Posts by gaiagirl

I also vote 'What Lies Beneath' for scarey movie, at least lately. Michelle Pfeiffers performance was memorable. And I'll never watch Indiana Jones in 'quite' the same light again. I watched it on a recent network broadcast, and during the three hours the film was airing, they interrupted it for no less than 125 commercials! I know because I counted and marked them on a notepad! Now I remember why I usually rent or buy discs.

On Halloween evening, I watched 'The Craft', pretty good movie about 4 girls in Catholic school experimenting with witchcraft. The movie had a lot of inaccuracies, and seemed to be more Goth than most pagans, even most witches. However they did stress the widely held belief about 'whatever you do will come back to you three times over'. Fairuza Balk's portrayal of the 'bad girl' of the foursome was exceedingly well done.

gaiagirl

26

Stronger or weaker

by Paradise Found in

jw
friends

has yourjehovahs witness experience made ypur belief in god stronger or weaker?.

my attitude to god and religon no longer plays an active part in my life.

what i mean by not playing an active part is that i never prayer for help when in trouble or understanding as to lifes purpose and a personal relationhip with god.. maybe because iam scared to take the risk my prayers might not be answered and i d be disillusioned.although if things go right i dont mind saying "thankyou" i will never say "please".

gaiagirl

26

Stronger or weaker

by Paradise Found in

jw
friends

has yourjehovahs witness experience made ypur belief in god stronger or weaker?.

my attitude to god and religon no longer plays an active part in my life.

what i mean by not playing an active part is that i never prayer for help when in trouble or understanding as to lifes purpose and a personal relationhip with god.. maybe because iam scared to take the risk my prayers might not be answered and i d be disillusioned.although if things go right i dont mind saying "thankyou" i will never say "please".

gaiagirl

I'd say my beliefs are stronger, because previously they were based on the interpretations of ancient experiences of other people.

I now view of Deity as manifest within all of nature, which means that Deity is personally accessible to the viewer. My beliefs are based on observable evidence which I can see anytime, anywhere, and on my own personal experiences, which I can repeat as many times as desired. Although my beliefs are much different from before, they have, to me, a vastly better foundation, and are therefore stronger.

gaiagirl

30

How Will History Treat The Jehovah's Witness Religion?

by minimus in

jw
friends

just as presidents and prime ministers think about how history will view them, one must wonder what legacy the watchtower society aka jehovah's witnesses, will have.

to some, the witness religion is so irrelevant that whatever happens, it means nothing.

yet, they have been in existence for over 100 years and according to their records, are still going strong......what will history or what does history say about this religion??

gaiagirl

JW's predicted 'the end' numerous times BEFORE 1975, and the members mostly just remained members when those predictions didn't come true. Some left, but not enough to close them down.

It is kind of disturbing to see the huge popularity of apocalyptic literature, such as the 'Left Behind' series of novels. The latest in the series is titled 'Soon' (saw it on the bookshelf at the grocery store). How many times have we heard that word used in precisely that context? Apparantly, a large segment of the population enjoys reading and thinking about such a scenario. I suppose it is somehow comforting to be told that 'God is going to take care of everything'...

What are the most recent figures regarding 'growth' of JW's worldwide? The last I heard, there had been a decrease in most of the Western world, with growth (not sure if it was enough to offset the decrease, or perhaps more than enough) in the former Soviet Union and some other areas.

gaiagirl

30

Unitarian Universalists

by SpunkyChick in

jw
friends

i just visited a unitarian universalist church today for the first time.

i enjoyed it!

the reverend was a female and she gave a sermon about mystics.

gaiagirl

Hi Gumby

If I understand your meaning regarding ultimate goals, this would probably vary from one UU to another, since congregations are composed of an eclectic mix of people with differing beliefs, the specific answer would depend on what that belief system says happens after ones time in this life is finished.

More immediate goals while still in this life might be more similar, perhaps something like: 'Working to improve the world in which we live by demonstrating love for one another, and caring for our community and our planet.'

Bright Blessings

gaiagirl

30

Unitarian Universalists

by SpunkyChick in

jw
friends

i just visited a unitarian universalist church today for the first time.

i enjoyed it!

the reverend was a female and she gave a sermon about mystics.

gaiagirl

Hi Gumby, you asked "So who decides which part of the bible is truth or bunk......you or the minister?"

As I stated, everyone in the congregation is not expected to share the same perspective. The minister might or might not view a particular passage as historically true, but feel that it still is useful to make a particular point. If so, he may include this passage in a talk. Individual members of the congregation are free to view that passage any way they choose. In general, the bible is not seen as 'more' inspired than the sacred writings of any other culture. Individual members may choose to give it more, or less importance.

It is kind of a difficult concept to wrap ones mind around at first, accustomed as most of us are to being told in absolute terms what to believe and how to think. UU's have a regular series of classes which some choose to attend called 'Building Your Theology'. Whether or not one attends these classes, this is what most UU's do in practice: Expose oneself to many different perspectives of spirituality, then select those particular applications which are most meaningful to oneself.

If churches were restaurants, the WT society might be something like McDonalds, a very 'corporate' atmosphere, in which all the employees dress alike, all the different locations are decorated the same way, and everything on the menu pretty much tastes the same. The UU organization is more like a multi-cultural buffet, perhaps even an open air market, where there are foods from all over the world, prepared according to varying local customs, from which one selects those which appear most savory.

I hope this clarifies their position somewhat.

gaiagirl

30

Unitarian Universalists

by SpunkyChick in

jw
friends

i just visited a unitarian universalist church today for the first time.

i enjoyed it!

the reverend was a female and she gave a sermon about mystics.

gaiagirl

I also attend a Unitarian Universalist church. They admit that they have their original roots in the Judeo-Christian tradition. However, they do not seem to share the dogmas which most other churches with those roots. The Bible is viewed generally as a collection of documents written by many authors, containing much that can be labeled 'wisdom' and much other material of historical interest as a reflection of the views of the authors, but not necessarily absolutely true. So, the minister may quote Jesus at times, in encouraging the congregation to demonstrate love for one another. The minister would be extremely unlikely to quote Paul where he states that women should remain silent, that the man is the head of the woman, etc, as this is not seen as an inspired expression from God, but simply Paul expressing his opinion, as Paul himself admits (speaking on another topic) at 1 Cor 7:25.

Sermons at the UU church I attend are just as likely to quote from other sacred books as from the Bible, so the congregation is exposed to the wisdom contained in the writings of Buddhism, Islam, Taoism, as well as individuals such as Einstein, Ghandi, Starhawk, Black Elk (all of whom are contained in the UU hymnal), as well as many others. There have been services honoring the various traditions mentioned, as well as a few with a distinct neo-pagan flavor.

While a JW, one is exposed to a single narrow view, claimed to be that of the only people on Earth to whom God ever revealed himself. In contrast, at the UU church, the view is more like: God, however one chooses to define the term, would logically be equally accessible to all people, in all nations. Each nation, even each individual may have a unique perception of 'God', which may be equally valid. Some view 'God' as very close to the classical Judeo-Christian image, others have a more abstract definition, some don't believe in 'God' at all. UU's feel that just because someone has a different perspective, this does not have to be grounds for division. There is a word in one of the traditions, 'Namaste', which means 'I honor the sacred within you'. This word is sometimes used as a greeting, in which we recognize that other individuals often have differing views, we try to look for the things we share in common, and build on those things, rather than focusing on our differences.

Bright Blessings

gaiagirl

180

Favourite 80's song.....EVER!!

by ScoobySnax in

jw
friends

.

i make no apologies for going on about the 80's again, its just that i've been having another nostalgia music session again.....you know dig out all your favourite tracks type thing..... i nominate........ duran duran union of the snake.

i reserve the right to change this though, with out warning......

gaiagirl

So much good music in the '80s, I've always felt a special response to the sexy saxophones and synthesizers of 'Quarterflash', almost anything they ever did.

Other favs include:

Pat Benetar-its all good

Bangles-Eternal Flame, and others

B-52's-still makes me laugh and want to dance

a-ha 'Call On Me' (one of the best videos)

Thomas Dolby 'She Blinded Me With Science' and 'One Of Our Submarines'

Gary Numan

Eddie Money 'Take Me Home Tonight'

The Fixx

The Cars

gaiagirl

5

The Lost Gospel of George : o

by Seven in

jw
friends

think about it, religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky...who watches every thing you do, every minute of every day.

long time ago god made a divine plan.

and for billion and billions of years the divine plan has been doing just fine.

gaiagirl

That would look good on a granite monument outside a courthouse in Alabama.

gaiagirl