Lawyers at Watchtower have forced us to remove the leaked annual meeting letter from our pages
Lawyers at Watchtower have forced us to remove the leaked annual meeting letter from our pages

On Thursday, September 24, JWsurvey reproduced a Watchtower letter that had been leaked by a bethel insider. Dated October 4, 2015, the letter advised (or WILL advise) congregations of the announcements that are to be made at Saturday’s annual meeting.

The most dramatic announcement was arguably the scrapping of the much-loved Theocratic Ministry School in favor of a session of preaching presentations.

Another eyebrow-raiser was the news that magazine printing is being further reduced, with public editions of the Watchtower and Awake! to be printed once every two months from January onward.

Within 48 hours of the letter being leaked, this website received nearly 23,000 visits. Interest in the letter was substantial, and the contents were mulled over by the ex-Jehovah’s Witness community in various corners of social media.

Unsurprisingly, given the sensitive nature of the letter, some suggested it might be a hoax. I even briefly pondered myself whether I might be on the receiving end of an extremely elaborate prank designed to undermine this website’s credibility.

But any doubts as to the letter’s authenticity were put to bed today when JWsurvey’s webmaster, John Hoyle, received an email from our hosting company notifying us of an email from Watchtower’s legal department. Apparently, as was the case with the notorious October 1st 2012 child abuse letter, Watchtower’s lawyers consider the leaked letter copyrighted material, and have demanded it be taken down from our pages.

Our web hosting company, seeking to have the matter resolved quickly, advised us of two options: (1) to take the disputed material down, or (2) to issue a counter notification. Since the letter is now freely available elsewhere online, and our work in disseminating it is now effectively done, we have no interest in becoming embroiled in a legal scrap with Watchtower over whether the letter should be on our pages or not.

If anything I am grateful to Watchtower, and specifically its legal department, for once more shooting themselves in the foot so spectacularly. We had a similar situation only 9 months ago regarding Tony Morris and his tight pants fixation, and it seems lessons have not been learned.

By issuing a DMCA complaint, Watchtower has decisively claimed authorship of the letter. And by forcing us to take it down they have demonstrated that (1) they are embarrassed, and (2) they are completely clueless as to how the internet works. Once information is distributed on such a scale it cannot be undistributed.

The whole debacle is yet further proof that Watchtower, like any cult, is struggling to come to terms with the information age. The Governing Body and their men in suits assume the internet can be brought to heel, and that everyone who runs a JW-related website will play by their rules.

But even workers within bethel walls are starting to wake up and find their voice. With each fresh leak the Governing Body’s grip on power is slipping, and with each attempted cover-up there is further proof that this hapless organization is far from the worthy adversary many would assume.

 

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For obvious reasons the letter in question is no longer available on these pages, but I am confident a copy can easily be traced with some persistent searching on Google. The Reddit Ex-JW community would also be a useful place to look.

Further reading…

548 thoughts on “Watchtower issues DMCA takedown over leaked annual meeting letter

  • October 4, 2015 at 10:45 am
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    Whoever runs the show at WTS, they’re struggling to adapt
    to a changed world. The mag, & book business that was a
    major source of income plus the means of recruiting more
    unpaid sales people, has gone the way of the Dinosaur.
    Just one or two skeletons here & there !

    The literature carts are a brainless idea, just standing there,
    hoping people are gonna come to you, it’s too passive
    compared to aggressive door knocking and chasing up the
    slightest interest. Also the axing of Specials and Bethel
    serfs has started plus a drastic cut to WT & AW, production.

    So now they’re hoping to survive by fleecing the flock,
    saddling the Congs, with a permanent mortgage, and individual
    pledges, ( Oh no we don’t tithe ! ). But with the ability to recruit
    stifled, this method will have a very limited life span.

    And what genius decided to build the new H,Q. on contaminated
    land? ( I thought they prayed for Jehovahs guidance on all plans )
    That Nickel can be deadly stuff, as well as allergies, you can get
    lung & sinus inflammation, even cancer. So whenever it rains
    you’re breathing in the evaporation from the polluted soil. So even
    if they manage to get it completed, it’s value will always be
    greatly reduced.

    So who runs the WT show ? I think it can only be the the seven
    human Dinosaurs, or is it the collective dinosaur. But there were
    many types of dinosaur which one applies ? I go for the
    Stegosaurus, a big scary thing, but it had a brain the size of a
    Walnut.

    • October 4, 2015 at 11:49 am
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      I think you mean Barney and friends

  • October 4, 2015 at 11:54 am
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    Question 5: Are you willing to replace the Bible and all its message of love and forgiveness to replace it with books about the Bible as we make them up?

    • October 4, 2015 at 11:59 am
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      are you sure that isn’t overlapping questions 4 and 7.. it’s might be misconstrued as a new generation of questions making any subsequent or past questions appear confusing to your average minion. Maybe put it in as Question 5 3/4 just to be on the side of fabrication.

    • October 4, 2015 at 12:04 pm
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      You guys have broken free from the original thread. A few minutes into this thing, and we’ve already had a schism, lol.. Keep it up, it’s brilliant.

    • October 4, 2015 at 12:05 pm
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      Question 6. Do you understand that by sitting on the fence you may find yourself experiencing large splinters in your botty. (if this is due to wearing tight pants then please be assured T3 would like to help in their removal – the splinters that is. He finds tight pants disgusting)

    • October 4, 2015 at 12:14 pm
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      Question 69: Can you appreciate the value of having a stodgy group of old men suggesting to you what you should and should not do in the privacy of your own bed, with your own spouse?

      • October 4, 2015 at 12:26 pm
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        BAH HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

        Hey the GB have competition. I wonder if they know they have been infiltrated.

        Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: LDS Church Names 3 Men as Apostles to Governing Body
        The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Elder Russell M. Nelson as the president and Elders Gary E. Stevenson, Dale G. Renlund and Ronald A. Rasband were named to the Quorum.

        • October 4, 2015 at 12:35 pm
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          Haha, well, why not? In times of financial difficulty and sluggish numbers it can be wise to merge two corporations. “Jehovah’s Mormons”? “Church of Latter Jay-Dubs”? “The Smith-Russell Experience”?

          • October 4, 2015 at 6:34 pm
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            Oh I like Church of the Latter Jay Dubs – has a nice ring to it.

    • October 5, 2015 at 7:06 am
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      Bibles? ?? We don’t need no stinking bibles. ..

  • October 4, 2015 at 12:42 pm
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    Question 33.3333 Can you explain why facial hair is not to be worn under any circumstance even for the use of saving ones breakfast to eat during the Watchtower. This also applies to the sisters sitting at the back with false beards on shouting ‘stone him’ to the speaker.

    • October 4, 2015 at 12:52 pm
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      Question 17c: Are you willing to accept the teaching that the CO2 carbon melting the Arctic caps is the new king of the north and the CO2 carbon melting Antarctica is the new king of the south?

      • October 4, 2015 at 2:30 pm
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        priceless san diego hahahaha ruthlee

    • October 4, 2015 at 12:52 pm
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      Oh we schismed again, lol..

      Question eleventeen: Do you renounce all reliance on dictionaries along with their pesky, accurate definitions for commonly used words?

      Question eleventeen B: Do you renounce all reliance on math books along with their pesky, accurate equations for finding correct solutions to simple math problems?

      Question eleventeen C: Do you renounce all reliance on history books along with their pesky, accurate dates for events that were thoroughly recorded by historians and the like?

      • October 4, 2015 at 1:38 pm
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        11a, example 1: “Dating” is redefined as pretty much any social interaction between a male and female. A new definition of “marriage” is pending.

        11b, example 5: The dating of the 1,260 days, 1,290 days and 1,335 days that we give does not actually match those numbers, but it’s close enough, and there is no real reason given for the time periods we matched them to, but who cares.

        11c, subquestion 4: Do you further renounce the history of the organization documented in our own publications if we find it embarrassing or not in line with the way we would like you to view the organization? Examples 1 through 367,819…

        • October 4, 2015 at 2:46 pm
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          Well done, SD!

      • October 4, 2015 at 6:33 pm
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        I love Schmissing… Schmizzing (thats for our American cousins over the line) I think I may want to Schmiss again….

        • October 5, 2015 at 6:25 pm
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          I have no idea what that word even means. Is it a Mormon thing? Is magic underwear required??

    • October 4, 2015 at 9:39 pm
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      …but only if he says “Jehovah”…LMAO

      • October 4, 2015 at 9:44 pm
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        …that was in response to the ‘stone him’ reference.

        • October 5, 2015 at 7:28 am
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          I got it!

  • October 4, 2015 at 2:26 pm
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    for my tuppence worth Do you promise to waste every spare moment reading all our stuff and give a token gesture to Bible reading….. Say yeh rl

  • October 4, 2015 at 3:39 pm
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    SORRY I haven’t commented for quite a few hours but been on ministry & meeting where we had THAT LETTER from the GB read out!! WELL JUDGING YOU LOT by Your Answers to the 102 Baptismal Questions … NONE of YOU QUALIFY for BAPTISM!!! …,I Expect you are All Gutted!!
    Please Write to …Dear Anthony Morris for SEVERE Counsel& CORRECTION ..,, Mmmmm Lovely !!

    • October 4, 2015 at 4:28 pm
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      I wondered where the heck you went, PB. You need to tell the other people in your life that you have other responsibilities ELSEWHERE!

      • October 4, 2015 at 9:00 pm
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        @JB . Yeah i was always poor in getting my Priorities in the Right Order!! Still working on it !!

        • October 5, 2015 at 6:29 pm
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          Darn straight! You might have to cut the other people in your life loose so’s you can handle your duties HERE!

          —Sorry, Mrs. Pickles, but PB has another family “across town” that you don’t even KNOW ABOUT!

    • October 4, 2015 at 6:30 pm
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      PB You failed Baptism 4.1. Shame on you.

      • October 4, 2015 at 9:07 pm
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        @Tara. Your Eyesight is Going.., i Failed on Question 6.66 .. So Elder SPLANEY told me … I think it was the GENERATION Question ??? Something like that… It’s all a Bit of a BLUR after Question 99 sort of Overlapped with Question 100?? Anyway what’s a Generation amongst friends?!

        • October 5, 2015 at 7:30 am
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          You ‘Talking ’bout my generation?’

          • October 5, 2015 at 8:08 am
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            @Tara.. That’s my Favourite Song by ‘The Who’ …. I know David SPLANE has an OBSESSION with this ‘GENERATION ‘ thingy;.. Do You think Old SPLANEY( getting a bit chummy) is a CLOSET .. Roger DALTREY Fan ??? … Now IF at Last Years International Conventions they had Played ‘MY GENERATION ‘ by The Who instead of ‘Happy’ by PHARRELL WILLIAMS then I might be more PRO ‘GB ‘…I think that was the Turning Point for many by Playing a Rappers ‘Song’ on the Platform in Kingdom Halls!! … JEHOVAHS HOUSE !!! …. Previously you would have been REPROVED for that !! HYPOCRISY AGAIN!!!

    • October 5, 2015 at 1:50 pm
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      Aargh shucks PB i’m truly dissappointed that i dont qualify. a great disappointment or is that a dish of ointment? dunno i’ll go back to the bottom of the class and try everso harder. If i stop lying about my fs report will that help. Can i bribe someone to qualify for dipping? your waiting for the hotline answer ruthlee

  • October 4, 2015 at 7:46 pm
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    A little bit off topic but not by much. Has anyone seen the Netflix show “unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”? It’s about for women who stayed in a bunker for 15 years because he told them that the world had ended. A bit of satire can help us find humor in our situation. The show although it’s a comedy does a really excellent job at explaining cult behavior, mind control, and the challenges cult members have integrating back into normal society. Up to and including becoming vulnerable to joining other cults.
    In particular episodes 11 and 12. The reverand they followed is put on trial. He is charismatic clean cut and shows how manipulative a cult leader can be. He even explains how he calculated the apocalypse and even though he was wrong he still felt it was better to keep the girls in the bunker just in case it did come. Is that starting to sound familiar? It really is good. There is even a true believer that keeps defending him.

    • October 4, 2015 at 7:48 pm
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      It’s about FOUR women and the he is a reverand. Stupid auto correct.

      • October 5, 2015 at 7:33 am
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        Isn’t that the one with Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer….. ;)

    • October 5, 2015 at 7:21 pm
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      Let me squeeze into this little mini-thread. I haven’t seen Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, but it’s done by Tina Fey who is WONDERFUL, so it MUST be a great show.

      On this general subject though, I wanted to mention a show called Vicious. Our friends “across the pond” are surely well aware of it, but I just realized it was being shown on PBS late on Sunday nights here in the US. It is absolutely BRILLIANT (as most British comedies are).

      But the thing about it is that it features two older homosexuals (played by Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi) who have lived together for MANY years and finally were able to get married. The thing is, along with the laughs, there are some incredibly sweet, tender moments mixed in.

      I know we’ve all landed in different places regarding how we view the Bible. So, without any offense meant to anyone here, I’ll just say that, for me, it is very liberating to be able to enjoy and embrace something with this theme that I had been taught to be disgusted by for so long.

      There… off-topic AND controversial. It’s a two-for-one special.

      • October 6, 2015 at 12:42 am
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        This comment is being called into the back room. Go ahead and zap the thing guys, I can handle it. :)

      • October 6, 2015 at 5:59 pm
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        not for anyone to judge another person. I have family members who are gay and they are the most wonderful, caring people ever. They are not disgusting, tight pant wearing kiddi fiddlers either. I may not like their lifestyle but it’s not for me to judge them.

  • October 5, 2015 at 7:57 am
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    Slightly off the humour topic which is AWESOME.

    So I was watching the faces of the brothers and sisters yesterday as the letter was read. Here are my observations:
    The School overseer had a look of genuine horror on his face. I think he realised he was out of his job.
    There was lots of confusion that I could hear in the whispered comments around me.
    When the Service Co-ordinator finished and said ‘well, there you go. Some more changes to look forward to.’ I think he looked depressed and there was def. no excitement in his voice.
    NO one applauded. In fact there was a silence in the hall that could be felt.
    After prayer people melted away or went to play with the new babies in the hall.

    I think this will take some sinking in. I gave a few sly comments about them cutting expenses and wondered out loud what else would be going soon….. all I got was a few ‘hmmm’s’.

    How about anyone else. How was it taken at your hall if you still go or have heard comments?

    • October 5, 2015 at 8:45 am
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      @Tara .. You might just SMILE at this? On Saturday Morning I was working with an Elder on the Door to Door work& I said:
      1) Do you think the GB will ever cut the Watchtower mag to one a month & the Awake every other month?
      The Elder said ‘ NO WAY Will that Happen!!’
      2) Then I said ‘Do you think the GB would ever get Rid of the Theocratic Ministry School?
      The Elder said ‘NO WAY as it trains brothers for Public Speaking!
      I then said ‘ Yes you are Probably Right as I am ‘ONLY a PUBLISHER, What Do I Know?’ Hmmm!
      When I see him for Mid-week meeting I want to SEE the LOOK on HIS FACE!!!
      I think I will say I HAD A DREAM the Night Before .., a Bit Like Daniel & the IMAGE???
      I’ll Let you know how it Goes!!

      • October 5, 2015 at 1:28 pm
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        Too funny. wish i could be fly on wall.

    • October 5, 2015 at 10:54 am
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      Well there you have it. Lol. I’m not sure that many were that excited. I think we had a clap somewhere during the letter but it wasn’t self-initiated. It was more of an induced clap by the elder reading the letter. Then at the end he went on about how the letter was on social media and shame on them, etc. etc.

      However, all the new releases were posted on Saturday so I guess it was jw.org itself that leaked it. ??? (sigh) I would have enjoyed to make that comment. How absurd.

      The chariot is moving so quickly. We might just fall off and break a leg or something. Grab on y’all.

    • October 5, 2015 at 12:24 pm
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      Our announcement was supposed to be Saturday at 1:00 and the elders obeyed and didn’t try and get the downloaded info until they were told to….only to find out the servers had crashed. They announced that they couldn’t announce I almost laughed out loud! Wanted to raise my hand and say I know what it says pick me pick me!

      • October 5, 2015 at 1:20 pm
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        PB….It was interesting how many publishers, where NOT surprised at the announcement, I think it’s a little telling about how many are looking beyond jw.org for info….and the hall we were at didn’t clap.

        • October 16, 2015 at 12:12 am
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          Yes, I was wondering the same thing… I talked with a couple I’m friends with about it and he already knew… He’s not a servant, or anybody in witness terms. I asked how he knew and he said he had his sources… He said they were “rebranding” the school…. Ok, like a business! I said some things, and haven’t heard from them since… conditional love at it’s best…

      • October 5, 2015 at 5:21 pm
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        Ours had a hissy fit too. I nearly asked, would it help if I got out and pushed the chariot… decided to lean over and mention to a sister who’s husband is fading/semi apostate that I knew what it was all about and we weren’t missing much.. She agreed with me.

      • October 6, 2015 at 4:47 pm
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        This is all getting too amusing.

  • October 5, 2015 at 1:22 pm
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    New Babel teach book .The moron edition. ruthlee/ruthless

    • October 5, 2015 at 3:30 pm
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      My husband thinks its all wonderful….
      No applause….
      I think its all distraction from the real crisis going on…
      I think something big is going to happen soon…and no PB…I didnt have a dream!!!
      I feel like there may be many leaving soon….
      And they will all be labeled apostates…
      I wonder if my lovely husband…who is so reasonable in most other ways…will still think its all wonderful….
      The cracks are too big to paper over now…
      Its bitter sweet as I feel sad for some people…
      And inside I feel delighted…
      Thanks for this site…
      It makes me laugh..(PB..Tara)
      Lifts my spirit and gives me sound advice…
      (JB…Excelsior….many many others)
      I would be a bit lost without you all at the moment.

      • October 5, 2015 at 5:26 pm
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        Ours had a hissy fit too. I nearly asked, would it help if I got out and pushed the chariot… decided to lean over and mention to a sister who’s husband is fading/semi apostate that I knew what it was all about and we weren’t missing much.. She agreed with me.

      • October 5, 2015 at 6:14 pm
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        Beautifully put, Idontknowwhatodo. I feel the same way. I’m glad I now have folks like you and everybody else here. (Well, minus the occasional troll looking for a fight, lol. ….Ah, who am I kidding– that can be fun too.)

        The one active JW I’ve been able to talk to about the problems in the Org came away from this last meeting as happy as ever. I thought we had made some progress in previous discussions, but now he seems to have “doubled down” on his beliefs and talks to me like we’ve NEVER had any conversations about the problems with the Org at all?

        Brainwashing is a helluva thing.

        I’ve openly told him he’s in a cult, and told him the reasons why, and today he strikes up a conversation about the little talk he has coming up on the TMS. Jeeeez….

        So I hope you’re right. More than ever, I do think it’s true that the Org is simply being run into the ground by a group of fools who are wayyy less talented at running a cult than their predecessors.

        May it crash and burn soon.

      • October 6, 2015 at 6:18 am
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        @Idontknowwhattodo. GLAD WE GIVE YOU a LAUGH !! I Don’t think TARA & Myself can take all the Credit though !! There are MANY COMEDIANS on THIS SITE!! …. To BE FAIR ?? Stephen LETTS is the BIGGEST of THEM ALL… Let’s give Stevey Due Credit!!

        • October 6, 2015 at 6:01 pm
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          Oh I am just getting going… wait until I have had a few ;)

    • October 5, 2015 at 5:22 pm
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      sounds like a bad case of yoga.

  • October 5, 2015 at 9:08 pm
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    I did not attend Sunday, but had fader friend who called in. Very anti-climactic, except for Coordinator choking up when reading about demise of Ministry School. Have a feeling emotional tone very low at KH.

  • October 6, 2015 at 2:39 am
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    My first time commenting on here – have been reading and looking at the videos for many months/years.
    I was bought up even born into the “truth” my dad being an instant servant (elder) when he was baptised at age 27 back in 1950’s. He continued as an elder for over 40 years then found the org “not spiritual enough” so spelled down and both he and mum faded about 10 years ago.
    I (I’m 57 now) married a MS and he became as elder for 12 years and we had 2 children. For many years I felt that things didn’t rest well with the person that I truly was – such as judgment towards all that are not in the org – even children who have “worldly” parents didn’t seem to have a chance and would go down at Armageddon which I felt was so unfair. I started a career in my 30’s becoming therapist (Reiki, hypnotherapy and others) – helping people with many diverse issues including coming out from the clutches of cults etc.
    Well I reasoned I too was still in the clutches of one big cult and faded. My son still is in but thankfully most of my family are out. My goodness what a journey and liberation.
    Now hearing about all the changes and cuts am certain more and more will leave because of dissatisfaction and dissolution. We all do need to support each other. Thank you.

    • October 6, 2015 at 5:59 am
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      welcome! Our stories are so much alike. I too have an adult daughter and a mother left in but I’m trying to work on them. I’ve been fading for quite a while, in fact probably started when I got a “real” job in my 30’s and started having to use my brain for work. I’m so thankful for Lloyd and his team, gives me a place to vent, cry and laugh without fear of being scolded.

      • October 6, 2015 at 12:03 pm
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        Thank you for the welcome – much appreciated. I don’t feel that people who just get swept along in the org think for themselves at all and until doubts creep in and thinking for oneself starts that’s when things become so much clearer. Focus and clarity! We all hope that lives ones who are still in will find that soon.

    • October 6, 2015 at 6:03 pm
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      Welcome to our little family :)

    • October 6, 2015 at 9:02 pm
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      Glad to meet ya, enlightened now!

      I think we have a candidate for your hypnotherapy. His name is… Pickled Brain! If hypnotherapy proves ineffective, feel free to use SHOCK THERAPY! :)

      • October 6, 2015 at 9:49 pm
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        Oh no! pickled therapy!

        • October 6, 2015 at 10:17 pm
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          @Tara & JB Reezner … & I WOULD LIKE YOU BOTH to KNOW!!! ….’ PICKLED THERAPY’ !!! Is the HIGHEST QUALITY of PSYCHO-THERAPY that ANY HUMAN CAN HAVE!!!! … It TAKES YEARS of TRAINING & DEDICATION !!!

          • October 7, 2015 at 7:58 am
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            and you come out well preserved!

          • October 7, 2015 at 11:12 pm
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            Enlightened Now, we measure Pickled Brain’s mental state by his lower-case/upper-case ratio, a.k.a. the PBCLI (Pickled Brain Capital Letter Index). As you can see by the comment above, he’s at 90+%, on the brink of a psychotic episode! HELP HIM!!

      • October 13, 2015 at 7:07 pm
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        I worked as an RN for 26 + yrs.,
        We can try electric shock therapy
        Or
        Truth shock therapy

        Both would work well

        Although, the second might be more painful to some

  • October 6, 2015 at 7:52 am
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    So I was up late last nite,enjoying the the back& forth,pretty funny stuff,might wanna add ? #13 Do you agree to forsake fellowship with close family members,snobbing them at every opportunity i.e. A fleshly bro that got baptized a little young,then d for smoking,which has quit for some time now…or a dad that’s been clean & sober for 15 years now…I guess you must see these as Bad~ Association just stay clear,they might not have anything good to say,yup get them baptis young & unknowing,too.hold onto their drivers licience

    • October 6, 2015 at 1:42 pm
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      Yes, that would certainly be a BIG one, Fader~Blues. I hope you have been able to reconnect with these family members, or at least see a time in the future when that will be possible for you. The Org encouraging the baptism of children is so disturbing and irresponsible.

      It will be a real delight to watch this cult keep crumbling!

      • October 6, 2015 at 5:24 pm
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        Well,I’ve made peace with our situation,some of our kids still visit& speak to us,one daughter is nut so into things,so I have to be careful. We (my husband the one with 15 years clean & sober) and myself,have our oldest daughter well she un-friended her dad on Facebook ,who does that? She’s the one who got him started.our son the one that got d for smoking…they studied off & on with his wife thank-goodness she didnt get sucked in.so sad because our oldest son& daughter were very close growing up,now she gives him a nod now & then,my heart breaks for him& especially the grand-kids that were great friends,now drifting apart too!!

      • October 7, 2015 at 8:00 am
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        Watchtower crumble – bake on hi until black and crispy around the edges and the insides no longer resemble the fruits inside. serve with a good dollop of Wahoo!

        • October 10, 2015 at 10:44 am
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          Don’t forget to drain the blood from the bloodsuckers! ruthless

  • October 8, 2015 at 4:22 pm
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    In response to young baptism, I can not express how unfair and unethical this is for minors born in to the Org. I have heard of several instances of (one of them a cousin of mine) 13 or 14 year old young teens baptized only to be DF while still in their teens over normal mistakes young ones make or in some cases downright lying by others to protect themselves. Reminds me of Hitler’s ” youth groups”. If I’m not mistaken Jesus was around 30 years of age when he was baptized. Perhaps someone at the WT should take note of that fact.

    • October 9, 2015 at 9:15 am
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      I cannot name one single country where children are allowed to sign a legal agreement with serious ramifications. It is absolutely evil and unethical to PUSH, PRESSURE children and their parents into this SATANIC practice (see awake article 1947) Trully Satan keeps disguising himself as a light in this world…..NEW LIGHT

  • October 10, 2015 at 6:46 am
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    WT is actively monitoring JW Survey. I am thrilled! Good job, Cedars!

  • October 14, 2015 at 6:57 am
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    Downsizing, overlapping generation, laid-offs Watchtower lies. The end of watchtower is near.

  • October 16, 2015 at 11:06 pm
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    The below extract was in this weekends WT study (paragraph 8)

    8. The privilege of living under Kingdom rule is well worth any effort we make to cooperate with Jehovah’s organization and care for theocratic assignments. Of course, our circumstances may change with the passing of time. For instance, some members of the Bethel family in the United States have been reassigned to the field and are nowenjoying abundant blessings in other forms of the full-time ministry. Because of advancing age or other factors, others who were in the traveling work have now received special pioneer assignments. If we cultivate contentment, pray for God’s help, and do all we can in his service, we will experience joy and will receive many blessings even in these critical last days. (Read Proverbs 10:22.)

    Coincidental timing or simply well planned? I think we all know the answer is the latter…

  • October 17, 2015 at 8:01 pm
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    Your information is very down to earth. I’ve never been disfellowshipped hence brothers and sisters still talk to me when they see me in the street. I live in a small country town in NSW, Australia. I wasn’t raised in the faith. I adopted it in 1984 and was baptised in 1989. During witnessing one day in 1999 with a lovely brother who became a close personal family friend, a Christian lady (not J.W) questioned the date 1914. My friend gave it to me to dissect and refute. I couldn’t. After research including the book by Carl Oloff Jonnson ( I hope I’ve spelt his name correctly), I found myself in the same situation as him. The stack of cards slowly began to fall. There’s no question that many J.W’s are decent and genuine people. The question I developed was and still is; how can an organization say one thing yesterday that is no longer valid today. And I’m supposed to believe it!?! New light many years ago became wrong, and then it became right again! If I had questioned it before it became wrong, I’d be disfellowshipped. Then when it became right, would they have contacted me apologized and reinstated me? I doubt it. I would’ve been running ahead of the organization. What incredible mind control. I will always believe in God and the given sacrifice of Jesus Christ but I cannot comprehend the watchtower organizations sole ownership to salvation. Feel free to communicate. For those who haven’t yet read the “apostate” Ray Franz’s books “Crisis of Conscience” and “In search of Christian freedom”, I suggest you do. Don’t lose faith in Jehovah. He still loves you. Alan

  • October 27, 2015 at 2:05 am
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    You could have challenged their copyright request. The law on who owns letters is not settled. Generally the receiver of the letter owns the paper, whereas the writer of the letter owns the words. However under the concept of ‘fair use’ or ‘fair dealing’ (dependent upon the country jurisdiction) a person can have the right to publish copyrighted material for the purpose of a critical review. Under this concept the author of a blog (Cedars) can legally argue he is within his rights to publish any WT letter, despite copyrighted material, for the purposes of a critical analysis (which has occurred here).

  • November 1, 2015 at 4:53 pm
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    Hi Lloyd,

    I have a friend who is at Bethel trapped because he’s been serving since the early 1970s, if he leave’s now its financial ruin! One thing I do know is the Bethelites sending you information need to scramble their letters because I was told by my friend there is ways to trace where and who had the letters. Please pass that along because we don’t want anyone getting removed with thirty or forty years.

    Its not being a coward if you have to protect your wife when you spent up all your time. Many Bethelites like my friend would be in utter poverty unless the USA, UK and EU Governments force them to pay their workers a life-long Annuity each month! I heard the Watchtower has been toying around with the idea of offering the Bethelites $25,000 to $100,000 each depending on how many years they served, that’s why they gave Ray Franz Jr. $10,000 was they were afraid he could have gotten 10 or 20x before a sympathetic jury. Look to this as their way of dealing with Bethelites getting downsized, the lawsuits against cults are growing fast, just a little info I thought you might like.

    Please make sure the Bethelites sending you the information or papers, try to scatter some of it so the source can’t be traced. Putting tiny chips in Credit Cards cost very little, we are dealing with a group of men who will sell their soul to the Devil to keep their money!

    My friend at Bethel said the Organization is afraid they will get challenged like Scientology is through the Court Systems. Working 30 years and being told to leave is not only immoral, it should be illegal so let’s try to get these Bethelites in touch with Class Action Lawyers who can sue like their suing the Scientologist now!

  • February 2, 2016 at 3:52 pm
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    already had a schism, lol.. Keep it up, it’s brilliant.

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