Posts by Midget-Sasquatch

12

How is your congregation doing financially?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

if you still go to the meetings - look at the notice board where they have the accounts report.. is there a deficit?.

our cong wanted to build a new hall (they share), but they cannot raise the funds to do this.

did your cong pay bills on time, i.e.

Midget-Sasquatch

The congregation I'm officially with shares a KH with another cong and so they have their own separate accounts and a joint one that covers the utilities, chemical supplies, and other maintencance costs.

Our cong currently has about $2800 (Cdn) as of last Tues, and the joint account had almost $10,000 (Cdn). They were supposed to rebuild but nothing has happened yet.

To add to Mary's post:

Those running our circuit whined about repeated deficits at the assemblies. So Ontario Circuit 4 has instituted a program where each of the congs in that circuit pay a monthly sum into their property fund to help defray costs. They suggested about $0.40 a publisher. It just shows they're getting desperate.

39

JW Underground

by Hondo in

i recently read an article about jw's that, if had the choice, would probably leave because of the deceptions, lies, etc., but don't because of family, friends, prestige, whatever, and instead lead a make-believe life going through the motions of being a loyal and believing follower of the watchtower organization.

most of those purported to be part of this non-believing/participating, but attending, jw population, are folks that have been associated with the jw's for a number of years, but, as many have, decided that the lies and constant changes (new light) just don't make sense anymore.

i would suspect that identifying those who just "go through the motions" of being a good jw would be difficult.

Midget-Sasquatch

IP_Sec

You're not dense, I'm just bloody cryptic and should be less muddled.

O'brien was the fictional head of the Thought Police in the novel 1984....he even wrote a revolutionary book under a pseudonym as a lure for people who wanted to oppose Big Brother.

39

JW Underground

by Hondo in

i recently read an article about jw's that, if had the choice, would probably leave because of the deceptions, lies, etc., but don't because of family, friends, prestige, whatever, and instead lead a make-believe life going through the motions of being a loyal and believing follower of the watchtower organization.

most of those purported to be part of this non-believing/participating, but attending, jw population, are folks that have been associated with the jw's for a number of years, but, as many have, decided that the lies and constant changes (new light) just don't make sense anymore.

i would suspect that identifying those who just "go through the motions" of being a good jw would be difficult.

Midget-Sasquatch

I see the problem with a JW Underground is that anyone caught questioning the principles and dogma are immediately labeled apostate, anyone caught dealing with an apostate is the same as.

I agree 100%. I've played the dumb dub with 2 separate people who were asking me about my feelings on chronology. One of them moved quite a ways north so I don't know what happened with him, but one of them is still very much an organization man and was on the hunt..he's ratted out 2 people that I know of.

I'd suspect there are many self-appointed O'Briens (refer 1984) going around trying to add notches to their belts.

28

Depression - a possible cure in sight

by gumby in

jw
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?.

Midget-Sasquatch

Gumby

I forgot that they starved to death, but yep thats the experiment. Dang hypothalamus is too deep inside for me to attempt a do-it-yourself contraption. Guess I'll have to go the old-fashioned route.

FlyingHighNow

I found that having 70% of my caloric intake as carbohydrates keeps me in a good enough mood. Screw te low carb diet craze...Look at Santa, always jolly. :)

43

Surgery Tomorrow

by orangefatcat in

jw
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.

Midget-Sasquatch

OFC

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

28

Depression - a possible cure in sight

by gumby in

jw
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?.

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.

54

The tyranny of religious experience

by Narkissos in

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.

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.

54

The tyranny of religious experience

by Narkissos in

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.

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.

15

Literary structure/ chiasms

by peacefulpete in

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 .

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).

15

Literary structure/ chiasms

by peacefulpete in

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 .

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.