So does anyone have a link to the latest "official" documents? I have tried some searches but everything seems to be coming up with the original PDFs that have been around for a while now.
konceptual99
JoinedPosts by konceptual99
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Re: Shepherding Textbook in Digital Format
by suavojr inafter years of leaked info, the gb has finally decided to publish their own shepherding textbook in epub format.. dear brothers:.
we are pleased to inform you that the shepherding textbook is now available in epub,.
mobi, and pdf format.
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The Science Is In: God Is The Answer...
by OUTLAW inthe science is in: god is the answer.
research shows kids raised with spirituality are happier and healthier in the vulnerable teen years.
why arent we all signing up?.
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konceptual99
If growing up as a Witness is so brilliant then why are so many Witnesses I know on anti-depressants?
I've no idea if the proportions are better or worse than the rest of society but surely if they are all living in a spiritual paradise then the incidents of depression should be far less.
It's a bit like the fallacy that marriages are better "in the truth". They are not. There are loads of people in unhappy marriages, getting divorced, separating and all the rest of it.
For every kid raised as a Witness that buys into the whole thing and grows up a little spiritual jelly mould of their kick ass uber-dub parents, there is another who is simply buying time until they drop out and yet another who is being bullied, treated as social outcast and having a miserable childhood.
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konceptual99
It happened to me today as well... -
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Must the Elders Always be Told?
by snugglebunny ini recall that some years ago the wt stated that not all offences need to be reported to the elders, but that confessing serious sins to another person who was not an elder could suffice.
the article stated that this did not include sexual offences and that these must be reported to the elders.. can anyone throw any light on this please?.
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konceptual99
You may want to read the following article from the w10 9/1 22-24. It presents the WTS view of confession. Whilst sins should be confessed (in the catholic sense) to God since only he can forgive, they should also be admitted to the elders so they can provide spiritual shepherding.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/pc/r1/lp-e/1200271344/0/0
The online library has plenty of other stuff about grassing people up etc. Just look up Confession as a topic.
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Is the organization actually gaining more members or losing more?
by yogosans14 inlast time i was at the kingdom hall they were praising themselves about all the growth in members they have been having.
is this "growth" they are having statistically accurate?or are a lot leaving?
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konceptual99
Where's InsideTheKH when you need him to confirm that growth is in fact massive? -
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Awake! Quotes a Well-Known ex-JW Apostate in Support of Their Beliefs!?!
by Oubliette inkonceptual99, referenced this article on another thread: .
was it designed?
the inverted retina.
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konceptual99
Phizzy
We used to have a similar competition in my K.H, where you would give what seemed to be a correct, and even erudite, answer, that was total rubbish, I won a few times, but we had one Champion who was beyond brilliant.
I am amazed he is still a JW.Now that sounds like a good game!
Any examples? I would like to play it myself.
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Is there a Child Molester on the Governing Body?
by TTATTelder ingreat report by abc on the abuses in jw-dot-org land.... i hope it opens a "floodgate" of future news reports and exposes.
if you ask yourself, "why hasn't the watchtower leadership changed their policy on the 2 witness rule?
if one or more persons on the gb has victims out there that can't come forward because of the 2 witness rule, then that would explain the permanent road block to policy change that is obviously in place.
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konceptual99
At the risk of being flamed to death, the two witnesses rule is not, in itself, some method for deliberately hiding the existence of paedophiles.
It's a rule based on the a principle of justice that means an accusation from one person is not sufficient to prove guilt in itself. Even secular authorities end up in one person's word against another in criminal and civil cases. Even in the case of child abuse, the accusation of a child is not usually sufficient to secure a conviction without some kind of "second witness", be that forensic evidence, other witnesses/victims, a confession etc.
As far as the elders are concerned they are only responsible for whatever spiritual reproof may be needed and for ensuring congregation members are not placed at unnecessary risk.
So what does the two witness rule really mean?
The two witness rule does not prevent the reporting of a alleged crime to the police. The WTS claim no one is prevented from doing so. The reality is that the implementation of this is down to the individual case and no one can guarantee that a victim or their family may not know they can do this, get any encouragement to do so, be supporting in the process or feel some social pressure to keep the congregation out of it.
Mandatory reporting of any accusation would stop this.
The two witness rule does allow for a clever paedophile to play the system assuming no report to the secular authorities is made.
Mandatory reporting of any accusation would stop this.
The two witnesses rule does little to encourage the elders to take proactive action to protect the congregation.Mandatory reporting would (a) allow the authorities to investigate, potentially forming a second witness through forensic evidence and (b) send a clear message to the congregation that caution is required.
The two witnesses rule does still prevent an individual from being judged by the congregation without sufficient evidence.Mandatory reporting does nothing but reduce the risk for the elders and the WTS. It opens up the opportunity to obtain evidence that forms that all important second witness. It can serve to help protect the congregation without elders having to drop hints to people.
The issue here is not really the two witness rule. It's the reluctance of the WTS to implement a clear policy of reporting all accusations of abuse to the police that allows some potential for a playing of the internal justice system of the congregation by a smart abuser. It allows elders to be placed at risk of making a mistake that could cost one or more victims their childhood.
Just implement mandatory reporting and much of this risk goes away. -
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Our Eyes Are Wired Backwards For a Good Reason
by cofty init is often said that our retinas are are an example of sub-optimal design.. a few years ago i was intrigued by a passing comment in one of nick lane's to the effect that this is not a good argument but he didn't go into much detail.. researchers at leipzig have revealed the role of glial cells in transmitting light from the surface of the retina to the cones, acting like fiber-optic cables.. erex ribak has built a model of the eye and demonstrated some fascinating details.... so, the question is - does this reflect good "design" or a retro-fitted repair like the hubble telescope's glasses?.
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konceptual99
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102011009?q=retina&p=par
A rare example of where the magazines have presented a direct rebuttal of an evolutionary scientific argument.
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Inactive ones are not JWs
by gone for good inyears 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 ,.
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konceptual99
I get your point goneforgone but as far as the JW machine is concerned they don't care.
If someone fades to avoid DA/DF they are still seen as fair game if they ever get back on the radar, either as someone who needs to be DF'ed cos the elders can't stand someone playing the system, or as a lost sheep who could be reactivated. Anyone who remains in a locale and is well known by the congregation who does things that would normally require a JC to be formed stands a good chance of being hounded at some point.
If their argument is that they have a right to religious freedom and just want to leave then the JW line is clear - just disassociate yourself. No one is stopping you. Everyone knows that the only way of minimising the social consequences is to fade. Even then it's not certain how individuals will react.
The desire to judge is strong. The fear of those who have left is even greater.
I don't see anyone is going to buy some human rights argument since there is no one stopping anyone from just stopping coming or formally saying they are stopping. Even arguing about the social and family consequences has little traction from a human rights perspective it would appear.
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Inactive ones are not JWs
by gone for good inyears 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 ,.
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konceptual99
Inactive ones are still officially considered Witnesses and if they start attending once again they can be held to account for things done whilst inactive.
Of course there are various shades of grey as to how individuals are treated either by their families or the wider congregation.
Trying to argue that something an inactive person does not matter as they are not known as a Witness holds little water as the elders will claim they are still baptised, not DF/DA and would face a JC if they were attending.