Bodhisattva

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Posts by Bodhisattva

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  15

  Who Is This??

  by SpannerintheWorks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first, turn out the lights.

  stare at the above image for 30 seconds or so, about 6 inches away from the screen, without blinking.

  then focus on a light-coloured wall, without blinking.

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  Bodhisattva

  It's called persistence of vision. It's the reason we don't notice the sun blinking. (It does.)

  Many moons ago I was working at a convenience store and recall this image being featured on the cover of one of the tabloids that sat across the front aisle from the register. Funny thing was this tabloid always had space set aside for a head -- be it that of a wolfman, an alien, or Dan Quayle. It was amazing how their reporting managed to uncover some such image every single week. That particular week it was the "miracle" of the image above.
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  29

  methadone clinic next to Toys R Us

  by Princess in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was just reading an article in the seattle times about a new methadone clinic that will be set up lynnwood, washington.

  lynnwood is quite literally, across the street from me and most of my shopping/errands are done there.

  this is the first i have heard of it and i am surprised it hasn't been more newsworthy than an article in the wednesday edition of the seattle times.

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  Bodhisattva

  What specific objections do you have?
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  15

  DIM - 8 months out

  by DIM in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, its not like i post here too often, but i still occasionally browse through the various topics and catch up on what has been going on in the xjw world....after 8 months of not attending meetings i can honestly say i am much happier.

  my perceptions and views of "apostates" and people who abhor the watchtower society has gradually changed too....at first i was all for all of the movements and stuff like that.

  but now it seems almost its own cult to me, with all of its own catch phrases and "elite members".

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  Bodhisattva

  DIM -

  I agree with most of your points, including the need for not putting ones who have done good work on the same pedestal as various adherents place the Pope, LDS "prophets," or the JW governing body.

  I do disagree, but only slightly, about religion. Yes, religion is a problem. On the other hand the UCC, Quaker, and Unitarian-Universalist groups I've visited - and even the more conservative Baptist and Calvary Chapel congregations - have done good things for those in need in their communities, including (but not limited to) each other. True, other churches - usually I suspect on the congregation rather than organizational level - move people to bomb medical clinics or fly planes into skyscrapers. But with its shunning policy, its refusal of adequate medical treatment in life-threatening situations, and its history of driving believers to take unreasonable views of national service and education, I think that the Watchtower religion ranks among the most damaging.

  Its single worst belief is occasionally voiced but much more powerfully is always assumed: "We are correct." This leads to "We don't have pedophiles," and "but if we do they would not be protected by the elders." It leads to "We didn't preach that the end would come in 1914/25/75/2000, people misread things." And it leads to my mother insisting that leaving an organization is leaving God.

  My own intention is to live a life not of sainthood but of righteousness such that, should I be surprised to learn that there is a heaven, I should expect to be there. If there is a God who rejects me merely because I failed to join the right club, than that God is not worthy of my worship.
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  10

  Letters from readers

  by QCA1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi to everyone.. i was outside my workplace the other day having a smoke and what did i spy but 2 well dressed men with brief cases,i knew straight away they were jws.i was hoping they would come while i was on my break but they were going to other work places first.my break was finally over and to my disappointment they did'nt come till i had left.

  anyway,my boss knows that i am interested in all things jw so he took there booklet.. i was reading the letters page and here's what 1 letter says.restless legs.

  i've just read your article "do you have restless legs"(november 22nd 2000) i have suffered with this for 18 years,i thought that i was alone.i've often cried because of frustration and lack of sleep,and i have had all sorts of medication.

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  Bodhisattva

  I always found it interesting how many of the supposed letter writers had no idea about their fairly common or well-known afflictions until reading about them in Asleep! Go to a doctor now and then, people!

  Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious. - Orwell
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  5

  Hey Dad! Why not wait a couple o' days...

  by Jigrigger in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if one were to take the bible very literally as some folks do with regard to the scripture that says a thousand years is but one day to god, then the notion that god would send his "son" down to earth when he did imo doesn't seem too brilliant a move on god's part.

  i can picture jesus saying "hey dad, if we wait a couple of days we can do this live on cnn.

  maybe you could pull a few strings and i could get on larry king live, maybe even the tonight show...you know, do a couple of miracles and the whole crucification thing live via satellite - the whole world could see it all at once - if we do it your way it could take a couple thousand human years to spread the good news.

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  Bodhisattva

  Next on Sally: "Dad sent me to die, but I'm okay with it." Achmed is a Palestinian who wants to blow up Jews. Jesus is an Israeli who wants to get strung up by Romans. We'll ask them about their relationship with their mothers.

  Oi the blasphemy. Of course the last two millenia of history would be different without Christians. More Zoroastrians, I suspect.
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  31

  Have you ever seen a JW with a beard?

  by SpannerintheWorks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok, you've probably guessed i'm not talking about the women!.

  but jesus had a beard (just look at any wt publication) so did paul, john the baptiser (or baptist if you've got an earlier publication), etc.. surely all jw men should have beards!

  they are christians (the only true ones) aren't they?

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  Bodhisattva

  TR said, "He actually questioned my 'spirituality' because I didn't want to shave at the lake on vacation!"

  Wrong, TR, he questioned your spirituality not because you went four days without shaving, but because you went four days without shaving for a meeting - or, presumably, going to one! We shouldn't take vacations from Jehovah.

  Oops, sorry, I think I'm channeling my sister. Who's alive and all, but still. Ain't it funny how as JW's we always had the pat answers that made things the fault of the complainer? Like the bearded elder teejay mentioned; I have no doubt that someone cited his "attitude" as a problem, even if the attitude was entirely based on his knowledge that there was nothing wrong with him having a beard.

  I knew a fellow who used the "skin condition" excuse. As is probably often the case, the condition was b.s. His father later took to wearing a beard during the winter, because he "works outside."
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  42

  A lame reply from Amazon.com

  by Xandria in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dear shanna,.

  thank you for writing to amazon.com with your concern.. .

  let me assure you, amazon.com does not endorse "understanding loved.

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  Bodhisattva

  But Amazon does not purport to be your corner store. Your corner store also may not sell The Anarchist Cookbook, but Amazon does, and it is a how-to book for bomb makers. Several other online booksellers also offer it, including the notoriously censorial Walmart. Meanwhile, among those checked via Addall.com, only Amazon seems to offer the book in question defending and rationalizing pedophilia. If this book is legal to publish and sell, then I think there is a place for someone who will sell anything between two covers, just as it is the right of individual or organized consumers to boycott them. As for the content of the book, I think that the first couple of user comments from (apparently serious) self-identified pedophiles are enough to make one wretch, but if bad science and bad scholarship in defense of harmful ideas were illegal, how would we get the Blood brochure?
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  9

  Help , half my brain is missing!

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  help , half my brain is missing!.

  where has it gone, well it's still there it just that it filled with 27 years of watchtower crap and i've got nowhere to put it, after all i can't take it out and put it in a jar, without some serious side effects.. just hope i've got enought brian left to take me through the rest of my life.. but seriously(ahem) how does being fed seriously mind bending "facts' for all your life , from a little baby,effect our brains, and the way we carry on to think for the rest of our lives?does our brian find a way to ciurcumnavigate round the things it no longer needs?and does any extra effort we would need "forget' our past hinder the performance of our minds?is this what a mental breakdown is, where our brain can no longer cope and crashes like a dogy computer?i wonder.. (ok i admit it, i had only half a brian to start with)

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  Bodhisattva

  You do end up circumventing a lot of the Watchtower "facts." Better still, you are less likely to take things as incontrovertable truths -- this leads to openmindedness. As an added benefit, when a "fact" you are not too heavily invested in ends up changing, you do not need to tell yourself that there has been no change. Time formerly spent cognitive dissociating can be spent in other ways, such as in talking to neighbors about how to solve problems, rather than pushing a solution upon them, 32 pages at a time.
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  16

  "Jehovah will sort it out"

  by Duncan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "wait on jehovah.

  "jehovah will sort it out.

  how often have you heard that?

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  Bodhisattva

  Has anyone faced with disfellowshipping for immorality ever tried to say to the elders, 'Let's not pursue this subject. Jehovah will work it out in his due time'? I would not imagine that the response would be favorable. So why should it hold up here? Argh.

  The god of the dolphins has flippers.

  The dog of the dolphins has a bark that is worse than his bite.
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  38

  CO's and DO's meeting in the UK

  by Jim Dee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  at the risk of being called a "troll" again , i will share just one of the items discussed at the co's and do's emergency meeting.

  so as not to be doubted, this is to be covered at most/all of the co's and do's visits over the next 6 months in the uk.

  the society is concerned about the level of waste and expense caused by excess wt and awakes being ordered by the brothers and sisters which are then not put into the hands of the public.

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  Bodhisattva

  I've been saving the WTS a lot of money the last couple years.