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Anna

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  1. Upvote
    Anna reacted to TrueTomHarley in "STANDING WHERE IT DOES NOT BELONG"   
    And Abʹsa·lom would say to him: “See, your matters are good and straight; but there is no one from the king giving you a hearing.”  
    And Abʹsa·lom would go on to say: “O that I were appointed judge in the land, that to me every man might come that happens to have a legal case or judgment! Then I should certainly do justice to him.”
     
  2. Upvote
    Anna reacted to Evacuated in "STANDING WHERE IT DOES NOT BELONG"   
    This is such a pathetic, narrow-minded, microscopic and miniscule application of a prophecy that has a global relevance. What a waste of spirtual space if this is all Jehovah had in mind in prompting Paul to prophesy in such a manner! 
  3. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    If you want to get that technical, then probably yes. But I think secular authorities recognize the term Overseer,  (or Church Overseer) so they may not find the need to resort to those labels.
  4. Upvote
    Anna reacted to TrueTomHarley in The Reproach of Child Sexual Abuse Falls on the Abuser   
    Possibly the lawyers discard some because they are not convinced that they are truth.
    Or (more likely) they are not convinced that they have anything to do with the Watchtower 
  5. Like
    Anna got a reaction from Foreigner in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    It is answered. And I just answered it too. It's not rocket science James
  6. Like
    Anna got a reaction from Foreigner in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    But when we are dealing with secular authorities, we have to speak their language. In their eyes we are clergy.
    As per Miriam Webster: : Clergy: a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church.
    By the same token we do not call our organization a "church", but in secular speak we are a church.
    Miriam Webster: Church: a body or organization of religious believers: such as the whole body of Christians.
    (and a Kingdom Hall is a also a church (building) in secular speak)
  7. Haha
    Anna reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    The next thing you know, the 40 days or so in which we have articles, talks and videos leading up to the Memorial of Christ's Death every year, we will be calling "Lent", and Memorial Invitations will allude to the Cadbury  Bunny.

  8. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    You are overthinking it John! I am just an ordinary sister. And I explained why I said "we".
  9. Haha
    Anna reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    I will believe THAT, if Anna baptizes her Bible Study in a neighbor's pool, and Anna does not get disfellowshipped, and the baptism "nullified".

  10. Haha
    Anna reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in JW Canada: Judge authorizes class action for Jehovah's Witnesses sex abuse victims   
    The question above remains unanswered by the Society .....  so So I guess the GB Helpers would be the College of Cardinals.

  11. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from James Thomas Rook Jr. in Serena Williams confirms she will not celebrate daughter’s first birthday due to Jehovah’s Witness beliefs   
    You know John, sometimes people really do have their own opinion.
  12. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from JOHN BUTLER in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    Is there an option for a publisher, the one doing the accusing, to say which elders he wants on the committee? I don't think there is. Has the publisher got any say in who should handle the issue if the publisher feels the elders who are handling it are not suitable?
  13. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from JOHN BUTLER in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    Ok, I will rephrase it. Why does a judicial committee not consist of the entire body of elders in a given congregation.
    A little bit of background info: This question was raised by someone who was concerned about justice being carried out correctly, especially if a situation involved one elder who was being accused. How does a judicial committee judge one of their "own", especially, if there is a possibility of bias due to obvious friendship above and beyond just a brother in the congregation. So for the purpose of an example, lets say the BOE of a congregation consists of 8 elders, one of whom had been accused of a sin, which if unresolved, could lead to a disfellowshipping, or at least the deletion of his position. So that leaves 7 elders who decide to form a judicial committee (on the grounds that the situation with the accused elder had not been settled). Why can't all 7 elders consist of the committee?
     
  14. Upvote
    Anna got a reaction from Melinda Mills in The phrase "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"   
    As Suzy says "A Jehovah's Witness" is grammatically wrong in English. And as Melinda points out it is a label. We are witnesses for Jehovah, we are HIS witnesses, plural. If we are talking about one person (singular) then he/she is either one of (all the other) Jehovah's Witnesses or "a witness for Jehovah". In some other languages it is grammatically wrong as well. For example how would you say in Spanish if someone asked in court whose witness are you. Would you say I am "John's witness", or "one of John's witnesses" (if there is more than one witness for John). Or would not say I am "a John's witness"?
  15. Upvote
    Anna reacted to Evacuated in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    It is not the perogative of a publisher to choose the elders that deal with a judicial matter that involves a proven offense that could result in a disfellowshipping. However, there could well be a suitability issue that an accuser (if it was that kind of a case) might make known. This might well influence the selection of elders. If elders were unaware of such an issue prior to the forming of a committee, it is still possible that alternative arrangements could be made. The responsibility for determinations in these cases lies with the body of elders though, not the "accuser".
  16. Like
    Anna got a reaction from Joan Kennedy in The phrase "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"   
    As Suzy says "A Jehovah's Witness" is grammatically wrong in English. And as Melinda points out it is a label. We are witnesses for Jehovah, we are HIS witnesses, plural. If we are talking about one person (singular) then he/she is either one of (all the other) Jehovah's Witnesses or "a witness for Jehovah". In some other languages it is grammatically wrong as well. For example how would you say in Spanish if someone asked in court whose witness are you. Would you say I am "John's witness", or "one of John's witnesses" (if there is more than one witness for John). Or would not say I am "a John's witness"?
  17. Like
    Anna got a reaction from SuzA in The phrase "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"   
    As Suzy says "A Jehovah's Witness" is grammatically wrong in English. And as Melinda points out it is a label. We are witnesses for Jehovah, we are HIS witnesses, plural. If we are talking about one person (singular) then he/she is either one of (all the other) Jehovah's Witnesses or "a witness for Jehovah". In some other languages it is grammatically wrong as well. For example how would you say in Spanish if someone asked in court whose witness are you. Would you say I am "John's witness", or "one of John's witnesses" (if there is more than one witness for John). Or would not say I am "a John's witness"?
  18. Upvote
    Anna reacted to SuzA in The phrase "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"   
    @Jay Iza If English is not your first language then it may sound strange.  What is more strange is putting the indefinite article, "a" before a personal name.  As in "a Jay's witness".  As I type this, my computer is correcting the phrase by striking out the a.  I guess the only reason it doesn't when I type "a Jehovah's Witness" is because the term is recognised as a label now.  
  19. Upvote
    Anna reacted to SuzA in The phrase "one of Jehovah's Witnesses"   
  20. Upvote
    Anna reacted to Evacuated in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    THEY CAN!
    Lets' put the congregation and the elders' families on hold for commitees to do their work!
    Bur really, it isn't necessary, isn't required, they do not want to, you can think of other reasons yourself surely.
    There is no rule that says they can't and no rule that says they must. Or were you seeking one that says they must? The body of elders delegate to a commitee and agree on its members. And that commitee doesn't have to be only 3 and nor does it have to consist only of local brothers.
    If this is the case, get elders in that have no friendship bias, and if that didn't happen, there is an appeal process.
    Not sure what the problem is here??
    I do not think there is any point in getting to anecdotal or hypothetical examples here.
    There is no rule on numbers for a judicial commitee other than 3 at least,, and no restriction on who they are, other than qualified. Practical violations of this are a matter for the appeals process.
     
  21. Upvote
    Anna reacted to Evacuated in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    It is not a rule:
    km Sep 77:
    A judicial committee need not be limited to three members. The Scriptures do not give any specific number of older men who handled cases of wrongdoing in the early Christian congregation. Older men who served in the community during Israel’s history may have heard cases according to their availability at the city gate. For example, Boaz selected ten of the older men of the city to hear the matter he had to present. (Ruth 4:1, 2) However, everyone in the community was under the Law covenant arrangement then, and this added to the number for whom the older men were responsible. Within each congregation today, the number would not be that great in most cases, so three would usually be sufficient to have on a judicial committee. Where the gravity of what is involved warrants having four or even five experienced men to serve, this may be arranged.
     
  22. Sad
    Anna reacted to James Thomas Rook Jr. in Why does the whole body of elders in a congregation not serve on a judicial committee?   
    I have known MANY elders whose children have "left the Truth", because their fathers paid more attention to congregational matters than their own children.  There is such a thing as "theocratic" burnout.
    And that fire has an insatiable hunger.
  23. Like
    Anna got a reaction from Equivocation in The Reproach of Child Sexual Abuse Falls on the Abuser   
    I should have said it should not surprise us. You don't have to be in the world to be affected by it, otherwise you would have to be taken out of the world. No one is immune to Satan's propaganda. I am sure you are aware that not everyone in the org is who they claim to be. Just because someone is called an elder or claims to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses doesn't make them so. Those are Jehovah's Witnesses and elders in name only. But they are not the majority. 
    It is the body of elders who assign two elders to look into a particular case. So unless the two elders acted on their own, the body of elders would have been familiar with your letter. You cannot get disfellowshipped unless a judicial committee is formed. The congregation would not consider forming a judicial committee unless the offended Christian (you) had taken steps one and two of Matthew 18:15, 16 and had initiated step three in Matthew 18:17. If asked, elders could participate in step two, but they do not represent the body of elders. If the matter proceeds to step three, any elders who were witnesses in step two could serve only as witnesses in step three. They would not be used to serve on the judicial committee. I trust you were not in a judicial committee. There is nothing stopping anyone from asking to speak to any and all elders if they wished, especially when you believed the elders assigned to look into your accusation might have been biased. That is if they were assigned. Did you follow the steps in Matthew? Because that is how God controls the situation.
  24. Like
    Anna got a reaction from ComfortMyPeople in The Reproach of Child Sexual Abuse Falls on the Abuser   
    We have two situations going on here.  One to do with the organization/GB, and the other of a personal nature. I was quoting a letter from the organization, and therefore I was referring to organizational direction when I said "Why would one try to prevent the removal of someone who causes harm in the congregation"? The accusations by opposers are that the Organization, by means of its instructions, protects child molesters. There is ample evidence from letters to the BOE and other instructions that this is not true.
    Then we have your experience, an entirely different matter.  The organization/GB has no direct knowledge or ability to control what individual elders do or don’t do. You will agree with that surely?  There can be corruption in the congregation, there is no doubt about that.  But to blame the organization for it, and for the corrupt elders you talk about, is not exactly fair is it? And this is what you have been doing for the most part. Directing all blame at the organization/GB, and when someone defends the organization/GB you get upset.  If it is truly as you say, then why didn’t you rely on Jehovah, who sees what man cannot see, and who will eventually reveal all that is hidden? Or have you lost trust in Jehovah too?  You are not the only one who has experienced something like this you know. Our family and friends have also had to deal with corruption, favouritism and nepotism by elders in the past. Currently, many members of a congregation I know are leaving and going to a different hall because of a “dictator” elder.  Publishers are nobody’s fools, and they will see what is going on and they will leave to go somewhere else. That is an option open to everyone. Will this elder receive the judgement many think he is due? Absolutely, sooner or later he will. Nothing is hidden from Jehovah. But as far as I know, nobody is blaming the organization/GB, and nobody has stopped going to meetings.
  25. Upvote
    Anna reacted to 77benjamins in Shelly, 40s, Northeast US   
    As a survivor of childhood abuse I am well aware of the long term effects.
    I am not accusing the victim of slander. I am accusing the author.  I do not believe the original post to be authored by a victim. I believe it to be fiction designed to trap the ignorant and weak minded.
     
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