Marvin Shilmer

Joined

• started 433 topics
• posted 4,004 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Marvin Shilmer

• 
  11

  Why don't they just lie about the numbers?

  by Sour Grapes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why doesn't the wtbts just lie and increase the published amount of people who attend the memorial?

  who would know the difference?

  the same with the amount munching on the crackers and sipping the wine.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Why doesn't the WTBTS just lie and increase the published amount of people who attend the Memorial? Who would know the difference? The same with the amount munching on the crackers and sipping the wine. Why show an increase which goes against what I have been taught my entire life. Who would know if they showed a small decline each year? If they would just decrease the amount by 100 per year they could have gone on for over 80 years and all of the old timers would have been dead. Perhaps they are showing increasing numbers for the anointed to change a doctrine in a couple of more years.

  Plausible deniability can only go so far to placate cognitive dissonance. Watchtower's upper-tier hierarchy is probably perfectly fine manipulating numbers to please themselves (effectively: mental masturbation). But this upper-tear depends on lots and lots of up-and-comer middle-tier worker bees to keep the engine of its religion business churning. These middle-tier workers have access to everything the upper-tier has access to, only in a more diversified fashion. Hence for Watchtower to intentionally misrepresent values as suggested, it would likely cause a huge schism.
• 
  32

  Branch Manual 2015

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided.

  the royal commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 branch manual.

  watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  How's this for documentation of transparency (not!):

  Regarding phone calls taken by the Service Department, we read...

  "One should be as helpful as possible to the individual calling. If the caller is from outside of Bethel, it is not wise for a deskman or his secretary to give his name unless the caller is a circuit overseer."
  
• 
  32

  Branch Manual 2015

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided.

  the royal commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 branch manual.

  watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  There is nothing in there about the process on a 'Congregation Only' level and in relation to typical members of a congregation. Is this not what they require in order to understand the process of claim of abuse within a congregation?

  This is the Branch Organization manual; hence it goes into detail about processes inside a Branch office rather than at a congregational level. This manual does, though, give a pretty good idea of what goes on inside Watchtower's Service Department in relation to judicial correspondence to and from congregation elders. At least it does this in a broad way. One thing that's not part of this manual is the whole set of Service Department Guidelines, which essentially is the script from which Service Department overseers ("Deskman") read from and otherwise perform work on the basis of, nearly all of which is for field work or either a circuit overseer or local congregation.
• 
  53

  What is their official explanation for not allowing beards?

  by keyser soze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i ask because my gf, who knows all about my jw upbringing, convinced me to grow a goatee, just to see how it looks.

  we both decided it looked good so i decided to keep it.

  i tried to explain to her that as a jw, i wasn't allowed to grow one, but then drew a blank when she asked me why.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  To my knowledge there is no official explanation for not allowing beards. In some cultures JWs do have beards without it being an issue. But in Western lands it is definitely frowned upon. But you'll be hard pressed to find an official statement against it.
• 

  Child Molestation Reporting Levels ... Chart

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  today i added a new article to my blog.

  it contains a chart graphing the level of reporting to watchtower of sexual abuse of children.

  my article is title child molestation reporting levels .

• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Today i added a new article to my blog. It contains a chart graphing the level of reporting to Watchtower of sexual abuse of children.

  My article is title Child Molestation Reporting Levels
• 
  32

  Branch Manual 2015

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided.

  the royal commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 branch manual.

  watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Apparently the backroom arguments have been heard and decided. The Royal Commission finally uploaded a redacted version of the 2015 Branch Manual.

  Watchtower lawyers were looking to have as much redacted from this manual as possible. It ended up the only section that has redacted content is Section 4 addressing duties of the Personnel Committee. All the stuff about Bethelite life was redacted leaving only the part addressing judicial committees.

  If readers have not already downloaded this thing now is your chance.

  http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/downloadfile.ashx?guid=57c425ca-91bd-425b-b266-e08cd15986dc&type=exhibit&filename=EXH.029.028.0001_R&fileextension=pdf
  
• 
  5

  Royal Commission... Monty Baker?

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i see a former elder by the name of monty baker on the royal commission's witness list.

  transcripts show a lawyer representing monty baker during the hearings, but so far i see no transcript where monty baker has testified before the commission.

  am i missing something?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Pardon me. I found it.
• 
  5

  Royal Commission... Monty Baker?

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i see a former elder by the name of monty baker on the royal commission's witness list.

  transcripts show a lawyer representing monty baker during the hearings, but so far i see no transcript where monty baker has testified before the commission.

  am i missing something?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  I see a former elder by the name of Monty Baker on the Royal Commission's witness list. Transcripts show a lawyer representing Monty Baker during the hearings, but so far I see no transcript where Monty Baker has testified before the Commission. Am I missing something?
• 
  4

  Elmwood congregation, Dallas, Texas.

  by witnessscorn in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i was in elmwood congregation, in early 70's i have reason to believe there was ritual abuse going on while i was there.

  anybody have any incite?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Does the name Picchioni mean anything to you?
• 
  22

  royal commission so far

  by zeb in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  before another day goes past please, summarize the outcome in dot points of the royal commission so far.

  for me in no order;.

  that the wt considers sex crimes against children of little importance.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  Marvin, that is a very frightening scale of abuse when presented this way. And these are so called known figures..... it is likely far greater....

  Yes. The numbers are frightening. Making this worse is that my extrapolation ignored about 10% of the reported cases for reasons stated in my findings. Hence the number of child molesters known by congregation elders is very probably much higher than what I've extrapolated. .