Roski

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Posts by Roski

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  59

  My experience with the Bethel Legal Dept. regarding a Ministerial Servant molesting a boy

  by BonaFide in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the experience that follows contains some details that some might find graphic.

  so be warned.. the body of elders received word that an unmarried ministerial servant, age 20, had been seen fondling a younger male bible student, age 14. the ministerial servant himself had been studying with the boy.

  the ministerial servant was a quiet, timid brother.

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  Roski

  In some 'developing countries' the traditional way of dealing with such behaviour is to ignore it because the victim/victim's family simply hope the trauma will mend itself (as they do not have the skills or support to deal with such situations in an official way) , or due to shame will not pursue it so as not to lose face.

  In her country this possibly is 1. not considered a crime or 2. avoided by the police and the victim blamed - particularly if the perpetrator is older and has more to lose. The woman no doubt felt disempowered, and the fact that she was from another country may be why the elders felt it acceptable for this particular brother to teach her son (just a guess).

  No doubt the brothers at Bethel are aware of such cultural differences and in this case used those differences to their own advantage.
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  26

  How old were you when you were baptized as a JW, and what was it like?

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was baptized at 15 years old.

  a brother toutjian gave the talk.

  it was the circuit assembly.

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  Roski

  13 - believed I was doing the right thing
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  11

  Do You See Communism as a Threat?

  by sammielee24 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this was an interesting article (part of it) from the bbc website.

  sammieswife.. fists in the air.

  lined up on a set of steps near the diet, wearing suits, red sashes and beaming smiles were officials from the japanese communist party.. they joined the protesters chanting and raising their fists in the air.. the communist party has always had a surprisingly large role in japan, the world's second biggest economy.. but while it had been fading towards irrelevance, now as the recession bites it is on the rise again.. the party already has more than 400,000 members and people are joining at the rate of 1,000 a month.. in comparison, the membership of the liberal democratic party, the largest member of the governing coalition, is twice the size.

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  Roski

  I think the West's idea of democracy is quite different from that of the East (if I may be so broad).

  Countries that have been influenced by Confucian thought will never be really democratic - in my opinion.

  While they may have the trappings of democracy, reality is somewhat different. I do not see China ever being democratic.

  The long history, the culture/society and even the language are - in our terms - undemocratic, and they will never forfeit their traditions for some (inferior) 'Western' form of government. When push comes to shove - old habits die hard as their thinking and way of governance is part of the (national) psyche.
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  26

  Fiji Bethel Scandal

  by Mattieu in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  does anyone remember the scandal that rocked fiji in appx early 1992?

  i have searched this site and found no reference to it.

  so, hoping someone here might remember the finer details and whatever happened to the guilty culprits....... my best mate was in the australian bethel at the time, and on a trip back home to melbourne he caught up with me and told me most of the details.

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  Roski

  Wasn't the branch overseer running some kind of business on the side - was that Fiji or somewhere else? I seem to remember that it had something to

  do with car rentals. Didn't hear too much about i - definitely a coverup.
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  41

  How common is swinging among JWs?

  by JimmyPage in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife and i recently heard about two couples we know who switched partners in the past.

  we then got to talking about a different couple we ate dinner with a while back who i thought gave off the vibe of wanting to swing.

  my wife said she got that vibe too... thus the question: how common is this in wt-land?.

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  Roski

  Mattieu - I wasn't told the reason for him being DF'd at the time, but your story pointed to him. I've known him for a long time. Actually, I think the 'old love' would have been a lot more than 25 years previously (I can guess the time) ... he's no spring chicken. Yes, his brother is a decent person, but I always thought he was too although he tended to be a bit hypo about things. I'm guessing there is a little more to the story too - but no excuse anyway. He was reinstated within about 6 months I believe (if I remember correctly) - connections....
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  41

  How common is swinging among JWs?

  by JimmyPage in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife and i recently heard about two couples we know who switched partners in the past.

  we then got to talking about a different couple we ate dinner with a while back who i thought gave off the vibe of wanting to swing.

  my wife said she got that vibe too... thus the question: how common is this in wt-land?.

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  Roski

  Mattieu - The disfellowshipped CO in Perth - are his initials AH? Just wondering.
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  14

  garrybus interviewed on local regional Australian radio.

  by Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice. in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had a pleasant surprise today whilst listening to my local abc (australian broadcasting commission) radio station to find that the presenter was talking to a garry, with an american accent, regarding jws.

  i began listening subsequent to the introduction of the segment, but eventually worked out that it was in relation to the person appointed to head a political party in queensland happening to be a former jw.. the discussion centered around garry's involvement with the jws and various activities in which the dubs are infamously known.

  garry left a good 'witness' for ex-jws.. at the end of the segment the presenter thanked garry busselman from (such and such) in the u.s. and i thought, that name sounds familiar, and, sure enough, it is our very own garrybus.. it would be interesting to learn how garry came to be invited to discuss the subject.. cheeses - keeping up with current affairs..

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  Roski

  Yes they did
• 
  14

  garrybus interviewed on local regional Australian radio.

  by Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice. in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  had a pleasant surprise today whilst listening to my local abc (australian broadcasting commission) radio station to find that the presenter was talking to a garry, with an american accent, regarding jws.

  i began listening subsequent to the introduction of the segment, but eventually worked out that it was in relation to the person appointed to head a political party in queensland happening to be a former jw.. the discussion centered around garry's involvement with the jws and various activities in which the dubs are infamously known.

  garry left a good 'witness' for ex-jws.. at the end of the segment the presenter thanked garry busselman from (such and such) in the u.s. and i thought, that name sounds familiar, and, sure enough, it is our very own garrybus.. it would be interesting to learn how garry came to be invited to discuss the subject.. cheeses - keeping up with current affairs..

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  Roski

  John Lambroek (sp?) - parents were Gilead Grads. I remember him as the kid who went to uni and left the truth - an example to his peers

  Mother was a friend (?) of Knorr's somehow, maybe through her mother...not sure. Tended to be a bit outspoken. Parents no longer associated.
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  20

  property investment in the US

  by Roski in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  much is being made of the recent downturn in property values throughout the us.

  i have read media reports of overseas buyers snapping up property for very little money.

  the most recent article i read was in reference to property in detroit.

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  Roski

  Thanks again
• 
  20

  property investment in the US

  by Roski in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  much is being made of the recent downturn in property values throughout the us.

  i have read media reports of overseas buyers snapping up property for very little money.

  the most recent article i read was in reference to property in detroit.

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  Roski

  Leavingwt - thanks for that - it is really quite sobering. I recently saw other photos from Detroit; a once beautiful hotel and theatre left to decay. Such beautiful architecture - such a shame.

  Freewilly- Yes, I have just sold my home and want to wait at least until later this year to look at something else. Government injection of first home owner funds is keeping part of the market afloat at the moment, but there are more CF+ houses than there ever were previously.

  garybuss - I hear you.. sometimes one has to make a rational rather than emotional decision. It was hard to sell my last house as it was really different and had great vibes, but I see an opporunity. I won't play the victim card - but seeing as how I thought the end was coming in '75 etc etc I got rather a late start (in several ways ) and property has helped me make up for it.

  I appreciate the time people have taken to answer - it's all very interesting.