Posts by RolRod

", but i thought i'd replace some words and phrases from the actual article, as follows:"regardless of the motive, you should think long and hard before deciding to have anything growing out of .

your skin!

RolRod

Did you read the last issue? YOUNG PEOPLE ASK … should I shave my ass?

5

Question About JW Library

by millie210 in

i am wondering how many of the older publications they include these days?.

RolRod

Not sure, but I wouldn't put it pass them to do some editing

30

Dawn Bible Students Association and Ken Fernets

by Hold Me-Thrill Me in

jw
friends

the dawn bible students association has a problem.

ken fernets, when on the phone, shows his true colors to women who call.

he engages in flirtatious speech.

RolRod

Hold Me-Thrill Me

The Dawn Bible Students Association has a problem. Ken Fernets, when on the phone, shows his true colors to women who call. He engages in flirtatious speech. He flirts and invites them out for coffee though he is a married man. If he is still alive he should be removed from his position.

I was just doing some research and this thread popped up in the search engine. I actually knew Ken Fernets. I can't vouch for whether he is flirtatious with women (it wouldn't surprise me if he likes young boys) but his character certainly is questionable.

He was a JW for a short while, I think in the 50s or 60s. Joined the Dawn and became one of their Trustees (similar to the Governing Body) he eventually became the Dawn's General Manager, although he prefers to refer to himself as President of the Dawn, I guess that sounds better.

I worked at the Dawn for almost 2 years while I was still a JW (long story) everything was fine, until he came over and decided to transform the Dawn into a mini Watchtower with him and his buddies at the helm.

When we first met I was already out of the Witnesses, and serving as an elder with a local Bible Students class. I had a successful ministry witnessing to the JW's via a website and forum similar to this one. I was a Bible Student/Watchtower historian and was commissioned to write a history book about the movement, as I began to do my research, I found that the Dawn was very similar to the Watchtower, they even borrowed some of their views. They were very liberal with their views, and while they published Russell's Studies in the Scriptures they didn't believe in them. Their literature contradicted what Russell taught and believed. Like the Society, they revised their older literature and never stated it was a revision. They even made changes to Russell's Studies in the Scriptures

As they began to depart from Russell's teachings, this started a huge exodus and a new independent movement began. The Dawn suffered as a result, since most of their best people left. And they survived mainly from estates left to them.

Like the old Governing Body, the Trustees at the Dawn refused to let new blood in and put some life into the movement. And as the old timers died off, history was being lost, and Fernets and his crew began to rewrite their history and labeling the defectors similar to the way the Society labels apostates.

I began to share my notes in various forums, and the Dawn was made aware of it, and to make a long story short, they came after me with a vengeance. Fernets himself threatened me. He and the other trustees slandered my name and character throughout the Bible Students movement. They blacklisted me, and I was treated as a leper. They got my class to remove me as elder and threatened my livelihood. They got one of their members who was a computer wiz, to hack into my website and upload a virus, destroying all the files, they did this multiple times, and so I gave up.

I eventually left with my faith intact. I can't say I wasn't bitter because I was. I lost a lot of friendships and didn't meet with anybody for a good 10 years, but I kept my faith, and eventually forgave them and left them in the Lord's hands. I meet with a small group where I now live, but decline to serve as elder. I just can't deal with all the drama.

It's strange because I suffered more at the hands of the Dawn then I ever did with the Watchtower. But life goes on and I don't have time to sit around and be bitter.

Hold Me-Thrill Me

Bible Students need to clean house just as the Watchtower needs to clean house.

That's hard to do. The Dawn is run by a board of trustees, you'd have to oust them to make any changes.

The Dawn is also the most liberal of the Bible Students. Going to their conventions, you'll hear speakers disagree.

While the more conservative Bible Students hold to basic doctrine, and will disagree on certain details, they pretty much are in harmony with each other.

Keep in mind that the Dawn is just a publishing house, and that all the Bible Student congregations are autonomous, they govern themselves. Although many of them work closely with the Dawn.

37

How Long Did It Take To Finally Leave The Organization Once You Realized It Was Really Not The Truth?

by minimus in

jw
friends

it actually took me a few years to finally leave the organization so i was mentally out for a while before i simply stopped all meetings altogether.. how long did it take you to finally make the break?

?.

RolRod

I studied in 1982, got baptized at the 1983 District Convention. Because of my love of reading, I had amassed a huge library given to me by the older friends and going to Bethel where you could actually buy books. It didn't take long for me to figure out that these were nice people who didn't know any better. The elders were uneducated individuals with a power trip. By 1985 I had figured it all out about the Society, but I stayed because it gave me something to do and gave me a sense of belonging. But I NEVER gave into it all. There was a time when I actually believed these were sincere people believing they were doing God's will. After all when you look at the scriptures you find plenty of individuals who served God and were the worst of sinners, so why not them?

But by 1985 I figured it all out, and by 1988 I was mentally and emotionally detached from it all. In 1990 I got married and by 1992 my wife and I were gone. Wrote my letter of resignation stepping down, threw the book study group out of our home and we walked away. They tried to track us down and finally gave up. The congregation is defunct, Kingdom Hall sold.

After 25 years and two kids, my wife divorced me and took it all, I relocated to the Midwest and things are great!

43

Did Russell come up with the no hell fire and no Trinity doctrine or did steal that belief from another religion as well?

by nowwhat? in

just wondering hate to give the devil his due.

RolRod

Russell never claimed to invent anything, and often stated he borrowed from others.

2

Has This Newspaper Article Been Reviewed Before?

by berrygerry in

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030431/1917-02-04/ed-1/seq-52/.

one poster's comments:.

nyc was advocating for watch tower to be taxed as a business (legitimate reasons to follow).

RolRod

Truth is when Russell died, the Watchtower Society was flat broke. He spent every penny he had on the Photo Drama of Creation which he showed for FREE.

33

Motivations for Watchtower leadership

by GetMeOutofHere in

i’ve struggled for some time with this question.

why would the elders, cos, branch committee, helpers to gb and the gb themselves devote their lives to progressing in the organization, if the whole thing is one big sham?

i have 3 ideas so far.. 1) money.

RolRod

Power, status …. it's a power trip, "Hey everybody look at me I'm an elder, I give talks", "Hey everybody, I'm a pioneer and married to an elder"