Posts by StarTrekAngel

20

Does the Watchtower Bible Society own stocks. Nad are those stock related to military business?

by CitizenofEarth in

hello.. i am a young 18 year old danish guy, who is a baptized jw.

since one year ago i have been maturing gradually and asking questions about many things, not only about jw stuff(which has caused some problems.

but nothing i couldnt handle with a bit of social skill).

StarTrekAngel

Stan,

When non-profits offers you the option to donate by means of gift annuities, they need to find ways to offset or hedge for potential pitfalls in their pool of investments. I am not justifying them. I disagree with the stock buying as well but it comes to show you they operate like a business first and as a religion second.

As far as military stock or investments, the documents from the SEC show very clearly that the Watchtower owned anywhere from 40 to 52% of Regi/Randcam. While many have argued that the Watchtower did not directly managed these investments, the truth is that they are ripping the benefits and at the same time, they can not claim ignorance of the matter. I am sure financial regulations demand that the WT corporation be informed of the financial conditions of their investments and the IRS demands they report on the performance of it.

The same happens with the Rilley fund. While the Watchtower is only the beneficiary of the fund, the information in their own magazines state that this type of donation of stock are conditioned to the WT becoming owners of the fund upon the passing of its original donor. The Rilley fund BELONGS to the watchtower. Whether they intervene on the daily decisions of it I am not sure but it is of little relevance. Once again they are obligated to be in the know regarding the investments made. Because they are the owner they also have the power to direct Comerica Bank if they feel their money is miss used (like invested on defense companies). Several of the tax disclosures regarding this fund show that there are quite a few questionable investments. Raytheon, Lockeed, Boeing. Even some movie studios which produce questionable films (films they actually warn their members about).

As everything in life, with the exception of the speed of light and truth, everything is relative. The major disjunction in all of these may go beyond the moral. You could argue that it is unethical for any religion to invest in defense stock (in fact they teach as much) you could also put in perspective. What do they demand from their members? I think most of us here would agree that they would scold you if you dare to even stare towards one of this corporations as you pass by their offices. Ray Franz describes in his book the story of a brother who had to quit his job because part of it involved delivering food to a military base. There are many stories like it.

10

Will there ever be an accounting for religious leaders that go beyond what's written?

by Chook in

all including wt prophets may be surprised.

StarTrekAngel

Yes. That is a consensus among most witnesses, at least in my area. They will have to tell Jehovah and he will judge.

{/end of sarcasm/]

But really, cults love people who can self justify their suffering this way.

90

Day 5 - Fessler vs. Watchtower – Ends: Plaintiff settles in Jehovah’s Witness Child Abuse Trial

by darkspilver in

day 5 in court - and apparently the plaintiff stephanie fessler has decided to settle..... http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/02/jehovahs_witness_sexual_abuse.html.

jehovah's witness sexual-abuse-coverup lawsuit settled.

february 13, 2017 at 2:37 pm, updated february 13, 2017 at 2:44 pm.

StarTrekAngel

In the minds of the JWs, a settlement means a win for them. They can take the slightest sign of ambiguity and tip it in their favor. Cognitive dissonance at its best. What I am actually more disappointed about is the sensationalist advertisement that goes on in some sites about how this case was the best since Conti. Either they are over exaggerating the facts or they are assuming the vitctim's priorities.

My thoughts are with them as no one knows exactly what they have endured but themselves. They deserve every bit of reparation they can get.

However, in the larger picture, those of us who are proponents of change as we claim, should exercise more caution. Dealing with a cult is difficult when you only count with a few hours a day to debunk them and the cult counts with thousands of people working full time to debunk apostates.

I've been following this case with my wife and this settlement is not going to play well. She works with and has worked with lawyers for a very long time. She has seen her fair share of very large cases that in the eyes of common sense were lost before the start, yet the lawyers manage to make the criminal walk away free.

I should have kept that in mind. Lesson learned.

4

"serenity now!"

by nowwhat? in

just had my annual checkup.

first time in 10 years my blood presure is normal.

and i've cut my anti anxiety medicine dosage by 75 percent.

StarTrekAngel

Wow... congrats!

It is funny how it works different on everyone. While I did have some stress and anxiety over my "spirituality" in the past, nothing compares, in my particular case, to the stress and anxiety of leaving. Mostly from seeing the WT attempts to steal your loved ones.

90

Day 5 - Fessler vs. Watchtower – Ends: Plaintiff settles in Jehovah’s Witness Child Abuse Trial

by darkspilver in

day 5 in court - and apparently the plaintiff stephanie fessler has decided to settle..... http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/02/jehovahs_witness_sexual_abuse.html.

jehovah's witness sexual-abuse-coverup lawsuit settled.

february 13, 2017 at 2:37 pm, updated february 13, 2017 at 2:44 pm.

StarTrekAngel

Settled? Wow... Based on what I read on jwsurvey it seemed like Fessler had the winning side. May be the settlement was large enough?

34

Have a friend who only speaks Spanish and want him/her to learn TTATT? www.verdadtj.com

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

if you have a friend who only speaks spanish, or they speak english but spanish is their preferred language, i am pleased to tell you that there is a spanish translation of jwfacts in progress.

so far, these are the completely translated articles:asociación de la watchtower con las naciones unidas - un ngo associationcelebración de los cumpleaños - birthdayslas transfusiones de sangre - bloodpredicción fallida de 1975 - 1975¿por qué está mal el ser un testigo de jehová?

- what's wrong with being a jw?escándalos de la watchtower - watchtower scandalsexpulsión y rechazo - disfellowshippingfolleto general acerca de la watchtower - pdf - general pdf about wtvideo - crecer como testigo de jehová - growing up a jw¿debería estar jehová en el nuevo testamento?

StarTrekAngel

The site is registered to Paul Grundy from jwfacts. Big kudos to Paul for doing this. If I can be of any assistance, let me know!

34

Have a friend who only speaks Spanish and want him/her to learn TTATT? www.verdadtj.com

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

if you have a friend who only speaks spanish, or they speak english but spanish is their preferred language, i am pleased to tell you that there is a spanish translation of jwfacts in progress.

so far, these are the completely translated articles:asociación de la watchtower con las naciones unidas - un ngo associationcelebración de los cumpleaños - birthdayslas transfusiones de sangre - bloodpredicción fallida de 1975 - 1975¿por qué está mal el ser un testigo de jehová?

- what's wrong with being a jw?escándalos de la watchtower - watchtower scandalsexpulsión y rechazo - disfellowshippingfolleto general acerca de la watchtower - pdf - general pdf about wtvideo - crecer como testigo de jehová - growing up a jw¿debería estar jehová en el nuevo testamento?

StarTrekAngel

This is amazing!

12

Intelligent Disobedience

by George One Time in

did you notice the expression "intelligent disobedience" in the febuary 2017 broadcast (at 7:30)?.

it was used with the illustration of a guide dog for blind persons, that sometimes has to disobey it's owner.. what a fine example for us!

.

StarTrekAngel

Could it be that this is their way to try and weed out the not-so-obedient? This is not the first sort of article on the matter that we have seen

46

Sad news from the Spanish Front

by Hecce in

jw
friends

i think the majority of forum friends are aware of the existence of a vibrant watchtower opposition in the spanish field.

for about 13 years the extj forum was probably the main instrument for that endeavor, sadly the couple sponsoring that site decided to close it at the end of last year.

it seems like they were overwhelmed with personal obligations and responsibilities; they were covering a 100% of the expenses without any outside cooperation or publicity.. after the closing of their forum, some of the friends started new sites to keep the flow of information alive.

StarTrekAngel

Well I stand corrected. Kind of... I can definitely see some quality work there. I will take some time to read thru before I pass any further comments. I am not only referring to the quality of the content but the quality of journalism as well. Needless to say that any effort in bringing the truth forth is something I will applaud publicly but maybe criticize privately in places like here. Here are my point of contention

- The quality of journalism. I understand this is not something that comes about naturally, specially when this sort of thing would require you to put significant amounts of time towards it. Research, travel, reaching out to specialists or other media outlets.

- The difference between a news oriented site and a more analytical site. For example, the difference between jwsurvey and jwfacts. Both are required to be well thought out and presented in a way that makes for an easy read.

- The last and to me the most important, which was exalted by the first paragraph of this jwsurvey article (http://jwsurvey.org/news/news-article-sheds-light-on-watchtower-abuses-in-spain) is that we need more interaction between the different communities. Usually the major divide would occur between the English and Spanish JW communities due to the language barrier. We need a good way to bridge that divide. Usually, English readers would concentrate on English material only. Naturally so but while English is widely spoken worldview and a great crowd (sorry for the WT label) can be reached, we are in sort of a niche. We keep throwing arrows at this enemy that is obviously dwindling in the English field. We get plenty of information that not only is easy to read because it is on our language, but because we also understand the system in which the leadership plays. When it comes to the Spanish field, a lot may be getting lost in translation. In this field the WT enjoys the advantage that the people are not only disconnected by language, but also disconnected in understanding. If I go to a JW in Latin America and I show them paperwork regarding, for example, the Rilley fund, they may initially understand what it means but they will be easy to confuse by a refutal from the other side if the people don't understand how the American financial system works.

All of the above is meant to be a comment on whether there is a way we can better support ex-JWs in other languages. It is never meant to say they are ignorant. I am sure they understand their own issues better we ever could (I include myself because even though I am from SA, I was never a JW there). The idea is to bring forth the possibility that we could support the ex-JW community in other parts of the world with the ease of access and experience that we have in this side of the divide.

46

Sad news from the Spanish Front

by Hecce in

jw
friends

i think the majority of forum friends are aware of the existence of a vibrant watchtower opposition in the spanish field.

for about 13 years the extj forum was probably the main instrument for that endeavor, sadly the couple sponsoring that site decided to close it at the end of last year.

it seems like they were overwhelmed with personal obligations and responsibilities; they were covering a 100% of the expenses without any outside cooperation or publicity.. after the closing of their forum, some of the friends started new sites to keep the flow of information alive.

StarTrekAngel

Exactly my point. Quality. Forums are not bad for those of us who would like to share some ideas and openly discuss. But for those lurking in fear, signing up for a forum when their computers can be subject to monitoring (if you are a minor) or the computer is shared with a loved one, then is not an option. Sites like JWsurvey should be widespread and in many languages. There you can get information and hide your tracks much easier. You don't have to sign up for anything. Sure, hiding is not that difficult, but when you are in fear of apostasy, you would be less likely to go thru that process. Quality information should be easy to come about with nothing more needed than a click in the right place.

Also, I am glad that progress is being made in Spain, but this should affect the entire Spanish speaking world.

@Simon

3 Gbps is quite more than I anticipated. For this type of content? That tells me there are plenty of lurkers who do not post, and I mean PLENTY. Unless I am missing something. Most videos are youtube hosted so I would think they do not count towards your traffic, do they?