Posts by Phizzy

26

Is the USA gradually moving to a majority of citizens being non-religious

by Reasonfirst in

jw
friends

this is a topic discussed in a current article in the hongkong based asia times*.

find it at: https://asiatimes.com/2023/09/nones-still-no-match-for-us-christian-nationalism/.

the claim is made in the article, that near 30% of americans are non-believers, and that this number is increasing.

Phizzy

" It just means people do not conscientiously see value in these social structures. "

I think this is the case with many here in the U.K, yes, we have over 50% who say they are not affiliated to any religion, but that does not tell us about the beliefs of those people, some will be non-theists of some stripe, but many will still believe in some sort of god, or a vague "Higher Power".

But this is encouraging, that throughout Europe, and to a small extent the USA, the grip of Organised Religion is loosening. People do not see the need to be affiliated to, or attend a Church.

Let us hope this powerful trend continues !

6

Acts 15

by peacefulpete in

acts 15. the pericope has been long interpreted by the catholic church as a proof text for a central authority.

churches like the wt repeat this claim.

however, reading the text without this coloring reveals something very different.. the story starts with paul and barnabas going to the antioch church and there they encounter pharisee christians from jerusalem (15:24) contradicting the doctrine held by the antioch church.

Phizzy

Phew ! there was a lacuna on here,with no "peacefulpete", I thought you had maybe converted to Scientology or something !

Good to have you back ! and thanks for yet another erudite and thoughtful Post !

Your Post confirms the view of most who study the N.T properly, that the N.T works have not only been edited, but even in the first place were written with an Agenda of establishing what was considered "orthodox" so as to class anything else as "heresy".

This is an important find, as this Text gave impetus to he power of the established orthodoxy, and more power into the hands of the hierarchy.

No wonder the J.W org like it ! They make a great fuss about establishing the purity and accuracy of the Text, and yet blithely ignore late interpolations and editing.

39

So, 60 Years Ago

by titch in

so, folks, 60 years ago, starting on september 1st, i believe, we, local witnesses in southern california, had the "privilege" of attending the "around the world assembly", at, of all places, the rose bowl, in pasadena.

(i think that it was an 8-day assembly) i was 9 years old then, almost ready to start 4th grade.

so, was anyone else, on this site, at that assembly?

Phizzy

They were only special to me when I was in my teens and could spend my time chasing pretty girls, other than that they were pure Hell ! bum numbingly boring talks, and simply waiting for the break times.

I was at every large and smaller Convention up until I woke up to a degree in the early 2000's, and realised if we gave those hellish things a miss, nobody noticed ! Even my close J.W family must have thought they just hadn't run in to us.

My wife and I never attended another one, we left a couple of years later, for good.

But PIMO's take note, it IS possible to give them a miss and not be found out, if your circumstances permit.

20

JW org fighting Royal Commission of Inquiry 3 years, article by Anusha Bradley, RNZ

by EasyPrompt in

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/497240/jehovah-s-witness-church-spends-3-years-fighting-scrutiny-of-royal-commission-of-inquiry.

jehovah's witness church spends 3 years fighting scrutiny of royal commission of inquiry.

from article by anusha bradley, rnz.... .

Phizzy

Thank you "Easyprompt" for posting this. The J.W org , by trying to defend the indefensible, are going to reap the "Barbara Streisand Effect", and bring their reprehensible handling of CSA cases to a much wider audience. Good !

125

Mandated Shunning is a Crime

by Lee Marsh in

mandated shunning is on the rise around the world with devastating effects on millions of people.

shunning that is mandated by organized groups to its members is a form of both physical and psychological violence against those people being shunned and cut off from their family and life-long relationships.

mandated shunning means that the shunning is ordered from the top down.

Phizzy

" I agree with you, surely it must be left to an individual’s conscience, how can it be right to force anyone to shun or not shun... "

That is NOT what is being campaigned for, the individual's Human Right to exercise THEIR conscience will never cease to be.

But the Shunning as practiced by J.W org. and other high Control Groups, is mandated from the top, and members are coerced to not use their own conscience, whatever the Org, claims, we ALL know this.

I have had one lovely old "Sister" on the 'phone to me in tears because she was forced to shun a lifelong friend and her immediate family. There ARE a huge number of J.W's who would not shun given the freedom to use THEIR conscience !

35

Are Elders prepared to take the fall for WT/GB misdemeanor's / crime ??

by smiddy3 in

i have been thinking about this in relation to the directive given to elders to destroy any incriminating evidence they may have either on their pc`s ,e-mails , private notes in their possession, or notes in their witnessing bags ,etc.

to do with child sexual abuse they may still have in their possession.. isn`t that encouraging the elders to interfere with the justice system ?.

to break the law?.

Phizzy

The latest Thread about the disgusting Pervert Elder who has just got, rightly, 15 years in Prison, could well illustrate the dangers to serving Elders, the org. will throw those Elders who appointed the Creep under the 'bus. Or the Org. will face multi-million $$$ Law Suits, they hate that !

I shall watch for news on this !

33

JW Elder Sentenced for CSA

by EasyPrompt in

https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/09/01/jehovah-witness-elder-sentenced-jail-child-sexual-abuse-case/?outputtype=amp.

.

Phizzy

This shameful Case shows that J.W Org. does not have a working Child Protection Programme, why THE F**K NOT ?

Small local Clubs and Associations where I live DO ! More often than not required by THEIR Governing Body. These groups are smaller than many a J.W Congregation, they have an appointed Protection Officer present at every event, and rules that protect anyone under 18.

The G.B. of J.W org is directly responsible for not instituting simple protections, and should face Court for not doing so.

I am aware that in many cases the Abuse takes place elsewhere, but the ever present Danger is brought to parent's attention by the Protection Programme, it is in their minds.

47

Retirement savings

by TxNVSue2023 in

what's the current jw stance on retirement savings?

i know it changed.

pre1975 it was an attitude of "don't worry about retirement, this system is ending soon".

Phizzy

I never bought in to the 1975 nonsense, it was all supposed to be over by October, but in August 1975 I started my private pension Plan.

32

Sagely advice of a CO

by Vidqun in

“a circuit overseer started out by saying that on this last round of the circuit, the one thing he noticed the most...is that everyone is physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually drained...and that cuts across all barriers and demographics within the truth.

he then said that the one common thread that ran among nearly everyone was this: we feel guilty for feeling bad.

he said because we are told to endure with joy, our minds can cause us to feel enormous guilt over feeling this way...and then, my dear brothers and sisters...he proceeded to blow our collective minds.. he asked us to turn to daniel 8:27….

Phizzy

One of the things that added to our Cognitive Dissonance, my wife and me, was that it went through our minds that something was wrong if we did not feel this constant "Joy", and also we never felt the "excitement" at the prospect of an upcoming Convention.

Of course, being "in" we blamed ourselves, we didn't make the connection with the truth that it was not us at fault, but the so-called "truth", for about a decade.

I think ultimately hearing this kind of Talk from a C.O. will make the JW's feel that he cares, that he wants to be helpful, which I hope is true of him, but such poppycock from the Bible will not alleviate those feelings that J.W's have, which ARE a form of depression, and can lead to that spiralling down in to dangerous Depression, as in my case, at the point I left, I was suicidally depressed, but did not identify it as such.

The G.B, who provided the outline for that Talk, do not have a clue about Psychology, how to help the depressed, or how dangerous their Brand of Religion is.

26

Greenlees, Chapman and Chitty

by Libby in

so after being rudely awakened by a cat fight outside (it's 3am here in the uk) and then proceeding to go outside to rescue my cats from the neighbourhood tom....... i'm now laying wide awake trying to make sense of jw "truth".

(it's all my mind does these days, the lights gone on and won't turn off).

anyway i found myself reading about the gb and came across these fellows , greenlees, chapman and chitty.

Phizzy

From an old Alan Fuerbacker thread, 22 years ago, the words are not Alan's but another Poster :

“The Branch overseer until 1959 was Percy Chapman who was sent over from London Bethel in 1936 after the schism in Canada over elected elders. Along with him came his long-time room-mate and companion, Leo Greenlees. Canadian Witnesses were shocked and puzzled when Percy Chapman was forcibly removed from his position by N.H. Knorr and demoted to janitor. He was also forced to marry although his stance on marriage for Bethel members was even more damning than Rutherford's.

It was not until I heard rumours of Greenlees' and Chitty's forced resignations from the Governing Body for homosexuality that I knew definitely about Percy Chapman. They had been room-mates for thirty years at London and Toronto Bethels. "