Posts by mizpah

139

WTS Addresses Child Abuse - er, kind of...

by iiz2cool in

my wife, who is intent on re-activating herself as a dub since i da'd myself, went to the convention this past weekend.

she showed me this new publication entitled "learn from the great teacher", and placed great emphasis on these two pages i scanned and am posting.

it makes a poor show of telling children what to do when confronted by a child abuser.

mizpah

Has it occured to anyone else that the comments of SOJ just doesn't ring true?

If he or she is a loyal member of Jehovah's Witnesses why has this person ignored and/or disobeyed the counsel of the "faithful and wise servant" by joining in discussions (hence association) with disfellowshipped people on these "apostate sites?" Isn't that a disfellowshipping offense in itself?

Can this person just be playing the "devil's advocate" (an appropriate term?) to get some response from those participating in these discussions? For what purpose?

Or is it a sincere person that is seeking some answers to troubling questions about the Watchtower organization?

Any thoughts?

10

Case In Canada Sets Precedent For Future Lawsuits

by rainbow2003 in

this is to commend vicki boer for having pressed her lawsuit successfully against the watchtower itself, thus setting a precedent for future lawsuits.

it is regretted that the judge did not reward her more than a mere $5,000 which won't even start to pay for the hassle, but future judges can now use the precedent and some may award other victims of watchtower pedophilia in the millions of dollars.

chin up, all.

mizpah

Sometimes the legal system is slow to catch up to the "court of public opinion." In this court the elders and the Watchtower Society are "guilty." All the bad publicity from these cases has exposed the failure of the Watchtower Society and the elders to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members in their organization.

Now, Jehovah's Witnesses have the unenviable position to answer for these failures when they preach from door to door. It is sometimes difficult to understand how people who claim to have studied the Bible and preached Christ's message of love can not comprehend the magnitude of the failure of their religious leaders in this matter. Perhaps, it is "fear of men" that has shut up their capacity to have compassion and empathy for the victims.

The Bible teaches that each person is ultimately judged each one "according to his deeds." Do Jehovah's Witnesses really think that the argument "we were only obeying orders" will really hold in the final judgment?

139

WTS Addresses Child Abuse - er, kind of...

by iiz2cool in

my wife, who is intent on re-activating herself as a dub since i da'd myself, went to the convention this past weekend.

she showed me this new publication entitled "learn from the great teacher", and placed great emphasis on these two pages i scanned and am posting.

it makes a poor show of telling children what to do when confronted by a child abuser.

mizpah

Since the parents subject themselves to the judgment of the Watchtower Society and the elders, doesn't it seem logical that the Society and elders have the ultimate responsiblity to report cases of sexual abuse of children to the proper authorities? In the past, it is obvious that the counsel that parents received was to NOT report it. The motive, undoubtedly, was to prevent "bringing reproach upon God's organization." But the moral reponsiblity was, first and foremost, to protect the children.

It is apparent that the Society has finally reacted to all the bad publicity by writing articles in the Watchtower and by including segments at the assemblies. But many feel it is "too little, too late" for the damage that has been done. And one has to wonder whether this effort has been to create a false image that the Watchtower has always been at the forefront on this issue when, in fact, the problem has been ongoing for many years.

It is apparent from what has happened that the Watchtower Society was more interested in protecting its assets than protecting its young innocent members.

5

Who set up a new church when the Jews lost their favor?

by FairGame in

can anyone answer this for me?

this is a matter of being able to talk to my family or not.

what i come up sith so far, in the book of matthew, is that jesus handed over power to peter.

mizpah

There can be little doubt that the Christian church has Christ as its foundation. Peter was used in a unique way to open up the new message to the Jews at Pentecost and then to the Gentiles with the conversion of Cornelius. So, in this sense, Peter was instrumental in the early establishment of the Christian church. Later, Paul became the leading apostle to preach to the Gentiles who, evenutally, became the majority within the church. Peter continued to focus his ministry on the Jews. And he seems to "fade out of the picture" even in the recorded Acts of the Apostles.

A remnant of believing Jews were an important part of the early church. That is why some felt that Christianity was merely another "Jewish Sect." But as the Gentiles became greater in number, the "Jewishness" of the church became less of a factor. Later, there seems to be a real effort of the Gentiles to completely erase this early history. Note the labelling of the "Narzarenes" and the "Ebionites" as apostates around this time.

As Paul aptly put it, some like himself, laid a foundation of early believers but others built upon that foundation. But no one person could take the credit for the church. Paul discouraged this sectarian view by emphasizing that we are all built upon the Christ.

144

LANDMARK DECISION - Vicki Boer vs Watchtower Society

by Uzzah in

as most are aware, vicki boer has been long awaiting a decision to be handed down in a case she started against the society in canada.. the decision was handed down today.

as with any 55 page decision, it will take some time for the legal experts to hash it over and decipher what was said.

but, in a nutshell..... vicki won.

mizpah

Congratulations to Vickie and other Canadian ex-JWs. This is a great victory that has been achieved in the Canadian court system.

However, in our enthusiasm, we must not forget that there is still a long road ahead in this battle of fighting sexual abuse of children in the Watchtower organization. Just recently, a judge in New Hampshire held the Watchtower Society and the elders not responsible in a similar case. It will probably be appealed to the state supreme court. But it reminds one that there are differences in legal decisions in various countries.

There has always been a reluctance in the courts in the U.S. to deal with issues that involve religion. However, with the precedents set by the cases involving the Catholic church, the courts seem to recognize that this has to be addressed.

Let's hope that we see similar results in the courts of the U.S.

65

Judge: Elders NOT required to report abuse

by Nathan Natas in

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/main.asp?sectionid=25&subsectionid=377&articleid=83009

judge: elders not required to report abuse .

saturday, june 21, 2003. by andrew wolfe telegraph staff, [email protected].

mizpah

Elders and other representatives of the Watchtower Society are not encouraged to think and to act for themselves. If they do, they can be accused of "running ahead of the organization" and are in danger of being reprimanded or disfellowshipped. (Consider the example of Bill Bowen.) Sadly, the Society has lost some of its brightest and most qualified people in recent years because of its restrictive measures. (Consider Ray Franz and Ed Dunlap.) The elders are more often interested in holding their own positions within the congregations than they are in the welfare of their own "brothers." If the exceptional elder makes the effort to become personally involved with the members, he could be accused of trying to "exalt himself" or even of "creating divisions" within the congregation.

The Watchtower Society wants absolute control over its members. The elders become the enforcers of this policy for the Society. This is why there is an underlying atmosphere of fear in the organization. This is why one brother will often betray another in the name of "keeping the organization clean." The "love" that Jehovah's Witnesses profess for one another is based solely on loyalty to the organization. Anyone who has left the organization experiences the superficiality of that "love."

But the love of Christians is based upon their personal relationship with God and with one another.

65

Judge: Elders NOT required to report abuse

by Nathan Natas in

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/main.asp?sectionid=25&subsectionid=377&articleid=83009

judge: elders not required to report abuse .

saturday, june 21, 2003. by andrew wolfe telegraph staff, [email protected].

mizpah

One should not be too surprised that the Watchtower has in recent years embraced the causes of other religious institutions and professed a similarity to them even though the Watchtower has identified as them as "Babylon the Great:"

1. In the Bonham, Tx dispute over the ownership of the Kingdom Hall, the Society's lawyers argued that the Watchtower was "hierarchial" in structure.

2. In the Jimmy Swaggart case in California, the Watchtower submitted its "amicus curiae" (friend of the court) to support the non-taxation of religious literature. Thus, they joined others like the Scientologists to support the Jimmy Swaggart ministries.

3. In this recent case, the lawyers for the Watchtower Society argue that elders have clergy exemption privileges under "confidentiality rule" and the sacredness of the confessional in their judicial meetings.

It seems that the Watchtower doesn't mind becoming bedfellows with other religions when its own interests are a priority.

65

Judge: Elders NOT required to report abuse

by Nathan Natas in

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/main.asp?sectionid=25&subsectionid=377&articleid=83009

judge: elders not required to report abuse .

saturday, june 21, 2003. by andrew wolfe telegraph staff, [email protected].

mizpah

I think the real issue here is the ethical and moral responsibility of elders to prevent child sexual abuse. The legal system varies from state to state and country to country. But an individual, especially one professing to believe in Christianity, must answer before God. If he withholds information from the proper authorities, he becomes as guilty as the perpertrator.

In the past, the Watchtowers have reminded its members that when a crime was committed in Israel the entire community was held responsible. It was up to them to find the guilty party and to see that justice was done. This shared responsibility was part of God's law. And there are Biblical examples to be cited. In some cases, the entire nation was held responsible.

Bill Bowen clearly saw this issue and no longer would keep silent to protect the organization. When the Watchtower Society took action against him it added to its collective guilt. If the courts fail to render the proper judgment, God will not.

48

WTBS' Financial Empire...the tip of the iceberg!

by MacHislopp in

jw
friends

watchtower bible & t

mizpah

The argument that Christians need modern methods to spread the simple gospel message is fallacious. Jesus and his early followers rapidly covered the entire Roman world with the "good news" without all the encumbrances of a publishing corporation. They used the most efficient and effective means: word of mouth.

Likewise, early Christian meeting places were generally in people's houses certainly not in Kingdom Halls. There was no need of contributions to maintain buildings. The contributions that were collected were for the needs of the brothers not for corporate expansion.

The best advice for the Watchtower Society would be the same as Jesus gave to the rich young ruler: "Go, sell what you have, give to the poor and come be my follower."

48

WTBS' Financial Empire...the tip of the iceberg!

by MacHislopp in

jw
friends

watchtower bible & t

mizpah

You've "hit the nail on the head", Coffee. The Watchtower is not unlike other religious oganizations that have great assets and wealth at its disposal. But it has always boasted that it was "different." It wasn't too many years ago when Jehovah's Witnesses felt pride that,unlike other religions, JWs were devoted to their ministry and to each other...not to building projects and other materialistic pursuits. However they may try to justify their current publishing empire, they fail to follow the course that Jesus and his early disciples took to spread "the good news."

When Jesus sent out his apostles he instructed them not to take "gold or silver or copper" and not to take extra garments and provisions. Even of Jesus it was said that he did not have a place to lay his head. How can any religious organization say they are following Jesus' example when it abandons these simple principles and emulates the great corporations of the world? While the Watchtower may fool its credulous followers, it can not and does not fool God.