some notes from the vicki boer trial today (friday).
the morning was taken up by testimony and cross examination of dr. silver, an expert witness in psychiatry called by watchtower.
the basic thrust of his testimony was to minimize the trauma experienced by vicki during the four different interogations by the elders and confrontations with her abuser.
Didur saying he didn't know Toth had to be an absolute lie. When a bethelite goes "apostate" you can't tell me something like that slips your mind. Frank's exit was felt in and around Bethel and he wasn't exactly a "junior bethelite".
People like Little and Didur can make you feel all warm and fuzzy but like most who climb the JW ladder, they are cold company men when their backs are to the wall.
Path
"the u.s. census bureau reports: "the number of single mothers increased between 1970 and 2000, from 3 million to 10 million; over the same time frame, the number of single fathers increased also, from 393,000 to 2 million.
" the october 8 issue of awake!
with the cover series, "single-parent families can succeed" will be offered without cost in communities country-wide in order to fortify one-parent households for the challenges they contend with.".
There seems to be an epidemic of divorce within the JW religion these days. Imo, growth in the number of single-parent families within the religion has easily outpaced that on the outside and no longer can these claims of low divorce rates be made.
Families that appear to be "exemplary" tend to find themselves plagued with difficulties as their children grow up because JW family relationships tend to be very artificial and superficial. Just as the WT measures spirituality in numbers of hours, JW families tend to measure their success as a family by what people can see. Families are devoid of emotion and feeling.
It would seem the WT is trying to address this ever-increasing segment of the JW population. Single JW parents seem to cling to this religion for various reasons and probably remain one of the last few segments of the population that find themselves inclined to become a Witness.
It is too bad that the WT doesn't accept any responsibility for so many of these broken marriages due to their shitty advice that has led so many incompatible people to marry simply because they had nothing more in common than they were both "good in the truth". It is too bad that the WT has robbed so many people of the needed time to devote to their families by keeping them occupied in useless activities.
I really don't know how they can say "we don't break up families" with an honest conscience.
Path
some notes from the vicki boer trial today (friday).
the morning was taken up by testimony and cross examination of dr. silver, an expert witness in psychiatry called by watchtower.
the basic thrust of his testimony was to minimize the trauma experienced by vicki during the four different interogations by the elders and confrontations with her abuser.
Thanks Expat...
Any idea on whether monday or tuesday would be a more preferable day to attend the trial next week? I'd like to try to make it one more day.
Your recollections of Mr.Mark questioning Mr. Dieter about whether Matthew 18 is strictly limited to slander and business disagreements reminded me of when Mr. Mark put the same question to the elder (Brown?) on Monday and handed him the Bible to read the passage. It was sort of funny because we all knew there was nothing in the scripture that would indicate the limitations to slander and business disagreements and so did the elder who refused to even look at the Bible. He was reduced to saying that is how Jehovahs Witnesses understood the passage from what was printed in their publications.
There certainly were times when you wished you could trade places with Mr.Mark and do a little cross-examining of your own. Instead you have alot of xjws almost pulling their hair out when you hear the carefully deceptive comments go by unaddressed.
Path
since i first posted here.
going thru all the phases of grief has been difficult, but worth it.
the shock and disbelief that everything i knew was a lie, that i no longer had all the answers, and then the anger of being deceived.
When you think back to that difficult period in your life where your world came crashing down around you, that sick feeling and tortured thoughts, you wonder how you ever made it.
After all is said and done and the storm is over there is great peace and clarity of thought. Life certainly presents it's challenges and has it's ups and downs but at least it is real now.
Path
a nearby congregation announced that due to the society's winning the case in the supreme court concerning door to door work, territories that have not been worked in 2 years, will now be worked.
publishers should no longer contact the local police dept.
before they go in the field, no longer should they tell the police where they will be working or what cars they will be driving, including license plates.
I guess what gives them the freedom to preach is what allows us the freedom of speech in everyday life. I don't see anything wrong with JW's advancing the interests of free speech. I do find it hypocritical that they don't allow their members those same freedoms. And I think if more knew about the "do not call" list, they would stop challenging these laws and just add their names to the list.
But preachers might go to jail ultimately. Not for preaching the good news of the kingdom but for breaking the law by hiding criminals. It's time for especially elders to start waking up and realizing that they might be heavily fined or spend time in jail for following the Society's policies.
Path
last night, my wife zazu, had a stroke.
she is in the hospital, and will be there for a least a week.
she can still think clearly and converse.
Adding my voice to everyone here. Hang in there larc and hoping your wife recovers well.
Path
i just received another email from this young sister that is so confused she thinks my website/email is the *real* watchtower.
for the record, here is the his correspondence so far: .
first letter, received august 11, 2001 12:09 hi, my name is [name removed] &im seventeen years old and im from waco,texas.
Dude that was priceless... The WT must hate u for scouping their precious URL's.. lol
Path
well we have the toronto sun today reporting yesterday's testimony.
so 1 million more people will read the what vicki's psychiatrist said.. also note what the 3rd elder who was in the confrontation stated below.
seems he believed that the other elders had dealt with the issue.
I hope whoever can keep us informed on when the verdict will come down. I'm sure it will be standing room only in the courtroom for the verdict and it would be nice to have a good presence for vicki.
I think this issue would not have the exposure in canada had it not been for this trial and I'm sure it has prompted many more victims to come forward who would not have heard about it otherwise.
Elders also need to really think about their role in an increasingly volatile environment where many upset JW's and former JW's will not hessitate to sue them if they are out of line. Many elders are sincere within the framework of the policies they are given but only are acting upon limited information without knowing the institution they have put full confidence in ultimately intends to hang them out to dry if it is in their best interests to do so.
Win or lose, Vicki's courage has certainly made an impact. I wish her the best.
Path
wild turkey ran into an elder he knows in business and the brother didnt know about us d/a ourselves.
which is shocking to me, since there is so much gossip always going on, now i am sure everyone who doesnt know soon will.. anyway, this brother has been an elder for many years, and he told my husband that he was removed because his son, who is a senior in high school was publicly reproved.
i think this is very sad , only because of more of their polices and backward ways of thinking.
It's funny u know... if nothing happened then a certain crowd would say the father was not exemplary and could not handle his own household... Then if he is removed, another crowd says his son was a free person and it had nothing to do with the father.
What it comes down to is that elder bodies do what they wish to do. In some areas they do one thing, and in others they do something else. Bottom line is the WT does what it wishes to whenever it wants and everyone is expendable.
Perhaps what happened to this elder will be the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He got a dose of the WT's unfair justice and it might make him think.
Path
get the november 1 watchtower "why should i apologize?
" and wave it at the up coming march!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
wave it in front of dateline cameras!
Brilliant suggestion... A powerful statement about their own hypocrisy.
Path
