FreeWilly

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Posts by FreeWilly

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  52

  Okay: Who is Barb & What's the "news"?

  by lynnmelo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  i know no one really knows what the content of the "news" is, but i don't even know what news you guys are waiting for.

  i've been reading some posts referencing "barb" and "the news," so i wasn't wondering if someone could give me some background (i've looked a few pages back and can't find anything).. thanks.

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  FreeWilly

  Sorry if I was harsh.... You're right it is a charged issue. For the record i appreciate your candor and reflection. It helps everyone.
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  52

  Okay: Who is Barb & What's the "news"?

  by lynnmelo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i know no one really knows what the content of the "news" is, but i don't even know what news you guys are waiting for.

  i've been reading some posts referencing "barb" and "the news," so i wasn't wondering if someone could give me some background (i've looked a few pages back and can't find anything).. thanks.

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  FreeWilly

  The idea that disfellowshipping is somehow adequate is ridiculous, yet prevalent in the congregations. JW's are taught to rely heavily on "those taking the lead" to handle matters such as these, and they do. I've had publishers ask me such trivial things as "Is it OK to view Schindlers list" or "Can I vote in my labor union" or "Can I keep my time running if I only take a 10 minute break in field service"? While it's ideal to say parents show go to the police, my experience is that they will not and do not act independent of the congregations elders, because this is precisely how they are taught. JW's are ALWAYS encouraged to seek Elder assistance for matters of conduct and wrongdoing.

  ONLY AFTER the Dateline episode had there been any encouragement for individual JW's to act independently and report matters such as these to the authorities. There is such a heavy dependency on the organization for most JW's that the idea of acting outside of that framework hardly ever occurs.

  Confession:

  About nine years ago I was the chairman of a judicial committee, handling the case of a fellow elder being accused of pedophilia. Only then did I find out that five years previous he'd been accused of this also. We spoke to brothers from the previous committee. It seems that while they only had one witness, (a 13 year old boy,) they still didn't feel like letting this matter go. So they called the Society and were given the okay to conduct an investigation. They spoke to all the families with children in our congregation--as well as some from other congregations. Apparently they were unable to find other accusers.

  So, without any corroborating evidence, they could not conclude that he was guilty of pedophilia. He was counseled for showing poor judgment in allowing young boys to sleep with him in his bed and was removed as an elder.

  Your experience shows vividly the JW mindset. Apparently, it never occurred to you to call the police? Why weren't the victims immediatly encourage to take the matter to those who are trained to investigate it? Confession, did alerting the police ever come up in your discussions with the Society or fellow elders? When you speak of "investigating", exactly what training is provided for Elders to investigate a rape? - NONE! For nine years a pedophile was likely sheltered because congregation Elders thought their "investigations" and punishments were sufficient. All the while trained investigators and forensic specialists were only a phone call away. Lets face it, JW's are relying on uneducated men to investigate matters for which they are woefully unprepared or equipped to do.
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  52

  Okay: Who is Barb & What's the "news"?

  by lynnmelo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i know no one really knows what the content of the "news" is, but i don't even know what news you guys are waiting for.

  i've been reading some posts referencing "barb" and "the news," so i wasn't wondering if someone could give me some background (i've looked a few pages back and can't find anything).. thanks.

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  FreeWilly
• 
  52

  Okay: Who is Barb & What's the "news"?

  by lynnmelo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i know no one really knows what the content of the "news" is, but i don't even know what news you guys are waiting for.

  i've been reading some posts referencing "barb" and "the news," so i wasn't wondering if someone could give me some background (i've looked a few pages back and can't find anything).. thanks.

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  FreeWilly

  Hi Lynn,

  A couple of years back a huge scandal broke about a pattern of Child molestations being covered up by many, many local congregations around the world. Apparently when things like this came up local Elders would call headquarters and speak with a Legal Department representative who would advise the congregation elders NOT to report such incidents to the police. In many cases the victim was pressured or even threatened (with disfellowshipping) to keep quite about the matter so as not to "bring reproach on Jehovah's name" by calling the police after being raped.

  As the scandal grew many JW's with first hand knowledge came forward and spoke out about the Watchtower Society's policies. Things culminated when the news program Dateline did a story on the Society and involvement in Child abuse issues. The program showed that the legal department advised no further action be taken unless there were two people that saw the molesting taking place. It also showed how victims were sometimes even disfellowshipped if they continued to speak out about their abusers. A few active JW's spoke on the Dateline program hoping to change the requirement of "two witnesses" to validate an abuse claim. Barbara Anderson was one such individual. She worked as a researcher at headquarters and had inside knowledge of this issue. She's the one who revealed that the Society tracks these incidents when they are reported by elders. According to her testimony the Society has list of 23,000 individuals that are implicated in Child abuse incidents.

  Since then there have been many investigative news programs on the matter in various countries, showing essentially the same pattern as here in the US. It seems the Society was/is pretty intent on not bringing reproach on their publishing company Jehovah's name, even if it means silencing victims or requiring two witnesses to the abuse.

  That's my understanding. She does post here though. Maybe you can ask her?
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  36

  I need help with a discussion with my parents!

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my parents are on the circuit, well educated, well intentioned and totally committed to the wts.

  for years i have argued with them over issues and doctrine.

  they know most things that are wrong with the wts but refuse to budge on the idea that it is the only true religion.

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  FreeWilly

  Here's a few that have made my folks pause....

  Faithful and Discrete Slave

  Who makeup the FDS? .......Does Jehovah direct this worldwide remnant (FDS)?

  How does this worldwide remnant (FDS) collect all of the information the receive from Jehovah so it can be printed in the Watchtower? Email, Fax? Telephone?

  How come when the WT revised the meaning of "this Generation", that the worldwide remnant (FDS) didn't find out about it until they were mailed their Watchtowers? Shouldn't they have been the first to know?

  Did God direct them to predict 1914, 1925, 1941 or 1975 as the end of the world, or did they come up with these on their own?

  If they come up with their own teahings, should we listen to them?

  Did God ever allow "imperfect humans" to make teachings without being inspired before?

  Has God ever had to revise a mistaken teaching before?

  Do you think Jehovah will actually kill all people who noticed the Society's false predictions and changed teachings and consider them unreliable sources?

  How come the number of annointed ones reported annually keeps going up?

  Did Jesus say anywhere that people would need to find the correct "organization" and join it to be saved?

  Doomsday

  Explain this Scripture: " He said: “Look out that YOU are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached.’ Do not go after them. " Luke 21:8 NWT

  Who today is saying "The due time has approached"?

  What do you suppose was the reason Jesus warned people to avoid those who say "The due time has approached"?

  Do you think maybe these people are like the boy who cried wolf ?

  Salvation/Destruction

  What Chapter of the Bible teaches us about "The Issue of Univeral Sovereignty"?

  If this is why people will be executed (over the issue of sovereignty), why do you suppose Jesus and the Apostles never taught about this?

  What percentage of the worlds population did the JW's have Bible studies with last year (6 million or <0.1% in 2004)

  When will JW's get around to teaching the rest of Earths population so they may learn about the Bible?

  Do you really believe that 99.9% of the Earths Population will be killed by God?

  Why would God make sure the Bible was the most availible book in the world, yet only let a few people (JWs) understand it?

  PS ...I'd have a few WT quotes preprinted. Like the ones that say only JW's will be saved, 1975 stuff, whacky medical teachings, etc.
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  158

  Huge shock!

  by Crumpet in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just got a major shock.

  i can't believe the new levels of cruelty possible within families who are jws.. a friend on this board who i've known since i was a baby practically has managed to get me a picture of my little sister who i haven't seen for 8 years - the one who i've mentioned my dad said was working on the bethel quick build team.

  the one who i've described my fears that she and my younger sister are staying single until armageddon.

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  FreeWilly

  That's awful!

  My Sister was never a Dub and she's refused to yield to my parents pressure to join. She's getting married this spring. My Parents will not be attending. I hope the naive posters who are quick to question "Why is there sooo much hatred here" , read these posts too. This religion is so completely f*cked up that if you can't see that, then you're an idiot.

  Hey Crumpet. You can let some of us write you dad a letter.... I bet he'd read them, especially when he sees they are in international envelopes .
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  19

  Any Quick Advice For Those With Doubts in the Watchtower?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey all,.

  let's say you meet someone and they say that they are a jw, but they are having doubts about it.

  they are doing some research and things just aren't adding up.

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  FreeWilly

  Almost Atheist, I'd tell someone with doubts:

  "If you continue to investigate, are you sure you will be ready for what you find? There's a very good reason the Watchtower doesn't want you to listen to anyone else. The easiest thing for you to do would be to forget what you've already read and just do what they say."

  I don't know how well that would work, but I know it would have made me dig deeper. As the saying goes, "An informed witness is a former witness".

  -FW
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  42

  What are JW's leaders going to do when we hit the year 2014 and no Armaggdn

  by booker-t in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we are fast approaching the year 2014 which will be 100 years since 1914. what are jw's and the wt going to do if armaggeddon has not occurred by then?

  will they come up with a bunch of "new light" to do away with 1914 all together?

  will they suddenly announce that jesus came into kingdom power in the year 2014?

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  FreeWilly

  I think it's going to be hard to put a good spin on it. For an entire year JW's will be reminded of how incompetent their domineering organization is. I think it will further dilute their credibility and authority among the "faithful".

  What I wonder is how the Society will try to spin it. They will either have to jetison the 1914 teaching well in advance of this date, so it isn't too obvious OR they are going to have to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of 1914. Either choice is awkward for them.
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  60

  As a JW did you ever have a personal relationship with God?

  by Evanescence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

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  as a jehovah's witness did you ever have a personal relationship with god?.

  evanescence

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  FreeWilly

  Sorry evanscence, I wasn't trying to start a debate, nor was I trying to belittle anyone's belief. I thought maybe you were asking from an agnostic POV. So, I guess you were asking what I believed while a dub? At one time I thought I did have a relationship. But this is one of the things that also caused me to leave. I remember really trying to understand these Mormon's I was talking with. I couldn't figure out why they couldn't see how unfounded their beliefs were. They believe in some really bizarre things, at least from my perspective, that seemed obviously fictitious. I also recalled some people I talked with that were just as stubborn in their religions. So I turned my attention to my own religion and discovered a parallel it had with every other religion I knew. It too spoke of supernatural events and divine interactions with humans from long ago that for some reason are never experienced today. The only connection I did supposedly have with god was through prayer, just like everyone else. However, as a JW, I believed that my prayers stood apart from the prayers of others, in that mine were actually being heard whereas others were not. To make a long story short, I grew skeptical of my prayers being heard. I had no more basis to believe they were heard anymore than the next guy. In the Bible Jesus said "anything you ask in my name I will go to the Father and he will grant it to you" I've never witnessed that for myself or anyone I knew. Nothing ever came from them, just like everyone else. Nor was there any evidence of the flurry of supernatural activity that was allegedy happening. So the idea of a "relationship" was actually something that bothered me. If we were supposed to have one with God, the very least he could do was say something. Heck even if it was through one of his "myriads of myriads of angels" it would have been sufficient. Of what purpose would ignoring someone have? To some it up, I thought I had a relationship with Jehovah. But I was doing all the talking. It was like I was rambling on the telephone only to realize that the other caller isn't on the line. I effectively said "Hello is anyone there"? ....then hung up the phone.
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  60

  As a JW did you ever have a personal relationship with God?

  by Evanescence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

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  as a jehovah's witness did you ever have a personal relationship with god?.

  evanescence

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  FreeWilly

  This was always the silliest notion I remember. It's like saying I have a relationship with Hemingway because I read one of his books. How silly. The word requires an exchange not talking to an imaginary friend. Heck, people don't even know how to say his name correctly. So much for that relationship.