defender of truth

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Posts by defender of truth

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  14

  JWs on the defensive on FS in the UK right from the introduction.

  by Xanthippe in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  my daughter's friend from university had jws call on her this morning.

  they started off by asking her if she knew any witnesses.

  then they said you may have heard things about us but it's not the way it sounds!.

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  defender of truth

  Look on the last page of this download for the suggested presentation:
  

  http://download.jw.org/files/media_publickm/a3/km_E_201508.pdf

  But these quotes on the first page of the Watchtower that is being offered, speak volumes:

  “I had known Mike for years. He is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. But his religion always baffled me. Who is Jehovah? Why don’t Witnesses celebrate the holidays? Was Mike mixed up in a cult?”—Becky, California, U.S.A

  “My wife and I thought that Jehovah’s Witnesses called to prey on our guilt feelings because we weren’t at church. And we figured that if the mainline churches didn’t have what we were looking for, a weird sect like Jehovah’s Witnesses couldn’t have it either.”—Kent, Washington, U.S.A.

  “I read a lot about Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Internet,” says Cecilie, quoted earlier. “I heard some rumors, and I listened to a great deal of prejudiced talk. As a result, I formed a very negative view of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Later, however, she spoke to Jehovah’s Witnesses directly and found satisfying answers to her questions.

  www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20150901/jehovah-witness-facts/
  
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  110

  Just had a former elder friend tell me, “This Overlapping generation is crap.

  by John Aquila in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  last night i ran into a former elder friend, he is in his late 70s.

  he asked how i was doing and i asked how he was doing.

  then out of the blue he tells me; .

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  defender of truth

  The explanation they gave of the overlapping generation is having a negative effect on the dubs.
  

  Nope. Not in my congregation. They are praising it, and specifically the 'new explanation' in the September broadcast.

  They're all hyped up because the end is 'so near now'.. Or worried about if they are going to make it through the great tribulation.

  I despair..
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  9

  Pope Francis - Tax Churches That Don’t Help the Needy

  by Petraglyph in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  an interesting perspective from watchtower's nemesis:.

  pope francis calls for ending tax-exempt status of churches that dont help the needy.

  pope warns religious orders: take in refugees, or pay property taxes.

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  defender of truth

  issuing a blunt warning to any religious orders in Europe that spurn his recent call to open their doors to refugees because they want to make money off their properties instead...

  A religious school is tax-exempt because it is religious, but if it is functioning as a hotel, then it should pay taxes just like its neighbor.

  Renting space to help with operating expenses...

  For example, in Rome, a pensione operated by an order of nuns just outside St. Peter’s Square offers a room, breakfast, and Mass at 7 a.m. each day for $90 a night. They also rent their rooftop to CBS
  

  So, in context, he is just referring to religious groups that rent their properties out to paying guests..

  How can you stretch that to apply to the Watchtower's properties?

  Interesting comments from a Pope that no doubt sees this as another opportunity for good PR, but I see nothing directly relating to the Watchtower organisation in this story.
  

  Bethellites take a vow of poverty, Bethel is not a hotel..?
  
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  24

  If they go bankrupt, so what?

  by maksutov in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it seems likely that the watchtower is worried about its finances, given the downsizing, property schemes, and money-grabs we have been seeing over the last few years.

  perhaps they suffered badly from the financial crisis.

  for sure, there will be more expenses to come from child abuse payouts.

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  defender of truth

  As for the builders’ economic concerns, Haggai conveyed this message: “‘The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.” (Haggai 2:7-9) Within five years after Haggai spoke those stirring words, the project was completed.—Ezra 6:13-15.
  

  
  

  Haggai’s words have also motivated God’s servants in more recent times during large projects related to the worship of Jehovah.

  In 1879 when the faithful and discreet slave class began publishing this journal, then called Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence, it contained the following statement:

  “‘Zion’s Watch Tower’ has, we believe, JEHOVAH for its backer, and while this is the case it will never beg nor petition men for support. When He who says: ‘All the gold and silver of the mountains are mine,’ fails to provide necessary funds, we will understand it to be time to suspend the publication.”

  
  

  Jehovah’s Witnesses undertake many projects that have the same objective that The Watchtower has—that of exalting Jehovah as Sovereign Lord of the universe and announcing the good news of his Kingdom. (Matthew 24:14; Revelation 4:11)
  

  The conviction of the Witnesses today is like that voiced by this journal in 1879. They believe that God is backing their work and that funds will be available for projects that have his blessing.

  http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2007804
  

  If they were to run out of funds for an ongoing building project/s, at some point in the future, what will that indicate to thinking JW's..?
  
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  30

  JW Elder Lawsuit Update: AAWA Fliers are Illegal and Uncle claims he is "Going to Kill us in Court"!

  by ReligionOfHatred in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi, my uncle made the first move by taking my mom, dad, grandma and grandpa(all in good jws in standing and non have put out anti-jw fliers or speech), that's who he is taking to court.

  i have left the organization but than again, i was only a unbaptized publisher.

  my grandma (whom i love so dearly was shocked to learn "i am not going to marry a pioneer and i don't want anything to do with any pro-jw females, i feel this religion is one of the most hateful religions mankind has seen).

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  defender of truth

  rebel8
  

  sometimes it's best to separate yourself entirely from toxic people.
  

  Amen to that.

  www.marcandangel.com/2015/05/03/10-things-to-remember-about-toxic-family-members/
  
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  49

  Extreme emotions re today's watchtower

  by Tornintwo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was supposed to attend the meeting today, one of my once a month duties for the sake of my family and my fade.

  i read the wt and i just can't stomach going.... what this wt does is again and again reiterate that only jws will survive the coming destruction and that they should be happy about this and raise ourselves erect...eg:.

  we cannot expect that many people will suddenly convert to true christianity.

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  defender of truth

  Great posts, ReligionofHatred.

  You can be a really useful contributor..

  Keep it up ;)
  
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  25

  Jamaican news - ‘SHUNNING’: A Cult-Like Practice Of Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  www.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150913/shunning-cult-practice-jehovahs-witnesses

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  defender of truth

  www.examiner.com/article/jehovah-s-witnesses-preach-a-conditional-love-that-destroys-lives
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  25

  Jamaican news - ‘SHUNNING’: A Cult-Like Practice Of Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  www.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150913/shunning-cult-practice-jehovahs-witnesses

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  defender of truth

  BTTT for any who missed this.

  www.jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20150913/shunning-cult-practice-jehovahs-witnesses
  
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  6

  Massive list of JW Legal, Child abuse, property holdings, related news articles..

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  just found this:.

  http://culteducation.com/group/1267-jehovah-s-witnesses.html.

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  defender of truth

  Just found this:

  http://culteducation.com/group/1267-jehovah-s-witnesses.html
  
• 
  7

  Disfellowshipping by Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Brief History - Great article

  by defender of truth in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  despite the governing bodys best efforts, members do leave the faith.

  the governing body insists there is no valid reason for leaving the religion.

  in fact, their brand new brochure, return to jehovah, lists only three reasons why someone might leave the religion: misplaced guilt, being mad at a witness, and being busy with life.. but of course, there are several valid reasons for walking away from the faith, all of which are much more damning than the sanitized reasons the watchtower society lists.

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  defender of truth

  ^^ Just to be clear, I bolded the word torture, that is not in the article.

  The most widely accepted definition of torture internationally is that set out by Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT):

  “... 'torture' means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person...

  Torture is often used to punish, to obtain information or a confession, to take revenge on a person or persons or create terror and fear within a population.

  Victims of torture do not suffer alone. Victims' families and friends are also greatly affected. Local society is damaged both through the trauma inflicted on its members but also through an instilled awareness that basic human rights are neither guaranteed nor respected. Freedom is not respected. People are not respected. The use of torture sends a strong warning to those within a political, social, or religious opposition, but also to normal citizens who cannot rightly claim to live in a free or safe society.

  www.irct.org/what-is-torture/defining-torture.aspx
  

  Here is a related petition you may wish to sign:

  www.change.org/p/launch-an-investigation-to-determine-if-jehovah-s-witnesses-have-a-right-to-use-coercion-forms-of-mental-torture-to-force-its-members-not-to-leave

  And this survey is fairly interesting:
  

  The findings are not surprising, given the fact the not so family friendly shunning policy of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been called cruel and inhumane by cult experts like the Australian Psychologist Raphael Aron and is even categorized as psychological torture.