Posts by Spoletta

13

NY Daily News: Gov. Cuomo unveils plan for Child Victims Act that would do away with statute of limitation

by AndersonsInfo in

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-unveils-plan-child-victims-act-article-1.2943920.

cuomo unveils plan for child victims act that would do away with statute of limitation .

cuomo wants to get rid of statute of limitation for child victims.

Spoletta

Could this explain the newspaper adds that have been appearing in that area, urging Witness victims to come forward?

14

why is it that the watchtower finances are cloaked in secrecy, yet when the congregation is ask to approve extra donations to the organization, the voting is in public, so everyone can see who is "loyal" to jehovah.. hmm... i think i just answered my question.

.

Spoletta

Why is it that the Watchtower finances are cloaked in secrecy, yet when the congregation is ask to approve extra donations to the Organization, the voting is in public, so everyone can see who is "loyal" to Jehovah.

Hmm... I think I just answered my question.

75

The Trump Era commences

by ZAPPA-ESQUE in

jw
friends

.

Spoletta

January 20, 2017. A day that will live in infamy!

144

2.16.2017 NJ Star-Ledger Ad: "Were you sexually abused by the Jehovahs Witnesses?"

by breakfast of champions in

my wife found this 1/4 page ad on page 2 of yesterday's nj star-ledger, probably the biggest newspaper in nj.

pretty telling.. .

Spoletta

The difference will be that this has a chance of expanding into a much larger pool of victims, coupled with nationwide exposure. The timing of the upcoming ARC report will add fuel to the fire, by showing that even though the Organization hasn't given explicit instruction to hide cases of child abuse, they have relied on Elders to interpret their double meaning instructions in a manner that results in cover-ups of wrongdoing. Geoffrey Jackson's evasive answers on the witness stand will only serve to point out that the GB realizes being completely completely truthful about Watchtower policy will be very damaging to the Organization. Even if no guilt can be established in court, the court of public opinion will not rule in their favor.

31

Young People Ask: I’m Attracted to the Same Sex—Does That Mean I’m Gay?

by pale.emperor in

eurgh!

more patronizing and uninformed reasoning from the "experts" at bethel.

this time tackling the sensitive subject of those attracted the the same sex.

Spoletta

My wife and I have been in the Arts for years,(retired opera singers) and have been surrounded by gay people our entire careers, so realize that they're perfectly normal people that just happen to fall into a different spectrum on the gender scale.

My wife has been a witness all her life (I'm not and have never been). She is totally non-homophobic, has nothing bad to say about the LGBT movement, is awake to much of the false doctrine of the Watchtower, and still can't shake some of the indoctrination she's received her entire life.

There are some couples in our congregation in which the husband, to all appearances, displays what one might call the "markers" of a gay male. I've actually heard sisters remark on this. They even come right out and say "of course he's gay!"). This is accepted because they fall into the category of "ones who have resisted their sexual urges". (In the cases of those with children, I'm inclined to believe they are bi-sexual or gender-neutral)

Anyway, my wife, due to her upbringing, and certain scriptures, still feels that homosexual acts are wrong, and that people in that situation should refrain from sex with others of the same sex. She agrees that it's unfair, but that's just the way it is. I have to say, she has never expressed this view in public, and treats our gay friends exactly like any others. We often go over and have drinks with the delightful lesbian couple next door.

So, what can we do if intelligent, kind people, still cling to these beliefs? Despite the recent election in the United States, that revealed we still have a long way to go, I do see a shift (particularly in the younger generation) that gives me hope that eventually people will accept that the Bible is wrong on this issue.

Till then, all we can do is keep pointing out to our children the fallacies of the Watchtower position, promote critical thinking, and let our children make informed decisions about this subject.

144

2.16.2017 NJ Star-Ledger Ad: "Were you sexually abused by the Jehovahs Witnesses?"

by breakfast of champions in

my wife found this 1/4 page ad on page 2 of yesterday's nj star-ledger, probably the biggest newspaper in nj.

pretty telling.. .

Spoletta

It makes sense that this is all happening so soon after the ARC commission. The transcripts and videos alone are a wealth of irrefutable evidence that all decisions come right from the top. Not to mention the presence of a Governing Body Member on the witness stand. Imagine if the Pope had had to appear to answer questions about abuse in the Catholic Church!

Also, the close proximity of the Watchtower headquarters to New Jersey will make it hard to avoid more appearances by the Governing Body, as they can't make the excuse that there's no one available to appear in court. They can't all be out at conventions all the time.

The high visibility of the real estate transactions makes impossible to plead poor, so all in all, this is an ideal time to jump on the Child Abuse Bandwagon before the money is all gone, or hidden in a bank account somewhere out of the United States.

49

Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

by Spoletta in

my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

anyone else pick up on this?

Spoletta

In my congregation, I could put together an all woman Elders Body that would far outshine what we have now. Intelligent and compassionate, but not pushovers.

49

Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

by Spoletta in

my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

anyone else pick up on this?

Spoletta

You've all pretty much summed up my thoughts on the subject. My wife said that at a recent CLAM there was a part that praised the women's abilities, and that there might be exciting news regarding that in the near future. Then, afterwards, an elder was talking to her and almost "let slip" the secret.

Like I said, she keeps hoping that there will an excuse for her to remain loyal, even though she realizes there's a lot of bad stuff going on.

34

Young People Ask... When Can I Start Dating?

by pale.emperor in

quite possibly the most annoying and patronizing thing i've read in years.

comments of mine are in yellow.. .

she doesn't trust herself to make her own decisions and she's going to wait years even after she thinks she's ready.

Spoletta

Or to avoid the whole problem, you can marry the 19 year old brother who works for your Dad as soon as you turn 17, and both move in with your parents, as one young girl did in our congregation.

To give the Elders credit, they strongly counseled against this, and wouldn't allow the wedding to take place in the Kingdom Hall. However, their hands were tied as it was all legal. The parents congratulated themselves for saving their kiddies from the perils of dating.

42

Cooking With Cast Iron

by Simon in

i can't even remember what got me interested in pans, probably wanting to try cooking more and watching some cooking videos on youtube, but i kind of started wanting to get a cast-iron skillet specifically so started reading up on them.

hey, if you're going to spend $50 on something you need to study them and create a comparison spreadsheet ... right?.

not only did cast-iron look great for cooking but there are some studies that show risks to aluminium / teflon cookware ... not that the wts was "right" about aluminium, but teflon can give off carcinogenic chemicals if overheated (so what if it chips off into your food?).

Spoletta

Have an old Griswold 11 1/4 inch Iron Skillet and wouldn't part with it. And if you like camping, there's nothing like a good cast iron dutch oven for a variety of cooking styles, and if you have a bag to keep it in, you don't need to clean the soot off the outside.