jstalin

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Posts by jstalin

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  58

  UK "shoot to kill" - mixed up justice

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  how stupid is this .... the police execute an innocent man going about his lawful business ... no charges.

  someone exposes the information showing the police lied and covered up facts about the killing ... arrest her !!.

  what a pathetic excuse for a justice system we have.. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4280238.stm.

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  jstalin

  The state will do whatever necessary to protect its own power. Political party and ideology don't matter. The power of the state is held above all.
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  2

  Convention video?

  by jstalin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i remember seeing on here, a month or two ago, someone had posted video clips of a district convention.

  i wasn't able to access them at the time.

  not being a jw, i'm interested in seeing what they are all about.

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  jstalin

  I remember seeing on here, a month or two ago, someone had posted video clips of a district convention. I wasn't able to access them at the time. Not being a JW, I'm interested in seeing what they are all about. Does anyone have any online videos or video clips of a recent convention?
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  23

  Take the "Happiness Quiz" :)

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://quiz.ivillage.co.uk/uk_relationships/tests/happy.htm

  my results

  free and happy .

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  jstalin

  Free and happy
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  2

  Random Musings - Part 2 What is good

  by Qcmbr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  stunned by the awesome response to random musings post 1 - .

  there seems to be several views on what makes something good that presumably colors our judgment on everything: .

  1/ benthamism - utility theory - the greatest good for the greatest number.

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  jstalin

  In my view, the only possible logical and consistant view of rights is that of natural rights (number 2 on your list). As human beings, we have inherent rights - the right to our lives, our liberty, and our property. Each compliments the other. These rights exists a priori, or prior to government. We have no right to invade on the rights of others. Any inititation of force to deprive someone else of those rights is immoral. It is acceptable to defend one's own life, liberty, and property against someone else's aggression. This includes living with the consequences of your actions, since you have no right to anyone else's life, liberty, or property (as you mistakingly include in your definition of equal rights).

  It is not acceptable to kill 1 to save 2, unless 1 has a gun to 2's head and is threatening to kill or severly main 2. Similarly, it is not moral to take money from 1 to help 2 under the threat of jail or death (as government does day in and day out). This does not rule out 1 giving money to 2 to help him or her, as long as it is voluntary, which is by far the more virtuous form of help (remember Jesus and the old lady putting money in the tithe?).

  The other views of rights and society break down because they ignore the individual's rights, depending on the situtaion. It is thinking such as Bentham's utilitarian theory that allow Marxists to starve 40 million people to death "for the greater good." Same goes for Hitler's view that Jews are not humans and that it is OK to exterminate them, "for the greater good."

  The same willingness to engage in moral relativism allowed the US supreme court to say that it is OK for government to steal one person's land to give it to a private developer. Without a foundation of rights, government (and thus people) can do whatever they please to each other under the color of "for the greater good."

  I believe that Kant's categorical imperative is a fantastic summary of human rights. I'll paraphrase: No person is a means to an end, but an end in and of himself.
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  8

  Elder's lying daughter

  by Darth Yhwh in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so my jw mother has a 16-year-old elders daughter over her house to sit in on a bible study with a 14-year-old young girl.

  my mom has been studying with this girl for about a year and is considering turning over the study to this elders daughter.

  my mom is thinking that the two of these girls will find common ground and that the elders daughter will be able to encourage this girl to continue with her program (my mothers word, not mine.interesting, huh?

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  jstalin

  So, they were/are intimidated by a worldly husband? What does that say about them? They probably are worried that said Wordly husband actually has some ability to reason and that he'll (rightly) think that the whole situation is beyond stupid.
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  18

  If anyone's curious...

  by troucul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  just to let you know, the recent storms in the gulf coast of the southern us are well known in iraq.

  in fact, mosque messages in town are saying that the storms are punishment from god for the occupation of iraq.

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  jstalin

  Ah, yes. And the tsunami was god's "punishment" for... ?

  And that brings up another thought. God, supposidly almighty, punishes people through guilt by association? God honors national boundaries and citizenship? Does god think I'm guilty because I'm an American, though I've done nothing myself to occupy Iraq? Sounds like god might be a collectivist, then. He believes in collective, not individual guilt?
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  14

  Is't God gonna kill SOMBODY on Armadeddon?

  by crankytoe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  maybe i'm confused, but most comments on on this subject seem to suggest that people are appalled at the idea that jw's say god will kill alot of people on armageddon.

  especially children.

  i'm wondering why is this so outlandish a concept?

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  jstalin

  
  There are probably a couple of types of people here:

  1. Those who scoff at the idea that god will murder everyone who's not a JW because the Watchtower is such a joke of an organization. It claims to be the sole organization on Earth that represents a direct line to and from god. This type consists generally of those who are still Christians, but not JWs.

  2. Those who scoff at the idea that there's a god out there who took the trouble to create a universe infinitely large, put a small planet in it, and populate it with humans only to watch them from afar and eventually kill those who don't worship him enough. This is what I call the "ant farm" god, because it reminds me of a kid sitting at staring at unsuspecting ants in his ant farm. Those of us who are agnostic/atheist probably fall in this camp (myself included). We laugh at the idea that there will even be an Armageddon but it is so ludicrous.
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  29

  oHi, short introduction

  by Sugarcane in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  glad i found this board and hope to have some interesting discussions.

  i'll post my story later today, but in the meantime; i'm a single parent with 2 kids, was a jw for 26 years in total (born one, left at 17 years, went back at 21), became inactive 4 years ago and disassociated myself 4 weeks ago!.

  my experience with the bible org.

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  jstalin

  Welcome. Congrats on leaving the borg!

  Ich bin keine Berliner.
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  20

  Latest news about Pro-JW group on Myspace

  by DevonMcBride in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the elders and the governing body are cracking down on jw myspace groups.

  here is the latest from the owner of one that i'm subbed to.. im sorry to all who just recently joined myspace but im deleting my account and if ne one wants to keep the group goin thats up to them... i dont know whats goin to happen if i delete my mysapce i dont know if the group will automatically get deleted.... .

  now for the reason im leaving is that my elders are saying that the po's met last week and the major issue with society now is the internet and myspace came up as one of the topics and for the elders to talk about this with the young adults and kids in the hall... the pretty much told us if u dont take urself off we will have to have a meeting with u about it... this is advice from not us the elders but from the governing body... sooo im not one to go agaisnt my elders even though i dont want to leave becasue i met some wonderful people and im soo greatful for that... if ne one wants to keep in touch with me here is my phone number... .

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  jstalin

  I think WT is scared sh*tless over the Internet. They're reacting like every tyrannical government in history - if you can't control the message - ban it!
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  42

  Another newbie here...

  by tall penguin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my apologies in advance for the long post.

  this is the story i thought i'd be taking to my grave so just to have the chance to put it out there feels so freeing.

  thanks for listening.

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  jstalin

  Welcome to the board. Though I'm not a JW and never was, I do understand how theraputic it can be to talk to other people who have been through the same things you have. There are plenty of people on here who have shared similar stories to yours.