OnTheWayOut17 hours ago
After a bit, I skipped down and found this:
.....which nobody wants to read.
Thanks for understanding.
______________________
You are most welcome!
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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9
A Forensic Investigation disproving Watchtower’s self-made MYTH
by TerryWalstrom ina forensic investigation disproving watchtower’s self-made myth(chosen by jehovah as the only true religion on earth).
[ it all began when joseph rutherford removed four members of the watch tower society board of directors under a legal technicality that equally applied to himself, and then authorized the writing and publication of the book "the finished mystery" contrary to pastor russell's will, the society's official charter, and without approval of the board, and then falsely advertising the book to the public as the "posthumous work of pastor russell".
] pastor-russell dot com.
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TerryWalstrom
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Differences Between Ex-JWs
by David_Jay inwe are not all the same--a real "duh, david!
so i figured if i didn't feel that sense of solidarity that seems missing among the debating, then i was part of the problem.
i'm responsible for making this place feel like a support and place of solidarity, just as much as anyone else.. but approaches i tried didn't work until i shut up for a while.
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TerryWalstrom
We were all passengers on the same Titanic, but each of us was on a different level of the ship. Some of us found succor in lifeboats, while others struggled in icy waters until the Carpathia arrived.
Suffering, panic, loss are profoundly subjective experiences. How we cope and adapt and what we become in the long run as a result, may well be a measure of our character more than our trauma.I kind person before the iceberg is probably a kind person still.
An a**hole may be even more so in the aftermath.
Ex-Jdubs have something in common in the sharing of delusion, the blind trust, the thrill of absolute certainty, and the confident assurance we hold the winning ticket---then, only discovering to our inestimable horror, not only was the rug pulled from under us--there was no floor!
What happens next is a strong desire to minimize the confusion.
Our rational mind--the part still functioning--wants clarity.
By sharing our experiences and sampling the consensus distilled on this discussion board, we little by little minimize vagueness.Some turn to Authority once again. "Just stick the needle in anyplace, Doc--I need relief!"
Others turn amateur sleuth or dilettanti detective. Like JFK conspiracy nuts, they seek the most fantastical solution to the crazy speculations.
In the end, there is not there there.It is only us here. Now.
The path we take is of our own making. The same brain-machine inside our skull which caused us to fall victim to the cult is STILL THERE.
Unless we replace the parts, one by one, we surely end up in the same place again, and again, an again with different labels attached to the same delusion.For my part, I simply pretend to be an activist wrenching victims from the burning building.
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A STAKE in the HEART of Watchtower TRUTH (A Thought Experiment)
by TerryWalstrom inis this the same religion?.
a whim isn’t falsifiable.. .
answer: is it testable?
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TerryWalstrom
Coming across the definition of the phenomenon of vagueness was a real eye-opener for me.
It is a tool for understanding why the Watchtower religion changes constantly, i.e. is refuted by its own certainty and specificity.
The Ego Motor (channel of God, mouthpiece, FDS) bestows way toomuch self-confidence and results in a keenness to "explain" everything.
Being amateurs, the Elite Dubs are not qualified to make such determinations. Instead of competency, science or humility, the GB use their vivid and silly imagination fictively.
The more elusive the doctrines, the more they seek to tighten up the loose ends.Case in Point: The GENERATION teaching!
Each time the falsifiability came past due on their TRUE definition, it called for a narrowing update and revision. Authority ramped up.
The blindness on the part of these so-called leaders is amazing.
You would think they'd see a trend leading toward painting themselves into an inescapable corner--but no! The Ego Motor driving the fictive delusion went into overdrive.
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Question about 1940s Watchtower history
by slimboyfat ini was studying this fascinating composite graph of jw growth.
lots of interesting things there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/demographics_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses#/media/file%3ajwstats1931-2015.png.
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TerryWalstrom
For many decades, it was taught that selection of the 144,000 was completed and sealed--depending on who was the Big Cheese deciding these matters:
Russell
1881
Thy Kingdom Come p.362
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Rutherford
1931
"Let God be True" 1946 ed. p.298
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Knorr
1935
Watchtower 2007 May 1 p.30In 1935. After this announcement, the number of memorial partakers steadily declined. This was presented as proof that the end would be soon.
____________
If you stop and think about it, Confirmation Bias leads JW's to look for certain results in order to confirm their hasty certainty. What they get is only what they choose to measure.Knorr pried the conch shell (Lord of the Flies reference :) from the cold, dead, hands of Rutherford and instituted a proprietary Paradigm shift of his own.
Why?
Knorr and Franz wanted to get rid of Hayden C. Covington as the V.P. and the scheme they came up with involved the question of "anointing" and anointed. Who was and who wasn't anointed as well as what specific elite could and couldn't do.
When the Society changes attention, focus, measurement and doctrine, the result is a shift in the balance of the Force.
Internal change=external vairance.There is always a Spin or cover story!
If anyone since 1935 rightfully claimed to be anointed it was as a replacement of a sinful remnant, no longer worthy of heaven!
"For 19 centuries there was only the one calling, the heavenly one, with Jehovah being very selective as to who would serve with his Son to make up the Kingdom government. Many would be invited but only a precious few chosen. (Matthew 22:2, 14) In time, the prescribed but a limited number of 144,000 would be reached. After this no more would be anointed by holy spirit as a witness that they had the heavenly hope, unless, in a rare occurrence, the unfaithfulness of one of the remaining 'chosen ones' made a replacement necessary." Watchtower 1982 Feb 15 p.30
(JW facts)The Watchtower Droogs signal the response they are looking to measure in advance:
"Over the years some, even ones newly baptized, have suddenly begun to partake. In a number of cases, after a while they acknowledged that this was an error. Some have recognized that they partook as an emotional response to perhaps physical or mental strain. But they came to see that they really were not called to heavenly life. There is every reason to believe that the number of anointed ones will continue to decline as advanced age and unforeseen occurrences end their earthly lives." Watchtower 1996 Aug 15 p.31
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It undoubtedly annoys the hell out of these Masterminds when the throngs of the great unwashed disappoint their clear instructions! -
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A STAKE in the HEART of Watchtower TRUTH (A Thought Experiment)
by TerryWalstrom inis this the same religion?.
a whim isn’t falsifiable.. .
answer: is it testable?
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TerryWalstrom
A Stake in the Heart of Watchtower Truth
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A Thought Experiment
Imagine a world in which:
There is one religion alone which is TRUE.
This one true religion is true because it teaches true teachings.
Now watch what happens. ..
Every so often, one of the true teachings is “adjusted” so that it :
Changes
Disappears
Reverses meaning
Now, over the course of 130 years, the one religion alone which is TRUE
Is now completely different in its original teachings, doctrines, definitions, explanations.
Questions:
Is this the SAME religion?
Is it no longer true?
Is it ‘true-er’?
______________
What has happened?Let me explain.
This phenomenon at the heart of this paradox is recognized as the phenomenon of vagueness.
(http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/vagueness/)
Vagueness is characterized by a resistance to inquiry
Example: We all know what the word “short” means, right? Well then, what is the maximum height of a “short” man?
How many hairs can we remove from your head before you are “bald”?
When does a fertilized egg develop into an actual “person”?
___________
What happens when we face a category, word, or belief which contains vagueness?It becomes resistant to any inquiry. This leads to disagreement, argument, and divisions.
So what?
So this:
Science requires definitions which can be tested and falsified. A scientific fact isn’t a fact if there is no way for it to be proven false!
Example: What if you were told that ALL swans are white? How is that falsifiable?
Answer: Find one instance of a non-white swan.
Easy enough? That’s how science works.
That’s the difference between science and religion. One is falsifiable which means carefully defined, testable and DISPROVABLE.
The other contains assertions which contain vagueness.
____________What are the red flags for vagueness?
Shifting standards for what is excluded or allowed
Instances which resist all attempts to settle whether it is true or false.
Existence of borderline cases
__________________
The more vagueness, the greater the need for absoluteness to control / enforce the rule.
Authoritarian enforcement replaces trueness: “Because we say so.”
__________________
Revealed truth is really the same thing as vagueness and whim disguised as truth.
Revealed truth is some person or group’s collective whim--their opinion at this moment subject to change the next moment.
A whim isn’t guided by facts or susceptible in inquiry or proof.
A whim isn’t falsifiable.
The fact is, there are tall pygmies and short Masai warriors because terms such as tall or short, beautiful and ugly, are subjective. (Each person can decide based on private tastes, feelings, and opinion.)
Religion is a special category of the use of language because it contains arbitrary borderlines, with no testable, falsifiable instances of fact.
Example: He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Question: Is what Jesus is saying actually true?
Answer: Is it testable? Is the term ‘faith’ and ‘small’ and ‘mountain’ literal or poetic?
Is the seemingly absolute statement “Nothing will be impossible for you” vague while sounding certain?
Has anybody demonstrated Jesus’ expression to be practicable?
HOW DO WE DETERMINE TRUTH-VALUE for poetic or religious belief? Is it the warm and fuzzy feeling we get? How reliable is emotion and magic-thinking?
None of us is comfortable unless we know where we are and what are the rules.
Nobody really wants traffic signs which read: Sorta Stop. Language is essential.
___A look at language__
fic·tiveˈfiktiv/
adjective
creating or created by imagination.
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Once we shift from literal to figurative usage, we gain fictive control over our entire vocabulary—not just vague words.
___In religion, the person or group in authority has fictive control.___
It is the whim of the one in authority which determines what is true and false, real and unreal, certain and uncertain--subject to change at any time.
Authority becomes necessary where vagueness and uncertainty exist.
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Tom Lehrer's 1971 children's song “Silent E”:
Who can turn a can into a cane?
Who can turn a pan into a pane?
It's not too hard to see,
It's Silent E.
Who can turn a cub into a cube?
Who can turn a tub into a tube?
It's elementary
For Silent E.
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The presence and absence of Silent E builds or wrecks reality! It isn’t magical but it has the power to transform one thing into another.Question: Why does the English language have Silent Letters?
English has about 45 sounds and only 26 letters to represent them.
English has been written for about 1,300 years.
More than half of the letters of our alphabet are silent in at least some words:
B, D, E, G, H, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, W, X, and Z
Answer: English is an accumulation of words from across many borders where words have different meanings. English, consequently, is vague.
What happens when there is vagueness?
It is the whim of authority which determines what is true and false, real and unreal, certain and uncertain--subject to change at any time.
There you have it!
The reason we have all those silly rules in English about Silent letters and changing Y to I and adding ing, etc. is because vagueness requires Authority to step in and lay down whimsical rules which are enforced or not, changing--always changing.
______________Begin at the Beginning
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We started off by looking at True Religion and ended up with Silent E, but did we learn anything useful?
That one ‘true religion’ kept changing until it was different--completely different.
That is our red flag: VAGUENESS alert!
That signals immediately there will be an AUTHORITY involved with changing opinions in absolute control.
“Truth” is actually Authority’s fictive imagination enforced upon others.
The rule of evidence is that it must be testable and falsifiable and self-consistent.
Evidence does not change if it is true.
A man arrested for a crime whose testimony keeps changing is seen to be lying.
Why?
Because the truth is consistent with itself and is not self-contradictory.
An accused criminal cannot expect a Court to accept “It is true because I SAY SO.”
_____________
Note: The more specific a claim, the less likely it is to be true
“Hey Fred, how long ago was Adam created in the Garden of Eden?”
Fred: “Adam was created in 4026 BCE.”
Fred has a less likely chance of being correct by being so specific because an estimate is a guess.
An honest person is aware when they are making a guess. A dishonest or stupid person tends toward too much specificity.
Liars give you too many details! They are confident because their mind is a fictive arena where they are accustomed to inventing truth. Their ego tells them others will believe what they say because they are so wonderful.
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Fred Franz is the Fred in the above paragraph. He was the oracle for the Watchtower organization from 1913 to 1992. Actually, that is too specific to be factual. When Fred first joined Pastor Russell’s merry band of true believers the year before 1914’s prophetic END, he wasn’t a person of any particular importance. This was a gradual process for him to be seen as useful and ultimately charismatic as a channel for divine truth. By the time he became the President of the Watchtower organization, it was not the same organization as the one he joined in 1913.All of which takes us back to the top of the opening paragraph, doesn’t it?
The Watchtower organization has one consistency for 137 years: it has been the TRUE religion referred to as THE truth.
That is too specific.
It is testable only by some FIXED standard of testing!
Is there a fixed standard?
_____________
What sets the Watchtower organization apart from most other Christian denominations is where it strays into areas of testable specifics which are falsifiable.Official obsessing with the chronology of End Times has caused the authority of statements made to be highly vulnerable to disproof!
Each statement of absolute authority has variously been attributed to either “the Lord,” “Jehovah,” or the Bible.
The source of the Watchtower’s authority, however, is another matter.
Let’s distinguish the distinctions.
When the Bible is cited for specific passages, those passages can be looked up and read.
When “meaning” is extracted from specific passages it is a different matter, however, because interpretation or exegesis, is fictive.
This is demonstrated easily.
A = A is an axiom (So evident as to be non-controversial) A thing is equal to itself.
Consequently, 1=1, 2=2, 3=3, and so on . . .
2 Peter 3:8 “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” This bald statement is one of an Authority in a fictive category untestable in any manner. It can only be taken as true in a fictive sense. This is referred to as Faith.
Faith is the acceptance of the truth of something without evidence.
If the words “DAY” and “YEAR” are vague as to meaning, they can only be useful if you completely surrender to a particular Authority on whom you depend for clarity. The responsibility for logic, rationality, and truth--at that point--has transferred from you to the Authority.
This is why religion in general, falls into a different magisterium from Science.
(magisterium= authority and power to teach).
Jehovah’s Witnesses make the fatal error of slipping outside the vagueness of religion’s magisterium. Chronology exposes them to disproof!
The years 1874, 1914, 1925, 1975 are actual years on the calendar which arrive and depart. Events occur or do not occur inside the definite boundary line of those years.
Vagueness vanishes. Empirical examination becomes operative.
The specific statements published by the Watchtower organization as prophetically true predictions on Authority of the Lord, Jehovah and the Bible become testable as true events or non-events.
What is the verdict?
The one True religion has been tested against reality and has failed the test!
Going back to our opening paragraph and we now find the explanation for the changes.
Having your absolute certainty refuted by reality causes changes.
The fictive pronouncements which explain the changes are spin, excuses, and lies.
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Examine Jehovah’s Witnesses Doctrine over the years and compare the new changes with the old ‘truths’ and what do you discover?
What are the red flags for vagueness?
Shifting standards for what is excluded or allowed
Instances which resist all attempts to settle whether it is true or false.
Existence of borderline cases
__________________
The more vagueness, the greater the need for absoluteness to control / enforce the rule.
Authoritarian enforcement replaces trueness: “Because we say so.”
__________________________________________________________
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PcGrKyAleWpCwYkhL9A6QFAIU4KJZetvLMONYyn5pd8/edit?usp=sharing
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A Forensic Investigation disproving Watchtower’s self-made MYTH
by TerryWalstrom ina forensic investigation disproving watchtower’s self-made myth(chosen by jehovah as the only true religion on earth).
[ it all began when joseph rutherford removed four members of the watch tower society board of directors under a legal technicality that equally applied to himself, and then authorized the writing and publication of the book "the finished mystery" contrary to pastor russell's will, the society's official charter, and without approval of the board, and then falsely advertising the book to the public as the "posthumous work of pastor russell".
] pastor-russell dot com.
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TerryWalstrom
Ha ha ha, I just realized my ramblings are taking on the appearance of Ted Kazinki's UNIBOMBER manifestos which nobody wants to read.
Sorry.
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Jehovah's Terrorist?
by TerryWalstrom injehovah’s terrorist?.
(a personal memoir).
john f. kennedy's brother, robert (bobby) was assassinated in 1968 shortly after he won the california democratic presidential primary.
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TerryWalstrom
I can't imagine what it must be like being a young man in Palestine in a "Christian" community (heterogenous), then moving to California and being exposed to THAT lifestyle (laid back Christianity) and having an erratic father with a short fuse . . .
Would it be racist to make the following blanket statement?In the Middle East, polarized, binary religious / political views are not casual, philosophical pastimes--they are life and death, black and white absolutist mindsets.
To be living in California and yet so passionate about a Democrat from Boston being "pro-Jewish" to the extent you'll murder him---well--what can I say?
Cool your jets, young man. Live a little.The JW mindset is very "middle east".
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DOOM and LUXURY : the Watchtower Elite prepares for the GREAT TRIBULATION
by TerryWalstrom inboondoggles and preppers watchtower style!
a religion of doom and luxury!.
in 1866, the times of london wrote:.
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TerryWalstrom
Man, you got too much f'ing time in your hands.
At 69 years old, I wish that were true :)
Fact of the matter, I live alone and have plenty of hours available to my whimsy. I'd rather keep my mind active by writing than squinting at Donald Trump on Fox News :)
I ride a bicycle everywhere I go. So, the combination of Brains and legs might keep me alive a few months more. . . -
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WATCHTOWER'S most powerful weapon keeps the disillusioned inside
by TerryWalstrom inabsolute obedience to watchtower cult leaders is only necessary because of coercion and intimidation and the duress of having the shun gun pointed at their head for those jw's who are now awake.
the threat is as real as that of a fully loaded pistol.. .
we are all aware of friends and family who are still inside the kingdom halls with very little actual conviction that they are in the truth.
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TerryWalstrom
I'll never forget when the doorbell rang and two young JW's arrived with beaming smiles and eager faces at my door holding Jehovah's buttwipes.
I gently informed them of my status.
Without blinking an eye or twitching a lip, the JW's reached for a sentimental tract on the possibility I could Return to Jehovah.
"You can always come back. . . because---"
I felt this surge of adrenaline suddenly. . .
"Let me stop you right there!"I didn't shout. But, my ugly old man's face must have spelled trouble. Or perhaps the whites of my eyes had gone reddishly suffused with blood.
I gave them a snappy version of my life as a JW including prison rape!
The expression turned from Disney to Hammer Horror.
The happy couple left skid marks on the sidewalk as the departed in a Beep Beep, Roadrunner scenario.
The very thought of going back was like a punch in the diaphragm.
It viscerally sickened me.That's the point I wanted to make. I think I did.
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Jehovah's Terrorist?
by TerryWalstrom injehovah’s terrorist?.
(a personal memoir).
john f. kennedy's brother, robert (bobby) was assassinated in 1968 shortly after he won the california democratic presidential primary.
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TerryWalstrom
JEHOVAH’S TERRORIST?(A personal memoir)John F. Kennedy's brother, Robert (Bobby) was assassinated in 1968 shortly after he won the California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy died the next day.Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a Palestinian with Jordanian citizenship was convicted for the assassination.
Bishara Sirhan, the father of RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan, was a Jehovah’s Witness. At least, the Elders and notables in his neighborhood had given this information to newspaper reporters at the time of Robert Kennedy’s murder. Bishara was living 20 miles northeast of Jerusalem in Israeli-occupied Jordan at the time. Bishara spoke fluent English. He had a reputation for being excitable, even volatile at times.Sirhan Sirhan’s father told reporters:“I am very, very sorry! I brought up my children as best as I could and to fear God. I am sorry for what happened.”Bishara had moved his family to the U.S. in the 1950’s, remaining 11 years before he split with his wife and returned to Jordan where he built his home and inscribed on his wall in Arabic:“Jehovah the High, you gave me happiness in the world. Give me eternal life. You are the only God and nobody shall be worshiped before you.”When interviewed, his neighbors said they looked down on Jehovah’s Witnesses because they were too” pro-Jewish.”(We will see later, this NOT the case. . .)
___________Photocopy of newspaper article:___________This was reported June 6, 1968, when the newspaper in Sarasota published the article.
In less than 24 hours, I heard about it.At the time, I was a Jehovah’s Witness serving a sentence of possibly 6 years in the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution. This was during the Vietnam War and JW’s were conscientious objectors.The impact on the 40 or so Jehovah’s Witnesses in prison was mild panic. At least, that’s how I would characterize it. Brother Sam Salemi, a fellow JW inmate, explained the implications to me in no uncertain terms.“This could be the beginning of the Great Tribulation,” he began. “The persecution could begin and we’re sitting ducks if the other prisoners decide to take revenge.”I listened quizzically. I had a dim grasp of politics having grown up in a Blue Dog Democrat household. (They’d vote for any Democrat over any Republican, even if that Democrat were a Blue Dog. Don’t ask me--it’s a crazy Southern expression.)“Hang fire a minute, Sam--let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Why would anybody attack conscientious objectors who refuse to take up arms to kill and blame them?”Sam gave me a look of wonderment that I could be so naive.“We JW’s are despised already because we act like we’re more righteous than everybody else. All people need is one little excuse--like the son of a Jehovah’s Witness murdering President Kennedy’s brother!”I thought about what he was saying, but I didn’t feel anything inside amounting to panic or even worry. It just sounded too far-fetched.“Well--I don’t know why I should be upset. You’re the only one who’s said anything so far. Besides, isn’t Jehovah supposed to be protecting us?”Sam blinked and made a thoughtful face for a moment.“In theory, yes. But here we are in prison and there are such things as martyrs, you know!”I had to laugh. Soon Sam laughed as well.“We’ll wait and see. We’ll just have to wait and see.”______________Sunday, June 9, 1968, Washington Post article:A reporter from the prestigious Washington Post was welcomed into Bashar Sirhan’s home overlooking the Dead Sea as cold beer was delivered. The reporter asked the assassin’s father about his connection with the Jehovah’s Witness ‘sect’ (presumably from the eleven years spent in California). This was only a few days after the first news article mentioning the JW’s. This time, Bishara refused to talk about it directly and complained about his gossiping neighbors. Finally, he shrugged away prying questions ‘with some irritation’ by saying, "These are confidential matters."(PDF copy of Washington Post article)__________________These two publicized mentions of Jehovah’s Witnesses had created an effect.Watchtower Society was in panic mode--or--if that’s too exaggerated an expression, let’s prudently amend it to: they were in ‘crisis prevention’ mode.Why?Subscribers to the Watchtower magazine had immediately begun canceling subscriptions!Subscriptions were obtained by sending JW’s door to door, a laborious process at best. Each canceled subscription represented hundreds of man-hours of grunt work (called ministry.)A secret letter was sent to each city by the Watchtower headquarters with instructions not to show the contents of said letter to any outsiders. The message was to be copied and passed from congregation to congregation. Headquarters didn’t seem to know any details of any JW connection with the Sirhan family. A vigorous denial was suggested unless anybody at the local level had contrary personal information.The letter is dated a month after the news article appeared.Photocopy of confidential letter:___________________________Why all the fuss?Two reasons I can offer at this late date 48 years later on.JFK’s assassination was the most sensational, world-stopping event in my 69 year lifetime. I was 16 years old on November 22, 1963, and one day later became officially a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses at an assembly in Cleburne, Texas.
(Oddly during that religious assembly, not one word was said concerning the sensational murder the day before! It was all happy-happy New World Society talk and religious jabber.)Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, every single world event is proof positive of End Times signs and wonders! This is how newspapers and newscasts are filtered through their consciousness. Everything “proves” we were right! Any minute now--the Great Tribulation and Armageddon will come and sweep everything and everybody but--US! We were “the only true religion.”Jehovah’s Witnesses are self-centered on purpose, you see. They expect to be the bullseye of Satan’s target when the End comes. This is (cough cough) predicted in advance in scripture. Having the words “Jehovah’s Witness” linked in a newspaper with a world-shaking assassination naturally alerted every one of us--”This is it!”Half a century later, nothing has changed.At recent District conventions with huge audiences in attendance, the Watchtower showed slick video dramatizations about---guess what? The bunker mentality they are still promoting!Any day now the Great Tribulation and Armageddon will come. Will they be ready?_________________Back to Sirhan Sirhan________________On June 7 in Los Angeles, a News Dispatch:In this more detailed news story, the Elders in Bishara’s community (whom he called ‘gossips’) provided news reporters with these tidbits of enlightenment:“The Elders said the family became connected with Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘many years’ ago. And it was that religious group which paid the way for the Sirhan family to go to the United States in 1957. These notables said they believed Bishara still received money from the Jehovah’s Witnesses in addition to money sent by his other son.When asked, Sirhan claimed he lived off a ‘small pension’ and a bit of farming. The article explained that Jehovah’s Witnesses had been banned in Jordan in 1959, but had continued to operate secretly, particularly in the old Arab sector of Jerusalem.Los Angeles authorities reported that Sirhan had been admitted into the U.S. as a permanent resident who could remain indefinitely without applying for citizenship.”_____________________(PDF of Los Angeles News Dispatch article: http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/K%20Disk/Kennedy%20Robert%20F%20Assassination%20Clips/Item%20062.pdf)______________________________The Palestinian-born Sirhan is serving a life sentence for gunning down Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after he won the California Democratic presidential primary. Kennedy died the next day.Sirhan was sentenced to death in 1969. His sentence was commuted to life in prison after California banned the death penalty.He has said that he had no recollection of the killing._____________________________Why did Sirhan Sirhan kill RFK?At the time of his arrest, Sirhan spoke of being “. . .opposed to Kennedy’s support of Israel.”What are Jehovah’s Witness views on Zionism and Israel?In 1946, during the time the horrors of the holocaust were emerging, the Watchtower made the following comments about Jews."Nothing in the modern return of Jews to Palestine and the setting up of the Israeli republic corresponds with the Bible prophecies concerning the restoration of Jehovah's name- people to his favor and organization … The remnant of spiritual Israelites, as Jehovah's Witnesses have proclaimed worldwide the establishment of God's kingdom in 1914" Let God Be True (1946) Second ed. pp.217-218"There is no evidence in the Scriptures that the Jews as a people are meek. On the contrary, Jehovah's Witnesses only find it stated in the Bible that the Jews are "stiff-necked and hard-hearted", but when they call at their homes with the message of God's kingdom they witness the same characteristics. They seem to think that because they are Jews, and were once God's chosen people, they must ever remain that way." Consolation 1946 Jan 2 pp. 14,15____________________Historical note: Jehovah’s Witnesses had spent the previous 60 years as Pro-Zionists. Suddenly, a 180 degree shift appeared contrary to that stance.[Watchtower 1955 May 15 p.296, and the "back to Palestine" movement that the Watchtower had promoted became labeled as a teaching of Satan:"By the publication of Volume 2 of the book Vindication that year, Jehovah's witnesses came to see that such a "back to Palestine" movement was by the spirit of Jehovah's archfoe, Satan, who has deceived the entire inhabited earth."]______________The Question now arises, could Sirhan Sirhan in any way have been influenced by the writings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in some disturbing way, seeing in print the Zionists were backed by Satan?____________
48 years after the fatal shooting, Sirhan Sirhan is denied parole for the 15th time.We may never know, but it is a question I’ve heard asked. The Watchtower’s reaction to the mention of Jehovah’s Witness connection to the RFK killing may have brought to mind this anti-Zionist propaganda they were responsible for spreading. Did the collective leadership feel a sense of responsibility? Did their eagerness in trying to distance themselves indicate awareness of culpability, guilty conscience, or simply a desire to prevent the loss of subscribers?Like I said, we may never know.Conspiracy theories spring up easily like mushrooms after a spring rain and they are as difficult to snuff out as a forest fire.This is my personal memory of those dark days in prison, it was a decade of upheavalwhen I was in the thrall of a cult myself, willing to sacrifice freedom for Belief. If Jehovah said, "Frog", I was told it was my duty to respond by saying, "How high?"But, enough idle speculations and reminisciences."These are confidential matters." :)
