Athanasius

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Posts by Athanasius

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  16

  Awakes: DidYouUseThemForHomework?

  by LovesDubs in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  before the introduction of the largest library on the planet...the internet...did you young jws use the awake magazines as a source for doing your homework and trust the contents to be accurate for reports?

  i remember reading letters from readers just drooling with thanks for giving their kids the edge over those poor worldly kids who had to trapse to the library to do their research.

  :)

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  Athanasius

  No, never did.
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  41

  '63 Convention - Rose Bowl fiasco

  by Gregor in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ) day ordeals.

  the pasadena rose bowl is in a canyon and this was dead summer, temps.

  over 100,000 in attendance.

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  Athanasius

  Yes, I remember the 63 Rose Bowl Convention, an exhausting 8 days. It started around 9:00 AM on Sunday September 1 and ended at 10:00 PM Sunday September 8. Knorr had the Concluding Comments, but the way he kept rambling on and on I thought it might go on into the early morning hours of September 9 making it a 9 day Convention. I remember the heat, cold, dust, rain, and how miserable it was having to sit on stadium seats without a back.

  I was in High School in 1963 and my classes started on Tuesday the 10th. Since we lived in Northern California the drive home was over 500 miles. Thus a grueling day of travel. Not the best way to start the school year.
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  41

  Do you still call it "the truth"?

  by True North in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you find youself still calling it "the truth" even though you are an ex-jw?

  for instance, in one posting i just read, the poster wrote "when i was in the truth..." .

  not a big deal, perhaps, but really not such a good thing either as it's a habitual holdover from the program of mental conditioning we were subject to.

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  Athanasius

  No, in fact when I was an active JW I rarely used the term for the simple reason that the GB was constantly changing Watchtower doctrines. The changes were called "new truths," while the old lies were referred to as "that was our understanding then." I always hated it when the publications would change a doctrine that the Watchtower taught for years and required all JWs to believe, and then make it appear that it was the rank and file JWs who came up with the former doctrine and the GB was now setting us straight.
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  7

  Ex-Elders, please answer this question. Thank you!

  by averyniceguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what if a brother or sister say happy new year and another brother heard it, how would the elders handle it?.

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  Athanasius

  Happy New Year everyone!

  Though the Watchtower rules have probably changed in the 20 plus years since I served as an elder, it wasn't considered a sin to wish someone a Happy New Year in my old congregation pre-1984. However, if someone wished us a Merry Christmas we were instructed to say "thank you" rather than the customary "same to you" with which non-JWs would reply.
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  9

  Wife swapping in the congregation, ever experience it?

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  wife swapping by definition was something that came from the care free sex days of the 1970's.

  you know, before a thing called aids became something we worried about.

  basically, it was a sex game of taking another person's wife home for sex, and you let them take your wife home.

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  Athanasius

  Maybe it should be called "Divorce Jehovah's Witness Style," one couple takes the fall while the so-called innocent mates get a free pass.
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  71

  Was the Atomic Bombing of Japan Really Necessarry?

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  link and clip:.

  http://www.doug-long.com/hiroshim.htm.

  hiroshima:was it necessary?part 1 of 2. by doug long.

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  Athanasius

  Hi Frankie,

  Suggest you read Webber's book and draw your own conclusion regarding his documentation and sources.

  Hi Jim,

  Godzilla was awakened by the Hydrogen Bomb tests in the Pacific during the early 50s. Raymond Burr wasn't in the original Godzilla film released in Japan. Burr and and English soundtract were later added for American audiences.

  Many Godzilla films have been released since the original including Son of Godzilla which raised some questions since Godzilla has never been married. Later it was explained that the son was adopted.
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  71

  Was the Atomic Bombing of Japan Really Necessarry?

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  link and clip:.

  http://www.doug-long.com/hiroshim.htm.

  hiroshima:was it necessary?part 1 of 2. by doug long.

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  Athanasius

  Hi Frankie,

  You might find Bert Webber's book Silent Siege--III helpful. Webber interviewed several of the Japanese involved in their Atomic project. The Japanese exploded their first atomic bomb on August 10, 1945 on a small island in the Sea of Japan. The Japanese surrender 5 days later prevented further testing.
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  49

  DID ANYONE ELSE GET PASSED OVER W/THE KN TRACT?

  by juni in

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  2. friends

  i live in a small, rural town pop.

  2000. my daughter and i did not get any visit or tract.. i thought this was supposed to be a final warning - a life saving work.. not complaining, but just curious if you didn't get one.. juni .

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  Athanasius

  The JWs never came around to give me their "life-saving" tract. In fact you never see them working our neigborhood and I've lived here for over 7 years.
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  19

  New study calls "Jehovah's protective hygiene laws" into serious question

  by under_believer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anybody remember this favorite witness concept?

  the mosaic laws were basically perfect, the theory goes.

  one evidence of this perfection was the fact that the hygenic requirements harmonize with current science, were obviously better than what everyone else at the time was practicing, and resulted in great health benefits for the israelites.

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  Athanasius

  Though I don't claim to be a Bible Scholar, it seems that this particular "hygiene law" had reference to setting up camp during a miliary campaign. Deuteronomy 23:10, one of the preceding verses says: "When you are in camp during an expedition against your enemies, you shall keep yourselves from everything offensive." In this context the advice to dig latrines outside the camp during a military operation in enemy territory makes sense, and to cover them up so the enemy doesn't smell the presence of an attacker is also good advice.

  Perhaps Essenes had a governing body that took these verses out of context, instructions for mobile military operations, and applied to them a settled community. Kind of like the JW Governing Body that applies Old Testament dietary regulations to forbid modern life-saving medical procedures
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  21

  It just seems that Witnesses are less active these days.

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i remember being a teenager and being at friends home on saturdays, and every time you turn around there was a witness knocking at the door.

  my non-witness friends would be nice, and say no, as they did not want to insult me.

  even though, as a teenager, i was not a witnesses (baptized) and did not make a public show of my connection to people outside of the congregation.

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  Athanasius

  The JWs don't seem to be very active in my area. I've lived at my present residence for almost 6 years and no JWs have called. Looks like I won't get that new tract everyone is talking about.