Posts by crownboy

22

More intolerance from the Boyscouts

by crownboy in

jw
friends

it's a shame that such bigotry can still exist in america today.. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021105/ap_wo_en_po/us_atheist_scout_2.

atheist says he's been booted from boy scouts tue nov 5, 3:16 am et.

by gene johnson, associated press writer.

crownboy

Mary said:

Sorry, but I don't have any sympathy for this kid.........he SIGNED something saying he believed in a higher power.......in other words, he lied.

Not quite so, from the article it says:

He had declared his atheism to the Scout leaders overseeing his Eagle Scout application last year, but was still granted the award.
"They commended me on my honesty," he said.

So the Scout leaders already knew he was an atheist, even commending him, and still allowed him to be an eagle scout. Now all of a sudden, they change the rules on him and expect him to lie about what he believes?

Of course I agree that the Scouts should be able to dictate who can be a member. I just think it's sad that they use such stupid methodology to choose members, though. Belief in god is not needed to be a moral person; the boy should be judged on his actions and not his beliefs. But I'm especially upset at the fact that they essentially "changed the rules in the middle of the game", and are now rejecting a person who has long made his beliefs known, but has nontheless long been accepted and respected by the group.

BTW, kids are never kicked out just for praying in public schools. I went to public schools in very liberal New York City; I knew lots of kids who prayed organized on school grounds and never were suspended, expelled or even harassed. School sponsored prayer is what is illegal, as the government (through public schools), should not be endorsing religious beliefs in violation of the Constitution. I actually have no problem with school sanctioned daily "moments of silence", though I understand why more rabid church state seperationist are opposed to it. Just as long as outright prayer isn't there, I'm satisfied .

6

Were you nervous for your first talk?

by crownboy in

jw
friends

i still remember my first talk pretty vividly.

i was 8 or 9 at the time, and as a kid that was "born in the truth", it was only natural that i should join the school at that time.

i remember getting my talk slip a good three months before i was to deliver it, and my talk was prepared a full month before the date (this was the only time i had such advanced preparation.

crownboy

I still remember my first talk pretty vividly. I was 8 or 9 at the time, and as a kid that was "born in the truth", it was only natural that I should join the school at that time. I remember getting my talk slip a good three months before I was to deliver it, and my talk was prepared a full month before the date (this was the only time I had such advanced preparation. By my second talk, I had already figured out you could make your talk with only one or two days to spare and still be OK. Hell, I once made a talk I had forgotten, from scratch, minutes before I was supposed to deliver it, and got 2 "G"'s. Of course, talk no.2 is admittedly not the most difficult talk to make.).

I was nervous about delivering it. Sure I had been on stage a couple of times before with my family for service meeting demonstrations (one in which I was running on stage to demonstrate how ill behaved JW children can act after meetings ), but this time I would be up there by myself. I had reviewed and reread the bible passage and introduction and conclusion to the point that I could almost do it by heart. I had my "talk suit" all ready to go two days before the talk was to be given. My mom and dad had critiqued my talk delivery. I knew I could do a good job, but I was still pretty nervous.

Finally, the big night came, and I was in the Kingdom Hall (arrived about 10 minutes early). I found the school overseer, handed in my perfectly unwrinkled assignment slip and unmarked personal speech counsel slip. The kingdom melodies were playing in the background and I was imagining myself on the stage. Then, all of a sudden, the music stopped and the school overseer was on stage.

The song and prayer was handled, and the overseer welcomed everyone to the ministry school as per custom. In reviewing who was assigned to be on the school, my name was mentioned for talk no. 2 in the main hall. I knew I was zeroing in on "game time". The instruction talk and bible highlights that night could not have dragged on longer. My hands had literally turned cold and started sweating. I looked up the scriptures as they were read from the stage, but my mind was really focused on the talk I was about to deliver. I looked over my introduction and conclusion again. I browsed through the bible passage again to make sure I could properly pronounce any potential difficult words. As I already knew, there were no problems, but I was just nervously paranoid.

Finally, the fateful moment arrived. For people in normal or large sized congregations like I was in, the school divided after the bible highlights. I walked toward the platform as some brothers walked toward the second school. I actually felt a little relieved that I had a smaller crowd to work with in case I messed up . Well, the school overseer introduced me and my talk theme (and setting), and of course mentioned that it was my first talk (like the people there didn't already know it). I took a huge breath and walk on the stage.

As the brother adjusted the microphone to my mouth, I took a look at the audience and suddenly, I knew I would be OK. These were people I had known for a long time, people I was comfortable with. Oddly enough, I stopped being nervous and delivered the talk with nary a misqueue. As I ended my talk telling the brothers that they should imitate Joshau and Caleb, and I walked off the stage, I was greeted with a round of applause, as is the custom to do with someone who had a first talk. The brother gave me 2 "G"'s for study no. 21. I sat in the front row untill the song for the service meeting was sang, and was greeted with smiles of approval from my parents as I returned to my seat. Of course, I got the customary congratulations from the manifold members of the congregation after meeting. I was relieved and elated. I had given my first talk. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I was ready for the next one.

So, how many of you were nervous on your first talks? I was never nervous again, hell, I haven't had a talk assignment in months (I'm not complaining ), and while I'd like to let it stay that way, it's certainly not because I'm nervous of going on stage to speak to a group of people who wished they were home doing better things (or maybe it's just me ).

22

More intolerance from the Boyscouts

by crownboy in

jw
friends

it's a shame that such bigotry can still exist in america today.. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021105/ap_wo_en_po/us_atheist_scout_2.

atheist says he's been booted from boy scouts tue nov 5, 3:16 am et.

by gene johnson, associated press writer.

crownboy

It's a shame that such bigotry can still exist in America today.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021105/ap_wo_en_po/us_atheist_scout_2

Atheist says he's been booted from Boy Scouts Tue Nov 5, 3:16 AM ET

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

SEATTLE - A teenage atheist said he has been kicked out of the Boy Scouts for refusing to declare a belief in a higher power.

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Darrell Lambert said he was told of the decision earlier Monday by the Chief Seattle Council, the Scouts' regional governing body.

"Am I bitter? No. Disappointed? Yeah," he said. "We're in the 21st century. Our country was founded on religious freedom, and the Boy Scouts of America are still discriminating."

Lambert said he plans to appeal the decision within the Scouting council within the required 60 days. He is a top-ranked Eagle Scout with 37 merit badges.

On membership applications, Boy Scouts and adult leaders must say they recognize a higher power, although not necessarily a religious one.

As a private organization, the Boy Scouts can bar anyone it chooses from membership. The organization's ban on gay leaders was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2000.

The issue arose about a month ago, after Lambert attended a Boy Scout leadership training seminar where he argued with a Scout leader about whether atheists should be expelled from the organization.

Last week, the council said it would give him about a week to declare his belief in a higher power. Lambert refused, saying that to lie would make him a bad Scout.

The Irving, Texas-based Boy Scouts of America did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Lambert, 19, said he has been an atheist since ninth grade, when he concluded that science had disproved the accounts of creation given in the Bible.

He had declared his atheism to the Scout leaders overseeing his Eagle Scout application last year, but was still granted the award.

"They commended me on my honesty," he said.

His mother told CNN that no one in their family attends church, and that her husband is also an atheist.

"Darrell's not just fighting this for himself. He's fighting this for all the Scouts that have no real belief in God," Trish Lambert said.

307

Super Bowl Predictions

by WildTurkey in

.

im a huge cowboy fan but i dont think they will make it to the super bowl, damn sure would love to be wrong.

ok here is who i think as of right now pittsburgh stealers and san francisco 49ers and god i hate them both, well thats my pick how about you?

crownboy

dubla, I'm well aware of how the Jets performed the last time they played Miami. The key differences in this game is : Miami will not have Fielder (not like he's played well against us for his career), the Jets defense is a whole lot better, and Curtis Martin is healthy enough to keep your defense honest. Instead of Orande Gadsen making a game saving one handed catch over the middle, we'll have a TV analyst fumbling the ball to our conerbacks . If the Super Bowl champs can loose 4 in a row, you guys can loose 3 .

( MY 400TH POST! )

Edited by - crownboy on 7 November 2002 18:43:40

21

Is SYN a Cereal KIller?

by Perry in

jw
friends

dear syn, .

without doing a lot of checking, i recall liking your posts, though to my knowledge we never really exchanged more than a few comments.

and, i'm sure that the person in your photograph is a very nice person.

crownboy

For me, whenever I see that picture, I just start cracking up with laughter. It's damn funny .

How can you people be scared of her? She looks harmless. A little nuts, but not the type that will try to kill you.

307

Super Bowl Predictions

by WildTurkey in

.

im a huge cowboy fan but i dont think they will make it to the super bowl, damn sure would love to be wrong.

ok here is who i think as of right now pittsburgh stealers and san francisco 49ers and god i hate them both, well thats my pick how about you?

crownboy

Well, I'm a huge fan of the N.Y. Jets. Two weeks ago versus Cleveland, I was pretty sure our season was done, but after the total demolition of the 1st place Chargers on Sunday, hope is alive once again.

Well, we're going to play the much hated Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. Hopefully, this will give us the 9th win in the last 10 games against them, and more importantly, pull us closer to 1st place in the AFC East. I liked Lucas when he played for us a couple of years ago, and was actually kind of pissed when they replaced him with Chad Pennington 2 years ago. Now I know why they did it, he's been terrible these last couple games. Hopefully, he won't get any better this Sunday .

Pennington has played great since becoming the starter, but this Miami defense will probably be the best he's faced. If they can eat some clock like they did versus San Diego, I see no problems for us, as our defense should take care of the anemic Miami offense.

Strangely enough, my biggest concern is the fact that the Jets will be playing at home this Sunday, as the Medowlands has not been a kind place for them the last two years. However, one of the few home games they've won was against the Dolphins last year, after trailing big time at the half. So dubla, prepare to be humbled again.

BTW, Reborn2002, Favre may be a great, Hall of Fame quaterback, but I wouldn't call him "arguably the greatest". Barring injury, both Micheal Vick and Donovan Mc. Nabb will be better than him. And don't forget older guys like John Elway, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, Sammy Baugh and Otto Graham (10 consecutive title games).

43

My grandma

by Vivamus in

jw
friends

my grandma was a remarkable woman, with a sense of humour that could crack me up.

and she had the determination to make everything she started a success.

she never gave up, and fought for everything she hold dear.

crownboy

(((Vivamus)))

Sorry to hear about your loss .

Your grandma was a wonderful person from the various posts you have made about her on this board. Loosing a loved one must be tough; death is inevitable and expected in life, but never welcomed, especially with a loved one. Hopefully, as the sorrow fades and you are able to fully cope with your grandma's passing, you will be able to make her live on in the fond memories you and others who loved her have.

25

A First Date

by Dutchie in

jw
friends

its been almost two years since my husband passed away.

i never really though about going out with anyone romantically until just recently.

i was born into the truth.

crownboy

Happy to hear that you had a good time, Dutchie.

Obviously, the JW mindset can be hard to break after many years of indoctrination (for you, a life time), and also your having to deal with your husband's passing probably had something to do with not dating for a while. Hopefully, you'll have more positive experiences to come. Besides, all the stuff you mentioned only happens on the second date .

I'm probably going into the legal profession myself (undecided on exact field). Did you get any flack about going to law school as a JW? What type of law do you specalize in? Is it in the for profit or government/ non profit sector?

As always, I enjoyed your post.

13

Are your sheep gay?

by crownboy in

jw
friends

will god kill the gay sheep as well, christains?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20021104/sc_nm/science_sheep_dc_1.

gay sheep may help explain biology of homosexualsmon nov 4, 1:43 pm et.

crownboy

Will god kill the gay sheep as well, christains?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20021104/sc_nm/science_sheep_dc_1

Gay Sheep May Help Explain Biology of Homosexuals Mon Nov 4, 1:43 PM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Gay sheep that mate only with other rams have different brain structures from "straight" sheep, a finding that may shed light on human sexuality, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

AP Photo

The differences are similar to those seen in some homosexual humans, but probably only go a small way to explaining the causes of different sexual preferences, the team at Oregon Health & Science University said.

"We are not trying to explain human sexuality by this study," Charles Roselli, a professor of physiology and pharmacology who led the study, said in a telephone interview. "Whether this is a big component of what contributes in humans, that's still debatable."

Working with a team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture ( news - web sites )'s Sheep Experiment Station in Dubois, Idaho, Roselli's team studied 27 sheep -- 10 ewes, nine rams that mated only with other rams and eight rams that mated only with females.

The "gay" sheep are strongly homosexual, Roselli said.

"They don't pair-bond," he said. "But they are exclusive. They don't court or mate with females. They only court and mate with males."

First the scientists watched the sheep to be sure of their behavior -- something that cannot be done with humans. Then they took apart their brains.

"There had been reports in humans that a certain area of the hypothalamus, the preoptic area ... was usually larger in males than females," Roselli said. This area was also found to be larger in heterosexual humans than in homosexual men.

But the researchers had used the brains of men who had died of AIDS ( news - web sites) in their study, which meant the disease or drugs used to treat it could have had an effect on the brain.

"With an animal model you can be more selective and do more controlled studies," Roselli said.

The sheep had similar differences in their brains, the researchers told a meeting in Orlando, Florida, of the Society for Neuroscience.

"In a sense we confirmed what been found in humans," Roselli said.

The brain cells in this area also made greater amounts of an enzyme called aromatase in the heterosexual rams. Aromatase is involved in the action of testosterone, the so-called male hormone.

This does not mean the gay rams had less testosterone in their brains, Roselli stressed. "It is not necessarily the activational effect of the hormone," he said. Other types of neurons are probably active -- they just have not found them yet.

No differences in testosterone relating to sexuality have been found either in the sheep or in humans, he said.

"It's not that gay men have lower levels of testosterone," he said. "And it's not the case with these sheep."

Roselli believes that exposure to hormones while still in the mother's womb may affect the brain and cause differences in sexual preference, and more experiments will aim to show whether this is true.

104

Do You Believe In God Or Not?

by minimus in

jw
friends

if you've been associated with the witnesses, believing in god was a necessity.

do you still feel that god exists?

if you believe in god, do you feel that he cares about you?

crownboy

Do You Believe In God Or Not?

Not untill some reliable evidence of the existence of any such being is forthcoming.