TonusOH , from what l read about American politics it seems that the religious far right still holds considerable sway over many senators.
Jan from Tam
i remember sitting through public talks where the speaker spent the hour discussing in great detail anal sex, masturbation (of yourself and others), sex during menstruation and so on.
.
i was a child, looking back now, i realise that they systematically stripped away our childhood innocence, we knew and heard things no 'worldly' child would have heard.. the child abuse and grooming happened to every single one of us, the feelings of guilt and shame was in all of us even if we didn't actually do anything bad, the mental images caused by these filthy men hung around in our innocent minds till there was no room for that innocence.. it has taken me 44 years to realise that what was done to us, even those of us not physically abused, is a crime.. do they still have talks like that nowadays i wonder?
TonusOH , from what l read about American politics it seems that the religious far right still holds considerable sway over many senators.
Jan from Tam
i remember sitting through public talks where the speaker spent the hour discussing in great detail anal sex, masturbation (of yourself and others), sex during menstruation and so on.
.
i was a child, looking back now, i realise that they systematically stripped away our childhood innocence, we knew and heard things no 'worldly' child would have heard.. the child abuse and grooming happened to every single one of us, the feelings of guilt and shame was in all of us even if we didn't actually do anything bad, the mental images caused by these filthy men hung around in our innocent minds till there was no room for that innocence.. it has taken me 44 years to realise that what was done to us, even those of us not physically abused, is a crime.. do they still have talks like that nowadays i wonder?
Just when l thought that l.had heard everything about the Org.
I know that l will ruffle feathers here but this obsession with sex seems very American. Which of course is where Jehovah's Witnesses started and where all the teachings come from
Like the American Evangelical Trump supporters obsession with abortion and birth control
Jan from Tam
i was thinking about the male children ( even unbaptized ) being placed ahead of the sisters.
; and i thought the jw were raising a bunch of misogynist.
would these kids not feel more important than their mothers let alone other women.
Absolutely Vidiot
Jan from Tam
i was thinking about the male children ( even unbaptized ) being placed ahead of the sisters.
; and i thought the jw were raising a bunch of misogynist.
would these kids not feel more important than their mothers let alone other women.
I have been reading about Phoebe who Paul thinks very highly of. He describes her as a Deacon and in Romans 16 says that she has been helpful to him and to many
So Paul had no problem with a woman being a Deacon and in giving credit where it was due. It seems that she had been sent to the church in Rome as a messenger for Paul .
This adds weight to the argument that his negative comments about women are in response to a particular problem in that church.
Jan from Tam
i read something recently on reddit (not sure what thread) where a person related how some jw told them that ‘they hold a grudge’.. this reminded me of something an old jw acquaintance said to me some years back when i related my bad experience in the religion.. so, apparently, jehovah’s witnesses feel they should be forgiven for anything.
people should forget all about it and act like nothing happened and be charitable towards them, etc… when i read in james and ephesians i got the sense ‘holding a grudge’ was referring to the things average people do to offend each other.. i don’t see it applying to a religion that claimed to speak for god and who engendered hateful and unchristian attitudes towards people.. i know because i experienced this.. in addition, some people’s lives were damaged by listening to faulty teachings and interference in things that were clearly none of anybody’s business.. one case in point: them knocking worldly careers and now there are thousands of destitute jws in senior years with nothing.. then in 2023 the religion does away with a century old teaching about counting hours in the ministry.
meanwhile, i got judged over this.
LongHairGal, l think that it's two different things . Not holding a grudge is as much to do with the effect that it has on you . Keeping hold of negative feelings can literally have a negative effect on us not just mentally but physically
People can forgive someone for burgling them, as in let the negative feelings go. That doesn't mean that the burglar shouldn't be arrested and face the legal consequences of their actions.
Warning people about the Watchtower and trying to stop the abusive behaviour doesn't necessarily mean holding a grudge .
I have never been a JW but as l have become more aware of how they operate l do try to counter their teaching and make people aware that they are a cult .
No grudge involved.
Jan from Tam
i was thinking about the male children ( even unbaptized ) being placed ahead of the sisters.
; and i thought the jw were raising a bunch of misogynist.
would these kids not feel more important than their mothers let alone other women.
Kerry King that is just what l was going to say. There was probably an issue in that particular congregation. Where Christian congregations had been established in areas where traditionally pagan gods had been worshipped it may have been a very different set up .
If Temple prostitutes had been the norm those women may not have liked their loss of status and could have been causing problems. That is just one possible scenario that could have prompted Paul to give that instruction.
On the subject of husbands and wives in his letter to the Ephesians Paul says " husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself "
Jan from Tam.
there was a knock at my door and i thought it was my take-away being delivered.. long story short, it was 2 elders calling to see me.
i guess to re-activate me.
once they said who they were i recognised them.
Hi Paul , well done .
Jan from Tam
the september watchtower has already been released and is being discussed over on reddit.
some highlights: .
1. more hitting the flock on total reliance and obedience to god's representatives on earth today, the f&ds (the governing body, of course).
Beth Sarim they managed to wriggle out of their prediction for 1975 didn't they ? Blaming the r&f for " misunderstanding "
They make Houdini look like a rank amateur.
Jan from Tam
what warnings are the cult giving the "sheeple?".
in the study article on page 20 - "are you heeding the warnings?
", jw's are threatened what their fate will be if they don't support the elite, "anointed" jw's, the 33 degree aka, the self-appointed gibbering body - they will be toast very soon:.
I see a cart regularly on a Tuesday ( market day) in my home town of Tamworth uk
Jan
'many survivors of clergy sexual abuse have never received an apology or any acknowledgement of the harm they suffered.
but at the may 3, 2024, meeting of the general conference of the worldwide united methodist church in charlotte, north carolina, the following resolution of apology to all survivors and their families was approved.. .
“the united methodist church apologizes for the times we allowed our desire to protect the church to outweigh our desire to care for victims and survivors of sexual misconduct.
Have any measures been put in place now at grass roots level to help prevent abuse of any kind , not just sexual abuse?
I know that other denominations now have taken this issue very seriously and things like bullying in the church or even spousal abuse are also looked at .
Making apologies and acknowledging mistakes is a start but lessons need learning and every effort made to prevent these things happening.
I get CofE updates regularly and this was part of the latest