Witness to ex-JW activists: You say you love us, so why try to change us?

[Going door to door. Credit: JW.org]

Ex-JW activists, you have been called out! We noticed this tweet recently by a gentleman we don’t know, Floyd Butterman, and we wondered what our readers might say about his stance.

Continue reading Witness to ex-JW activists: You say you love us, so why try to change us?

And then there were four: Lauren Salzman joins her mother and pleads guilty in Nxivm case

[Lauren Salzman and her mother Nancy]

There it is in the Nxivm court file, the confirmation of what we’d heard earlier, that Lauren Salzman was among those Nxivm defendants deciding to plead guilty before trial is scheduled to begin next month.

Continue reading And then there were four: Lauren Salzman joins her mother and pleads guilty in Nxivm case

Clare Bronfman’s attorneys want Nxivm judge to lay off about Mark Geragos and his troubles

[Clare Bronfman arriving at court yesterday. Photo by VillageDianne]

We hear that today’s hearing regarding Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman and any potential conflicts regarding her attorney, Mark Geragos, was not nearly as eventful as yesterday’s, when Clare fainted in the courtroom. She collapsed yesterday after Judge Nicholas Garaufis had brought up the stunning information that indicted attorney Michael Avenatti had been working for her behind the scenes.

Continue reading Clare Bronfman’s attorneys want Nxivm judge to lay off about Mark Geragos and his troubles

NXIVM CHAOS: CLARE BRONFMAN FAINTS AFTER JUDGE BRINGS UP MICHAEL AVENATTI

[Clare Bronfman leaves the courthouse with Mark Geragos. Photo by VillageDianne]

Wild times in the Nxivm case today as Clare Bronfman collapsed and paramedics were called. According to our court observer and others who were present, the Seagram heiress fainted after Judge Nicholas Garaufis asked whether disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti had secretly been negotiating a plea deal for her with the US Attorney.

Continue reading NXIVM CHAOS: CLARE BRONFMAN FAINTS AFTER JUDGE BRINGS UP MICHAEL AVENATTI

Nxivm: Judge calls emergency hearing as case thrown into chaos over Mark Geragos news

[Judge Nicholas Garaufis and Mark Geragos]

Judge Nicholas Garaufis has called for a 3 pm emergency status hearing today in the Nxivm case with just 24 hours notice, and has only called in two of the defendants: Nxivm leader Keith Raniere and Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman.

Continue reading Nxivm: Judge calls emergency hearing as case thrown into chaos over Mark Geragos news

If Jehovah’s Witnesses only benefit their own believers, why are they subsidized as a charity?

Lloyd Evans has a really interesting new piece today at the website of Britain’s National Secular Society. And while the tax exempt or charity status of churches in the UK and the US are not exactly the same, we think our American readers can benefit from reading some of the questions Lloyd raises in this really well done article.

Continue reading If Jehovah’s Witnesses only benefit their own believers, why are they subsidized as a charity?

Clare Bronfman’s lawyer Mark Geragos named co-conspirator in Michael Avenatti indictment

[Mark Geragos and Michael Avenatti]

We certainly didn’t see this coming. Just days after Seagram heiress Clare Bronfman told Judge Nicholas Garaufis that she definitely wanted to keep famous defense attorney Mark Geragos on her legal team even though his daughter, Teny Geragos, is representing her co-defendant Keith Raniere in the Nxivm prosecution, Geragos is making news for something entirely different: That he’s been named the co-conspirator in Michael Avenatti’s indictment for trying to shake down Nike.

Continue reading Clare Bronfman’s lawyer Mark Geragos named co-conspirator in Michael Avenatti indictment

Jehovah’s Witnesses magazine settles climate change question we raised recently

Hey, this seems kind of fortuitous. Last week, we asked Lloyd Evans how Jehovah’s Witnesses, an end-of-the-world group, thought about actual global challenges presented by climate change.

Continue reading Jehovah’s Witnesses magazine settles climate change question we raised recently

Keith Raniere is rarin’: His pitch for speedy Nxivm trial, and against child sex counts

[Keith Raniere]

Lots of court documents have hit the Nxivm file, and we’ve been sorting through them as we can. On Friday, Keith Raniere filed a motion to dismiss that included his argument for keeping the timing of the upcoming trial on track, with jury selection starting on April 8 and opening statements on April 29, and blames prosecutors for trying to delay things.

Continue reading Keith Raniere is rarin’: His pitch for speedy Nxivm trial, and against child sex counts

Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Internet in 2019: Spookily similar to Scientology in 1994

[Scientology heavy Helena Kobrin and Watchtower mercenary Philip Brumley]

We’re still playing catch-up here at our new Jehovah’s Witnesses blog, and yes, we keep running across parallels to what we’ve seen over at our Scientology watch.

Continue reading Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Internet in 2019: Spookily similar to Scientology in 1994

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