Posts by Sunbeam

I meet with 2 friends every other week to pray together. We keep a prayer diary and tick off prayers when they are answered. We've ticked off a LOT of answered prayers.

Why do we do it? Lots of reasons. We see prayer as simply talking to God, not just making requests, and he wants us to talk to him. We don't grovel. We are recognising the power that he has over our lives, asking him to help us, supporting each other and thanking him for everything that we have.

We pray according to his will because we also want everything to happen in accordance with his wishes, not our own (we haven't asked for a lottery win yet). This helps us in our walk with him. You could see prayer as goal-setting, but we often pray for people who aren't even aware that we are praying for them. So when these prayers are answered, it is difficult to claim the placebo effect.

Love
Sunbeam
xxxx

5

DO YOU FEAR THE DEAD AND ARMAGEDDON

by beroea in

jw
friends

do you fear to die or refuse to think of that matter.

during times the fear of dear is the deep source of the talk about armageddon and the eschatology.

to face to die is a hard one to swallow.

Sunbeam

Hi Boroea

Your question reminds me of the opening pages of Milan Kundera's book, 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being.' His main point seems to be that if our lives have no repercussions once we are dead, if they are meaningless, then existence itself is unbearably 'light'. But, conversely, if everything that we do has eternal consequences, then the weight of unbearable responsibility lies heavy on every move we make.

I've spent most of my life thinking about immediate concerns, rather than death. And as an atheist, Armageddon and judgement, etc weren't even a consideration. But I became a Christian nearly 3 years ago - and the prospect of death holds no fear. Quite the opposite. As Paul said, being with Christ will be better by far.

Love
Sunbeam
xxxx

132

100 Good Samaritans needed

by Trilobite in

jw
friends

two of this board's, and h2o's before it,long time and well known participants have fallen on desperately hard times.

if they could set up pay pal accounts and enough of us could contribute say $20 - $50 per month it would help them though their hardship.. these two people have helped many escape from the wts and i know for sure have given money and other material help to those in need, even when they could not afford it.. if you can help, send an email to: [email protected].

you need not include any particulars of who you are etc, just an indication that you could support this and how much you could send.

Sunbeam

Thanks, Andee. I've tried to send money to the US before, but found that the fee for an internat. money order was huge. I haven't looked into wiring it.

Sunbeam
xxxx

132

100 Good Samaritans needed

by Trilobite in

jw
friends

two of this board's, and h2o's before it,long time and well known participants have fallen on desperately hard times.

if they could set up pay pal accounts and enough of us could contribute say $20 - $50 per month it would help them though their hardship.. these two people have helped many escape from the wts and i know for sure have given money and other material help to those in need, even when they could not afford it.. if you can help, send an email to: [email protected].

you need not include any particulars of who you are etc, just an indication that you could support this and how much you could send.

Sunbeam

If anyone figures out how to get £££'s from the UK to the US, please let us Brits know.

Just a thought - Randy has a secure site that accepts credit card no's. Any chance of Freeminds setting up a Farkel and Max's fund that we can donate to using our plastic??

Sunbeam
xxxx

15

UK Charity Status

by Celtic in

jw
friends

if you were to check out www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

you would find if you typed in ibsa the following registration number would show: 216647. as far as we know, for we are now awaiting a response, it is illegal all over the country for charities to solicit from door to door unless they have a full identity card, something which the wtbts has flouted law on for many years.. in view of current events, surely they must be able to see the wisdom of such an approach.

i mean its not exactly unreasonable when you really think about it, what the state is asking them to do.

Sunbeam

Hi Kent

I'm not sure if I can find out why they claimed charity status. But I think there's a lot of useful info on the website that Celtic found.

Here's what it says about inquiries:

By law, we cannot act in the administration of a charity, nor can we interfere in its affairs where the trustees have acted
properly. We will, however, consider complaints and concerns supported by evidence, particularly where it appears that:

• the way the charity is run is putting the funds or other assets at risk;

• the funds or other assets of the charity are being used or applied in improper ways;

• the trustees are misleading the public, or us, or others with an interest in the charity (eg beneficiaries or employees)
in a material way;

• the trustees are receiving unauthorised benefits from the charity;

• proper accounts are not kept;

• fund-raising or administration costs are too high; or

• the charity is undertaking improper political activities.

6. We do not have power to investigate criminal matters. If an inquiry uncovers possible criminal offences we will notify the
police. We also have close contacts with other bodies such as the Inland Revenue, Customs and Excise and the Department of
Trade and Industry.

7. We cannot normally assist in legal proceedings taken against a charity, including those for the collection of debts, unless the
Attorney General has asked us to do so.

8. Where the complaint concerns an internal dispute between members of a charity or its trustees, it will usually be looked into by
staff in our Charity Support Division, who may seek to help the charity resolve the dispute. We do not usually regard internal
disputes alone as circumstances in which to use our powers of inquiry. For further information please see our publication
Resolving Charity Disputes: Our Role (CC25).

Members of the public - how to alert us

9. The first step is to write to our Investigations Division (at one of our offices) with the following information:

• the name of the charity and its registration number (if known);

• a summary of your complaint or concern, and the background to what has occurred;

• details of the assets which you believe have been misused or are at risk;

• details (or copies) of any documentary evidence in support of your concerns;

• details of any attempts you have made to get the charity to address your concerns;

• details of any previous correspondence or contact with us about these matters;

• details of any correspondence you may have had with the police or other public bodies about your concerns; and

• your full name, address and telephone number and connection, if any, with the charity. Please note that we
cannot promise to take any action on the basis of an anonymous complaint (but see below).

Confidentiality

10. It will be difficult for us to deal with your concerns properly unless we can use the information you provide. If you write to us,
please therefore state:

• whether we may put your complaint and any evidence to the charity; and

• whether we may reveal your name to the charity as the complainant.

11. If you do not wish these to happen, you may nevertheless pass information to us. We will respect confidences so far as we
are able, with due regard to the individual's rights to privacy under data protection and human rights legislation. However, a
person who is under inquiry is entitled to know the nature of the allegations being made, and any person criticised by us as a result
of an inquiry has a right to be told the nature of the evidence upon which the criticism has been based. While we will take every
step to try to ensure that a complainant's identity is not revealed without their consent, in some cases the nature of the allegations
or evidence may give an indication as to their source. Also, in limited cases there may be an obligation to reveal information under
freedom of information legislation.

12. The results of inquiries may be disclosed under the Code of Open Government, or under freedom of information legislation.
The results may also be used in Court proceedings and some, of particular public interest, are published. Documents and
information gathered during the course of, and for the purposes of, a formal inquiry will be treated in confidence, unless and until
we decide to publish the results or they are required under a Court Order during legal proceedings.

13. It is a criminal offence knowingly or recklessly to supply us with information which is false or misleading.

What happens when we are alerted?

14. All complaints are examined first by an evaluation officer, in order to assess the seriousness of the complaint and to decide if
on the face of it there is cause for concern. This may involve gathering more evidence if necessary.

15. The evaluation officer will take a view on whether:

• the complaint is groundless; or

• the problems in the charity are minor and can be put right by providing advice; or

• the charity needs more substantial help from staff in our Charity Support Division; or

• from the evidence to date, the matter is serious or complex enough to warrant a formal inquiry.

16. We will let you know as soon as possible what action we propose to take, and in any event will endeavour to reply to your
approach within 15 working days.

Sunbeam
xxxx

15

UK Charity Status

by Celtic in

jw
friends

if you were to check out www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

you would find if you typed in ibsa the following registration number would show: 216647. as far as we know, for we are now awaiting a response, it is illegal all over the country for charities to solicit from door to door unless they have a full identity card, something which the wtbts has flouted law on for many years.. in view of current events, surely they must be able to see the wisdom of such an approach.

i mean its not exactly unreasonable when you really think about it, what the state is asking them to do.

Sunbeam

It's definitely addictive. See, here I am back again.

We could take some tips from E-man, though. He runs his own business and keeps some very nice hours. I bet he's knocked off for the day already.

But then he is a southerner.

Hi E-man!! Just kidding.

Love

Sunbeam
xxxx

15

UK Charity Status

by Celtic in

jw
friends

if you were to check out www.charity-commission.gov.uk.

you would find if you typed in ibsa the following registration number would show: 216647. as far as we know, for we are now awaiting a response, it is illegal all over the country for charities to solicit from door to door unless they have a full identity card, something which the wtbts has flouted law on for many years.. in view of current events, surely they must be able to see the wisdom of such an approach.

i mean its not exactly unreasonable when you really think about it, what the state is asking them to do.

Sunbeam

Hi

I was reading a business text book last night (I know, the long winter evenings..) and it included a section on UK charity status. In order to qualify, a charity has to prove that its activities do not solely benefit its members. So, in other words, they have to benefit others outside the organisation. It cited the example of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) to show that activities could benefit members indirectly, e.g. by being able to watch birds at a RSPB sanctuary, but that was not to be the main focus.

The Charity Commission might be interested to read the recent KM, which listed 'why don't we get involved in the community?' as a study topic. As well as the UN/human rights info, etc...

I think it is pretty well-known, however, that there are a number of questionable org's on the CC's list. I remember a UK tv documentary a good while back that queried why certain org's, including the JW's, were listed. So it's likely that the Charity Commission has got bigger fish to fry than the WTS. It would probably take an orchestrated campaign to persuade them to investigate. Now who would want to do that..?

I'm a member of a pet charity that recently applied for charitable status. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to do it, but ultimately we just had to come up with the right documentation to be approved.

Sunbeam
xxxx

PS Written in my lunch-break. LT do you ever work?

20

children of the watchtower

by kdk in

jw
friends

i have an 8yr old step-daughter caught up in the madness of the jws through unrelenting fear based brainwashing by her mother.

my husband and i would like to know if anyone has been in a similar situation and is able to help us let her know that there is another more loving way of living in this world.

its frightening to see the damage my husbands ex is doing to this inocent little girls mind.

Sunbeam

Hi kdk

You haven't told us whether you are in regular contact with your stepdaughter. If you are, in my opinion the best thing that you can do to help her to see that there is a more loving way of living is simply to live it. You will thereby prove that non-JW's aren't the wicked evil-doers she has been led to believe. From my own experience, children hate to hear anything negative about those they love, so I think it is wise not to initiate any conversations about the WTS's failings. This could be construed as an attack on her mother and your comments may also be relayed back to her.

Answer any questions she raises with integrity, honesty and respect and she will learn that you will always be truthful with her. Presumably she is living with her mother so can't make any choices now anyway. When she starts asking questions, hopefully she will feel that she can bring them to you. Children are often wiser than we give them credit for - and have a highly-developed hypocrisy detector!

Just my thoughts.

Love
Sunbeam
xxx

29

Anyone up on witness dogma?

by FrightMare in

jw
friends

anyone here know if witnesses are allowed to serve in the military?

i know they're not allowed to fight in war, but are they allowed to be chefs for soldiers, for example.. when cornelius became christian, the bible doesn't say that he left his military career.. furthermore, matthew 5:41: "if someone in authority impresses you for a mile, go with him two miles.".

any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Sunbeam

Hello again Pubsinger and LittleToe

Great to hear from you both.

PS - I've very envious of your musical talents. I'm totally tone-deaf and can't carry a tune. But I'm married to a guitarist in a punk band, so you could say that in my case it's an advantage :-).

LT - as I said, I just pop in to this forum occasionally, but if you would like to chat further please feel free to e-mail me. Delighted to meet you. You must be in a tough position, having to remain active and contend with witness relatives.

You asked if I attend a church. I started attending my current church straight after I became a Christian. The teaching is very sound, bible-based, fundy :-) stuff. More info and all of the last few years' sermons are at it's website: www.church.org.uk.

Re Cliff, I did hear that when he converted he'd originally intended to quit his day job in favour of some form of Christian work. For Tearfund, I think. But they told him that he was doing more good - financially and PR-wise - in his current position. I think the Lord's Prayer issue kinda proves that.

Love

Sunbeam
xxxx