Posts by Marvin Shilmer

29

I need your advice

by cookiemaster in

i need some advice.

actually my friend needs some advice.

a few years ago i moved about 50 km (30 miles) away from the nearest congo and have since tried to live a normal life.

If these elders set up a meeting on their own and informed your friend of the time and place then it's something akin to a judicial hearing, or leading to one. Unless your friend has a compelling reason to attend such a meeting my advice would be to simply ignore the meeting.

If this meeting was set up jointly between your friend and these elders then my advice would be to tell your friend to cancel the meeting saying something like "I don't think I need this meeting and I'll get back with you when I feel like meeting." If your friend meets with these elders they will ask questions your friend might want to answer in direct terms but those answers might cause problems for his family relationship.

78

Governing Body Member Stephan Lett Lies On JW.TV

by Finkelstein in

i thought it would be important to clearly point in the recent talk by governing body member stephan lett, that he did in fact deliberately lie concerning what he described as lies and false information by apostates, concerning the organization being permissive toward people in the organization who had been involved in pedophilia.

the truth of the matter is thats exactly what the organization has been doing and perhaps for a long time.

the recent candace conti law suit where she was awarded 28 million dollars was levied against the wts for its irresponsible behavior by the elders who gave no notification of the accused jonathan kendrick that he had been charged with pedophilia and spent months in jail for his actions .

Marvin Shilmer

Someone needs to alert the Zalkin law firm about this piece of video. It stands in stark contrast to the Ashe deposition. Barbara? Are you getting this?

14

Please take a moment to read my daughters story.

by Racheljr in

silenced for so long she has found her voice.. ladies and gentlemen meet my incredibly brave daughter.

http://jehovahswitnessreport.com/blog/courtney-parker-tells-her-story-of-8-years-of-child-sex-abuse-by-jw-elder-david-dennis.

Marvin Shilmer

Dear Rachel,,

Reading your and Courtney's experience brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing, and I'm so glad for Courtney that she found a time and means to deal with what was done to her, at least to the extent it's possible to do so.

These incidents remind me of all the times as JWs we were told how one signal of "the last days" was the presence of "no natural affection". It turns out the very religion harping about "no natural affection" as a sign of "the end" has twisted the whole concept of "natural affection" onto its head by failing to out-pour affection that should come naturally to a person victimized as was your child.

Then I'm reminded of another biblical text talking about how God had given up individuals to a disapproved mental state. These very individuals are said to have "no natural affection". The mental disease is among those who have lost their natural ability to recognize who needs their affection and to share it accordingly.

Who lacks "natural affection" is plainly evident in the experience of you and Courtney. It's just such a shame that so many have been led to think and act like this. Such a shame.

Thanks for sharing this!

10

Over 96% Accept 99%!

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a jw to tell anyone anywhere that jws abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

this article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at duke university's center for blood conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among jws.

one of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

Marvin Shilmer

"Isn't blood plasma 95% water? (by volume) Or are these percentages without the water?"

The percentages presented in my article represent the total volume of what is found in a typical bag of fresh frozen plasma. This of course includes the important constituent of water.

Our body is composed mostly of water. I've read estimates that whole blood is composed of 80 to 95 percent water.

Just like cellular structures (which also have water as a primary constituent) are suspended in the liquid plasma component of blood, so are clotting factors and various proteins and salts suspended in water making the liquid plasma.

When I hear someone say something like "Plasma is mostly just water" it is often said to minimize what plasma is as a biological substance. I'm not suggesting that's the case here. It's just an observation I'm sharing based on experience.

10

Over 96% Accept 99%!

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a jw to tell anyone anywhere that jws abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

this article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at duke university's center for blood conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among jws.

one of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

Marvin Shilmer

Today i added a new article to my blog that shares a bit of astounding evidence of just how ridiculous it is for a JW to tell anyone anywhere that JWs abstain from transfusion of blood, and plasma in particular.

This article is based on two studies authored by medical staff at Duke University's Center for Blood Conservation, a program that is heavily touted by the active "noblood" crowd among JWs. One of these studies contains a real whopper of a piece of information!

The article is titled: Over 96% Accept 99%!

3

Blood collection agency's novel approach to JWs and blood donation

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.. my article is titled american blood centers' approach to jehovah's witnesses donating blood.. we can only wonder how bethel fields calls steered from this source.

.

Marvin Shilmer

"I have never seen the distinction made that if it is to be used for fractions, it is permissible. I would like for this to be so."

I haven't done this in several years, but at one time a JW could phone Bethel and ask "Since we can accept fractions from blood that has been donated by someone can we donate blood strictly for the purpose of having fractions extracted for another JW who needs it for transfusion?" and they'd get the answer, "Yes, so long as the rest is thrown away."

Once when I spoke with insider Fred Rusk I went further by asking why this was not published information. His response haunts me to this day. He said, "It's not something we want to talk up."

3

Blood collection agency's novel approach to JWs and blood donation

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

today i added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.. my article is titled american blood centers' approach to jehovah's witnesses donating blood.. we can only wonder how bethel fields calls steered from this source.

.

Marvin Shilmer

Today I added an article to my blog advertising a novel approach taken by a major blood collection agency that potentially taps a previously unthinkable source for blood product donation.

My article is titled American Blood Centers' Approach to Jehovah's Witnesses Donating Blood.

We can only wonder how Bethel fields calls steered from this source.

24

would it have been different if we knew why?

by sowhatnow in

i always took issue with the idea of no one knowing why a person got df.. i know im not alone.. i complained to my mother about this when i was younger, explaining that how do we know what it is that gets a person df if no one knows what they did?

my moms answer was , .

'if people knew a persons personal faults and what they did , others would not be so forgiving when they were reinstated, because we'd always view them with that view, so in other words, if when so n so, committed fornication, and the whole cong would know it, if they announced from the platform then his/her reputation would be permanently stained' .

Marvin Shilmer

"I think they've discovered this gives them more power as they can effectively silence anyone and not have to explain why"

Bingo!

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

"As others stated, forced shunning is the issue. But, for the record, Paul NEVER said to shun. He said to "stop keeping company" or "stop associating". There's a BIG difference in shunning and avoiding."

You presume.

I have not cited the biblical incident as though it presents a model for shunning as Watchtower would have JWs shun.

Otherwise the distinction you attempt of shunning versus avoiding is amusing. Avoiding is an instance of shunning.

55

Are we pro-shunning or against it?

by Simon in

just to continue my theme about religious freedom and how we approach criticizing the wts, i've also been thinking about 'shunning'.. i think shunning is the most unifying complaint that most ex-members of religious groups that practice it have in common.

it is the layer that runs under every other complaint - whatever the reason for leaving it seems "... and i was shunned" can be added to it as the final rap on the charge sheet.. of course it seems like a no-brainer to many of us and we hardly ever stop to really think about it - shunning is bad, the watchtower believes in shunning therefore the watchtower is bad.

they need to stop it.

Marvin Shilmer

"Because they do fear the laws that they cannot win."

Yes. That is the thing that undermines a critical difference between Watchtower's shunning program versus the instance Watchtower leverages from scripture.

The biblical instance has the local church membership informed precisely the sin for which the subject should be shunned. It didn't matter what the local "judicial" ramification could have been. But that's not what Watchtower does, and has never even attempted.

Telling is all the time and money Watchtower has spent over the years with legal wrangling to let parents opt to let their children suffer premature death rather than acquiesce to blood transfusion, yet Watchtower has at no time spent the same time and money assert a right to inform local church members of the sin for which a particular person should be shunned. Watchtower has never fought legally for this right because Watchtower does not want to always inform local membership of the supposed sin for which a member is to be shunned for.

Watchtower likes the circumstance where it can orchestrate the shunning of a person who's sin is to demand answers to questions that deserve answer.