Met him at a special talk he gave in our area in the late 70's. Kind. Distant. Automatic. He was like a tape recorder. You press play and he would come to life like some kind of wind up toy. He was viewed as an oracle. Everyone was in awe in his presence. The ORG had created an idol and look what it caused, 1975, the blood doctrine, and who knows how many other idiotic things.
Separation of Powers
JoinedPosts by Separation of Powers
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10
Fred Franz Personal Experiences
by Bob_NC inthere is so little to be found about the personal side of fred franz.
it's as if he was an enigma except for his appearances to give district convention speeches years ago.
there is, of course, ray franz' take on his uncle in his book coc.. please share you first-hand, or second-hand reliable, experiences.
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65
I'm afraid I'd be single for life
by ohnightdivine inthis is quite embarrassing for me to share, but as a 30+ year old single female i have lingering doubts as to whether i can still meet a decent man and get married.. you all know how difficult it is for sisters to find an appropriate partner in the congregation.. and now, all the more so that i've learned ttatt.
i still am bound by low self-esteem, and i do have trust issues, especially with men.
i am very lonely and so i just keep myself busy with work to avoid depression (although it is also a great source of stress).. any other single females out there having similar thoughts?.
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Separation of Powers
Better lonely than miserable---
Being married for the sake of being married is not the answer.
The apostle Paul said "Widen out!" That means expand your horizons. If you are resolute to only marry a JW, than that would mean visiting other congregations, becoming a pioneer, visiting Bethel as a volunteer, doing things that make you noticed by a "climber" who wants to have a sidekick support him in his spiritual mobility.
If you want someone to love, first you must love yourself. Be healthy. Keep in shape. Do little things for yourself like growing in your knowledge of the world, culture, art, wine., music. These things are not "vanity" they are the little things that make us different than the animals. They are a recognition of our abilities. Get to know them!
While you are getting to know them...who knows? maybe someone will want to get to know them with you and VOILA!
SOP
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36
Were you 100% in?
by pontoon ini was baptized in 1968. last meeting 2010. i have to say i was never 100% in.
there were times i absolutely believed, but i never really gave it my all.
never liked service, assemblies, meetings.
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Separation of Powers
Unfortunately....
No more...
No how....
No way....
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Breaking News :Charity Commission takes Wathtower to Tribunal in Britain
by raymond frantz inbreaking news :charity commission takes watchtower to charity tribunal in britain.
two weeks ago we run an article about the abuse case in moston manchester congregation .it would seem that the coverage from the main local newspaper manchester evening news and two national newspapers has alarmed the charity commission the official regulator for charities in england and wales and now for the first time !
they opened an official investigation on both charities ,the local one ,moston congragation and the central one jehovah's witnesses of britain indicating that in their eyes these two are connected and liable for any misconduct .this is the time for a concentrated campaign from all of us to inform the charity commission why the watchtower should not be a called a charity .the article above has a link for the charity commission complaint page .follow it!.
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Separation of Powers
Religion is a snare and a racket. It captures your money and makes a lot of noise when you don't give it up!
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16
Who Will the Circuit Overseers "Report" to Now???
by RubaDub ini still do not understand the new structure at this point.. there has to be something between thousands of co's and the gb.
i know there were zone overseers that the do's reported to.. i have spoken to a couple of elders i can talk to frankly and they both said they have no idea.. rub a dub.
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Separation of Powers
In the words of Monty Python..."they are an autonomous collective." They will report to the ORG via the Service Department, but ultimately will be a stand alone unit that will allow for plausible deniability.
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10
SERVING ELDERS - WHY THE NEW DONATION ARRANGEMENT?
by The Searcher inin case you didn't notice the false reason given to you, i've highlighted the 15 times you were told directly, and the 3 times indirectly in the letter from the g.b.!.
so why didn't you reason on the addendum you were given by the org to read out to your congs, which "legalised" this deceptive money-grab from those whom you are supposed to be protecting?
shame on every last one of you for not explaining what was really going to happen to the donations!.
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Separation of Powers
The use of the word "specifically" with regard to the donation is quite a give away. Although the U.S. letter did not have the adjustment, the tone of the letter is evident. All contributions are general fund....I guess they are getting ready to lose the Conti case which will unleash a maelstrom of litigation!
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How did you teach your kids TTATT? How old were they?
by KateWild inwhen i first started going on "other" jw websites my head was spinning so i didn't say anything to my kids about what i had read.
steve hassan's material helped a lot it was when i read that, that i realised i need to free my kids.. i got a lot of advice from jwn too.. my daughter had moved cities and went to the hall we used to visit frequently.
things changed when she became a member instead of just a visitor.
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Separation of Powers
Fortunately, I did not have to teach them the TTATT. Of my kids, the two oldest started to manifest a skepticism quite early. The eldest of the two became convinced that the ORG was more cult than anything else when he asked when a particular belief was changed. He asked a younger relative about this change, "Did you believe the first explanation? If you did and you change it now, you are only changing cause they are telling you to change. So, are you believing for you or for them?" Pretty savvy explanation I thought.
The other of the elder children saw an excerpt in a magazine printed from an old issue of the Watchtower. He could read the fine print of the original on the page and noticed that the quote in the paragraph that was supposedly taken from the older issue was not the same. He looked at me during the study and said, "Check this out....they're lying again." I couldn't argue with him. It was there, plain and simple. He even brought it up to one of our big wig relatives who said, "well, you have to understand..." to which he replied, "I do understand."
It has been quite interesting to say the least.
SOP
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70
How do you shut your mind down so you can get a good night sleep???
by jam inthe more i learn about jw's the harder it is.
to sleep at night.
the wife hit the pillow and within 5 min.. she is snoring.
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Separation of Powers
I would suggest you start practicing some form of meditation. If you do it early in the morning, it will probably go unnoticed by your wife who might think that you are getting involved in spiritism, afterall, yoga is spiritism isn't it? (Don't tell that to my physical therapist...he would really be upset considering he is an atheist!)
There are many forms of meditation. Concentrating on your breathing, a zen form, is one of the most calming. As you draw in a breath, try to clear your mind. (Contrary to the JW mentality this DOES NOT open the channel to the demons, they are busy doing other things like possessing smurfs!) When you find your mind wandering, pull it back and concentrate on the breath. Breath through your nose if you can. First breath should be deep and full. Next breath normal, then fall into a rhythm of breathing counting each inhalation and exhalation as a breath, 1, 2, 3, 4,...unitl 10. Then start again, all the while bringing your concentration to the breath, especially when your mind wanders.
After a few days of this, your mind will readily fall into the pattern of clearing with the concentrated breath. As it becomes more of a pattern, you will find that when you lay down to sleep, you will concentrate on your breathing and your mind will relax...it will start to wander...bring it back with your breath. In time, your mind will quiet and nature will take over.
Take it from a person who suffered horribly from insomnia. It is a rare thing for me now not to be able to fall asleep when I go to bed.
SOP
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58
Does WT use intellectual intimidation in publications?
by KateWild inwhen i first learned ttatt, i read loads all at once and tried to absorb everything.
then i slowed down evaluated my priorities and took one step at time.
now my kids know ttatt and i have set some goals in life, i am ready to take on my next project in my deprogramming.. intellectual intimidation.
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Separation of Powers
Oubliette's comment is right on point...there is no "intellect" involved in the ORG. Intellect is based on rationality of thinking NOT emotion. If people are coerced to believe something for fear of retaliation, than their response is emotional NOT rational.
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What happens after you get the registered letter?
by paul from cleveland inmy friend's daughter, who was baptized at 14, has decided to leave the witnesses.
she's in her early 20's.
she's stopped going to meeting a while ago and moved in with her father who is disfellowshipped.
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Separation of Powers
If she is living with her DF'd father, why does she want to be a Witness?
As for the bluff, the father is the only bluff she might need. After all, who knows more about the procedures than someone who has been through it?
SOP