Jack Ryan

October 2019 study article 41, paragraph 14

John Redwood's Quick and Fast Essay about 'The Montana Supreme Court - Child Sex Abuse - Jehovah's Witnesses Organization.'
The Montana Supreme Court
I would like to thank everyone with their patience in getting some information about what happened in Billings Montana today. The Supreme Court arguments only took two hours, but the rest of my day was spent with the attorneys and the plaintiffs.
And I must say, when I have the opportunity to choose between spending time with these fine people and writing up a summary, I choose to be with these incredible people every single time.
The summary, the analysis, the social media posts- all of that can come later. I know others have watched the proceedings online, and there has also been some media coverage of this event. But let me say this- it's is a very complex case, and it will not be decided for a minimum of 4-6 months- although resolution can come sooner or later.
That being said I will offer a few observations.
Today was a special day for the State of Montana. The Capitol of Montana is Helena, but for a number of important reasons, the Supreme Court for the State heard oral arguments today in a conference room at the Northern Hotel in Billings.
Unlike the small courtroom in Thompson Falls Montana one year ago, today there were hundreds of attorneys present. Most were there to attend the Montana Trial Lawyers conference. The Nunez v Watchtower appeal was the focal point of the day.
Professor Cynthia Ford opened up the appeal hearing by discussing the details of the case. She explained upfront that this is a very complicated case, but summarized the key components very well.
Because of the complexity of this case I am only going to mention a few points, then discuss what happened in greater detail in the near future.
This is not an open and shut case. It involves many issues, from things which happened before, during and after the trial which took place a year ago next week.
Watchtower attorney Joel Taylor lied to the Montana Supreme Court.
Taylor was asked whether the Watchtower or CCJW organization would penalize someone (an elder) who decided to follow his own conscience and report allegations of child sexual abuse to the authorities.
Taylor said such persons would make their own "conscience-based decision on whether to report and that they would not be penalized. He said that would be a decision between them and God. [We all know how God treats elders who disobey]
Not only was this an outright lie, but it contradicts testimony from the trial itself, where Watchtower representative Doug Chappel acknowledged that elders must comply with Watchtower policy- or they will not be elders.
Aside from lying to the Montana Supreme court, Watchtower has made many other claims, including the claim that Watchtower and CCJW had no duty to protect Lexi Nunez, and that they did not even know of her "existence."
They claim that Lexi is not even among the class of persons which the Montana reporting law was designed to protect.
If anything infuriates Lexi, it's the fact that she was treated like a non-existent entity to Watchtower. An invisible peon deserving of no attention or protection from a multi-billion dollar religious corporation.
Trust me, Watchtower knows who Lexi is now. And Holly. And Ivy. They picked the wrong women to ignore.
Of course, the law was designed to do exactly that- to protect children from abuse when allegations become known. If Watchtower had permitted elders to do the right thing and phone the authorities regarding the abuse of Holly and Peter, it's clear we would not be sitting before the Supreme Court today, and the threat to Lexi would have been mitigated.
One of Watchtower's loudest claims in this and all other abuse cases is that they have every right not to report child abuse (to keep it confidential) because it violates their "established church practice."
This means that Watchtower wants to claim that all of their elders' meetings, discussions with other elders locally and at Watchtower in New York, and anyone else they designate are all covered by their religious confidentiality.
Watchtower desires complete religious autonomy with no respect for the mandatory reporting laws which are in place for a reason. They place their perceived right to define confidentiality as a right greater than than the rights of the victims.
The reality is that they wish to control the flow of information about child abuse and direct it to their lawyers and their service department, bypassing State authorities. They have expanded the definition to include anyone and everyone, including the child molester themselves.
Another issue raised today was the constitutionality of the 10 million dollars Montana punitive damages cap. I won't spend a lot of time of this because it pales in comparison with the fact that a jury already decided that Watchtower was guilty of negligence and malice.
So at the end of the day, whatever happens, Lexi won her case, and she has the support of Montana's citizens - the jurors who spent their week listening to testimony and who made the right decision to hold Watchtower accountable.
Whether it ends up being 3 million or 35 million- either way, what people think about this religious corporation is priceless.
We are hoping the Montana Supreme Court justices agree that the cap is unconstitutional, as it limits the ability of a plaintiff to send a powerful message to a multi-billion dollar corporation which controls the lives of millions. We want Watchtower to get that message. They have been settling lawsuits for decades now, a few million here, a few million there.
They are not getting the message, which is why the cap needs to be removed. The jury felt this way, and so did Judge Manley from the original trial court. In a few months, we will find out.
I'd like to comment more as so many things happened today. But as I said before, the best part was spending time with all of these people, whom I consider family. And they welcomed me into their circle, for which I am very grateful.
I will do my best to answer any questions you might have, and if I don't have the answer immediately, I will get it.
It's been a long day, and I will be driving a long way tomorrow, then catching two different flights to get home.
It was all worth it.
John Redwood
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2512181392334107&id=100006268126035

Source:https://www.wgal.com/article/silent-no-more-part-4-the-justices/29040023

@The Librarian When we call out their lies, they say we must have been hurt. When we call out their hurtfulness, they say we must be lying.

For those of you who "can't handle the truth" (I know it's hard to watch the disintegration of everything you hold dear)
There is a group on here of self-righteous "JW's only" who love to segregate themselves and post paradise pictures and only think good sweet thoughts.
They like their "ears tickled"
 

For those of you who "can't handle the truth" (I know it's hard to watch the disintegration of everything you hold dear)
There is a group on here of self-righteous "JW's only" who love to segregate themselves and post paradise pictures and only think good sweet thoughts.
They like their "ears tickled"
 

Preacher had multiple rape allegations
May 26, 2017
Their victims are girls between the ages of 12 and 13. The authorities have not disclosed to which congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses the accused belongs.
More than five rape complaints filed by children between the ages of 12 and 13 had the prosecution against Roger Abraham Flores Diaz (45), the Jehovah's Witness preacher arrested last night in San Pedro Sula, authorities said.
Flores Diaz was arrested in Barrio El Centro by agents from Agencia Técnica de Investigación Criminal (ATIC), where he had a cell phone business. According to the authorities, he deceived the girls by offering them money.
Agents reported that the detainee is charged with the crime of special rape to the detriment of several minors.
Although the rape complaint was filed by a single person (protected witness), the authorities also investigate other complaints against him for the same crime.
So far, the authorities have not disclosed to which congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses the accused belongs.
Source:
https://www.oncenoticias.hn/video-predicador-tenia-multiples-denuncias-por-violacion/

https://www.laprensa.hn/sucesos/1316580-410/exlíder-religioso-culpable-violacion-niña-testigos-de-jehova

Since the spirit makes contact with them... wouldn't that make them "inspired"?
 

Nowhere near as strong as 60 years ago...

The significance of this is speculation is whether the flood occurred before or after the building of the Pyramids.
It's a game changer for Watchtower teachings.

David Splane and Doing the Math
Do the Math
In the September JW Broadcast David Splane gave a talk on the above title. In it he raised the question whether Noah and Abraham knew each other. He claims that doing the math could help you answer that question. He begins by stating that, according to Insight on the Scriptures, we know for a fact the flood occurred in 2370 B.C.E. He lived for 350 years after the flood so that means he died in 2020 B.C.E. Abram entered Canaan in 1943 B.C.E. At the time he is 75 years old. Add 75 to 1943 means Abram was born in 2018 B.C.E. so, doing the math helps us to establish that Abram was born 2 years after Noah died.
In Genesis Chapter 11, it gives a genealogy from Shem all the way down to Abram.
And it says how old each person was when their son was born. It says that Arpachshad was 35 when his son was born, and Shelah was 30 when his son was born. But what David Splane did not take into consideration is that modern translations of the Bible are translated from the Hebrew Masoretic text, which is not the original Hebrew. But rather, a copy of the Hebrew, called the Leningrad Codex, which was produced in the 11th century A.D. But the Greek Septuagint was translated more than 1,000 years before, in 250 B.C., and would not have been translated from the Hebrew on which the Masoretic Text was based. But rather, from an older Hebrew text, which is no longer available. The Samaritan Pentateuch also pre-dates the Masoretic text and would also have referenced an older copy of the Hebrew. The Jewish historian Josephus agrees with both the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch.
In the Greek Septuagint it says that Arphaxad was 135. And it says that Shelah was 130. The Greek Septuagint has an extra 100 years on those ages in the six generations from Arphaxad down to Serug. Also, the Masoretic text says that Nahor was 29 years old when he fathered Terah Abrams father. The Septuagint says he was 79.
The Greek Septuagint has an extra 100 years on each one of those ages. But it's not just the Greek Septuagint. The Samaritan Pentateuch includes those extra hundred years and so does Flavius Josephus. That means there is an extra 650 years of history between Arpachshad and Serug. Noah lived 350 years after the flood. (Gen.9:28) Arpachshad was born 2 years after the flood. (Gen. 11:10) According to the Septuagint:
Arphaxad 135 years until Shelah
Shelah 130 years until Eber
Eber 134 years until Phalek
Phalek 130 years until Ragau
Ragau 132 years until Serouch
Serouch 130 years until Nachor
Nachor 79 years until Thara
Thara 27 years until Abram
Adding the above gives us a total of 897 years between Arphaxad and Abram. Adding two years between Arphaxad and the flood gives us 899 years. Subtracting 350 years of Noah’s life after the flood means Noah died, not two years according to Splane, but 549 years before Abram was born. This is the result if you “do the math” based on the Septuagint.
Interestingly, accepting these figures calls into question another statement of David Splane. In a previous broadcast he commented on the age of the Sphinx as dated to 2,550 B.C.E. by historians being wrong because it conflicted with the Bible account of the flood. But that’s only if you accept the Masoretic text figures as being correct.

The Catholic Church in Australia is participating in the redress scheme which simplifies claiming for victims, is a private process, limits liability for institutions and avoids the need for lawsuits.
Watchtower is one of the few on the list that does not intend to join. They prefer the courts, which isn't sensible as it does not limit liability and is highly visible to the public.
https://www.nationalredress.gov.au/institutions/institutions-have-not-yet-joined

“Hello Nintendo? I would like to report an infringement on your intellectual property.“

“Hello Nintendo? I would like to report an infringement on your intellectual property.“

Creepy!
I bet within 5 years kids will be asked to sing this in school rather than the US National Anthem.

David Splane and Doing the Math
Do the Math
In the September JW Broadcast David Splane gave a talk on the above title. In it he raised the question whether Noah and Abraham knew each other. He claims that doing the math could help you answer that question. He begins by stating that, according to Insight on the Scriptures, we know for a fact the flood occurred in 2370 B.C.E. He lived for 350 years after the flood so that means he died in 2020 B.C.E. Abram entered Canaan in 1943 B.C.E. At the time he is 75 years old. Add 75 to 1943 means Abram was born in 2018 B.C.E. so, doing the math helps us to establish that Abram was born 2 years after Noah died.
In Genesis Chapter 11, it gives a genealogy from Shem all the way down to Abram.
And it says how old each person was when their son was born. It says that Arpachshad was 35 when his son was born, and Shelah was 30 when his son was born. But what David Splane did not take into consideration is that modern translations of the Bible are translated from the Hebrew Masoretic text, which is not the original Hebrew. But rather, a copy of the Hebrew, called the Leningrad Codex, which was produced in the 11th century A.D. But the Greek Septuagint was translated more than 1,000 years before, in 250 B.C., and would not have been translated from the Hebrew on which the Masoretic Text was based. But rather, from an older Hebrew text, which is no longer available. The Samaritan Pentateuch also pre-dates the Masoretic text and would also have referenced an older copy of the Hebrew. The Jewish historian Josephus agrees with both the Septuagint and the Samaritan Pentateuch.
In the Greek Septuagint it says that Arphaxad was 135. And it says that Shelah was 130. The Greek Septuagint has an extra 100 years on those ages in the six generations from Arphaxad down to Serug. Also, the Masoretic text says that Nahor was 29 years old when he fathered Terah Abrams father. The Septuagint says he was 79.
The Greek Septuagint has an extra 100 years on each one of those ages. But it's not just the Greek Septuagint. The Samaritan Pentateuch includes those extra hundred years and so does Flavius Josephus. That means there is an extra 650 years of history between Arpachshad and Serug. Noah lived 350 years after the flood. (Gen.9:28) Arpachshad was born 2 years after the flood. (Gen. 11:10) According to the Septuagint:
Arphaxad 135 years until Shelah
Shelah 130 years until Eber
Eber 134 years until Phalek
Phalek 130 years until Ragau
Ragau 132 years until Serouch
Serouch 130 years until Nachor
Nachor 79 years until Thara
Thara 27 years until Abram
Adding the above gives us a total of 897 years between Arphaxad and Abram. Adding two years between Arphaxad and the flood gives us 899 years. Subtracting 350 years of Noah’s life after the flood means Noah died, not two years according to Splane, but 549 years before Abram was born. This is the result if you “do the math” based on the Septuagint.
Interestingly, accepting these figures calls into question another statement of David Splane. In a previous broadcast he commented on the age of the Sphinx as dated to 2,550 B.C.E. by historians being wrong because it conflicted with the Bible account of the flood. But that’s only if you accept the Masoretic text figures as being correct.

Your browser does not support the HTML5 video tag.

Basic symptoms of Narcissistic disorder grabbed from google
Grandiose sense of self-importance. ... Lives in a fantasy world that supports their delusions of grandeur. ... Needs constant praise and admiration. ... Sense of entitlement. ... Exploits others without guilt or shame. ... Frequently demeans, intimidates, bullies, or belittles others. Gets irate if someone leaves them suddenly. Accepts no responsibility, no accountability. Lies. Can be charismatic at times.  
Yes, proof of this was at the 2019 "Love Never Fails" regional convention. The last talk on Sunday Geoffrey Jackson made the claim that WW2 was started because of Satan's desire to attack Jehovah's people in Germany. Keep in mind that nearly 50 million died during the war. 10 million Jews died in concentration camps. Less than 5000 JW's died from surrounding European counties, NOT ONLY GERMANY. Yes still the JW's find a way to make it about them. That, is the definition of a narcissist.
Takes no real responsibility as an organization and puts all the burden on it's followers.
If I got my facts wrong, it's your fault. If you can't accept my abuse at it's worst, you aren't worthy of my abuse at it's best

Basic symptoms of Narcissistic disorder grabbed from google
Grandiose sense of self-importance. ... Lives in a fantasy world that supports their delusions of grandeur. ... Needs constant praise and admiration. ... Sense of entitlement. ... Exploits others without guilt or shame. ... Frequently demeans, intimidates, bullies, or belittles others. Gets irate if someone leaves them suddenly. Accepts no responsibility, no accountability. Lies. Can be charismatic at times.  
Yes, proof of this was at the 2019 "Love Never Fails" regional convention. The last talk on Sunday Geoffrey Jackson made the claim that WW2 was started because of Satan's desire to attack Jehovah's people in Germany. Keep in mind that nearly 50 million died during the war. 10 million Jews died in concentration camps. Less than 5000 JW's died from surrounding European counties, NOT ONLY GERMANY. Yes still the JW's find a way to make it about them. That, is the definition of a narcissist.
Takes no real responsibility as an organization and puts all the burden on it's followers.
If I got my facts wrong, it's your fault. If you can't accept my abuse at it's worst, you aren't worthy of my abuse at it's best

The worst 'answered prayer' story i have heard, is about a couple. They did well for themselves, husband worked hard and made a bit of money. Wife pioneered and what-not. They have some money invested here and there, but decide to take most of their money form the various investments and put it all in to a hotel somewhere in the Caribbeans.
They spend years planning, and building a resort on one of the beaches, but of cause the husband is away for months on end, the marriage is strained, wife spirituality is dropping, husband's non existed. When the husband is home, he out drinking and making dealings because it costing more and more.
CO pays them a visit, and they agree that they need to make a change. So later that night they pray, "jehovah, help us out here, do we finish the resort and sell it? Do we get out now and cut our loses? please help us?"
The words of that brother telling me this where, "at that exact moment, a hurricane changed direction", it wasn't going to make land fall. But at that moment they prayed it changed course and head straight to they resort and destroyed it.
Yes, that was their answer to their prayer. God sent a hurricane to show them that they must leave the resort. Never-mind the lives lost because of it making landfall, or the damaged it caused. It was the answer god sent. Even as a PIMI it didn't sit right with me. However, they did make great changes to their lives, i believe he even become a elder.
I still can't believe that they thought god would answer a prayer in that way.

Not so fast Mr. Librarian!
Sept.2019 JW broadcast propaganda makes it clear: JW’s don’t want new recruits with beards.
Last April of 2018 I made an observational post about a reoccurring drama we were seeing be played out on JW Broadcasting. It was a series of videos regarding a devout JW wife and her non-witness husband named Thomas. Throughout this series over the last year, every time we have seen Thomas, he has sported some kind of neatly trimmed facial hair.
I ended my observations by asking the following questions:
“Since WT gets to control this narrative, it will be interesting to see what happens with Thomas. Will he finally accept a bible study, make progress to baptism and most importantly...will he sacrifice his personal freedom and style to be part of a cult? The real question is, will WT let him keep his proven affinity for a "neatly trimmed beard”?”
Over a year later, we finally get our answers to those questions. In WT’s most recent narrative, Thomas finally accepts a bible study and when we see him at his first meeting … he ONLY has a mustache, a style option we have not seen him make in any of the previous videos. In this staged scene, Thomas is surrounded by seven clean shaven male congregants. The message is clear, he is conforming and therefore acceptable.
Despite WT putting in print that in some cultures beards are acceptable, respectable and that even some appointed brothers have beards, they have yet to show this in any of their written or video propaganda. What are the chances in a culture where beards are obviously acceptable, that Thomas would have thought to shave his before going to the KH?
Clearly WT still has a bias against men fashioning beards and spend more time alerting their susceptible followers to be weary of men that are not follically approved, rather than child sexual abusers that look the part!

Since Jehovah's Witnesses seem to have made it a recurring event to attend the human rights conferences of the OCSE, I checked the OCSE website if they did so again this year.
I found something else that I haven't heard of before:

The European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses,
Religious Freedom Subcommittee
 
Based in UK and/or Belgium this Jehovah's Witnesses' committee submits statements and document to the OCSE, the UN, and others.The submissions are all about protecting the human rights, freedom of religion, and assets of Jehovah's Witnesses.
It is unclear whether any official representation of Jehovah's Witnesses actually attended in person some of the meetings and conferences for which submissions or statements were submitted. They have done so in the past for OCSE conferences.
A few of the documents submitted by Religious Freedom Subcommittee of The European Association of Jehovah's Witnesses:
Submission to the Comittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (20-11-2017)
https://rm.coe.int/native/090000168076c93a
Statement for the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting 1-2 April 2019, Vienna
https://www.osce.org/odihr/415922
https://www.osce.org/odihr/415919
Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee (02-06-2019)
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CCPR/Shared%20Documents/GNQ/INT_CCPR_CSS_GNQ_35119_E.docx
Contribution to the Report of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (05-07-2018)
https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/eritrea/session_32_-_january_2019/eajcw_upr32_eri_e_coverpage.pdf
Submission to the UN Human Rights Committee CCPR (29-04-2018)
https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/1443712/1930_1537354367_int-ccpr-ico-eri-26085-e.doc
Contribution for the 33rd session (6-17 May 2019) of the UPR Democratic Republic of Congo
https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/document/congo_democratic_republic/session_33_-_may_2019/eajw_upr33_cod_e_main_rev.pdf
What is the UPR?
 
For the record: I do not deny Jehovah's Witnesses the right to stand up for their interests, and demand from governments and international organizations that human rights are protected.
But it's odd that they are so fiercely opposed to political involvement, yet petition governments and ministers on regular basis.
It's very odd that Jehovah's Witnesses petition the United Nations to protect their religious freedoms, and at the same time they believe the UN to be the very entity that will attack all religions.