So, my 17 year old niece reveals to me that for the past few years, her father (my sister's husband) has been physically and verbally abusive to her.
Enough so that it finally came to a breaking point, and she reported it to the police. She told me that she had wished she had told me sooner, but she was trying to wait til she was 18 so that she could leave.
I knew that she and her parents had been locking horns for the past couple of years, but I chalked it up to teen puberty and general growing pains. But on their last, most recent visit, I could tell that something was really eating at her.
Apparently, what set off this latest incident was that he discovered that she had been seeing/involved with a non-Witness boy about her age, and got so violent with her that it left marks.
Ironically, she went and got help from her boyfriend's father, a paramedic, who documented the injuries and encouraged her to report it.
So, yeah, he spent a night in jail.
She is now staying at the parents of her boyfriend, while still trying to have some aspects of her old life (work, school, etc.).
Now, here is the saddening thing.
With all this going on, my sister, who I communicate with daily, has not said "boo" about any of this going on. They cancelled their family vacation "and were just going to have a staycation to save money" (because I am sure that they had to pay some bail). But, when I ask questions like, "How are the kids?", and "Are they ready for school?", nothing is mentioned at all about this.
Meanwhile, I find out from my niece that word has gotten back to her that her parents have put forward the tale that "she put the marks on herself" and that "she ran away so that she could live with her boyfriend."
I have pointedly asked my niece about details, where she was comfortable to talk about them. She is not making this up.
She has been interviewed by the police, by case workers, by Human Services, and they aren't doubting her either.
I am so disappointed in my sister participating in this lie and slander against her own daughter. I didn't think she had it in her, especially since she had gone through similar with her first husband 30 years ago.
My niece was worried that, in the court appearance, her dad would be believed over her testimony. I basically said that a courtroom is not the same as meeting with the elders at the Kingdom Hall, and that with the evidence and interviews with various professionals against him, he is going to have to do a lot more than just present himself as a nice guy in court. I am sure that the court has seen similar masquerades before.
I am treading the very thin line of giving her moral and emotional support, while not overtly making comments about her religion, or remarks against her parents. I don't want to be seen as the guy who "turned her away". I don't want to be seen as someone interfering with her parents (but believe me, there are SO many things I want to say about this goofy, dangerous religion, it's been hard!)
Right now, though, she is safe, and experiencing a JW parent's worst nightmare: She is in a different environment where she is safe, encouraged, and not constantly yelled at and condemned. The family appears to be very nice, somewhat well-off. The dad, in addition to being a paramedic, is also a Youth minister (which means much more training than an Elder ever gets). She has already stated that she doesn't feel safe going back home, and I don't blame her.
I have told her that she is welcome at our house with me and my wife.
On the positive side, she actually got to go on a date with her boyfriend, who was old fashioned enough to take her to dinner, skating, and bought her chocolates and roses. So, he sounds like he has some quality.
Anyway, been a long time since I was on this board, and needed to unload.
Captain Schmideo2
JoinedPosts by Captain Schmideo2
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10
Never thought I would see this in my family circle
by Captain Schmideo2 inso, my 17 year old niece reveals to me that for the past few years, her father (my sister's husband) has been physically and verbally abusive to her.enough so that it finally came to a breaking point, and she reported it to the police.
she told me that she had wished she had told me sooner, but she was trying to wait til she was 18 so that she could leave.i knew that she and her parents had been locking horns for the past couple of years, but i chalked it up to teen puberty and general growing pains.
but on their last, most recent visit, i could tell that something was really eating at her.apparently, what set off this latest incident was that he discovered that she had been seeing/involved with a non-witness boy about her age, and got so violent with her that it left marks.ironically, she went and got help from her boyfriend's father, a paramedic, who documented the injuries and encouraged her to report it.so, yeah, he spent a night in jail.she is now staying at the parents of her boyfriend, while still trying to have some aspects of her old life (work, school, etc.
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Captain Schmideo2
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40
Another silly Bible story....Joshua and the killing hailstones
by RULES & REGULATIONS in◄ joshua 10:11 ►.
and it came to pass, as they fled from before israel, and were in the going down to bethhoron, that the lord cast down great stones from heaven on them to azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of israel slew with the sword.. .
looks like the amorites came to the battle only wearing helmets.
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Watchmen HBO Series Mentioning the acutal Watchtower by JW's
by 720Reddog inwatchtower.
the watchtower is a jehovah's witnesses publication, but it’s fitting that it would feature in the watchmen series.
in this episode the watchtower by jehovah's witness is displayed.. "it's interesting to me cause it's an obvious display of cultish type beliefs.
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Captain Schmideo2
There was a similar scene in the comic book, back in the 80s.
It's 1985, the Doomsday Clock is at one minute to Midnight.
A magazine kiosk owner gets approached by someone who buys a newspaper, and then the customer says,
"Now that I bought one of your publications, perhaps you would like to read one of ours? You see, we believe that the world is going to end very soon, and..."
"What! No way! That's not going to happen!"
"Oh, well, then, we'll be on our way..." and the pair ride off on bicycles.
"Lousy fanatics! Always wanting to be the first to say "We told you so!"
The artist gets the details weirdly wrong. The magazine says "Watchtower", but it has a cross in the logo. The bicycles are too "Mormon-ish" a detail as well.
In the episode on HBO this past week, it shows the character getting off of a church bus with several other white shirt and tie teens, coming from Tulsa on their "mission" to save people on the sinful East coast (Hoboken, NJ, to be precise!). The are at a street carnival.
The magazine itself looked kinda weird. It was thin, like a tract, with the Watchtower logo across the top. The headline reads "Are You Prepared?!", and the graphics are of the typical paradise picture, complete with a panda on the cover (much like the tract they had many years ago).
He gets confronted by a gang of kids (these are called "Knot-Tops" in the comic, due to their distinctive hairstyle), but a female in the group rescues him from being assaulted, and leads him into the Hall of Mirrors. She starts asking him if he really believes the world is going to end, and then begins to take off his clothes, saying "You don't want to die a virgin, do you?" He weakly protests, even as she strips him of all his clothes, and then, it turns out she's just setting him up. She grabs up all his clothes, swears at him, and runs out, leaving him naked.
As he gets angry at himself for being such a "stupid sinner", the "Midnight, 11/2 event" happens, and the fact that he is in the mirror building saves his life.
It's also pretty obvious that the event, which is apparently the result of a dimensional portal being opened up, and an awful, giant alien creature entering the center of Manhattan and exploding, has changed his religious beliefs in the aftermath. Actually, mentally, the guy is mess as they portray him in his 50's.
Tim Blake Nelson (a fellow Oklahoman!) did an amazing job in this episode. I hope he gets an Emmy for it! -
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Asylum Caravan
by dubstepped inalright, so what is the deal with the thousands coming to the states right at election time seeking asylum?
i'm not up on this, usually try not to be, but how can this not be manipulative?
it's either manipulative in the size of the group and pressure that creates, or in where it started or who started this, etc.
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Captain Schmideo2
You know, I have been on this board for years, but...
I just don't like being here any more.
How anybody can take this caravan nonsense as a threat has got to be either gullible or insane (example provided by the asshole who shot up the synagogue in Pittsburgh.)
Simon, I leave you to your board. -
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Paradise After Death:Mark Twain calls out some of the stupider ideas-
by Captain Schmideo2 in"in paradise, i am going to visit [insert favorite bible character here]" - said at least once in their life by every devout jw.now, for some hard, cold practicalities-excerpt from "captain stormfield's visit to heaven"“oh, there are a lot of such things that people expect and don’t get.
for instance, there’s a brooklyn preacher by the name of talmage, who is laying up a considerable disappointment for himself.
there’s millions of people down there on earth that are promising themselves the same thing.
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Captain Schmideo2
And then the inevitable confusion:
"Hey, you're that prophet guy, Elijah, right?! "
"No, I'm.."
"Yeah, I read all about you! How you set up them Baal-worshipers with that big test, and the flames from the sky, and how you resurrected that kid. Say, how did that big ball of flame look like?"
"Actually..."
"Ooh! Ooh! and that big flaming chariot! How far did you fly in that? I'm not supposed to believe that it took you to Heaven, but now that we are all here, can you tell me what really happened?"
"Okay, a moment, please. I am not Eli-jah. I am Eli-shah! I was the one with the she-bears that ate those 40 kids."
"Oh. Well....Can you point out Eli-jah for me? HE's the one I want to meet..." -
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Paradise After Death:Mark Twain calls out some of the stupider ideas-
by Captain Schmideo2 in"in paradise, i am going to visit [insert favorite bible character here]" - said at least once in their life by every devout jw.now, for some hard, cold practicalities-excerpt from "captain stormfield's visit to heaven"“oh, there are a lot of such things that people expect and don’t get.
for instance, there’s a brooklyn preacher by the name of talmage, who is laying up a considerable disappointment for himself.
there’s millions of people down there on earth that are promising themselves the same thing.
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Captain Schmideo2
"In Paradise, I am going to visit [insert favorite Bible character here]" - Said at least once in their life by every devout JW.
Now, for some hard, cold practicalities-
Excerpt from "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven"
“Oh, there are a lot of such things that people expect and don’t get. For instance, there’s a Brooklyn preacher by the name of Talmage, who is laying up a considerable disappointment for himself. He says, every now and then in his sermons, that the first thing he does when he gets to heaven, will be to fling his arms around Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and kiss them and weep on them. There’s millions of people down there on earth that are promising themselves the same thing. As many as sixty thousand people arrive here every single day, that want to run straight to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and hug them and weep on them. Now mind you, sixty thousand a day is a pretty heavy contract for those old people. If they were a mind to allow it, they wouldn’t ever have anything to do, year in and year out, but stand up and be hugged and wept on thirty-two hours in the twenty-four. They would be tired out and as wet as muskrats all the time. What would heaven be, to them? It would be a mighty good place to get out of—you know that, yourself. Those are kind and gentle old Jews, but they ain’t any fonder of kissing the emotional highlights of Brooklyn than you be. You mark my words, Mr. T.’s endearments are going to be declined, with thanks. There are limits to the privileges of the elect, even in heaven. Why, if Adam was to show himself to every new comer that wants to call and gaze at him and strike him for his autograph, he would never have time to do anything else but just that. Talmage has said he is going to give Adam some of his attentions, as well as A., I. and J. But he will have to change his mind about that."
...“Like as not. Of course they [the Patriarchs] are pretty exclusive. They hardly ever show themselves to the common public. I believe they never turn out except for an eleventh-hour convert. They wouldn’t do it then, only earthly tradition makes a grand show pretty necessary on that kind of an occasion.”
“Do they all turn out, Sandy?”
“Who?—all the patriarchs? Oh, no—hardly ever more than a couple. You will be here fifty thousand years—maybe more—before you get a glimpse of all the patriarchs and prophets. Since I have been here, Job has been to the front once, and once Ham and Jeremiah both at the same time. But the finest thing that has happened in my day was a year or so ago; that was Charles Peace’s reception—him they called ‘the Bannercross Murderer’—an Englishman. There were four patriarchs and two prophets on the Grand Stand that time—there hasn’t been anything like it since Captain Kidd came; Abel was there—the first time in twelve hundred years. A report got around that Adam was coming; well, of course, Abel was enough to bring a crowd, all by himself, but there is nobody that can draw like Adam. It was a false report, but it got around, anyway, as I say, and it will be a long day before I see the like of it again."
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Serena William is 'fighting for women'?!
by LoveUniHateExams inso serena williams lost the us open final 6-2, 6-4 to naomi osaka, her japanese-american opponent.. williams received three code violations from the umpire, carlos ramos: .
1. a warning for illegal coaching (subsequently admitted by williams's coach).
2. a point penalty for smashing her racquet.
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Captain Schmideo2
I follow this dictum in my life:
I don't feel sorry for rich people.
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2018 JWBroadcasting "Higher education is useless" video CLIP
by Not_Culty insept 2018. https://vimeo.com/288327363.
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Captain Schmideo2
My son went to one of the best schools on the planet, got in through a combination of hard work, great grades, a terrific attitude, and other more nebulously defined factors.
Graduated in June of this year, and makes twice as much money as I do right now, at the age of 54, with a salary and benefits that I never would have dreamed of having when I was his age of 23.
He is self sufficient, fortunately has little debt, has the love of a fine young woman with a career of her own, and, only the most twisted and hateful mind on the planet could term his life at this point "a failure".
Oh, and he decided as a young teenager that the Bible was a bunch of dingo's kidneys, especially after reading Genesis, and is pretty much an Atheist.
Gosh, I am jealous of how his life turned out! -
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Blade Runner mentioned in the Watchtower
by ThomasCovenant incan anyone remember or point me to a quote in either the watchtower or awake where they spoke adversely about some of the violent scenes in the original blade runner film.
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thanks.
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Captain Schmideo2
You haven't even mentioned the Awake on comic books...
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Bill Nye vs Ken Ham debate
by Whynot indid anyone else watch the bill nye versus ken ham debate?
it happened february 4, 2014 and just watched it a few months ago.
i thought it was interesting but must confess that i felt extremely embarrassed for ken ham.
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Captain Schmideo2
If you saw the Bill Nye documentary, you would see that he did not have the support of the atheists that were protesting Ham's "Ark project" because it would only lend credibility to Ham.
And they were right.
Once the debate was over, contributions to Ham increased dramatically, allowing him to fund his bullshit further.
I like Bill Nye, but that was a serious misstep on his part.