Do the WTS actually destroy all of your records if requested?

by Thoughtless 28 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  sd-7

  Ray Franz wrote that he inquired about a certain file cabinet and was told at Bethel that those were the files of DF'd people--records were kept even after the person was dead. He expressed confusion as to why that would be necessary, as one would imagine. The only reasons I can think of are (1) in the event that a court case involves those records in the unknown future or (2) in the event the DF'd person is resurrected in the new world. I believe that even in that scenario, they would almost certainly see to it that he was re-DF'd automatically. Unless they went with the whole 'he who has died has been acquitted from his sin'...in which case maybe not...then again, the 'new scrolls' could always remove that stipulation, huh?

  --sd-7
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  Thoughtless

  Sorry for the profanity, but F*ck f*ck f*ck.
• 

  abbasgreta

  sd-7 The scripture you quoted "he who dies has been acquitted from his sin" is talking about the former life of one who has now experienced the "new birth" in Christ. He said to Nicodemus, "You must be born of the Spirit (or from "above") to see the Kingdom of God". - Such a person is 're-born' and is now a ""new creation". "The wages of sin IS death." The word "pays" is an heretical wt/NWT addition to fit their" mass resurrection of your (non-jw) dead loved ones" doctrine.
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  Oubliette

  Paul Grundy, the author of jwfacts.com, was able to get copies of his files. But don't know about getting them destroyed.

  Read all about it here:

  How I Obtained my Personal Files from Bethel
• 

  TotallyADD

  Don't forget about you pub. card. That thing is in the pub. records forever let alone the file on you in the congregation record file. The Wt. has there claws in you for the rest of your life. Totally ADD
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  villagegirl

  HACKERS - It would be great to hack into the WT systems

  and rewrite the magazines and insert new completley different

  ideas into the articles just as they were going to press, after the proofread,

  have them actually be printed and distributed, undetected, until they were

  in the hands of the publishers. Secret audio/video survelliance of Bethal

  and governing body meeting collected over time then You Tubed or Wiki Leaked.

  At the very least it would produce extreme paranoia.
• 

  krejames

  Desirous of change:

  There are specific instructions that the written files of the Judicial Committee concerning a matter of DFing are to be collected by the JC Chairman, placed in sealed envelope with only individual name on the outside and date and it is to be maintained in the Cong Confidential Files indefinitely if the person is not reinstated. Supposedly they are destroyed after reinstatement, after all restrictions are lifted, and after publisher is in good standing for 3 or 5 years (don't recall specifically). However, most Cong Secretarys are too lazy or stupid or apathetic to bother.

  You can "request" anything. Don't expect to get the answer you want to hear.

  I don't know whether this happens in the UK, but the only basis they would have for keeping anyone's personal information would either be explicit permission (I remember in the distant past we all had to sign something to say it was ok for them to keep our records) or on the basis that we are members of the religion and have regular contact. If anyone ceases to be a member (i.e. D/F's or D/Ad) there is no legal basis for keeping the records. They must destroy the files if the individual requests it (i.e. withdraws their permission and ceases to be a member) or risk getting a fine of up to £500k for each breach of the data protection act from the information commissioner.

  I don't know the legal basis in the US but I should imagine there must be similar legislation
• 

  krejames

  Here's the condition the WTS in the UK would be relying on. Once it doesn't apply they must destroy any sensitive personal data from their records (i.e. anything that relates to religious matters and especially the kind of stuff that would be on a judicial committee file)

  The processing

  (a) is carried out in the course of its legitimate activities by any body or association which—

  (i) is not established or conducted for profit, and

  (ii) exists for political, philosophical, religious or trade-union purposes,

  (b) is carried out with appropriate safeguards for the rights and freedoms of data subjects,

  (c) relates only to individuals who either are members of the body or association or have regular contact with it in connection with its purposes, and

  (d) does not involve disclosure of the personal data to a third party without the consent of the data subject.
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  sd-7

  sd-7 The scripture you quoted "he who dies has been acquitted from his sin" is talking about the former life of one who has now experienced the "new birth" in Christ.

  Well of course it doesn't mean what the WT would say it means. I was just quoting it as an example of the logic they might use to justify 'reinstating' a resurrected DF'd person. They'd probably meet with him and read that scripture and then admonish him to sin no more or something...

  --sd-7
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  Splash

  The information commissioner would be the person to contact to get to the root of the problem and escalate it to bethel.

  Splash