i'm not into politics and don't put much stock in the government having anything to do with my happiness, but i decided it would be a new experience and why not.. i have to admit it felt good.
seeing democracy in action was great and as small as my 1 little vote is, it feels empowering to have a say..
I'm not into politics and don't put much stock in the government having anything to do with my happiness, but I decided it would be a new experience and why not.
I have to admit it felt good. Seeing democracy in action was great and as small as my 1 little vote is, it feels empowering to have a say.
ok, now that this team has gone 16-0, the pressure is going to be turned up an infinite amount of notches.
good luck.
as for the surviving 1972 miami dolphins, guess you have to keep that champagne on ice a little while longer.
It's been an unbelievable run being a Boston sports fan here!!! The Red Sox, Patriots and even the Celtics now.
Hats off to the Giants--they had nothing to gain and played a great game.
There is indeed a lot of pressure on the Patriots but they are a veteran, professional team that can handle it.
The biggest concern is the defense, they're aging and have given up a lot of points recently. This week off will be a big help.
i posted this a while ago, thought i'd repost as some newbies might find it interesting.. .
"the american religion" by harold bloom.
he reviews and critiques american born religions and has a chapter on jw's.
I posted this a while ago, thought I'd repost as some newbies might find it interesting. "The American Religion" by Harold Bloom. He reviews and critiques American born religions and has a chapter on Jw's.Here's some quotes: Opening sentence of chapter- " Every national faith is bound to call forth it's antitype, and ours has produced it's anthithesis in the pecularily stark phenomenon of the Jehovah's Witnesses." "And though Jehovah is the universal father, to us as to Jesus, he is not a particularily loving father. Power , not love, is his true attribute always." "The power of Jehovah is the obsessive concern of the Witnesses. So intense is this exaltation of power in the Witnesses' writings that I must catergorize it as pathological." " The writings of Russell and Rutherford offend anyone's sense of human dignity, provided such a sense exists. They propose a theocratic Fascism that is not mitigated by assigning the dictatorship to a tyrant they call Jehovah." "What makes Jehovah's Witnesses different is not their expectation of destruction, but their violent hatred of what will be destroyed, which is to say:our country, our world, our common planet...There are no positive elements in existence the Witnesses seek to salvage:they wish to see all of us vanish, and as quickly as possible." He quotes DH. Lawrence "The Apocalypse does not worship power. It wants to murder the powerful, to seize power itself,the weakling." Bloom-"There, in my own judgement, is the heart of the aspiration of the Jehovah's Witnesses...Intellectually weak, spiritually empty, Jehovah's Witnesses dreams of seizing power itself, so as to share in the majesty of the great Theocrat, Jehovah." " But no one, including the major theocrats of the Watchtower Society, ever fully understands the Witnesses' chronology. Chronology has followed chronolgy, and will be followed by more. It is not the dates or even the patterns of chronology that seem to matter, but rather the idea of chronology itself." "No other sect has so abounded in the mystical mathematics of the city of heaven, or has so gratified the American appetite for supposed fact. That there are no immutable dates, or even unchanging doctrines, does not seem to bother the majority of Witnesses.There is something not unimaginative, even if a touch zany, about the movements capacity for absorbing changes in doctrine." "Yet what a superb imaginative achievement they would be if they were American fiction rather than American fact. Even our most apocalyptic writers could not have conceived Russell, Rutherford and their followers.If the entire movement had been created in the writings of Herman Melville or Nathaniel West...we would find no grander invention in those dark visionaries of our culture." He goes on to give a factual and hilarious rendition of the end of the world as Witnesses see it.( To long to post right now. ) And concludes: "I have omitted a mass of details, but they do little to alter this pattern.What can most of us do with such a narrative? Lurid and cruel, it contrasts poorly with the apocalyptic elements in early Mormonism or even with the eschatological longings of Seventhday Adventism. Though there are a number of rather savage apocalytptic scenerios current among the American Fundamentalists, I am aware of none quite so inhumane as the Jehovah's Witnesses account of the End of our Time. There is something peculiarly childish in these Watchtower yearnings: they remind me of why very small children cannot be left alone with wounded and suffering household pets." Anyway, the chapter is a great read as you can imagine. Bloom's new book " Jesus and Yahweh , the Names Divine" is excellent as well. | |
somebody here was asking for "tearjerkers" the other day.
be sure not to miss this one.
very powerful movie.. changeling .
Just saw the movie and it was great!!!
Penn did an amazing job in telling the story beautifully, just as Krakeuer wrote it. It cuts to the core of issues that McCandless wrangled with and stood for. It strikes notes of truth in everyone's heart.
Along with an amazing soundtrack by Vedder it was intense, grand and beautiful.
somebody here was asking for "tearjerkers" the other day.
be sure not to miss this one.
very powerful movie.. changeling .
Great book-- can't wait to see the movie!
Check out Krakauer's "Under The Banner of Heaven" another great book he's written, this one about the Mormon's.
It played a large part in opening my eyes to the Watchtower in seeing the many similarities.
like most everyone here, i had a painful yet liberating exiting of the org.. one of the most difficult parts was saying goodbye to a dear friend.
he couldn't believe that i no longer was a "believer", and during our last conversation 3 years ago, he ran out in tears extremely upset.
i told him that i would always love him and thought there was a good chance that that was the last time i'd ever talk to him.. however last week......he called me!!!!.
I don't know if he'll do much research, he was never one to do much anyway. Raised as a Witness, he like most, has just done what he was told to do.
In short, it'll be easy for him to extracate his mind because it was never really intellectual for him. He's just an absolutely fun loving soul that wants to be free and is going where his heart takes him.
Glad this story brings some happiness to you all!!
like most everyone here, i had a painful yet liberating exiting of the org.. one of the most difficult parts was saying goodbye to a dear friend.
he couldn't believe that i no longer was a "believer", and during our last conversation 3 years ago, he ran out in tears extremely upset.
i told him that i would always love him and thought there was a good chance that that was the last time i'd ever talk to him.. however last week......he called me!!!!.
I've long dreamt of making a post like this just as I'm sure many of you have as well.
Dreams can come true!
I've always felt somewhere deep within in me that somehow, some way, this is all headed in a positive direction and now I'm just going to try and enjoy the ride and see how things unfold.
i haven't been on jwd for the last few days as my good friend had her mum die suddenly and i have been spending time just being there for my friend.. i was shocked and saddened to hear that trevor and linda was a sham.
it's sometimes hard not to become cynical with life and not trust anyone when this sort of thing happens.. i have made a big decision and i hope that i don't live to regret it.
i have posted that i have been trying to "fade" as my son and his family are jw's and i don't want to lose them because of being shunned.
I hear you Maddie and my heart goes out to you.
For what it's worth, in my experience leaving and observing other friends that have left as well, I think the healthiest action for yourself AND those you love, is to live YOUR truth. It can be scary as hell considering how people will react but I've watched some people sort of hide and not live honestly and it keeps them stuck and unhappy.
The most loving thing we can do for our friends and family is to be open and up front despite their reaction. If we only present a facade then what's real between us? Trust yourself and see what happens.
Just my thoughts, everyone's path is different and all take courage. My blessings to you.
F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal
like most everyone here, i had a painful yet liberating exiting of the org.. one of the most difficult parts was saying goodbye to a dear friend.
he couldn't believe that i no longer was a "believer", and during our last conversation 3 years ago, he ran out in tears extremely upset.
i told him that i would always love him and thought there was a good chance that that was the last time i'd ever talk to him.. however last week......he called me!!!!.
Like most everyone here, I had a painful yet liberating exiting of the Org.
One of the most difficult parts was saying goodbye to a dear friend. He couldn't believe that I no longer was a "believer", and during our last conversation 3 years ago, he ran out in tears extremely upset. I told him that I would always love him and thought there was a good chance that that was the last time I'd ever talk to him.
However last week......He called me!!!!
He's been sort of fading and going thru a seperation with his wife and so kind of out in "no man's land". He needs friends and support which he's not getting or going to get from his family. So he's contacted some of us that have left.
When he called I couldn't believe I was actually talking to my old friend!! We had him over yesterday and it was like old times. He's got a rough road ahead of him but he's on the way out. We made plans to do some of the things we've always done together (hiking , concerts ect.) Can't wait!
I relate this story to all of you who are hurting and missing your friends and family. You truly never know what's going to happen.
Be patient, live your truth and don't give up hope!!!!!
What a party last night!...I'm still a little hung over.
Along with the Patriots it's a great time to be a Boston sports fan.
