This is for Simon. Thank you for providing me with the platform to clear my name, at least in the minds of those who really count.
You are doing a great job but my time here is up. I might pop in the future, one never knows.
Cheers!
Joe
Posts by jysjw
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72Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Hi everyone,
Thank you all for your kind expressions and encouragement I received through this forum and through my private email.I joined this forum two days ago to set the record straight regarding the rumours I read on the internet about me.
Now that I have done that, I am planning to make this my last posting. I will be emailing the 20-page document to all who requested it through my private email. If you want a copy please do not request it through this forum but through my email [email protected] it's not a letter, it's a document. It has no addressee. It does not begin with dear... and end with my name and signature. One has to be careful and "wise" when dealing with an organisation that is governed by strict rules.
It's not anti-Society. It's a paper, a treatise or document quoting only Society's publications and the New World Translation summarising my conclusion why I could no longer accept the Bible as inspired and unerring and, hence, my reason for leaving the organisation. I composed it that way deliberately to avoid needless and unproductive confrontation.
However, I did hand it to them personally, face to face, so there will be no doubt who it came from.
Just in passing, I was in Sydney, Cecil Hills area at the time and I have two brothers who are still in the organisation serving as elders, one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne.
My 2 bobs worth conclusion, for my part, is that this life is all that we have and its too damn short at that! So let's not waste it in bitterness, hate groups and empty disputes. Let's move on and enjoy what is left of it in contentment and happiness.
Goodbye.
Joe Slaiman -
72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
In response to some private emails, here is an excerpt from the second page of the document I left with the Society, which perhaps, in part, explains why no action was taken:
"The Society or its teachings are not at issue here. In fact, they are altogether a non-issue and do not even get mentioned. This is because the teachings of ALL religious organisations are completely irrelevant in the context of this document, as my argument is exclusively against the notion that the Bible is "inspired", "unerring", "completely accurate" and having "the same authority as if written by God himself".
Please understand that in writing this document, I do not seek to influence anyone from his or her belief. Therefore, this document is not to be misconstrued as "disassociation" from the congregation, since disassociation is an action taken by the individual against the congregation. Nor should be misconstrued as "apostasy". IT IS NOT. Please understand this:
. I am NOT against the congregation
I am NOT against the brothers
I am NOT against the Society
This document is simply my way of explaining how I came to my present conclusion ABOUT THE BIBLE. Since the Bible is not the prerogative of any one religious organisation, scrutinising or criticising it should in no way be misconstrued as an act of rebellion against any one particular organisation.
In fact, putting the Bible ro the test is proper, even as the following quotations from The Watchtower and Awake indicate:
""w91 6/1 p3 Whether the Most High is the Bible's Author or not should clearly be seen upon a careful and unbiased examination of the book itself. g84 12/22 p9 We invite you to examine the Bible""
That set the tone for entire document.
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
I don't think I am dispensing any gems of wisdom when I say that unlike governmental authority that can bring the full force of the law on an individual with real consequences, the religious authority, on the other hand, is only valid and effective through the voluntary acceptance by the individual. So it is authority by acceptance.
Once the individual stops recognising the religious authority, its power over the individual is broken and rendered useless.
So let them go ahead and take action in absentia. As long as one's conscience is clear, that he or she has taken the right course, then it's water of a duck's back. One cannot live in religious fear.
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Some of you have expressed concern privately through my email that if some non-JWN members read or get to see my postings they may inform on me and cause me trouble.
Thank you for your concerns but no need to loose sleep over it. The Society has been in possession of my thoughts and comments on the Bible since 1998. They never responded or contacted me in any way. Should they do now as a result of my postings, and knowing how Society's mind works, I don't think they will, then I welcome it.
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
I agree with Simon that this may not be the experience of everyone in the same circumstances and the reasonableness of who you are dealing with may have a bearing, but it has been the experience of a number of individuals I came across during my travelling work and conversations I have had with some prominent individuals in the Society. I also believe that it was the way I composed and worded the document made it clear that I was not and had no intentions of being any threat to the organisation. The important thing is that we must act on the dictate of our conscience to enjoy peace of mind and happiness in life. -
72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Hi Simon, you ask how I managed to leave without retribution from the Society? Good question but the answer is simple:The Society only takes action if you challenge the organisation or its doctrines. But if you criticise the Bible as a book, not any of the teachings, and question god's existence and don't speak against the Society as such, nothing will be done because no one has a monopoly on the Bible or any god and therefore you are not seen as a threat to the organisation, its teachings and arrangements and so they have no basis to charge you and you are let go free.
I hope this has been helpful.
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Yes Magnum my wife feels the same as I do. We both left the organisation and religious beliefs of all kinds back in 1998. -
72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Hi everyone, I would like to thank you for your responses and kind remarks about me and my wife. Yes, Jean and I are still together and currently living in Auckland New Zealand. I am self employed as an accountant, primarily trouble shooting with MYOB and filing GST returns.
I happened to stumble on a number of entries here and elsewhere on the internet as to the reasons why I left the organisation ranging from disagreement over chronology to the teaching of the trinity.
I would like to state here that this is false. To set the record straight, my reason for leaving had nothing to do with the Society or its teachings. That is why no judicial committee was called for and no action was taken by the Society.
When I left I gave the Society, out of respect, a 20-page document explaining my reason for leaving. I left because, after a thorough re-examination of the Bible, I could no longer accept it as inspired by a super natural being or diety. Consequently, I could no longer accept the god of the Bible or any other so-called god for that matter. So in all good conscience I could no longer be part of any religious organisation. I guess you might say I am now an atheist.
I hope this satisfies the curiosity expressed by some on the net.
if any is interested in reading the document I gave the Society you can email me on [email protected]
Kind regards to you all.
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72
Does anyone remember a district overseer Joe Slaiman?
by stuckinarut2 injoe slaiman and his wife jean were in the travelling work in australia throughout the 90's... ( i may have spelt the name incorrectly).
anyone remember them?
they were very well liked by many of the brothers and sisters.. i wonder what happened to him?
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jysjw
Hi everyone,
This is Joe Slaiman. I used yo be s district overseer in New Zealand and in Western Australia.
I noticed that there are a number of postings on this site and elsewhere on the internet about me. I would like to set the record straight. Can someone please advise me as to what is the best way to accomplish that.
Thank you.
Joe Slainam