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  26

  Vigil held for Burney man who died after being set on fire

  by no password in

  1. social
  2. current

  vigil help for burney man who died after being set on fire.

  community members shared their memories of wicks, a member of the jehovah's witness hall in burney.

  many of them remember him from his post at the shell station, where he worked along with his wife.

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  'Don Garloff, a representative from Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness in Burney, said the congregation, of which Wicks' was a member, is not making a statement at this time. However, Garloff said that Wicks had a knack for remembering names and an outgoing personality.

  "Dave had a personality that wasn't just in the store, but in his door-to-door ministry," he said.'

  
  

  http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta/owners-of-shell-gas-station-too-soon-to-reopen/234485244
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  11

  107 years of “Advertising the Kingdom” from Brooklyn, NY, what is it New Yorkers will remember about JWs after their move in 2016?

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/commercial-real-estate/10-biggest-nyc-real-estate-stories-2016-69239.

  december 23, 2016. the 10 biggest nyc real estate stories of 2016.

  wikimedia: jud mccranie .

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  http://www.brownstoner.com/history/jehovahs-witnesses-history-brooklyn-properties-selling/
  
  

  

  
  How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Acquired Some of Brooklyn’s Most Insanely Valuable Properties

  

  Joseph Rutherford. Photo via Wikipedia

  • History

  • Brooklyn Heights

  Jan 26, 2016 • 11:00amby Suzanne Spellen (aka Montrose Morris)

  6

  Read Part 1 of this story.

  The Jehovah’s Witnesses — aka the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society — first came to Brooklyn in 1908, in hopes of having their sermons syndicated in newspapers alongside the writings of the borough’s most famous pastors. It was under the Watchtower’s autocratic second leader, Joseph F. Rutherford, that the religious group truly began practicing the art of Brooklyn real estate.

  This is the 100-year story of how the Jehovah’s Witnesses grew to be a global phenomenon and came to own some of Brooklyn’s most valuable properties.

  

  Joseph Rutherford. Photo via Wikipedia

  Joseph Rutherford, the Uncompromising Leader and Brilliant Propagandist

  Joseph Rutherford was voted into office by the governing body of the Society, but he was dictatorial and autocratic — not the leader the Watchtower directors had imagined.

  He angered many with his beliefs that faith should come before patriotism — a big no-no for the time, as World War I was raging halfway around the world. In May of 1918, the U.S. Attorney General called his writings and lectures “one of the most dangerous examples of propaganda” ever written, and his works were banned in Canada.

  Rutherford claimed that 1918 was the year God was coming to claim his kingdom, and that the governments of the world and their “unrighteous” religions would come to an end.

  

  Rutherford’s 1918 prison mug shots. Photo via eBay

  A Little Legal Trouble for the Witnesses

  Rutherford and seven other Watchtower executives were arrested and charged under the 1917 Espionage Act for insubordination, disloyalty, refusal of duty in the armed services, and obstructing recruitment and enlistment. Seven men — including Rutherford — were sentenced to 20 years in prison.

  The Society sold the Brooklyn Tabernacle building on Hicks Street, as well as the office furniture out of their main headquarters — Bethel — on Columbia Heights. The Society still owned the building, they told the press, but were likely to sell it “any day.”

  The Brooklyn Eagle rejoiced, and a Watchtower member was quoted as saying, “I blame the Eagle for all of our troubles. It first attacked us years ago and never has ceased.”

  But the Eagle crowed too soon.

  In March of 1919, the Watchtower men were all released on bail, and the charges were dropped a year later. Rutherford had been re-elected as the head of the Society, and they were not going anywhere.

  

  Postcard of Bethel at 124 Columbia Heights. Photo via eBay

  The Worldwide Growth of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

  Between 1920 and Rutherford’s death in 1942, the organization grew to include millions of followers worldwide. This success and the Witnesses’ emphasis on studying printed materials — in 100 languages — meant that they needed to expand their Brooklyn operations dramatically.

  Even in the very beginning, the Society relied on volunteers to operate the presses and staff shipping rooms. These volunteers dedicated years to their work and were paid only pennies, while living in dormitories and group housing. The Eagle saw this as a sure sign of cult behavior even in 1910.

  

  1955 Watchtower publication. Photo via eBay

  Although the Watchtower Society looked like the organization Charles Russell began, the Rutherford years changed almost everything they believed in. He changed their name to Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931 to differentiate them from the remaining Russellites — although the legal name remains the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

  He was also responsible for the group’s practices that are frequently compared to cult behavior, including the shunning of holidays and birthdays, the banning of singing at services, and the requirement and sacred duty of door-to-door visits.

  And the group continued to grow.

  

  Squibb Building. Photo via Brooklyn Public Library

  In 1927, the Watchtower had just finished a new printing plant at 117 Adams Street, the Eagle noted. The Society was tearing down the old Beecher house at 124 Columbia Heights, as well as the surrounding buildings and was building a new nine-story dormitory and headquarters on the large site. This would be the new Bethel world headquarters.

  

  Volunteer workers at Brooklyn printing facility in 1953. Photo via Brooklyn Public Library

  Rutherford was still bitter about his incarceration by the government, and instructed Witnesses to never bend a knee to a worldly government, serve in the armed forces or salute a flag. In the 1930s and ’40s, the Witnesses would be in court for years over both issues and eventually won, changing constitutional law regarding freedom of religion.

  Joseph Rutherford died of colon cancer at his luxurious home called Beth Sarim, in San Diego, on January 8, 1942, at 72 years old. He was replaced as president by Nathan H. Knorr.

  

  New printing facilities. Photo via cultnews.com

  By 1950, the Witnesses, still growing, purchased a large block of land in Dumbo that included several tenement buildings as well as factory space. They planned to relocate the residents before tearing everything down for a huge new factory.

  The annual Witnesses’ Convention of 1953 included a tour of this new building. Thousands of people lined the streets from the Heights down to Dumbo, all eager to see the new printing presses.

  

  Witnesses visiting new printing press, 1950. Photo via Brooklyn Public Library

  In 1969, they acquired an even larger complex of buildings — the former Squibb pharmaceutical plant just down the street from the Bethel HQ. The number of volunteers living in the Bethel headquarters had grown to more than 1,300 people, and the organization also needed somewhere to store the paper for their massive printing operation.

  For the majority of the 20th century, the Witnesses continued to grow and quietly buy up surrounding real estate. They purchased some of largest buildings in the Heights and Dumbo, including the Leverich Towers, the Bossert Hotel, the Standish Arms and a score of smaller buildings. After the Hotel Margaretburned down in the 1990s, they built another large residence on the site.

  

  Bethel (center), Leverich Towers (left) and other Witness properties. Hotel Margaret on far right. Postcard via eBay

  Although some Heights residents did not particularly like the masses of Witnesses walking to work, or knocking on their doors, or not paying property taxes, most people had to admit that they were excellent stewards of their properties.

  The Witnesses had not been in favor of the landmarking of Brooklyn Heights in 1965, but after it went through, they complied with all of the rules. While most of their Brooklyn Heights holdings are within the landmark district, the large Squibb buildings on Columbia Street lie just outside of the designation area.

  Detractors — from the Eagle’s editorials in 1911 to the present — have always said, “If the Kingdom was coming any day, why not rent? Why buy all of this valuable real estate?”

  

  85 Jay Street. Photo by Barbara Eldredge

  The Witnesses Begin Moving Out of Brooklyn

  More than a century after Charles Russell set up the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in Brooklyn, the Witnesses decided it was time to move their operation somewhere with more expansion potential. They purchased a 250-acre forested plot in Warwick, N.Y., and in 2011 began liquidating their Brooklyn Heights holdings piece by piece. Even the Bethel headquarters is for sale.

  Estimates put the value of all their remaining properties at well over $1 billion. The full-block site at 85 Jay Street in Dumbo is particularly attractive to developers.

  With the Witnesses leaving Brooklyn Heights, they’re also leaving behind a rich local legacy. Though members of the organization weren’t always welcomed with open arms, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have had an undeniable impact on the Brooklyn of today. And their exodus with undoubtedly shape the Brooklyn of tomorrow.
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  11

  107 years of “Advertising the Kingdom” from Brooklyn, NY, what is it New Yorkers will remember about JWs after their move in 2016?

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.bisnow.com/new-york/news/commercial-real-estate/10-biggest-nyc-real-estate-stories-2016-69239.

  december 23, 2016. the 10 biggest nyc real estate stories of 2016.

  wikimedia: jud mccranie .

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  Seeking copy of letter read to all Congregations in USA wanting $ so Watchtower could buy Squibb Bldgs. back in 1969.

  
  

  Will $ now be returned ?
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  26

  Vigil held for Burney man who died after being set on fire

  by no password in

  1. social
  2. current

  vigil help for burney man who died after being set on fire.

  community members shared their memories of wicks, a member of the jehovah's witness hall in burney.

  many of them remember him from his post at the shell station, where he worked along with his wife.

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  New clue could help identify suspect in gas station clerk's death

  Action News Now

  ... investigators found a yellow jacket and matching pants believed to belong to the man responsible for the death of 54-year-old clerk David Wicks.
• 
  26

  Vigil held for Burney man who died after being set on fire

  by no password in

  1. social
  2. current

  vigil help for burney man who died after being set on fire.

  community members shared their memories of wicks, a member of the jehovah's witness hall in burney.

  many of them remember him from his post at the shell station, where he worked along with his wife.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  no password

  Vigil help for Burney man who died after being set on fire

  Community members shared their memories of Wicks, a member of the Jehovah's Witness hall in Burney. Many of them remember him from his post at the Shell station, where he worked along with his wife. One woman says Wicks "always had a smile on his face."

  http://www.krcrtv.com/news/local/shasta/vigil-held-for-burney-man-who-died-after-being-set-on-fire/228069248

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4060864/Gas-station-worker-killed-set-fire-attacker.html

  http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bike-riding-killer-calif-sets-gas-station-attendant-fire-article-1.2921343

  https://www.gofundme.com/david-wicks-family-support-fund
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  5

  "50 Years a Watchtower Slave" Chapter 9

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chapter 9.

  “let’s us move to were the need is greater”.

  i remember a “kingdom ministry” heading saying “only x number of months left.” left to what?

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  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lzbrt2bdom1nwu2/AABzOvmAIkUI0z9typl1kYh-a?dl=0

  1919 - 2015 km
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  13

  Vatican launches website for preventing clerical sex abuse

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/12/06/vatican-launches-website-preventing-clerical-sex-abuse/.

  inés san martín .

  december 6, 2016 vatican_correspondent.

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  Italian priest who was reported to Pope Francis years ago by deaf survivors in Verona is arrested for recent abuse of children in Argentina
  
  December 1, 2016 –

  
  

  http://www.bishop-accountability.org/statements/2016_12_01_Doyle_Verona_Priest_Accused_in_Argentina.htm
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  21

  The Evils of Aluminum

  by NeonMadman in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  aluminum was an issue that became a real “tempest in a teapot” for the watchtower.

  it influenced their teaching for almost 50 years and, frankly, created an impression among observers that their members were off-the-wall fanatics.

  for all those years, the golden age and other watchtower publications took the position that aluminum cookware and utensils were one of the great health hazards of the 20th century.

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  Aluminum, Fluoride, and Glyphosate—A Toxic Trifecta Implicated in Autism and Alzheimer's Disease

  
  

  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/02/12/aluminum-fluoride-glyphosate-poisoning.aspx
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  13

  Vatican launches website for preventing clerical sex abuse

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/12/06/vatican-launches-website-preventing-clerical-sex-abuse/.

  inés san martín .

  december 6, 2016 vatican_correspondent.

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  Is it all Public Relations?

  
  

  Vatican still wants no accountability.
  

  
  

  Pope Francis has never banned his bishops from fighting against statue of limitation reform.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  ‘Spin control’?

  “These cases are never really about money,” Garabedian said. “They’re about validation.”

  Garabedian, one of the nation’s leading legal representatives for victims of child sexual abuse, who played a major role in exposing a cover-up within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, describes the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese’s willingness to not fight release of the McCaa documents as “spin control.”

  “The diocese is concerned about its public image,” Garabedian said.

  
  

  http://www.tribdem.com/news/three-decades-later-altoona-johnstown-diocese-doesn-t-object-to/article_8235d4ac-bf60-11e6-8e49-cbcb63acf250.html
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  64

  THE BIG A: RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

  by Mary in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  where did all the witnesses over the decades get the idea that armageddon was right around the corner?

  the society certainly never put anything like that down in print:

  *** w56 10/15 p. 614 when will gods kingdom come?

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  Will Armageddon start in Siberia first ? And has it started?

  In the book God’s Kingdom Rules!
  

  
  

  CHAPTER 21

  
  Events Leading Up to Armageddon

  8, 9. To what phenomena may Jesus have referred, and how will people react to what they observe?

  8 Jesus’ prophecy about the last days indicates that several significant developments will take place during the time leading up to Armageddon. The first two events that we will consider are both mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.—ReadMatthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:23-27; Luke 21:25-28.

  
  

  9 Celestial phenomena. Jesus foretells: “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven.” Certainly the religious leaders will not be looked to for light—they will no longer be identified as such. Was Jesus also referring to a supernatural manifestation in the heavens? Perhaps he was. (Isa. 13:9-11; Joel 2:1, 30, 31) How will people react to what they observe? They will be in “anguish” because of “not knowing the way out.” (Luke 21:25; Zeph. 1:17) Yes, enemies of God’s Kingdom—from ‘kings to slaves’—will grow “faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming” and will run for cover. Yet, they will find no hiding place secure enough for them to escape the wrath of our King.—Luke 21:26; 23:30;Rev. 6:15-17.

  https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/gods-kingdom/promises/kingdom-enemies-removed/

  
  

  WHY DOES SIBERIA GET ALL THE COOL METEORS?

  http://www.universetoday.com/132302/why-does-siberia-get-all-the-cool-meteors/

  People in video's seem more in awe than faint out of fear, so far.