Phantom Stranger

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Posts by Phantom Stranger

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  44

  Why does God create abominations?

  by CPiolo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  many religious folks, including fundamentalists, moderates and liberals, from a multitude of faiths, including jehovah?s witnesses, claim that homosexuals, bisexuals and trans-gendered individuals are abominations in the eyes of god.

  they believe these people are sinners of the worst sort, that their behavior is a perversion, is evil, dangerous and a threat to society, the family and/or ?family values.?

  these poor souls are going to be punished in some way by god for their choices and behavior ?

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  Phantom Stranger

  No, actually, it's not - it's sad.

  I guess we can assume your handle didn't come from your Marxist beliefs in redistribution of wealth.

  Sorry to have implied you were trying to make sense of the Bible, Class Avenger. Again we see that Bible should be taken literally at all times, except when it should be taken figuratively. Move this Mason-Dixon line of demarcation to and fro, and you can run the gamut of interpretations from Southern Baptist to Unitarian.

  So, Class Avenger, do you believe that God created the possibility for a person to genetically be predisposed to same-sex relations, but to give in to these innate desires is a sin?
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  18

  What are the most stupid questions they ever asked you at an interview?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  when passing interviews, have you ever noticed the number of questions they asked that has nothing to do with the job in question.. so what were the most stupid, ridiculous, off topic, questions they ever asked you at an interview?

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  Phantom Stranger

  I had a guy applying as a car stereo installer whose resume said he was valedictorian. Like that wasn't easy to find out with a phone call!
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  431

  Things Learned Along the Way

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have collected sayings, homilies, whatever along the way that crystallize something bigger i learned.

  i will post a few every day.

  if you have one, please share it.. if you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas.. to belittle is to be little.. somewhere, i got the idea if i just took care of others, i would be taken care of.. blondie

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  Phantom Stranger

  I believe it means "know where they are".

  "Never try to teach a pig to sing - it wastes your time and annoys the pig."
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  18

  What are the most stupid questions they ever asked you at an interview?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  when passing interviews, have you ever noticed the number of questions they asked that has nothing to do with the job in question.. so what were the most stupid, ridiculous, off topic, questions they ever asked you at an interview?

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  Phantom Stranger

  I wasn't asked this question - but in the early 80's, in the rural California county I grew up in, the Board of Supervisors was interviewing a female candidate for a job - she was from out of town. One supervisor asked her, on the record, "You are a single female in your thirties - are you a lesbian?"

  The guy got re-elected, too.
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  47

  What religion would be your favorit if had to choose?

  by Singing Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would say it would be the catholic cause you can do just about any dam thing you want.

  and if you feel like you need to be close to god or something you can always go light some candles and wear a cross or put on a pointed hat or a white collar or deprive yourself of women or men in the case of nuns.

  and you get to hear funny boys sing chants, and you also can put some real holly water on your head that the priest got from the sink oh and you can wear saint christopher's.

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  Phantom Stranger

  As an aside, if you haven't seen Eddie Izzard's Dress to Kill show, his bit about the origins of the Anglican faith is hilarious (as is every bit of the show). (Deep voice) Now available on DVD.

  He also talks about church music - about how the black church in America, born out of slavery, oppression, and misery, gave rise to the most upbeat religious music in Christendom - and the white churches, with enough money and power to make Solomon blush, have songs like "Ohhhhh Godddd Whaattt Isssss Myyyyyy Hairrr Do Alllll Abouuuuut".
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  4

  ex-cult Google searches

  by Lady Lee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  ok i'm bored and curious - not a good combination for me.

  i did a google search on various cults to see how many hits different groups would get.ex-cult = 10,700 hitsex-scientology = 392ex-moonie = 303ex-mormon = 3,950ex-jw = 13,200. hmmmmmmm makes you wonder now doesn't it?

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  Phantom Stranger

  Either that, or somebody's offering a discount on HTML programming for ex-Witnesses...:)
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  24

  What is the Best Way to Reach a Witness?

  by JamesThomas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this post was motivated by these two excellent posts:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/61040/1.ashx

  by mindchild, and

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  Phantom Stranger

  Just to show those who doubt I can post on-topic :)

  The best way to reach a Jehovah's Witness is to talk with them right after they experience a large positive adjustment in their self-regard:

  A) talk with them after they have engaged in some non-religious activity that requires thought, commitment, and rewarding hard work - attaining a degree, a certification, or reaching a level of expertise in a field. When we have accomplished something substantial, we become more confident and more sure of our own worth as an individual, and thus are more ready to make a choice that would require us to exist as individuals.

  B) talk to them after they fall in love (note that this only works if their relationship is not "in love" with them because thay make a good trophy in the cong, but an actual romantic relationship. It doesn't have to be the love of their life (statistics say it's probably not) but again, being in a romantic relationship can dramatically increase our self-regard (even if only temporarily - strike while the iron is hot!)

  We build beliefs, habits, and automatic reactions two ways - repetition (like the JWs) and by emotional involvement (also the JW's, but negatively - through fear of rejection). Your best results will be attained when communicating with someone who feels strong and capable - otherwise, they retreat into the shell.

  But how do I get someone to this point, you ask? I don't think that you do... we all get there when we're ready, not when others want us to be ready.
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  47

  What religion would be your favorit if had to choose?

  by Singing Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would say it would be the catholic cause you can do just about any dam thing you want.

  and if you feel like you need to be close to god or something you can always go light some candles and wear a cross or put on a pointed hat or a white collar or deprive yourself of women or men in the case of nuns.

  and you get to hear funny boys sing chants, and you also can put some real holly water on your head that the priest got from the sink oh and you can wear saint christopher's.

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  Phantom Stranger

  I would go for a flava of American Buddhism. Unitarians are cool, but they're just too mellow, nonjudgmental, and accepting - I need more rejection.
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  11

  How many of us has been through therapy as a result...

  by petespal2002 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  of leaving the organisation?.

  did it help?

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  Phantom Stranger

  I have been in therapy - don't know if I would call it "through", 'cause I don't think you're ever really done.

  I was raised in the WTS. I have dealt in therapy with some of my issues with growing up the way that I did... but I did not seek therapy because of being a former Witness - in fact, I thought it was unrelated at the time - romantic struggles. Of course, everything ties together.

  I will suggest that therapy, and the self-examination that goes with it, is a good idea for everyone (one of the reasons that psychologists in training go through it). I would hate to hear people say that "I had to go get therapy because of the WTS!", because that increases the stigma around getting your mind in good helathy condition. Go to the gym, you are OK. Go work on your mental conditioning, you are castigated (geez, used that word twice here today :)

  When we are raised in the WTS, our parents will usually be pretty conditional in their acceptance of us and we often have low self-regard as a result. We can blame the WTS for this - they certainly don't help - but I beleive that I would have had this kind of childhood environment whether my mom had become a Witness or not.
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  47

  What religion would be your favorit if had to choose?

  by Singing Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would say it would be the catholic cause you can do just about any dam thing you want.

  and if you feel like you need to be close to god or something you can always go light some candles and wear a cross or put on a pointed hat or a white collar or deprive yourself of women or men in the case of nuns.

  and you get to hear funny boys sing chants, and you also can put some real holly water on your head that the priest got from the sink oh and you can wear saint christopher's.

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  Phantom Stranger

  I think I would worship Judy Tenuta... that's right, Judyism!