in the january 2012 awake, pages 28-29 there is another article about homosexuality.. .
the writers argue that genetics, the environment, and sexual abuse do not justify homosexuality.
the bible clearly states that homosexuality is wrong and is an abhorrent sin.
TimothyT... have been wondering about you. Thanks for letting us know you are doing great! Yay!
Oh my goddess... you are getting married?! This is wonderful news. I am so very happy for you. I wish you all the best.
And yes... leaving JW land is very liberating.
i mentioned this to my very close friend (still a believing jw) a couple of weeks ago, just to see if she had heard about it.
she asked for a link to check it out so i sent her one.
she looked into it and predictably concluded in was a smear campaign against the jws and she wasn't going to fall for what satan and the apostates were trying to do, we don't know the whole story, and the elders would never allow such a thing to happen, blah, blah, blah....anyone else in the u.s. try to bring this up to friends or family?
Even Jackson doesn't know what an apostate is. He said "it's someone who goes against the Bible".
In reality, it is someone who goes against the religion.
has anyone here re-watched that last day?
the part where justice mcclellan is asking mr jackson if he feels that this royal commission is a sincere effort to make some good changes in policy...?.
and does mr jackson feel it would be worth it to put a collective effort, along with other organizations to compensate or find means of redress, for the victims of child sexual abuse?.
Hi umber.... I have watched all of it. Jackson is a liar. He actually contradicted himself during his testimony. He tried to say the GB are just 'fellow workers' but later references 'each sheep in the congregation'. Does Jackson consider himself a sheep? I doubt it.
He's trying to appear humble and co-operative but to me, comes off smug at times. His comment about 'that's the problem with secular interpretations of scripture' annoyed me. Who says Jackson's interpretation is any more valid than anyone else's?
I am wondering if Angus' turning his back was deliberate. I think it was. It was a tactic to let Jackson know he's nothing special to the RC and to see if it flustered him. It told the RC plenty.
Angus is amazing!
A couple of other points:
Jackson stated that the GB's responsibility is that everything is to be scripturally correct. So if they have inserted their interpretation of scripture, does that qualify? This could be a big issue.
Jackson emphasized at least 3 times that no women could ever be elders.
He also stated that the Bible says only men can be Judges. This is false as per Judges 4:4-5.
Angus's question about does Jehovah God love only JWs was answered 'No' by Jackson. Huh?
When asked by Angus if an inactive witness was caught celebrating a birthday or Christmas would that person be considered transgressing the rules of the Borg Jackson replied "Not his understanding". This is a lie.
Jackson stated an apostate is someone who goes against the Bible. This is a lie. An apostate is someone who goes against the religion.
Jackson also stated that 'everyone is on Alert' when a report of child sexual abuse is made known to the Borg but the victim does not want to go to the police. This is a blatant lie. They definitely withhold this information from the entire congregation.
since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.
it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.
more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!
I could just hug both Peter McClellan and Angus Stewart. 
lunacy?
insanity?
without a doubt.
since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.
it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.
more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!
Billy said: And now we have the people behind the interpretation of the compiled book of Jewish stories that has an agenda. And their primary agenda is that the womenfolk shouldn't be jumping up and arguing with the men. Instead, women should be in the kitchen quietly making sandwiches for the menfolk.
Billy, you always make my day!
You are spot on.
And meanwhile, in the 21st century, these interpreters seem oblivious to the many men who can cook just as well or better than many women. Some even make a profession out of it called Chef. ;0)
What is it about certain people that feel the need to control and tell others what to do?
Patriarchy is oppressive and abusive and used to control women and children. Always has been, always will be. It's expiry date was up a long time ago.
Back in the Early Christian era there were many sects and they all had their own flavour of 'scripture'. Constantine and his band of merry men attempted to bring some consistency to all this. While we now have this 66 book 'Bible' (it used to be 73 ... I think the Catholics may still have a 73 book Bible), it's still based on Patriarchy, elevating men above women and children and using fear and guilt to control. There are some good aspects in the Bible, but really, if you pulled those out, you'd have a pamphlet or brochure.
There is more knowledge in our present day books than contained in the entire Bible.
lunacy?
insanity?
without a doubt.
Hoser, I had the same impression. Jackson reminds me of several people I've had to deal with throughout my life. When asked a simple 'Yes or No' type question, they ramble on and on about crap that has nothing to do with my question.
I have to constantly reply, "Ok. But you still haven't answered my question."
Sometimes I have to tell them "A simple yes or no will suffice."
It can be exhausting.
The facial expressions of both Angus Stewart and Peter McClellan (and others) throughout these proceedings have been interesting. They have a cool and calm exterior and conduct themselves very professionally, but I suspect inside they're disgusted and very likely angry. A couple of times McClellan seemed to start to get impatient with these JWs.
since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.
it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.
more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!
Vidiot said: I'd argue that the Bible itself has an agenda, but whatever.
I agree somewhat but would state it slightly differently. I believe the Bible was compiled to suit the Christian agenda. The Bible itself is just a book of stories. It was the people behind the compilation that had the agenda.
so we've heard from three different governing body members this year regarding child sexual abuse.. the latest one on the rc admitted there's a sexual abuse problem within the cult, yet lett and morris swept the dirt under the carpet stating they have a great reputation as far as sex abuse is concerned, and pointed their fingers at "apostate lies".
.
i'm left totally confused at the contradiction of this "organization"..
Only when backed into a corner will the leaders of the Borganization possibly admit to maybe having a slight responsibility. They are Teflon Men, they are psychopaths. They want it to be someone else's responsibility to clean up a mess. Their role is one of a higher calling - that of spiritual protection.
Seriously. They are f'ed up.
They want nothing to do with the dirty work of actually helping someone who has been damaged or abused or in trouble. Their answer is always completely useless.... Pray More + Wait on Jehovah and some shit scripture that is intended to shut someone up.
My Dad's CO told him back in 2010... "The young ones are leaving in droves."
Gee, I wonder why
lunacy?
insanity?
without a doubt.
DD, I had the exact same thoughts.
Jackson claims
that JWs hold themselves to a high moral standard and have love amongst
themselves... and yet, require the secular authorities to 'help the JWs
make it easier to report child abuse by making the reporting of it
mandatory'.
Maybe laws need to be enacted to make the Bible illegal.
