if a change in the blood policy happens, who will be more upset, jws or former jws?
i suspect the latter.
when the beard thing went down, jw's seem to immediately embrace it, whereas many former jw's have been brooding about it.. did it take away a pet gripe we had?.
WTS played him up as a humble man of god and a visionary. They downplayed any of his negatives and memory-holed as much of the bad stuff as they could. They needed for him to be a modern-day prophet. He became the calm and reasonable founder, with Rutherford cast as the firebrand who took the baton from Russell's dying hand and brought the movement forward into the 20th century.
The real story is far more entertaining, but not as useful for building a religion around.
the new class action lawsuit against the watchtower for having covered up child sexual abuse will begin in court on may 13-14-15, 2024 in the province of ontario, canada.
it is not the same as in the province of quebec because the laws aren't the same.
i don’t have more details.
I don't know where they stand financially, and it can be very difficult to guess at. Settlements can often be much smaller than we expect, especially with cases where there may not be much evidence. And since those always include an NDA, we are left without important information. Ramapo is expected to be finished in 2026, if I remember correctly. I don't know how much we can learn from that, although I suppose they would need to file some kind of paperwork if they modify their plans for it.
I don't think they have unlimited funds, and I would not be surprised if they have been reducing expenses to deal with decreased income. But they may be able to fake it for many years to come. The importance of the lawsuits is to make it harder and harder for them to wave off accusations that they do not protect children. They condemned 'Christendom' for their many CSA scandals, but now they are in the crosshairs and there are so many investigations turning up so many cases that their own moment of reckoning may be near. And even unlimited money will not wash off that stain.
if a change in the blood policy happens, who will be more upset, jws or former jws?
i suspect the latter.
when the beard thing went down, jw's seem to immediately embrace it, whereas many former jw's have been brooding about it.. did it take away a pet gripe we had?.
I think the changes are good, whether they lead to people staying in or not. The more mainstream they get, the less strict and controlling. I no longer have a stake in it-- I left many years ago and did so quietly and without drama. And my mother will stay in right to the very end-- that is as sunk a cost as has ever been sunk. So the changes do not impact me.
I came to this forum because I was curious about the Lloyd Evans situation. If not for that, I wouldn't be aware of anything the JWs are doing (my mother will occasionally remind me that The End Is Near, but she never discusses policy). I'm glad to learn that they're being called to account and forced to answer for bad policy and bad decisions, though. As much as I left it behind, it was still a massive part of my life and shaped who I am as a person, for better and for worse.
i’m just curious what you think.
this is in its draft stages.
so excuse the mistakes and grammar.
I guess their options are to have a talk about helping the brothers in need with our precious resources, and thus glorifying Jehovah... or warning the congregation about apostates and the sneaky ways they try to ensnare you.
I wonder which option they will choose...
many people say gb will soon dump blood doctrine to appear less fanatical.
others saying it is impossible for them to do that because of legal ramifications.
i think there is a way that could potentially be solution to those problems.
As others pointed out, it is something like this:
You can get a transfusion of BLOO. Or BLOD. Or BOOD. or LOOD.
But if you get a transfusion of BLOOD, Jehovah might destroy you at Armageddon.
the jehovah's witnesses have lost their appeal to avoid investigation by a new zealand royal commission.
"a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church challenging a ruling by the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the court of appeal.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/515102/abuse-in-care-inquiry-jehovah-s-witness-appeal-dismissed.
"We welcome transparecy."
"Great! We are starting a commission to investigate CSA..."
"L-leave us out of it! We mean it! We'll sue!"
the new study article 28 watchtower that has just been published on jw.org is about apostate lies and introduces new concepts in their effort to compat apostasy in the congregations.
so despite the loosening of their recent disfellowshipping rules their fight against apostates is still raging hard.
according to the foreword of this article, they will concentrate on :.
For example, picture yourself listening as the ten Israelite chieftains gave their negative report. Would you have believed the report and given in to the fear of man, or would your love for Jehovah and your desire to please him have won out?
If they had that much trust in Jehovah, why did they bother sending spies or asking for a report?
amazing new light in the latest morning worship by gary breaux.
the gb "never lie or deceive us.
we can have absolute trust in the governing body".. he then makes a very helpful point, so as to avoid being deceived and avoid lies.
Yes, it's a bit of sleight-of-hand. Claim that you are god's channel on Earth, the only means by which Jehovah communicates his will to humanity. Then admit that you're prone to making mistakes and you don't always get everything right. You are claiming exclusive divine authority, while also disclaiming any responsibility.
In other words, if they happen to get something wrong, it's god's fault. I used to think they placed themselves between Jehovah and Jesus, but I think it's more like they place themselves alongside Jehovah.
the jehovah's witnesses have lost their appeal to avoid investigation by a new zealand royal commission.
"a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church challenging a ruling by the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the court of appeal.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/515102/abuse-in-care-inquiry-jehovah-s-witness-appeal-dismissed.
They welcome scrutiny... of anyone else.
I'm sure their experience with the ARC left quite a sour taste in their mouths (and pocketbook). I can only imagine what will be revealed in this inquiry.
many people say gb will soon dump blood doctrine to appear less fanatical.
others saying it is impossible for them to do that because of legal ramifications.
i think there is a way that could potentially be solution to those problems.
Their only recourse is to make it a conscience matter. They may not like that, because it will look like they are trying to weasel out of dealing with the issue directly. Since that is exactly what they would be doing, I say too bad. Be thankful that you're not being called to account for all of the death and suffering this stupid policy caused.
Do that enough times, and hopefully more and more JWs will recognize that there is one conscience matter they could exercise to resolve many more of these issues: walking away from the WTS.
