ok so this is a topic i've pondered and go back and forth on.. i can easily see a point where lawsuits cause massive deficits in the organization.
honestly i feel like we are seeing the tip of the iceberg in regards to lawsuits on child abuse.
to me it looks like the property sell offs are to be able to get ready for this.
The most recent (AFAIK) data from 2014 U.S. Religious Landscape Study are really awful.
http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/religious-tradition/jehovahs-witness/
On other hand, the margin of error is nearly +/- 8.5 percentage points (Report, p. 93, 96).
As to the question, it was:
Last year, that is in 2013, what was your total family income from all sources, before taxes? (Report, p. 195)
what started as news of a man and woman being found unconscious on a park bench 12 days ago is escalating into an international incident.. sergei skripal had worked as a double agent for british intelligence mi6 before he was discovered and imprisoned in russia in 2006. he was later flown to england as part of a spy-swap in 2010. on sunday 4th march he was discovered along with his 33 year old daughter yulia close to a shopping centre in salisbury.. since then the story has become increasingly bizarre.
a policeman who was first to attend the scene also became critically ill and remains in hospital.
government scientists at porton down have confirmed that the cause is a russian military-grade nerve agent novichok.
Just for the record.
Thus far, the suspects' identities were revealed.
A Russian active measures agency aka RT/Russia Today/Sputnik presented the most ridiculous version ever: the men are businessmen (without biographies or relatives, friends, neighbors, clients or anyone else who would sell info to newspapers) who spend entire weekend just to see the Salisbury Cathedral.
It was revealed that, inter alia:
the suspects' passport dossiers contain "top-secret" markings;
a man having similar passport was involved in the 2016 coup plot in Montenegro;
some persons with similar passports indicated on different documents that their home address was 76B Khoroshevskoe Highway - GRU’s Moscow HQ.
Wondering what Russia apologists think about this.
Links:
https://meduza.io/en/feature/2018/09/23/yeah-it-s-the-gru-hq-so-what
this interview was posted april 16, 2015 on youtube.
lorenz reibling's replies to the reporter in argentina are in english.. lorenz reibling is intimately connected to the watchtower society and, according to some sources, is a jw himself.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3ssa-9yvii.
so who is lorenz reibling?
As to alleged connection between Kaya Holdings, Inc. (KHI) and the Reiblings.
Two things are known.
First, the brothers were owners and directors of KHI's pre-pre-predecessor in 2002, and it's the most recent proof of the connection.
Second, non of them was mentioned as an officer or a major (5% or more) beneficial owner in annual reports of KHI and its predecessor, Alternative Fuels America, Inc. (AFA), for the period 2011-2017 (all available reports); links:
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=9236683-139845-142791&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/24/2013);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=9921275-139378-142019&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/15/2014);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=10628496-181369-184138&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/15/2015);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=11392559-267052-269429&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 5/16/2016);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=11998779-123333-128701&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/17/2017);
http://yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com/displayfilinginfo.aspx?FilingID=12688853-144613-149904&type=sect&TabIndex=2&companyid=866655&ppu=%252fdefault.aspx%253fcik%253d1530746 (filed 4/17/2018).
See also this merger agreement between Netspace International Holdings, Inc., Alternative Fuels Americas, Inc., and its shareholders. Looks like Craig Frank and Neil Swarz were the major owners of AFA (or the only ones?) in 2010.
Please correct me if I'm wrong or missed something and there are relatively recent proofs of the connection.
read all about it in this pdf: https://1drv.ms/b/s!arekzxkzlp8yettbolw5x5vy73s.
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Hmm, really? By my reckoning, the correct number of mergers is 300 and you missed nothing. Anyway, may the Force be with you!
http://www.startribune.com/jehovah-s-witnesses-accused-of-mishandling-abuse-in-montana/493779331/.
helena, mont.
— two women who say they were sexually abused as children have alleged that the jehovah's witnesses failed to report their abuser to authorities in montana and instead punished him internally by expelling him from the congregation until he repented the following year.. a trial begins monday in the tiny city of thompson falls for one of dozens of lawsuits filed nationwide in the last decade over claims of child sexual abuse in jehovah's witness congregations.
The case was previously discussed here: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5480640985169920/judge-orders-jehovahs-witnesses-turn-over-internal-documents-re-childhood-sexual-abuse
For further reading:
Supreme Court of Montana, case OP 18-0534 - WATCHTOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC., CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, and THOMPSON FALLS CONGREGATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, Petitioners, v. TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT, SANDERS COUNTY, HONORABLE JAMES A. MANLEY, Presiding Respondent (Watchtower v. 20th Judicial District)
Petition for writ of supervisory control and motion for stay of proceedings filed by Watchtower, CCJW, and Thompson Falls congregation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_PlopfQcg_vtT1vfcahTnfQF-_TLG1oN/view?usp=sharing
Response to petition (James A. Manley, presiding judge): https://drive.google.com/file/d/12wF53oorT53ZnNQJDNKhAvOeU6OBaV9b/view?usp=sharing
Order denying and dismissing the petition for writ: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nxl_uTp7sFld_DlQDmBoTBhfghMuQ2QK/view?usp=sharing
The first two documents are very informative.
https://jwglossary.blogspot.com/2018/09/to-all-bodies-of-elders-handling-cases.html.
to all bodies of elders "handling cases of drug abuse".
september 1, 2018. to all bodies of elders re: handling cases of drug abusedear brothers: as noted below, the procedure for handling the misuse of marijuana and the abuse of medi- cal, illicit, or addictive drugs has been adjusted to harmonize with the procedure for handling the misuse of tobacco.
To be fair, that has always been the JW stance - there are lots of JWs taking some pretty heavy opioids.
Yes, but I doubt they have any "Scriptural basis" for this exception.
https://jwglossary.blogspot.com/2018/09/to-all-bodies-of-elders-handling-cases.html.
to all bodies of elders "handling cases of drug abuse".
september 1, 2018. to all bodies of elders re: handling cases of drug abusedear brothers: as noted below, the procedure for handling the misuse of marijuana and the abuse of medi- cal, illicit, or addictive drugs has been adjusted to harmonize with the procedure for handling the misuse of tobacco.
So, drugs are prohibited by Bible but they are allowed when prescribed by a doctor.
Divorce is prohibited by Bible unless it's necessary to save the live, health, material or "spiritual" well-being.
Blood is prohibited... without any exception.
Where is the logic?
read all about it in this pdf: https://1drv.ms/b/s!arekzxkzlp8yettbolw5x5vy73s.
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The attached table contains a mistake, i.e. double-counting; compare rows 259-279 and 280-300.
And why the number of created congregations wasn't mentioned? It also looks bad for the organization since only 9 out of 194 ones are German-language: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6316808367767552/reasons-concluding-that-watchtower-serious-financial-trouble?page=16#5706778462388224 (the figures are bit outdated - stats from the most recent bulletin wasn't taken into account).
and yet today's watchtower and indeed the bible condemns the israelites for moaning about having no water!
it's never occurred to me how unjust this is!
and how could a so called loving god not provide a basic human need?!.
Surprised no one here remembered about another cruel and narcissistic god of people in a desert.
"Do not, my friends, become addicted to water, or it will take hold of you and you will resent its absence!"
let the speculation begin!.
careful
Here are some thoughts:
To add some context:
http://rmovideo.blogspot.com/2016/09/jw-annual-meeting-2016-new-updates-speculations-provisions.html
