Posts by BlackSwan of Memphis

how witness children were fortunate that their parents always told them the truth.. so, i wonder, have you ever met an adult who was messed up because of having found out that santa clause and friends were not real?

are therapist's couches everywhere filled with these poor souls?

BlackSwan of Memphis

Well, I'm sure this is not what you're going after butttt...

I had a close pioneer friend "in the ol' days" of being a jw.

Her family became witnesses while she was still young. I remember that she answered a question during the Watchtower where she related that she had felt lied to when she found out that Santa Clause was not real.

So, point is: I do think that it happens, but being 30 yrs old and finding out that the religion you have dedicated your life to since childhood has been lying to you is way worse.

49

It`s Time to Bitch about Gas!!

by OUTLAW in

jw
friends

i just had a big bowl of chili..but..thats not the gas i want to talk about..lol!

!..........i went to the nearest gas station which costs me $7.00 in gas to get to..i couldn`t believe how much gas had gone up since i had been there last..$1.30 per litre!

!..or..$5.20 per gallon for premium gas..outrageous!

BlackSwan of Memphis

MI and it's about $3 for the cheaper stuff.

37

A Bible Question, please comment

by restrangled in

there will have to be assumptions involved here.....that god exists, the bible is the word of god and creation is as stated in genesis, etc.

etc.. in the old testament, god seemed pretty straight forward, let certain people know (and not by osmosis) his intent.

backed certain kings, and showed power through physical occurrences over and over again.. along comes his son, who died for the entire race as a ransom for adam's sin.

BlackSwan of Memphis

Restrangled:

What do you think the basic message is?

45

Tammy Faye Messner Died.

by El Kabong in

jw
friends

just announced on cnn.

saw her on larry king live last week and she looked awful.

BlackSwan of Memphis

Oh gosh, I just saw pics from that interview. How very sad....

16

WHAT WAS YOUR WORST DOOR-TO-DOOR PRESENTION?

by badboy in

jw
friends

any takers?.

BlackSwan of Memphis

"Hello my name is Blackswan and this is my friend Aux Pioneer....<<looks at magazine I hadn't read yet because I just got it the night before and stayed up late drinking a beer and watching Simpsons>> and we are in your neighborhood today....<<looks at mag again for title>> offering the latest copies of the Watchtower and Awake magazine. It's about <<rattles off title>>. Would you be interested?"

Generally I could pick up a better line then that, but...Simpsons came first.

7

a friend sent me this: Disorder in the Courts

by BlackSwan of Memphis in

witness: yes.

witness: we both do.

witness: we do.

BlackSwan of Memphis

Disorder In American Courts

These are from a book called Disorder in the American Courts, and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

ATTORNEY: Are you sexually active?
WITNESS: No, I just lie there.
____________________________________________________________________
ATTORNEY: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?
WITNESS: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?
WITNESS: He said, "Where am I, Cathy?"
ATTORNEY: And why did that upset you?
WITNESS: My name is Susan!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?
WITNESS: We both do.
ATTORNEY: Voodoo?
WITNESS: We do.
ATTORNEY: You do?
WITNESS: Yes, voodoo.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
____________________________________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-one-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: Uh, he's twenty-one.
________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitt'in me?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: Uh.... I was gett'in laid!
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Are you shitt'in me? Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Now whose death do you suppose terminated it?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Guess.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All my autopsies are performed on dead people. Would you like to rephrase that?
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Huh....are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
--- And the best for last: ---

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
_____

17

Facebook?

by ESTEE in

jw
friends

anyone use facebook?

.

estee.

BlackSwan of Memphis

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=528066046

there's mine

27

Pointers please in writing my letter of Disassociation!

by tremoka in

jw
friends

wooohooo!

i've made my decision!

i'm doing it, can't live in limbo any longer.

BlackSwan of Memphis

Wow thanks Chelbie

Uhm, I would say this:

There are so many ways to do this. I think what's important is to focus on the things that bother you the most and really know what you are talking about. I think ultimately my da letter took quite a few days, weeks maybe.

Try to stay calm and focused. (I tend to ramble.....)

If you don't want to get in depth for whatever reason, keep it short. I no longer wish to be considered one of Jehovah's Witnesses...or something like that.

My letter had started as a response to queries from family wanting to know "where I stood." And well, it sort of took on a life of it's own....

Good luck!!!!!!!!!

45

Here it is: my da letter

by BlackSwan of Memphis in

i sent it out nov 14. my bday.

thought that i would finally share it with you guys.

in the end, that story is just not that important now.

BlackSwan of Memphis

Wow what timing....

Thanks Estee

Hmmmm where has my bible study led me...

Well, hmmm ok this is where I am at now:

I don't take the Bible as the Word of God anymore. I do think it's possibly inspired. In all honesty I go back and forth.

There are some things that have remained constant, I tend to go back to the teachings of Jesus as a basis for things.

I had made a promise to a friend a while back to read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and slowly I am keeping that promise. And truthfully, it is quite interesting in terms of it's teachings on sin, grace and communion. Through that I still read the bible.

I've considered myself a pagan for awhile. I think lately though, the best description of where I'm at, is not pagan or this or that..

I believe.

In the last year I've had my own experiences, that which I've Not shared here openly for various reasons, that have left me just saying, I get why people don't believe in God, but I do. I don't think of God as being Male or Female, I think of God as being the perfect whole. There are glimpeses (sp) of truth here and there. I don't think that any one religion has all the answers. And that's ok with me.

I was thinking the other day about Jesus. About what man learned from him. And I thought of it like this:

I ***think*** that the idea is this:

God is perfect love, perfect compassion, perfect peace etc. Now, yes I have gone through the whole "Why doesn't God intervene?" thing. That would be an entire other thread and ya know....not up for that right now.

When we work towards love, compassion and peace we are in effect reaching for God. Do we do this perfectly? Well I can safely say I don't (and I'm sure several others would agree).

And that's just it.

We can't.

And I think Jesus was telling us that. "Don't get so comfortable in your spiritual gains, because you are not perfect. Look at these men who pat themselves on the back for all that they do. They are so proud of themselves. Don't be like that, don't stop trying to be a loving and compassionate and forgiving person, but don't get full of yourself. None can earn anything from God like that. Look ahead, be loving and do what is right for the sake of righteousness not for the end result."

Now, I do realize that there is the issue of Jesus being the Savior of mankind. That's where I divert. Not sure about that.
I have many many questions about that right now.

But I'm ok with that. It's taken a long time to get there and I know that what I believe right now could very well be greatly different next month. Just because I constantly read and think and ponder....no I'm not patting myself on the back, I just rarely am able to turn off my brain.

Some of the people here absolutely amaze me. Those who are so well versed in the bible and science. I think for me, I am just constantly curious about the history of religion. How man came to be spiritual beings etc.

Soooo I realize that this greatly different from where I started and ya know, I don't like to say never. Perhaps one day I will be a very devout Christian...don't know what the future holds.

Heck, right now I'm more concerned about figuring out how medicaid works ;-)

Hope the update wasn't too disappointing for ya.