Posts by Scully

Any defendant, in any court of law, would plead NOT GUILTY. That's the way the game is played here (US) to negotiate a reduced charge, if nothing else.

How can you fault the WTS if the girls nor their parents were not inclined to pursue the matter themselves? What's wrong with these parents?

I do not see where this incriminates WTS as much as it does the parents who evidently did nothing to protect their daughters or other potential victims.

To put the burden of reporting on the victims is just one more layer of abuse. Children probably don't understand the enormity of the CRIME of sexual abuse, and frankly from your comments, it's clear that a lot of adults don't understand it either. Compound that with unfulfilled promises by the Elders™ to "take care of it" and the pressure within the JW congregation to "not bring reproach on Jehovah" or to 'not drag your Brother™ into court' and possibly other subtle or overt threats regarding potentially losing Privileges™ or accusations of "slander" against the perpetrator, and you have a very unhealthy environment that allows child molesters to have free reign under the protection of gag order on the victims and their families.

One of the most common beliefs of victims of child sexual abuse is that they did something that caused it to happen to them. There is a lot of self-blame and a lot of perpetrators and enablers capitalize on this self-recrimination by victims by blaming the victim - the 5 year old who dressed provocatively, the 8 year old who danced around and got him aroused, the 7 year old boy with the nice butt cheeks that are so damn grabbable. The molesters claim they are victims themselves, as if they have no control over their urges - just like the radical muslims who rape who aren't dressed in a burqa or who go out alone or unaccompanied by a male relative.

The WTS has a duty to take a hard line against offenders and alleged offenders. If the parents don't have the balls to report a child molester to the police, its agents (Elders™, Ministerial Servants™, Circuit Overseers™, Pioneers™, Brothers™ and Sisters™) ought to have a duty to report [and it can be reported anonymously to Child Protective Services] any knowledge or suspicions they have of child molestation. An agency relationship has been established within the Congregation™ setting, and just like school teachers, principals, custodians who work in a school have a duty as "mandated reporters" to report those crimes, so should anyone within the JW heirarchy.

This is the one social issue within the JWs that makes it impossible for me to ever go back. I could probably tolerate being taught bull$h!t prophecies, but this blatant disregard for the safety of children is a deal breaker for me, because I can never, in good conscience, invite another human being to become part of that Organization™ as long as this continues. And the fact that it has continued, unabated worldwide, for decades, is proof enough for me that this Organization™ has no moral authority worthy of recognition.

24

KH = Private Property (No Trespassing sign)... wtf?

by Scully in

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do other churches have "no trespassing" signs on the grounds?.

i don't recall ever seeing "private property - no trespassing" signs on other churches, especially ones that have a priest or minister available at all hours, or ones that offer space for community services or other kinds of events.. i wonder whether there is some kind of legal expectation of a charitable organization that pays no taxes to offer access for community services in order to maintain their tax free status.. anyone else ever see signs like this on kh property?.

Scully

Perhaps if there is concern of vandalism, this may also occur

They must have heard about my plan to put up a christmas tree on the lawn and crazy glue christmas lights all over the roof.

21

Your Help Requested With Research Paper Topic

by Justitia Themis in

jw
friends

i am looking for suggestions for a topic for my research paper.

here is a class description which outlines the perimeters of the paper.

"this seminar course deals with controversial issues arising from the interface and relationship between law and medicine.

Scully

Domperidone - this particular drug is only licensed in the US and UK for gastro-intestinal disorders. Here in the UK it has been recently downgraded from POM (prescription only) to OTC (over the counter) and sold as Motilium 10, so anyone can purchase it upon satisfactorily answering a few basic health questions from a qualified dispensing pharmacist. However, its' major side effect is that it increases production of the hormone prolactin, which in a lactating woman would increase breastmilk production. In hospitals in the US, Canada and the UK some doctors will prescribe it for new mothers who are experiencing issues with breastmilk production, or who may have to express milk for a sick or premature baby, in spite of it not being licensed for that purpose. I believe US restrictions on the drug are tighter than anywhere else.

What I find interesting about domperidone is how a lot of mothers who are having issues with diminished milk supply is that they are able to just call Newman's office or send him an email requesting a prescription for domperidone to be faxed to their local pharmacy. Any other prescription pharmaceutical requires that the patient go to the prescribing doctor for an examination - yet I am aware of this practice and have a nagging feeling that what is going on may not be totally kosher. While I empathize with the mothers going through this difficulty, and realize that their time may be spent in hospital with their sick/premature infants and may not suit a visit to their own MD's office for a proper examination and prescription and documentation, to try to circumvent the accepted channels is taking a risk as well because the drug reacts with a lot of other medications and has its own set of adverse effects (other than breast swelling and milk production).

BTW, I met Jack Newman at a conference several years ago - I'd say he was a nice guy, but he hates nurses.

24

KH = Private Property (No Trespassing sign)... wtf?

by Scully in

.

do other churches have "no trespassing" signs on the grounds?.

i don't recall ever seeing "private property - no trespassing" signs on other churches, especially ones that have a priest or minister available at all hours, or ones that offer space for community services or other kinds of events.. i wonder whether there is some kind of legal expectation of a charitable organization that pays no taxes to offer access for community services in order to maintain their tax free status.. anyone else ever see signs like this on kh property?.

Scully

no trespassing

Do other churches have "No Trespassing" signs on the grounds?

I don't recall ever seeing "Private Property - No Trespassing" signs on other churches, especially ones that have a priest or minister available at all hours, or ones that offer space for community services or other kinds of events.

I wonder whether there is some kind of legal expectation of a charitable organization that pays no taxes to offer access for community services in order to maintain their tax free status.

Anyone else ever see signs like this on KH property?

40

2011 November Our Kingdom Ministry-PDF!

by Atlantis in

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credit goes to anonymous2011 november our kingdom ministry (and more).http://www.megaupload.com/?d=eq03rgzoatlantis

Scully

Lovely!

It contains the instructions for using electronic payment terminals and reconciling transactions therefrom for circuit assemblies and special assembly days.

B-e-a-utiful!

21

Your Help Requested With Research Paper Topic

by Justitia Themis in

jw
friends

i am looking for suggestions for a topic for my research paper.

here is a class description which outlines the perimeters of the paper.

"this seminar course deals with controversial issues arising from the interface and relationship between law and medicine.

Scully

It could also relate to access to new technology, tests, medications under development, research trials of new drugs, compassionate access to treatments for people with financial hardships, etc.

41

Was today's WT study an indictment of us who still attend the KH?

by compound complex in

given the interest shown in today's wt study, i got to thinking that the society knows many of us still attend meetings.

the wording of today's lesson doesn't allude only to outsider's breaking in with their filthy apostate literature and tv interviews but also to satanic insider's working the faithful sheep in the pen.. we've discussed on other threads how jwn and like sites appear to be monitored.

of course, the society's literature never clues the reader in on what exactly apostates teach nor how we infiltrators do our clandestine work of sabotaging the sheep's faith.. any thoughts?.

Scully

CoCo

There was a period of about 18 months where I was questioning whether or not JWs had The Truth™ before I finally had had "enough!" of their mental and emotional cruelty and just couldn't bring myself to attend any longer. Like you, I felt the need to get my immediate family out before I could cut the three-fold tether of Meeting Attendance™, Field Service™ and Association™. With my illness, though, Meeting Attendance™ and Field Service™ faltered, and subsequent to that Association™ was drying up quickly. We had a core group of "friends" who, little by little, gradually stopped including us in social events. I have to admit that, during this time I was doing my own research, and coming to the realization that this was a cult and that escape was necessary, yet I never tried to influence anyone other than Mr Scully. The criticisms that I felt comfortable enough to verbalize to Mr Scully had nothing to do with doctrine, and everything to do with the lack of love we were experiencing from our local congregation. He couldn't dispute what was happening, and nobody in the congregation could deny what they were doing either - so it was fairly easy to get him on-side. Having a mental illness (even an easily treated, temporary one) gave me a bit of leeway if I ever had a meltdown or an unseemly outburst. Once we decided it was time to leave, we started exploring doctrinal issues.

One of my biggest fears during that time was that I would be discovered and exposed as a thought criminal, and it was articles similar to the one from Sunday's study that induced a certain level of paranoia. "They know!"

So while I applaud your noble and generous efforts to help your family and loved ones to escape - I do hope you'll be able to remain under the radar, so to speak, for as long as necessary. Perhaps in your case, you can incorporate some criticisms and blame the 'outbursts' or 'crazy talk' on your recent strokes... which in some cases have been known to reduce a person's inhibitions. If this is something you've experienced already - including memory lapses, or memory loss, or emotional lability - perhaps some seeds can be planted. Of course, you would be profusely apologetic for upsetting people around you, and wish there was some way you could control the meanderings of your thought processes... our loved ones can sometimes be very patient and forgiving in cases of serious brain trauma. You know your loved ones better than anyone, so you can test the waters to see what you can get away with, or not, as you see fit.

As always, my very best wishes to you!

Your friend, Scully

24

Stressful Session with Uber-Zealous Parents--The Mermaid needs a hug!

by Cadellin in

okay, for those of you who don't know, i was raised jw by really great though uber-zealous parents.

i'm now an adult and have been inactive for about two years due a bunch of reasons, the primary one (or at least the one that got the ball rolling) being the pathological intellectual dishonesty of the wt in how it handles secular quotes and citations.

anyway, my parents are aware of all that and have left the issue alone for about the last year.

Scully

Anyway, it still left me feeling kind of lousy. So what do I do? My mother suggests "locking all my doubts in a room and just carrying on with Jehovah's organization, being part of the brotherhood and enjoying all the good things that the spiritual paradise offers."

Would they ever suggest "lock all your doubts in a room and just carry on with the Catholic Church, being part of the community and enjoying all the good things that the church does in the community" to someone whose door they'd just knocked on, who said they were having doubts about *their* church's teachings?

11

Please. One At A Time. But I Have Found The Answer... ;)

by headisspinning in

jw
friends

life is short and i regret the years i have wasted.

i feel like crying over the damage i have caused my kids by raising them in a cult.

but i really honestly believed all of it.

Scully

HIS

It's been almost 17 years since we stopped going to meetings, and it was around this time in 1994 when Mr Scully and I decided we needed to get out of the JW cult. Earlier that year, after the Memorial™ (where the Attendants™ were instructed not to pass the Emblems™ to me because I had postpartum depression and the Elders™ thought I might Partake™ unworthily) I became suicidal and had to be hospitalized - it was the last straw in a year-long pile-on of mental cruelty and emotional abuse by the local JWs, while at the same time trying to maintain Meeting Attendance™ and Field Service™ expectations.

It seemed like every time we tried to have a little fun with our kids - going apple picking or putting up some gourds and hay bales in the fall, or going to a local farm in the spring to see the baby animals, or putting up decorations of snowmen and snowflakes around the house in winter (all the while emphasizing Jehovah's hand in making all these things) - I'd get reamed out for "celebrating" or observing holidays. I was expecting our youngest when this was happening too, and the stress ended up with me being on bedrest for a month. Of course, the Elders™ - with their vast knowledge and experience in obstetrics - discouraged us from listening to the doctor's advice (after all, what did he know? besides Jehovah will look after you if you keep doing his will). When we followed our doctor's advice, that's when all the "hazing" behaviour ramped up exponentially - and that is when I started questioning the JWs' claim of being the most loving people on the planet.

Anyway, putting up little seasonal decorations is a fun place to start with your kids, and baking seasonal treats is a fun thing to do as well. One of our favorite things was to pack them up in the car at Christmas time, with some hot chocolate (marshmallows optional), and drive around looking at the lights on peoples' homes. Our town has a bit of a Christmas competition every year and the evening news features different homes with amazing Christmas decorations - so we'd drive around and try to find our favorites.