitution from the UK (England & Wales) Charity Commission (www.charitycommission.gov.uk/sendmailCRM.aspx). It is necessary to put in a request to the Commission, either by post (printed format) or online (electronic format), for a copy of the Governing Document for charity number 1085157. Be patient as it can take a few weeks before receiving a copy.
[2] Extract from Awake! 1997 Aug 22, page 31 ("OSCE - What is it? Will it succeed?")
[3] www.osce.org/cio/36448 (page 52)
[4] www.osce.org/odihr/75756 (page 15)
[5] www.osce.org/odihr/34404 (pages 41, 49, 63, 65 and 71) -
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Apostasy Trial - Part 6 It's finally all online...
by RayPublisher inthe entire saga, all 3 hours are now online.
this last one took hours and hours to edit and i am so glad it is done.
(although i still have the behind the scenes footage to put up on how i did the hidden camera lol!
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JWB
Eric, I'll be listening to this concluding part with much interest. Thank you for all the hard work you put into making the videos and putting them in the public domain. You have created a valuable tool for instructing others about the way loyalty to the organization is seen by many JW elders as more important than the exercise of one's own conscience. Well, join the long queue of 'apostates' who tested and found wanting those with 'spiritual authority' during their own lifetimes:
Jeremiah
Jesus
Paul ("teaching an apostasy from Moses" Acts 21:21)
Martin Luther
William Tyndale
etc, etc.
[Added:]
Charles Taze Russell