Jack Ryan

Oct. 2018 W. Study Edition “Speaking the Truth” par.6,7

“Religious leaders who lie are especially guilty because they endanger the future life prospects of those who believe their lies. If an individual accepts a false teaching and practices something that is actually condemned by God, it can cost that person his eternal life. Jesus knew that the religious leaders in his day were guilty of such deception. He told them to their face: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you travel over sea and dry land to make one convert, and when he becomes one, you make him a subject for Gehenna [everlasting destruction] twice as much so as yourselves.” Jesus condemned those false religious leaders in the strongest terms. They truly were ‘from their father the Devil, a murderer.’ Whether called pastors, priests, rabbis, swamis, or by some other title, religious leaders abound in the world today. Like their first-century counterparts, they are “suppressing the truth” from God’s Word and have “exchanged the truth of God for the lie.” They promote such false teachings as “once saved, always saved,” the immortality of the human soul, reincarnation, and the foolish idea that God would condone homosexual lifestyles and same-sex marriages.”

If you start seeing the video at minute 2:51, Lawyer Diego says he has another case of a JW girl, minor, 17 years old also needing a blood transfusion; she's from the countryside, Guanajuato State, México.

Diego Fernández de Cevallos is one of Méxicos top 10 best lawyers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Cevallos

He opens the TV interview with a talk of the 7 years old Rarámuri ethnic girl in a need of a blood transfusion with J-Dubs fathers

https://elmercurio.com.mx/nacional/scjn-atrae-caso-madre-rechazo-transfusion-a-nina-leucemia

https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/1471928.perfilan-aval-a-transfusion-pese-a-religion.html

On 9/23/2017 at 6:23 AM, The Librarian said:

but it appears you can still donate here:

It appears that the above charity has been removed however I did find all these Assembly Halls on there now:

Kingdom Ministry, April 2003, page 5: "In some lands baggy, oversized clothing is popular, but this style does not present a fitting appearance for a minister of God."

NBA Draft in 2003 versus 2017:

Which looks better to you?

Doesn't this song sound a LOT like the old "O Walk With God" Kingdom Song?

The piano is almost identical

@JW Insider

So Brighton is the only outdoor convention in the UK to have a platform in the stadium. At the other outdoor locations the speakers are being videoed in a room inside and then transmitted to screens in the stadium.

The reasoning being given is that with so much video content in the programme then it’s not a big deal and that it means that the weather and other things are not an issue however this does raise some questions.

Is this being repeated outside of the UK?

Is this some kind of trial that may mean the entire programme will be pre-recorded either on a regional or even national basis?

Is it perhaps leading to the streaming of the programme to convention locations?

Is it perhaps leading to the large venues being retired in favour of repeating a pre-recorded programme at assembly halls, even perhaps to local halls?

An article in The Times, selling around 445,000-copies each day, it is most widely distributed 'quality' print newspaper in the UK.

Russia rounds up JehovahÂ’s Witnesses

The Times (UK), Tuesday, June 19, 2018 - page 31

Armed police officers have arrested at least 17 JehovahÂ’s Witnesses during raids on their homes across Russia.

A court ruled last year that the Christian denomination was an extremist organisation, placing it on a par with Islamic State and neo-Nazi groups, and its followers face up to ten years in jail.

The Ministry of Justice claims that Russia’s 175,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses pose a threat to “public order and security” and government officials have accused them of preaching the “exclusivity and supremacy” of their beliefs.

The Russian Orthodox Church supports the ban and an aide to the church’s head, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, called it “a sect that destroys families”.

Some analysts said that the arrests were part of the Kremlin’s confrontation with the West. In 2016 President Putin approved a law that banned missionary work and forbade people from sharing their religious beliefs in public. The law has so far only affected followers of “imported” religions, such as Mormons, Hare Krishnas and Baptists.

“There were no grounds at all to bar the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Alexander Verkhovsky, an expert on anti-extremism legislation at the Sova human rights centre in Moscow, said. “No one has even accused them of any specific extremist actions.”

READ FULL ONLINE ARTICLE:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russia-rounds-up-jehovah-s-witnesses-s3rsd97b8

'A cry of desperation' in Russia - The Washington Post Newspaper (US)

An opinion piece in the PRINT edition of The Washington Post, a major American daily newspaper with around 350,000-copies distributed everyday.

'A cry of desperation' in Russia

The Washington Post, Wednesday, June 20, 2018 - page A20 (opinion page)

While we watch the World Cup, Russians are being jailed for reading the Bible

In her chilling memoir of Stalin’s Great Terror, Eugenia Ginzburg wrote of the trepidation she felt at night, when “enemies of the people” were often carted off by the secret police. “The windows of our bedroom faced the street and cars drove past all the time,” she wrote. “And how we listened in fear and trembling when it seemed as though one of them might be pulling up in front of our house.” That was 1937.

Now, more than seven decades later, midnight knocks on the door are being heard again in arrests of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Last year, the Russian Supreme Court declared the group “extremist ” and banned it from operating on Russian territory. There are 175,000 people professing the faith in Russia today. They report that 17 members are being held in pretrial detention in 11 regions. The arrest “always happens in the evening or at night when people are sleeping and the effect of surprise is most effective,” Yaroslav Sivulsky, a member of the European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

The JehovahÂ’s Witnesses are not extremists. They refuse subservience to the state; they refuse military service, do not vote and view God as the only true leader. Now, as in Soviet times, they are victims of Mr. PutinÂ’s authoritarianism. As the World Cup captivates spectators around the globe with stadium matches in the Russian provinces, it is important to remember that, under the cover of darkness, people are being arrested and jailed for reading the Bible.

READ FULL ONLINE ARTICLE:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/while-we-watch-the-world-cup-russians-are-being-jailed-for-reading-the-bible/2018/06/19/71529dfc-7312-11e8-9780-b1dd6a09b549_story.html

UK Kingdom Hall 'Developer'?? - Elevation One Building Design Ltd

described the 'developer' for a Kingdom Hall in Gloucester??

Possibly a JW-owned company?:

You can match up the name / location here:

• https://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk/business/elevation-one-building-design-ltd

• http://opencharities.org/charities/1067184

The Directors are;

Mr Simon Littlewood

and of course his wife

Mrs Colleen Littlewood

The company is registered in 25 Urley Road, Dursley Gloucester themselves....im smelling a rat....im thinking they are JW's but i have no proof.

The company website is here;

http://www.elevationone.co.uk/

Now none of this is doxing - it is all within the public domain here at HMRC.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06413004/filing-history

Simon Littlewood, the owner of Elevation One Building Design, is also listed as a trustee of the Dursley South congregation.

@The Librarian Please add this to your list above.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dvHUoDKCAHF6efu2XQxfk6o8AmBqE5rm/view

Here's the 2018 outline, see page 3 under 'THEOCRATIC PROCEDURES FOR INVESTIGATING WRONGDOING.

To summarize: 

'Legal blood-alcohol limits vary depending on local laws and do not necessarily establish that a person was Biblically drunk.

At times, elders may feel pressured to take judicial action due to notoriety and/or bad publicity.

Strong suspicions and negative hearsay reports do not establish wrongdoing; elders must adhere to the Scriptural requirements'.

This is quite a low-key affair with booze. I've seen it before, a gentle reminder here and there to drink less, because you've been stumbling other brothers. But it really sets the tone for how matters which reach the public eye should be handled...what it's saying is 'ignore negative publicity, as long as it doesn't disagree with the bible then the law won't affect your standing in the congregation'. Starting with booze is a sly move to recommend that this format is perfectly acceptable to be applied to more serious issues.

Now imagine this same template applied to child abuse. I am well aware this is already partly being done, but I can see the scale of it growing exponentially. The quantification of child abuse...the law may say you're guilty, but scripturally there's not enough evidence to disfellowship. Your LEVEL of abuse appears to be significantly less that what the media would have us believe. Did he really rape a child? The media says he did, but our brother wouldn't lie, would he? He's admitted he did touch the child, but he completely denied he actually raped her. We must ignore the pressure applied from the world to remove this brother from the congregation when clearly there is no evidence he did rape the child. 

Innocent until proven biblically guilty.

Very frustrating when you see the potential of this outline and how easily it can be taken advantage of.

Tomorrow: Dutch Motion calling for an investigation into child abuse will go before Parliament

This is the translated text of the motion that will go before Dutch Parliament tomorrow:

The House of Repsrenstatives, 

having heard the deliberation,

noting that there have been many reports of sexual abuse in the community of Jehovah's Witnesses, but that these reports for various reasons have not all led or will lead to complaints to the police;

noting that there are indications that the culture of closeness in the community of Jehovah's Witnesses has contributed to the fact that many have remained indoors and that this system still does not offer the right guarantees to protect children as much as possible against abuse;

noting that the administration of the Jehovah's Witnesses is unwilling to investigate the alleged abuse;

is of the opinion that investigations into alleged abuse should not be avoided;

 Calls on the government to ensure that, with due regard to the protection of the reporters, independent investigation is carried out into the reports, the possible underlying pattern, the rules, practices and structures used within the community, taking into account the complaints already filed to the police;

And proceeds to the order of the day.

Van Nispen

Kuiken

Van Toorenburg

Buitenweg 

source: https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/moties/detail?did=2018D35528&id=2018Z12157

"Mon | Jun 25, 2018

Michael Abrahams | The Cruelty Of Kingdom Hall

Published:Monday | June 25, 2018 | 12:05 AM

I must confess that I have ambivalent feelings toward Jehovah’s Witnesses. As members of a denomination, I have found them to be the most pleasant and friendly and I feel deep affection for all that I know. But some of their beliefs concern me deeply.

My reasoning with Witnesses began in my late teens. I was a Christian at the time and was baptized in and attended a Missionary church. Back then I knew little about them and was interested in learning about their faith.

So, I would invite them to my verandah, where I would avidly listen to explanations of their doctrines. Some, such as not believing that Jesus Christ is God, not celebrating Christmas and eschewing religious imagery, I absolutely understood, with their arguments prompting me to discard a gold crucifix that I used to proudly wear on a chain around my neck. Some others, such as not celebrating birthdays and abstaining from voting, I found to be irrational. But most disturbing to me were their rejection of blood and blood products and the practice of shunning persons who transgress or leave the faith.

Jehovah’s Witnesses will tell you that the Bible says that you should “abstain from blood”, and their stance against blood transfusion is non-negotiable, despite the fact that the Bible verses they quote refer to the ingestion of blood or its use in rituals.

The utilization of blood, in the form of transfusions, to save the lives of anaemic or haemorrhaging human beings was not on the radar of the biblical writers. Blood transfusions have saved millions of lives. JehovahÂ’s Witnesses delight in telling us that there are blood substitutes and bloodless surgery techniques. However, there are certain situations where if a person does not get blood, they will die, or suffer permanent damage to organs such as the brain or kidneys.

A colleague of mine, an anaesthetist, related a story to me of an experience she had several years ago that still haunts her. A girl had been rushed into the operating room for emergency surgery after being injured in a motor vehicle accident. She had lost a considerable amount of blood, and despite the use of blood substitutes, monitors indicated that her blood pressure and her oxygen level were falling. A transfusion was necessary to save her life.

Unfortunately, the child was a JehovahÂ’s Witness. Family and church members turned up at the hospital and congregated outside the operating theatre. Not only did they not consent for the minor to be transfused, they informed my colleague that if the child got any blood, they would have nothing further to do with her. The anaesthetist tried desperately to get a judge to overrule the decision of the gathering, but it was a weekend and she was unsuccessful. She helplessly watched as the child died.

Another practice of JehovahÂ’s Witnesses that is unsettling and harmful is that of shunning, the fate that would have befallen the child had she been transfused. Members of the organization whose behaviour is deemed to be inappropriate, may not only be dismissed, but shunned as well. Merely deciding to leave the faith can result in shunning. When you are shunned, you are disowned by fellow church members. They will not speak to you. They will not visit you at your house, and you certainly will not be welcome in theirs. It is brutal.

My family recently befriended a woman who is a Jehovah’s Witness. One day, in my kitchen, we had a very interesting and bizarre conversation. She knows that I am not a Christian now, but we are friends. I asked her what would happen to our friendship if I were to become a Jehovah’s Witness, but decide to leave the organization, remain a Christian, and join another denomination. She sternly told me that if that were to happen, we could longer be friends. I asked her if she would still come to my house, and she responded, “Why would I want to do that?” Strange. Very strange.

Shunning a friend is one thing, but Witnesses have shunned family members, some for life. I know a former Witness whose mother did not speak to her for 20 years after she left the organization. I asked my mechanic, a Jehovah’s Witness, about the practice, and remarked how cruel it was. He smiled and said, “It will make them come back”. Not always. Some are guilted into going back, but many suffer severe psychological trauma and spiral into depression. Some become suicidal. Some have attempted it and have been successful.

Relationships are crucial for good health and well-being. Indeed, a 75-year study conducted by Harvard University found that good relationships keep us happier and healthier and are the key to leading fulfilling lives. I do not think that JehovahÂ’s Witnesses believe that they are being cruel. They are convinced that they are doing what Jehovah wants them to, and this illustrates why religion can be so dangerous, even evil. Once a person of faith believes that their actions are in accordance with GodÂ’s will, no matter how unjust or wicked those actions may be, their conscience is undisturbed. The lives, the health, the well-being of others do not matter to them.

The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health is “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." The Jehovah’s Witness faith poses a threat to all the abovementioned components of health. We are often told to respect the religious beliefs of others, but why should I respect a belief system that jeopardizes the health of my fellow human beings?

• Michael Abrahams is a gynaecologist and obstetrician, comedian and poet. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or tweet @mikeyabrahams.

Found this little gem in the current study watchtowers 'question from readers.' I was recently watching the ARC and thought Geoffrey Jackson said it would be presumptuous for the GB to assume they were God's only channel for dispensing spiritual food. Whoops!

With a readership of almost one million people for the Sunday edition, The Philadelphia Inquirer has published a major FRONT PAGE headline article with an inside FULL page article in it's Sunday, June 24, 2018, PRINT edition .

SPECIAL REPORT: Jehovah's Witnesses and sex abuse

Still haunted by a rape and by faith's response

The Philadelphia Inquirer (US), Sunday, June 24, 2018 - Front page (A1) plus page A17

She says she was 5 when another Jehovah's Witness raped her. The religion's leaders call such accounts 'false stories' 

Stephen Lett is 69, bald, and round-faced, with eyes that sometimes spring open to dramatic effect while he’s talking — if you can manage to get an audience with him.

For much of the last two decades, Lett has been a member of the small governing body that runs JehovahÂ’s Witnesses and sets the course for the denominationÂ’s followers at more than a dozen congregations in the Philadelphia area, and thousands more around the world. Lett and the seven other men on this committee maintain quiet profiles, their voices usually absent from media coverage about the WitnessesÂ’ widespread child sex-abuse problems.

But in the spring of 2015, Lett unexpectedly starred in a 10-minute video that was posted on the WitnessesÂ’ website, an appearance that coincided with a spate of stories about abuse allegations and cover-ups published by Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Dressed in a dark suit, he grew animated as he urged followers to stay united by “rejecting false stories.”

Years later, still haunted by rape

PICTURE: Chessa Manion at tge Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg after a rally earlier this month seeking to eliminate the cap on the amount of times child sex-crime victims have to come forward.

PICTURE: Stephen Lett, a Jehovah's Witnesses leader, says on a video on its website that the idea that the Witnesses are permissive toward pedophiles is "ridiculous".

PICTURE: Chessa Manion hugs State Rep. Mark Rozzi (D., Berks) minutes after a rally calling for the elimination of PennsylvaniaÂ’s statutes of limitations in child sex abuse cases.

READ FULL ONLINE ARTICLE:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/jehovahs-witnesses-child-sex-abuse-stephen-lett-chessa-manion-20180620.html