TrueTomHarley

54 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

It was almost like saying, hey we know that all kinds of groups are troubled by such crimes, but there is one group that has claimed a lot of examples of angelic protection,

Any group of any fundamentalist leaning claims this. It is not just Witnesses.

Agreed, 'liberal' churches are less likely to claim this, but that is because they are less likely to claim anything. Some of them have been found to have pastors who shed their belief in God.

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

I suspect you reversed this convention.

No. I don't make mistakes. I did it on purpose to show I felt his pain and was at one with him.

Obviously.

(Oh, all right. I'll go back and fix it.)

A 30-ish, I would guess, reporter attended one of this year's regional convention, this one in New Orleans, and wrote some reasonably nice things about it. He didn’t fall upon his face and do a Zechariah 8:23 – ‘We will go with you people, for we have heard that God is with you people’ – but considering his non-religious reporter background, I’ll take what he did write and thank him for it. You don't have to quibble over every little thing.

Since I have time on my hands, and no, I was not notified by an attendant (guard), let me see if I can respond to a few things he raised. His words are in italics. Mine in regular font.

The Jehovah's Witnesses' Annual Convention Was So Organized It Was Creepy. They are extremely organized. It might strike one as creepy who is not used to it.

Aside from the occasional door-to-door visits and that one time, which I still feel guilty about, when my brother drenched some evangelists with water balloons from our second-story bedroom window, I had never really met a Jehovah's Witness. It took me two trips to the dry cleaners to get those water marks out of my suit.

 Also, I knew Prince was a member, and any religious group that could claim Prince as one of their own was either extremely terrifying or weirdly edgy and almost cool.  The ebook Tom Irregardless and Me contains the most complete, and perhaps only, written compilation of Prince’s JW life. It is in the free download section.

…they even took care of cleaning, despite the Superdome's retainer on dozens of janitors. It may be the only event for which they get time off. The Witnesses usually show up a day beforehand, as well, for a massive scrub-down.

One Superdome employee said to me, "These guys are guarding the elevators like Obama is here." As far as I know, he did not come. He would have been invited, but may have been hard to reach.

Plus, their floral-printed dresses and charcoal suits made most guests look like they were dressed for a wake. If one is not used to seeing folks dressed up, and it is a rarety today, the sight could easily give that impression.

As a further sign of their top-down control of every aspect of the convention, or maybe just a tight budget, none of the concession booths were open. It is like that in every convention and has always been. People brown-bag it. However, go back far enough to the 50’s or so and there were makeshift kitchens set up & taken down to serve a full meal to every attendee. Food arrangements have progressively streamlined since then.

It's a bit unsettling to realize you're one of the only people in a room of nearly 40,000 who think you're not destined for heaven, and not even destined for the earthly paradise that the remaining Jehovah's Witnesses will inherit after all the other degenerate heathens like me are abruptly taken out by the apocalypse. Their beliefs are their beliefs after all, but I don't often contemplate the afterlife in the presence of a group whose faith is so relentless. It's convert or burn, and that's heavy s**t, man. [**s mine]

We would not phrase matters this way. We just try to bring the gospel to as many as we can, and after that things are out of our hands. As the expression goes, ‘It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.’

There was a big, climactic event on the bill that sounded like it was supposed to be a live drama depicting something from the Book of Something. Jonah. it was from the Book of Jonah. Actually, it was the entire book, which is overall quite short.

…everyone was wearing way too much makeup. It was like a B movie made by the Bible Channel. I actually thought the movie was pretty good, overall. They have come a long ways in a short time, and once were downright cheesy. Great attention is paid that all props are historically accurate. It may be that you just miss the Hollywood pizzazz that moviegoers become accustomed to. Admittedly, they are not paid actors. They, too, are volunteers.

a bunch of men walked around holding "Quiet Please" signs that had already been made. This happens before all sessions, as it takes participants a while to break off visiting with friends they may not have seen for a long time.

But while I still don't understand the Jehovah's Witness faith or its people, and while I may still think of them as cult-addled nuts, they're still just people. You know, I’ll take this. I appreciate it. And I really do like the article with its reminder of the first impression we make on many today.

But they also like peanut butter sandwiches. I hate to think of the garbage I might eat were it not for my wife, who attends to such things far better than I do.

...and they especially like organizing conventions. The exact program is reproduced hundreds of times during the year around the world, each with the same degree of organization, so as to serve every member. Ours was in Rochester, and here is a post on a previous one.

http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2018/07/reporter-at-2-oclock-roger-that.html

On 7/29/2018 at 1:52 PM, Jack Ryan said:

So I’m getting a bit paranoid, just want to check something. Can whoever is in charge of the Kingdom Hall WiFi see what people have been doing on it? And can they see the name of the device that is doing it? Thanks!

It's been in the works for some time. You name and device tops every list.

On 7/29/2018 at 1:39 PM, Jack Ryan said:

How was this justice?

You are being too cerebral about this.

Take a fruit with you from the supermarket out the door, without paying for it, making it a forbidden fruit.

The experience will help you see the problem from a new perspective. If it does not, I will appear at your trial as a character witness.

22 hours ago, Jack Ryan said:

Teenage pregnancies aren't the only thing the church won’t tolerate. Alex thumbs a pamphlet of "kids who died for Jehovah", knowing that she might have to do the same. Though she suffers from a kind of anaemia (severe enough to warrant a transfusion as a baby, despite vehement protest from the elders), she tells her doctor that, as an adult with custody over her own body, she will refuse the transfer of blood.

 

This is probably a reference to an Awake article of the 90s. I wrote of it here:

http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2010/10/jehovahs-witnesses-and-blood-transfusions.html

and here is the specific passage (the post is lengthy):

I also thought it well to take a look at that May 1994 Awake quote which Matt uses to advance the notion JW youths are dropping like flies for their transfusion refusals:

“In former times thousands of youths died for putting God first. They are still doing it, only today the drama is played out in hospitals and courtrooms, with blood transfusions the issue.”

Not that I accuse Matt of anything devious. I've no doubt he used the quotation in good faith. It's likely from a web source purporting to be informative, but in reality existing only to denigrate a faith its  author detests, trying to make JWs look as fanatical as possible, and doing so for philosophical reasons, rather than anything having to do with medicine or lives. So is the statement taken out of context or not?

It's a little difficult to tell, for there is no context. The quote is a one-line blurb on the magazine's table of contents designed to pique interest in the articles to follow. The articles to follow describe the cases of five Witness youngsters in North America. Each was admitted into a hospital for aggressive cancer or leukemia. Each fought battles with hospitals, courts, and child welfare agencies determined to administer blood against the patient's will. Each eventually prevailed in court, being recognized as “mature minors” with the right to decide upon their own treatment (though in two cases, a forced transfusion was given prior to that decision). Three of the children did die. Two lived. It's rather wrenching stuff, with court transcripts and statements of the children involved, and those of the participating doctors, lawyers, and judges. In no case do you get the sense that blood transfusions offered a permanent cure, only a possible prolonging of life, ideally long enough for some cure to be discovered (which has not yet happened). One of the children, who did die, was told that blood would enable her to live only three to six months longer, during which time she might “do many things,” such as “visit Disney World.” There's little here to suggest that “thousands of youths are dying for putting God first” who would otherwise live. Frankly, I think the quote is sloppily written. “They are still doing it,” says the quote. Doing what? Dying? Dying in the thousands? Or putting God first without regard for the immediate consequences?

22 hours ago, Jack Ryan said:

It's going to take a LOT of preaching to equal the distribution of these newspapers above. Get ready to make some BIG Literature carts, stand by them for about a century and hope (maybe I should say pray for Jehovah's protection) so that no crazy ISIS guys coming wielding swords or bullets.

If you think ‘theybes’ are the coolest thing since GPS technology, you just may not be comfortable as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you think the idea is stupidity on steroids, Jehovah’s Witnesses may be a home for you. (Theybe parents encourage their child not to read anything into their anatomy, and they seek to keep it hidden from others to the extent possible, so the children can choose their own gender when they reach 4 or 5 years of age, not having been ‘prejudiced’ by genitalia)

If you think ‘moral decadence’ is a pejorative phrase, you will not feel at home with JWs. If you feel it is spot-on ‘tell-it-like-it-is,’ you will.

If you think the world today is ‘onward and upwards; Yes, there are some problems, but nothing that human ingenuity can’t fix,’ the Kingdom Hall is not where you’ll want to be. If you think this world is in its death throes, you may.

It is all perspective. It’s all spin. When people of the first perspective write a book or make a movie about JWs, you know they are going to slaughter them. The very same circumstances that Witnesses view one way will be viewed, and usually skewed, the opposite way by those holding opposite views. There is no mystery to it. They may or may not be apostate, per the definition that good @sami supplies, but that is not the main point. They have decided the lifestyle they left behind is not so bad after all, and have returned to it. Peter speaks of it in canine terms. So does @Vic Vomidog

Once again, today’s Trump/Hillary uproar proves to be a godsend—a template seen in other areas of life. Both parties see the very same exact set of facts. Then they spin, represent and exaggerate them 180 degree poles apart, and do nothing but rage at each other on the media. It all serves to expose the nonsense of ‘critical thinking.’ We think from the gut, not the head. The heart chooses what it wants and then entrusts the head to create a rationale for it.

The overall ‘crime’ of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it becomes more and more clear, is to dare to be separate. It is no more than 1 Peter 4:4 at work: “Because you do not consider running with them in this course to the same low sink of debauchery, they are puzzled and go on speaking abusively of you.” It confuses them, but they figure out the appropriate response in a hurry—to speak abusively of those holding the Christian course.

“Water’s just fine here in the low sink!” more and more people shout. “Whatever is wrong with you, wanting to stay out? We even have Jack the lifeguard here, and he has cleaned up his language today. Oh, and did I tell you that he's making a movie?”

22 hours ago, Jack Ryan said:

Despite her efforts to reintegrate herself into the church, the patriarchal powers that be declare: "She likes to voice her opinion too much."

 

It is typical of the nonsense that afflicts much of journalism these days. What is an off-the-cuff remark by someone who may be opinionated and is simply representative of the tangled interaction of humanity, is presented as though it is official controlling dogma from on high.

21 hours ago, Jack Ryan said:

The sick young patient in need of the blood transfusion that will save their life – only for it to be revealed that they have been brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness and cannot be given blood – has become something of a staple of television medical dramas such as Casualty. In Daniel Kokotajlo’s debut feature, Apostasy, however, this dreadful scenario gets a more thorough examination, resulting in a British drama that, while undeniably slow and bleakly awkward, is also as interesting as it is disturbing.

 

Just once I would like to see media, when relating this problem that modern 'bloodless medicine' can usually accommodate, also stating that the 'oppressive' Witness teachings also eliminate drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, not to mention war participation, making Jehovah's Witnesses far and away the 'safest' religion out there.

Only once have I seen the Witnesses' stand not get butchered on TV, and even that was not spot-on in all respects: in an episode of 'The Practice:'

http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2006/09/the_practice_ge.html

21 hours ago, Jack Ryan said:

When Luisa reveals that she is pregnant – and keeping the baby – she is promptly "disfellowshipped", the church elders insisting the family cut contact until she is officially reinstated.

 

This suggests, whether it is intentional or just clumsy, (the reviewer seems to accept it as intentional) that had she terminated the pregnancy, all would have been well. In actuality, an abortion would greatly multiply the 'wrong.'

2 minutes ago, JW Insider said:

Very funny. Even though I already saw this over on your site.

 

I have a library lending-exchange program with @The Librarian (the old hen)

I posted this elsewhere on this forum. Now I see that it fits better here:

Yes he is, and this is absolutely the last time I let this dog on a Bible translation team! Just look at what it did to Matthew 15:27!

It is the attempt to read them in that causes people to throw up their hands in despair, sometimes even in disgust, of ever understanding it. To the extent that happens, it makes such doctrines very destructive.

From time to time, this is acknowledged by some clergyman or other.  For example, Richard Lowell Bryant, a United Methodist minister, rained on ‘Trinity Sunday’ recently by declaring of the doctrine: We made it up, saying in part:

“The truth is:  God was nowhere to be found when we made up the Trinity and turned it into a tool to isolate, annoy, and explain God’s expansive love in terms of dysfunctional family.”

http://um-insight.net/perspectives/there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-trinity

His brethren men and women of the cloth hastened to correct him. Especially did one Dr. Hunter, who says: “Several of my students sent me the article, knowing the central place the doctrine of the Trinity holds in the courses I teach at United Theological Seminary.” Dr. Hunter responds with a twelve-paragraph reproof to his fellow minister.

https://goodnewsmag.org/2018/07/in-defense-of-the-holy-trinity/

Two things can be observed about his reply.

1. It will barely be comprehensible to the person of common sense, and

2. No appeal is made to scripture for support, a tacit admission that none is to be found there. After all, the New Testament is the origin, if not the blueprint, of Christianity. Is it not telling that he does not go there?

He goes there only a little, to cite John 16 and Jesus’ statement therein that the helper will come along later and reveal all things. He appears to have in mind, per a previous paragraph, the decree of the Council of Nicaea, which took place 300 years after Christ, and in which the Doctor expresses confidence that it was directed by Holy Spirit. But as to the scriptures themselves teaching a triune God—zip. He doesn’t touch it.

The Bible verses can be tortured for that meaning, of course, but tortured is what they must be. They involve taking literally numerous passages which, in any other context, would instantly be recognized as figure of speech. However, it does serve to complicate the obvious and thus serves to supply Dr. Hunter with a teaching career.

Not that Dr. Hunter is a bad man. No, he possibly is a very good man. But he is likely a product of what Jesus spoke of long ago to religious leaders of his day: “Woe to you who are versed in the Law, because you took away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not go in, and you hinder those going in!”

Since they took the key away, later generations don’t necessarily know that there is a key.

http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2018/07/most-church-doctrines-are-not-found-in-the-bible.html

On 7/8/2018 at 3:10 AM, Judith Sweeney said:

   Of all the comments on here....You, Mr.Rook and Queen Ester are the only SANE ones in this forum.   

Yikes.

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

Harumph!! [can't find the appropriate emoji ?]

And to think kids are said to be able to communicate exclusively with emojies

2 hours ago, indagator said:

The org today has reached a real nadir in its existence. The bros at the top are extremely limited, evidently more so than at any time of its past. Being such an authoritarian group, this manifests itself in the real lack of thought-provoking anything. I surely do not know what Jehovah has in mind for his people at this time, but the small element of faithful thinkers here seems like a real refreshment. In a sense, perhaps, a sort of "remnant"—ha!

 

 

 

I don't think so. It is always that way. Moreover, I believe scripturally it should be that way. 

It is Paul declaring that he would speak nothing other than the Christ before learned ones. It is the first century leaders ever remaining 'unlearned and ordinary.' It is God laughing at the intellects of the world because he uses people who are not especially intellectual luminaries to do things structure-wise that their intellectual 'betters' could not dream of.

That said, I have not been following this thread (only through lack of time). It can be dangerous to chime in like this, especially when JWI is running the show. With others, it can be done anytime, anyplace, anyhow.

I spoke to both Caleb and Sophia the other day, and when the subject of @James Thomas Rook Jr. came up, they used words I have never heard them use before.

To read the sidebar "I Am the Christ, by JW Insider" is disconcerting.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote three incendiary articles about Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Wow! did they ever make them look bad! Probably that was the intent, though it is hard to say for sure because nobody would ever say that the subject is nothing. It is the topic of child sexual abuse, the most white-hot topic of all.

As much as Jehovah’s Witnesses would love to say that child sexual abuse has not occurred within their ranks, they cannot. They can say, and do, that it is relatively uncommon within their ranks, but just try telling that to one who has suffered from it. There is no experience that determines one's viewpoint more than this one. It is exacerbated by the Witnesses being said to be an ‘insular’ organization, and this ‘crime’ of being insular is pushed pedal-to-the-medal by the Philly reporter, who returns to an anti-Witness website after articles, where he is lauded as a hero. Perhaps he has 20 more of such articles up his sleeve. But it is little wonder that he is lauded: some of these gathered at the site are ones who have been victims.

The overall stats for child sexual abuse do not speak well for humanity. One of four girls and one of six boys will be sexually abused before they are 18 (in the U. S, according to InvisibleChildren.org)—this, despite decades of battling the evil.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017, at their summer conventions, which all attend, considered detailed scenarios in which child sexual abuse might occur, so that parents, the first line of defense, could be vigilant. If anyone displays unusual interest in your child, if there are sleepovers, if there are unsupervised trips to the rest room, if—there were several others, all potential hot spots, not necessarily bad, but reason to be attentive. Nobody, but nobody, gathers their entire membership for such education other than Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There is also Caleb and Sophia, cartoon characters whose family doings are utilized as a teaching tool for Witness parents. They teach short lessons on subjects quite mundane, yet crucial to smooth functioning of society, such as the desirability of honesty. The tykes delight the hearts of JW children everywhere (except in Russia, where they are behind bars as extremists). ‘Protect Your Children’ is an especially vital lesson that addresses pedophilia, in which Mommy and Daddy coax their children on how to respond if threatened. If someone “touches you where they should not” or “asks you to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable.” “Even if it is someone you know and trust,” Mommy commends a correct answer, and her husband adds, “and then tell Mommy and Daddy right away,” who, in the video, take the news most seriously.

In three articles, the Philadelphia Inquirer makes no mention of these clearly relevant factors, though whether it is through malice or incompetence is unclear. Nor do they cite the Witness organization’s easily available printed and digital child abuse policy, which gives the obvious lie to most of their insinuations. Included only is a Watchtower Society quote that the latter ‘abhor child sexual abuse,’ which the Inquirer presents in a context as though evidence that they do not.

No, Philly Inquirer, the religion you slimed is not the scourge of humanity. It comprises a group of decent, caring human beings who encountered problems in the 80s and 90s, doing what others did not even attempt: investigate reports of this abomination, along with other types of wrongdoing, so as to strive towards the biblical imperative of ‘presenting to God a clean people.’ “You, the one saying, ‘do not steal,’ do you steal? You, the one saying, ‘do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery?” says the apostle Paul. Any group professing that their beliefs contribute to better social conduct should take measures to see that that is in fact the case.

Did anyone other than Jehovah’s Witnesses take self-policing so seriously? The Philadelphia Inquirer appears to be fully siding with enemies of the religion whose stated goal is to litigate it out of existence. Were they to succeed, they would be showing themselves friends of child sexual abuse, for few others have the proactive education and prevention record of Jehovah’s Witnesses, despite some serious missteps. Data that can be gleaned from an Australian Royal Commission, coupled with the Witnesses relentless campaign to avoid pornography in any form, plus the educational factors already cited, make this conclusion nearly inescapable, though positive proof will ever be lacking because others of the time failed to address the problem and thereby produce records. In many venues, such ‘negligence’ is a punishable offense; here it is effectively rewarded. It is Sergeant Shultz crying, “I know nothiinnnggg,” a policy that ultimately got him out of many a jam on the old TV show.

The misstep that the Inquirer exclusively zeroes in on, and it is not nothing, is the inclination of many Witnesses, upon submitting a matter to congregation elders, to not also go to outside authorities, and elders to not go over their heads and do so themselves. Ones were never prevented from doing so, but the prevailing atmosphere in the 80s and 90s was such that they were less likely to do it, and stories abound of persons being pressured in that direction. An ill-conceived desire to protect reputation is hardly unique to Witnesses of that day; the very reason there is an expression “skeletons in the closet” is that families once succeeded in keeping them there. I would not argue that Jehovah’s Witnesses were slower than most to give up that mindset. These days elders positively plead with families of victims to report to outside authorities, only to find that some are still reluctant to go that route.

In this context, some victims of child sexual abuse come to feel and deeply regret that they went unheard. Some of these later become bitter towards religion in general, and Jehovah's Witnesses in particular. It cannot be argued that circumstances did not give them a strong nudge in that direction, can it? Today, in a climate of litigation, many of these ones seek their due.

The notion that persons should be monetarily compensated for real or perceived wrongs has long been accepted by society. Lawsuits for all manner of offenses are unremarkable routine and enormous monitary awards are common. It amounts to a massive society-wide transfer of wealth, with lawyers charging a third. It is the reason insurance skyrockets at a time that inflation is quite low. It is a reason prices of goods escalate, as ‘punished’ corporations simply pass along their costs to the consumer. Few would assert that compensation is wrong, but few would deny its overall effects, either.

Witness policy has evolved to the extent they feel is possible, given their Bible outlook, but they plead for a circumstance in law that is unlikely ever to be realized. Here law mandates that allegations be reported to police, there it does not mandate it, and the default law kicks into place that it is likely forbidden, as it can constitute a violation of ‘clergy-penitent confidentiality,’ an idea as much enshrined into law as doctor-patient confidentiality and attorney-client confidentiality. The Witness attorney pleaded for understanding before the ARC (and got none) that Witnesses were having a hard time navigating this patchwork of laws, as they sought to fulfill a biblically-mandated duty that others do not take seriously. Three times before the Australian Royal Commission, a member of the Witnesses’ Governing Body pleaded for universal mandatory reporting laws, across all territories, with no exceptions. Then it wouldn’t matter if a given congregation member, for whatever reason, declined to go to the police. Elders would do it regardless. Most of the cases reported today are from 20 or more years previous, and the 'crime' alleged is failing 'to go beyond the law' with regard to reporting. Nothing is more telling of society's overall desperation at losing the war against child sexual abuse than the moral imperative to 'go beyond the law.' If it is so imperative to go 'beyond the law' then surely that should become the law. Otherwise, that lapse becomes merely a means for Monday-mornng quarterbacking to target unpopular groups.

Such universal change in law would make possible both the aims of the congregation and those of outside authorities. Roundly condemned is Jehovah’s Witnesses insistence on a “two-witness rule” in connection with their religious investigations. The Philadelphia Inquirer misrepresents this rule as though Jehovah’s Witnesses demand two spectators for every abuse incident, and let perpetrators off with a wink and a nod in their absence. They ignore that one witness is the victim his or herself, and a similar report from another party also constitutes a ‘witness.’ It is still far from watertight, but hardly the pedophile green light that they represent. Circumstantial evidence will also result in less serious censure.

The reason one ought not be too quick to give up a “two-witness rule” emerges every time someone is exonerated by DNA evidence, the latest advance of criminal science, after serving decades in prison, having been convicted with less strenuous proof. Outside authorities have their own standards for proof, and with universal mandatory reporting laws, both agencies can fulfill their duties adequately. Why was this not done long ago—passing universal mandatory reporting laws? Given the crusade to punish child sexual abuse, one would think that no task would have been easier.

Since the present legal climate makes the Witnesses' duty in policing its own, according to biblical standards, almost impossible, the situation could be framed as a contest between church and state. ‘Preach to them on Sunday, and be done with it,’ is the only liability-free policy. ‘It’s none of your business whether they apply it or not.’’ And yet, to those determined to live by Bible prinicples as best they can, it clearly is their 'business'. Is it possible that the Witnesses' underlying ‘crime’ is the resolve to stay ‘separate’ from the overall world, today portrayed as being ‘insular?’ The Jews’ determination to stay separate, moderated only in recent years, has contributed towards many a pogrom over past centuries.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are overall pretty good at allowing the repercussions of life to serve as discipline, even if they are not intended that way. “It is for discipline that you are enduring,” says Paul, adding, “no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but it is painful; yet afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Witness leaders are without doubt humbled and chastened by events. They may not state it to those they perceive as their enemies, because the goals of the latter go well beyond humbling, but it is undoubtedly so.

Meanwhile, when sued, they must defend themselves in court where determining what is right is complex and impartiality cannot be assumed. The reason there is an uproar with every new Supreme Court justice nominee is the universal understanding that even judges are not impartial; they interpret the law in the light of overriding philosophy and pre-existing bias; it is not enough simply to find one who knows how to swing a gavel. And no topic can trigger overriding philosophy and pre-existing bias more than child sexual abuse.

1 hour ago, James Thomas Rook Jr. said:

As a retired Engineer, that is how I made a living for over 50 years.

 

As I recall, when I visited the city in which you were head engineer, none of the toilets flushed

If you tell skeptics not to play with a Ouija board because the Devil may come up, they will laugh their sides off. 

If you tell them not to play with it because Putin may come up, they will run in terror.

This is as good a place as any to post a letter that does not specifically address Delaware but does the overall situation. It is a response to three incendiary articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer. It starts here and continues on my blog, as it is very lengthy:

“The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote three incendiary articles about Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Wow! did they ever make them look bad! Probably that was the intent, though it is hard to say for sure because nobody would ever say that the subject is nothing. It is the topic of child sexual abuse, the most white-hot topic of all.

“As much as Jehovah’s Witnesses would love to say that child sexual abuse has not occurred within their ranks, they cannot. They can say, and do, that it is relatively uncommon within their ranks, but just try telling that to one who has suffered from it. There is no experience that determines one’s viewpoint more than this one. It is exacerbated by the Witnesses being said to be an ‘insular’ organization, and this ‘crime’ of being insular is pushed pedal-to-the-medal by the Philly reporter, who returns to an anti-Witness website after articles, where he is lauded as a hero. Perhaps he has 20 more of such articles up his sleeve. But it is little wonder that he is lauded: some of these gathered at the site are ones who have been victims.

“The overall stats for child sexual abuse do not speak well for humanity. One of four girls and one of six boys will be sexually abused before they are 18 (in the U. S, according to InvisibleChildren.org)—this, despite decades of battling the evil…”

http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2018/07/three-incendiary-articles-from-the-philadelphia-inqurer.html