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 Religion / Re: Why Are Jehovah's Witnesses Now Dull In Their Evangelism? by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:28am On Aug 26 |
MaxInDHouse: was Jesus obedient the religious leaders of his day? How about Habakkuk? Jeremiah? Nehemiah? There was already what you term a channel in their days, but it was a channel of people who had become apostate (the JW governing body of today and its huge corporation called the watchtower). So Bleep it, "Rebellion to [against] tyrants is obedience to God" - Thomas Jefferson, |
| Religion / Re: She Said Listen, 'I Can't Physically Stop You From Doing Your Research But ... by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:50am On Mar 22 |
Kobojunkie: ChristianFreedo: |
| Religion / Re: "A Religion That Teaches Lies Cannot Be True"-watchtower, December 1,1991 by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:49am On Mar 22 |
achorladey:ChristianFreedo post=49848601: The GB is disappointing them. I would pay to see the look in their faces as these new doctrines keep coming. 5 Likes |
| Religion / Re: She Said Listen, 'I Can't Physically Stop You From Doing Your Research But ... by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:29am On Feb 07 |
Kobojunkie: Like which one? I worshiped nothing, I bow down to nothing or pray to nothing (except you will consider 0 as nothing, in that case 0 becomes a an object of worship) |
| Religion / She Said Listen, 'I Can't Physically Stop You From Doing Your Research But ... by ChristianFreedo(m): 12:33pm On Oct 13, 2023 |
"I think appointing Ministerial Servant and elders was one of the biggest eye opener for me, because when we were presented with a person who was appointed to the congregation like you said he was presented as a holy spirit chose that person and based on these scriptures we decided that this person will be now a ministerial servant or an elder. Behind the door the story was totally different. Behind the door was okay let's take a look at his hours, let's take a look at if he's, you know a regular at the meetings, is he preparing for the meetings, is he doing the microphones, is he doing the magazines, is he volunteer for construction of the kingdom halls, all those things were taking into consideration first and then I remember the coordinator would ask the body of elders to vote on a specific person and half of the people would raise their hands and half they didn’t and then he said, 'well because it's not unanimous, ... there is no point of us opening the bible', and I’m like well then I realize it's not the bible that decides who is appointed, it is our personal opinion about that person that decides and then we would use the bible to back up our decision. So, it's literally like shooting an arrow on the wall and then painting the target afterwards and then presenting the targets to the congregation saying see if it wasn't for Jehovah's spirit, that arrow would never end up in the center". Jack (time 9:07 - 10:40) "because I realize it’s our life, everything we do, every decision that we have made was through that filter of Jehovah's Witnesses, what they told us to do and all of a sudden, if this is wrong then what is right, what is correct and how do you introduce this to your spouse, right, I started talking like, oh Hannah, I don't think this overlapping generation it just doesn’t make sense to me right and it's like nah, whatever right, she didn't care, okay, but what about this, if this is wrong, then the 607 is wrong, right, if the 607 is wrong, then the 1914 is wrong, it's like a dominos effect right and started verbalizing this and I met what I realized what it is called as backfire effect. Backfire effect happens when you question somebody's beliefs and instead of their critically thinking what you're saying, they will dig in their heels and put up a fight like like you have never seen before and my wife did just that. She said listen, 'I can't physically stop you from doing your research and reading the things that you're reading but you know what's going to happen. I followed you on many things but of this you are alone and the moment you are disfellowshipped, the kids will get married, they will leave this house, you will never see them again. It's up to you but we're gonna lose our business, we gonna lose our friends, we're gonna lose our family, you're gonna lose the kids, you're gonna be an outcast, you're gonna have nothing. If you don't agree with everything that the watchtower is teaching, that's your business, you don't have to say it to anybody, right. You think every catholic that goes to catholic church believes what the priest is saying? Why don't we just keep on going to the meetings, stay in and believe whatever is that you want to believe, you don’t have to share and and tell people what it is that you believe right and at least we won't lose everything and everyone that we believe in, but if you go that path, you are on your own'" - Jack (time 24:00 - 10:40) 1 Like |
| Religion / Video Leak: Mark Sanderson Lecturing Hospital Liason Committee (HLC) by ChristianFreedo(m): 12:26pm On May 28, 2022 |
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| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 1:32pm On May 21, 2022 |
 And thank you especially @Kevinlyclass for your integrity and bravery to go up against the deceptive & evil corporation known as Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania ... and win! Evidently, Jehovah doesn't protect evil liars
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| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 1:24pm On May 21, 2022 |
A thread https://twitter.com/JasonMWynne/status/1527958877156818944?t=M6pk7ooFUJjvmtfTmJlhwA&s=19 1 What many of you may not realise is that the witch hunt, initiated by Watch Tower through their legal counsel, Philip Brumley, & associate counsel, Paul Polidoro, effectively worked to improve our rights as critics. 2) They issued 72 DMCA subpoenas. Of those, they faced resistance from only three exJWs who filed motions to quash. They were from Darkspilver, JWApostate, and Kevin McFree. 3) Of those 3 motions to quash, the Watch Tower was not able to provide valid claims of copyright infringement against two of the three identities they sought. In the third, it was evident that JWApostate didn't give a rats ass if his identity was discovered. 4) In only one case of the 72 DMCA subpoenas, did Watch Tower attempt to sue for damages, and this was only when it was clear that they hadn't a leg to stand on. 5) Paul Levy had his own suspicions as to why they were issuing so many subpoenas and not suing anyone, and they are all likely reasons. But why did they sue @Kevinlyclass when they were ready losing? 6) Because a) they thought they could deceive Kevin McFree through email correspondence, have him submit to a US court & thus serve him papers. And b) if they could at least make one case against a critic who is a Jehovah's Witness, they might scare off all other critics. 7) Unfortunately for them,it didn't pan out as planned. In fact, this result has had the opposite effect. We now know, and they now know, what our rights are in terms of fair use. So thank you, Watch Tower, for doing us this legal favor. 1 Like
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| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:38pm On May 20, 2022 |
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| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:37pm On May 20, 2022 |
A DMCA Subpoena Exposed Identity of Child Abuse Critic One of the suspicions in Watch Tower cases is that exposing the identities of serving Jehovah’s Witnesses via DMCA subpoenas could lead to them being punished. However, the law says that DMCA subpoenas can only be used to protect the applicant’s copyright interests. In practice, that is impossible to enforce. Levy says that during their investigations, his team discovered a 2018 DMCA subpoena that used copyright law to directly target a vehement critic who, coincidentally or not, was subsequently identified and punished by the religious group. “Watch Tower succeeded in using a DMCA subpoena obtaining the identity of a previously identified blogger who specialized in attacking child abuse within the group, and Watch Tower’s refusal to report abuse to local authorities,” Levy reveals. “It is quite possible that Watch Tower did not need the information it obtained under the DMCA (because this blogger’s identifying information had become available elsewhere), but even so it never sued him for copyright infringement and it never otherwise used his identity to enforce its copyright. Watch Tower had got what it wanted — revenge.” Watch Tower Throws in the Towel With Watch Tower still keen for YouTube/Google to identify McFree, Levy and his team waited for a notice indicating that a subpoena had been served. It never came. Instead of sending notice of service, Watch Tower sent a proposed stipulation to voluntarily dismiss the case, with each side to bear their own costs. Levy’s team at Public Citizen responded by informing Watch Tower that if it wanted a guarantee that McFree would not pursue them for fees and/or abuse of process, the dismissal would need to be with prejudice. The religious group agreed. The win for McFree is a welcome one but he didn’t get everything he’d hoped for. According to Levy, McFree wanted a ruling that would’ve stopped Watch Tower from abusing DMCA subpoenas to intimidate future Jehovah’s Witness critics, but they avoided that by dropping his case. Nevertheless, dragging the practice out of the shadows could make it more difficult in the future. “Kevin McFree deserves a great deal of credit for being willing to stick to his guns and not let Watch Tower out of the case easily. It is perhaps because of this litigation that Watch Tower has not filed any new DMCA subpoenas since we entered the case late last winter. But only the future will tell whether it has truly been deterred from future abuse,” Levy concludes. 1 Like |
| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:36pm On May 20, 2022 |
Devine Intervention Levels The Playing Field Copyright battles can be one-sided affairs. Deep-pocketed corporations on one side often chew up opportunist infringers on the other. If people insist on poking bears by profiting from pirated content they can’t really complain but, in McFree’s case, almost everything felt fundamentally different. All allegedly-infringing videos were taken down years ago following initial Watch Tower complaints and no more were subsequently released. Even when it became clear that those videos were wrongfully terminated and Watch Tower had no case, the response was to pursue another lawsuit. Something didn’t sit right. Nothing sat right. In February we pondered whether a lawyer might view McFree’s defense as being in the public interest. After reading one of our articles on the topic, attorney Paul Levy at the Public Citizen Litigation Group concluded that it was. Once challenged to a fair fight, Watch Tower’s tactics began to unravel and then last week, it was suddenly all over. Documents filed with the court revealed that Watch Tower had not only agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, but to do so with prejudice, meaning that the matter can never return to court. So what brought four years of legal oppression to an end? Watch Tower Obtains DMCA Subpoenas, Never Sues Following this important win for Paul Levy and his client, the attorney explained what went wrong for Watch Tower while confirming what we suspected all along. This was not really about copyright, it was about the usefulness of copyright law to facilitate access to something even more valuable than money – information. In defending McFree, Levy pointed out that over the years Watch Tower had obtained 70 DMCA subpoenas against alleged infringers but had never followed those up with an infringement lawsuit. That cast doubt on Watch Tower’s declarations that it would only use the obtained information for the purposes of enforcing its rights under copyright law, Levy explained. “But matters continued to get worse for Watch Tower, and both its inability to be straightforward in explaining its actions, including making misleading statements to the court, and the likely ulterior motives for its actions, became increasingly clear,” he wrote following the dismissal. Watch Tower’s “Ulterior Motives” “During the hearing, Watch Tower’s counsel made the outrageous statement that Watch Tower’s litigation strategies were confined by a lack of ‘significant funds,’ and that its approach to the litigation was guided by ‘significant economic motivations’,” Levy says. “Because Watch Tower’s 990T forms are publicly available as required by law, it is a matter of public knowledge that Watch Tower has more than a billion dollars in assets. Watch Tower is fortunate that it never made this representation about limited resources in a signed document.” With Watch Tower determined to press on with discovery to remove McFree’s anonymity, the religious group made a pivotal admission. What it really wanted was information that would allow it to determine the source of unpublished Watch Tower video clips that had appeared in McFree’s videos. “The Watch Tower headquarters is a leaky sieve and it wants to identify the leakers. Beyond that, there may have been a massive hack of Watch Tower’s computer systems several years ago,” Levy reveals. Watch Tower confirmed that it was planning to seek discovery on those issues and then offered to drop its lawsuit against McFree, on condition that he promised never to use any pre-publication Watch Tower materials in future, without obtaining consent. However, citing the Supreme Court’s decision in Bartnicki v. Vopper, Levy says that McFree has every right to use leaked unpublished materials, even from a hack, providing he had nothing to do with the hacking. Levy notes that the possible hack against Watch Tower could’ve been actionable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act but the statute of limitations expired years ago. “So it became apparent that Watch Tower was trying to leverage a barred copyright claim, and the threat of identifying McFree, to obtain relief and or discovery on a different subject entirely – a possible abuse of process,” Levy adds. McFree rejected Watch Tower’s proposed settlement and his defense went on the offensive. Watch Tower was warned that if it continued to pursue McFree, Levy might file a document blocking it from a voluntary dismissal without prejudice, thereby locking it into litigation that it was destined to lose. And then things got dark. Really, really dark. 1 Like |
| Religion / Re: Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:34pm On May 20, 2022 |
The Attack on Kevin McFree ‘Kevin McFree’ (not his real name) is the creator of the ‘Dubtown’ series of stop-motion Lego animations that take place in a fictitious Jehovah’s Witness town. McFree utilized copyrighted material owned by Watch Tower in his productions, something that gave the religious group a leverage point to shut him down. In 2018, Watch Tower filed an application for a DMCA subpoena to compel YouTube/Google to hand over his details. McFree filed a motion to quash, arguing that any use of Watch Tower material was protected under the doctrine of fair use. After three years of legal dispute in that matter, in 2021 Watch Tower filed a parallel copyright infringement lawsuit against McFree for the same alleged infringements. Again, he refused to compromise his identity, an excellent decision considering what was to follow. Big Win for McFree, No DMCA Subpoena For Watch Tower In an opinion and order handed down in February 2022, Watch Tower’s original DMCA subpoena application was denied. The judge found that McFree’s use of Watch Tower content amounted to parody, criticism and commentary, and was therefore protected under the doctrine of fair use. The killing of the DMCA subpoena meant that, at least logically, the full lawsuit had nowhere to go since McFree had done nothing wrong. But despite having a judge on record testifying to that, Watch Tower insisted that meant absolutely nothing. The group demanded a trial on the merits and renewed efforts to remove McFree’s anonymity, all while knowing that he doesn’t live in the United States and lacked the financial means to properly defend the subpoena, let alone finance a multi-million dollar fair use battle. So, if Watch Tower makes no money from its music and videos and would get nothing from McFree even if it had demolished him in a fair use copyright lawsuit, what did it really want? 2 Likes |
| Religion / Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:33pm On May 20, 2022 |
"Watch Tower’s DMCA Warfare Collapses After Big Guns Defend Apostate" May 16, 2022 by Andy Maxwell" The DMCA allows rightsholders to identify anonymous copyright infringers but can also be weaponized to intimidate critics and stifle free speech. This is the story of how one of the world's most powerful religions weaponized copyright law to attack an anonymous man, only to face a divine intervention that would end four years of legal purgatory and expose additional abuse. Dubtown LegoAfter researching thousands of DMCA notices and reporting on hundreds of copyright lawsuits, more often than not it takes just a few seconds or minutes to broadly establish the purpose of any action. In most cases rightsholders want alleged infringement to stop and in some, they also seek compensation for their losses. When cases deviate from this format they tend to stick out. When they involve the protection of copyright works that generate zero income for a rightsholder, one with a reputation for crushing dissent, a big question needs to be asked. Is this really all about copyright or is copyright just a convenient mechanism to achieve something else? DMCA Subpoenas Are Cheap and Powerful For years the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, the supervising body and publisher for the Jehovah’s Witness religious group, has used the cheap DMCA subpoena process to identify anonymous people said to have infringed their copyrights, usually in music or videos. They go to court, pay less than $50, and disappear into the ether, ostensibly to protect their exclusive rights. What makes these matters interesting is that Watch Tower does not commercialize its content, so the classic arguments about preventing lost sales are a non-starter. Neither does the group chase down people who share its music in a friendly way on social media or file-sharing networks. However, if critics (so-called ‘apostates’) use Watch Tower copyrighted content to challenge its authority or practices, bad things can follow. 1 Like
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| Religion / Re: USA: World Headquarters Extracts Huge Donations From Elderly Jehovah’s Witnesses by ChristianFreedo(m): 10:43am On Apr 21, 2022 |
MaxInDHouse:  |
| Religion / USA: World Headquarters Extracts Huge Donations From Elderly Jehovah’s Witnesses by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:21am On Mar 28, 2022 |
 In November 2017, the Legal Department at the World Headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses held their annual meeting. In it, staff reveal how they have extracted huge donations from elderly members. This 90 minute meeting was recorded on video for those who were connected remotely. In a talk entitled “U.S. Legal Department Highlights”, John Fowler of the Legal Department interviewed a number of the staff of the Legal Department including Keturah Dunne, Richard Moake, Erna Neufeld, and Nathan Reed. Fowler’s interview with Neufeld included notably generous donations from two elderly gentlemen, one being 99 years old. This is a transcript of that interview. Fowler (F): Now, Erna, how does charitable planning help our brothers and sisters in the field? Neufeld (N): Our group provides information to people who want to name Watch Tower on their estate planning documents, perhaps as a beneficiary on a retirement account, insurance policy, bank account. We also get calls from attorneys and executors telling us about a new estate. We generally have about 300 open estate files that we are working on. F: That is quite a bit. We know you also get a lot of phone calls every week. Can you give us an idea of the volume there? N: It is an estimate, but it is at least a hundred calls a week. Many of them are simple: how to name Watch Tower as the beneficiary; they’re interested in donating real property; sometimes we get a nice surprise on one of the calls. F: A surprise? Can you tell us a little bit about that? N: We got a call from a brother. He sounded a little bit feeble, somewhat elderly. He asked about a specific donation arrangement. A sister told him, ‘Brother, you have to understand that the minimum for this is five thousand dollars ($5000.00)’. There was a pause and he said, ‘Well, I’ll be putting in a million ($1,000,000.00)’. F: [Pauses, nods, then responds] That is a very kind gesture on the brother’s part. Now, of course you get these phone calls. Are you always able to answer all the questions over the phone? N: Usually, but sometimes there is unusual circumstances. For example, last year, in April, a brother who is ninety-nine (99) years old, donated stock as an outright gift. It was twenty-three million dollars ($23,000,000.00) worth of stock. And then about six (6) weeks later, his financial representative called and asked for a personal visit. So we went to see him at the facility where he is now residing. F: So can you tell us how the visit went? N: Certainly. Michael* is a very sharp 99 year old brother. Quiet, but he was happy to share his life story with us. He attended meetings with his wife for many years but he wasn’t baptized until after he retired. [Erna forgets what she wanted to say next so has to take a second to look at her notes.] We enjoyed lunch with him. Then he took a short nap. We visited with some other Witness residents in the facility and spent the afternoon listening to his stories about world travels, looked at his art and artifacts. And Michael told us that he was an engineer. One of his stories was that he had to invent a product that his boss had already sold to a customer. F: So, apparently, he was successful. N: Yes. And his generosity has greatly benefited the organization. However much money people donate to the Jehovah’s Witnesses is their own business. Donations are a private matter and that the World Headquarters’ legal department would discuss such generous figures is a reflection of how fixated this organization has become regarding money. And yet, even with all these huge donations coming from the elderly faithful, the organization continues to regularly beg for money, even manipulating young children to donate their pocket money to the organization. *Michael’s real name has been changed to protect his identity. Source: https://a-jw.org/lifestyle/money/usa-whq-extracting-huge-donations-from-elderly-jehovahs-witnesses/ Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKzdSm7Ol64 2 Likes |
| Religion / Dishonesty From Jehovah’s Witnesses by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:09am On Mar 28, 2022 |
 DISHONEST: Rolf Furuli has served as the oldest of Jehovah's Witnesses for 56 years. He believes the religious community's presentation of their exclusionary practice is fraudulent. (Terje Pedersen / NTB / Private) STATE SUPPORT: Chairman of the Board Jørgen Pedersen and I have served together as elders. We both know about the requirement to shy away from those who sign up. Originally published by vartland on March 27, 2022. Rolf Furuli, Jehovah’s Witnesses, debate I will not try to interpret the law on religious communities, nor will I consider the State Administrator’s interpretation of it. But I would like to comment on the chairman of the board of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jørgen Pedersen’s post in Vårt Land 18.3. I have been a Jehovah’s Witness since 1961, and I have served as an elder for 56 years. In the first chapter of my book My Beloved Religion – And The Governing Body, I show that the only religion where all basic teachings are directly based on the Bible are Jehovah’s Witnesses. I therefore share the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the 21st century, however, there has been a slippage, in which the members of the governing body have given themselves unlimited power. As a result, in addition to all the basic doctrines based on the Bible, leaders have made numerous laws and regulations. For example, they have invented 37 non-biblical grounds for exclusion, in addition to the eleven biblical grounds for exclusion. This has resulted in a huge number of excluded people. We can talk about as many as over one million excluded witnesses globally in the 21st century, and as many as a few thousand in Norway. Since I accept the Bible as my sole authority, I cannot accept all of these new laws. Incorrect image of exclusions It is not true that I have written a letter to the Attorney General in which I have “criticized several of the beliefs and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses”, as Pedersen says. My letters, on the other hand, point out that all of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ letters to the County Governor and the Attorney General contain information about what Jehovah’s Witnesses stand for and which is incorrect. If such information were to stand, it would affect many innocent people. A good example is the witnesses’ letter of complaint of 17 February 2022. Section 42 of the letter states: “On the other hand, one who voluntarily chooses to relinquish his spiritual status as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses by formally withdrawing will be respected for his decision, and it is up to each individual affiliated with the congregation to use his personal religious conscience to decide whether they want to limit or completely avoid having contact with that person”. This does not give a correct picture, and I have written a letter to the State Administrator in which I document this with ten quotes from the witnesses’ literature. It is a requirement of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses that all Witnesses be shunned or excluded. This means that they should have no contact with them, that they should not talk to them, not greet them, but treat them as if they do not exist. Dishonest The letter from the witnesses seems to me like an attempt to challenge the State Administrator’s basis for denying them state subsidies, but this is done in a fraudulent way. Jørgen Pedersen and I have served together as elders in the same congregation in Oslo. We both know of the requirement that those who sign up should be shunned, and that those who continue to have contact with them will themselves be excluded. Source: https://a-jw.org/featured/dishonest-from-jehovahs-witnesses/
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| Religion / Jehovah's Witnesses Spokesperson Claims They Do Not Baptist Children by ChristianFreedo(m): 11:03am On Mar 26, 2022 |
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| Religion / Re: Administering A Blood Transfusion When Directed By A Superior - JW Policy by ChristianFreedo(m): 1:47pm On Mar 19, 2022 |
Additionally, branch offices in Poland, Belgium, Canada, and elsewhere wrote letters to the United States Branch expressing their confusion over this new policy. They directed questions related to the implications of this policy. On March 8th, 2019, the Belgium Branch Service Department wrote to the US Branch, asking when this new policy would be transmitted to all Witness doctors, nurses and elders. The US Service Committee did not respond until the following month, informing Belgium that "There is no need for HLC members to search out Witness doctors and nurses to explain to them the new policy." [img]https://preview.redd.it/70me0q4rzsn81.png?width=853&format=png&auto=webp&s=801f7ba5b08182ad5e7ba028016f7a1b75eae3a0[/img] See Picture 1 After multiple revisions of the Jehovah's Witness elder manual were distributed to congregation elders around the world, there was no indication of any written policy change on this subject, and no Watchtower article or other public notification of the policy change was announced. An example of the secrecy associated with this new policy became evident just three days after the policy became official. On June 18th, 2018, Carl Bruce notified the entire HID department that while the letter could be shown to someone, "NO copies, pictures, e-mails, text messages, letters, or anything in writing from the letter is to be given to anyone." [img]https://preview.redd.it/ib51yi0w3tn81.jpg?width=867&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=114469ab0bb0d1a96dc4c885ba67a71b8fb0d371[/img] See Picture 2 As expected, the policy change has created a great deal of anxiety for Jehovah's Witness nurses that have been transfusing blood for years, especially since June of 2018. Some are experiencing great guilt for practicing something that is "so closely linked with an unscriptural practice that one unquestionably becomes an accomplice in a wrong practice." It is incredibly disturbing to imagine how callous Mark Sanderson and the entire Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses must be to place Witnesses in this position, knowing very well how much guilt they will have for the transfusion of blood, even if just for the period from 2018 to the present. As for non-Jehovah's Witness doctors and hospital administrators, this policy has created yet another obstacle to transparency and has constructed a dilemma for Hospital Human Resources departments and their staff. When JW nurses or doctors become aware of this policy, they must immediately cease transfusing patients, which means they must either resign from their jobs, transfer to a different job, or contact Human Resources to explain their abruptly changed position on administering blood. This leads to HR departments asking for the policy in writing- which the Jehovah's Witness Headquarters will not provide. On December 20th, 2019, the US Branch Service Committee wrote a letter to the entire US Branch, explaining how inquiries from non-JWs are to be handled. After reinforcing the new policy, the direction states: "Inquiries should be handled on a case-by-case basis. Responses should be brief and discreet and should be reviewed by your Legal Department. Approved responses should be provided orally by two brothers rather than in writing. The current Scriptural stand of Jehovah's Witnesses can be explained without discussing when the policy changed or how it was communicated to Jehovah's Witnesses. " [img]https://preview.redd.it/do4qb2r58tn81.png?width=1004&format=png&auto=webp&s=dcd4e990592b96bc12c28ed188529a43637c4ece[/img] See Picture 3 It is interesting to note that Jehovah's Witness leadership makes a point that the refusal to administer blood to a patient is based upon the conscientious stand of Jehovah's Witnesses based on Scripture, but the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses do not have any idea that this is their Scripturally held belief. Hence, if a Witness does not know what their beliefs are, then these policies are not their beliefs. This is perhaps one of the strongest indicators that the infamous and deadly blood policy of Jehovah's Witnesses is not, and never has been a deeply-held religious belief of individual Christian members of the church. Mark O'Donnell
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| Religion / Administering A Blood Transfusion When Directed By A Superior - JW Policy by ChristianFreedo(m): 1:37pm On Mar 19, 2022 |
Administering a Blood Transfusion When Directed by a Superior - Jehovah's Witness Policy Effective June 15th, 2018 WT Policy Recently there has been discussion on Reddit of the Jehovah's Witness policy change that went into effect during the summer of 2018. This policy represents a drastic change involving the administering of a blood transfusion by a Jehovah's Witness medical professional when ordered to do so by a superior, such as a doctor or hospital administrator. Prior to this policy change, Jehovah's Witness doctors or nurses could administer a transfusion to a non-Witness patient as long as they did not request or order the transfusion, and if their conscience did not prevent them from doing so. The Watchtower of April 15th, 1999 made it very clear that a nurse would be permitted to transfuse a patient under doctor's orders, since they were not the person of authority calling for the transfusion of the patient: www.nairaland.com/attachments/15141174_p4lkbwua2tn81_jpeg52669f1537c987721a80b23d67f453a9 See Picture 1 below On June 15th, 2018, a letter was sent from Watchtower New York, United States Branch, Hospital Information Desk, to all Hospital Liasion Committees, informing those men that "it would not be appropriate for a Christian to administer a blood transfusion under any circumstance." www.nairaland.com/attachments/15141175_jqnxst2n9tn81_jpeg09b602e9b1f38711f511eec06c34ba70 See Picture 2 below The letter stated that "The possibility that a penalty might be imposed for noncompliance with orders from a superior would not be justification for a Witness to break God’s law." While the Hospital Liasion Committee elders were instructed that they may inform doctors and nurses of this decision, this letter was not allowed to be distributed to anyone outside of HLC members. As a result of the concealment of this letter, and by virtue of the fact that this information was only to be shared verbally with Jehovah's Witness medical professionals and others, confusion erupted across the United States and in other branch offices of Jehovah's Witnesses. Countless letters were received at Watchtower Headquarters in New York from concerned JW nurses, paramedics, and others who were instructed verbally on this new policy, but which contradicted existing written policy that had been in effect for many decades. In addition to letters from Witness medical professionals, Circuit Overseers in the field wrote to the US Branch and Hospital Information Desk in New York about the problems caused by this unreleased policy. For example, South Carolina Circuit Overseer Brandon Roberts reported to Headquarters that "The majority of the nurses in our circuit were not aware of this updated policy." This letter is shown below, forwarded by Carl Bruce to another HID member. Carl Bruce was the Overseer at that time of the Hospital Information Desk. www.nairaland.com/attachments/15141176_g3wy5iqcxsn81_jpegc6b831d61fbd8942db4f8e9bdf8abc43 See Picture 3 below This letter was dated February 5th, 2020, more than a year and seven months AFTER the policy was made official by Watchtower Headquarters.
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| Religion / Re: BULGARIA, THE WATCHTOWER AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION - THE DECEPTION by ChristianFreedo(m): 10:34am On Mar 14, 2022 |
MaxInDHouse: So I am quoting you and I will correct what you wrote to reflect realities MaxInDHouse: |
| Religion / Re: BULGARIA, THE WATCHTOWER AND BLOOD TRANSFUSION - THE DECEPTION by ChristianFreedo(m): 9:13am On Feb 11, 2022 |
MaxInDHouse: and you really believe what you wrote up there? |
| Religion / Leaked: New S-77 Form - JW Watch Report #8 by ChristianFreedo(m): 7:59am On Dec 03, 2021 |
| Religion / Re: Five (5) Misconceptions About Jehovah's Witnesses. by ChristianFreedo(m): 10:57am On Jul 08, 2021 |
popovich:You can put up your response here. I'll love to see it and respond also. |
| Religion / Re: Announcing Jw.support by ChristianFreedo(m): 10:07am On Dec 23, 2019 |
What is our mission? We aim to assist youths being raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have come to realize Watchtower is not “the truth”, cope until they are able to leave home. We provide a safe space to remind you that you are not alone, offering support and advice via our website and links to useful resources and forums. Realizing Watchtower is not the truth is an overwhelming experience that can seem impossible to deal with. Whilst aimed at young ones, the wealth of information presented here will be of assistance to people of all ages interested in joining or leaving the religion. Feeling Lost If you are feeling lost, depressed or suicidal, please look at the article I Feel Lost. The way you feel is to be expected and it is important you look after yourself and know that support is available. Internet Safety Whilst it is always prudent to take precautions when using the internet, if you are one of Jehovah’s Witnesses there are additional factors to consider if you are beginning to research questions about your beliefs. These are outlined at Safety on the Internet. What can you expect? We are committed to providing articles, experiences, videos and content specifically tailored to youth planning to leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses at some point in their lives, or those in the process of leaving. Support contains critical information to help during this difficult period, such as coping strategies and where to go for support and aid. Strategy helps plan for the future and approaches to assisted loved ones. Experiences are from other youth that have experienced the same doubts and fears as you are going through, and show how they did survive and are happier for it. Some specially chosen ones are from older people that left decades ago to inspire you for your own future. Beliefs succinctly explain why key Watchtower doctrine are wrong, highlighting an easy to remember key point in around a 5 minute read. |
| Religion / Announcing Jw.support by ChristianFreedo(m): 10:07am On Dec 23, 2019 |
 JWFacts is delighted to announce a new website - www.jw.support. This site assists people cope after they realize Watchtower is not “the truth.” You are not alone, and it offers support and advice via short articles, and links to useful resources, forums and free support phone lines. 1 Like 1 Share
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| Religion / Re: Waking Up – Am I Alone? by ChristianFreedo(m): 3:17pm On Jul 10, 2019 |
| Religion / Re: Waking Up – Am I Alone? by ChristianFreedo(m): 3:11pm On Jul 10, 2019 |
 I was very fortunate that my wife Sherrie (along with our fur-baby Derby, the Abyssinian cat) also eventually made her way out of the religion. She too took her own journey of discovery – at her own pace – and learned “The Truth About The Truth.” I didn’t force her. I simply created a safe atmosphere in our home where she could learn things for herself. (Sherrie is also a member of the JW Survey team. Keep an eye out for her articles.) For more information, our journey is captured here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9bqZ9JJ_qg And so, ever grateful for the resources and assistance we were given to awaken, I feel an overwhelming desire to assist other people who are traveling this path. Having now joined the JWsurvey family, my role is to help process the multitude of emails and messages that come through via this site and various other social media platforms. It is our promise to you that your messages will always be treated with the utmost confidentiality and respect. We have been in your situation. We know how important it is to feel comfortable to open up. It’s important to us that you know we are here for you and have experienced the trauma you may currently be facing. We understand, and we want to provide a safe and soft landing place for those needing to take stock of their lives, regroup and process their thoughts during the “waking up process.” We can provide a listening ear and assist each other to build a community and support network.  Above all, you are NOT alone! You are part of an ever-growing wave of momentum worldwide. As you begin to steer your way through the community, you’ll discover that so many Jehovah’s Witnesses feel just like you. Silent prisoners of what they know, they are troubled and distressed at the realization that they may have spent a lifetime of devotion to something that is not true. Our team here at JWsurvey.org does not have all the answers. We can’t solve every step, or fix everything. However, we can provide some basic support, experience and information to anyone in need of moving forward and taking control of their life. It is our aim that this will help some face the future with hope, strength, and dignity. Please be assured that we value TRUTH and HONESTY and will draw on our broad experience to assist where we can. After what we have been through, we all deserve to live a happy and successful life! Feel free to reach out and share your thoughts and experiences. Make use of the resources we have here as you navigate your way through life after Watchtower. Pass the torch and look for ways to assist others. And most importantly, please know that you aren’t losing your mind. You are not flawed or broken. You’ve just woken up.  |
| Religion / Re: Waking Up – Am I Alone? by ChristianFreedo(m): 3:10pm On Jul 10, 2019 |
 Naturally, I dismissed these things as “Old Light” and was determined to resolve these qualms – but only from “approved” sources. And once again, in time I found dissatisfaction with the answers found in Watchtower’s resources. In this information age, it became apparent that if I was to be truly thorough and intellectually honest, I had to take a comprehensive look at the wide variety of information that is so easily available. After all, how was I meant to actively recruit members into the organization unless I myself could conclusively prove it to be true? Also, didn’t the Bible itself encourage us to use our “perceptive powers” and God-given brains to determine all things? So I allowed myself to embark on an innocuous research assignment. If this is the Truth, then it should easily withstand a bit of analytical investigation and research, or so I remember thinking to myself. Sourcing material from a JW echo chamber was not going to be sufficient. It had to be from all sources, and confirmation bias needed to be left at the door. Truth is truth, after all! One click led to another, and suddenly I landed in what seemed like a scary part of the internet. There it was… JWfacts.com. As I hovered my mouse over the page ready to click, every nerve ending in my body screamed “NO!” – an indoctrinated reflex, I now realize in retrospect.  It wasn’t long after that when I found the very website you are reading right now: JWsurvey.org. With great hesitation and trepidation, I betrayed my JW-honed flight response and allowed myself to anonymously take part in the Annual Survey. Through all the anxiety, I simultaneously felt safe and liberated to see that I was not alone in taking part in this! I also explored the many online forum support groups and enjoyed interacting with the honest-hearted people who made up these communities. Some beautiful friendships have resulted! Many current Jehovah’s Witnesses will cling to the convenient misapprehension that those who conscientiously leave the organization are taking the “easy road” in life. Yet if there’s anything my own experience has taught me, it’s that there is so much courage and integrity involved in fearlessly turning over every stone that has paved your life thus far. To go against the grain of an established life as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and head back to the drawing board of your life’s blueprint is far from easy. I have enormous respect for all who have been brave enough to do so. It is like navigating a “narrow and cramped road |
| Religion / Waking Up – Am I Alone? by ChristianFreedo(m): 3:10pm On Jul 10, 2019 |
 “I’m losing my mind”, I thought as the air rushed out of my lungs. The compass of my life was spinning out of control. I willed myself to stare at my computer screen as I watched yet another John Cedars video that solidified my awakening. Familiar words suddenly lost their meaning as my life, as I’d always known, seemed to lose direction. “How am I meant to ask anyone about this when no one else seems to realize the things I have learned or found out?” “What is this knowledge going to cost me? My family relationships? My friends? My future?”  These were the very thoughts I grappled with as I started awakening from my religious indoctrination. My name is Sacha, and I share this article with you to assure you that you are not alone. As a recent member of the JWSurvey team, I have taken on the Support & Aftercare Manager role to help the many people who reach out and contact us. I help to handle and respond to the multitude of emails and Facebook messages received each week. Please allow me to introduce myself:  Since birth, I spent my entire life as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses – a fully devoted believer in “the Truth.” As far as I was concerned, this way of life was part of my very DNA! Everything about me as a person was defined by this belief structure. After all, I was worshiping the Almighty Jehovah God along with his earthly organization, right? The household I grew up in was very spiritually-minded. Theocratic activities were part of our daily routine, fueling my endeavours to be the ideal JW youth. I pioneered, worked on JW construction projects, and even lived and worked at the Australian Bethel Headquarters for five years. I genuinely enjoyed my “theocratic” life. In true Watchtower tradition, I married the perfect JW sister and we continued in spiritual activities, such as pioneering together. I became an appointed man in the congregation and had an active share in congregational duties. I enjoyed this confection of a life, along with the many aspects of Watchtower service that opened up to my wife and I. However, it was during these very pursuits of “Kingdom activities” that I discovered unsettling facts about the organization. While researching through the Society’s own publications to prepare for talks, and from examining old books from the congregation library, disturbing information came to my attention. The irredeemable history of “the Truth” had been completely whitewashed and distorted. Further comparison of past writings with Watchtower’s current rhetoric revealed that the Governing Body was not being transparent about many issues. |
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