Posts by XJW4EVR

50

Could WTS Become a Mainstream Religion?

by OnTheWayOut in

i read threads about reform and needed changes.

i don't like the idea.

i personally think that a harmful dangerous mind-control cult should not find some way to moderate slightly to keep their membership.

XJW4EVR

No. The reason is that the suspicious and condescending mindset of Brooklyn is too ingrained. The leaders of Mormonism realized that they needed to drop the weird stuff, or at least keep it real quite, in order to become more acceptable to the mainstream. Brooklyn seems to revel in their oddball status. If there was ever a chance for a change, it was in the 50s. I believe that Knorr and Franz did more to stunt the growth of JWs than anything with their insatiable lust for power. This can be seen when administration became more centered in Brooklyn than in the local congregations.

It's funny that everything that the R&F identified as a problem and moved to remedy was almost always taken over by Brooklyn. The prime example are the Quick Build Kingdom Halls. I went to a number of these prior to the Society taking over, and they were fun. It was trully enjoyable to work and eat with other JWs. One word describes my time at those Quick Builds: joyous. This time made the WT study on Snday afternoon more enjoyable because you saw a true brotherhood coming together for a common goal. I went to one Quick Build after the Society took over. It was not the same. It became sterile and joyless. It became more about getting it up, than having fellowship and putting the Hall up.

The point I am taking so long to get to is that Brooklyn has to have total control. They do not trust the R&F to do the right thing. This is the thing that I see which prevents the JWs from becoming more mainstream, like the Mormon church.

22

The National Parks: America's Best Idea

by leavingwt in

i'm looking forward to the new ken burns film, which will begin airing this weekend.. .

the national parks: america's best idea.

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/.

XJW4EVR

I love the National Parks. One of the few good ideas that ever came out of big government.

103

Do You Really Trust The Police?

by minimus in

jw
friends

in the local paper there are 2 different towns that are dealing with possible police misconduct.

one situation involves thousands of dollars worth of pot stolen from the police locker where the drugs were supposed to be safe.

now the feds and state are involved in finding out who was responsible for the theft.

XJW4EVR

The story is true. And ICE was involved. This is Arizona, the local Police on a regular basis raid and set up road blocks to catch undocumented. Then trasnfer to ICE.

And the problem with this is what?

Have you heard of our Sherriff Arpaio? He's famous nationally for doing this.

Yes, I have heard of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I don't blame him for turning over illegal alien criminals to ICE. They are criminals twice over. So good riddance to rubbish, I say.

If the misget Mechista Mayor of Los Angeles would ever stop boffing news babes, and get serious about crime in Los Angeles by implementing a catch and deport policy instead of making Los Angeles ground zero of the illegal alien invasion from south of the border, Los Angeles would not be in so bad a fiscal shape that it is now.

103

Do You Really Trust The Police?

by minimus in

jw
friends

in the local paper there are 2 different towns that are dealing with possible police misconduct.

one situation involves thousands of dollars worth of pot stolen from the police locker where the drugs were supposed to be safe.

now the feds and state are involved in finding out who was responsible for the theft.

XJW4EVR

Dissed,

With all due respect, but the that story seems odd. First, local cops cannot deport. That is a Federal matter and it is handled by ICE. If the cops suspected a phony ID, then they can do report it to ICE. If your story is correct, then you, your daughter and her boyfriend have a beef with ICE.

35

Did God give us free will?

by ldrnomo in

if we do have free will, what does that mean?.

.

ld.

XJW4EVR

PSacramento said:

will: the faculty of conscious and especially deliberate action, the power of control of the mind over ones actions, the power of choosing ones own actions, the act or process of using or asserting one's choices.

I believe that this is a very good definitiion of will. I may have to use this in the future.

However, this phrase seems kind of circular. You said:

free will means we have the freedom to decide to put our "will" into play.

Are you saying you have free will because you are free to exercise it? If so then that seems circular to me. I do not think that the word "free" implies ability to use, but rather freedom from restraint. For instance, when you walk into an ice cream parlor, you are free to choose any flavor of ice cream you want, but your free choices are narrowed by your previous experience of tasting ice cream, and you personal preferences.

103

Do You Really Trust The Police?

by minimus in

jw
friends

in the local paper there are 2 different towns that are dealing with possible police misconduct.

one situation involves thousands of dollars worth of pot stolen from the police locker where the drugs were supposed to be safe.

now the feds and state are involved in finding out who was responsible for the theft.

XJW4EVR

I don't really trust any member of government. However, I do believe that most cops are honest and hard working. I have never had a bad experience with cops in my life, and I am Latino. However, I must point out that I do not shave my head, nor do I wear pressed Dickies khakie shorts that come to my ankles with knee high white tube socks and a plaid Pendleton with the top three buttons fastened, and a pressed "wife beater" a-shirt und the Pendleton. Further, when I have been pulled over by either LAPD, LA County Sheriff or CHP, I have always been respectful, and cooperative, the reason is simple, I want to fight any tickects, and I don't wnat to do anything that will cause that cop to remember me. The less he remembers about me, the better it is when I go to trial over a ticket.

35

Did God give us free will?

by ldrnomo in

if we do have free will, what does that mean?.

.

ld.

XJW4EVR

If we do have free will, what does that mean?

Two questions, and I do not mean to sound flippant, but there are two terms in this sort of debate that never seem to get defined.

1. What is the "will"?

2. What is it "free" from and free to? For example, the slaves, after the Emancipation Proclamation, were freed from slavery, and to citizenship (theoretically, that is).

Without the proper defining of these two terms, the argument seems to get ambiguous, speaking from my own experience, that is.

8

Peddling Literature Outside the King-dumb Hell

by XJW4EVR in

yesterday, i walked up to the barber shop for a haircut.

that walk takes me by the local hall.

in front of the entrance were two attractive young ladies sitting behind a table loaded with watchtower propoganda.

XJW4EVR

Yesterday, I walked up to the barber shop for a haircut. That walk takes me by the local Hall. In front of the entrance were two attractive young ladies sitting behind a table loaded with Watchtower propoganda. I do not believe they knew who I was, and attempted to engage me in a conversation. I politely declined and kept moving. I have seen them with tables at a couple of the local malls, but this was the first time I have ever seen a set-up in front of the Hall. Anyone else see this in your neck of the woods?

21

Texas Hold Em

by purplesofa in

jw
friends

http://www.thepokerpractice.com/.

does anyone play and have any site suggestions for practice?.

purps.

XJW4EVR

I play on PokerStars as NM_Derek.

29

Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'

by leavingwt in

telegraph uk: charles darwin film 'too controversial for religious america'.

a british film about charles darwin has failed to find a us distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for american audiences, according to its producer.

creation, starring paul bettany, details darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote on the origin of species.

XJW4EVR

I am a Christian that plans on watching this movie. Of course, I expect it to be completely without substance, and lacking in any historical accuracy...as most Hollywood treaments of history are.