link to article.
a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church to get out of being part of the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the high court in wellington.. after nearly three years of behind-the-scenes legal wrangling to avoid scrutiny from the inquiry, the church applied for a judicial review in june.. at a hearing, held earlier this month it argued it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not operate institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people and the inquiry had uncovered no evidence of abuse in that context.. lawyers representing the inquiry argued that jehovah's witness elders - equivalent to ministers or pastors - exercised a level of control over the congregation that allowed them access to children.. the inquiry informed abuse survivors who gave evidence to the inquiry in relation to the jehovah's witnesses of the news this afternoon.. "we have received advice from the high court that none of the causes of action brought by the jehovah's witnesses has succeeded and the application for judicial review has been dismissed.
the judge's reasons are not yet available, but are expected in the near future," the email to survivors, seen by rnz, said.. the church was the only faith-based institution in the country to legally challenge its involvement in the inquiry, although it had attempted to challenge its status in other countries where similar inquiries have also been carried out.. the inquiry said, in a statement, that the dismissal "means the royal commission can continue to investigate the jehovah's witnesses, and all other faiths, in accordance with the pastoral care approach we have been applying since 2019".. "reasons for the high court's judgment are not yet available but are expected in the near future.
" The only way the Borg can sustain longevity is from its own birthrate "
Very true, but the demographic suggests that birthrate must be falling !
I hope this will dissuade even more young people to leave, and fewer to join.
Thanks for Posting this great News Tahoe, I shall await the full transcript of the Judge's remarks on the decision, and I hope to see the Summary of Findings by the R.C. before too long too !
after being brought up a jw, going to mts, bethel, pioneer school multiple times, serving in foreign assignments and having been an elder for decades my conclusion is that i am now pima, physically in mentally agnostic.. agnostic means you think it can’t be proven either way creation or evolution.
i do tend to lean towards evolution but creation at the very start because you can’t get life from dead matter.
but i’m open to the possibility of chance theory at the origin of it all.
"Phizzy, the book "Life Arising"
Could you have meant Life Ascending, by Nick Lane?"
That's the one thanks.
To EXbe,
If you don't want Freedom of Mind ,and want to stay easily misled, as we all were by the org. that is your choice. But my advice is, do not stay in the Netherworld of the uninformed and uneducated. It is not a good or happy place.
It is natural to think of all the Big Questions once your mind has become open somewhat, and it IS frightening.
When I first walked away for good from the Org. I didn't know what would happen, would I lose all my JW family, friends and even my wife ? plus all the questions you are beginning to ask.
The Road To Freedom of Mind is a journey, you should walk along that Road at your own pace. A good rule of thumb is it takes a year for every decade you were in the Org. to expunge the effects of those years, as much as is possible.
But you MUST do your Homework ! Only accept that which has irrefutable evidence as being Truth along the way, some truths are hard to accept at first, but you soon adapt.
Just a word of caution, do not express what you think and feel right now on here, many on here will, out of a good heart, try to influence you, but what they offer cannot help you on your journey without checking what they say. So forget asking us, unless the matter is urgent, except where you are asking for irrefutable evidence of what you are studying. We will direct you to that, those of us so able.
Choose one thing, Fact Check what you find out, then go on to another, the Journey I have described is a pleasurable one, and as you drink from the Pure Waters of Real Truth, you will find fulfillment and happiness.
All the best !
this is from a site called "atheist republic" :.
" the phenomenon of "nones" — individuals who claim no religious affiliation — is rapidly reshaping america's religious landscape.
recent surveys by the associated press-norc center for public affairs research indicate that 30% of u.s. adults identify as nonreligious.
This is from a Site Called "Atheist Republic" :
" The phenomenon of "nones" — individuals who claim no religious affiliation — is rapidly reshaping America's religious landscape. Recent surveys by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicate that 30% of U.S. adults identify as nonreligious. This group, which has seen a steady increase over the past three decades, includes atheists, agnostics, and those who label themselves as "nothing in particular". Interestingly, while atheists and agnostics each make up 7% of U.S. adults, "nothings in particular" constitute about 1 in 6 or roughly 17%. Ryan Burge, a political science professor, underscores the significance of this trend by stating, “the most important story without a shadow of a doubt is the unbelievable rise in the share of Americans who are nonreligious.” Notably, young adults show the highest representation in this category, with nearly 40% of those under 30 identifying as nones. "
after being brought up a jw, going to mts, bethel, pioneer school multiple times, serving in foreign assignments and having been an elder for decades my conclusion is that i am now pima, physically in mentally agnostic.. agnostic means you think it can’t be proven either way creation or evolution.
i do tend to lean towards evolution but creation at the very start because you can’t get life from dead matter.
but i’m open to the possibility of chance theory at the origin of it all.
Dear Exbe, when I woke up, having been from birth a brought up J.W, I was in my late 50's, and realised I had been kept in a Bubble of Ignorance by the Org.
I decided i would educate myself, on all matters, I humbly suggest you do so yourself, it will open your eyes, and lead you to Truth.
>Truth is only established upon irrefutable evidence.<
Start with a Book like "Life Arising", I forget the Authors name, but he shows how Abiogenesis happened, how life began, not from "dead matter" by the way, and then clearly and readably explains how Evolution worked and works.
The rest of the stuff about the Org. etc. can wait, if you go straight to the core of things, and see that no Creator was necessary and all the evidence says there was not one, you will save yourself a lot of time.
Please give consideration to this, find Truth, real truth as I have defined above, your life will be enriched, and you will be on the Road To Freedom Of Mind.
All the best for the future !
for years after leaving i was afraid of going to therapy or seeking help with a counselor to unpack my jehovah’s witness upbringing and shunning.
i think one of the things i like the most about therapy with an exjw therapist is that i dont have to explain every detail.
she knows my issues and it saves time and $$ in sessions.
I was lucky to find an excellent, fully qualified Therapist who saved my life, after being persuaded to go to one by the good Posters on here, having left the Borg. with all the damage of a lifetime in, I was suicidally depressed, I had worked out how to do it painlessly for me, not for my family obviously !
This Therapist, in the U.K and now long retired, had worked with XJW's and J.W's still in, so she knew a lot, and was an excellent Therapist, bless her !
It may not be possible to find an XJW Therapist where you live, but one such as the above, experienced and understanding, about people leaving or having left an Authoritarian Mind Control Group. Good Luck and all the best !
mike and kim deserve oreos and m&m's for this one.. .
2023-scriptures for christian living-130 pages.
the pdf download is at the bottom of the list.. https://fliphtml5.com/edit-book/91405736/download .
" some of them (Elders) have had to step down from depression and what not"
That is a cast iron way of being a PIMO with no repercussions, apart from the usual, hateful JW disdain. It is a first step to slowly fading, and becoming a POMO.
Atlantis , I cannot thank you, and the former Elders involved in keeping us informed, enough, much appreciated and great work !
“i knew the repercussions of leaving” (chronicle.com).
she did not see any role models around her, and the organization’s requirements and expectations “steered me away from the things i wanted to do in my life.” at age 18, she decided to leave the religion, “even though it was hard, even though it was confusing, and scary … and painful,” to pursue her dreams and goals..
Pete ! great to see you back ! have you been O.K ? I was worried ! *
The Video touched me deeply, virtually all that she said was what I went through upon leaving, apart from the later bit, I have not been able to build bridges between my J W family and myself, but I am not badly shunned, just in mild ways, so things are fine with me, as they are.
But for that beautiful,, and wonderful, young lady, it was as hard as it was for me. One night I walked out of a K.H , left for good, not knowing if I would lose my whole J.W family, including my wife. It WAS scary, and tinged with sadness. I had left behind people I had grown up with, people I had seen married, and have kids , and even grandkids. All my "friends", social circle etc. and customers for my business.
I have never regretted that night I left, and found the joy of learning, of learning Truth.
For the first time in my life, I experienced true happiness, and I finally became happy and confident as the Real Me.
Thank you for posting this !
* Whoops , just checked, you have been back and active recently, but there was a lacuna ?
an announcement to all congregations those with legal experience please come and work for free to cover up child abusers.. i mean what else would it be for?.
the cheek of it.. so the direction was always don’t go for advanced education and careers but now they are looking for such ones to give if their time and education for free?.
It is obviously getting too expensive to employ capable Lawyers from the World, to defend the indefensible, and in the twisted minds of the G.B they are probably thinking that "worldly" Lawyers would not receive Jehoober's blessing or assistance, which is why cases fail, or at least achieve nothing like what the G.B would like to see.
I wonder what they will think when all who accept this "privilege" turn out to be WORSE than Brumley et al ?
re-posting this for reference.. #1 protein functional redundancy comparing the sequences of amino acids in ubiquitous proteins confirms the relationship between all living things..
#2 dna functional redundancy comparison of the dna that codes for the amino acids of ubiquitous proteins predicts the tree of life with an astonishing degree of accuracy..
#3 ervs endogenous retroviruses that infected our ancestors are found in the same place of the genome of our closest primate cousins..
Simon, Sir, thank you for keeping an eye on this place, it is a Forum, not a Pulpit, and your careful curating keeps it a Forum I am still a part of, if an annoying one sometimes !
But, I don't make unsubstantiated arguments and claims, I am not a "Religiot" , I like that one !
