Posts by Seeker4

34

Press release: WT human rights violation

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

hello randy,.

the human rights organization i am affiliated is sending out this press release on human rights violation by the jehovah's witnesses.

it cites several united nation human rights documents.---john brown.

Seeker4

Abaddon, you've got the idea. The release has to have a focus that will grab the interest of people for whom Jehovah's Witnesses are just an annoying religion.

John, take these examples and do a rewrite. Include quotes from someone in the Approaches to Education organization. Keep it to around 500 words. Be specific as to what the ATE group is concerned about, and do not use ANY insulting language about JWs. Make this as professional as possible.

And where do you plan on sending this? Newspapers?
S4

10

Do you think that...

by crochunter in

jw
friends

some people that come here regularly, do so to rationalize the fact that they have left the organization?.

that's kind of how i feel.

we talk about false prophecies, etc that the wtbts has done in the past, but if you believe the bible is real, isn't someone right?

Seeker4

Crochunter,

Don't beat yourself too badly. Follow 6of9's advice and just check out the Bible. As I was leaving the Witnesses, I also realized that I had to take a serious look at the Bible. I wanted to clearly feel that I was making the right decisions.

I investigated it very carefully - especially the Genesis accounts. The Bible, like the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses, simply crumbled and collapsed. I understood why the Witnesses had made fun of and condemned what they termed "higher criticism" for years - they are scared to death of it. The Bible simply does not live up to its claims anymore than the Witnesses live up to theirs.

Is the Bible for real? That was your question, and the answer is that it's not "for real" in the way you're worried about.
S4

34

Press release: WT human rights violation

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

hello randy,.

the human rights organization i am affiliated is sending out this press release on human rights violation by the jehovah's witnesses.

it cites several united nation human rights documents.---john brown.

Seeker4

I am professional journalist. I write or receive several hundred press releases each year. There actually may be a story buried in this one somewhere - but this is much more than "a bit too long." At least 60 to 70 percent of it needs to be cut. Ruthlessly.

Find the nugget of the story in there and delete the rest. I am very unclear as to WHO actually is stating this. If there is a human rights organization coming out publicly to condemn WTS actions, than that is the story, and it should be the lead sentence

"A national (or local, whatever) human rights organization is taking Jehoavh's Witnesses to task for claiming to support human rights while denying them to members."

Bam - opening sentence puts it in a nutshell and grabs the readers attention.

second para.

"Approaches to Education, Inc., a California based human rights group (or whatever it is) went public this week about its concerns that the Jehovah's Witness religion claims to support the UN Declaration of Human Rights while at the same time that it denys those rights to its members.

paragraph three:

"'While Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be fighters for freedom of religion and personal conscience, and in favor of tolerance, this is not what they practice inside the group,' said so-and so, the executive director of Approaches to Education. 'Individual members of the Witnesses are not allowed to question their religion, and do so under the threat of excommunication and severe shunning.'"

These are just examples - but in less than 100 words I think it covers most of the territory that is important. Add another few hundred words with more specifics about your concerns, but hit just the most important points, and limit them. At the end there should be a press contact, and any serious journalist would use that as the source of his article.

If you then wanted to prepare a more detailed press packet, as it were, with more of the details, fine. But not the initial press release.

My offer still stands.
S4

34

Press release: WT human rights violation

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

hello randy,.

the human rights organization i am affiliated is sending out this press release on human rights violation by the jehovah's witnesses.

it cites several united nation human rights documents.---john brown.

Seeker4

BLUESAPPHIRE;

11

I don't know how to date..............

by IWish4Truth in

i am a 32 year old female.

i think my view of sex and relationships is pretty much screwed up.

i was taught that all men are dogs and that all they want is sex.

Seeker4

Your parents aren't totally wacked - most men want sex, and you probably wouldn't want a relationship with one who didn't. I have women that are close friends, and some of them I've slept with. I may no longer be sleeping with them, but they often have remained good friends. I also have women friends I haven't slept with. I am also probably a dog, but I know that and I'm a very nice one.

But I think the real question here is about you - not men. Do you want a friend, a lover, a husband? What can you give to these various relationships? You've got to take some risks, girl! Nothing is a sure thing, except that probably most men will want to sleep with you.

So, take that as the given and start there. It doesn't necessarily make things awful, you now. And I agree - try older guys. There are some really clueless young jerks out there, trying to prove something. You want someone who's confident in who he is and is going to see you as a person and not just another trophy on the wall or a notch on the bedpost. And there's nothing to say that you can't add a few notches to your own bedpost if you feel the urge! Live a little.

S4 (who is still laughing at that "janitor of your dreams" line!)

5

DO YOU FEAR THE DEAD AND ARMAGEDDON

by beroea in

jw
friends

do you fear to die or refuse to think of that matter.

during times the fear of dear is the deep source of the talk about armageddon and the eschatology.

to face to die is a hard one to swallow.

Seeker4

It's pretty clear that religion in the sense that we know it began to develop around the same time that our ancestors began ceremonially burying their dead - an indication that they had started feeling that there was something beyond death.

I've come to the conclusion that religion is just one of many superstitious ways we deal with our fear of death. We simply cannot accept that this life is it. So, we tell ourselves stories and myths, and then start believing that they are fact.

Do I want to die? No. Too much to do. Do I fear death? Not in any morbid sense. I'm just sad at all I'll be leaving behind. I need to live a long, long life to even begin to feel that I've done a fraction of what I want to do.
S4

53

Atheist you say?

by Rex B13 in

jw
friends

direct from the files of [email protected].

how to make an atheist backslide .

there is no god .

Seeker4

Rex,

Nice smug little conclusions you came to there in your last post. But me-thinks you exaggerate your impact. Your post of recycled and not very clear reasoning seemed hardly to "shake the walls" of those who disagree with you. And you really ought to make clear upfront who you're "borrowing" your "ideas" from. Many of us here were reading CS Lewis decades ago.

Cocoons of thinking and restrictive worldviews seem more like your territory. The fact that you can still write: "You cannot actually be an atheist for no one can know all...." makes me wonder if you read any of the answers to that ridiculous claim. You certainly don't seem to understand the ideas expressed even if you read the words. You hardly seem quite as clever as you want to give yourself credit for.

S4

10

Watchtower and printed material

by joelbear in

jw
friends

would jehovah's witnesses even exist today if they didn't have books and magazines to sell?.

could they survive with just the bible and their faith in god?.

isn't it phenomenal how much of the material they print is simply repeated information?.

Seeker4

Hey Joel,

Be careful!! I think your "novel idea" of simple Bible study in groups without WTS literature was what got poor Ray into trouble at Bethel!

S4

20

Attending WT meetings/functions

by Lee Elder in

jw
friends

i've been inactive for over 4 years now but i'm still attached though - loosely.. i will occassionally attend a meeting or portion of an assembly or convention.. i get a mixed reception at these gatherings.

generally my experience has.

been that the larger the group, the more inclined i am to run into some who.

Seeker4

Funny you should bring this up, as I attended a social Witness gathering this past weekend with about 100 there - most were JWs.

I was apprehensive, as I haven't attended meetings in over two years. I was surprised to find that everyone was pretty decent to me. Had several nice conversations. Did notice that a couple of the elders I had worked closely with in the past just seemed to be tired out. Maybe it was just the day, maybe it's more. I laughed, smiled and was very friendly to everyone - in all rather the antithesis of what is supposed to happen to someone who leaves the "truth."

S4

34

Press release: WT human rights violation

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

hello randy,.

the human rights organization i am affiliated is sending out this press release on human rights violation by the jehovah's witnesses.

it cites several united nation human rights documents.---john brown.

Seeker4

Randy,

Thanks for the release. I just hope the Browns will take a look here before sending this out. There are several serious problems with this press release.

1). What exactly is the news here? If this is a press release, it has got to sound like one, not like an attack on Jehovah's Witnesses. The newsworthy point should be in the lead, and the lead paragraph should be short and concise - no more than TWO sentences long. This lead paragraph is a monster, and will guarantee that NO serious journalist will read it.

2). This release is in need of MAJOR editing. There are number of spelling and grammatical errors, starting in the very first sentence.

3). This is WAY TOO long. Cut and slash the text. One page, MAYBE two, max. As written, this is about 1900 words long. It has to be cut to maybe 500 words max.

4). What are all these 1,2,3, a,b,c points? This isn't a college dissertation, it's a press release, correct? Get rid of all that.

5). If your point is that you are a human rights organization and are claiming that JWs are violating the UN Declaration of Human Rights, that should be your point, and you need to prove it.

Do you want some help with this? Contact me. As written, this should not be sent out, as it will be ignored, or worse, make those sending it sound foolish.

Sorry to be so blunt, but please don't send this out as written.
S4