tall penguin

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Posts by tall penguin

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  25

  God, Brain & Belief.

  by Blueblades in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just finished reading these two books this week.

  god by alexander waugh.

  this one was an eye - opener, i found it to be different from other books about god.

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  tall penguin

  "self-inflicted intellectual violence"
  
  Yes, it does feel that way sometimes. Beginning to wonder if it's worth holding on to any beliefs at all. Who would we be without beliefs?
  
  tall penguin
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  25

  God, Brain & Belief.

  by Blueblades in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just finished reading these two books this week.

  god by alexander waugh.

  this one was an eye - opener, i found it to be different from other books about god.

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  tall penguin

  Well said Terry!
  
  As for books I've enjoyed lately:
  
  Don't Believe Everything You Think by Thomas Kida (If you want something to stretch your brain out of its comfort zone, this will help.)
  
  The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho (An adult fairy tale journey with some spiritual lessons.)
  
  A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain (A round the world adventure in culinary delights and freaky-ass foods as well. Good fun.)
  
  tall penguin
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  16

  Name things JW's avoid doing since they believe that the end is so close

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  maybe some jw's avoid going to the doctor and get good medical care, since the end is so close.. if you were sure the end was very close, what would you avoid doing?.

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  tall penguin

  Living.
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  41

  So Smart you become an idiot.

  by Sparkplug in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you ever known people that are quite genius?

  they amaze you with the intelligence they have and yet in everyday life they just do not have the brainpower that god gave a goose.

  i married two of these type of people and i always had to wonder how things like the universe, god, science and quantum physics can be spoken with ease...and yet the simple things absolutely escape them.

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  tall penguin

  Good questions.
  
  I think you're discussing the difference between IQ and EQ.
  
  http://www.frugalmarketing.com/dtb/eq-iq.shtml
  
  Where these get developed is dependent on many factors, including environment, genetics, education, etc.
  
  My bf's brother is as you describe. He's got a whopping IQ but lacks EQ. He spends most of his time on the computer playing games and has difficulty with emotional expression. He almost seems autistic at times, but then again, "To be male is to be slightly autistic." (Can't recall where I read that quote.)
  
  tall penguin
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  14

  Suffering as Art and Pain Found Within Beauty

  by kristyann in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, i am working on a paper that i am writing for school.

  i am taking a short story that i have read and want to point out the fact that it shows suffering as art, and it shows that there is a type of beauty within pain.

  the problem is, i want to compare it to other works of art (books, music, films, paintings, sculptures, etc.

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  tall penguin

  I was just thinking that nothing typifies suffering and beauty so much as the human orgasm. Now that would make for an interesting read.
  
  tall penguin
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  14

  Suffering as Art and Pain Found Within Beauty

  by kristyann in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, i am working on a paper that i am writing for school.

  i am taking a short story that i have read and want to point out the fact that it shows suffering as art, and it shows that there is a type of beauty within pain.

  the problem is, i want to compare it to other works of art (books, music, films, paintings, sculptures, etc.

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  tall penguin

  Okay, I've been thinking about this since you first posted. Not sure this is what you're looking for. Perhaps these are more examples of suffering for art, or suffering while creating. The "tortured artist" thing.
  
  I finally saw "Walk The Line" about Johnny Cash. His life is such a picture of suffering tied to art. His music is filled with such angst and bittersweet emotion. For me, this feeling is typified in one of the last videos he did before his death, his rendition of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt". This makes me cry every time I watch it. Have a look.
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
  
  Along the same lines, the film "Ray" about Ray Charles' life is another example of a suffering artist. Or "Pollock".
  
  May not be what you're looking for. If you can be more clear, perhaps let me know what the short story you've read is, or what it's about, or outline your main thesis for me, I may be able to help further.
  
  tall penguin
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  26

  Faith in angelic help waning? WT March 1 and March 15, 2007

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the march 1st and march 15th issues of the watchtower, there is a paragraph in the study article about.

  the help that angels give in the preaching work.. however, i have noticed something not mentioned before - watchtower uses the phrase "too numerous to be dismissed as coincidence" twice.. quotes are below:.

  march 1, 2007 - watchtower.

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  tall penguin

  Hey VM44 you seem pretty steamed up by this. I am too. This kind of reasoning typifies the wishful thinking so prevalent in, not only the jw's, but in religion in general. It is this lack of logic and rational thought that makes humans gullible and easily taken advantage of.
  
  tall penguin
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  26

  Faith in angelic help waning? WT March 1 and March 15, 2007

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the march 1st and march 15th issues of the watchtower, there is a paragraph in the study article about.

  the help that angels give in the preaching work.. however, i have noticed something not mentioned before - watchtower uses the phrase "too numerous to be dismissed as coincidence" twice.. quotes are below:.

  march 1, 2007 - watchtower.

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  tall penguin

  In the words of Penn Jillette: "Million to one odds happen eight times a day in New York."
  
  There are coincidences. They happen every day. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
  
  I've read of many other religions who have these same kind of "angelic-directed" experiences with people. They all feel that God directed THEM to people at a crucial point in their lives. It's typical. And maddening.
  
  I just finished a fabulous book entitled "Don't Believe Everything You Think" by Thomas Kida. I think it's a must-read for all ex-jws.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Believe-Everything-You-Think/dp/1591024080/
  
  It goes into the 6 basic mistakes we make in thinking:
  
  · We prefer stories to statistics.
  
  · We seek to confirm, not to question, our ideas.
  
  · We rarely appreciate the role of chance and coincidence in shaping events.
  
  · We sometimes misperceive the world around us.
  
  · We tend to oversimplify our thinking.
  
  · Our memories are often inaccurate.
  
  tall penguin
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  36

  On our way to PA!!!

  by AuldSoul in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ice and snow flurries most of the way there, and bitterly cold ... but we are thrilled.. a bad day today thanks to my father.

  thanks, dad!

  your prayer didn't work.

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  tall penguin

  Congrats friend. All the best.
  
  tall penguin
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  14

  Can you hear this?

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is the most popular ringtone for young people today, as it allows them to hear something that most people over the age of 40 can not.

  test it out, can you hear it.

  i could, but then again i am only 36. i have tested it with several people and many of them could not hear it.

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  tall penguin

  I couldn't hear the one you posted but I looked up another article and their file seems to be different and I could hear theirs.
  
  http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/12/technology/12ring.html?ex=1184130000&en=b0c5e3bb75af6dc5&ei=5087&excamp=mkt_at10
  
  tall penguin