No Apologies

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Posts by No Apologies

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  16

  Anyone's doctor force their hand about being listed as a JW?

  by Mysterious in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i remember when i was in high school i went to the doctor about something completely unrelated to surgery or blood and as a matter of updating my medical records he made a point of listing me as a jw on it.

  he never asked me if he could / should and i was in no position to object in front of my mother without explaining myself.

  not to mention i would look wishy washy about my faith in front of the doctor.

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  No Apologies

  oops! double post!!
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  9

  Some photos of Rochester, Minnesota

  by Abandoned in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was out and about yesterday and i took a few photos of my home town, rochester, minnesota.. .

  this statue honors the two brothers who founded the world famous mayo clinic.. .

  this is rochester's art center.

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  No Apologies

  That top picture, of the statue of Mayo Brothers, of course includes the Rochester Civic Center in the background, where many of us Minnesota/Iowa/Wisconsin exJWs attended many a District Convention over the last two decades.

  No Apologies
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  42

  Gene Smalley and the Watchtower's Blood Transfusion Doctrine

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  gene smalley and the watchtower's blood transfusion doctrine.

  randy: hi, is this gene?.

  watchtower's blood doctrine?.

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  No Apologies

  This article just leaves me scratching my head. Subject is Gene Smalley and the Watchtower's Blood Transfusion Doctrine. I see several comments about this Gene Smalley and his role at Bethel. I also see some interesting information regarding the JW blood doctrine as it has changed and morphed over the years. But nowhere was there any connection between the two topics. Is there a connection, something more than A) Gene Smalley is a Bethel heavy and B) Bethel is responsible for promulgating Watchtower doctrine?

  ???

  No Apologies

  edited to add: Ok Randy I just saw your followup with the proverbial missing link. Disregard my comments above.
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  39

  Anybody want to sell me the original Jan 1st 1989 watchtower?

  by ninja in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the one with the "preaching work will finish in our 20th century" quote ....i will pay good money for it....pretty please....it could sway someone out of the watchtower trap... they wont look at photocopies...here's hoping...

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  No Apologies

  I don't want sound too negative, but even if you do manage to get a hold of an original copy of the magazine, it may not have an effect. Believe it or not, Witnesses have been conditioned( maybe brainwashed would be the correct term) to be suspicious of anything that might cast doubt on the Org. Even their own literature is suspect.

  When a true believer is presented with a particularly damning quote like the one you describe, they will sometimes claim that its some kind of forgery. Seriously, they believe that somewhere out there, apostates have their very own printing operation turning out bogus Watchtower publications just to try and make the Watchtower look bad.

  When in reality, the only organization I know of that reprints Watchtower literature with subtle but important changes made, is the Watchtower itself!

  No Apologies
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  12

  Help! Elders are after me-need advice!

  by love2Bworldly in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi--3 times this weekend 2 elders came to my door asking for me by name (my kids answered the door).

  apparently my jw sister notified the elders about the letter she received from me several months ago and gave them my new address.

  my letter was very clear about how i felt about the watchtower society and i have not stepped foot in a kingdom hall in about 15 years, and the last 8 years of that was sporadic at best.. why should i talk to people i did not invite to my home, when i know they are coming to condemn me?

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  No Apologies

  love2Bworldly,

  I really could care less if they make an announcement about me after all these years, as I have nothing to lose. My JW sister no longer speaks to me because of my letter.

  In other words, you have won. They have absolutely no hold over you, nothing to use for leverage. That's very annoying to them but wonderful for you.

  My advice, if they come around again, have a copy of your letter ready, hand it to them, tell them it will answer any questions that they might have about your position. Then tell them to take a hike, as in leave, now. If they persist, ask for their names, their home address, their congregation and its address. Make a point of writing all this down, assuming they give you the information. Send a registered letter to all the addresses telling them any further attempts at contact will be viewed as harassment and that at that point you will sic either a lawyer or the local police on them.

  As Monty Burns would say, Release the hounds!

  No Apologies
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  18

  Do you have a CPAP?

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sounds like an epidermal lesion, doesn't it?

  lol.

  anyway, i've had a cpap for years.

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  No Apologies

  I HATE when the hose falls off! Because as soon as it does, there's no air coming and you feel like you're going to suffocate!! That and the noise, it definitely wakes you up!

  I have taken to wedging some kind of heavy object in front of the hose because otherwise the seal is not tight enough and it will invariably pop itself off.

  No Apologies
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  12

  Question regarding informing inactive ones of WTS changes

  by NanaR in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  last monday my middle daughter gave birth to my 5th grandchild.

  she delivered by c-section and had complications.

  eventually, it became clear that she needed a blood transfusion.

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  No Apologies

  For an inactive Witness to die rather than take blood when they aren't even informed on the "current light" (confusing and contradictory as it is) is frightening to me.

  I don't want to sound negative, but there are many, many, active JWs who do have all the latest "current light", and who still will categorically reject any type of blood treatment, even those that the org. has stated are a "conscience matter."

  The brainwashing is deeply ingrained and hard to shake.

  No Apologies
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  2

  Leader of ex-Muslim group threatened by Muslims

  by No Apologies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just saw this article, shows that jws do not have a monopoly on religious intolerance by any means.. .

  http://www.upi.com/newstrack/top_news/20070223-014518-1922r/.

  founder of ex-muslim group threatenedcologne, germany, feb. 23 (upi) -- the founder of a group in germany for former muslims has sought police protection after receiving death threats.. .

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  No Apologies

  Just saw this article, shows that JWs do not have a monopoly on religious intolerance by any means.

  http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/20070223-014518-1922r/

  Founder of ex-Muslim group threatened COLOGNE, Germany, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The founder of a group in Germany for former Muslims has sought police protection after receiving death threats.
  

  Mina Ahadi, a native of Iran living in Cologne, said about three dozen people have joined the Central Council of Ex-Muslims.

  "I happened to be born in a Muslim family, and I have decided not to be a Muslim," she told the magazine Focus.

  Ahadi said she and other members of the group have been "terrorized" and have received death threats, most of them sent via e-mail.

  In many Muslim countries, people who abandon the faith face the death sentence under Sharia law.

  Ahadi said she hoped to represent the interests of former Muslims who do not practice the religion. She chose the name as a play on the Central Council of Muslims, which has about 800,000 members and is the largest Islamic group in Germany.

  No Apologies
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  21

  The next big change... my prediction

  by No Apologies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with all the talk about the new watchtower format, i thought i would throw out an idea i had recently, on how the tower could solve its current cash flow problem.. .

  its very evident that they do have a serious problem with declining income, and that the real cause of this was the switch to the donation arrangement.

  although at the time, it seemed like a smart move that would avoid the nightmare and expense of paying taxes, its clear to see that it has had an impact on the bottom line.

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  No Apologies

  I see some saying this wouldn't work because so many JW's are poor. But you forget, those poor JWs(myself included) had no problem paying for the literature before the donation arrangement. JWs historically have always been relatively poor, and yet the Watchtower made a fortune off of selling them literature. All this would be is a return to the way things were for the first 100 years or so of the Watchtower's existence.

  Pioneers of course, back in the day, got a discount on literature. There is no reason there couldn't be a discount club for pioneers, or a simple rebate on large orders.

  They charged for literature before, there is no reason they can't do it again.

  No Apologies
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  21

  The next big change... my prediction

  by No Apologies in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  with all the talk about the new watchtower format, i thought i would throw out an idea i had recently, on how the tower could solve its current cash flow problem.. .

  its very evident that they do have a serious problem with declining income, and that the real cause of this was the switch to the donation arrangement.

  although at the time, it seemed like a smart move that would avoid the nightmare and expense of paying taxes, its clear to see that it has had an impact on the bottom line.

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  No Apologies

  With all the talk about the new Watchtower format, I thought I would throw out an idea I had recently, on how the Tower could solve its current cash flow problem.

  Its very evident that they do have a serious problem with declining income, and that the real cause of this was the switch to the donation arrangement. Although at the time, it seemed like a smart move that would avoid the nightmare and expense of paying taxes, its clear to see that it has had an impact on the bottom line. Keep in mind the real reasons why they fought so hard to pay taxes.

  The reason that comes to mind first is the simple fact that money that was going to them would now have to be shared with the government. But along with this, it would have required much more accounting at the congregation and even publisher level, tracking "sales", recording them, and then reporting all of this to the government. This would be a real nightmare, and also, it would make the relationship between headquarters and the congregations much more tangible and obvious. This I think, is the real reason they decided to go to the donation arrangement. Look at how they are increasingly afraid of being responsible for Bethelites re insurance, workers compensation, retirement, etc. They need to have as little connection between the congregations and the org as possible. They absolutely do not want to be found in any way liable for what goes on at the local level.

  So, I thought to myself, what is the answer? How can they go back to enjoying a steady stream of income, without having to deal with taxes? And then it hit me. Spin off the publishing entirely.

  Here's how it works: Kingdom Publishing Inc. is formed. Its sole purpose will be to product literature that just happens to be used by Jehovah's Witnesses in their own personal religious worship. It will sell the literature to individuals. Yes, as in, all items will be clearly marked with a price, and the dub will buy what he needs. The company will more than likely end up collecting sales tax, but like all businesses, the end customer will pay the tax, not the company.

  At the same time, a new simplified field service arrangement will be introduced: publishers will no longer ask for any kind of donation, they will simply offer the literature free of charge to good-hearted ones who show some level of genuine interest. Since publishers are not collecting for the literature, there is no paperwork needed, no taxes need to be charged or recorded, no connection between the publisher and the Watchtower or any of its subsidiaries.

  Now, of course, this means that the government is going to be getting a cut. But that's fine, like I said, its the publisher that will be paying it, the printing company just collects it. It also means, the publishers are left financing the preaching work- guess what, they already are!! Seriously, how much literature that publishers pick up at the hall, actually results in someone in the house-to-house work making a donation? In my experience, very little. Most publishers don't even ask for a donation anymore, its too awkward and embarrassing. So, really, this would not be that big a shift. And, as I mentioned on another thread, this makes it even easier for this third-party publishing company to take on other printing, for other customers, and make even more $$$.

  And also, look how much JWs with money like to spend it on fancy leather-bound Bibles, TMS workbooks, song books, etc. They could go to town with this, "get your Bible monogrammed for a small added fee!"

  Anyway, just my 2cents on what may happen next. Any thoughts? Have I missed anything as to why this wouldn't fly?

  No Apologies