Jesus! It must be easy to prepare KM articles. It looks like you just take an old issue and do a Save As and then change a couple of the headlines, add a word here, subtract a word here...maybe throw in a little bit of odd punctuation just for that 'spiritually unique' flavor...And Boom! KM de la mes.
seattleniceguy
JoinedPosts by seattleniceguy
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44
The Society has given up on "holiday witnessing"
by dothemath in.
up until a few years ago......every dec. km had a part encouraging everyone to go in the ministry on the holidays.......christmas day, etc.. no one ever got too excited about it in our cong.
.........it was pretty much a joke to everyone even when commenting on it during the meeting part.. that no longer seems to be the case..........haven't seen any parts like this for a few years now......i guess they've given up completely.. the meeting part usually included some "fine experiences"......but i have heard exactly the opposite from some who actually tried it one time.. have any of you ever went in service on christmas day?
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Just received Crisis of Conscience!!
by acsot ini've already exited the jws in mind and heart, and have read many comments from everyone about the book, so didn't really see the need to buy it for myself.
however, after reading something here on the forum, i decided to order it (and the tao of pooh and siddhartha.
) a super-dub sits two desks away from (she and her husband knew ray and his wife, had tea with them in their room when he was on the gb, etc.
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seattleniceguy
I do believe we've sold five or six copies with this thread!
How about it, Joker? You gonna be Lucky Number Seven? You know you want it!!
Hee hee, sorry. Couldn't help it.
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Withholding Emotion....
by Scully intoday on dr. phil, he says to a woman who has not spoken to her brother and sisters for 12 years:"withholding emotion is one of the most mean and vicious and aggressive things you can do.".
i think he'd have a field day with jws who shun friends and family members who choose to leave the organization!.
love, scully.
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seattleniceguy
ascot:
gumby: Very interesting ideas. Perhaps fear is the strongest motivator humans have? Even stronger than parental love? I would like to do some reading on that.
A Paduan: My God. That is a stunning way to apply that scripture. Wow.
Wow.
SNG
PS. Don't know if Paul was really trying to say that, but it's powerful nonetheless.
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35
Opinion: Should Saddam Die?
by seattleniceguy inan opinion piece by seattleniceguy
should saddam hussein die?
saddam hussein is single-handedly responsible for the death and injury of millions of people.
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seattleniceguy
Thanks, Euph.
I was worried that this post might earn me some serious demerits. I just got back from lunch, where I discussed it with a friend, one of the few people that agreed with me. I thought a lot about an earlier post today which I already quoted, but which contained the question:
How would you feel if your brother was pulled out of a classroom one day and shot because he disagreed with Bush's war on terror? Maybe he wasn't shot right away either, maybe he spends a week with a car-battery clamped to his genitals?
I think this is a good example because it seems like the natural response in this kind of situation. But, really, imagine that this has happened to you. You now have the culprit and he is proven guilty beyond doubt. As you inflict kind-for-kind punishment to him, as you clamp a car-battery to his genitals and watch him suffer for a week before shooting him, does this make you feel better about your brother? Does it refresh you emotionally? Does it make you a better person? Does it make society better?
Instead, are you not resurrecting the violence yourself? Are you not perpetuating the evil by keeping it alive through repetition? Are you not scarring yourself and your society?
Why would he be sad and miserable? He would have spent the best years of his life living like a king, with almost no repurcussions. He would be better off than if he had never been caught.
Is a bum on the street happy knowing that he once was a CEO living in the lap of luxury? Saddam Hussein will be a sad and miserable man because he will be forced to face the reality that his own actions have resulted in being condemned by his own people, the deaths of his children, and the capitulation of his government. And that's if he never makes the next step and begins to think about his folly in a larger sense.
Indeed, if sheer infliction of pain is the goal, keeping him alive surely wins. Instead of a quick out, he is forced to think about his course in confinement, for years. I don't think the infliction of pain should be the primary goal, but it does come with the punishment.
Perhaps we should take satisfaction in ridding the world of an evil despot.
The world is rid of an evil despot. With the proper precautions, Saddam will never again rise to power or be free. The question is whether we should take satisfaction in destroying a human.
it wouldn't take too much to pay off someone and spring an imprisioned Saddam.
No, certainly not if the proper safeguards were missing. I agree that there are pragmatic concerns that need to be addressed.
I just feel like the whole concept that "people get what they got coming" is responsible for the cycle of violence that we see. I just don't see how it helps us emotionally as individuals, or as a society in whole. It seems just like just the opposite is the reality - when we approve of revenge, we hurt ourselves individually and as a society.
Well, I knew I'd encounter strong views. I certainly mean no harm - I am exploring the topic in my own mind as well. Thank you all for discussing this topic with me.
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First spammers arrested! Yeah, baby!
by MegaDude inlike i know this won't make much of a dent, but i'm glad some spammers are getting a little pain today.
computer crimes unit makes first arrests in va. .
updated: thursday, dec. 11, 2003 - 3:23 pm .
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seattleniceguy
In the meantime, you might check out www.death2spam.com.
It's an incredibly good spam filter. In the past two months that I've used it, it's identified about 10,000 spams for me and has never even a single time misidentified good mail as spam. It's a proxy mail server, which means there is nothing to install on your system. You can set it up in a few minutes. You use it for free for a month, and if you like it, the annual fee is $35 - a small price to pay in my case considering the obscene volume of spam I get (I have a few compromised mail addresses that I need to keep.).
It is by far the best spam fighting software I have ever seen. And they have good ideas for refining the software to punish spammers even more. That's a fight I can support!
SNG
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Opinion: Should Saddam Die?
by seattleniceguy inan opinion piece by seattleniceguy
should saddam hussein die?
saddam hussein is single-handedly responsible for the death and injury of millions of people.
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seattleniceguy
How would you feel if your brother was pulled out of a classroom one day and shot because he disagreed with Bush's war on terror? Maybe he wasn't shot right away either, maybe he spends a week with a car-battery clamped to his genitals?
I would feel horrible, like anyone else. But I think that returning the favor in kind would do little for my mental and emotional health. Many experinces show that when a killer shows intense remorse for his actions - even if it takes him years to develop - the family of the murdered person finds far greater comfort than simply watching him die. The vindictive form of justice is empty, producing nothing beneficial for any party. It doesn't even serve as a deterent to others. Many states with the death penalty have rates of crime higher than places without.
I understand the rage. But in this case, I believe that returning evil for evil is simply harmful to everyone, especially the returners of the evil.
And what if he doesn't change? People all over the world will see a man who systematically killed millions and plunged the world into war twice get to spend his dotage being looked after at taxpayers' expense. What kind of message would that send?
It would send the message that we are a species that does not tolerate evil in others or ourselves. If he doesn't change, then he goes to his grave a sad and miserable man. Saddam will die either way. The question is whether we take satisfaction in killing a person. -
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Do jws realise the amount of control the watctower has over them?
by Gadget ini was talking to my ex-girlfriend today, and we got on about the witnesses.
she refuted how much control the watchtower has over each witness, saying that the watchtower is only a guide as to what to do, everybody has to make their own mind up.
is this a general view of witnesses?
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seattleniceguy
Hi Gadget,
Yes, I think that the belief that Witnesses think for themselves is one of the strongest and most pervasive myths in the organization right now.
I have a friend who, of course, dutifully avoids apostate literature. In his opinion, no one is forcing him to do so. He's scanned it a few times and become convinced that there is nothing of value. "I just don't feel like there's much benefit to getting the latest issue of the Apostate Quarterly," he states with an air of total reasonableness.
I think that Witnesses who are attracted to rational thought sincerely believe that their belief system has a rational basis. Each time I tried to reason with such Witnesses, the response was a dismissive smile and some comment like, "No, no. I choose the course that I take. Nobody's forcing me to do anything." The only thing I can say to that is that when a mugger sticks a gun in your ribs and asks you to hand over your money, you choose to do that as well. It doesn't mean that you would like to make that choice or that you appreciate the "encouragement."
Hope your ex continues to think and perhaps one day becomes an X. :)
SNG
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WT Says "No" to Sellers of Toys (What next?)
by Sirona ini read through the article on the watchtower's official site about christmas.
the usual "christmas has pagan roots and so is wrong" argument was presented.
however, i noticed another point that was made which i think is unbelievably ridiculous.
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seattleniceguy
I think that fun is pagan. It originated with Satan when he threw his first beer-bash. I think we should all live on bread and water and sit on uncushioned chairs and give each other very un-fun haircuts. And no thinking about toys under any circumstances!!
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Just received Crisis of Conscience!!
by acsot ini've already exited the jws in mind and heart, and have read many comments from everyone about the book, so didn't really see the need to buy it for myself.
however, after reading something here on the forum, i decided to order it (and the tao of pooh and siddhartha.
) a super-dub sits two desks away from (she and her husband knew ray and his wife, had tea with them in their room when he was on the gb, etc.
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seattleniceguy
Before I read CoC, I had little to no remaining respect for Christianity or the Bible. Although I still do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God in the traditional sense, and I believe that Jesus was an enlightened spiritual leader of the ilk of Buddha and Plato, I must say that Ray Franz has been the single largest influence toward a tempering of my views. Although I do not choose the Christian universe-view for myself, I now am able to respect those who do in a much more genuine way.
How ironic that the man who I once believed was so evil and apostate actually did more than the ones I held in such high esteem to affect my view of Christianity in such a positive way!
SNG
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Withholding Emotion....
by Scully intoday on dr. phil, he says to a woman who has not spoken to her brother and sisters for 12 years:"withholding emotion is one of the most mean and vicious and aggressive things you can do.".
i think he'd have a field day with jws who shun friends and family members who choose to leave the organization!.
love, scully.
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seattleniceguy
Hi Scully,
A couple friends and I were talking about this kind of thing a few days ago. I think that because Witnesses are forced to crush their compassions down to comply with policy on such a regular basis, it gradually creates an emotional coldness in which they are not able to feel empathy for others. And since Witnesses are not allowed to follow logical paths completely, either, they end up being complete neither emotionally or intellectually. They are stuck inside a box that is shallow both emotionally and intellectually!
That revelation really hit me. Your post made me want to share it.
SNG