Posts by the girl next door

a jury in northwestern montana awarded two women $35 million wednesday in their lawsuit against the local jehovah’s witnesses congregation and its worldwide headquarters.. .

the girl next door

1.6 billion with donations and estate sales coming in could pay for a lot of 35m settlements.

The demise is adherents realizing that they are donating to protect pedophiles and not a “world wide preaching(print publishing and real estate flipping) work” and checking out.

5

You Bet Your Life

by DNCall in

it is said that life is a gamble.

when you join a religion, you are wagering some portion of your life.

you may choose not to risk too much.

I never joined a religion. I was compelled to be a part of one from birth by my parents. My baptism was not a choice, it was compulsory if I wanted a happy family life. Studies show that children generally follow the faith beliefs of parents.

Fortunately I was part of a religion where youth frequently leave the religion.

I was atheist since birth. There is no other explanation. I never believed. Ever.

Like Hawking my inquiries were my devotion, inquiries into all religions and religious books to validate my gut feelings. I wasn’t disappointed.

Am I gambling with my life? Should I safely claim agnosticism? No. I live, I attempt to do good for myself and others, not out of fear or for some devine reward, I am at total peace that when I die that is it.

The gamble has already been made. I was one of a billion sperm to reach the egg. I won the lottery. Everything else is gravy.

92

Montana jury awards two women $35M in sex abuse lawsuit against Jehovah's Witnesses

by AndersonsInfo in

https://missoulian.com/news/local/montana-jury-awards-two-women-m-in-sex-abuse-lawsuit/article_1bcabb7c-7381-574b-a2ba-e011cc0250a6.html.

montana jury awards two women $35m in sex abuse lawsuit against jehovah's witnesses .

a jury in northwestern montana awarded two women $35 million wednesday in their lawsuit against the local jehovah’s witnesses congregation and its worldwide headquarters.. .

the girl next door

1.6 billion is far less than I thought WT might be worth. Didn’t they just recently sell off many properties to the tune of a billion?

25

One aspect of the Bible I still greatly benefit from

by Ireneus in

though many things in the bible do not make sense to me, there is something in it that makes my life easy.. this is how i arrived at it.

bible defines god as the servant of his children because he makes provisions for the enjoyment of life in abundance (mathew 5:44-47) and ‘renews’ them if need arises (mathew 19:28) with no intervention whatsoever in between which means he is not interested in gratitude/worship from his children.

yet history shows that people forget him in happiness and remember him only in distress which means he is not given love (though he is the giver of love), and he is not bothered of it.

the girl next door

Earth can be bad for your health too. On land, grizzly bears want to maul you; in the oceans, sharks want to eat you. Snowdrifts can freeze you, deserts dehydrate you, earthquakes bury you, volcanoes incinerate you. Viruses can infect you, parasites suck your vital fluids, cancers take over your body, congenital diseases force an early death. And even if you have the good luck to be healthy, a swarm of locusts could devour your crops, a tsunami could wash away your family, or a hurricane could blow apart your town.
So the universe wants to kill us all.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

41

How many here think Trump's news conference this evening was absolutely brilliant

by ShirleyW in

jw
friends

i'm being serious, i would like to hear from folks here that support him describe to me how that news conference was absolute brilliance, he answered all the questions, he knows what he is talking about.

just want to compare note with those who aren't his supporters (and have common sense) as you know this forum is here to hear both sides, so, have at it .

.

the girl next door

Because I refuse to let politics put me in therapy.

113

EU Court Ruling Against WT on Data-Protection

by cofty in

today's london times reports on the july ruling of the eu court that forces the organisation country to comply with data protection.. the action originated in finland but the ruling will affect every eu country.

the cult tried unsuccessfully to argue that the notes taken by jws in the door-to-door work were personal and not accessed by the congregation.

the court ruled that they are acting under the auspices of the congregation and therefore they must comply with data-protection laws.. keeping lists of do-not-calls also falls under this ruling.. why does the cult always feel that it is above the law?.

the girl next door

If Watchtower lived up to their claims of being “without spot from this world” they would be blazing a trail on how religious institutions could be superior in protecting children from sexual abuse. Instead they have proven to be the most egregious, only making changes when forced to do so by secular authorities. When they bleed enough money they may eventually raise their hand and accept how horrific their policies have been but don’t hold your breath.

Comparing statistics and finding the Watchtower record is the same, better or worse is pedantic at best and a straw man. It is all horrible and society should do better in every arena that must deal with child sexual abuse.

However successful law enforcement is or is not in prosecuting does not absolve anyone of the necessity to report abuse to authorities who are far better equipped to address the issue and protect other children.

17

JWs using 'apostate' phraseology?

by neat blue dog in

i've mentioned before how a regular pioneer used the phrases "tight-pants tony" and "don't drink the kool-aid".

well the other week, a different regular pioneer, and elderly one in fact, was talking about the simplified watchtower being discontinued and the normal one replacing it, and she said 'i guess they're just gonna dumb-down everything'.

then too even the org itself used the words "fade" and "shun" in recent articles, words that were previously shied away from.. anybody here experienced something similar, a seeming pimi saying something that makes you wonder if they've been sneaking ex-jw 'spiritual food' on the side?.

the girl next door

Oh! Thank you. I would like to know the justification WT makes for a move that seems anti progressive. Is the need for a simplified version not useful? An unneeded extra cost? Are those simplified versions piling up in the magazine room? Do they even have magazine rooms anymore? Lol.

17

JWs using 'apostate' phraseology?

by neat blue dog in

i've mentioned before how a regular pioneer used the phrases "tight-pants tony" and "don't drink the kool-aid".

well the other week, a different regular pioneer, and elderly one in fact, was talking about the simplified watchtower being discontinued and the normal one replacing it, and she said 'i guess they're just gonna dumb-down everything'.

then too even the org itself used the words "fade" and "shun" in recent articles, words that were previously shied away from.. anybody here experienced something similar, a seeming pimi saying something that makes you wonder if they've been sneaking ex-jw 'spiritual food' on the side?.

the girl next door

Could you clarify? How is replacing the simplified WT with the normal one a “dumbing-down”? Are they going back to the 32 page magazine? I’m just not familiar with what they publish anymore.