Midget-Sasquatch

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Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

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  43

  Surgery Tomorrow

  by orangefatcat in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well the big day is finaly upon me.i know i have'nt been posting these last few day's i been in a lot of pain,to sit and my pc, so i just wanted you all to know that it will be at least 3 weeks until i get home.i will be thinking of about all of you and my son has promised me that he will update every few days here

  all my love.

  orange fat cat.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  OFC

  Hope the operation is a success and the time just flies by for you.
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  28

  Depression - a possible cure in sight

  by gumby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was just reading an article about a 50 year old toronto psychiatric nurse who has had 10 years of horrible depression.

  she has fought off suicidal thoughts, cried and sobbed on her balcony for hours on end, spent 6 months in bed, shunned food and friends.. today.....two years later, she is happy, full of energy, and feels like living again.

  what happened?.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I wonder which specific areas of the brain they're targetting.

  First thing that came to mind when I read that, was that experiment where they inserted electrodes into the brains of rats targetting the pleasure areas of the brain. If they pressed one button they'd get food pellets, another they'd get electrical pulses and experience orgasm. The rats wouldn't bother eating....just repeatedly hit the pleasure button till they got tired.

  That technology would definitely cheer me up.
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  54

  The tyranny of religious experience

  by Narkissos in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the discussion of religious or mystical subjects on this board, the "experiential vs. intellectual" issue often comes up.

  while mostly those on the "experiential side" of the debate are content to share their experience without imposing it on others, sometimes the appeal to "experience" sounds like a subtle way of disqualifying the comments of "intellectuals" who cannot know what they are speaking about as long as they haven't got the "right experience".. i remember once discussing that with a welsh evangelical lady: she complained that pentecostals and charismatics in her neighbourhood dismissed her views because she was not "baptised in the spirit" according to their definition of the term.

  i pointed to her that her fellow churchgoers were doing exactly the same thing when they dismissed the views of "unbelievers," or traditional believers who didn't claim to be "born again" in the evangelical style.. here the issue of qualitative or quantitative appraisal of religious/spiritual experience steps in.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Hey Frankiespeaking,

  I've read some of Jung's writings on the collective unconscious, archettypes etc. I don't use absolutes against the idea or belief, because I like to think I'm somewhat open-minded.

  Either way, Narkissos has focussed on the most important thing about these experiences, and thats how it affects people's behaviours. For the most part, I've seen mostly neutral impacts on the people that claim them. They are a bit more pro-active but more annoying than helpful because they act a bit more elitist and judgemental. But a small number are just so genuinely good and altruistic afterwards, that I can't be cynical about them. Thats saying alot dammit! I still think its most likely just in their heads though.
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  54

  The tyranny of religious experience

  by Narkissos in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in the discussion of religious or mystical subjects on this board, the "experiential vs. intellectual" issue often comes up.

  while mostly those on the "experiential side" of the debate are content to share their experience without imposing it on others, sometimes the appeal to "experience" sounds like a subtle way of disqualifying the comments of "intellectuals" who cannot know what they are speaking about as long as they haven't got the "right experience".. i remember once discussing that with a welsh evangelical lady: she complained that pentecostals and charismatics in her neighbourhood dismissed her views because she was not "baptised in the spirit" according to their definition of the term.

  i pointed to her that her fellow churchgoers were doing exactly the same thing when they dismissed the views of "unbelievers," or traditional believers who didn't claim to be "born again" in the evangelical style.. here the issue of qualitative or quantitative appraisal of religious/spiritual experience steps in.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Did you sometimes feel pressured by a similar "experiential blackmail," either from others or from yourself? Did you give in or resist? If you did resist, how did you justify it to yourself?

  Yes and no. I could easily dismiss any claimed experience by the handful of charismatic co-workers and university students I knew because of what I learned about them. From what I could see they were about as conservatively moral as I was, but not any more empathetic, nor any more compassionate (so that means that quite a bit was left to be desired). They seemed to be more judgmental and self-righteous than I was, which to me was also against their really being affected by any real divine or spiritual force.

  But I was drawn to (in fact I wanted to experience it too) the kind of joy, peace and all round niceness that came from the couple of catholic mystics, and one sufi I also knew. They all claimed "feeling" God's presence. To a lesser degree there were also a small band of JW pioneers that I would end up going out to service with who were sincere and genuine people too. I ended up trying to spark the spiritual in me (if there was any) within the JWs, but also having different ideas and beliefs which I kept to myself. I hoped my baptism would change something, but nothing came of it. Maybe there's nothing supernatural to those experiences or nothing I can access. But at least a few people are better for them.
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  15

  Literary structure/ chiasms

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  being very new to this type of inquiry i'd appreciate any inpute to refute or confirm the idea of mark's literary style including chiasms.

  the word simply means 'intersection'.

  in this case it is argued that mark like other literature of the day used a unique pattern of thought and structure that grouped sections into rounded out blocks where the end half mirrors or opposes the beginning half .

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Those were very nice examples from Luke and Matthew Narkissos. Merci beaucoup. I can't remember where I read that bit from now. Just as well, it looks like they were off (or I was if I just remembered it backwards).
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  15

  Literary structure/ chiasms

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  being very new to this type of inquiry i'd appreciate any inpute to refute or confirm the idea of mark's literary style including chiasms.

  the word simply means 'intersection'.

  in this case it is argued that mark like other literature of the day used a unique pattern of thought and structure that grouped sections into rounded out blocks where the end half mirrors or opposes the beginning half .

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  If I recall correctly, can't chiasms also be used as a supplementary line of evidence for the priority of Mark over the other two synoptics? I may be muddling up the device with something else, but since Mark has more numerous instances of chiasms, and Matthew only has a few, its more likely that Matthew borrowed them, rather than Mark taking a few and from the synoptics then constructing the rest.

  If I can see some of the sandwiching, (a few short ones) , it must be a pretty obvious and real pattern . Some of the more lengthy ones that are claimed, like the passion narrative, I don't really see.
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  22

  I have other sheep

  by IP_SEC in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have other sheep.

  john 10:16 is one of those overused scriptures that seem to prove the dual destiny doctrine.

  (john 10:16) 16 ?and i have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also i must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  What is amazing in all this is that the Society takes a verse in John referring to the unity of the church (drawing together sheep from different folds into "one flock") as primary support for a two-destiny doctrine.

  I don't know why many jws can't see this. Like their constant harping of a heavenly hope and and earthly hope when Ephesians 4:4-5 clearly says being called to one hope.

  Edit: Ooops....had to correct the scripture reference...never did form a longing for memorizing verse numbers :)
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  27

  God is insane

  by onacruse in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i apologize...i'm just so [edit][edit][edit][edit][edit] angry at "god" right now that i can't put it into words.. craig

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Maybe God "the process" is simply devoid of consciousness and intent. It's workings are amoral as a result.
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  30

  Italy: Man Threatens to Blow Self up at JW Meeting of 2,000

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  man threatens to blow himself up in rome

  26 february 2005 16:44

  reports from the italian capital, rome, say an armed man has threatened to blow himself up in a hall where around 2,000 members of the jehovah's witnesses church are holding a meeting.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Thanks for those references Blondie. Especially the one mentioning the suspect who was 39 at the time. If that guy really was responsible for all those bombings, its depressing that he got away with them. I didn't think the Sydney bombing could have been the incident mentioned in La Repubblica. It must be like Neo said, another unrelated incident, or maybe the journalist made some factual error.
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  30

  Italy: Man Threatens to Blow Self up at JW Meeting of 2,000

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  man threatens to blow himself up in rome

  26 february 2005 16:44

  reports from the italian capital, rome, say an armed man has threatened to blow himself up in a hall where around 2,000 members of the jehovah's witnesses church are holding a meeting.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Cicero 蠳tato fermato con l'accusa di sequestro di persona. In passato aveva devastato una sede dei Testimoni di Geova in Australia.

  According to that article from La Repubblica, he had also devastated another building owned by JWs in Australia. I remember there was a bombing of a KH in Sydney Australia. But I checked up and saw that it was in July of 1985. Since this man was only 14/15 yrs old back then, I don't think thats the incident being referred to here. I couldn't find anything else on that point. Maybe others will have more success.