Posts by Scully

162

...The WBT$ Theft of Kingdom Hall Bank Accounts and JW Elders...

by OUTLAW in

.. the new wbt$ donation arrangement/ jw kingdom hall bank account theft... is a very hot topic right now... the wbt$ is literally going to clean out kingdom hall bank accounts,filled with donations from jws... that theft is going to happen world wide..the wbt$ is going to steal from 7 million plus jw`s... .. we have jw elders here on jwn,that know whats going on... they "serve" in kingdom halls,they are "supposed" to be looking after the welfare of the average jw... they know there is a 4 page letter,only one page will be read to the congregation..the rest will be kept secret... they know the wbt$ is about to steal jw donations..on a world wide scale!!!...

.. i would like to know what you active jw elders are going to do about this??!!...

are you going to let "your" congregation know about the other 3 secret pages?...

Scully

This is a perfect opportunity for anyone still actively attending Meetings™ at the Kingdom Hall™ to vote very loudly and definitively by snapping closed their wallets and checkbooks and never opening it to the JWs / WTS again.

It's exactly what Mr Scully and I did many years before we actually left - certain activities and initiatives produced a 'rotten smell in Denmark', as Shakespeare put it - and we decided that we weren't going to part with our hard earned money.

What, exactly, is the WTS going to do if individual regular JWs stop donating? What can they do? They've told JWs for years and years not to pursue wealth or higher education and now they're reaping the results of dispensing that advice.

The more they demand money, the more they are going to resemble other churches that place heavy financial demands on their followers. Just because there's no plate passed at the KH, doesn't mean they aren't pressuring members to cough up more cash. They've been at this racket for over 100 years, and they've only become better at it, putting a spin on it to make it seem like they're the best option for charitable giving, while at the same time giving exactly NOTHING back to the people supporting them. At least other churches make some kind of effort to do good in the community - soup kitchens, homeless shelters, hospital volunteers, etc.

The WTS is and always has been one of the most greedy opportunistic financial parasites to masquerade as a religion.

52

My Child Has Asked Me to Divorce Husband

by HeyThere in

i guess i am just venting.

its a mess.

i just dont even know where to start with this crap.

Scully

Let's say this was not the JW belief system that is causing his behaviour change. Let's say, instead, that he was someone who had distanced himself from an abusive family. After marrying you and having a child with you, he decides he wants to give his abusive family an opportunity to be grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. He gives them a chance and starts to take on the abusive traits that he wanted to get away from so many years earlier, because he has more frequent and intimate contact with the abusers.

You don't accept the abusive behaviour, neither does your child. Your child wants you to divorce your husband because of the abuse. Neither you nor your child want to be subjected to the abuse any more.

When you think about it this way, does it make the decision easier?

Make no mistake, a JW who shows the kind of disdain your husband shows for you IS ABUSING YOU. It's psychological abuse. It's emotional abuse. You may not have bruises or broken bones, but you are being abused. The damage is being done, both to yourself and your child. And don't think that because there has not been physical abuse up till this point that there is no potential for the abuse to escalate into violence.

Start doing things to prepare for a separation. Open a 'secret' bank account and start putting money aside. If you don't work outside the home, start looking for a job so you'll be able to get housing. If you can, rent a storage locker and start moving your things there, or buying items that you and your daughter will need when you leave and store them there. Don't feel that you have to set up a perfect home - stick to absolute necessities for now. A few dishes, a few towels and linens, blankets, non-perishable food items, your documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, financial records, drivers licence, passports, etc.) You can sleep on air mattresses or on a floor mat on a temporary basis, if worse comes to worse. Get a cheap pay-as-you go cell phone for yourself and your daughter with new phone numbers that your husband will not have for emergencies, or in the event that he cuts off your cell phone service. Start purchasing small denomination gift cards for grocery stores (or Walmart or Target where you can purchase almost anything you need) so you will have "cash" on hand in case you lose access to bank accounts or credit cards or need to be "untraceable". Prepare a "go bag" with essential clothing for yourself and your daughter, essential toiletries, medication, emergency cash and cell phone, and so on, in case you have to leave in a hurry, and keep it at a location your husband does not know about (such as a storage locker or at a friend's house - one your husband doesn't know and who won't disclose your whereabouts to anyone).

50

My daughter's wedding dilemma

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

my daughter will be getting married this coming august.

she and her future husband are not jehovah's witnesses.

they will have a non-religious wedding ceremony.

Scully

My suggestion would be to have a more intimate dinner with the people your daughter values the most - immediate family and her DFd cousin and his partner, and perhaps a larger reception after (which does not include a dinner, but refreshments only) which includes the JWs.

This will allow her to celebrate her day with the people she cares about, but gives you some control over the situation (you won't be paying for a bunch of dinners that JWs will walk out on) and gives them the option to decline participation without too much added expense.

I've seen it done this way a couple of times - using the same venue for the more intimate meal with close family and friends, then opening it up to more people afterward for the dance/refreshments afterward.

17

two Jehovahs Witnesses were paid millions to restrict WA blood transfusions

by Watchtower-Free in

source: supplied.

Scully

"It is not clear why the contract was awarded to German-born Mr Hofmann’s Austrian business entity, since he does not appear to have had any previous experience in establishing and operating a PBM program. He does not have a degree in medicine but he has a Master’s in economics and a PhD in health science.

...

Mr Farmer, who has no tertiary qualifications, and a California-based associate, who also is not a medical doctor but has degrees in economics and health science, have been involved in implementing such hospital programs, even though on a much smaller scale than the statewide program in WA. Mr Farmer was the co-founder of a “bloodless” surgery program in 1990 at Fremantle’s Kaleeya private hospital."

So, of the two known JWs who are part of this Patient Blood Management program initiative, one has higher education, including a Master's degree in economics and a PhD in health science.

I wonder how many JWs get these kinds of sweet opportunities to get a good education and make a crap load of money doing "consulting" work, where you get to impose your own religious beliefs on people who do not subscribe to your beliefs, and who - if they knew better - would be consenting to blood transfusions to help them get better when they are sick?

84

One thing about this site that bothers me

by keyser soze in

jw
friends

the constant references to 'window washers' as something derogatory.. i understand the context of it-that most jws are uneducated, and unqualified to do much more.

but sometimes the references seem snobbish, almost mean-spirited.

one poster, on another thread, essentially referred to window washers as 'losers'.

Scully

Window cleaning isn't easy work, it's physically demanding, and most people who do it independently need to have other skills too - it requires some business acumen if you want to be successful at it in the long term.

That said, I do not go around telling a window cleaner how to do their job. I know what my skill set is and I try to stick to my area of expertise. The JW Elder™ who happens to be a an expert window cleaner or office custodian doesn't do that. His position as an Elder™ bestows on him a level of hubris whereby he thinks he can (and should) advise Congregation™ members in matters beyond his scope of expertise, such as medical advice, marital advice and even child-rearing advice. The WTS doesn't equip these men with appropriate training beyond parroting what the WTS has written in its Publications™, regardless of how out-of-touch-with-reality that information is, for instance, the Watchtower article "A Time To Speak" about reporting people to the Elders™ based on confidential medical information learned during the course of one's employment - a practice clearly prohibited under HIPPA and other regulations that protect medical confidentiality of patients. Despite it being over 2 decades old, that article has NEVER been re-visited, and some JWs feel it still represents appropriate behaviour.

I don't think anyone here disrespects individuals who perform this kind of honest labour at all. The disrespect deservedly goes to Elders™ who enjoy the power play over others' lives, who feel they have the authority to spout WTS-approved nonsense in the guise of "counselling" Congregation™ members, in matters in which they have no real understanding.

19

Edmonton Convention 200 kms Away

by jgnat in

this has come up before but we ran in to an old guy from the hall over the weekend and he confirmed a few things about the change of edmonton venue this year.

i'd mentioned this old fellow, too.

a rare friend from the kingdom hall, a real character, and i genuinely miss him.

Scully

Bigger venues are wising up to the WTS's tactics - they are finding out that JWs are being instructed to bring lunches from home and not utilize restaurants outside the venue, in an attempt to weasel out of having the added expense of concessions. They are also learning that JWs are being asked to pay for a parking voucher at the KH and the venue is being asked to provide free parking.

It's weaselly practices like these that get business people in a snit, and frankly, I think they're justified to be offended at these practices. The venues have agreed to their facilities being used for "charitable" purposes - and then the "charity" takes that generosity and tries to make a profit off of it.

Just because The Brothers™ go in and clean an arena before and after a convention, it doesn't excuse the underhanded practices of weaselling money out of people - both Worldly People™ and the JWs who attend the conventions. It would be a rare JW who would stand up against these practices if they were aware of them, but Worldly People™ won't put up with that kind of $h!t - they will refuse to deal with the WTS for future events, and who can blame them? Would you have repeat business with someone who intentionally ripped you off in the past?

74

They are going to charge members monthly fees now! Society Tyranny

by MysticMage in

well there you have it folks.

they have passed around pieces of paper for each publisher to write.

down how much they are willing to give the society every month for their entire lives!.

Scully

I'd love to get a letter like that.

I'd write on it in the prettiest penmanship I could possibly muster:

Dear Brothers,

I have been "waiting on Jehovah" for many things in this lifetime, not the least of which is the "promise" that Armageddon is coming soon. Had I listened to that admonition almost 20 years ago, I would have missed out on a wonderful education and an extremely satisfying career. Had I listened to that admonition almost 20 years ago, my family would still be stuck in a financial rut, struggling to make ends meet, my children would have been denied opportunities to have important life experiences during their youth, the very same opportunities that I was denied in my youth because it was deemed by people like yourselves that it would be better to "wait on Jehovah".

Now you've asked me to commit to a monthly "voluntary contribution". The thing is, committing to something no longer makes it "voluntary" should my circumstances change and force me to re-evaluate my finances. I much prefer to make my contributions anonymously - I do not wish for others to be privy to something so personal, so private. It is considered highly improper in polite company to discuss what one's financial situation is, and a place of worship certainly seems to be an inappropriate venue for such topics. Didn't Jesus take offence to the presence of moneychangers in the temple? Why would he not be similarly offended by this obvious attempt at fleecing the very people whom the Society has admonished to "wait on Jehovah" for a better life for themselves? Why would people who have felt compelled to forego an education that would allow them more financial comforts want to give more to the very organization that told them that it is better to 'keep your eye simple' - and not to 'store up treasures on earth where moth and rust consume' - yet with the contributions that these humble sincere followers offer, you've turned around and built state of the art luxury palaces for yourselves at the various headquarters in the US, Canada, the UK and elsewhere in the world. Why is it all right for the Society to "store up treasures on earth" while it is not all right for the people who financially support the Society to do so?

In light of this, I'm afraid that I will have to insist on continuing my practice of anonymous donations when I choose to do so, in an amount that is also of my choosing. If you wish to have a more solid 'commitment' than this, I'm afraid my answer is merely an echo of the promises that Society has uttered over the years: "Wait on Jehovah".

Sincerely,

Sister Scully

26

Can we be deleted as an appointed man, or disfellowshipped without meeting in a committee?

by stuckinarut2 in

so, i am genuinely wondering if the above is possible nowdays?.

with the changes in the power structure of co's, the changes in gb directives re never questioning "jehovah's appointed channel etc", i wonder if "disciplne can be given out in absence?.

i know that several elders in our cong have little "discussions" about my apparant slackening off, and would love to take action against me... they have tried to chat with me but that has been shot down.. so i wonder if they could just make a decision without me being present for it?

Scully

Apparently, it's been happening for a while.

Several years ago a couple of Elders™ visited the house and spoke with Mr Scully outdoors. When he was telling me about the visit afterward, Mr Scully remarked that they had asked him if he 'considered himself to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses'. He told them that he did not. I told him that it was a trick question - they'd likely announce that he Disassociated™ himself. About a year later, my suspicion was confirmed by a JW lady who dropped by to say hello. Though she claimed that he "wrote a letter and Disassociated™ himself" - she explained that it was announced from the platform not long after that initial visit. I told her that it was a lie and that there was never a letter written. She is convinced that there must have been a letter, otherwise The Brothers™ wouldn't have made that announcement. I said that I'd like to see that letter for myself and that she could ask her husband, an Elder™, to bring the letter over and she could see it for herself. She's never come back.

24

Recent WatchTower article about Witch Hunting

by EverApostate in

jw
friends

this is about an article in may 2014 awake that was published about witch hunting.

it is a 2 page article on how evil the catholic and protestant inquision was, how wickedly they killed the witches and so on.. .

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102014166.

Scully

The wtbts version of witches are called "apostates". If the wtbts had their way, the would surely deal with 'apostates' the same way the catholic church dealt with witches. Every religion has their way of interpreting the bible and the wtbts is a religion, even though they at one time preached proudly and loudly that "Religion is a snare and Racket!" 'O the times they are a changin'. -bob dylan circa 1965 ~ eyeuse2badub

The Watchtower actually published comments exactly to that effect. Check it out:

*** Nov 15, 1952 Watchtower ***

We are not living today among theocratic nations where such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apostasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai and in the land of Palestine. "Thou shalt surely kill him; thy hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him to death with stones, because he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thy God, . . . And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is in the midst of thee."-Deut. 13:6-11, AS.

Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God's law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship.

Edit: Sorry - just noticed that the same was also posted by AndDontCallMeShirley. My bad.

51

BOE - PDF - CONFIDENTIAL 2014-04-22 Adjustment in process for appointing elders and ministerial servants

by WatchTower87 in

boe - confidential.

instruction: press the 'skip ad' button top right, you should then see the download screen more easily.

no virus ;-).

Scully

I'm thinking that if this change is legitimate, it is serving the WTS more than anyone else. As always, the rule to FOLLOW THE MONEY offers some insight in this Adjustment™.

For example, suppose Elder X is found out to be a child molester. His appointment by the Circuit Overseer™ will provide a buffer against any liability that the WTS has.

The Circuit Overseer™ having taken a Vow of Poverty™, will not be able to pay any damages to victims of Elder X. And because the WTS did not Appoint™ Elder X, they have no financial liability if damages are payable to the victim.

A word of caution to anyone who is named as a trustee of any Kingdom Hall™: Protect your assets. If any member of your Congregation™ is found criminally responsible for a crime and that crime has to do with defrauding other members of the Congregation™ or using their position within the Congregation™ in order to defraud or victimize members of the Congregation™ (or even a JW with access to protected medical information who uses such to inform on another member of the Congregation™), as a Trustee you can be held financially liable if damages are payable by the Congregation™.

The way I see things going, the WTS counts all Kingdom Halls™ among its financial assets (it charges RENT in perpetuity, after all), while the Trustees are named, more or less, as legal custodians for the day-to-day affairs - maintenance, utility bills, etc. It always seemed to me that the people named as Trustees have some measure of financial security - they own their own homes, they have businesses or a good income. It seems to me that people in the position of Trustee may not realize the financial peril they put themselves in should a lawsuit ever arise against the Congregation™.