i was thinking about freedom of speech after watching a clip about the jw suing kevin mcfree.
they wanted to take away his freedom of speech.
but in thinking about it, that is the way of the organization, save they want to control thought as well.
Fisherman: That is for the Courts to adjudicate but any owner of a copyright is within his legal right to defend it.
What McFree's lawyer was saying is that the WTS will sue an individual over claimed violation of copyright, but once they get the individual's personal info, they no longer pursue the copyright claim. In other words, they are not concerned about copyright, they want to intimidate critics into silence. The method they are employing is unethical and legally questionable.
elders to meet with meet with regular pioneers asap and review their progress.
announcement.
december 12, 2022. for elders.
The wording almost surprises me, in that it seems as if they are anticipating that those who were/are regular pioneers will need encouragement and possibly a bit of a kick in the pants to make sure they get back on track. Why wouldn't they assume that the people who signed up for regular pioneering were itching to get back out there?
i was thinking about freedom of speech after watching a clip about the jw suing kevin mcfree.
they wanted to take away his freedom of speech.
but in thinking about it, that is the way of the organization, save they want to control thought as well.
I think the WTS is trying to use copyright law in these cases, where they are accusing people (like McFree) of using material without express permission. The law (at least in the USA) almost always sides with the person using the material unless the use meets certain criteria. What the WTS wants is to intimidate people into removing videos or documents without proceeding to a court of law. This works frequently because those people do not have the resources to fight back. When they do, the WTS usually loses the case and/or (as in the McFree case) drop it.
They also try to get personal info on the people uploading content if they think the person is an active JW (as McFree is, if I am not mistaken). Then they can disfellowship them. McFree's lawyer pointed out that the WTS is not interested in pursuing copyright claims as much as they are seeking personal info to punish those who speak out against them. Once they have the personal info, they usually do not pursue the copyright claims any further. This is, effectively, a misuse of the legal system.
so, jw's don't celebrate christmas or other holidays.
as bill cetnar once said, there are two reasons for everything: the reason they tell you, and the real reason.
they will tell you it's because christmas is "pagan" and can lead to all sorts of licentious conduct (like drinking too much macallan scotch?)..
So much of the JW approach was shaped by Rutherford, IMO, who wanted to leave his mark on the organization. I think he spent a few years trying to further Russell's work. Then he seemed to realize that he was now in the driver's seat and could shape it as he pleased. As a result, it's difficult to figure out exactly why they decided that birthdays and holidays were taboo (but not wedding anniversaries or baby showers).
It makes God appear to be a person of very ill humor, a tyrant who gets upset when his children find a way to have some fun. "Celebrate the birthday of your savior with decorations and gift-exchanges? How dare you!!" He becomes a grumpy old man the minute you decide you want to enjoy a holiday.
i would belief so but if you can point something out, it can be discussed.. i don’t mean what jw taught in the past that they later realized was not correct and amended.
—unless you think and can show something like that is relevant.. i’ve spoken to a lot of believers from different religions.
i don’t want to bash any religion here under this topic but their beliefs are inconsistent and their reasons are sophistry and made up and grounded on circular reasoning.
I think that anything to do with trying to predict the time of the end, or insinuate that it is close, goes against Christ's claims that no one but the father knows the day or the hour. It is also superfluous, since even JWs believe that you must remain faithful and steady right to the end. The notion that only those who qualify at the time of the destruction of the old system of things goes against the idea that one should be expecting the end at a specific time or within a specific time frame.
You are either serving God with sincerity, or marking off time until you can stop pretending. Would Jehovah really save someone who was doing the latter?
the watchtower—study edition | january 2023. study article 3. jehovah is helping you to succeed.
how jehovah makes you successful.
13. does jehovah intervene in every situation we face?
"Jehovah let my child die of cancer, but He got a lot of people to show up as visitors! I mean, what are the chances that they would have done that without God nagging them? No one ever visits sick friends in the hospital! We are so blessed!"
I agree that this is not just JWs. But this particular example makes me cringe.
early on, after we left jw land, my wife said to me, “i hope you don’t care, but i don’t ever see myself doing any christmas stuff.
i don’t really understand why some ex jws decide to do that crap.” we agreed that parties were a little different because of the social aspects, but other wise i didn’t care.
now… there’s a 16’ douglas fir with ornaments and lights in our living room.
I love the story!
But... a sixteen foot tree! Is it laying on its side?
original reddit post (removed).
The case was overturned on appeal. As was pointed out, in many places you do not have an expectation of privacy when you are out in public. "Hidden camera" pranks, interviews and investigative reports are not uncommon in the USA and are rarely challenged in court because the law is on the side of the person filming in most of these cases. It's a fine line, a lot of these cases help to unmask some terrible people and behavior, but the flip side is the unnecessary and cruel humiliation of unsuspecting innocent people when a single moment defines their public persona.
If Evans does the interviews to demonstrate the approach that JWs are taught in regards to trying to reach people, or if it shows how sheltered their views and knowledge are, that can be very useful. If he's selecting clips to dishonestly promote a narrative, that can be destructive and dangerous, and is almost always unethical and wrong. I can't tell which it is, since I don't watch any of his videos anymore.
original reddit post (removed).
I agree, pr0ner.
As for the canceled Zoom calls, I don't think he is concerned that someone will confront him in such a small and cozy environment. He could deflect any questions and then claim that he is being harassed and end the call quickly. He knows that someone could sign up, then record the call, so he would not be inclined to humor anyone trying to ask uncomfortable questions. Or at least, he should know this. It's also possible that he would try to shout such a person down or humiliate them, not realizing that others on the call will be reaching for the 'unsubscribe' option as a result.
I agree with the belief that he might be feeling unmotivated to join meetings with only one or a few people. It's a step down, and a real blow to his ego. He was working his way up to filling ballrooms or possibly even theatres. Now it's low-turnout Zoom calls and trips to the karaoke bar. Not quite the life he thought he'd be living at this point.
this came to mind as my 71 year old wife got up at 6:30 to drive 1.1/4 hours to meet the field ministry group.
we live a long way from the kingdom hall and the traffic is horrendous where we live!.
somehow, i doubt the good old boys do much themselves.
Didn't they let Rutherford off the hook back when he was the president of the WTS? He was demanding onerous preaching schedules while not spending a minute in field service himself, and the explanation was that he was too busy organizing the effort and giving speeches. He did make that phonograph recording that JWs played for people when they were in field service. Maybe he counted that, and ended up preaching two million hours a month or something.
What they don't seem to remember is that Jesus (ie, someone slightly higher on the totem pole than them) preached constantly and to whoever would listen. The GB? Too busy making videos and waiting while the unpaid labor cleans their rooms, cooks their meals, and shines their shoes. Why, the resemblance to the holy men of the past is unmistakable!
