Watchtower-Free

Joined

• started 369 topics
• posted 2,280 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Watchtower-Free

• 
  36

  Zealous Witnesses who never had children and regret it now.

  by MsGrowingGirl20 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had two close friends in the org.

  one is in her early thirties and got married last year and the other one is single and in her late twenties.

  after reading coc, i couldn't help but feel sad at how ray and his wife felt regret at putting the religion first and not having any children.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  Just another thing JW leaderships needs to answer for .
• 
  27

  Team 10 obtains video of admitted child molester in Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Londo111 in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.10news.com/news/investigations/team-10-obtains-video-of-admitted-child-molester-in-jehovahs-witnesses07222013.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  Someone needs to record this video and get it out to the XJW community
• 

  333 South Korean Jehovah's Witnesses petition court

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.asiaone.com/news/latest%2bnews/sports/story/a1story20130722-439058.html.

  jail or olympic glory: no easy exit from s.korea draft.

  monday, jul 22, 2013. seoul - when the south korean men's football team won the third-place playoff at the 2012 olympics, their ecstatic celebrations reflected a victory that had secured something far more precious than a bronze medal.. the 2-0 win over japan meant the entire squad was excused from what many young south korean men view as a blight on their existence - two years of compulsory military service.. an olympic medal offers a very rare exemption from a duty that - 60 years after the end of the korean war - is still required of every able-bodied south korean man between the age of 18 and 35.. the main rationale is the threat posed by north korea, given that the 1950-53 korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two koreas technically at war.. for many it is an unwanted and deeply resented intrusion that interferes with studies or nascent careers and serves no discernible purpose, especially in a rapidly-ageing society where the size of the workforce is dwindling by the year.. the vast majority , however unwillingly, buckle down, knowing that refusal to serve means an automatic prison term and a criminal record that precludes any future job with the government or a major corporation.. but a tiny minority, citing religious, moral or political reasons, choose to openly defy the system.. most prominent among the "refuseniks" are jehovah's witnesses, some 12,000 of whom have been jailed over the past six decades.. "we can't even conceive of bearing arms, and entering the military would be tantamount to renouncing our faith," said choi jin-taek, 31, who was handed an 18-month prison term in 2007.. "fear of prison is nothing compared to the damage that would be done to my conscience if i accepted military service, " said choi, who now helps prepare fellow jehovah witnesses for their prison experience.. kim hyung-jin, waiting to begin an 18-month sentence passed down in march, said he had no regrets.. "i'm not scared of prison.

• 

  Watchtower-Free

  http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20130722-439058.html

  Jail or Olympic glory: No easy exit from S.Korea draft

  Monday, Jul 22, 2013
  SEOUL - When the South Korean men's football team won the third-place playoff at the 2012 Olympics, their ecstatic celebrations reflected a victory that had secured something far more precious than a bronze medal.

  The 2-0 win over Japan meant the entire squad was excused from what many young South Korean men view as a blight on their existence - two years of compulsory military service.

  An Olympic medal offers a very rare exemption from a duty that - 60 years after the end of the Korean War - is still required of every able-bodied South Korean man between the age of 18 and 35.

  The main rationale is the threat posed by North Korea, given that the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically at war.

  For many it is an unwanted and deeply resented intrusion that interferes with studies or nascent careers and serves no discernible purpose, especially in a rapidly-ageing society where the size of the workforce is dwindling by the year.

  The vast majority , however unwillingly, buckle down, knowing that refusal to serve means an automatic prison term and a criminal record that precludes any future job with the government or a major corporation.

  But a tiny minority, citing religious, moral or political reasons, choose to openly defy the system.

  Most prominent among the "refuseniks" are Jehovah's Witnesses, some 12,000 of whom have been jailed over the past six decades.

  "We can't even conceive of bearing arms, and entering the military would be tantamount to renouncing our faith," said Choi Jin-Taek, 31, who was handed an 18-month prison term in 2007.

  "Fear of prison is nothing compared to the damage that would be done to my conscience if I accepted military service, " said Choi, who now helps prepare fellow Jehovah Witnesses for their prison experience.

  Kim Hyung-Jin, waiting to begin an 18-month sentence passed down in March, said he had no regrets.

  "I'm not scared of prison. I know I'm doing the right thing and I've had a lot of support," said Kim, 22.In June, 333 Jehovah's Witnesses who had all been jailed for refusing conscription filed a joint petition with the Constitutional Court, demanding that conscientious objection be decriminalised.

  The petition argued that genuine objectors be provided with an alternative to military service, such as community work.

  The South Korean military relies heavily on conscription and military service often involves postings to front-line positions on the border with North Korea.

  In May 2010, a North Korean submarine torpedoed the South Korean naval vessel Cheonan, killing 46 sailors including 16 who were on their military service.

  In November the same year, the North shelled a South Korean border island, killing two marines - both of them young conscripts.

  Such incidents make the debate over military service extremely sensitive and woe betide anyone caught trying to cheat their way out of it.

  South Korean law requires anyone seeking a top government post or a seat in parliament to provide proof not only of their own service records but also those of their children.

  And yet hundreds do try and avoid the draft every year, using tactics that range from extended overseas study, to starving themselves so that they fail the medical.

  Other examples include the members of a break-dancing troupe arrested for pretending to have mental disorders, and a student who intentionally dislocated his shoulder and underwent surgery so as to fail the medical exam.

  A few years ago, there was a mini-fad for large tattoos, which carry an organised-crime association in South Korea and can result in people being declared unsuitable for military service.

  The loophole was effectively closed by a series of arrests of young men opting for last-minute all-body tattoos, who were then charged with "wilfully tampering" with their bodies to avoid service and jailed.Even top celebrities with massive followings face a potentially career-destroying backlash if seen to be taking liberties with the demands of military service.

  Just as he was about to be called up in 2002, Korean-American pop singer Steve Yoo gave up his Korean nationality and became a naturalised US citizen.

  The South Korean government considered it an act of desertion and he was deported and banned from returning for life.

  Pop icon Rain was pilloried last year when it emerged that he had been allowed to slip out of barracks on several occasions to meet an actress he was dating.

  And "Gangnam Style" star Psy was forced to serve twice after it emerged he had furthered his showbiz interests during his first stint.

  Left-wing activist Kim Young-Ik was imprisoned in 2009 for refusing his military service but, unlike many Jehovah's Witnesses, he lacked the natural support network of equally devout family members and friends.

  "My parents went through a lot," Kim recalled. "They came to accept my decision, rather than support it, but they were very worried about what it would mean for my future."

  But Kim, now 31, said he would take the same stand again if given a second chance.

  "It's wrong that anyone should have to go to prison for their beliefs, but I gained from the experience and it grounded me as a person," he said.
• 
  30

  Magotan's Story

  by magotan in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi all, i've posted here in crisis a few weeks ago.

  i recently have finally taken the time to write out my entire story.

  i knew i had to come out to my parents and family about everything, my sexuality, and my issues with the jehovah's witnesses.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  Hang in there
• 
  32

  New to studies Thank You

  by mysticalwolf40 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am fairly new to learning the truth with jehovah's witnesses.

  we have been having 2 home bible studies a week for over 4 months now and we started going to the kingdom hall 3+ months now.

  i am enjoying my studies and the brothers and sisters are wonderful .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  What part of the world are you in .?
• 
  8

  District Convention and DF'd people

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so what was said at the latest dc about disfellowshipped people and how to treat them?

  i've been df'd for 35+ years and of course it's been very difficult.

  my mother is a diehard jw and is 83 years old, still pioneering etc.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  Hate speech pure and simple
• 
  10

  JWs Join Interfaith - Political Organization !

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the jws have joined an interfaith-political organization in the phillippines.

  did they do this to secure more religious rights?

  the jws are instead helping to assure that government programs are kept going.. according to barredo, to facilitate and successfully implement the various activities under the gpk and swm programs, the council has chosen rev.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  bttt
• 
  36

  The Pecking Order Of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they don't realize it but there is a pecking order.

  you especially see it when the circuit overseer comes by.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  They have a hierarchy just like the religions they criticize .
• 
  231

  Thinking of becoming a JW.

  by Kate82 in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  hi,.

  i am new to here so please be bear with me.. i have always believed in god, but was never baptised, my parents wanted me to make up my own mind religon wise.. i am thinking of becoming a jw and am just needing some advice on how to do this, bible study and jw beliefs.

  also do jw say grace and how.. i am greatful of any help.. thanks.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  You sound vulnerable .

  JWs are trained to prey on the vulnerable .
• 
  56

  Another non-JW reacts to Sparlock video

  by cedars in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ssv2nh0rc.

  and two weeks ago i highlighted another video where sparlock helped an ex-mormon.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmesmlhydru.

  though it still depresses me to think of all the young ones (including my own relatives) falling under the influence of this dangerous piece of propaganda, it's at least some small comfort that the sparlock video is backfiring so dramatically among thinking non-jws.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Watchtower-Free

  Awesome videos.

  Thanks Cedars.