Posts by mizpah

28

"AMICUS CURIAE", the USA Supreme Court and the WTBS Inc.

by MacHislopp in

swaggart ministries v. cal.

amicus curiae ".

amicus curiae '

mizpah

I have no object to the idea of "amicus curiae" either. And I know it is a legal means to support self interests. But what I do object to is the Watchtower's insistence that its members be entirely separate from those whom it classifies as "Babylon the Great." Yet, it did not hesitate to support the efforts of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries to sell literature to save its own skin. I wonder if an individual JW was found to be supporting any other religion even in this indirect way what would have happened?

I knew of one JW who had a security business that serviced a church. The elders insisted that he drop this church upon the threat of disfellowshipment. This person tried to reason with the elders that he had legal obligation (contract) until he could find another security business to take over. The elders gave an ultimatum of dropping the business within a few business days. Being impossible to do, this person was disfellowshipped.

The only reason I give this example is to show how exacting the Watchtower requires its own members to obey the rules but feels free to pursue any course that protects its own business interests.

6

Catholic church more honest and candid than Watchtower Society?

by mizpah in

on the news it was reported that the newly appointed archbishop of boston (o'malley} spoke of the sins of the "clergy, religious and hierarchy" in mishandling the sexual abuse of children within the church.

and he promised to correct and to heal the church.

it remains to be seen if he can do this.

mizpah

Some good points, Gopher,

However, it must be remembered that the Catholic church used the same tactics as the Watchtower Society when the scandal of child sexual abuse first broke. Clergy privilege, Confidentiality, Separation of Church and State were all part of its strategy. But when the publicity became overwhelming it decided to admit the error and correct the problem. There is still an old vanguard among some of the leaders. And it remains to see if this new archbishop will be able to accomplish his stated goals. We all hope so.

I'm sure that these cases involving priests and the eventual settlement to the victims will have an impact on the Watchtower Society. It has to be aware of the precedents that are being established. But you are right....the Watchtower Society has miles to go to catch up to the Catholic church.

28

"AMICUS CURIAE", the USA Supreme Court and the WTBS Inc.

by MacHislopp in

swaggart ministries v. cal.

amicus curiae ".

amicus curiae '

mizpah

As I understood it the Watchtower position put it in company with not only the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries but also with the likes of the Church of Scientology. Isn't it funny how a common interests, in this case the selling of literature, make for "strange bedfellows." A better term would have been "friend of fellow co-religionists."

It is true that the Watchtower Society withdrew from this case probably because it saw the futility of it and then changed their whole program for distributing literature. It will never admit that it was primarily this case, though. As I recall, the Society seemed to make it a charitable cause by distributing literature at the expense of its followers.

6

Catholic church more honest and candid than Watchtower Society?

by mizpah in

on the news it was reported that the newly appointed archbishop of boston (o'malley} spoke of the sins of the "clergy, religious and hierarchy" in mishandling the sexual abuse of children within the church.

and he promised to correct and to heal the church.

it remains to be seen if he can do this.

mizpah

On the news it was reported that the newly appointed archbishop of Boston (O'Malley} spoke of the sins of the "clergy, religious and hierarchy" in mishandling the sexual abuse of children within the church. And he promised to correct and to heal the church. It remains to be seen if he can do this. But at least he has recognized and addressed this problem.

The Catholic church has always been a target for the Watchtower's venom. But in this case, isn't the Catholic church more honest and candid than the Watchtower Society?

11

Is the Watchtower's idea of preaching what Jesus had in mind?

by Latin assassin from Manhattan in

what kind of preaching was jesus talking about in mathew 24:14?

it seems to me that jesus wanted christians to preach the hope of the resurrection to mankind.

nowhere in the bible, does it say that christians were to preach their own interpretation of bible prophecy as the wts does today.

mizpah

There is absolutely no proof that the apostles and disciples preached "from house to house." The new translations make this clear when they render the verse "publicly and in houses." They followed Jesus' example by preaching the "good news" to people who sought him out or in public places such as the market place or other public gatherings. Yes, he did preach when he visited people who invited him to their homes.

Christians did give testimony to their new faith and talked about Christ with friends and to relatives. But there is no evidence that they knocked on people's doors as Jehovah's Witnesses do today. The work of evangelizing was done by those appointed to the ministry by God's holy spirit. Paul said that only "some" were appointed to be evangelizers.

The "good news" was effectively spread in the first century throughout the Roman world by these two means. Personal testimony by every Christian and the ministry work of the appointed evangelizers. They did not keep publisher record cards. And they did not need the approval of a Governing Body to do this work. And they certainly did not need Watchtower publications!

14

Someone please tell me this pro paedophilia site is a hoax

by ignored_one in

.

sounds like that nambla site.. .

(link removed, see below)

mizpah

An interesting interview that I caught only the "tail end" of yesterday suggested that the internet is soon going to be policed by "cyber policemen." He stated that the sale of drugs and other illegal products such as child pornography make it necessary in the U.S.

It is evident that some controls are necessary. But what a shame if the federal and state government gets involved and limits the freedom we now enjoy. The orginators of the internet wanted to keep it as an open forum for sharing ideas. But the abusers of this freedom are forcing changes to it in the near future.

13

Four lawsuits filed in California over JW sexual abuse cover-up

by Gerard in

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0729jehovahswitnesses29-on.html lawsuits allege cover-up of sexual abuse up by jehovah's witnesses

associated press.

jul.

mizpah

Gerard:

Thanks for this posting. Keep the rest of us abreast of developments. The case in NH is at a standstill unless it is taken to the State Supreme Court. The judge in the lower court dismissed charges against the elders and the Watchtower Society. But the sisters promised to appeal.

The Watchtower tries to give the impression that sexual abuse of children is not a real issue in the Watchtower Society. But events have proven otherwise. And the Watchtower is now trying other legal tactics to discourage others from filing suits. I wonder why it just doesn't confess, repent and turn around as the Scriptures recommend? Instead, it denys, obfuscates and continues in its unchristian course.

It is an issue that will not go away very soon. And if the leaders of the Watchtower Society don't make changes it may never go away.

38

How did you adjust to the world after leaving JW land ? friends/lonliness ?

by run dont walk in

how long did it take you to adjust to the real world ???

and make real friends, who didn't care about religion.

did you suffer from lonliness and depression after leaving ???.

mizpah

Rundontwalk:

Most JWs really do want to help people and they devote time and effort to the ministry to satisfy this need. Anyone who leaves the organization can get immersed into volunteer work as Blondie suggests. Not only willl you meet other dedicated people who have the same interest, but you'll also get an inner satisfaction that you are able to help others less fortunate than you.

Sadly, I've seen individuals who "go off the deep end" upon leaving the organization. ( It seems that some people never had moral and ethical standards of their own.) And so they indulge themselves with every activity that was denied them as a Jehovah's Witness. But a course of self indulgence is never the answer.

There are wonderful people outside the organization. But to find them you have to make the effort. Use some of the training you had as a JW to talk and to become friendly with others only without the religious discussions.

27

Conversation with mom today re: apostate material

by Jourles in

so my mom calls me up today here at work and asks me how things are going.

she goes on about the usual stuff, latest gossip, and other things i don't really care to hear about.

she asked me how i am coming along in my "studies" with my assigned elder.

mizpah

Vipernus:

I sympathized with your situation. It is similar to ours (my wife and me) in our separation from our daughter and her children as well as other close relatives for the last 20 years. The pain and heartache are real. But the fact that your parents are still holding to their Watchtower views after thirty years shows the futility of trying to argue with them. We gave up trying years ago. But we asssured all of them that we loved them deeply and that they would always be welcomed in our home.

The situation has not changed. But I think they all realize that should they question the Watchtower doctrine some day, they have people who care for them to give solace and comfort as well as to answer some of their doubts. And, in fact, this is what happened to one niece of ours. Our thoughts and prayeers are with you.

12

Pardon my ignorance

by Ariell in

what was the true motive for the wts joining the un?

what did they have to gain?

i've done research, but have yet to find an answer to my question.

mizpah

It is rather hard to tell whether the Watchtower Society just blundered in this decision or whether there was an ulterior motive. One possible speculaton is that they were trying to project an image of ligitimacy for those countries that have banned the organization. What better recommendation than an affiliation with the UN?

Jehovah's Witnesses like to think of the Watchtower Society as one large organization that is unified in all aspects of its makeup. But over the years, rumors of real blunders and snafus have filtered down through the "grapevine." Like any human institution, the Watchtower Society has had its share of poor decision making, cross purposes of its leaders and outright mistakes.

We may never know the real reason that prompted the Watchtower to join the NGO of the UN. But it is a good example of how its standing rests on "feet of clay."