Very controversial stuff, even within the catholic church. Check this:
behemot
JoinedPosts by behemot
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Medjugorje, Bosnia. Anyone ever heard of it?
by TTWSYF inaccording to 6 children [aged 10 - 16 years old], jesus's mother, mary has been visiting them everyday for over 28 years [these 'children' are now 38 - 45 yr old adults and preach the good news of the gospels everyday].
that's what folks say.
the official position of the catholic church is still under investigation.. anyone familair with this story?.
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JWs double standard re: defending religious freedom
by behemot inwhen a government challenges jws' freedom, it's not unusual that they (wherever they can do that) organize a campaign of sorts to protest, affirm and defend their religious freedom (see, for instance, the recent campaign in russia http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100226.htm and the 1999 campaign in france over the denial of tax-exempt status to jws http://www.rickross.com/reference/jw/jw6.html).. one of the reasons of concern such campaigns focus on is the threat implied for other religions by the government's behaviour with the jws ("what will happen tomorrow to other religions?")..
but do they really care about what happens to other religions?
have you ever seen jws campaigning to defend the religious freedom of some other group or denomination whose activities are prohibited or somehow hindered by the secular authorities?.
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behemot
The WTS did attach itself legally to a case re taxes on publications.
Yeah right, but they do that only when the problem touches (or they feel may touch) them directly.
If in a country they are fine, but other religious minorities are harassed, they won't move a finger to defend their rights (after all, don't they expect the political "wild beast" to turn against against religious "babylon the great"?)
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JWs double standard re: defending religious freedom
by behemot inwhen a government challenges jws' freedom, it's not unusual that they (wherever they can do that) organize a campaign of sorts to protest, affirm and defend their religious freedom (see, for instance, the recent campaign in russia http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100226.htm and the 1999 campaign in france over the denial of tax-exempt status to jws http://www.rickross.com/reference/jw/jw6.html).. one of the reasons of concern such campaigns focus on is the threat implied for other religions by the government's behaviour with the jws ("what will happen tomorrow to other religions?")..
but do they really care about what happens to other religions?
have you ever seen jws campaigning to defend the religious freedom of some other group or denomination whose activities are prohibited or somehow hindered by the secular authorities?.
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behemot
When a government challenges JWs' freedom, it's not unusual that they (wherever they can do that) organize a campaign of sorts to protest, affirm and defend their religious freedom (see, for instance, the recent campaign in Russia http://www.jw-media.org/rus/20100226.htm and the 1999 campaign in France over the denial of tax-exempt status to JWs http://www.rickross.com/reference/jw/jw6.html).
One of the reasons of concern such campaigns focus on is the threat implied for other religions by the government's behaviour with the JWs ("What will happen tomorrow to other religions?").
But do they really care about what happens to other religions? Have you ever seen JWs campaigning to defend the religious freedom of some other group or denomination whose activities are prohibited or somehow hindered by the secular authorities?
If they really cared about religious freedom (not only their own), wouldn't they do just that?
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Undercover JWs in Lebanon
by behemot inlebanon: in muslim middle east, jehovah's witnesses congregate in secretapril 17, 2010 | 9:03am sphereit start .
an elegantly dressed lebanese woman in a black and white chanel suit stood up and offered her seat to a philippine domestic worker, "please sit, i'll go look for more chairs.".
the unusual scene in lebanon, where wealthy locals more often than not abuse and exploit migrant workers from asia, was at an undercover jehovah's witnesses congregation just outside of beirut.. .
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behemot
LEBANON: In Muslim Middle East, Jehovah's Witnesses congregate in secret
April 17, 2010 | 9:03am
An elegantly dressed Lebanese woman in a black and white Chanel suit stood up and offered her seat to a Philippine domestic worker, "Please sit, I'll go look for more chairs."
The unusual scene in Lebanon, where wealthy locals more often than not abuse and exploit migrant workers from Asia, was at an undercover Jehovah's Witnesses congregation just outside of Beirut.
Recently, more than 200 Jehovah's Witnesses gathered in the basement of a posh building north of the capital. They divided up into two rooms, one for the English-speaking and one for the Sinhalese-translated session for Sri Lankans.
Unlike other parts of the Arab world, Lebanon is known for its tolerance of multiple religious confessions. But even that has a limit, especially for faiths like Jehovah's Witnesses that are not registered or officially recognized by the government.
It is estimated that there are over 15 "Kingdom Halls," or prayer gatherings, in Lebanon, which for now appear to be tolerated despite fears that participants could be harassed or deported. "My employer is Greek Orthodox, but she likes that I am a Witness," a young Philippine woman explained. "She knows that she can trust me. She lets me come to the meetings."
Unlike in the West, however, she does not go door-to-door preaching. Proselytizing to Muslims is a punishable offense in most Arab countries. Though the Lebanese constitution guarantees freedom of religion, the government relies on a confessional system in which each state-sanctioned religious community holds an independent civil court to adjudicate personal status matters, namely marriage, divorce and child custody.
Jehovah's Witnesses say they feel like an oppressed and silenced minority. They say that the Maronite community in particular vilifies them. "They spread lies about us, claiming that we are Jews," said an Armenian convert.
Jehovah's Witnesses is a relatively young faith. In the late 19th century, an American named Charles Taze Russell led a Bible study group after the publication of his "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society." The group dubbed itself Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931.
Followers believe that the End of Days began in 1914 with Armageddon approaching. They observe only one holiday: The Last Supper of Jesus, or the Memorial Service as they call it. An estimated 18 million adherents regularly attend Kingdom Halls or proselytize worldwide, including in the Arab world. The Council of Elders, based in Brooklyn, oversees the activities of the group, publishes religious materials and disseminates doctrinal interpretations.
The Beirut service began with a warm welcome from one of the "brothers," who then summoned another member to deliver the sermon. He discussed their beliefs, reading from the New Testament and arguing that, after Armageddon, only 144,000 true believers will accompany Jesus as he rules from heaven.
The witnesses listened solemnly, rising and praying when called to do so. Finally, the preacher concluded, offering to dispatch learned members to the homes of newcomers.
Two Lebanese and two African members walked to the front of the hall to collect a plate of unleavened bread and a glass of red wine.
Once the memorial concluded, they rose from their seats and chatted quietly with one another. The Ghanaian and Philippine couple rushed their daughter home "to finish homework." A Lebanese man carried his young son on his shoulders; the Lebanese women giggled with their Philippine sisters and most of them gave a smile and a handshake to all new faces.
"I hope to see you Thursday so we can talk next time," a young Liberian man said kindly to an American newcomer. "You are always welcome here."
-- Becky Lee Katz in Beirut
Photo: The front cover of an Arabic-language Jehovah's Witnesses pamphlet. Credit: Los Angeles Times
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The world's best passenger complaint letter
by behemot invirgin: the world's best passenger complaint letter?here we reproduce a complaint letter sent to sir richard branson, which is currently being emailed globally and is considered by many to be the world's funniest passenger complaint letter.dear mr branson.
ref: mumbai to heathrow 7th december 2008. i love the virgin brand, i really do which is why i continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years.
this latest incident takes the biscuit.. ironically, by the end of the flight i would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell i was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.. look at this richard.
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behemot
Broken Promises:
If you go budget, sometimes you get what you pay for.
Right, but budget Irish company Ryanair is perhaps taking this a bit too far:
Paying to Pee: Have the Airlines Gone Too Far?
Ryanair's Plan to Charge for Its Bathrooms Has Been Called Inhumane
Irish discount airline Ryanair's plans to charge to use the toilet might be a great cost-savings move, but it has been met by skepticism and outrage from critics who call it inhumane.
"It's one of the most absurd ideas I've ever heard," said Steven D. Soifer, an associate professor at the University of Maryland's School of Social Work.
The extra fee for the bathroom, plus the Ryanair's desire to remove two of the three restrooms to add more seats, causes problems -- especially for people with medical conditions, Soifer said. His studies include Paruresis, also known as shy bladder syndrome, where people are not able to urinate when in the presence of others. Soifer said, for instance, that a passenger might really struggle inside the sole airplane bathroom if they knew there was a long line of people waiting in the aisle.
The airline plans to charge either 1 euro or 1 British pound (about $1.30 to $1.55) to use the toilet for flights scheduled for one hour or less. By eliminating two of the three bathrooms on the plane, Ryanair plans to add six extra seats.
Stay Up to Date on the Latest Travel Trends from ABC News on Twitter
That could cause major problems for somebody with incontinence who is constantly running up and down the aisle to use the bathroom, Soifer said.
"Who is going to be passing out euros or giving change? To me it's insanity," Soifer said. "Using the bathroom is a basic bodily necessity."
The airline has different hopes.
"By charging for the toilets we are hoping to change passenger behavior so that they use the bathroom before or after the flight," Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara told London's Daily Mail.
Soifer half-joked that if Ryanair does actually go through with this plan he will hop on a flight, be the first to use the toilet and then stay in the bathroom the remainder of the flight in protest.
And he's not alone in seeing potential medical issues with the new pay toilet plan.
(...) read the whole news item here: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/Green/paying-pee-airlines-critics-call-ryanairs-fee-inhumane/story?id=10355139
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The world's best passenger complaint letter
by behemot invirgin: the world's best passenger complaint letter?here we reproduce a complaint letter sent to sir richard branson, which is currently being emailed globally and is considered by many to be the world's funniest passenger complaint letter.dear mr branson.
ref: mumbai to heathrow 7th december 2008. i love the virgin brand, i really do which is why i continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years.
this latest incident takes the biscuit.. ironically, by the end of the flight i would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell i was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.. look at this richard.
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behemot
Virgin: the world's best passenger complaint letter?
Here we reproduce a complaint letter sent to Sir Richard Branson, which is currently being emailed globally and is considered by many to be the world's funniest passenger complaint letter.
Dear Mr Branson
REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008
I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.
Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.
Look at this Richard. Just look at it: [see image 1, above].
I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?
You don’t get to a position like yours Richard with anything less than a generous sprinkling of observational power so I KNOW you will have spotted the tomato next to the two yellow shafts of sponge on the left. Yes, it’s next to the sponge shaft without the green paste. That’s got to be the clue hasn’t it. No sane person would serve a desert with a tomato would they. Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in: [see image 2, above].
I know it looks like a baaji but it’s in custard Richard, custard. It must be the pudding. Well you’ll be fascinated to hear that it wasn't custard. It was a sour gel with a clear oil on top. It’s only redeeming feature was that it managed to be so alien to my palette that it took away the taste of the curry emanating from our miscellaneous central cuboid of beige matter. Perhaps the meal on the left might be the desert after all.
Anyway, this is all irrelevant at the moment. I was raised strictly but neatly by my parents and if they knew I had started desert before the main course, a sponge shaft would be the least of my worries. So lets peel back the tin-foil on the main dish and see what’s on offer.
I’ll try and explain how this felt. Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat their with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.
Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this: [see image 3, above].
Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking it’s more of that Baaji custard. I admit I thought the same too, but no. It’s mustard Richard. MUSTARD. More mustard than any man could consume in a month. On the left we have a piece of broccoli and some peppers in a brown glue-like oil and on the right the chef had prepared some mashed potato. The potato masher had obviously broken and so it was decided the next best thing would be to pass the potatoes through the digestive tract of a bird.
Once it was regurgitated it was clearly then blended and mixed with a bit of mustard. Everybody likes a bit of mustard Richard.
By now I was actually starting to feel a little hypoglycaemic. I needed a sugar hit. Luckily there was a small cookie provided. It had caught my eye earlier due to it’s baffling presentation: [see image 4, above].
It appears to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.
I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was relax but obviously I had to sit with that mess in front of me for half an hour. I swear the sponge shafts moved at one point.
Once cleared, I decided to relax with a bit of your world-famous onboard entertainment. I switched it on: [see image 5, above].
I apologise for the quality of the photo, it’s just it was incredibly hard to capture Boris Johnson’s face through the flickering white lines running up and down the screen. Perhaps it would be better on another channel: [see image 6, above].
Is that Ray Liotta? A question I found myself asking over and over again throughout the gruelling half-hour I attempted to watch the film like this. After that I switched off. I’d had enough. I was the hungriest I’d been in my adult life and I had a splitting headache from squinting at a crackling screen.
My only option was to simply stare at the seat in front and wait for either food, or sleep. Neither came for an incredibly long time. But when it did it surpassed my wildest expectations: [see image 7, above].
Yes! It’s another crime-scene cookie. Only this time you dunk it in the white stuff.
Richard…. What is that white stuff? It looked like it was going to be yoghurt. It finally dawned on me what it was after staring at it. It was a mixture between the Baaji custard and the Mustard sauce. It reminded me of my first week at university. I had overheard that you could make a drink by mixing vodka and refreshers. I lied to my new friends and told them I’d done it loads of times. When I attempted to make the drink in a big bowl it formed a cheese Richard, a cheese. That cheese looked a lot like your baaji-mustard.
So that was that Richard. I didn’t eat a bloody thing. My only question is: How can you live like this? I can’t imagine what dinner round your house is like, it must be like something out of a nature documentary.
As I said at the start I love your brand, I really do. It’s just a shame such a simple thing could bring it crashing to it’s knees and begging for sustenance.
Yours Sincerely
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Russia: JWs treated as "terrorists"
by behemot inrussia: jehovah's witnesses treated as "terrorists" .
investigations and searches from house to house, seizing religious material "extremist" allegations.
a kingdom hall in budennovsk set on fire.
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behemot
RUSSIA: Jehovah's Witnesses treated as "terrorists"
Investigations and searches from house to house, seizing religious material "extremist" allegations. A Kingdom hall in Budennovsk set on fire. Just like under Stalin?
Moscow (AsiaNews / Agencies) - "You are extremist terrorists" is how a woman rebuked some Jehovah's Witnesses (JW), her work colleagues, after a campaign launched by police in Kasimov and other cities of the province of Ryazan (southwest of Moscow). In recent days, groups of police officers have visited house to house, and stopped people in the streets and markets asking them if they have never bothered by JW, if they have given them publications if they could identify them. Police have also visited schools and talked to principals asking them if they had complaints against parents and students who belong to the group.In conversations the police report that TDG "in search of single people and pensioners, win their trust and take their property."
The JW are worried about this campaign that increases hatred toward them. Between March and April at least three Kingdom Halls (JW places of assembly) in Ryazan suffered police raids that during assemblies, interrogations of those present seizures of books and leaflets.
Police have also searched the homes of 21 JWs, confiscating books, movies, personal letters, diaries, journals, computers, almost as if it were "extremist" material.
JW representative Anton Omelchenko, states that "committing this crime against the JW shows the degree of religious intolerance which in Russia today."
On the night of March 20, at Budennovsk (Stavropol in southern Russia), a fire destroyed the local Kingdom Hall. Experts and technicians have determined that the fire was arsonCurrently the organization is accused of being an "extremist sect" of having an "unfriendly attitude towards other churches” and of “refusing military service”, although the constitution allows the alternative civilian service.
source: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Jehovah's-Witnesses-treated-as-terrorists-18136.html
According to JW, Russia is returning to the methods of Stalin in 1951, when they were suppressed and many of them deported. All the victims were later rehabilitated.
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If still "in", how do you feel when praying in front of a group despite being in doubt of your beliefs?
by Crisis of Conscience init happened to me this weekend.
i'm curently "active" and had some long time friends from a different congregation over for dinner.. we went through the formality of praying before the meal.
normally or rather lately i've been passing it off to someone else.
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behemot
I especially remember a prayer I gave at the last memorial I attended ... I was the chairman and gave the initial prayer ... although I managed to fake a "heartfelt" prayer quite well, it felt terrible inside ... then I came to a point I could no longer stand the disconnection and the inconsistency between my true feelings and the facade I was putting on, so a few months later I quit attending altogether.
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Legal action against the Pope?
by behemot inrichard dawkins planning to have pope benedict arrested over 'crimes against humanity'richard dawkins, the atheist campaigner and evolutionist, is planning to have pope benedict xvi arrested when he comes to britain later this year for "crimes against humanity".dawkins and christopher hitchens, the atheist author, are seeking advice from human rights lawyers as to what legal action can be taken against the pope over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the catholic church.. it emerged this weekend that in 1985 when he was in charge of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, which deals with sex abuse cases, the pope signed a letter arguing that the good of the universal church should be considered against the defrocking of an american priest who committed sex offences against two boys.. dawkin and hitchens believe he should face criminal proceedings because his "first instinct" was to protect the church rather than the children in its care.. they are hoping to exploit the same legal principle used to arrest augusto pinochet, the late chilean dictator, on a spanish warrant when he visited britain in 1998.. the pope will be visit london, glasgow and coventry, during his time in the uk between september 16 and 19.. this is a man whose first instinct when his priests are caught with their pants down is to cover up the scandal and damn the young victims to silence," dawkins, who wrote the god delusion, said.. this man is not above or outside the law.
the institutionalised concealment of child rape is a crime under any law and demands not private ceremonies of repentance or church-funded payoffs, but justice and punishment," hitchens, author of god is not great, said.. their lawyers, barrister geoffrey robertson and mark stephens, a solicitor, believe they can ask the crown prosecution service and that pope benedict will not be able to claim diplomatic immunity since he is not the head of a state recognised by the united nations.. there is every possibility of legal action against the pope occurring, said stephens.
geoffrey and i have both come to the view that the vatican is not actually a state in international law.
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behemot
"The only person who can fire him is God," said the Rev. Thomas Doyle, who worked at the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C.
source: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2010/03/vaticanclerical_abuse_update.html
... if it's so, I wouldn't hold my breath ...
An interesting comment from a Catholic concerning the pope claiming immunity:
Interesting how Jesus Christ did not have immunity, but here the pope is entitled to immunity. This is one of the saddest moments in my life as a Catholic believer! Shame on the Church.
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Legal action against the Pope?
by behemot inrichard dawkins planning to have pope benedict arrested over 'crimes against humanity'richard dawkins, the atheist campaigner and evolutionist, is planning to have pope benedict xvi arrested when he comes to britain later this year for "crimes against humanity".dawkins and christopher hitchens, the atheist author, are seeking advice from human rights lawyers as to what legal action can be taken against the pope over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the catholic church.. it emerged this weekend that in 1985 when he was in charge of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, which deals with sex abuse cases, the pope signed a letter arguing that the good of the universal church should be considered against the defrocking of an american priest who committed sex offences against two boys.. dawkin and hitchens believe he should face criminal proceedings because his "first instinct" was to protect the church rather than the children in its care.. they are hoping to exploit the same legal principle used to arrest augusto pinochet, the late chilean dictator, on a spanish warrant when he visited britain in 1998.. the pope will be visit london, glasgow and coventry, during his time in the uk between september 16 and 19.. this is a man whose first instinct when his priests are caught with their pants down is to cover up the scandal and damn the young victims to silence," dawkins, who wrote the god delusion, said.. this man is not above or outside the law.
the institutionalised concealment of child rape is a crime under any law and demands not private ceremonies of repentance or church-funded payoffs, but justice and punishment," hitchens, author of god is not great, said.. their lawyers, barrister geoffrey robertson and mark stephens, a solicitor, believe they can ask the crown prosecution service and that pope benedict will not be able to claim diplomatic immunity since he is not the head of a state recognised by the united nations.. there is every possibility of legal action against the pope occurring, said stephens.
geoffrey and i have both come to the view that the vatican is not actually a state in international law.
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behemot
Broken Promises: the pope's immunity is indeed questionable and can be legally challenged (although at the moment the whole matter sounds like little more than an academic discussion bordering to political fiction):
"Lawyers are divided over the immunity issue. Some argue that the Vatican isn't a true state, while others note the Vatican has national relations with about 170 countries, including Britain. The Vatican is also the only non-member to have permanent observer status at the U.N."
source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/05/world/main6364441.shtml
"Vatican City is currently the only sovereign state with general international recognition that is not a UN member (the Holy See, which holds sovereignty over the state of Vatican City and maintains diplomatic relations with other states, is a UN permanent observer)."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_Nations_member_states
Behemot
