Posts by Skimmer

13

So Can DF'ing Be A Bonus?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

im passionately opposed to the unscriptural practice of disfellowshipping.

i believe that it preys on mankinds worse fears of being left alone, an outcast, a pariah shunned by ones own tribe, a person so reprehensible that even ones very existence is left unacknowledged.

its certainly not the invention of a caring creator, and as for it being a loving act for the dfd one, please dont insult my intelligence.. that being said, i wonder whether or not disfellowshipping can actually be a refuge for the disillusioned witness?

Skimmer

Hello Englishman:

Perhaps the most overlooked positive effect of being disfellowshipped: One gets to find out which friends are real and which are just hypocrites.

Here's an idea for a freshly disfellowshipped person to try. Go to the meetings at your Kingdom Hall and act like you're enjoying life like you never have before. Wear a big grin and every time someone looks at you with scorn, return the look with a smile and a good laugh while retaining eye contact as much as possible. Greet everyone by name and make them feel the discomfort of having to adhere to the ridiculous doctrine of shunning. Sit wherever you please and not where they want you to sit. Giggle occasionally, but not enough to give them a justifcation to physically toss you out of the hall. If you are a man, have a couple of large cigars prominently displayed in your vest pocket and make comments like how your sex life has dramatically improved now that you are getting to know real women. If you are a woman, consider wearing some non-traditional clothes (pants, short skirt, or business suit) if you think that will draw attention to you and make comments on how it has become so easy to find quality men. Oh, and mention how you just won several hundred dollars/pounds/euros in the lottery or at the racetrack. Bring your songbook so you can share vocally in at least one part of the meeting, and don't feel bad if you're slightly off-key, off-tempo, or a little too loud. Ask a few non-JW friends to come with you and introduce them to the elders with the opener "I brought my friend here today so he/she could see what JWs are really like".

Avoid overly obnoxious behavior like arriving drunk or breaking wind during the closing prayer. Do not camp out in the lavoratory, but do feel free to make a contribution of sorts while you're in there. It's only fair that you give them a kilogram of the same stuff they dish out every day by the megaton.

19

Privacy legislation - let's make some trouble

by RunningMan in

jw
friends

as of january 1, 2001, canada has new privacy legislation (bill c-6).. similar legislation has been adopted in the u.s., although i am not.

familiar with it.

some highlights that could pose problems for the society.

Skimmer

Hello expatbrit:

I agree that seeing the WTBTS runing scared because of legal actions can provide an atavistic satisfaction of a sort. A taste of their own medicine, being motivating by fear.

The drawback is that lawsuits will just serve to re-enforce the WTBTS martyr complex. Like most of those afflicted with paranoia, they will blame everyone else instead of taking responsibilty to correct their own mistakes.

And what if someone manages to win a big settlement? The money will just come out of the poor rank and file JWs and you can bet that theyre will be no decline in the living standard of those holed up in the Patterson complex.

More than any money, I'd just love to see the GB and the head cheeses of the various corporations up on the witness stand. Oh, I'd even get cable TV so I could watch it on the Court Channel. And I'd be smiling all the way because I know that hundreds of thousands of JWs would be watching as well.

19

Privacy legislation - let's make some trouble

by RunningMan in

jw
friends

as of january 1, 2001, canada has new privacy legislation (bill c-6).. similar legislation has been adopted in the u.s., although i am not.

familiar with it.

some highlights that could pose problems for the society.

Skimmer

Hello mustang:

You are correct in your recollection about it having been found invalid (in parts of the USA, at least) for a local chief of police to require registration of door-to-door uninvited callers. I agree with the decision to some extent as I don't want a third party determining who I can and cannot talk with.

But the NDNCL project is different in that there is no reliance on any civic authority to determine registtration requirements for door-to-door callers. A NDNCL request can be made only by the householder, not by any third party.

With the NDNCL, third paries (the courts) get involved only if the WTBTS chooses to ignore householders' requests and so shows a need for corrective punishment.

18

If Kingdom halls closed their doors

by nojw86 in

jw
friends

just a thought on how the zealous witness would overcome the situation?

would they open homes for bible study?

or take the wait and see what happens next way out.

Skimmer

Hello RR:

Can you imagine if there were two (or more) groups, each of which was publishing their own WT magazine? It wouldn't last for more than a few issues before the charges of apostasy flew fast and furious among the different groups.

It would be like as if the disagreements in the Governing Body were made public and the different factions each got their own magazine to publish. It would be humorus while it lasted.

That reminds me of another question. Why is it that the GB discussions are always private? Shouldn't they be open just as were discussions among the apostles as recorded in Acts and other early church histories? I can see a need to keep some personnel matters private (although they get leaked anyway as was the case with members Chitty and Greenlees), but just about everything else should be public. I think that all the GB meetings records should be opened up; they should not object unless they have something to hide.

39

A modest proposal: A national Do Not Call list

by Skimmer in

jw
friends

greetings to the readership:.

there have been reports over time that each kingdom hall keeps a "do not call" list of addresses.

these are addresses in the congregation's territory where, for one reason or another, the jws in the field service are advised not to make calls.

Skimmer

Hello TheApostleAK, and thank you for the confirmation.

When marking the various addresses in the local DNC list, do they have any special symbols for apostates and opposers? Like red ink and a skull/crossbones, perhaps? An exposure to the real truth of the WTBTS could be much more damaging than an encounter with a pit bull.

Are all DNC entries treated the same? Are some more permanent than others? Are some callable by an elder but not by Brother SixPack or Sister SoapOpera?

In the NDNCL project, I was thinking of adding an optional entry in the registration form that would give the reason for not wanting any calls. Some possibilities:

1) I am an opposer.

2) I am an apostate.

3) The WTBTS are apostates.

4) I am fully informed of the WTBTS history and I think that they are inspired by Satan and run by demons.

5) I practive nudity at home and I am weary of having univited visitors faint/laugh/scream when I open the door.

I'm sure others can think of more.

4

Predictions

by Skimmer in

jw
friends

the wtbts has a long tradition of issuing predictions.

but why should they have all the fun?.

here are some of my predictions about the wtbts.

Skimmer

Hello slipnslidemaster:

You are certainly right about the anointed/144,000 doctrine being an annoyance. On one hand, they rely upon it to give themselves an aura of authority. On the other hand, there is the problem of the non-shrinking number of partakers.

Plus, they have never answered the question: If there are over eight thousand anointed, why is it that only a dozen or so are in any position of responsibility for providing the "new light"? That's one that you'll never see in the WT "Questions from Readers".

5

Another self introducton

by Skimmer in

greeting to all the readership:.

i am a newcomer to this board, and as i have enjoyed reading the self-introductions of others, i'd thought i'd post one of my own.. in 1966 i was a nine year old boy and my parents where going through a messy divorce.

i wound up spending some time with an aunt and uncle who had been jws for all of their adult lives, and they gave me a copy of the wtbts book _from paradise lost to paradise regained_.

Skimmer

Hello outnfree, and thank you for your comments.

_Mere Christianity_ has become a classic apologetic work in spite of its humble beginnings as a set of radio talks for the BBC some fifty years ago. In the foreword of the book, Lewis describes his goal of producing a simple and instructive work for the evangelization of the curious but unsure. His goal in the book is to provide a guide to the fundamentals of Christianity without getting bogged down in the specifics of any particular faith. In producing the book, he asked for and received assistance from clergy from a variety of faiths including the Roman Catholic Church (he was not a member) and the Anglican Church (of which he was a member). It is really worth reading and I recommend it to all and particularly to JWs and ex-JWs who might want to find out about Christianity from a trustworthy source.

There are several areas when Lewis is not in agreement with the Catholic Church. One of these is what he felt to be was too much attention given to Mary, and another was his doubt about the utility of praying to the saints for intercession. But these did not stop him from recognizing and expounding on the same great truths held by the Catholic Church and so his work is well regarded by Catholics.

There have even been some occasions where Lewis has been quoted by WT writers! In rather limited context, as you might imagine.

There is plenty of ritual in the Catholic Church. We're proud of it! And in some cases, the origin of parts of a particular ritual may have un-Christian connections. For that matter, so did the embalming spices used for the entombment of Jesus, as that practice came from Egyptian ancestor worship. But as long as the current intention is devout and accurate, who cares about the accidental contributions of history long lost in the past?

For an easily perused list of Catholic teachings, a reader might want to try the Eternal Word Television Network web site http://www.ewtn.com and browse in the "Faith" section and within that, the "Teachings" section. Compare the light of the Catholic Church which has been unchanged for two thousand years versus what you were taught by the WTBTS whose lights seem to need changing all the time.

18

If Kingdom halls closed their doors

by nojw86 in

jw
friends

just a thought on how the zealous witness would overcome the situation?

would they open homes for bible study?

or take the wait and see what happens next way out.

Skimmer

If Brooklyn were to disappear, the congregations would fall apart shortly thereafter. The WTBTS has never encouraged the formation of local decision making abilities and instead insisted that the Governing Body and its close pals be in charge of everything.

19

Privacy legislation - let's make some trouble

by RunningMan in

jw
friends

as of january 1, 2001, canada has new privacy legislation (bill c-6).. similar legislation has been adopted in the u.s., although i am not.

familiar with it.

some highlights that could pose problems for the society.

Skimmer

I have no doubt that the WBTS legal crew has been informed of these and similar postings and is already working on defenses.

It remains to be seen if and how they will fight against privacy regulations that will adversely impact their control addiction and their money streams.

In an earlier day, they might have considered the tactic of taking all of the record keeping underground in an attempt to make it invisible to the regulatory authoriies. Yet they dare not risk that now because of the possibility that at least one of their many disgruntled workers will expose the illegalites and cover-ups.

39

A modest proposal: A national Do Not Call list

by Skimmer in

jw
friends

greetings to the readership:.

there have been reports over time that each kingdom hall keeps a "do not call" list of addresses.

these are addresses in the congregation's territory where, for one reason or another, the jws in the field service are advised not to make calls.

Skimmer

There are a number of ways to begin the NDNCL (National Do Not Call List) project. The process of address list collection could begin before all of the distribution and enforcement details are in place.

For a start, we could set up a web site that described the project. The site would also have an address registration form for visitors to use. There would have to be a mechanism for a user to verify, update, and even remove his/her address. (Automated e-mail can help with some of this.) The site administrator can transmit the list to the WTBTS on a regular basis, or the transmission can be automated.

The WTBTS can be invited to offer an e-mail address of theirs to use for receiving the list. If they are uncooperative, it can be mailed to [email protected] or one of the other addresses in their Internet contact registration data. Perhaps the entire list could be sent once a month or so, with updates sent every day or even in real time. If the WTBTS refuses electronic delivery, then some CD-ROMs of the data could be sent to them by registered mail every month.

Some features of the site:

1) Sample letters, organized by legal jurisdiction, that can be used to establish status of informed consent and a withdrawal of permission to the WTBTS for any in person contact. A lawyer's assistance will be helpful here. A copy of the appropriate letter would be electronically signed by a user and sent to the WTBTS; an additional record for Brooklyn to keep in their voluminous files.

2) Counters and usage statistics that would offer coverage data for different countries and regions.

3) Statistics for users that refer other users. This would be a bit of friendly competition to see who could make the Top Ten list.

4) A reporting mechanism where a user could make a claim of violation. This form would include the recording of the names of the unwanted JW door knockers along with the date and time of the violation. This would all be sent to the WTBTS so that they have a chance to settle without being hauled into court.

5) A listing of the congregations with contact information including e-mail addresses where available. It would be nice to be able to automatically identify the congregation corresponding to the address and so keep them up to date. Also, a user would be able to get a mailing address or phone number of the involved congregation and contact them directly to report violations.

6) Downloadable graphics for printing out one's own DNC decals.

7) And a copy of this thread to show how it all got started.