TMS

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Posts by TMS

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  36

  I spoke to Joe Anderson...

  by Littlebit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  joe anderson thought you'd like to know what caused him to be invited to attend a judicial hearing held in his honor.

  fyi, joe sent a copy of his resignation letter to two governing body members, dan sydlik and jack barr, men who joe and barbara were quite friendly with.

  he thought that since so much time had passed since barbara's appeal letter was given to the local elders and nothing was happening to bill bowen or barbara, that maybe these gb members were holding things up because of receiving his letter and giving more thought to the whole issue.

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  TMS

  JT:

  THE ONLY ISSUE WAS would you be on the District convention smile

  We white bros lived to get that spring letter from Watchtower, too. It validated us. When I would get in from work, usually around April, my wife would say: "You got a letter from the Watchtower, today." It was my speaking assignment for the District Convention. I would open the letter carefully, hoping it was something I could sink my teeth into, make my own, so to speak.

  But as you so accurately state, this validation was even more important for black brothers. An "ADMINISTRATION" badge was worth two jobs, even it meant running the Cleaning Department or the Lost and Found.

  In all honesty, much of our efforts in the field, in the congregation and in our families was all made worth while by a 30 minute speaking assignment in run down coliseum.

  As you always say, James: "So sad." LOL

  TMS
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  36

  I spoke to Joe Anderson...

  by Littlebit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  joe anderson thought you'd like to know what caused him to be invited to attend a judicial hearing held in his honor.

  fyi, joe sent a copy of his resignation letter to two governing body members, dan sydlik and jack barr, men who joe and barbara were quite friendly with.

  he thought that since so much time had passed since barbara's appeal letter was given to the local elders and nothing was happening to bill bowen or barbara, that maybe these gb members were holding things up because of receiving his letter and giving more thought to the whole issue.

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  TMS

  Farkel and JT finished off some of my incomplete thoughts. First, Farkel:

  I've thought long and hard about why the society has been so darned STUPID with their actions on the NGO thing and now this child abuse thing, and I can only come up with a few reasons:

  1) They really ARE stupid

  The skill level has been extremely low. The library card/NGO response was lame, at best. The absolute hard line exhibited toward those questioning the molestation policy was a little disappointing. It seems that at least one seasoned Tennessee elder would have approached Joe Anderson: "Brother Anderson, we know Barbara's situation has been extremely stressful for you. . . . . . . . "

  JT:

  We worked for a company folks- it had nothing to do with god so many want to believe so badly that wt is connected to "God" It ain't and just like anyother company that folks work for that shaft it's employees and we were employees - just had a crappy benifit program, even thought the employee manual and material was printed on GLOSSY PAPER

  From this perspective, Watchtower responses make perfect sense. I have worked for a similarly dim-witted company for 28 years. Their words and actions reveal their firm belief that any one of us could be replaced by anyone off the street without missing a lick.

  Watchtower handling of matters reveals a similar arrogance. No matter how dedicated the service or accomplished the skills, anyone questioning is dismissed as "not of their sort."

  TMS

  Edited by - TMS on 23 July 2002 20:41:46
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  36

  I spoke to Joe Anderson...

  by Littlebit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  joe anderson thought you'd like to know what caused him to be invited to attend a judicial hearing held in his honor.

  fyi, joe sent a copy of his resignation letter to two governing body members, dan sydlik and jack barr, men who joe and barbara were quite friendly with.

  he thought that since so much time had passed since barbara's appeal letter was given to the local elders and nothing was happening to bill bowen or barbara, that maybe these gb members were holding things up because of receiving his letter and giving more thought to the whole issue.

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  TMS

  . By sending the Watchtower Society the letter and then giving a copy to the elders was, in effect, "Undermining the confidence of the brothers in Jehovah's organization."

  If this was indeed the rationale of the WTBS, it betrayed a tremendous lack of respect for the judgement of the local elders. Stable, well-grounded men should be able to absorb even "wild talk" without losing their spiritual footing.

  FYI, Joe sent a copy of his resignation letter to two Governing Body members, Dan Sydlik and Jack Barr, men who Joe and Barbara were quite friendly with.

  Yes, I know how Joe Anderson may have felt. You feel that your years of service, reputation give you some sort of credibility, at least enough to buy a listening ear. Not so. You learn that you are what Dylan described so eloquently as "just a pawn in their game."

  TMS

  Edited by - TMS on 23 July 2002 13:5:22

  Edited by - TMS on 23 July 2002 13:19:57
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  73

  Joe Anderson's Letter

  by silentlambs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  j. anderson

  june 5, 2002

  service department.

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  TMS

  The true value of this forum is that a "Joe Anderson-type letter" can be read here. One of the absolutely frustrating things for a Witness being put into a tight ideological corner is that there is no genuine Watchtower mechanism for hearing his/her grievance.

  Although nearly ten years past my own personal crisis point, my wife can always tell when my mind wanders back to those excruciatingly frustrating days. She hears the slap of my fingers on the door transom and even the occasional "damn!"

  "What are you thinking about, honey?"

  TMS
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  134

  THE DILEMMA FACING APOSTATES

  by You Know in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the dilemma facing apostate jehovahs witnesses, or apostate dubs, as i have dubbed them, (no pun intended) is the very fact of their seeming success.

  one of the great ironies of the apostate movement, that presumptuously boasts of "know the truth about the truth," is that apostates themselves are bound by the watchtower's own interpretive shortcomings, and hence are massively ignorant of jehovahs judicial decisions regarding his organization.

  in that the presumption in operation is that if enough scandal and error can be brought to light regarding the governing body, the watchtower society's teachings, as well as individual jehovah's witnesses, then that somehow means that jehovah's witnesses have no connection with jehovah god.

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  TMS

  . That point is lost upon those who abandon their faith merely because of the error and hypocrisy on the part of some of those taking the lead, as if that relieved any of us from standing before Jehovah in judgment

  YouKnow,

  Perhaps, you could expand a bit on your statement above. When you speak of "the error and hypocrisy on the part of some of those taking the lead" are you referring to individual Governing Body members, part of what you believe to be the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class?

  Would not such "error and hypocrisy" in and of itself disprove their claim to such a role in caring for Christ's kingdom interests?

  TMS
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  52

  to us...

  by teejay in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  very few people in life will ever understand the struggle that we have endured, conquered, and go on conquering.. i've spent long hours, choosing my words carefully, and my intelligent wife, i feel, still has no clue.. we're still here.

  living.

  moving.

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  TMS

  While not surprised that most concur with teejay's gallant words, it did not escape me that no one addressed the allegedly pagan ritual of toasting. I, for one, have always wanted to be a toaster, to speak from the heart in a patriarchal manner on some important occasion words that would inspire, comfort or tighten the bonds of an extended family unit.

  Although Watchtower teaching labels the toasting tradition as pagan, it has always seemed so civilized, manly and genteel. At one of the many Watchtower weddings I officiated the non-JW father of the bride stood up innocently and addressed his daughter and son-in-law-to-be. It was one of the most beautiful extemporaneous speeches I have ever heard. I envied that man.

  And so to teejay: "clink"

  TMS
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  9

  Is There a New Ex-JW?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this quote from another thread:.

  mr. brumley "the worst thing for us is a well educated balanced former witness" they are used to the foaming at the mouth rabid apostates of years past.

  they do not know what to do with reasonable well spoken individuals like you.. .

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  TMS

  This aside from Kismet:

  It was at that point Brumley made the comment, I am glad we haven't had any apostates like that...

  This is so ironic. A generation of JW's were schooled in "letting their reasonableness become known to all men." They stood at the door of the householder with a broad smile, patting the pooch on the head. For them, no question was inflammatory. Nothing rattled them. . . . Just, straightforward, well-illustrated Biblical replies to any question, always cognizant of leaving the householder in a good frame of mind for the next Witness. . . . . .

  Now, some of the best and brightest of these have seen through the veneer of "God's spirit-directed organization" and are just as unflappable in presenting what they know.

  TMS
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  9

  Is There a New Ex-JW?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this quote from another thread:.

  mr. brumley "the worst thing for us is a well educated balanced former witness" they are used to the foaming at the mouth rabid apostates of years past.

  they do not know what to do with reasonable well spoken individuals like you.. .

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  TMS

  SixofNine,

  Even without the specific origin and intent of the original quote, this seems like a valid observation.

  My experience with so-called apostates of the past was limited to "millennial dawners" or folks who had an unrecognized scriptural pet peeve.

  My gut feeling is that current exes pose a somewhat different and more articulate threat than in the past.

  TMS
• 
  9

  Is There a New Ex-JW?

  by TMS in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this quote from another thread:.

  mr. brumley "the worst thing for us is a well educated balanced former witness" they are used to the foaming at the mouth rabid apostates of years past.

  they do not know what to do with reasonable well spoken individuals like you.. .

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  TMS

  This quote from another thread:

  Mr. Brumley "The worst thing for us is a well educated balanced former witness" They are used to the foaming at the mouth rabid apostates of years past. They do not know what to do with reasonable well spoken individuals like you.

  
  TMS
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  26

  Anderson Appeal Ltrs -Adversarial WT

  by silentlambs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  may 23, 2002. mrs. barbara anderson.

  c/o jerre michael hood .

  37396. dear mrs. anderson,.

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  TMS

  Mr. Brumley "The worst thing for us is a well educated balanced former witness" They are used to the foaming at the mouth rabid apostates of years past. They do not know what to do with reasonable well spoken individuals like you.

  
  Barbara Anderson and many others are as described above. Their voices do not necessarily quiver with emotion as they are able to articulate what is good and what is bad with respect to Jehovah's Witnesses.

  Bill Bowen is another example of one who acquits himself well in interview.

  TMS