Posts by NoGoodDeed

12

door to door

by gda in

jw
friends

some jw's at my daughters door saturday morning.

they said nothing, nada, zip, zero, and just passed the mags to her and left.

is there no interaction any more?

NoGoodDeed

During a recent trip to the United States I encountered a group of three Jehovah's Witnesses in a train station. I had to wait 45 minutes for my train, so I decided to walk over and engage them.

I was surprised at how they tried to avoid talking to me. One told me that I should just take whatever literature I wanted and read it on the train. When I asked a question that I though was fairly innocent, two of the JWs just looked away. The third said, "We are not here to answer questions. We are just here to hand out magazines."

Is this typical? Are the JWs told not to engage with interested people?

NGD

41

How to Wear a Pinkie Ring, by Stephen Lett, Governing Body Member

by Oubliette in

always the fashionista amongst the governing body members, mr. stephen lett recently showed us how even an older man can display a certain swagger, a certain je nesais quoi that says, "i'm one of the anointed, and you're not!".

he does this in so many ways, but the one i want to draw our attention to is the way he rocked the theocratic fashion world with his wearing of a very manly pinkie ring in a recent wtbts video.. - -.

stephen lett of the governing body of jehovah's witnesses demonstrating how to wear a pinkie ring.

NoGoodDeed

Has anyone heard rumors that Stephen Lett might get kicked off the Governing Body? When I was in Hungary last year several former of my (still) Jehovah's Witness friends told me that Lett had become an embarrassment to the other members of the Governing Body, but for appearances of unity they did not want to dump him. One current elder mentioned that rumors had been going around that a big announcement was going to be made about one of the gb members and Lett was the prime suspect. He was apparently a favorite with Jaracz when he was alive, but many of the Watchtower's big guns thought he was an idiot. They were hoping he would eventually fade into the background like Clayton Woodworth did in the 1930s when his writing became too wierd even for the Watchtower and Fred Franz (who was a nobody) took over the writing duties for J F Rutherford.

At some point, guys like Woodworth, Franz, and Lett just get too wierd and have to be put out to pasture.

Then yesterday several YouTube videos came out almost simultaneously showing Lett making the case that the Watchtower does everything they can to protect children from criminals and that anything said to the contrary are just "apostate lies."

A few hours ago I got a note from a friend who asked if I had heard that Lett might be removed from the Governing Body because "he is just too weird and makes the other governing body members look like idiots when they are around him." When I was in Switzerland a month ago I did hear a rumor that either someone was about to be added to the Governing Body or someone was going to be replaced. Could this involve Stephen Lett in one way or another?

I hope not as I like the fact that someone as weird as he is makes the Governing Body seem to be impossible as the representatives of Jehovah. YouTube's "Mr. Diety" would make a much better Governing Body member compared to Lett.

Late this afternoon a friend sent me this link:

http://insidethewatchtower.com/governing-body/stephen-lett-dumped-from-governing-body/

It proposes that Lett may be on his way out of the Governing Body after his insane "we protect our children" video. It seems that Lett often goes off on tangents and does his own thing - and with no "chairman" or "president" of the Governing Body there is no one to reel him in when he goes on a crazy trip.

Anyone else heard rumors or know if Lett has reached the end of his rope?

NGD

54

New "donation" arrangement begins to FAIL

by Tech49 in

jw
friends

so here we are, almost a year into the "new" congregation donation arrangement.

and its beginning, as was predicted, to fail miserably, and to have direct negative consequences on the poor sheep.. let me give you a little experience, directly from our congregation of about 80 publishers.

back in may, after reading the letter about the "new" arrangement, the elder body decided to "donate" the extra funds on hand to wt, as directed.

NoGoodDeed

Is this happening only in the United States? My Jehovah's Witness family in Europe have not mentioned that anything has changed, but the ownership of Kingdom Halls may be different in some countries.

So you are saying that the Watchtower made the local Kingdom Halls send in all of their bank accounts and now are asking for more money as well? Does the Watchtower have any power to force the brothers to donate a certain amount - like a tithe without calling it a "tithe"?

In Europe most Witnesses would give a certain amount every month, but no more or less. Appeals for more funds would land on deaf ears. Is that what is happening in USA? What about Canada? Is the same program being enforced there as well?

I will try to contact some friends in UK and see if they experience a different approach. Most Kingdom Halls in Ireland and Scotland have been paid for many years and new Kingdom Halls are quite rare. Why is it that in the USA that they seem to want to replace every Kingdom Hall so often.

I hope no one gives any more money and breaks their backs. The Watchtower is led by a gang of bankers and crooks. Does anyone have a list of the Watchtower share holders? It might be interesting to know some of those names. Can anyone buy or pay for Watchtower stock certificates, or are they only passed down in families?

NGD

7

Please update me on these subjects

by NoGoodDeed in

i'm sorry that i do not get the time to visit this site very often, but when i do i find it a bit exciting to see what has happened since my last visit.

this post is really about two subjects, but i think that they connect so i will only do one introduction.. child abuse:.

it's almost march and i have not heard whether candace conti or the watchtower won her case before the california state appeal supreme court.

NoGoodDeed

I'm sorry that I do not get the time to visit this site very often, but when I do I find it a bit exciting to see what has happened since my last visit. This post is really about two subjects, but I think that they connect so I will only do one introduction.

Child Abuse:

It's almost March and I have not heard whether Candace Conti or the Watchtower won her case before the California State Appeal Supreme Court. Does anyone know how that was resolved or is the decision still pending.

One of my favorite web sites has always been the Barbara Anderson Documents website. I see that it has been updated and looks very different. Does anyone know what she plans to do with that website. I notice that she never mentions William Bown and SilentLambs any more on her website. Is SilentLambs still active? I heard that Bown might have lost his tax free status. I think they did a lot of good work in the past, but now there is AAWA and Candace Conti and others but I do not hear too much about Willam Bown any more Can someone update that and whether Barbara Anderson is still part of that? Was Bown or Barbara involved with the Conti case at the supreme court?

I saw the youtube video of the PBS newscast about the Watchtower and the Conti case. Has the Watchtower commented in any of the newspapers or on TV about that report (very good I must admit - hooray!!)

Kingdom Halls:

What is happening with the Kingdom Halls in the United States? Are they tearing down Kingdom Halls to build the new (ugly) version? Does the Watchtower plan to sell off the old ones with no windows to pay for the child abuse law suits? And what happened with the child abuse case in California when GB member Loesch refused to appear as demanded? Did the Watchtower lose that case as well.

In Europe the Kingdom Halls do not seem to have any wide screen televisions yet. Is the Watchtower conducting all meetings using the widescreen televisions in the United States? Canada? Can you get them on regular TV channels or do you have to have a private line? Does this include public talks and Watchtower studies or just special events? Can people in the United States get Watchtower TV in their homes (crippled, elderly, etc.)?

Is everything that is happening in the United States also happening in Canada at the same time?

I am sorry that I am so out of touch, but I am only able to connect to this website about once every few days. I love what several of the posters write here and my favorites are Terry and Outlaw and Juan Viejo. They always seems to be so clear headed in their comments and approach to the subjects.

NGD

36

Talking to support and contacts at WT HQ

by Juan Viejo2 in

i have a story to share about my calls to wt ny hq this past week.

i was quite surprised by the level of disinterest and lack of concern from the two contacts that i spoke to.

rather than jumping right in and sharing my experience - and perhaps "poisoning the well," i'd like to read experiences of others on this forum who had the urge or need to call the wt contact number.. btw - mine was not an apostate rant or overly critical of the wt and was presented in a friendly and helpful way.

NoGoodDeed

Juan V - I agree with you that those Bethelites are just doing the job they have been assigned. It must be very hard to answer phones all day and never know if you are going to get a "I would like someone to come study the bible with me" or a call that starts out "You and your governing body are all criminals and child molesters and your are all going to burn in hell forever." I'm sure that for some cleaning toilets and mirrors would be preferable.

Do you know when your computer will be free to upload the audio files or when they will be available to us from some other source like youtube or your website? I think that you have made a mistake by announcing the fact that you have these audio tracks, but then have held off releasing them to us to hear for ourselves.

I can tell that you have a very different style compared to others on this forum. Your posts tend to speak more to your own experiences and softer approach to the Watchtower than some who post here that simply want to set the Watchtower on fire and torture the governing body.

I do not know who this 'Inform Ant' person is. Can someone enlighten me how this person fits into the storyline? Is this person someone who is on the Watchtower side or is he/she an opposer. I guess I've missed something along the way. How does this person have anything to do with Juan's phone calls to the Watchtower help desk? I looked for Inform Ant on the list of posters here and can not find anyone by that name. I have not seen any posts on this thread by Inform Ant, so how does that person fit into this thread.

To Juan Viejo - please do not let what Outlaw and the others wrote change your mind about posting your audio files. I am anxious to hear them. I would hope that you release them soon, but I realize that your delay may be unavoidable.

Outlaw - I guess my question to you is why would you take such a strong position against Juan and for Inform. Can you provide something that person has published (a thread here or on Facebook) that would give us an idea why you are throwing your support against Juan? I'm sorry, but I have to agree that I agree with his point of view. Harassing the poor volunteers on the Watchtower Help Lines seems counter productive.

I know I am new here, but I sometimes get confused when so many posters seem to jump into the mix on the side against reasonable approaches to a problem. Juan always seems to take a more rational approach to most questions. Am I missing something about him that I don't know? Please enlighten me. I am not taking sides about this but I feel that I have missed something about Juan that I do not know.

13

Hypocrisy@Bethel

by scary21 in

jw
friends

don't know how to do a link but................ video just posted on you-tube called hypocrisy@ bethel by jwfairytail.

he calls bethel several times about the happy@ bethel.

it last like an hour and a half.

NoGoodDeed

Juan - I have to agree with you and the others who feel that the caller (JWFairyTale) has done a disservice to ex Jehovah's Witnesses and even those who are truly "apostates."

After I saw this video for the first time I looked at JWFT's You Tube channel and was sickened and disappointed in what I saw. I can not support this kind of activism against either Jehovah's Witnesses or the Watchtower organization. If it is anything at all it is one hundred percent counter productive. How anyone who opposes the Watchtower and supports the very good work of so many ex JW activists could show any support at all for this kind of abuse of the phone responders is far beyond my level of reasoning.

I imagine that ex JWs come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds - I have never met any serious persons that would dress up like some evil clown, try to talk like a demon, and then bully people on the phone. Is that who we are? Will some of us become the physical manifestations of the very "demon inspired apostates" that give Jehovah's Witnesses nightmares? I certainly hope not.

I could imagine that the same arguments, and perhaps even the very same words that FairyTale used in his video could be used successfully. But the threatening and aggressive way he goes about asking his questions and addressing his objections are bully techniques. I wonder how he grew up and what he experienced to be so comfortable acting and speaking this way.

Normally I would never speak out against another ex JW who expressed their pain and their frustration with the Watchtower and the governing body. But in this case I think serious harm may have been done that will tarnish the sincere efforts of those who are trying to get as many Jehovah's Witnesses out and to keep non-JWs from considering ever going into that religion.

This horrible event recorded on video over a non-event with little or no importance to the broader debate should not be celebrated or appreciated by any of us here. - NGD

92

GB says, "Our way of worship will soon be altered."

by Separation of Powers in

my mom called me yesterday to ask how i was doing.

i hadn't seen her in a while, so it was nice to hear her voice.

we went through the motions of jw small talk and then she started telling me about her co visit from last week.

NoGoodDeed

Excuse me. I know I am jumping in here late in this conversation.

Does anyone know if there is a live streaming channel for JW.org or from the New York Bethel House now? I travel frequently and in some areas I can not get JW.org at all. I get "can not connect." Since I have to use hotel and restaurant wifi and I am not able to connect directly to a modem, I am at the mercy of whatever internet channels I can get.

Are the Kingdom Halls in the USA all wired up for streaming internet or do they have direct wire to Bethel? I am confused how they are transmitting meetings and talks from Bethel. If they are using regular internet can outsiders not tap in?

I am very interested in this subject. Thank you.

NGD

10

Inherit the wind

by truthseeker100 in

has anyone seen the movie inherit the wind?

i just got done watching the 1999 remake of the original 1960.. it's about two lawyers arguing in court about the guilt or innocence of a school teacher, teaching evolution.. it's about as pertinent today as it was in 1999 or 1960. it's really a good movie.

.

NoGoodDeed

Juan - so nice to read your experience seeing Mr. George C. Scott in that stage play in Dallas, Texas. That must have been a most enjoyable time. I too had a brief brush with Mr. Scott, although I was quite young and had no idea of who he was or how famous he was at the time.

My father was hired to work with the film crew of the movie "Patton" during the mid 1970s. I remember that we had to pack up and move to Spain for several months because they were filming in various locales around Almeria. I believe they were filming the desert battle scenes there and maybe some of the Sicily battles as well.

As was often the case, if it was to be a short day of work, my father would take the rest of us with him and we would hang back with the rest of the support crew. I can not remember exactly what my father did, but I think it had something to do with set construction. When the set shut down for the day, he would take us to the beach or take an overnight trip to Gibraltar. It was a wonderful, warm place to live and play.

Of course I had no idea of who Mr. George Scott was and my father had very little direct contact with the actors as he worked in the background. But one day when we drove over to Gibraltar, my father took us to a most fabulous outdoor restaurant. When we were seated at our table, my father noticed that Mr. Scott and several other actors in the movie were eating at a large table next to us. Apparently Mr. Scott recognized my father and got up and came over to say hello. All I remember was that he had a very gruff voice that frightened me somewhat. I remember that he said he would invite us to join his group. However there were no seats left and all of the adults were drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking. My father thanked him, but acknowledged that with children it would be better if we remained at our table. As I was sitting next to my father, I heard every word and thought he seemed to be a nice man. Before he left our table he reached over and scrubbed his hand on my head, a friendly non-threatening gesture that was very common for adults to do to children at the time.

So that was my very brief, but enjoyable brush with fame. In my work I often come in contact with celebrities, but have not really found many to be quite as appealing or interesting as Mr. Scott. I did not see the movie "Patton" when it came out in the late 1970s - my family rarely went to motion picture theatres, but I have seen it several times since. I mostly look for landmarks that were near where we were staying, but I rarely recognize anything. Things look so different in the movies than in real life.

NGD

35

Wow, the forum is very slow

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

i know that logging in has been a problem for some.

i hardly post any more.

i figured there would be more activity than this.

NoGoodDeed

My previous post did not load, but I copied it off line just in case. I had to move to another location and could not wait for it to load. I just logged in again and it took me over 30 tries to get past the Captcha. That is exhausting. I may just go back to reading and not worry about logging in and contributing.

It's tough to get old and blind and have to live with computers.

NGD

35

Wow, the forum is very slow

by FlyingHighNow in

jw
friends

i know that logging in has been a problem for some.

i hardly post any more.

i figured there would be more activity than this.

NoGoodDeed

I am new here, so please be patient with me. This is actually my first live post, although I have been a reader and visitors for quite a long time. I was attracted to this site when it still had the old format and I do have to agree that it seemed more user friendly. I work as a researcher and have my head in books and looking at computer screens all day. There are some web pages that are so very friendly and easy to read for my old tired eyes, while others wear me down after just a few minutes. I wear rather involved blended trifocal glasses and on some web sites I have to constantly tip my head or reposition my computer monitor.

I will let the rest of you argue over the comparative formats of both old and new versions. I think the newer one is easier for me to read if I set my browser to 125%, while the older version was fine at 100 or 125%. I think the older format was more user friendly and comparable to other bulletin board style forums, so this style requires some of us who spend hours each day on other forums to readjust.

There is one thing that I found to be surprising. Because I was only a guest and a lurker here before I signed up several hours ago, I did not have to log on. But now, since I have become a member, I find it almost impossible to get past the front door because, at least for me, the Captcha text is nearly unreadable. Perhaps it is because I am constantly on the move and my IP address changes almost daily depending on whether I am in a library, a hotel, a meeting room, or in a coffee shop trying to work. But I have discovered in the past 48 hours that I seem to have to go through the Captcha test every time. It is truly unreadable. I never get numbers, only combinations of upper and lower text with black and white backgrounds that look like they have been scribed by someone with a severe case of palsy. Add to that my trifocal lenses and I've found that I have to try dozens of times and reset several times before I can successfully logon. Someone said that numbers appear? I have not seen any sets of numbers like so many other Captcha systems use (like a photograph behind a dirty window). I have simply given up trying to logon several times because my eyes felt like they would melt after so many attempts. If I had one major complaint, it would be the Captcha system Simon is using. I do not seem to have this problem on any of the other web sites I go to and I am often in dozens each day in my professional work.

But thank you anyway , Simon for the work you do. I hope that you can make some adjustments for older persons like me with bad eyes.

And oh yes, Hello everyone!

NGD