Posts by Carmel

35

What would be the Ideal Church for you?

by AK - Jeff in

i mean - what kind of doctrine would they teach - what sort of social programs would they support - how big?

how small?

preacherman or preacherwoman?

Carmel

Core beliefs:

Monotheistic

Accepts all religions a one

Blends both democratic and representative forms of governance

Allows no prejudice, whether racial, class, sex, country of origin, etc.

Places high value on education, especially the sciences and arts

Does not align with any partisan faction or economic system

Advocates the teaching of an auxillary language common to all

Advocates a common currency

Invites questions, academic persuits

Emphasizes Justice and equity on both personal and collective arenasb

Has no need for clergy

Focuses on the collective salvation of all humanity, not just individual salvation

Honors work that is useful, elevates it to the level of worship if done in service to humanity

Respects the sacred in other's culture

carmel

41

Fair minded person with a fair point of view

by keo15929 in

i have been one of jehovah's witnesses for about 9 years before i became inactive.

i just had some comments i'd like to make.. i think the reason why i'm inactive now is because i've come to a point in my life where i feel obligated to admit that i just don't know.

at one time i was as fiery and zealous of a witness as anyone could be but i had this nagging feeling that i really didn't know what i was talking about when i was witnessing to people.

Hi Keo! Welcome from a long time exjw! I left almost 40 years ago and never got into "bashing" the witnesses as I too knew many well intended people. But then I've had a life time of meeting many more well intended people in all walks of life from all religions. Now to two questions from yourb excellent first post... regarding the shunning/disfellowshiping doctrins of the JWs, you cite 1 cor. authored by Paul. Question, do you prefer your interpretation of Pauls admonitions or to the example set by Christ? When in doubt, try looking to the exemplar, I'd say. Secondly, you state the oft repeated JWism that they have the most reasonable (truest) understanding of the bible. With whom have you compared it to? Are your comparisons based on what the Watchtower Society claims other religions teach or have you personally looked into how others believe? Until you've completed the assignment of investigating ALL exegetical methods, I'd be awfully careful which one you label "truest". Just my two cents.

be well

carmel

24

Is this life all there is???

by Core88 in

jw
friends

i have been a df'ed witness for two years now.

i have had a son around that same time moved twice and changed jobs all around that same time.

it has been the hardest two years of my life.

Carmel

O SON OF THE SUPREME!
I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?

(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

4

How the World Might Get Better

by metatron in

jw
friends

it's easy to get pessimistic about world events - but there is room for hope, if you look beyond the headlines.

there are a number of things.

that could change suddenly in the next few years, for the betterment of (nearly) all.

Carmel

Good post metra. My only expectation that is different is that those are inevitabilities, not just possibilities. (IMHO)

carmel

38

What religion are you... if any?

by Effervescent in

jw
friends

interesting little flashy thingie, toolie on usa today (see how professional i sound?).

http://www.usatoday.com/graphics/news/gra/gnoreligion/flash.htm.

interesting results in new york.... where the world wide headquarters of jws resides... .

Carmel

Thank you Crumpet. Finally someone honestly accknowledges that atheism is another religion!

carmel

73

Why did you choose your USER NAME?

by In Between in

jw
friends

i think some people actually use part of their real name.

i chose mine because i really feel 'in between', in that space where your not a jw anymore but really haven't figured out where you are in life and what path you want to take.

just thought it would be an interesting topic.

Carmel

cause I'm sticky and sweet and light brown.....

15

Power of Prayer Demonstrated

by Carmel in

jw
friends

last night i took one of my daughter's highschool friends to the rodeo with me since noone else was interested.

we had a good time with the freebee vip tickets, barby and then the rodeo.

before the first event there was a half hour of pagentry which was okay, but it was interrrupted by an "invocation" by one of the local baptist ministers.

Carmel

Last night I took one of my daughter's highschool friends to the rodeo with me since noone else was interested. We had a good time with the freebee VIP tickets, barby and then the rodeo. Before the first event there was a half hour of pagentry which was okay, but it was interrrupted by an "invocation" by one of the local Baptist ministers. He prayed for the protection of the riders and the animals that endure the riders week after week. That done the gals in there shiny blouses and riding pants did one more goaround the arena with flags waving. One of the horses that was real energetic took a quick turn out of the arena through an open gate leaving its rider flying through the air to smack the gate post. She was down for over five minutes then taken away to the emergency room at the local hospital. Sad way to begin the evening.. but then the calf roping began the evening of performances. Unfortunately the first calf out of the shut hit the end of the rope, was yanked up into the air and came down breaking one of its hind legs. It was really ugly!

I wonder if that pastor would claim that his prayers are heard and answered, after all there could have been mass injuries and there were "only" two!

carmel

39

WHAT ARE YOU HAVING FOR DINNER TONIGHT? GOING OUT TO EAT?

by juni in

jw
friends

.

we will be going out for wisconsin's famous friday fish fry.. .

juni

Carmel

barby Q beef and three hours in the grandstands at Astoria's first ever rodeo! Yee Haw!!

carmelb

16

How open are you to new ideas.

by poodlehead in

jw
friends

when i was a jw, i believed what i was told to believe.

after all it was the truth.

but now i no longer believe that what they were telling me was the truth.

Carmel

I thought I was for many years after leaving the Borg, but I realized well into my formal education, especially in Psychology and the biological sciences, that I was no different than many. Much of what was drummed into me as a child had to be addressed head on or it would continue to color my thinking about new ideas. Much like food preferences! You have to consciously try new things or you will find youself eating the same selection of items for each meal. How many have had chili for breakfast? Or waffles and chipped beef for dinner? When I lived in Isreal I learnd a whole new set of cullenary options, and also found out how narrow minded others are about their food choices.

I think I was most influenced by one of my college professors that complimented me on my sceptical attitude when I challenged some of his conclusions in class. I guess that got me to thinking that I should not only be sceptical but also open to realizing that everything that science holds as absolute will some time be up for re-examination. So to are societal constructs, religion's paradigms and absolutes. I was really challenged when I stumbled accross the Baha'i Faith. Boy, did that force me to re-think my cosmology!

I hope I'm more open to new ideas as I get older and detached from things that I used to hold so dear and near. Some, kind of like gravity, I assume are fairly intact, but then like the old saying goes, "there is no gravity, the earth sucks" may catch me napping!

Carmel

41

The End is coming Pretty Soon, Folks

by Flowerpetal in

jw
friends

i have been inactive from jws since 2003. i don't post here very much -- do more reading than posting.

but i just had to tell y'all that i got a one-page tract this evening which is an invitation to attend the deliverance at hand convention.. yes...the end is coming pretty soon because never before in jw history has an invitation or tract been distributed to a city not designated a convention city.. the end is also coming pretty soon because i was told at the convention there will be a lot of talks about noah and what he faced.. in addition, the end is very near because later on this year there will be several announcements coming from the society.

wow!

Carmel

end of what, heathen?

carmb