Posts by ThomasMore

23

Cost of living crisis

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

during the height of the pandemic all elders had to report to the co anyone who was struggling with bills or who couldn’t pay the rent.

the co reported it to the branch.. i don’t know what happens next.

do the branch help at all?

Vidiot - Barbara is right, but there were relief efforts in the distant past that included limited Watchtower funds. Now there are NONE - NADA - ZILCH. Their tight-fisted approach and obsession with getting all the money of the congs into their accounts is certainly unprecedented. The great money grab over the last 10 years puzzles even members of mainstream Christendom.

I hear some say they are expecting more KHs to be built..... With what? WTC has all the money that congs saved hoping for a nicer KH. Also any land they bought has been liquidated and the proceeds sent to WTC.

Now WTC pilots a plan to pay the bills for the cong in non-US countries. I don't think the average publisher understands that this puts WTC in the drivers seat for turning off utilities if the cong falls below expected contribution levels. Personally, I think they will discard the plan as it will result in a decrease in donations as publishers assume thsat WTC is paying - not taking control - and stop contributing. It is a human tendency - just ask the ones who lived under Soviet oppression.

I can point to more than 10 ways that WTC has spiraled since Russell, and most have occurred in recent years.

16

CSA Victom Speaks Out

by LostintheFog1999 in

i happened to come across this video at the beginning of the week.

you feel so sorry for this poor woman who experienced csa and then the hardheartedness of the elders (what's new there) when she needed genuine love and help.. https://fb.watch/j1qacgxphi/.

ThomasMore

Vidiot - my own family members were indifferent. I tried to put it into context with some pointed questions, but they simply don't have the compassion necessary to feel the pain that would be expected by learning the children have been molested. Other JW's I have talked to also seemed disinterested in the plight of victimized children. Many seemed to think that the children should pray more and get over it.

I am sure that some find it terribly disturbing, but they quickly leave the organization.

14

Bible Dramas - they really have no idea

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

it seems the watchtower are ploughing ahead with bigger and better film studios but come on, they really have no idea.. how come all the people in times past look like healthy, middle class americans/ europeans/australians in costume?

get real.

even a visit to rural india today would give a hint of how people probably lived back then.

ThomasMore

Similar to the modern day videos they produce. PIMIs live in nice homes and don't seem to have any anxiety about making a living (on janitorial pay). They don't seem to be on anti-depressants (65% are in reality by some estimates) or self-medicating with alcohol (heavy drinking and alcoholism is off the charts among elder bodies).

They look so happy, but in reality, most congs are plaqued with dissension, fighting, soft and hard shunning, hidden CSA and more.

JW's cannot be honest as they redact their own history. Now they are trying to redact the misery of those living in Bible times.

171

Mass Shooting at Kingdom Hall in Hamburg, Germany

by EdenOne in

mass shooting at a kingdom hall in hamburg, germany this evening.

at least 6 or 7 killed, dozens injured.

single shooter on the run, police doesn't rule out more shooters.

ThomasMore

Diogenesister - The memorial service will be attended by a member of the Governing Body, who take the lead in coordinating the Witnesses’ international activities, as well as representatives of World Headquarters and the Central Europe branch.

Statements like these from WTC will prevent the GB from getting any shade in the lawsuits and investigations that are dogging the organization. When you proclaim that you provide the direction, then you take on responsibility for anything that results in criminal and civil actions. They just can't help themselves.

16

CSA Victom Speaks Out

by LostintheFog1999 in

i happened to come across this video at the beginning of the week.

you feel so sorry for this poor woman who experienced csa and then the hardheartedness of the elders (what's new there) when she needed genuine love and help.. https://fb.watch/j1qacgxphi/.

ThomasMore

Seldom do we hear the question: WHY HAS WATCHTOWER FOUGHT WITH SUCH VIGOR TO SHIELD perpetrators of CSA?

I could state the obvious but the PA investigation seems to be answering the question. Child abusers often share illegal material, abuse horror stories and even the victims themselves (like trading cards). WTC fears where disclosure could lead. Their own records indicate that the sharing networks exist, and they know that pulling on one thread could expose that loose network that virtually extends to many states - and beyond.

Exposing this network(s) will also lead to uncovering many who are involved in ritualistic abuse. WTC has dealt with many elders/ms's over the decades who practiced such rituals when abusing children. Accounts from victims have many similarities, otherwise a single account might be considered fabricated. Some responsible men at Bethel confirm. They have said that they are aware of the problem. That is where the convesation ends.

Having dealt with a similar problem, I can say that the Bethel was less than enthusiastic to pursue it. At first it was perplexing, but it made me start asking more questions about the degree of the problem. The answers were shocking - even to me.

Disclosure scares WTC because whereas many JWs are indifferent to CSA, they are not forgiving of spiritistic rituals and those who engage in them.

16

Most children of Jehovah's Witnesses followers in Japan have been whipped, survey shows

by Rattigan350 in

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/15/national/jehovahs-witnesses-whipping/.

the most cited reason was “napping or talking during congregations.” others included “answering back to parents” and “playing with a schoolmate.”.

some respondents said they have been suffering depression as a result of whipping.. “i still cannot forget the sight of children screaming after they were taken into a large room at a congregation when i was a child,” a 44-year-old victim said, stressing that jehovah’s witnesses should reflect on what followers have done.. in february, a group of lawyers started supporting those second-generation followers.. in a statement issued on march 1, the japanese branch of jehovah’s witness said it does not accept child abuse.. https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20230315/p2a/00m/0na/006000c.

ThomasMore

I knew some young Japanese JWs and they were miserable!!! The congs in Japan treated young persons with such harshness, it is a wonder that anyone sticks with the religion/corporation when they get older.

4

Found this picture on my Facebook page today

by wozza in

jw
friends

.

well i think this pyramidion (a capstone to a pyramid ) looks a lot like the remembrance stone of charles taze russell, the watchtower president ,they may have taken and hidden his stone away but those of us who can remember it, it says a lot about russells belief in his version of prophecy based on egyptian pyramids holding gods secret of false prophecy..

ThomasMore

WTC wants to separate themselves from the pyramidology in their origins, but it's hard to do. Russell was obsessed with it. So much so that it was featured in many of his interpretive writings. WTC fears the connection to the modern-day organization. It is an indictment of how far from the truth they were when they got started.

"That which is crooked cannot be made straight."

23

Cost of living crisis

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

during the height of the pandemic all elders had to report to the co anyone who was struggling with bills or who couldn’t pay the rent.

the co reported it to the branch.. i don’t know what happens next.

do the branch help at all?

ThomasMore

A CO instructed us to discontinue the purse of money that we (as a body of elders) contributed personally to help publishers who legitimately needed financial assistance. I think he thought we would send it to the Branch but we kept records so we gave back to the contributors.

Over time, it became obvious that WTC did not want us helping those in need. I think it made them look bad because WTC WAS SO TIGHT-FISTED.

33

What Percentage of active JW's are on Anti-Depressants?

by Sea Breeze in

jw
friends

i came across an xjw post on redditt from a rn.

she states that nearly every jw she ever treated was on anti-depressants or anti-psychotic drugs:.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/f35vaa/just_about_every_jw_i_come_across_is_on/ i once read somewhere that 1 in 5 jw's were on anti-depressants, but i couldn't find any documentation.

ThomasMore

LongHairGal - I think you pegged it: "so much mental pressure to live up to".

In the JW world, I have heard CO's say 65% are on meds for depression/anxiety. I don't know where WTC got that number but I don't doubt that it is more than half. In my own experience, over half the cong was on meds. In addition to that, alcohol was a popular crutch as well.

It is amazing to me that so many are suffering but no one active seems to be pointing at the internal problems of the org as causation.

Without water, the grass withers. The same is true in JWland. There is no spiritual or personal water that refreshes so the enslaved suffer emotionally and mentally. I recall that Soviet oppression was blamed for the high degree of alcoholism, yet few blame WTC for the pressure they exert on their followers.

At Bethel, alcohol was a SERIOUS problem. We knew it and so did the GB - they mentioned it at least once a week in morning worship. Ironically they were heavy drinkers also.

I see great value in medications that help those who are pre-disposed to depression or other mental/emotional problems. On the other hand, if the problem is due to pressure from the religion you are in.... LEAVE!!!!

12

Over 1,000 Days since Stephen Lett said this:

by Chevelle in

https://youtu.be/jxumoix1rew.

“and in revelation chapter 6, the ride of the fourth horseman includes mention of deadly plague.

so the events unfolding around us are making clearer than ever that we’re living in the final part of the last days.

ThomasMore

I am embarassed that my family takes Stephen Lett serious - and incredulous that anyone else does.