Posts by OrphanCrow

19

Jehovah's Witnesses activity game - Dressing and Undressing Children

by jwleaks in

with all the jehovah's witnesses child abuse scandals being reported on by the media around the world at the moment what were the governing body of jehovah's witnesses thinking?.

link to activity page:http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/activities/time-to-get-ready/.

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OrphanCrow

are we going to suggest that Toys'r'Us stop selling dolls?

No.

That is not a fair comparison.

Religious indoctrination within a closed community is not the same as a retail outlet.

19

Jehovah's Witnesses activity game - Dressing and Undressing Children

by jwleaks in

with all the jehovah's witnesses child abuse scandals being reported on by the media around the world at the moment what were the governing body of jehovah's witnesses thinking?.

link to activity page:http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/activities/time-to-get-ready/.

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OrphanCrow

The game itself may well be innocent in the hands of innocent people, but it's not the innocent we need to be concerned about, it's the undetected pedophile that sees an opportunity to ask children to play dress-ups- just like Jehovah does. Pedophiles don't think like normal people, and making undressing a game to children is a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

Exactly.

I agree.

Just because dressup dolls seem innocuous to those who wouldn't think of using them for nefarious purposes, doesn't mean that those with sexual grooming of children in mind won't use them for that.

In the hands of a pedophile, dressup dolls can be a valuable tool.

I am surprised that the WTS is using dress up dolls for JW children - somebody, somewhere up there in the WTS hierarchy, should be aware of the potential abuse that these dolls could generate.

19

Jehovah's Witnesses activity game - Dressing and Undressing Children

by jwleaks in

with all the jehovah's witnesses child abuse scandals being reported on by the media around the world at the moment what were the governing body of jehovah's witnesses thinking?.

link to activity page:http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/activities/time-to-get-ready/.

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OrphanCrow

I used to play with paper dolls, they were fairly popular in my area in the mid 1970s. But I seem to remember that my paper dolls had actual printed underwear, not just blank white space. It does seem really out of date, and micromanaging in the sense of telling people exactly what to wear, but that's it. I do not get a pedophile/creeper vibe from it.

I think that people's differing reactions to these WTS 'dress-up' dolls could be due to age differences.

I, too, played with paper dolls, not in the 70s, but in the 60s. They were once very popular.

However, in today's climate of pedophiles being finally 'outed' and prosecuted, dressup dolls have come to be associated on two levels with pedophilia.

First, underage sex websites are notorious for linking to sites that offer dressup dolls. I stumbled across some of those links many years ago when my daughter was young and we were searching for doll activities to download.

Secondly, dolls have been used for forensic interviewing purposes when dealing with potential victims of sexual abuse.

http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume1/j1_1_5.htm

In today's culture, the concern about using dressup dolls for religious indoctrination does, I think, have some validity as not being suitable.

4

Frontline: Secret State of North Korea

by freemindfade in

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/secret-state-of-north-korea/.

this is an interesting documentary just watched on netflix.

see if you can pick out all the similarities between north korea, and the high control jw.org.. defecting (leaving) not allowed.

OrphanCrow

"It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma"

I read a book recently that gives a look inside the North Korean regime from the perspective of a young boy that grows up inside that country.

The Orphan Master's Son was one of the most disturbing novels I have read.

http://www.pulitzer.org/works/2013-Fiction

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/17/orphan-masters-son-adam-johnson-review

4

3 things you didn't know about Rutherford

by Coded Logic in

i never realized rutherford was so devious and delinquent.

just found this on a debate forum: .

1) forgery:after c.t.

OrphanCrow

After C.T. Russell's death, J.F. Rutherford presented a book called: "The Finished Mystery" that was allegedly written by C.T. Russell after his death. But, according to a New York court, this was a forgery: "After his death and after we were in the war they issued a seventh volume of this series, entitled "The Finished Mystery," which, under the guise of being a posthumous work of Pastor Russell...which were not written by Pastor Russell and could not have possibly been written by him...They were proved false.(1)"

The Finished Mystery was produced by two authors who apparently used Russell's notes to do so. The two authors were Clayton Woodworth and George Fisher, both directors of the WTS. Also, they were both textbook writers for the International Correspondence School. I do not think that Rutherford ever claimed authorship of The Finished Mystery.

36

Rasputin and Serums and Herbs--Oh My!

by rebel8 in

i have written a blog post about the dubs and their scorn of modern medicine and rasputin, while simultaneously touting unproven, dangerous cures.. i wonder what it is about a fake remedy that makes jws believe in it or scorn it?.

OrphanCrow

In school, IIRC, they said Rasputin would take the child alone into closed rooms for hours and not disclose what was done. I've always wondered if he was transfusing (which is actually not too difficult to learn--even children infuse themselves). He had the wealth of the family at his disposal--he could have paid for the blood and snuck it in by pretending it was some mystical item.

I am not discounting your theory that blood transfusions may have been involved in Alexei's care. However, the likelihood of Rasputin administering transfusions to the prince in the limited time that he was left alone with him, is unlikely. First off, he would have had to take equipment in with him - and i suppose he could have hid that under his robes. But, that would result in contamination and risk of infection. Along with the inherent risks involved with a procedure of this type that would have been used in an 'arm to arm' procedure of that era:

Not only would that kind of procedure be difficult to do by yourself, it would also be time consuming. Blood transfusion technology was rudimentary in the early days of the 20th century - blood typing was first discovered in 1901.

And then, complicate the procedure by the resulting needle marks which would have to be explained, an overly attentive mother, and a child who revealed everything in his world happenings to his tightly knit family...I find the blood transfusion theory to be somewhat weak, even though not discountable.

The most telling incident that did not involve blood transfusions, was the one of the most serious, that occurred in 1912. It is this incident that was supposedly 'cured' by Rasputin's telegram. I find the notion that Alexei's blood disorder to be one that is characterized by spontaneous remission to be a compelling one, especially as there are few accounts of bleeding episodes after that time.

The mystery of the Romanov family and the last prince of Russia, is receiving some closure due to advances in forensics, yet there will always remain the myths and legends associated with that period in history. Interestingly enough, the entire family has now be raised to sainthood in the Russian Orthodox Church. That is quite the distinction for a family who was murdered in cold blood while all their relatives looked on from a safe distance.

What I find interesting about the Watchtower's slant/bias on their interpretation of history surrounding Rasputin, is that they fail to see the irony in their own position towards blood. Just like Rasputin, the WTS has turned their back on the medical community, and instead, has asked their members to put their faith in some old outdated religious belief. If anything, the Watchtower Society is today's Rasputin.

36

Rasputin and Serums and Herbs--Oh My!

by rebel8 in

i have written a blog post about the dubs and their scorn of modern medicine and rasputin, while simultaneously touting unproven, dangerous cures.. i wonder what it is about a fake remedy that makes jws believe in it or scorn it?.

OrphanCrow

Rebel, there is much speculation concerning details of the prince's blood disorder as well as the events surrounding the death of the prince..

For an alternative explanation to hemophilia being the disorder he suffered from, and that it may have been a different blood disorder, this article has some interesting theories.

http://www.npsnet.com/alexei/

The article also offers an interesting explanation as to why Alexei's bleeding stopped, apparently, from a simple telegram received from Rasputin.

67

Good Netflix shows to watch

by Simon in

in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).

house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.

OrphanCrow

I am a Netflix addict.

I liked The Killing - and also The 4400. The same actor who played the politician in The Killing is in 4400. Both are set in Seattle, I think - some filming done in Vancouver.

I like British TV series. And foreign. I like looking at different scenery and sets.

Bletchley Circle - great cast of women actors.

Foyle's War - a crime drama set in Britain during WW2. Episodes are an hour and a half or so.

Appropriate Adult - a true life account of Fred and Rose West. i have a morbid fascination with insanity - this is a well done account told from the point of view of the woman assigned to Fred during legal proceedings. It gives a good view into a madman's mind.

The Bridge has a great plot - but it is subtitled - gotta pay attention.

Broadchurch - a disturbing crime drama.

Movies:

The Secret in Their Eyes

District 9

36

Rasputin and Serums and Herbs--Oh My!

by rebel8 in

i have written a blog post about the dubs and their scorn of modern medicine and rasputin, while simultaneously touting unproven, dangerous cures.. i wonder what it is about a fake remedy that makes jws believe in it or scorn it?.

OrphanCrow

That is an interesting hypothesis, Rebel, and one that had not occurred to me. I will keep that in mind when I am researching. However, I have not run across anything in the numerous accounts that exist of the Royal family and Rasputin's involvement that would suggest that blood transfusions were involved. If they were, I would assume that a blood transfusion would have involved the medical doctors, not Rasputin, and a medical event like that would not have gone unnoticed or unrecorded.

The prince kept a diary and had a servant with him at all times. I don't think Rasputin would have had the opportunity, even if he had the knowledge (which I doubt - Rasputin wasn't very educated) to administer the procedure. And not have the prince reveal it to someone - the family was very close and intimate with their private affairs.

Many of the 'cures' pursued and even the lengths that the Royal couple went to to try to get that male heir was extensive. The Empress even went so far as to raise Seraphim to sainthood in 1903 in her desire for a son. She also, in her intense desire to produce an heir, suffered a false pregnancy right before conceiving Alexei.

Alexandra was committed to producing a son as heir to the throne of Russia, and after giving birth to 4 daughters, the son was seen as a gift from God a 'Jesus' for Russia. Alexei was born in 1904. And, ironically, the prince shed his blood too, just like the mythical Jesus of their Orthodox faith. He bled throughout his entire short life, and at the age of 14, in 1918, he shed his blood along with his entire family, on the ground of Russia. The history of the last of the Romanov dynasty is one of bloodshed, from its beginnings - right down to the blood of the last prince and his entire family - that era is soaked in blood.

The hemophilia gene was passed onto the Russian male heir by his mother, Alexandra, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The Empress carried horrible personal guilt for passing this trait down to her son and, by all accounts, was a mother extraordinaire to all of her children. In spite of Alexander's shortcomings politically, nobody has ever been able to fault her as a mother - her devotion was boundless to her family.

36

Rasputin and Serums and Herbs--Oh My!

by rebel8 in

i have written a blog post about the dubs and their scorn of modern medicine and rasputin, while simultaneously touting unproven, dangerous cures.. i wonder what it is about a fake remedy that makes jws believe in it or scorn it?.

OrphanCrow

Oh boy. I just now thought to search the litteratrash for keyword Rasputin. Yep, no wonder why they were on about that so much with me.
"July 17, 1918, the date of Nicholas Romanoff’s execution by the Bolsheviki, is not too long ago for us to remember the last of the Russian czars, Nicholas II. Of him TheEncyclopedia Americana (volume 20, page 315) says: “His superstition was shown by his consultation of fortunetellers, spiritualists, mystics and charlatans in his desire to secure a male heir, his first four children being all girls.” He is all too well known for his connections with the notorious Russian Monk Gregor Novikh, nicknamed “Rasputin,” meaning “dissolute, profligate, libertine, licentious,” because such he was. Rasputin came of a peasant family with an inherited gift of mesmerism. He started a new cult, in which dancing and debauchery were mixed in with mystical seances. He was introduced to the Russian Imperial Court, where for years he exercised a powerful influence with Nicholas II, who retained him in his court, even against the protest of others." - "The Watchtower," 9/1/55, pp. 528,529.

Hi Rebel. Thank you for digging up that reference to Rasputin in the Watchtower literature. I have added it to my notes. :)

Rasputin is one of my favorite historical characters. A couple good books I have read about him are:

The Life and Times of Grigorii Rasputin by Alex deJonge, and Rasputin - Satyr, Saint or Satan by Douglas Myles.

Rasputin's role in the last days of the Russian Empire, and his place in the bloody end of the Romanov Dynasty, is one that has been much discussed from various political viewpoints.

When medical doctors were unable to stop the young prince's bleeding, it was Rasputin who, by praying, laying on of hands, and, once, from telegram, was able to make the bleeding stop. The Empress Alexandra leaned heavily upon the monk - doing as any mother who loved her son unconditionally would do -- whatever it took to save his life. If blood transfusions had been available back then - she wouldn't have hesitated to give her son blood.

At the time that Rasputin became an active character involved with the Russian Royal court, and especially involved in the spiritual/medical care of the Russian prince, Russia had more than her share of religious cults. I think that it is Myles who gives a good account of the nature of the cults that Rasputin emerged from when he became the savior of the hemophiliac Prince Alexei.

As a point of trivia, on the eve of Nicholas II's abdication March 15, 1917, (Mar. 2nd) there was an apocalyptic cult that gathered outside of Moscow, I believe, that committed suicide. I can't remember how many members committed suicide that night, but they thought it was the end of the world. And it was - the world has never been the same since.