http://www.wane.com/global/story.asp?s=3083005 .
http://www.wane.com/global/story.asp?s=3083005 .
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http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=3083005
http://www.wane.com/Global/story.asp?S=3083005
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on another thread ( http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/86931/2.ashx ) i saw these comments:.
think again, the kingdom halls are paid for by the local witnesses, and when its paid off, its donated back to the wt society, what an elaborate scheme!!!
when the construction is finished the congo finally has it's own kh, right?
Euphemism is absolutely correct! That is exactly how it was done in our congregation here in Fla. My Dad was also an elder before he died, and I can remember him mouning and growning about the whole mess, but he signed the papers because he was to afraid (not) to! If one elder did not go along with the rest of the elders, there was always that constant fear that he could be removed for causing divisions.
Thanks!
not sure if this is a "made up" email or not -- sounds like any other talk you've ever heard..... .
>a talk recently given by brother guy pierce ... .
>safeguard your spirituality by training your perceptive powers .
Scully makes a good point. We have certainly heard this crud before. But in my opinion, I think they have advanced themselves to using (Bulldozers) instead of the old shovels of the past. The old shovels were just not cutting the mustard, and their numbers have dropped significantly!
They want those (numbers) back up, and their going to use any means available to get them to get them there. Anger, threats, 15 minutes a month is OK, take a language class and count 25 hours, it is hard to say what will be some of the new arrangements in the future, to appease the FDS class to try and get things back to what they consider as (normal)! Perhaps they feel that they can (Bulldoze) more obedience into their members.
Scully--Good Show--Thanks!
would you please email me a scan of the may 22, 1994 awake article " youths who put god first.
please email to: .
lawrence hughes
Shunned Father:
Check your e-mail. 32 pages scanned.
Voyager
would you please email me a scan of the may 22, 1994 awake article " youths who put god first.
please email to: .
lawrence hughes
It is already being handled. Be patient! Scanning (entire Awake magazine). Will be sending it to you soon. Copy at 50% resolution to 75% scanning as (picture) larger and more clear.
Documents will be in your computer within 2 hours, if all goes well!
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1110879631169140.xml .
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1110879631169140.xml .
***********************************************************************************************************more from the post-standard | subscribe to the post-standardevolution or creationism: cny schools tread lightly tuesday, march 15, 2005 by sapna kollali staff writer .
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1110879631169140.xml
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1110879631169140.xml
*********************************************************************************************************** 
More From The Post-Standard | Subscribe To The Post-Standard
Hannibal high school biology teacher Mike Holy believes in God and teaches evolution. He sees no contradiction between the two.
As a scientist, Holy makes evolution not just part of his curriculum, but part of the independent research he conducts outside school.
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"I certainly believe in God, but I don't see any clash at all," he said. "I ask my students to understand evolution, but they don't have to believe it. I present them with information, and they can make their own choice."
Across Central New York, teachers confront this issue: How should they present the concept of life's origin and development to their students? In New York, the state Education Department requires that students understand evolution and the theories of Charles Darwin, who proposed the idea that species, including man, evolve, or change, over time.
But many Central New York teachers said they approach evolution as just one theory and let students know they can believe any idea they choose about how life came to be.
The debate about how schools across the United States teach evolution - and, in fact, whether they teach it at all - has recently resurfaced, partially due to a federal judge's ruling earlier this year that a Georgia school district could not place stickers in science textbooks that called evolution "a theory, not a fact."
Around the country, it is "fairly common" for teachers to avoid the topic of evolution, said Nick Matzke, spokesman for the National Center for Science Education, in California.
"It becomes an issue in small conservative communities," he said. "But in general, New York is ahead of other states."
Avoiding the topic is difficult in New York, because of state Education Department requirements. The state includes evolution and Darwinism in its learning standards for The Living Environment course, often taught as biology, and in The Physical Setting, taught as earth science, chemistry and physics.
The state has also said public schools cannot teach creationism, the idea that God created the world, said Ann Crotty, associate for science education in the state Education Department.
Still, the state has not determined how teachers should present the information in class.
"There are certain concepts that must be addressed to meet the learning standards, but what school districts do to teach that is a local decision," Crotty said. "How school districts approach it varies a lot."
Even the way individual teachers handle evolution can change from year to year, said Westhill High School biology teacher Denise Reiner, the biology representative for the Science Teachers Association of New York State's central region.
"There are some basic, fundamental vocabulary and patterns," she said. "We go into some areas deeper than others, but I've taught at other schools, and it really depends on the group of students and what they want to discuss."
Her curriculum includes various theories and ideas, including natural selection and mutations. Her honors biology class learns about
similarities among species - such as the comparable muscles, ligaments and bone structures of a chicken wing and a human arm.
"I certainly don't teach that we are related to chickens, but I want them to be able to see and analyze those similarities. My job is to bring those ideas out," she said.
What helps, Reiner said, is that evolution often seeps into other units and subjects, including genetics, earth science and physics. But teachers said the topic is usually taught only in biology.
Chittenango High School senior Eric Martin said he did learn "quite a lot" about evolution in his Regents biology class two years ago, and the topic is scheduled for the advanced biology class he's taking this year. He said his biology teacher held class discussions on evolution and Darwin's theory, and mentioned creationism only in passing.
"The teachers understand that not everybody believes in evolution. They teach you what you need to know for the Regents, but they don't force stuff on you," Martin said.
Evolution 'our best bet'
Many teachers said they receive few complaints about what they teach - certainly fewer than they did in past decades.
Madison Central School biology teacher Dan Saulsgiver said, too, there is little controversy over teaching evolution these days. He attributes it, in part, to fewer students attending church.
"It was a much greater issue 30 years ago, when I started teaching, I think because more kids were going to church. . . . I'll have half a dozen or so every year now from the more conservative Christian denominations ask me about it," he said. "I had a parent of a Jehovah's Witness student come in and bring me books and videos to look at, and we talked about what I teach."
What he teaches, he said, is that evolution "is our best bet," according to the scientific community, and presents supporting evidence. He said he avoids teaching his own ideas and tries to "divorce religion and science," but he does introduce his students to creationism. He usually reads passages from the biblical book of Genesis, and he has brought in Protestant ministers and Catholic priests to discuss the issue with students.
Saulsgiver said he talks about scientific gaps in Darwin's ideas because he believes it is important to develop a critical and analytical conversation with students. But, he said, he stresses that creationism is not science.
He also tells them that the word "theory" in science does not have the same meaning as it does in common speech - a scientific theory, he said, has strong evidence to support it.
"I'm a God guy, but I tell them that idea is not supported in scientific theory. (Creationism) hasn't held up to the same empirical standards as evolution," Saulsgiver said.
At religious schools
Craig Cheeley, principal and biology teacher at Southwest Christian School in Oswego, disagrees. A non-registered religious school housed in the Southwest Oswego Baptist Church, the school does not adhere to the state curriculum and standards, he said.
"We teach both evolution and creationism, and we show how evolution is incorrect," he said. "Both ideas are accepted by faith. We believe evolution doesn't have a scientific basis, there's no proof, so you have to accept it on faith. And creationism, there can't be any proof, so you accept that on faith."
Other religious schools in the region that are registered and do follow the state curriculum including Faith Heritage School in Syracuse and Tyburn Academy in Auburn - must teach about evolution, but they are also free to teach religion, creationism and other topics not addressed by public schools.
Faith Heritage biology teacher Scott Auwarter said the nondenominational evangelical school teaches both evolution and creationism to students, but teachers make no secret of their personal leanings toward the latter idea.
Because many of Faith Heritage's students belong to evangelical churches, they already believe strongly in creationism, Auwarter said. He said he teaches students that there can be multiple interpretations of data.
"When we study the evolution unit, for a good three or four weeks, part of that is taking time to contrast other ideas," he said. "We seldom get anyone who rejects the idea that God created the world."
At Tyburn Academy, a Catholic school, evolution is taught for about two weeks by both theology teacher Bob Walters and biology teacher Janet Cuthbert, according to a statement sent by both teachers.
They teach how evolution fits into the biblical understanding of creation.
"We teach the students a basic understanding of how evolution is proposed; that it is a theory and that when properly understood, it does not conflict with faith," the statement said.
Questions and answers
Jen Ehrhart, a junior at Liverpool High School, said she wishes public schools could discuss creationism more. She said she believes evolution is part of God's larger plan.
But, more importantly, she said, she wishes she had more opportunities to ask questions about all the theories. She said she believes God keeps changing what we know about science to encourage more questions.
"In biology, they just kind of tell you that this is what happened. They talk about it so you get the gist of it. I mean, I know the basic ideas, but there was really no chance to ask questions," she said. "While some students seem interested in learning about evolution, teachers said few want to talk in class."
Madison Central's Saulsgiver said if he wants to have a conversation, he has to start it.
"I give both sides and ask questions," he said. "I want to get them talking, but it's like a discussion between a Democrat and a Republican. I'm not going to change anyone's mind, and it's not my job to do that. It's my job to teach science."
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i have heard recently that the society has some sort of financial connections with philip morris the tobacco giant.. is this true???
chukyy
Rebel8:
Mary:
Both of you make excellent applications to the true hypocrisy of the Watchtower, thats for sure.------They judge, jury, and prosecute others, while doing much worse themselves. Just like the Pharisees!
Thanks!
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7168826/site/newsweek/ .
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7168826/site/newsweek/ .
see paragraph (2).
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7168826/site/newsweek/
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7168826/site/newsweek/
SEE PARAGRAPH (2). UNDER PICTURE. My highlighter will not work for this article!
****************************************************************************************************** The Battle for Latino Souls Pentecostal churches are using savvy marketing to attract traditionally Catholic Hispanics. A holy struggle in Chicago
 Shannon Taggart for Newsweek Devotion: Santiago and her flock at Rebaño Church |
March 21 issue - Five years ago, Esperanza Hincapie had sunk into a pit of despondency. With a daughter in prison for murder, she contemplated swallowing a mouthful of pills to blot out her heartache. Then four Hispanic ladies from Rebano Companerismo Cristiano?a Pentecostal church in the Humboldt Park area of Chicago?came to visit her. They encircled Hincapie?a lifelong Roman Catholic from Colombia?laid hands on her and prayed. "I felt a tremendous chill," she recalls. "I began to cry and cry, and released everything." The following Sunday, one of the women drove her to Rebano, where Hincapie, 52, converted and permanently joined the flock. At her Catholic church, she says, "I always left feeling empty." At her new one, "I felt something beautiful?the presence of the Lord."
| advertisement |
Santiago and her husband are now focused on attracting a younger generation to replace the old guard that left when her parents ceded the reins. The couple has abandoned traditional evangelism?wielding a bullhorn and a fistful of tracts on a street corner?in favor of M.B.A.-caliber marketing. Drawing on materials from Outreach, a marketing firm aimed at white evangelical churches, they've experimented with a variety of growth strategies?direct mail sent to Latino addresses culled from consumer databases; a "40 Dias con Proposito" ("40 Days of Purpose") campaign inspired by Rick Warren's "The Purpose-Driven Life." Above all, they offer an inviting sanctuary with amenities for all, like a new youth center stocked with games and computers. "People are looking for service," says Santiago's husband, Freddy. "It's like a business." Membership has increased from 625 two years ago to 900 today.
In the religious marketplace of Humboldt Park, the fastest-growing churches are the ones that have engaged the surrounding community. New Life Covenant, an Assemblies of God congregation, swelled from 125 to 1,700 members in four years after Wilfredo De Jesus took over as senior pastor. With entrepreneurial zeal he created 70 ministries for every conceivable niche group and enacted Biblical stories with live animals such as a camel and a 500-pound pig. The church also started men's and women's shelters and a farm outside Chicago for drug addicts and prostitutes. "We started to just go after people who were wounded and hurting," says Associate Pastor Rico Altiery. To fund these projects, the church has relied on a combination of tithes?which have ballooned in tandem with the congregation?large individual donations and public grants.
At nearby St. Mark's Catholic Church, the deacon, Antonio Navarro, has watched with dismay as his Latino congregation has shrunk steadily over the years, partly due to defections to other faiths. "Sometimes they don't see the value of what they received here," he laments. The church has staunched some of the bleeding with a charismatic group that offers a worship style akin to that of the Pentecostals. But Catholics will never match the aggressive evangelism of rival churches. "We keep trying to imitate the Protestants, but it doesn't work," says Richard Simon, Cardinal Francis George's liaison for charismatic renewal. Just ask Esperanza Hincapie, whose jailed daughter abandoned the Catholic church two years ago. A prison ministry sponsored by an evangelical church converted her.
spreading good news (without) an organization!
spreading (good news), comes in many forms, because not everyone defines the two words (good news), the same.
whether you are spreading good news from the deepest biblical doctrines and quoting scripture, or whether you choose to spread good news without a bible and just desire to say a kind word to your neighbor, it is still very clear that good news can be spread (without) an organization.
Spreading Good News (Without) an Organization!
Spreading (good news), comes in many forms, because not everyone defines the two words (good news), the same. Whether you are spreading good news from the deepest Biblical doctrines and quoting scripture, or whether you choose to spread good news without a Bible and just desire to say a kind word to your neighbor, it is still very clear that good news can be spread (without) an organization.
Good news can represent a better world to many people relating to the future. Yet, good news to others can be hearing that Gas Prices are going down right now!
It is interesting to note that even the Watchtower admits at times, that an organization is (not) needed for someone to spread good news. If fact, they even admit that you (don?t) even need to be one of Jehovah?s Witnesses to spread good news.
The Yearbook/1995/pages 178-179, published by the Watchtower Society states quote:
.
The
Good News Reaches Chiapas StateEven before that registration, the good news reached Chiapas State, in the southern part of the country, and it was taken there by someone who was not a Bible Student, as Jehovah?s Witnesses were then called. From that area, a well-to-do man named Del Pino went to Europe to study medicine. While there, he also learned much from the Bible Students. On his return to Mexico, he prepared a hall to which he would invite his workers on the Montserrat Hacienda as well as local Evangelist ministers. He knew how to find things in the Bible, and he got considerable enjoyment out of explaining doctrinal truths to those who had gathered.
One who listened to these discussions
with a receptive mind and heart was young José Maldonado, who, in 1924, was working on the hacienda. There is no evidence that his employer, Doctor Del Pino, ever actively associated with Jehovah?s Witnesses, though he did receive the Watch Tower publications. However, the Bible truths that young Jos é heard stirred up in him the desire to have a share in preaching Bible truth. In 1927, Jos é became established in Tuxtla Guti é rrez, and from there he spread the good news and distributed Bible literature throughout the State of Chiapas?this without any training from the organization. In another city, Tapachula, near the Guatemala border, Josefina Rodr í guez also began to preach the Bible?s message at that time.Of course in this example, the Watchtower Society would like to claim that the teaching of Bible truths was a result of (their) literature, but the fact remains, these two individuals were (not) described as Jehovah?s Witnesses, and were (not) trained by the Watchtower Society to spread good news that they (chose) their (own) words to accomplish! Jose? may have re-established himself in a different place, but the article doesn?t say that he ever got baptized, or ever really became one of Jehovah?s Witnesses. His previous employer, Doctor Del Pino, may have been receiving Watchtower publications, but still the Watchtower admits that there is (no) evidence that he became (actively) associated! Yet both men are used as examples by the Yearbook as ones building meeting halls and spreading good news.
Jehovah?s Witnesses could apply this example to their own lives today. If the Watchtower Society admits that an (organization?s) training is not needed to spread good news, then many people wonder why JWs continue to rely on an organization for their every word and thought to be dictated to them.
If you should happen to be one of Jehovah?s Witnesses, haven?t you been lied to enough? Would finding your own station in life (without) an organization really be so bad, if you thought that you could spread good news without it? Doesn?t your own life and freedom for happiness demand that your life be lived without dictatorship? Others are certainly spreading their form of good news (without) an organization, and so can you, whether it comes from the Bible or whether it comes from the good news of the menu of your favorite restaurant.
Organization is (not) needed, to give or receive good news!
Thanks!
in recent years, some witnesses in former soviet territory got their names in the papers.
for supposedly trying to bribe officials to stop harassing them.
in response, the watchtower.
UNITED
NATIONS
Economic and Social Council
Distr.
GENERAL
E/CN.4/2000/9
2 February 2000
Original: ENGLISH/ FRENCH/
SPANISH
COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Fifty-sixth session
Item 11 (a) of the provisional agenda
48.Aleksandr Viktorovich Usenko, a Jehovah's Witness, was reportedly arrested by three officials from the Baku City Procurator's Office on 13 November 1997 after allegedly offering a bribe in exchange for the registration of his congregation as a religious community. He was reportedly taken to Investigation Isolation Prison No. 1, Bailov Prison, where he was allegedly beaten and verbally abused by an investigator. He was subsequently sentenced to three years' probation after being convicted of bribery. He reportedly lodged a complaint about his treatment with the Baku City Procurator.
http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord2000/documentation/commission/e-cn4-2000-9.htm
On the actual United Nations page, you have to scroll down quite a ways down. I shortened the page here just for a review. Scroll down to # 48.
While none of us condone anyone of any religious faith being beaten, this JW certainly didn?t make matters any better by offering (bribes) if indeed he was guilty of such. If he was, then these bribes certainly don?t surprise many of us here on this board!
Thanks Metatron----Good post!
