the following is a repost from an internet discussion group that i belong to.
subject: davis pagan club meets psychotic hateful "christians".
today i sat outside the student union with travis, tabling (the .
I placed a nearly identical post on another forum, and got a reply from someone who saw the story, and my action in reposting it there, as expressing (among other things) Pagans' dislike for Christians.... You guys are rather too nice and understanding.
http://pub208.ezboard.com/fbeyondjehovahswitnessesfrm11.showMessage?topicID=1547.topic
Cruithne
the following is a repost from an internet discussion group that i belong to.
subject: davis pagan club meets psychotic hateful "christians".
today i sat outside the student union with travis, tabling (the .
The following is a repost from an Internet discussion group that I belong to.
Subject: Davis pagan club meets psychotic hateful "Christians"Like I've always thought - we must all lead by example. Thanks for
setting a good one!
Cruithne
well i have been feeling a bit like crap lately.
work has been very stressful and my attempts to make new friends outside of the jw's have been mostly futile.
the people i work with are immature and are more interested in the latest office gossip and whose doing what than anything else.
I didn't read everyone's reply, nor did I count, but I see that a lot of folks responded with fellow-feeling. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot in life that's "easy," including making friends ... but there are fantastic opportunities of all kinds that pass by us everyday, near enough that we could grasp them if we would only believe they're there and open ourselves to them. I not only hold that as a "metaphysical" belief, I've experienced the reality of it to an extent. (I know that for every opportunity that has landed in my lap unexpectedly, there must be ten or a hundred out there that I've remained completely unaware of.) "Keep on seeking [with an optimistic, enthusiastic attitude] and you will find." It's hard to be all cheerful and expectant when you're NOT getting what you want, but know that it's out there (because it is), and go find it.
Cruithne
yeah.
carrie (aztec) made me get up at this ungodly early hour of the morning (1 pm.
) to post here.
The subject line says it all.
i've always obsessed about good grades.
i had straight a's in high school and through junior college.
now that i'm a junnior i'm struggling to do that.
Okay, so your grade problem is in physics, which is kind of tangential to your track. I wouldn't worry about it, actually. The fact that you're taking a phsyics class shows that you are willing to stretch yourself and learn a variety of things, which is extremely positive. Maybe you're not cut out to be a physicist. <Shrug> Do your best, even at physics, but don't sweat it if you're not an "A" student in EVERYTHING.
Cruithne
i've always obsessed about good grades.
i had straight a's in high school and through junior college.
now that i'm a junnior i'm struggling to do that.
Stacy,
Just do your best, hon. That's all you can do. NO ONE can reaosnably expect more of you.
If you are bothered by getting C's in your chosen field of study, you might want to consider working on something at which you're more talented - I mean if C's are the best you can do. But if you LOVE what you're studying, then the mere fact of getting an occasional "mediocre" grade - or even a "mediocre" GPA - shouldn't be a deterrent. Focus on the learning and your love for it, and I think everything else will take care of itself, for you.
Cruithne
i posted this only because, i used to sit in the kingdom hall and watch the children-cough, weez, and sniffle, and dealing with hay fevor.
i felt so bad for them, because they had to breath whatever air was in the room.
then when i found this link, it kind of got me mad, because some of the worldwide preaching work contributions are providing the watchtower corporate, with some of the cleanest, freshest, and safest air money can buy.. yet the very people who provided the watchtower with those contributions, have to sit at meetings and just suffer, and their kids as well.
Growth doesn't always come from being stroked. Considering contrary views can also provide opportunities for growth - esp. when they're presented respectfully, but even when not. Someone apologized to me the other day for blasting something I said (not me personally, and I didn't take it that way) on another forum. I told him to please continue expressing himself as he sees fit. I don't expect everyone to agree with me, or to keep silent when they disagree.
Cruithne
i posted this only because, i used to sit in the kingdom hall and watch the children-cough, weez, and sniffle, and dealing with hay fevor.
i felt so bad for them, because they had to breath whatever air was in the room.
then when i found this link, it kind of got me mad, because some of the worldwide preaching work contributions are providing the watchtower corporate, with some of the cleanest, freshest, and safest air money can buy.. yet the very people who provided the watchtower with those contributions, have to sit at meetings and just suffer, and their kids as well.
A few years ago, I purchased an air purifier for my home that used similar technology. It improved my wife's asthma, and we were consistently happy and satisfied with the product. I can imagine that there would be a need for such a purification system in some of the environments at WT headquarters. To me, their purchasing such products shows an appropriate concern for people's health and welfare. I would think that individual congregations would feel free to purchase such products, as well, although the Society isn't going to promote them.
I'm sorry if this is seen as finding fault with the original post, but I really can't find anything about it that I agree with. That's not a personal attack, just a failure to agree (to the extent that I understand where you're coming from).
Cruithne
i had to df my brother a few days ago!
i just wanted to visit him and my family late december.
anyway, he said, "we don?t want you here!
Cyberguy,
I'm not quite sure whether my reply belongs on a public forum or would be better directed to you privately, but I will undertake to write it publicly, and if I click Submit at the end, it will go to the forum; otherwise, it will probably show up in your personal inbox.
First, you must know that there is achance that your brother will truly Awake! one day, and that your example of integrity and conveying real truths to him could be a key factor in that.
I lost most of my natural relatives by becoming a JW and staying faithful to the org for over 30 years. Then I lost all of my JW so-called friends and family when I walked away from the org. Actually, it took a couple of years to lose my kids, who are now 18 and 14, and live with their mother and stpefather, who are both JWs. However, I haven't spoken with them in more than a year. I occasionally write to them, but do not receive anything in return, and for all I know, my letters go directly into the garbage can.
Maybe there is something wrong with me, but I have to tell you that I am NOT bemoaning my treatment at the hands of JWs or anyone else, and I am not crying about the consequences of my own actions. I did what I had to do in order to mantain my personal and spiritual integrity, and I did it without thinking twice about the consequences. Whatever is lost in this world can be regained or replaced - in a sense. In another sense, of course, some things can never be replaced. However, I am content to follow the path of life as it reveals itself to me, and I can affirm that opportunities have opened up to me that have added joy and meaning to my life, that I would NEVER have had access to if I had remained a JW. (I have been an ex-JW for less than four years.)
When I left the org, I was content for a while to live in a state of uncertainty and ambiguity. Actually, I doubt I will ever again feel the sense of certainty and monoguity (is there such a word?) that I felt as a Witness, but the need for such things is largely artificial and a learned trait - and so can be easily unleanred, if one puts one's mind and heart into the project.
I have been through periods of depression, and to an extent that is a holdover from life as a JW and the process by which one becomes an ex (if one was ever sincere and devout as a JW). It can be worked through.
I strongly recommend taking decisive action to rid yourself of the vestiges of faith in JWism, and go on an active spritual quest to find what works for you - be it orthodox Christianity, unorthodox Christianity, any of the other great world religions, "alternative religion," being "spiritual but not religious," agnostic, or atheist. Find what resonates with the predispositions of your heart and mind, supports what you sense is truly important, and helps you become more fully the person you want to be and to contribute to society in a way that you can believe is meaningful and worthwhile. It's out there.
Cruithne
for a new book project..... my wife and i are putting together a book project that will describe in detail the actual practical effects of wtbts beliefs and doctrines on the daily lives of average jw's.
there are currently books out there that describe the operation of the organization at the top levels (e.g.
crisis of conscience), books that take issue with jw doctrine and/or false predictions, and books about cults in general that mention jw's among other cultish organizations.
Brandon,
I have a close personal friend, who is a journalist, whom I trust implicitly. She undertook to write an article about some of my experiences (not directly related to the JWs), about a year ago, buying me a fine Chinese dinner, and interviewing me over it. (I also helped her review the restaurant where we enjoyed the meal; thus we killed two marauding chupacabras with one slingshot, so to say.)
In violation of normal journalistic practice, my friend allowed me to preview the article and request any changes that I felt were appropriate. I was amazed how much the sense of her story differed from what I had told her, in some areas. I requested a few changes, and suggested several more.The writer was able to incorporate most of my suggestions, but unfortunately because she was writing to fill limited space and had a specific agenda, or point to make, I felt that some aspects of the story might still have been misunderstood by the readers - all of which wasn't really that important, in the final analysis.
As a result of this experience, however, I am hesitant if not downright loathe to allow anyone to "write my story," or selectively quote from my sayings or writings. I will be pleased to produce a version of my story that you may quote verbatim (only), fitting within a designated number of pages, paragraphs, or words. If you like, we can chat via personal email [email protected] and begin working toward my laying two or three of the several write-ups I've done so far on you. This might have a very good result, in that if we work together on this, you may be able direct me in crafting something that we can both use and be proud of.
Cruithne
