Posts by Commie Chris

20

The WT and Native Americans

by Valis in

jw
friends

i was just browsing the officail wt site...hmmm i thought we were, but just for the sake of this post i'll admit going there.

they have an article at the url below which i thought was hillarious.

it talks about how the native americans are facing more and more assimilation and the destruction of thier indigenous culture by "the world".

I am an Indigenous Canadian (I am Metis). The article refered to is indeed ironic. The JWs have made few inroads in recruiting Native people for a variety of reasons. One reason is the Dubs' insistence on conformity and rules. Most Native cultures emphasize personal freedom and autonomy, even for children. Most Native people today are nominal "christians" (mostly Catholic) and most want nothing to do with missionaries of any kind. Missionaries played a large role in the colonization of our people and the attempted cultural genocide. Native communities are only now just beginning to recover from the destructive effects of "christianizing".

BTW, totem poles are not Inuit ("Eskimo" is derogatory). They were and still are built by the Pacific coast First Nations.

62

Taliban prisoners in Cuba

by Abaddon in

jw
friends

does this trouble anyone?.

it seems semantic tom-foolery to declare a war on terrorism, and then to say that prisoners of the war are not prisoners of war.. it also seems very suspect keeping them of proper usa soil, as where they are they are out of sight, mind, or appeal by civil-rights factions.. do not get me wrong.. i am not saying, "ah, poor ickle terrorists".. but in a war against terror, surely taking each and every opportunity to distance yourself from your enemies is the wisest and best course of action?.

why do anything that is even remotely dodgy or underhand?.

Commie Chris

One of the alleged fundamental differences between the U.S. and regimes such as the Taliban is that the U.S. stands for the rule of law and the right not to be deprived of liberty without due process. Only dictatorships casually dispense with fundamental human rights through such preposterous and duplicitous technical excuses as "they're not really soldiers so we don't have to apply the rules of the Geneva Convention to them, and they're not U.S. citizens so we don't need to accord them the rights of due process". The U.S. either believes in fundamental freedoms or it does not - you can't have it both ways.

6

Toronto Jan. 18-20-I want to meet you

by Pierced Angel in

jw
friends

i've missed countless "apostofests" and am finally getting a weekend away to toronto.

will anyone be around to meet for lunch/dinner?

i'll be with a friend and we'll be bringing our kiddos.

Commie Chris

I'll be around, at least on Saturday. How old are your kids. I have 2 little ones - 3 and 15 months.

49

Brief Explanation

by joelbear in

jw
friends

my path needs to be revamped.. i do plan to have a serious discussion with elders and attend the kingdom hall.

where that will lead, time will tell.. i am not leaving mitch.

even if i did become a jehovah's witness and celibate again he would love me just the same and i him.. you cannot become ungay.

Commie Chris

Thanks Joel.

6

Aposto-Fest, Nawlin's Style!!!!

by bigboi in

jw
friends

well, it sorta was like one.

i just had the pleasure of meeting the hilarious six of nine here in new orleans.

seems ol boy had some work to do down yonder and was gracious enough to invite the bigster out for a drink.

Commie Chris

I might be in nawlins in early Feb.

23

I'M A NEWBIE! My story...

by terafera in

i just came across this site not too long ago and have been reading the stories.

i am filled with relief and at the same time frustration mixed with tears, because i have been holding my story in and not sharing it with anyone, except my husband.

i have felt many of the feelings expressed here but was afraid to say them out loud for fear of being an 'apostate'.

Commie Chris

Thanks for your story, and welcome. Alcohol and JWs seem to go together. When I was a JW I drank heavily, as did many others I knew. I think it was a kind of self-medication to help in denying our feelings of guilt and sadness over belonging to and promoting an organization that we knew at a deeper level is a seriously dishonest and dysfunctional cult. Anyway, Im out and sober now and I am always glad to hear when others like yourself have broken free. Again, welcome.

7

Thanks, Had nice visit with parents

by joelbear in

jw
friends

thanks for the positive thoughts.

i had a nice visit with my parents.

my father even called mitch son, i almost passed out.. we chatted a lot about their lives and their friends.

Commie Chris

Glad to hear it Joel. I wish you and everyone a happy and peaceful New Year.

- Chris

20

2002, Starting Over

by joelbear in

since i "came out" in more than one way 13 years ago, i have basically only had gay friends.

i am friendly with one or two people at work, but these friendships do not extend into my personal life.

recently this has turned into just having bear friends.

Commie Chris

Joel: Toronto has a huge Gay Pride Week every summer. I think it's in July and I'm told it attracts a million visitors every year. I'm sure an apostafest could be time to coincide if you come up.

- Chris

11

Creationist Red Herrings

by Abaddon in

jw
friends

everytime i hear someone say anything about how there are 'no transitional fossils' (fish-amphibians, amphibians-reptiles etc.

), i generally ignore it.. why?

because if they say that, it tends to indicate the person saying it has restricted their research to pro-creation sites that generally repeat one of the classic fifty or so creationist arguements.

Commie Chris

This subject interested me a great deal when I was a JW. I really wanted to believe that the WT was right about creationism, but I could never accept it without looking at both sides of the issue for myself. I read several books, including:

Science and Creationism, ed. Ashley Montagu (Oxford Books)
Scientists Confront Creationism, ed. Laurie Godfrey (Norton)
Science on Trial, The Case for Evolution, by Douglas Futuyama (Pantheon Books)

I eventually became convinced that evolution is a fact, but I could personally reconcile evolution with the existence of a creator god. What was disturbing, however, was the hostility of the elders to any personal research on my part on this subject. I was repeatedly warned that I was being influenced by demons and I was labelled "bad association" because I refused to accept the WT dogma which was clearly contradicted by overwhelming evidence.

13

Evolution-bias(exposed)

by moman in

jw
friends

why haz this debate on (evolution v/s creation) stil lively & well after all these years, when,it iz impossible to prove either case?.

posters like (jan) exibit lots of arrogance & name calling when challanged, why?.

my theory: people that have been involved in some religion (like the borg),after finding out they have been deceived swing their scale too far to the opposite side in a typical "overaction!

Commie Chris

I have no bias. I would love to be convinced that the variety of life on this planet was created by a god rather than through the forces of evolution, and that humans did not evolve from other life forms. When I was a J-W I studied both evolution and the Biblical creationist theories. If anything, I was biased towards wanting to believe in creation and wanting to be convinced that evolution was just another unproven theory. But I kept an open mind and continued studying, against the wishes of the anti-intellectual elders. Eventually I came to the conclusion that "creationism" is pseudo-scientific mythology. The evidence for evolution is overwhelming. The worst thing about this whole "debate" is the rank dishonesty of most of the peddlers of "creation science". I found numerous cases of them (including the WT) falsifying evidence, and desceptively mis-quoting and selectively quoting from authors of scientific papers. Science has no need to resort to such tactics. "Creationism" is not science.