drew sagan

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Posts by drew sagan

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  67

  My Weak Agnostic Testimony

  by besty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in terms of faith i have decided to give the invisible characters a rest for the time being.

  the last set i had weren't really adding any value, and right now i'm happy with more rational answers to life's mysteries.. in my opinion religion was an early attempt to answer these mysteries and so inevitably we are accelerating towards a post-religious world.

  when technology allows us to extend our lives as long as we wish, the need for salvation via invisible magic diminishes.it seems to me that religion is deeply influenced by parental authority and cultural norms.

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  drew sagan

  I pretty much agree but there is one thing that hangs on me. While belief no longer interests me, I still tend to feel that there still is value in religious practice and tradition. Many people still enjoy traditions without ever letting belief take them over.

  When we were JWs the argument was used that "people in the world just passivly practiced the religoin they grew up with". Now more than ever I personally can identify with those do simply maintain the traditions of their parents and grandparents. Here in America I believe a passive, universalist belief is growing steadily. People want to continue the traditions, but on their own terms.
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  12

  Jehovah Chose the Jehovah's Witnesses by Giving Them a Load of Coal!

  by VM44 in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  in the1975 yearbook of jehovah's witnesses on page 121, it says:upon brother rutherfords return to the societys pittsburgh offices, he instructed the societys vice-president, c. a. wise, to go to brooklyn and see about reopening bethel and renting premises where the society could begin printing operations.

  the conversation went like this:.

  "go and see whether it is the lords will for us to return back to brooklyn.".

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  drew sagan

  The best part about these kinds of scenarios is that whatever the outcome, God is always directing!

  - No Coal = God wants us to move to Pittsburgh

  - Coal = God wants us to stay in Brooklyn

  The general assumption that God is directing overshadows everything. A much better test would be "if we don't get this coal we should pack up and quit". Without something of value on the line what difference does it really make?
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  10

  Did the WT have advance warning of this...and so stopped the group study?

  by Gill in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  is this the real reason that the watchtower has stopped all group studies?.

  http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread467527/pg1.

  did they have advance warning that this was about to start happening in the usa?.

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  drew sagan

  I'm curious to know how many people were actually coming over these people's house. I really don't think this would have been a problem unless there was a substantial amount of people coming through. The writer of the article suggests the number is low, but we are never told.
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  40

  Andersinfo: Swingle - Sydlik - Fekel - Jackson

  by TheOldHippie in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  since you've known quite a few of the gb members etc., and mentioned that when jaracz entered a room, sydlik would leave, i'd like to ask you about sydlik - what was your impression of him?

  it seems he was sort of a reformist without enough power, but i've also read that some say he had a less glamorous role at the 1980 events?.

  and then swingle, of whom i've heard nothing but nice things - your impression?.

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  drew sagan

  Sydlik was the only GB member I ever met. Shook his hand after a convention and took a picture of my friend standing next to him. That was the first convention I ever attended (1999). After that the conventions never seemed as exciting. Sydlik did a great job at projecting an image of the GB as being a bunch of older, warm and kind men.
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  8

  Amazing JW YouTube clip

  by yadda yadda 2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the work and wit that's gone into this is incredible.

  enjoy!

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egrzknjkzt4&feature=related.

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  drew sagan

  This was a video created by JWs , all this guy did was give new audio track.
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  20

  What's on YOUR IPOD?

  by YoursChelbie in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  ...or mp3 player?.

  here's a sample from my current playlist: david archuleta: to be with you.

  dan fogelberg: same old lang syne.

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  drew sagan

  Priest73,

  ever check out any of the stuff over at transom.org ? TAL is always promoting the site. It's well worth a look IMO
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  20

  What's on YOUR IPOD?

  by YoursChelbie in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  ...or mp3 player?.

  here's a sample from my current playlist: david archuleta: to be with you.

  dan fogelberg: same old lang syne.

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  drew sagan

  Songs of Shame, by the band Woods.

  Well worth checking out, very ecletic and unique.

  http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Shame-Woods/dp/B001U7B50Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1243477843&sr=1-1
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  15

  who is going to the convention this year?

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the recent threads by pistoff got me thinking that some youtube vids of the hard line positions being taught from the platform would be pretty cool.

  if you're already going, why not get us some documentation .

  of course it might already be up on http://www.jwproclaimers.org/ for all i know.. it's a shame you don't know what conventions the gb is going to show up at because it really would be good to get those guys on tape no matter what..

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  drew sagan

  aSphereisnotaCircle,

  I only ever attended conventions in Cleveland Ohio during the late 90's through mid 2000's. Many people recorded audio, and from time to time you would see people taking video. I remember one guy that would video the entier thing so he could give copies to older people who wern't able to attend. Many people would bring out camcorders during the drama. A special announcement would be made that if you were going to film the drama you should keep your camera out of the way and not plug it into any wall outlets (I remember hearing this every year).

  So yeah, they were pretty lax about it. Not to many people actually wanted to record the entire session so it never was a big deal. If you were to sit up higher nobody would pay attention to you at all (at least at the conventions I was at). As I think about it I believe some of the people who liked to record took their cameras up there because it gave them lots of room to set up. I also remember a few people sitting in the front row with cameras on the empty floor space in front of them (it was shaped like a basketball arena and the area where the court would go usually had big large spaces, sometimes a few folding chairs.)
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  15

  who is going to the convention this year?

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the recent threads by pistoff got me thinking that some youtube vids of the hard line positions being taught from the platform would be pretty cool.

  if you're already going, why not get us some documentation .

  of course it might already be up on http://www.jwproclaimers.org/ for all i know.. it's a shame you don't know what conventions the gb is going to show up at because it really would be good to get those guys on tape no matter what..

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  drew sagan

  AuntBee,

  I have a few thoughts

  1. It should be easy for you to get a name tag. Post a topic on this forum asking for somebody to scan in a copy of theirs and you can print one out

  2. I've seen may people video tape the conventions before. Just find a nice place to sit where the videocamera is out of the way, put it on a tripod and go to town. Nobody is going to ask any questions and if they do...

  3. Just write on your name tag that you are from a congregation far far away (or ditch the nametag and just say you are on vacation!). Anyway, I'm sure nobody is going to take notice of you as long as you dress to fit in.

  Some other tips: Turn the tape recorder on and off after each talk and don't record the songs. A mini recorder is great because it will create a separate audio file for each clip you take, that way you don't have to worry about breaking them all up into individual files. If the convention is being broadcast on an am/fm reciever all you would need to do is turn on a small radio and use a 1/8" audio cable to connect the radio output (headphone jack) into your digital recorder (microphone jack). That should provide a perfectly clear recording (just make sure you set the volume levels at a good setting, not to loud not to soft). Bring lots of extra batteries ;)
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  15

  who is going to the convention this year?

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the recent threads by pistoff got me thinking that some youtube vids of the hard line positions being taught from the platform would be pretty cool.

  if you're already going, why not get us some documentation .

  of course it might already be up on http://www.jwproclaimers.org/ for all i know.. it's a shame you don't know what conventions the gb is going to show up at because it really would be good to get those guys on tape no matter what..

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  drew sagan

  Some conventions also broadcast the audio signal through low am/fm frequencies so recording should be pretty simple.