Midget-Sasquatch

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Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

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  108

  Is Islam a religion of Peace?

  by Perry in

  1. social
  2. current

  http://answering-islam.org.uk/quran/themes/jihad_passages.html

  the above link shows 164 verses in the koran that instructs the faithful to kill infidels.

  in light of this, how can some still spout the mantra that this is a religion of peace and that it's only the "radical fringe" that are causing problems?

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Perry,

  Thanks for all that historical research on christianity and slavery. (I like the movie Spartacus too). An interesting trend I noticed when going through that and the nice NT scriptures highlighted by Narkissos (my hats off to you too), was that early on there was nothing said against the social institution of slavery, only later on. Some other early christian writings also seem to bear that out.

  You mentioned how its uncertain how the early christians took some of the NT quotes you listed.Here's a passage in The Didache. Its been describes as one of the earliest "church manuals" for Christians.

  Didache 4:10: "do not give orders to your male or female servant - who hope in the same God - out of bitterness, lest they stop fearing the God who is over you both."

  The Letter of Barnabus thats found in the Codex Sinaiticus says just as much in 19:7 but it also has a preceding command to slaves: "Be subject to your masters as a replica of God, with respect and reverntial fear."

  I agree with you that the Quran has several violent and discriminatory passages within it. One has to consider the type of seige mentality that it sprung from and the conditions in which the people who took to it found themselves in. Are secular and sociological change enough? I don't know.

  But I am sure that alot of the reinterpretation and moderation of the quranic verses, has been underway in many portions of Islam for a long time. An example is the command to cut off the hand of a thief. Some have explained it as an allegory to remove the ability of the thief to continue on with that act...which could be done by incarceration alone. So they're addressing the "spiritual" changes that need to be made from within. What the West can do to really help deter militant islam is to address any legitimate greivances they may have about exploitation or abuses of muslim people. They need to work to minimize this perception and any of the reality. Then the militants have less fodder to mobilize the fanatics.
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  26

  For those of us with active JW parents

  by JustTickledPink in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there seem to a commonality around here about active jw parents shunning us.. my question is: if your parents weren't a jw, do you think they would be normal, act kindly, be a real parent to you?

  or would they still be cold and callused towards you, controlling, etc.

  my thought is this, so many times i used to think i wish my mom wasn't a jw because then i thought she would be this wonderful caring mother that i could go to lunch with, share shopping days with, recipes, and we'd be close.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I've always wished for a life where my father didn't convert to JWs. At first, I thought it would eliminate all of the problems and arguments my folks had because that's what it always seemed to gravitate around. As I grew up, and they separately opened up about the past to me, I realized how much it had to do with themselves as people. The religion did bring things to the breaking point often though.

  My parents would always have treated me exactly the same. I'm dead sure my mother would never shun me even now. I'm pretty sure my Dad would also still find some reason to talk with me even if I were to be DF'ed for apostasy.

  I have nothing to complain about. They have been extremely caring for my physical needs and my mother in particular has also been keenly interested in my schooling. I'm sure they have given me their all even with this cult enmeshed into our lives. Its just provided one more reason for my being a disappointment to them. And given the supposed "stakes" to them, its robbed any extra joy that we may have had in our relationships.
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  55

  "Brainwashing" does not exist

  by logansrun in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the term "brainwashing" is sometimes thrown around this forum and i thought i'd briefly comment on it.

  the idea that a group or person can actually make you think, act and feel in a certain way is highly dubious.

  i'm not saying it's impossible, but i highly doubt that any ex-jws have ever experienced "brainwashing.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I'd have to agree with Logan's point about absolute total brainwashing/mind control being fiction. I really feel for everyone who grew up a JW as I did. We were forced to live that life and I'm sure its altered us in a number of detrimental ways. But I don't buy that its completely removed our personal choice to believe or doubt. I'm definitely not strong willed ( I couldn't say "no" to being a MS ). Hell I'm still "fading" and being coerced to going to assemblies and meetings from time to time!!! But I never really believed any of it. The hold and control over us was primarily by withholding key information (so we didn't know any better), encouraging us to exercise thought reform on ourselves and by behavioural modification.

  Who knows whether such drugs can be developed sometime in the future though?
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  37

  Who here still finds it hard to celebrate Christmas?

  by dh in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was raised a jw and as i've probably said before, i left when i was around 18... i'll be 27 in a few days, and as i get older realise how i do not really know how to celebrate anything.

  being raised a jw we never had xmas or birthdays (or any celebration), and since none of the friends i had when i left the jw's were christian either, i have to this day never celebrated it... i am not christian and will openly admit that i couldn't care less about the religious side of christmas, but what i see around me, everywhere in the world are people who aren't really christian either, celebrating christmas, either for kids or friends or whatever, but i've never done that or had anyone around me to do that with... people look forward to this time of year so much, they buzz and rush around like it's a real event, and to this day i've never been able to feel that way.

  most of my christmas/birthdays since leaving jw's have been spent by myself, completely devoid of celebration, i want to get into that feel good spirit, but i don't know how, and if i try to fake it, i know it is fake.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I've never celebrated Christmas. Always loved the music and some of the tv specials though. The closest xmas tradition I followed was attending a Mass with the school as a child.

  Its just too wierd to celebrate it without anyone I really feel close with. None of my immediate family celebrates it. I'm sure other relatives who aren't JWs (my mom's 2nd cousin and her large family) would accept me in their celebrations, but I grew up so dettached from all of them that I really am a stranger in all the areas that count.The year I was a teaching assistant, I tried joining in on a X-mas party put together by the science dept. at the university. Even cooked some pasta with meat sauce, as everyone was encouraged to bring something. I was there for only about 30 min, excused myself, then spent the rest of the time with some Muslim co-workers.
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  25

  Just for Fun! Your Santa's Helper Name

  by heart2heart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  very cute and fun!

  find out your "santa's helper name" and email it to your friends and family for a laugh!

  http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/fun_stuff/christmas/santas_little_helper_names.shtml.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Scrummy Berry-Elf

  I'm putting in for a name change...I wanted "intimidating" not "sleazy/grubby" sounding.
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  108

  Is Islam a religion of Peace?

  by Perry in

  1. social
  2. current

  http://answering-islam.org.uk/quran/themes/jihad_passages.html

  the above link shows 164 verses in the koran that instructs the faithful to kill infidels.

  in light of this, how can some still spout the mantra that this is a religion of peace and that it's only the "radical fringe" that are causing problems?

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  But did that book have a mitigating effect on people's behavior that eventually led many to a more civilised existence? Did it give western people a backdrop of conscience to judge themselves and their societies by?

  Again, I think the NT itself had little influence on people's social conscience. Like Abaddon already mentioned, if one were to go by the NT, then none of the Pauline corpus speaks against slavery. It also does nothing for the equality of women. People can be more humane to one another without the NT and by simply following the Golden Rule (which is not only a christian idea).

  Psychologists have also shown that for many people, they're behaviours and actions are more dependent on the situation they're in, than to personality or character (religious or otherwise). So it seems those influences even supercede, people's dispositions. I think changing the sociological conditions of those populations will have a greater impact than promoting a hippy-like movement in Islam. They have something like that already with the Sufis. With no perceived threats to their culture and ways of life, they'll by themselves shift focus and pay less heed to blood thirsty mullahs and ayatollahs.
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  11

  Was it the same for you all?

  by Peppermint in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you think jehovah?s witnesses act differently in parts of the country or world other then your own?

  witnesses claim that one congregation is just like another, sort of like mcdonalds.

  however in my experience this does not seem to be true.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  From my limited experience in a handful of congregations, I agree with you Peppermint. The Italian congregation I grew up in was made up of people who were not as anal and restrictive as those I've come to know in several of the english congregations. A wide variety of cultural traditions and fun activities were enjoyed and young people were having all sorts of parties and fun trips. You just had to be part of the incrowd but what else is new?

  As to religious matters, my father was even an MS for over a decade, despite having us go to a catholic school all that time (my mom was not a dub back then). But when a new elder from Toronto was moved into the congregation and made PO (to set maters straight according to the CO), he quickly brought the rest in line with WT rules. He got on my Dad's case big time and cracked down on a lot of the "questionable" traditions. I ended up switching school systems in my crucial final year so they wouldn't remove my father as an MS. Alot of the teens and young adults figured they'd switch to the english and enjoy the party scenes there. They were looked upon as more materialistic and worldy by the dubs in those congregations.
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  23

  What does the Watchtower gain...

  by homme perdu in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  by recruiting new members,expanding.

  is it money?

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Money and Real Estate.

  It also gives something even more invaluable to egomaniacs and power-mongers. Far-reaching control over the lives of millions of people. The puppet masters are feeding their god-complexes.
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  49

  What Are Things That Make You Feel Uncomfortable???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  you know what i hate??

  when you're talking to someone and instead of acknowledging you or whatever you're saying, they just stare.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  Watching any racy scenes in a flick with my either my sister or my mom present. My Dad is an even more fervent dub than either of them, but I'm actually amused to see how he reacts to some of them very nice images. It takes him a while to protest. :)

  I'm also uncomfortable when there are large agitated dogs around, ever since an awful encounter in a park when I was young.
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  23

  CHRISTMAS DAY FIELD SERVICE

  by vitty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you ever go out on the service christmas day.

  i always refused to, i mean even sinners deserved a day off from us calling.lol seriously i was too embarressed to.

  my husband got "forced" one year and said never again.

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  Midget-Sasquatch

  My Dad would always force us to go out to service on any holiday. In Hamilton and in the Niagara Area people are usually apathetic but they can get quite flustered on the holidays. One particular Christmas, in my teens, this one guy reemed my Dad out something nasty in Italian. (I picked up some nice phrases) Shamed my Dad so much that he didn't go out again on xmas day for years afterward.The last couple of years though he's been going out again to support my sib who started regular pioneering.