Posts by Quendi

25

If only there were another GB member like Ray Franz

by tornapart in

i'm just rereading crisis of conscience and was thinking if only there were others on the gb like him.

maybe things could change for the better.

for instance when he felt troubled that a woman couldn't get a divorce when her husband cheated on her with another man.. his response was this:-"the emotional upset i felt moved me to make a study of the original language terms (in greek) used in matthew, chapter nineteen, verse 9.".

Quendi

Blondie, Gadsden, Alabama is nowhere near Atlanta. Birmingham, Alabama is much closer to it than Atlanta is.

I do not believe any of the currently serving Governing Body members feels any twinge of conscience about their roles in the organization or if the organization has divine sanction. All serving members are carefully vetted before being allowed into the sanctum sanctorum. Only hardened company men get to the top. That was true of Ray Franz whose doubts developed after his appointment and even then never prompted him to ask some of the tougher questions he should have. I have deep respect for him and his accomplishments, but I also feel that he did not go far enough in his thinking.

Ray Franz's arrival set off a chain events that eventually impacted every congregation in the state of Alabama. His disfellowshipping was shocking enough to Witnesses there, but a greater surprise was when his friend and employer was disfellowshipped simply for having a meal with him. I still remember how the organization chose to handle that case. It was the first time I can ever recall that the letter announcing the action was read in every congregatiion in the state of Alabama! That was a first for us and I have never heard of a similar action being taken in the United States before or since.

I believe the present ruling clique is irreformable. The Ray Franz crisis hasn't been forgotten and I doubt it will recur. Governing Body candidates will be given the acid test before any are elected to fill vacancies and/or given additional seats. "Once burned, twice shy" will be the guiding principle from now on for selecting new members.

Quendi

43

New Atlanta Assembly Hall Has raised 3.4 million Dollars... GONE

by James Jackson in

jw
friends

they announced last week that the new atanta assembly hall has thus far raised 3.4 million dollars.

my local told that will become the society's come may 1. i wonder how that will go over with the ones who have been contributing to this fund..

Quendi

I remember when the Alabama Assembly Hall in Bessemer became a reality in December 1979. It happened very quickly with the local Witnesses doing all the necessary work to purchase and then renovate the old high school. We were proud of our efforts and thought that the building would save many of us a lot of wear and tear when it came to attending circuit assemblies and other special events. Plenty of classroom space, a spacious auditorium, a wonderful kitchen and plenty of room to eat the delicious meals that were prepared by a staff headed by a woman who was one of the best cooks in the state.

I moved away from Alabama in 1981 but kept in touch with my old friends and thought the Alabama Assembly Hall was a noteworthy achievement, considering all the toil, tears and sweat that went into acquiring it. When I heard the building was up for sale, I was dumbfounded because I always felt that it could continue meeting the needs of local Witnesses for many more years to come. Now I read that a facility is being planned for western Georgia. I don't think this is the kind of news that will gladden the hearts of Witnesses living in cities like Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa and other places. Many will not want to drive all that way for a SAD or one-day circuit assembly. That being said, they'll likely go along with such an arrangement, despite it being against their own best interests. Such is the power of this despicable cult. I'm glad I'm out.

Quendi

43

New Atlanta Assembly Hall Has raised 3.4 million Dollars... GONE

by James Jackson in

jw
friends

they announced last week that the new atanta assembly hall has thus far raised 3.4 million dollars.

my local told that will become the society's come may 1. i wonder how that will go over with the ones who have been contributing to this fund..

Quendi

I remember when the first "quick-build" kingdom hall in Colorado was built in November 1981 in Grand Junction. It really was a wonderful occasion that saw local Witnesses pull together with help from others throughout the state to make the project a reality. Then other quick-builds sprang up like mushrooms after a spring rain and most of us thought it was a good thing. But before you could say "thousand-year reign", the WTS took over. Without any consultation with the rank-and-file, the RBC arrangement was set up with WTS-approved officers. Women were excluded completely and then came the added insult of WTS-approved floor plans and architectural designs. I haven't been to one of these projects in thirty years, but from what I've read in this space, I haven't missed anything. A once simple and workable arrangement has atrophied into a degenerate money- and power-grab.

Quendi

30

this weekend's "SPECIAL TALK"....

by stuckinarut2 in

ok, so as most know, this is the weekend of the "special talk" .... if anyone is going to the k hall, please shaer your thoughts on what makes is "so special".... i bet it will be more recycled same same.... "god loves you, he hates violence, he hates bad things happening to good people, he wants you all to be jw memebers...or he will kill you all at the big loving armageddon!!!!!!!

!.

Quendi

Even when I was a loyal Witness, I always viewed the "Special Talk" not so much as the close of the Memorial "season" as much as it was the Society's answer to Easter. After all, it always comes one week after Easter and as others have mentioned is the WTS way of getting first-time Memorial attendees to deepen their interest in the cult.

Quendi

143

Letter to BOE: Adjustment in process for appointing elders and ministerial servants

by pixel in

hello, you read it here first!.

governing body of jehovah's witnesses.

to all congregations.

Quendi

Maybe this has already been brought up and if so, I apologize. I remember posing this question to a Witness friend that left him completely speechless. I asked, "How could the older men and apostles in distant Jerusalem have been involved in any conceivable way with appointing congregation officers in the first century given the speed (or lack thereof) of communication and travel at that time? It's obvious that local congregations chose their own officers completely independent of the Jerusalem elders isn't it?" And as for Paul, Barnabas, Titus, et al being involved with such appointments, I very much doubt this was done without heavy reliance on the local congregations' input. Furthermore, none of these men consulted with or ask confirmation from Jerusalem in these matters.

So clearly the WTS isn't following the first century model. The methodology it has used is entirely of human invention. Its roots can be traced back to J.F. Rutherford's ruthless determination to end the autonomy of the local groups of International Bible Students and bring them under his exclusive control. Like all such developments, this was done gradually, beginning with the creation of the office of "Service Director" to be filled by a WTS appointee and progressing to the "theocratic" arrangement as it exists today and which is undergoing yet another refinement. All the same, I expect this newest adjustment to be accepted without demur from the rank-and-file. If anything, it will be hailed as yet further proof of Jehovah's leadership, more's the pity.

Quendi

28

The Governing Body told two Elders to call !!!!

by Phizzy in

a friend from the other end of the country just 'phoned and told me that a couple of days ago two elders knocked on his door.

he has been out for four or more years.. they told him it was c.o's visit, and the governing body have asked them to call on those whom they no longer see at the k.hall.. i guess this is an easier "field" than knocking on doors that never open, or where they are told "not interested".. my friend bill though, was not such an easy call.

apparently he managed to get in about 1914 being rubbish, the bible not being the word of god, because we cannot trust it, 1919 being rubbish as to the choosing of the fds and several other telling points.. i liked particularly that he said to them they were rather hypocritical asking householders to examine their faith, when jw's were simply not allowed to !.

Quendi

I notice this new program says nothing about calling on those who are disfellowshipped or disassociated. I was disfellowshipped nine years ago and have not set foot in a Kingdom Hall in four years. Not once have I received an elders' visit to gauge my interest in returning to the fold. I ran into some elders at a gathering in January 2013 and was shunned and ignored. They have my phone number and haven't once called. So much for following the example of the Good Shepherd and seeking the lost sheep! Maybe these elders have in mind our last judicial committee meeting in which I ripped them a new one and have decided that I am 'hardened in sin' and therefore unfit for any search and rescue mission.

These men are going to discover that no matter how often they call upon faders (as if twice a year would even suffice), almost none of them will ever consider returning. Waiting four years to call upon faders is a sure indication of just how spiritually bankrupt this cult truly is. Why would anyone in his right mind think that such callous neglect would get a positive response? The only reason I can think of for engaging in such futility is simply counting the time. But doubtless the Governing Body and its minions have figured that the appearance of caring is sufficient to allay the concerns of those who have inactive family members and friends.

Quendi

19

Letter From WTBTS Evidence of Mind Control Tactics

by Corvin in

the following is taken from ray franz's book, crisis of conscience, pages 341-344. this letter, sent out to all traveling representatives, circuit overseers, by the service department of the international headquarters, shows the society's demand for comformity no matter the cost to the rank and file.

jw lurkers: please read carefully.

the portion of the letter in blue is of particular interest, and franz's comments nails the governing body's intent.. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Quendi

This is just one more reason for the ever-widening distance between me and these hypocrites. May YHWH and his Son look upon them and judge!

Quendi

59

Any gay exJW's?

by Trapped in JW land in

jw
friends

was just wondering how many gay exjw's were on this site, and how did you deal with being in this organization?

and also, how did you end up leaving?.

Quendi

Welcome, Trapped in JW land! I am sure you will find a welcome refuge and friends here as many of us ex-JWs have. I also want to thank 88JM for the link he has provided. I have not finished reading it and have not done so in depth, but what I have read has not only been interesting but extremely helpful as well. Learning the experiences others have had has been enlightening and so much better than the "fairy tales" about homosexuality found in WTS publications.

I won't go into my experience here except to say I was disfellowshipped for beinhg a gay man back in 2005. I tried to get reinstated for nearly five years before walking away for good in June 2010. I have not set foot in a Kingdom Hall since and have no intention of doing so ever again. I have a wonderful partner now and am living the kind of life that would have been impossible as a Witness. One thing I will say is that you can be very grateful that you are still alive. Suicide is a real and present problem and danger for gay Witnesses. I don't know how many gay Witnesses, particularly younger people, have chosen this "permanent solution to a temporary 'problem' " to escape the pain their lives had. Some were driven to it by that internal pain, others, I am convinced, chose suicide after being raked over the coals by judicial committees and subsequently publicly reproved or disfellowshipped. Those committees have a lot of blood on their hands, but that can be the topic of another thread.

The important thing is that you are now free, free to live your life as you choose and as God intended. We are living during a time when the humanity of GLBT people is finally being not simply acknowledged, but accepted and honored in many different lands. We don't need the fool's gold of the Witness cult to validate our lives and fill them with meaning anymore. I personally still believe in God and have hope for a future that rests on his cardinal qualities, especially that of love. I have more years behind me than I have ahead of me, but I look forward to them secure in the belief that as Thoreau wrote that when my time finally comes, I will go to my rest knowing that my life had not been lived in vain. My friend, I wish the same for you.

Quendi

17

"Foursquare" at Dachau

by Quendi in

i hope someone can give me a quick answer to this question.

the 1974 yearbook of jehovah's witnesses tells the story of the movement in germany with much detail about experiences witnesses had during the years of the third reich.

one of the stories was about life in the dachau concentration camp when it was under the command of a man nicknamed "foursquare.

Quendi

Many, many thanks to all of you once more for your help on this question.

Quendi

43

What do you think attracts new ones to the JW organization now?

by cultBgone in

jw
friends

this is an offshoot from the jws then and now thread...it made me wonder what exactly people find attractive about the cult today?

why are they joining?

any thoughts?.

Quendi

@Skbj: I would be careful of using the kind of sweeping generalizations such as you did in your post. I fit none of the features you profiled when I studied with the Witnesses and got baptized nearly forty years ago.

Quendi