Nicholaus Kopernicus

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Posts by Nicholaus Kopernicus

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  13

  Shepherding Visit Riposte

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if an elder approaches you and wants to arrange a shepherding call one possible response is..... "well thankyou brother, but jehovah is my shepherd.

  i shall lack nothing.

  (ps 23:1) but thanks again anyway".

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  Scratchme1010:

  You say that "... they wouldn't dare coming anywhere near me... “

  That is such a nice position to be in. Can you elaborate at all as to how you managed to get your BoE to avoid you?
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  20

  WT "Study" for 4th September 2016 - “Seek the Kingdom, Not Things”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i’m sitting there in the kingdom hall just thinking how rich it is of the gbojw to preach about materialism when they have recently been evidenced to be using bro’s & sis’ contributions to the world wide work to travel business class!

  just that thought alone was leading me to read scripture while they were all engaged in the wt “study”.. however, then it came to paragraph 17 and i blurted / choked a little.

  the paragraph said that “we should not imitate the people of ‘the nations,’ who have no real faith in a loving heavenly father who cares for those who put the interests of his kingdom first in their life.”.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  BluesBrother:

  What a paradox. Reaching out is a "fine thing" according to scripture. But not a fine experience in your case, mine, and that of many others. It's as if they were a bottom line employer and try to work you until your burned out! Not at all Christian.

  In the last 5 years, I've been approached twice about reaching out (usually in close proximity to CO visits) but next time I'm going to adopt your thought as my riposte. Namely: thank you brothers but I'm working on the counsel to simplify my life rather than complicate it.

  Shouldn't be all that long before I'm avoided by them all together. Amen!
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  20

  WT "Study" for 4th September 2016 - “Seek the Kingdom, Not Things”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i’m sitting there in the kingdom hall just thinking how rich it is of the gbojw to preach about materialism when they have recently been evidenced to be using bro’s & sis’ contributions to the world wide work to travel business class!

  just that thought alone was leading me to read scripture while they were all engaged in the wt “study”.. however, then it came to paragraph 17 and i blurted / choked a little.

  the paragraph said that “we should not imitate the people of ‘the nations,’ who have no real faith in a loving heavenly father who cares for those who put the interests of his kingdom first in their life.”.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  I’m sitting there in the Kingdom Hall just thinking how rich it is of the GBoJW to preach about materialism when they have recently been evidenced to be using Bro’s & Sis’ contributions to the world wide work to travel business class! Just that thought alone was leading me to read scripture while they were all engaged in the WT “study”.
  

  However, then it came to paragraph 17 and I blurted / choked a little. The paragraph said that “We should not imitate the people of ‘the nations,’ who have no real faith in a loving heavenly Father who cares for those who put the interests of his Kingdom first in their life.”

  Well! I thought – what an almighty cheek! What a gross presumption! Who do they (WT authors) think they are? I immediately began to mentally undermine this gross insult. In Mark 12:28, one of the scribes put’s a question to Jesus....

  “Which commandment is first of all?”

  In verses 29 and 30, Jesus gives his response...

  “Jesus answered: “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah, and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.’”

  Now what made me think of this scripture in undermining the GBoJW’s malign disparaging of people in general, is that the scripture in no way can be regarded as being targeted at Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 20th & 21st centuries. This scripture is for everyone. It is the “first of all” commandment and thus supersedes the GBoJW’s perspective that putting “the interests of his Kingdom first in their life” is the commandment which is “first of all”. ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS TO LOVE GOD UNRESERVEDLY as this “first of all” commandment states. So the GBoJW are far far out in deprecating people as they do in this paragraph, and have also got it wrong in terms of what is most important to put first in one’s life. This is evidence of appalling leadership. It is evidence of not being faithful to Jesus’ teachings, evidence of not being discrete and thus adhering to the Bible as the final authority, evidence of not being slave like by putting the (negative) thoughts of man above the teachings of Jesus. What a truly ghastly read paragraph 17 was!

  As for the box: “How to Simplify Your Life”

  1. 1.Identify your actual needs

  Surely the GBoJW travelling business class instead of economy exemplifies the priority of want over need on their part!

  2. 2. Eliminate unnecessary expenses

  This is good advice. I have eliminated all contributions to the world wide work of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Hall fund etc. I do so as my conscious does not allow me to contribute to the funding of lawyers to rebut child molestation victims’ lawsuits against a remorseless GBoJW.

  3. 3. Prepare a realistic budget

  Sound advice. My budget no longer includes contributions for the WT literature I utilize. No contributions for assemblies or CO expenses.

  4. 4. Dispose of things you do not use

  Very practical. I have disposed of copious amounts of WT and AW bound volumes and other items of WT literature.

  5. 5. Cut back on secular employment

  Not such good advice. I enjoy my employment. I’m a health professional and find my occupation quite gratifying in many respects. So I’ll ignore this advice. This advice is intended to free one up to join in one of their evangelizing schools as a pioneer or something. To be a pioneer one has to "cooperate with the body of elders" - this requirement alone rules out such a career change at a stroke! I'm not a follower of man!

  6. 6. Plan how to expand your ministry

  I have accepted this advice and expanded my ministry. This is via contributing to the online Christian community who have been and are victims of the “Man of Lawlessness”. Not what the GBoJW witnesses had in mind I’m sure!
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  13

  Shepherding Visit Riposte

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if an elder approaches you and wants to arrange a shepherding call one possible response is..... "well thankyou brother, but jehovah is my shepherd.

  i shall lack nothing.

  (ps 23:1) but thanks again anyway".

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  Cold Steel:

  A shepherding visit is usually two elders (can also be one elder and a MS) visit at the home address. It is claimed in the literature to be for the purpose of "imparting a spiritual gift"! The reality is far removed from that purpose however. Many elders say they merely want to offer encouragement! Neither of these rationale for such a visit withstands scrutiny however.

  In my congregation, none of the elders are encouraging when behind the lectern. The literature published is not encouraging. Thus, my assessment in terms of elders wanting to impart a spiritual gift to me or wanting to encourage me is that they are simply NOT CAPACITOUS!

  The real purpose is to correct, or control or both. I have known a significant number to become conscious of the falsehood of "the truth" as a result of these "shepherds'" malign visits mind you! I view them (locally anyway) as pure brutes and best avoided.
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  13

  Shepherding Visit Riposte

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if an elder approaches you and wants to arrange a shepherding call one possible response is..... "well thankyou brother, but jehovah is my shepherd.

  i shall lack nothing.

  (ps 23:1) but thanks again anyway".

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  If an Elder approaches you and wants to arrange a shepherding call one possible response is....

  "Well thankyou Brother, but Jehovah is my shepherd. I shall lack nothing. (Ps 23:1) But thanks again anyway".
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  7

  Best one liners

  by Chook in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  at kh my typical response to the lords of brooklyn .

  can you pray for me?.

  remember me when you get into your kingdom .

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  Riposte to an elder who wants to arrange a shepherding call....

  "Thankyou brother but Jehovah is my shepherd. I shall lack nothing. Thanks for offering!"
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  30

  CLAM Video: Aug 22-28 2016 – “Jehovah Will Care for Our Needs”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this video showed a married brother with three children living in a nice domicile and working full time.

  his employer demands that he change his working pattern such that it conflicts with his being able to attend wt meetings at the weekend.

  the brother decides not to yield to his employer’s demand and is thus dismissed.. the brother seeks for work very actively over a significant period but without any alternative being found.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  Yes Dozy, it is hard. However, only attended these two meetings. One sister who's awake knew that the videos would irritate me but said I managed to keep a straight face! Inside though, I found the videos amateurish, banal, and to be endured rather than enjoyed. I know from overhearing many that the videos are disconcerting. The other videos - the ones being marketed strongly as useful in the ministry - many here in SE England just not using them. They are cheesy on the one hand and not culturally sensitive on the other. This particular GB's efforts are quite counter productive in many ways.
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  30

  CLAM Video: Aug 22-28 2016 – “Jehovah Will Care for Our Needs”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this video showed a married brother with three children living in a nice domicile and working full time.

  his employer demands that he change his working pattern such that it conflicts with his being able to attend wt meetings at the weekend.

  the brother decides not to yield to his employer’s demand and is thus dismissed.. the brother seeks for work very actively over a significant period but without any alternative being found.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  This video showed a married brother with three children living in a nice domicile and working full time. His employer demands that he change his working pattern such that it conflicts with his being able to attend WT meetings at the weekend. The brother decides not to yield to his employer’s demand and is thus dismissed.

  The brother seeks for work very actively over a significant period but without any alternative being found. He is quite melancholy and concerned for the welfare of his family understandably. He then decides that with all that time available to him, he might as well pioneer for a time. Well! Well! Well! Wouldn’t you know that after engaging in the pioneer service, he actually gains employment and lives happily ever after! He is also able to attend all the WT meetings.

  So this is the second video in August which heavily portrays engagement in the pioneer service as a lifestyle to be lauded and which avoids or solves problems. No frank discussions as to the pro’s and con’s whatever. Highly idealistic!

  What I found interesting in the video, is that whilst the title is “Jehovah Will Care for Our Needs” the camera at the beginning focused on a kingdom hall contribution box and zoomed out whilst the narrator was making reference to the title! So the needs being met were being visually linked to contributions in a way rather than via any divine providence!

  The reaction in the audience of the local kingdom hall – faces again flat, blank, vacant, glazed. Countenance of some seemed somewhat embarrassed – perhaps as a result of the portraying of pioneering as some sort of talisman!
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  8

  CLAM Video: Aug 8-14 2016 – “Older Ones - You Have an Important Role”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this video portrayed an elderly widowed sister who was a former pioneer and now reduced to submitting field service reports of 15 minute increments.

  she was also portrayed as quite frail in that she ambulates with the use of a quad rollator frame.

  she was very neatly attired and groomed and what the video showed of her apartment conveyed everything perfectly tidy to a level which would have relaxed an ocd sufferer.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  This video portrayed an elderly widowed sister who was a former pioneer and now reduced to submitting field service reports of 15 minute increments. She was also portrayed as quite frail in that she ambulates with the use of a quad rollator frame. She was very neatly attired and groomed and what the video showed of her apartment conveyed everything perfectly tidy to a level which would have relaxed an OCD sufferer. Her attire and domicile also suggested that she was financially secure, despite her (and I think her husband’s) many years in pioneer service.

  The video was exploring what role such an elderly and frail sister might pursue in her congregation within the limits of her functioning. The camera focused on a young sister at a pivotal point in her life. She had envelopes with papers pointing out for the camera. One such was an application for university, the other for pioneer service. Such a dichotomy from the WTBTS / GBoJW didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was that the video then identified the role of the elderly frail sister in persuading the young sister to forsake an education and pursue pioneering.

  This veneer of a paradigm might have been attractive to some in the audience. It avoided the possibility (some would say likelihood) of financial difficulties later in life by portraying a picture of an elderly and former pioneer who seemed financially secure. It also legitimizes and puts a nice face onto the WT’s nihilism about further education. Many an individual at the age of that elderly sister would perhaps extol a higher education, affirm the youngster for considering such, and help her to honestly examine the pro’s and con’s of whatever decision she decides to make. But no such balanced approach in this video. Using the extolled silver hair and wisdom paradigm to put across the WT’s disdain of further education is truly heinous!

  The reaction in the audience of the local kingdom hall – flat, blank, vacant, glazed. No, nobody seemed impressed or encouraged in the slightest.
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  24

  WT Study - 28th Aug 2016 - “Do Not Let the Faults of Others Stumble You”

  by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  in paragraph 2 of this study, the gbojw evidences once again that they are sticking to the absurd 1914 doctrine – “when the last days of the present system began...”.

  i noted that as 2014 approached, the gbojw became somewhat reticent about making reference to revelation 12:12 – the “short period of time” scripture.

  so this study is the first one in a long time in which both the 1914 doctrine and revelation 12:12 are mentioned in the same study.

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  Nicholaus Kopernicus

  Despite several different trains of thought being expressed in this particular thread, most of the responses are focused on then component about the abusive nature of the organisation. Perhaps an evidence of the numbers of people being hurt as a result of the psychological cruelties directed at folks.

  The purpose of my blogging in general is to...

  a) Engage in catharsis of sorts

  b) Validate the experiences and thoughts of other victims

  c) Contribute to an online community of victims and assuage their hurt

  d) Highlight the sophisticated mendacity and other dysfunction in the organisation to those still in & who peruse this site

  e) Contribute to the increasing body of knowledge as to the true & real functioning of the organisation and its officers

  It is true perhaps, that the only way to avoid being damaged by the religion is “to stay the hell away” as LongHairGal opines, but then again, there are many who feel they cannot do so as they are in the invidious position of being psychologically excoriated (shunned by family) if they remove themselves and thus continue to be affiliated but remain out mentally. The latter (as in my case) represent a cost to the organisation via the removal and incineration/recycling of published literature, and abstention from making financial contributions. I think this may be termed as passive aggression!

  What else have I done to undermine the organisation? Well, by being still in physically and out mentally, I have had a chat with several whom I can trust and who in the past were reaching out. I have explained the secular charitable trustee role that goes with becoming an elder and the responsibilities therein. I have advised such ones that...

  a) If they wan’t to be an elder they should consider refusing the trustee position

  b) If they accept the trustee position they should consider getting third party liability insurance

  c) Consider avoiding the role of elder all together.

  The above advice is primarily because of the WTBTS / GBoJW appalling legal and financial governance and which could mean that secular government agencies or wronged individuals may have cause to issue criminal or civil proceedings. Thus far, I know of one MS who was reaching out for the position of elder but who remains an MS as a result of having become conscious of the aforementioned paradigm. He has his own business and understands the meaning of risk and the need for the aforementioned insurance!

  
  

  So yes, LongHairGal is right in many respects, but for those like I who are still in physically, it is more a case of damage limitation and protection than complete avoidance of damage all together!