CPiolo

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Posts by CPiolo

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  8

  My husband embarrassed me this weekend....

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ....without even knowing it.. we went to a wedding saturday night and sat next to a close friend who is dating the mother of the groom.. he is white, and the groom's mom is half filipina/half mexican.

  he was telling my hubby and me how in love with her he is, but he was worried about overcoming 'cultural' differences.. then my hubby tells him it's no big deal we also had to overcome big cultural differences.

  (i think he's gonna say how he grew up poor in the south bronx, i was traveling the world or how he was a college basketball star, i never finished college, or how he's black, i'm 1/4 black and never made any effort to identify with 'black churches' or "naacp" or something.....).

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  CPiolo

  LDW:

  Like your husband, I too am married to a woman raised as a JW (who since we've married has return to the organization). As well she is from another culture -- Latin American, her native tongue is different than mine -- Spanish, is of different ancestry and racial background (although you would never know it and she would be hard pressed to admit it); she has some indigenous South American blood.

  When we were telling others we planned to be married, they all warned us of the difficulties we would face because of our cultural differences. That lifestyle and attitude in the U.S. was so different than that of Latin America. That things would be difficult because of this, and that we should be prepared for the difficulties ahead and be patient with each other. All in all, pretty good advice.

  While their advice was good, and we've had some difficulties due to the previously mentioned issues, the single most disruptive thing in our marriage and relationship has been my wife's involvement with Jehovah's Witnesses. Their way of thinking, their intolerance, dogmatism, phobias, fears, isolationism, distrust of anything outside the organization, blind loyalty to the organization and anything published by the Watchtower, self-rightious superiority, and all the encumbent problems (rational, pyschological and emotional) that accompany these have caused us more problems than any other differences we might have -- culture, language, ethnicity, gender, etc. It so so alien to my way of thinking and who I am, far more so than her nationality, culture, or whatever other differences we may have. It can be extremely trying to find some common ground in which to meet.

  So while your husband may have hurt your feelings or embarrassed you, he might well have been right on the mark as well. Being in a similar situation, I can certainly relate to what he said, although it probably would have been better said in private between just the two of you. There's no need to air one's dirty laundry in public or to cause someone you love undue embarrassment or pain.

  Peace and blessings,

  CPiolo
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  4

  "A History of God" on A&E TV Network

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i watched part last night but fell asleep.

  it was fascinating, discussing the 'history' of yahweh and other important "gods".

  if you didn't get a chance to see it, watch the schedule hopefully it will be on again, or you can order it here.. http://store.aetv.com/cgi-bin/ae.storefront/0/ext/outsideframe/ut/32/product/18212

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  CPiolo

  LDH:

  I watched bits and pieces with my fervent JW wife. At one point Elaine Pagels was talking about how the account of Jesus' birth mirrors the earlier account of Mithra's birth. While doing so she mentioned that while we celebrate Jesus' birth on the same day as Mithra's, no one knows when Jesus was born. My wife immediately chimed in "That's why we don't celebrate Christmas. No one knows when Jesus was born." Of course, this is only partially true, but it was if she hadn't heard the part about the Biblical account of Jesus's birth mirroring a pagan god's. She only heard the part that justified her beliefs. While we all do this to some extent, it was interesting to see it in action and to the degree she did so. Makes me wonder if I'm as blind to things that threaten my beliefs as she can be.

  Peace,
  CPiolo
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  12

  C-14 MADE SIMPLE

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  c-14 made simple .

  i am reading with amazement the comments about c-14 dating.

  thankfully, larc brought my older posts on this back to the top.

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  CPiolo

  Amazing:

  You've been the prolific poster the past couple of days. All fine posts! Thanks for the insight.

  CPiolo
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  23

  ARE AVERAGE JWs DECEPTIVE?

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i ask this because on this and other forums that have a large share of former jws, our stated experiences and encounters during and after our jw membership seem to reflect that the wts and its body of believers are most corrupt.

  likewise, those never associated who read our posts may get the impression that even visiting a kingdom hall may result in serious negative events.. i believe that it is important to remind everyone that the average jw is a generally good person.

  most try to live good lives, act on their beliefs, and promote what they feel is the truth.

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  CPiolo

  Openminded:

  In light of the Watchtower's propensity to attack and criticize other religions and those who don't adhere to their belief system, I find your mother's response disingenuous. They have a lengthy history of attacking any and all they feel don't measure up to their standards. When the shoe is on the other foot, your mother cries sour grapes.

  Alan's "attacks" are well documented, well thought out and logical. He doesn't engage in ad hominems or personal attacks without sufficient provocation ;). His "attacks" are criticism, and as such they are intended to help people grow, not to viciously tear them down or ridicule them, to see things they might not have seen on their own. In order to grow, one needs criticism so that they might see where they have gone wrong or where improvement can be made. The Bible says that we should correct others when we can, and the Watchtower urges everyone to be sure of all things. Everyone and every organization can benefit from constuctive criticism.

  The line between constuctive and destructive criticism can be a fine one. Oftentimes it comes down to one's motivation. No one but the individual and his maker truly know what motivates that person. But, judging from my experience observing Alan in the numerous dialogues in which I've seen him engage, he has almost always demonstrated enormous patience and an unselfish willingness to help others in any way he might. In light of this, I believe his "attacks" are more than justified, especially considering the Watchtower's own behavior in that regard.

  Peace,
  CPiolo
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  10

  JW Pedophile Hits Close to Home

  by Amazing in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  this is brief because family members have asked that i remain low-key for the present when on public forums regarding this specific case.

  i have provided greater details in a private forum.. many of you may recall my justice series on h20 where i dealt with the issue of pedophiles among jws, often drawn from my experience as an elder.

  while serving as an elder i did object to the failure of elders to report pedophiles to the authorities.

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  CPiolo

  Amazing:

  My heart goes out to you and your family. I have been close to several people who have been molested as children and teens, and am well aware of the devastating effects it can have. I wish you luck in the pursuit of justice and punishment of the guilty.

  Peace and blessings,

  CPiolo
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  14

  Each day with JW boyfriend....

  by Camay in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is becoming more & more intolerable, this fool has now taken.

  to sleeping on the sofa and thinks he will be able to get a apartment.

  with horrible credit.. i am trying not to become bitter and mean but its very hard, to see a grown man whine about his "soul" and the more i think about it.

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  CPiolo

  Camay:

  As a non-JW married to a JW, I have found my wife's religion interferes in more ways with our relationship than I ever imagined it could. New phobias, irrational attitudes and prejudices continue to surface, even after four years or so. Some things I never imagined could be connected to her religion, but after much investigation and studying of her belief system, its methods of indoctrination and of maintaining order within the rank and file members, I have discovered a great deal. If you decide to continue your relationship with this gentleman, you are in for a long uphill battle. What you decide is ultimately up to you; what you're willing to put up with and endure no one but you knows. I would advise you to learn as much as you can about Jehovah's Witnesses and how this might effect you, your boyfriend, your relationship, and any children you might have if you decided to take that plunge. All the best.

  CPiolo
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  8

  Bethel respond to this!

  by ISP in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  witnesses abstain from blood, right.....cool.

  but] they will eat blood that is contained in meat i.e.

  steak etc.

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  CPiolo

  ISP:

  From what I can see JWs don't abstain from blood, they abstain from whole blood transfusions.

  As you pointed out, they ingest whole blood when eating (unkosher) meat. They receive blood products in vaccinations. They receive a lot of residual blood when receiving organ transplants. They receive transfusions of "approved" fractions. In addition, as someone once facetiously pointed out, all Witnesses have blood flowing through their veins (although some might be of another opinion), and would have to remove all the blood from their body to completely abstain from blood.

  Only when trying to save God's most precious gift -- life-- do they refuse God's symbol for life --blood.

  CPiolo
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  1

  Now this explains a lot

  by wasasister in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those of you who still have questions about why the universe is as it is: http://www.theonion.com/onion3716/god_diagnosed_bipolar.html

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  CPiolo

  Wasasister:

  The Almighty is also in some hot water the the U.S. government. Read about it here:

  http://www.theonion.com/onion3124/lordprovide.html

  CPiolo
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  14

  Was It Too Much For My Dub In The Pub?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  evenin' all,.

  i'm feeling a little disappointed with my jw pal, the dub in the pub.. we were having a good conversation over a few beers, and i actually got him to admit that he couldn't see the connection between the parable about the fds and the 144,000 any more than i could.. yes, yes, yes!

  i thought, now we're talking!

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  CPiolo

  Englishman:

  See Dogpatch's post "Why our beliefs are true..."

  Cheers,

  CPiolo
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  2

  Doubting the story of Exodus

  by CPiolo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those interested the los angeles times ran a story about recent archaelogical finds supporting the notion that the story of exodus is, for the most part, a legend, and how a rabbi shared this information with his congregation for the first time, even though religious scholars have known this for 10-15 years or so.

  of course, there is no consensus.. the story can be found here: .

  http://www.latimes.com/news/columns/colone/20010412/t000031433.html.

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  CPiolo

  For those interested the Los Angeles Times ran a story about recent archaelogical finds supporting the notion that the story of Exodus is, for the most part, a legend, and how a rabbi shared this information with his congregation for the first time, even though religious scholars have known this for 10-15 years or so. Of course, there is no consensus.

  The story can be found here:

  http://www.latimes.com/news/columns/colone/20010412/t000031433.html

  CPiolo