Posts by OrphanCrow

41

Awake! Quotes a Well-Known ex-JW Apostate in Support of Their Beliefs!?!

by Oubliette in

konceptual99, referenced this article on another thread: .

was it designed?

the inverted retina.

OrphanCrow

Oubliette: Strange! No?
Why would they do that?
(You can read Bergman's biography by clicking on the hyperlink on his name in the Awake!quote)

Thank you for posting this information about Jerry Bergman.

I think that Bergman and the WTS are a perfect fit.

Now that I have read Bergman's biography and a few of his articles that he has published, I will no longer be using Bergman as any kind of authority whatsoever, even if I can 'cherry pick' pieces out of his 'anti-JW' articles on mental health.

His writings are extremely biased to the point that they have no value except for the dissemination and perpetuation of cultural beliefs. His only value is as an example of how religious beliefs can influence science to the degree that religion can make the claim that it is based in science - which it is not.

Bergman has lost all credibility with me.

8

Federal prisoner, child of active JW, could be my grandchild?

by FatFreek 2005 in

i recently learned of the possibility that my son has a love child and that this child is in prison.

the child was born in the early 80s.

i learned that my ex-wife and her parents may have paid a large sum of money to the young mother (and others) in order to keep this scandal out of the press and perhaps out of earshot of the local elders.

OrphanCrow

FatFreek, do you know the identity of the mother of your maybe-grandson?

She might be able to help you out.

DNA testing, in spite of cost, will answer your question.

Good luck.

8

Watchtower and the Dishonest Use of Uncredited Images

by jwleaks in

jw
friends

the below image comes from the following web site page: commons wikimedia.

the author of the work has granted licence to use his work providing he is properly credited or attributed as the author.. .

[credit: daniel meyar, licensed for use under creative commons].

OrphanCrow

It will be interesting to see if Watch Tower takes down the image or corrects it. Of course that all depends on whether the JW Writing Department or IT department or any others at the JW headquarters read so-called "apostate" websites, such as this one.

Or, it could depend on whether or not Daniel Meyar, the one who should be attributed with the photograph, ever finds out that his work has not been credited properly by the WTS.

Theft of creative works, and/or not giving credit to the owner/author of those works, really bothers me. I am pretty sure that it would bother Daniel Meyar too.

59

what is the best line to say to a JW handing you an invite to the memorial

by nonjwspouse in

jw
friends

i have some ideas, but want more to choose from..

OrphanCrow

me: "So this Memorial celebration is about Jesus? Do you believe in Jesus?"

JW: "Oh, yes! Of course we do!"

me: "Do you try to follow what Jesus did?"

JW: "Oh yes!"

me: "Do you believe that Jesus died and gave his blood so that the whole world could live?"

JW: "Oh yes!"

me: "So, if Jesus gave his blood, why don't you?"

33

Inactive ones are not JWs

by gone for good in

years ago, the insinuation was often presented, that those who were inactive were actually not witnesses at all.

the point being made was that ''...winesses is a verb, not a noun...''.

i know there were published assertions to this end in the older books and magazines, with possibly even quotes from the likes of rutherford or knorr ,.

OrphanCrow

Goneforgood, i don't know if this is what you are looking for, but the following quotes give some historical background, and substantiates where the idea comes from that being inactive means that a person is no longer a JW

from Preparation by Judge Rutherford pg 326:

Jehovah does nothing toward the destruction of the enemy in secret. His faithful witnesses must give this warning in the name of Jehovah, and their failure or refusal so to do would be evidence of their unfaithfulness and lead to their own destruction.

and from Theocratic Aid to Kingdom Publishers, 1945 - pg. 8:

It is discretionary with an individual as to whether he will serve the Lord, but, once having made a consecration to do God’s will, obedience to Jehovah’s commands becomes mandatory. It is a matter of life and death.

You can find both those publications here:

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/historical-publications.php

49

Hasta la Vista,.. I'm outta here

by insidetheKH in

jw
friends

the time has come to leave this forum.

this is my last post.

mission completed.

OrphanCrow

is that a JW pic or someone here photoshopped?

The image is from a video produced by jw..org. It comes from the video where Caleb and his family visit Bethel.

I will let you look it up - I don't visit that site.

:)

32

Do JW Children Still Call Adults "Aunt" and "Uncle"?

by cofty in

when i was young we were taught to refer to other adult jws as aunt or uncle.. was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?.

was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?.

thanks.

OrphanCrow

cofty6 hours agoWhen I was young we were taught to refer to other adult JWs as aunt or uncle.
Was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?
Was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?

I think this must be regional. When I was young (a long time ago!) and still a little JW kid, I was told that calling people 'aunt' and 'uncle', was a 'wordly' thing. In our family, we weren't allowed to call people outside of our family 'aunt' or 'uncle'.

However, my super-duper JW sister moved to a different congregation and from that point on, everybody in her congregation became 'aunt' and 'uncle' for her son.

Miles4 hours agoI have never heard of this in my life, this may apply to redneck country in parts of the States where people are all related.

I don't know where you are from, Miles, but I don't live in redneck country in the US. Calling people 'aunt' and 'uncle' is a common practice, and used as a sign of respect, where I live and has been for as long as I can remember. And the people who live here here are not 'all related' - Canada is a multi-cultural place and I have heard these expressions from many unrelated cultures.

Maybe you need to get out more, Miles.

4

TV presentation about the Sadistic Torturer, Eunice Spry. Recollections of three people who spent two decades in her care

by AndersonsInfo in

jehovah's witness sadistic torturer eunice spry.

.

sadistic torturer eunice sprythe recollections of three people who spend two decades in the care of foster mother eunice spry, wh.... .

OrphanCrow

oops...I see rip has it...

15

Pathetic manipulation at the Zone Visit to the Mexico Branch (Central America)

by avaddohn94 in

jw
friends

gb helper robert luccioni paid a visit to the branch that oversees mexico and central america and, you can probably imagine all the "excitement" among the witnesses who were tied in via internet.. this time they really emphasized that none of the information that was shared during such a "magnificent" event was to be posted on social media.

the fact that they are becoming more secretive should alert anyone about the dangers posed by cult-like religions but, truth be told, that is a very difficult thing to understand from within.. still, this picture might be of help!

in the end, luccioni's objective as representative of the governing body was very clear: money!

OrphanCrow

sir82
They're either really desperate, or really stupid, to beg money from poverty-stricken Central Americans.

It isn't so much what the money means to 'them' - it is what it means to those who are poor - the money represents an investment that keeps them invested, not just financially, but also emotionally. The money is symbolic of trust and loyalty and works psychologically in a very real way.

That small amount of money translates into a high degree of loyalty - in effect, the poor JWs are actually paying for their own loyalty to the organization - the more a person has invested in a relationship, the harder it is to leave.

It matters less to the organization as to actual dollars that they get - and more that what is given is as much as the person can give.

14

Jail those who turn a blind eye to child abuse, says Cameron

by JHK in

teachers, social workers who work with children and councillors could face up to five years in prison if they turn a blind eye to child abuse under proposals to be set out on tuesday by david cameron.

[...].

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/03/david-cameron-child-abuse-ignore-jail.

OrphanCrow

what else is the choice ?

Do the same as Canada does. Make it mandatory for everyone to report suspected child abuse. That way, if a JW decides to report to the elders instead of the authorities, they also are legally culpable.

They already do with culpable damaging results and effects.
I know where your coming from Orphan Crow , with the uselessly redundant investigation such as were there two witnesses etc.

It isn't just the two witness rule that is damaging. Just questioning a child who is suspected of being a victim of sexual abuse re-traumatizes the child. People who are not professionals should not be questioning the child at any time. That is why the elders should never be allowed to investigate - as soon as there is a report of suspected child abuse, the elders should immediately call the proper authorities who have access to professionals who know how to handle the investigation without further harming the victim.

The elders should not even have the option to investigate. They should not be allowed to question the victim. By doing so, they are not only harming the victim, they are obstructing justice. Their inept handling of child abuse allegations can, and does, result in the mishandling of testimony and evidence.