If this picture is genuine and not a hoax, it's possible the snake swallowed an animal before it was completely dead (maybe just unconscious). Then the animal, in its desperate attempt to escape, thrust its leg almost completely through the snake's side. A necropsy would tell the tale.
under the radar
JoinedPosts by under the radar
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17
WT were correct about snakes with legs all along!!
by Splash in.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/6187320/snake-with-foot-found-in-china.html.
what does this tells us about evolution?.
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Display of National Flags in Kingdom Halls in Chile: WTS' Response
by BluesBrother inremember this and other threads a few months back, on the subject that some kingdom halls in chile acquiesced to govt rules that every building should display the national flag on the day of celebration?.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/262505/kingdom-hall-chile-has-national-flag?size=20&page=1.
many of us here and around the net, calling on our dub experiences cried "never would that happen!
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under the radar
I personally think this letter is a rare example of the Society taking a reasonable approach to a sensitive matter, something they should do in a lot of other areas. To me, displaying a flag on a day when every building in the land is required to display it is no different from having a car license plate with a patriotic slogan on it. Though some individuals have done so, the Society has never required all JW's to cover up such mottos, or even formally objected to their presence. If they would had been as reasonable in other matters, then the whole Malawi debacle could have been avoided and many unnecessary deaths and much suffering would never have occurred.
There are many other less serious issues that the Society could and should designate as "conscience matters." Birthday celebrations, toasting at social occasions, observing Mother's and Father's Days, etc. Being less concerned with total control of the flock's every action would go a long way towards easing the stress of simply being a JW.
Far more importantly, if they would just listen to the many well-reasoned discussions on why the Bible does not actually prohibit the medical use of blood, and make that too a conscience matter, many lives could be saved that would otherwise be sacrificed on the altar of the Watchtower. I really believe they would like to do that, but they've dug themselves such a deep hole in this matter, they can't dig themselves out without seeming to accede to apostates and public opinion and thereby undermine their supposed "spiritual authority." They are probably also worried about potential lawsuits from families who lost loved ones due to the blood doctrine. (I don't think these lawsuits would ultimately prove successful. The US courts never get involved in church doctrine and, to my knowledge, have never sided with anyone claiming to be harmed by a religious tenet, regardless of how silly or unjust it appears to outsiders.) They probably would lose a certain number of members if they changed this policy, but they'd simply write them off as "not true believers in God's arrangement," just like they did those who left when the 1975 prophecies went bust.
I welcome their seeming to become more reasonable in certain matters. It bothers me that they only seem to do so when it benefits them in some way, usually financially.
Just to be clear: I think the Society is a thoroughly corrupt money-grubbing enterprise, concerned only about enriching itself and maintaining total control over its members. It is just as underhanded as any other religious organization, more so than some. Many individual JW's I have known are genuine and sincere about their beliefs, and truly try to live what they see as a Christian life, but the organization is no more a "spirit-directed channel used by God to provide spiritual food" than any other publishing or real estate conglomerate. It's goal is to protect its wealth and acquire more. For a commercial business, that's fine. But when a business cloaks itself as "God's organization" and uses its adherents' faith and trust to demand total obedience and unquestioning acceptance of ever-changing doctrine for its own ends, that's evil.
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East Coast Blizzard 2015
by breakfast of champions inwhere we're at, we won't get it as bad as nyc, long island or new england.
even so, my university is closed until wednesday morning, and we're expecting well over a foot of snow.. anyone else out there "hunkering down"?.
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under the radar
Here in Manchester, NH (about 50 miles northwest of Boston), my driveway and the street were completely clear of snow when we went to bed about midnight. This morning we have between 18 inches and 2 feet of snow and it's still coming down. The temp is a balmy 16º F and the wind is whipping around pretty good. A couple of the neighbors are out snow blowing already, but they're not making much headway. I guess the theory is to "get ahead" of things so you won't have so much to deal with when the snow actually stops. It's forecast to keep snowing till after midnight tonight.
I don't really want to get out there twice, but I guess I'll have to eventually. If I wait till the snow is piled higher than the top of the snow blower's scoop, it'll be much harder to clear the driveway. We have 4 wheel drive vehicles, but even they don't work very well in 2 feet of snow.
I'm gonna give it a couple more hours and maybe then give it a try. Meanwhile, I think I'll sit here in my easy chair with a nice cup of hot tea and read my book.
I hope everyone stays warm and dry and heeds Simon's advice. Take it easy if you have to shovel manually. Having a nice clean driveway isn't worth having a heart attack over.
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My mother says I should just DA already.
by Julia Orwell incut the cord.
sever all ties.
start new.. and she's right.
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under the radar
Odrade makes some really good points.
If there was an honorable way to simply resign from the organization, many would have done so long ago. In some ways, it's like being in the Mafia. Once in, you can never leave... alive, anyway. With a few aberrant examples, JW's don't actually kill you when you want to leave. But they consider you as good as dead, and even families are supposed to have as little contact with you as possible.
The closest thing to an honorable departure, it seems, is to DA yourself once you come to the conclusion that the Society is not "God's organization," is teaching falsehoods, is guilty of false prophecy, or for any number of other reasons you don't want to be associated with this group. But it will be considered an honorable departure only by you, and perhaps your true friends who understand and accept your reasons for doing so. The Society and "good" JW's will vilify you and label you "apostate," and we know how apostates are viewed and treated, even by family members and former friends who are still in.
Some view DA'ing oneself as making a point, drawing a line that says from here on I do not consider myself a JW and do not wish to be viewed as supporting or associated with the organization in any way. Sort of a punctuation in one's life. Others consider it as "playing by their rules," saying you have no obligation to cooperate with their procedures or communicate with them to any degree regarding your viewpoints or actions. Both sides have valid points and neither is necessarily correct for any particular circumstance. There is no "one size fits all." Each person has to decide for oneself the best approach to take, and need not explain or defend it to anyone else.
I am neither DA'd nor DF'd, but my family and friends all know that I do not consider myself a JW and will never return to being one. I have not formally DA'd myself because, as it is, very few totally "shun" me and several maintain contact as they always have. I would lose that contact if anything "formal" happened, whether by DA'ing myself or being DF'd by the congregation. So in my case, leaving things as they are works out for the best.
I think real conflict within oneself arises when you realize you don't believe the "Truth" anymore but have to go through the motions for whatever reason. It shouldn't be that way. You should be able to resign from the organization just like you can resign from a job and keep your family and friends intact. But it doesn't work that way. The Society uses fear, coercion, and emotional blackmail to keep people locked in when they long to be free. That is no better than when religions of the not-so-distant past made converts at the point of a sword.
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I got half custody!
by outsmartthesystem inso it has been quite a while since i've last been on this site.
the jist of my story is that about 5 years ago, i started a research journey that took me 2 1/2 years to complete.
against the advice of this board, i decided to show my wife because i mistakenly thought she valued truth.
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under the radar
Congratulations, Clint! Your great news will help others realize that all is not lost and they need not give up just because things look bleak at the beginning.
It is especially generous of you to offer to share your research with others. It's about time ex-JW's had something to counter the Society's Child Custody Packet that they send out to the sheeple. As an aside, I have seen video of one elder denying in court, under oath, that such a packet even exists. Liar! What's funny is that the judge had a copy of the packet in front of him at the time. Wonder how that worked out...
Thanks again for posting your great news.
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under the radar
Congratulations, Sir! My hat's off to you.
My Extremely Significant Other is a medical coding supervisor and instructor, so I have a idea of how much work and dedication it took to get where you are now.
Good luck on your exam this weekend! Did you know there is at least one very good iPhone/iPad app to help you prepare for it?
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Search for GB Fan Name
by sparrowdown injustin bieber has beliebers.
benedict cumberbatch has cumberbitches.
surely the ego-stroking gb worshipping fans deserve a name.. gbsters?
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under the radar
Individually, I think of Governing Body devotees as "Slaves," or "Sheeple."
As a group term, how does a "Delusion of JW's" sound?
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Watchtower spiritual "retreat"
by Viva la Vida inwt applied for tax exemption to the town of ramapo, ny, on the ground that they use the land as a "spiritual "retreat", including hiking trails to facilitate spiritual meditation in the natural contemplative setting of the wooded property and reflection on the creative works of the almighty".
tax authority didn't buy it and wt sued: one, two.
i didn't know they did this kind of meditation or spiritual retreats....
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under the radar
It sure looks like they were not able to force Lorterdan to buy the property back. Now, instead of admitting they made a mistake and have changed their minds about developing the property as originally intended, they are claiming they want to turn it into a "spiritual retreat." All in a blatant attempt to weasel out of paying property taxes. It seems that the local tax people can see through this charade and are holding firm that the property no longer qualifies for a tax exemption. Good for them!
I wonder if the Society wound up having to pay the "consulting fee" or not. Does anyone know for sure?
If the property really was worth $20M or so when they bought it, and they only paid a total of $11.5M, why don't they just sell it now and be done with it? I have a feeling there's a lot to this story that hasn't come out yet.
Stay tuned...
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New forum 'parousia' is upon us! (software version)
by Simon inthe time has nearly come to switch over to the new forum software.
of course it's not completely finished yet (and never will be) but i think it's good enough to go live with and probably already better than the current one.
i'll give you a quick overview of what to expect and post more detail about the changeover process later.. cloud platform.
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under the radar
Thanks, Simon, for all the hard work you put into this update. And my hat's off to your bride as well. Without her cooperation and help on the home front, I doubt you'd be able to keep up with it all.
I'm really looking forward to trying out the new site.
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If Your JW Parent Died Would YOU Go To The Kingdom Hall For The Talk?
by minimus ini would like your thoughts, please..
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under the radar
When my father died in 2010, I did exactly that. Of course! I went to the memorial service in spite of it being held at the Kingdom Hall he had attended for decades. I went out of love and respect for him, even though we had very different beliefs on certain topics. He could not and would not accept anything critical of the Society. He had been the Congregation Servant since the 50's and an Elder from the beginning of that arrangement. He yearned for me to return and "throw myself on the mercy of the brothers," but he knew I never would. He accepted the Society as the big J's spokesmen, and I knew in my heart they were no such thing. Still, he never shunned me, never asked me to stop calling him, never asked me to stop coming to see him. For the last 3 years of his life, as he pined away after Mom's death, I called him each and every day and flew into town to see him at least once a month for a day or two.
Even though I have never been officially DA'd or DF'd, my loving sister yielded to the influence of a certain (still unnamed) relative and decided that I was a de facto apostate and no longer welcome to stay overnight at her house when visiting Dad, or even fit to have meals with. She didn't like it when I pointed out that since I was neither DA'd nor DF'd, she was running ahead of the ol' chariot by treating me this way. Still, she couldn't bring herself to completely shun me. She would still talk to me on the phone about Dad, and she cooperated and assisted me in visiting him by picking me up and dropping me off at the airport shuttle whenever needed.
No effort was made to dissuade me from attending Dad's service. But I was warned in no uncertain terms that if I showed up at the restaurant where my parent's lifelong friends were gathering to share a meal together and reminisce, there would be a scene. I acquiesced because I didn't want Dad's service and "visitation" marred by unpleasantness. I really didn't want to be around most of those folks right then anyway. I was heartbroken at Dad's passing and I just couldn't bear any gladhanding about how wonderful the Society is and how Paradise is right around the corner.
Still, I would do it again. I loved Dad, and Dad loved me, despite his severe disappointment in my leaving the Truth©. I went to honor him for being the wonderful person and role model he was in so many ways, and to acknowledge the undying and unconditional love we had for each other, despite our wildly divergent, even diametrically opposed, views on "spiritual" matters.
He was my dad. And I miss him.