Based on what Ray said in his books, he never really wanted to be on the GB or Bethel in the first place. By his own account, Knorr was taken aback when Ray didn't seem too enthused with his new assignment, and preferred to just go back to Puerto Rico. By 1980, he made the personal decision to quietly leave the GB, but he clearly didn't want to sever all ties to what was up to then his entire life. When he went to Alabama, he knew the GB's eyes would be watching him closely, and probably kept up the field service part of it in the hope that this would blow over and he'd then fade into obscurity.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
JoinedPosts by Sic Semper Tyrannis
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28
Why Did Ray Franz Still Go On Field Service?
by BroMac inin his book he says he still went out on field service.. why would he do that?
i'm finding it so hard to go out, i only take my bible.. .
bromac.
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Draconian Rules for Attending "Special Convention"
by BluesBrother inbritish dubs are invited to attend a special convention next summer in dublin , irish republic.
o k, this kind of trip has been done many times before.
however i have never seen such a crude and rigid set of rules that would apply to their own people going on a trip, at their own expense of course.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
The reason they don't have conventions in places in Haiti, Malawi, or Zimbabwe is the simple fact of the matter of the contribution box. Since locals would undoubtedly make up the bulk of the delegates, the donations are going to be well off the mark, and in currency which is not easily convertible into money the Society could actually use. What use do they have for Haitian Gourdes? The best use they could have for it would be to keep it within the country, and they don't want to do that. Also the conventions would likely lose money since the literature is now free, and the donations gathered would probably barely even cover the cost of printing.
It makes more sense for the Society to set up a donation fund to transport Haitians to a convention in France where they can conveniently show a group of smiling black faces listening in Creole while putting the picture in their yearbook.
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How honest is the Watchtower (about its own history)?
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
The "Proclaimers" book was by WT standards the closest thing that the Society came to being truthful about their history. However, it is not chronological and therefore the admissions of some of the early failed prophecies get scattered throughout the book. It seemed to be some sort of answer to Franz's books. After Ray released the famous 'Christmas at Bethel' picture, they used the same one and used it to demonstrate how righteous Rutherford was for purging such a pagan tradition. What it didn't note was that Rutherford himself was sitting right in the center of the celebration.
I'd be curious to read the next "history" book they put out about themselves and see how they handle the UN fiasco, the generations change, and the child abuse allegations.
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Child preachers - I find this very disturbing
by freetosee ini believe young children are often capable of much more then we imagine.
these preacher children are surly very talented.
as much as i find them ever so cute, i find it disturbing how their parents use them to further their own religious ambitions.. .
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
There was this child prodigy in our congregation around the same age as I was. They even announced him as some sort of special assistant to the elders. He would go around and try to encourage the children to do more in service and become unbaptized publishers. My parents would give me the tired refrain of "why can't you be more like him?".
He was pretty devout all the way into high school. He was a handsome guy, and I saw him regularly shoo women away who wanted to sleep with him, using the occasion as a way to place magazines. Then out of nowhere he gets disfelowshipped. No one knew exactly why, but later rumors confirmed it was over a girl. He joined the Norteno gang and shot someone in the face as part of the initiation. He got sent upstate and to this day has been in and out of prison and is a known gang lieutenant.
Now "why can't you be more like him?" seems even more hollow. If you raise a kid to be such a Golden Boy, you are setting himself up for some real issues as soon as he becomes tempted by other distractions.
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How will Obamacare affect the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society?
by The_Present_Truth ini'm not sure if this has been addressed here or not but i've been curious as to how obamacare stands to affect the wtbts and those serving at it's branches in the usa?
has anyone looked at this?
seems the catholics are all shook up about what obamacare stands to "make" them provide their "employees".
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
The WT already has troubles with their European branches regarding paying into the health care system and providing pensions. Denmark was one such case. Their response had been to lay off as many people as possible in those branches and shifting more of the work to neighboring countries with less restrictive laws regarding this. My guess is that they'll keep trying to encourage the older and infirm to "serve where the need is greater" (i.e. I don't care where you go, just get out because you're costing us more to keep you than what you are producing), while reworking their contracts with the Bethel workers and setting them to officially "part-time" roles. That will allow them to make the legal argument that their workers are only part-time volunteers and that they are free to work at other jobs in order to acquire health care benefits, all the while privately discouraging Bethelites to moonlight.
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Disney lifts beard ban. When will WTS?
by doinmypart indisney has finally lifted their 55-year beard ban.
in conversations, an elder/relative would use disney as an example of a business that prohibited beards to help justify the wts anti-beard stance.
i wonder if the wts will ever lift their beard ban in the u.s. and other places.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/24/disney-lifts-beard-ban-workers?newsfeed=true.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
Yet another example of how out of touch the GB is. Times have changed. A neatly trimmed beard doesn't mean that you're a roadie for the Grateful Dead. You'll find examples of facial hair in all respectable professions. It's also strange how moustaches survived that ban. What's the fundamental difference between a moustache and a goatee? In Russell's time, beards were worn by practically all men. They seem stuck in a 1950's time warp and have no intention or desire to modernize.
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Are Jehovah,s Witnesses unique.
by jam incan you think of one single thing that set them apart.
from other religious organization.
witnessess love to.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
They are unique in the constant repetition of the name "Jehovah", while omitting the term "The Lord". You might find that word used in other sects, but seldom in everyday conversation.
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Disney lifts beard ban. When will WTS?
by doinmypart indisney has finally lifted their 55-year beard ban.
in conversations, an elder/relative would use disney as an example of a business that prohibited beards to help justify the wts anti-beard stance.
i wonder if the wts will ever lift their beard ban in the u.s. and other places.. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/24/disney-lifts-beard-ban-workers?newsfeed=true.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
I agree, never. It's too trendy right now. There's no real reason to ban them anymore, since the reason they did that in the first place was to purge out all the Russell devotees who copied their leader's style of grooming.
I once asked an elder about the ban on beards and facial hair (with the exception of moustaches) and he told me that they wanted to separate themselves as much as possible from the counter culture movement of the 60's and 70's.
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So- Now that it's down to 4 teams- Who's your pick to win the Super Bowl ?
by flipper inactually i'm happily surprised and elated that my san francisco 49ers are still alive !
what a game for the ages, jesus.
and i must send my condolences to all of you pittsburgh , new orleans, and green bay fans out there.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
Patriots - They are out with something to prove. You can run and pass on the Giants' defense, and even the Niners average offense demontrated that. You can also shut Eli Manning down. But most of all, I think the Patriots take it because the Giants wouldn't even be there had Kyle Williams hadn't muffed either punt.
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137
Draconian Rules for Attending "Special Convention"
by BluesBrother inbritish dubs are invited to attend a special convention next summer in dublin , irish republic.
o k, this kind of trip has been done many times before.
however i have never seen such a crude and rigid set of rules that would apply to their own people going on a trip, at their own expense of course.
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Sic Semper Tyrannis
This letter was written with input from their legal department. Never did they outright ban the obese and unhealthy. Instead they urged "prayerful consideration" and clothed it in language designed to make it sound like the Society was concerned for the health of such people.
The strict criteria is in my opinion just another way to create an upper class within the non-announted 'Great Crowd' class that the rank and file can aspire to. Notice how only elders, ministerial servants, and pioneers were put on the short list. For just a lowly publisher, you needed to have 20 years of exemplary service, meaning regular meeting attendance, meeting or exceeding the 10 hour average per month in field service for this entire period, and of course, that you haven't gotten into any trouble all during these 20 years. For all it's pomposity, there were subtle hints in all of that. For men, become elders, MS or pioneers, and these doors will be open to you. For women, pioneer.