received this as an email (obviously directed to americans):.
below is a list of automobile manufacturers showing how they contributed to the relief and recovery efforts of september 11, 2001.. .
1. ford- $1 million to american red cross matching employee.
Planning ahead, Jayhawk.
Has anyone found a refutation of the Times of India piece supposedly sourced from Reuters regarding U.S. planes flying over Afghanistan and dropping envelopes with George W. 43's ugly mug on the front and two crisp one hundred dollar bills inside? Obvious hoax, haven't found it on any of the credible news sites includig Yahoo!, which has Reuters feeds, but have not found a good refutation. Maybe the monkey man will come up with one!
Bodhisattva
yes, she was - incredible huh?.
the first philly phest was a great success.
5 adults and 2 children all enjoyed a fine dining experience in princeton on saturday night.
Flower -
Sadly that reminds me of a friend of mine who came into the tCrUuLtTh with his mother and two younger sisters about the time he reached adulthood. His father (a very cool guy) and his older brothers did not come in. I remember being in service with this fellow and our book study conductor. He mentioned how he decided not to ask his brother to be in the wedding party, because he was "worldly" and apparently sometimes used some, um, glaucoma medicine. While he was in a convenience store and the book study conductor and I were in the car, the bsc confided in me that he thought it was unfortunate that he felt he had to make that decision, but it was up to him whether to ask his brother to be in the wedding party, and the elders would not interfere either way. I still regret not taking the fellow aside and suggesting that maybe the elders hadn't been as clear with him as this one had with me, and he might live to regret snubbing his brother with no benefit in return. Of course the elder was convinced that he had not unduly influenced the young man. In my opinion the elders and the Society does exercise undue influence almost every time they accept a question and don't answer, "It's none of our business, it's entirely your decision and we really mean it this time, we won't judge you one way or another." Instead, even when they produce viable statistics (a rarity even outside the bOrg), cautionary anecdotes, or solid research on a matter, they allow their ideas and suggestions to have the force of gospel, only to say at the end, "each one makes an informed, personal decision." Sigh.
Bodhisattva
received this as an email (obviously directed to americans):.
below is a list of automobile manufacturers showing how they contributed to the relief and recovery efforts of september 11, 2001.. .
1. ford- $1 million to american red cross matching employee.
yes, she was - incredible huh?.
the first philly phest was a great success.
5 adults and 2 children all enjoyed a fine dining experience in princeton on saturday night.
Funny, Ashitaka. It was kind of the topic of conversation, so we were overheard. See my last paragraph above the signature at
* http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=21832&site=3
Maybe reservations under "Rutherford" would be a little too cluefull. Maybe someone else who would also be disfellowshipped under current Watchtower bylaws, but who was not so influential to the sect. "Jesus, party of 13, your table is ready."
Bodhisattva
at least my son and i did, i'm assuming the rest of ya'll did too .
for those of you who weren't there you'll never guess what happened at the restaurant.
were there talking about various things mostly related to our shared watchtower experiences and our waitress walks up behind me and taps me on my shoulder and asks if i'm a witness.
While it took a moment to get it through my thick head what was going on, I know I restrained myself from 'preaching' to the waitress, not wanting to set off her automatic ApostoShield, although I did find myself thinking of a field service-like presentation later. Naturally the witness custom of shutting off, devaluing, or denying anything negative about their god, the WTS and its GB, was a major topic of discussion.
Some of us there had chosen not to formally DA, although it was brought out that it is mostly an effort to save relationships that are already dead. Even without DA'ing, family and friends still stop associating with those who don't continue meetings and service. The jw-media.org assertion that "those who simply cease to be involved are not shunned" is a crock; as had been said many times, there is no honorable way to leave.
We talked about leaving and its complications: Dealing with family, especially trying to turn a mate away from the bOrg, how hard attending meetings is after learning the truth about the truth - especially if you have to get there early to see to "privileges" or have to give talks, and how much more you hope for not-at-homes now that you realize you really are wasting peoples' time rather than saving their lives. (Although with the recent evidence that excessive sleep shortens life spans, maybe stopping them from sleeping in on a Saturday morning really is a public service!)
We also talked about what lead us out, what the final straw was. I think I have the key points below, and they should encourage those working through this site, where so many of these straws were first found:
- disfellowshipping
- blood contradictions
- UN NGO status
- the 1995 twist on the 1914 "generation"
- recognizing out own cognitive dissonance
and refusing to lie to ourselves anymore
to protect a business venture
All of us were turned off by organized religion, but felt that some of what the Society teaches is right. In my opinion and experience, it is good to visit other churches and see just how much more Christian they act then the Society taught us to expect, as well as to be exposed to different interpretations and many of the same good teachings without the mask of uniqueness.
We all had a good time and want to do it again. It is good to meet others in person who are in the same boat. It helps overcomes a lot of paranoia we all have.
For the future, especially for a larger group, the restaurant should be willing to seat folks without confirming a full party. Fortunately last night some of us knew each other so that we all linked up. Also perhaps reservations should be under a name that is easy for restaurant to get right even while it screams apostasy - like "Rutherford."
Love,
Bodhisattva
P.S. Entry in this month's KM - "Our Kuffar* Ministry":
What is someone says, "I was disfellowshipped but I found my way back to the Truth(TM)"?* The Islamic term Kuffar = ApostatesAsk, "While you were disfellowshipped, how did your friends and family feel about being required to shun you?"
If the Witness answers, "Well, it was hard for them," ask "Didn't Paul say that God's Law is written in the hearts of mankind? So if shunning you troubled their conscience, which is out of alignment, their hearts or the shunning policy?"
If the Witness answers, "They had no problem whatsoever shunning me. In fact, they're still rather cold per the Society's recommendations to not be too accepting of a newly reinstated one, and its clear that their love is fully conditional on my allegience to a corporation," try to place a copy of Crisis of Conscience.
Edited for typos and some formatting.
athlete recognition.
character counts!
in chaves county's winter sports athlete recognition program congratulates the girls' and boys' middle school basketball representatives.
Crap, I got guff just for bying in the National Junior Honor Society! And no planning on attending any higher education, except possibly air-conditioner repair, least of all a (gasp!) University.<p>
It's like those last four sentences are from a "which one of these is not like the others, which one of these does not belong" setup.<p>
Bodhisattva
you got to love these folks.
james.
>>interesting remarks at morning worship from tom & esther chin:.
Yet another loaded word when used among the Dubs, "prestigious." It means good from the world's point of view, but we would not be showing humility if we were involved in it. Assuming we're not already; if someone - and by "someone" I mean an elder or elder's relative including sons-in-law - already has a prestigious position, like doctor, lawyer, or six-figure pointy-haired boss, then they're hot shit.<p>
Back in the real world, "prestigious company" does not equal prestigious job, however. Many positions involving offices in the WTC would involve a head-hunting phase and would generally conclude with a candidate making a commitment to start a job anywhere from a month to four or five months in the future. Even many jobs that pay badly or are not otherwise "prestigious" allow a couple weeks to give notice with one's current employer. As far as any job where the answer is 'show up next Monday or we give it to the next schlub,' well, here is the way I think it really happened:<p>
MTS Guy: I've been working my way up towards this job.<p>
Interviewer: Yes, I see you've cleaned windows on the top floors of 20- and 50-story buildings.<p>
Bodhisattva
here are scans of the "advance medical directive" (blood card) for 2001 and 2002. also shown is the "identity card" for minors for 2002.. note that the watchtower society cancelled distribution of the 2002 cards, and instructed that jws use the 2001 card until further notice.. card for 2001, page 2:.
card for 2002, page 2:.
card for 2002, page 1:.
"Allogeneic" means genetically different but from the same species. It is generally considered to be the opposite of "autologous," from the same individual, in the blood context. But there are shades of meaning. An identical twin's blood is not allogeneic, because it is genetically the same. Cow's blood is not allogeneic, because it is not from the same species. So had these cards been distributed, rather than disposed as they apparently were, it would open a world of questions about inconsistencies about the Watchtower blood policy. Cause that never happens.
Bodhisattva
the link below leads to a webpage for a play entitled it's not too late: a christian drama/musical inspired by the columbine tragedy.. here is the synopsis of the play:.
the story takes place during one day at a high school.. .
mr. brooks is the custodian of the high school.
Who supplies our salvation? God. Who do we need salvation from? God.
This God fellow sounds irrational, possibly bipolar. I hope he gets some professional help. He sure needs it.
Bodhisattva
The God of the Dolphins has flippers.
does anyone here know anything about insurance?.
i plan to go on cobra for 18 months after i leave work and am in school.. will i have to find fulltime work after that to avoid meeting preexisting conditions wait periods on an individual health plan?
i have received differing answers.
Joel -
When I went to a state college I got one of those "To the parents of" letters regarding health insurance through the school. It didn't offer great everyday benefits, but it wasn't too costly and would cover anything catastrophic. Whether it had anything to do with it being a state college, I don't know. Did not receive anything similar from county community college or private university, but they might have something for full-time students. Worth looking into at you school anyway.
Difficult access to reasonable insurance coverage when going to college because your not in your late teens or early twenties living with you parents - one more Watchtower advantage!
Bodhisattva
