Posts by NYCkid

23

"The Great Armageddon Retirement Fund" - A Rant by Princess Daisy Boo

by Princess Daisy Boo in

first a bit of background (in case you are not familiar with my family history)... my mom is 68, my dad is 63. they run their own small business which involves my dad travelling all over the country and my mom running the office.

my dad is an insulin dependant diabetic and my mom suffers from chronic high blood pressure.

my only sibling is a sister who is 27 and lives in bethal.she is a housekeeper and her husband repairs the shoes there.. today i call my mom to say hi... the conversation goes something like this..... me: so when are you going back to work mom?.

NYCkid

Daisy Boo,

I'm right there with you sister. I'm going bald with the hair I'm pulling out. My father passed away last year and my mother has already gone through half of his small life insurance. Other than what's left of the insurance and a little 401k money, she has no savings to speak of. She's planning on retiring next year with about $25,000 in her 401k because she wants to pioneer. Last year before we stopped talking, I sat her down to review her monthly expenses and the money she will need for medical care, home and car emergency expenses. Her future is really bleak. She paused for about 5 seconds, then declared that she's not worried, Jehovah will take care of her and besides, "Armageddon is coming".......aaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhh

A while back I calculated the hours they spent in the JW door-to-door work. With at least 50 years each at 10 hours a month (not counting auxilary pioneering a month each year, bible studies and countless hours at elder meetings), if they were paid for the time they spent at the current hourly minimum wage of their state, they would have earned $73,800. I didn't calculate what they spent on gas and the cost of a new car plus the finance charges every 5 years or so. The last 20 years, they have always purchased a a mini-van "especially for field service.

My siblings who are still in the religion are just has hopeless regarding planning for the future. As the black sheep of the family, nothing I say or do will convince them to save for the future.

Again, I feel your pain.

Best regards,

NYCkid

10

In light of the teddy bear named Muhammad.....

by NYCkid in

jw
friends

regarding the teddy bear named muhammad by a class in a prestigious private school in sudan and the ensuing controversy, which is a prime example of religious fundamentalism (or religious extremism if you prefer) gone awry, i thought i'd incite some conflict in good 'ol usa..... jehovah is a self-centered tyrantjesus is a wine-loving homeless hippieallah is jehovah's alter-egomoses is warlockjoseph smith is a pedophilebuddah is a pregnant hermaphroditethe governing body of jehovah's witnesses are brainless, racist and closeted homosexual alcoholicsthere, that feels better.. best,.

nyckid.

NYCkid

Mike, great point about tolerance. It would be nice to see the so-called progressive Muslim nations (e.g. Turkey, Saudia Arabia, Pakistan) denouncing the way the Sudan government is handling the matter. Although I believe a leading Islam organization in Britain has denounced the ridiculous sentence. Considering what is happening in western Sudan (Darfur), it's no surprise that Islam isn't a religion concerned with human rights.

10

In light of the teddy bear named Muhammad.....

by NYCkid in

jw
friends

regarding the teddy bear named muhammad by a class in a prestigious private school in sudan and the ensuing controversy, which is a prime example of religious fundamentalism (or religious extremism if you prefer) gone awry, i thought i'd incite some conflict in good 'ol usa..... jehovah is a self-centered tyrantjesus is a wine-loving homeless hippieallah is jehovah's alter-egomoses is warlockjoseph smith is a pedophilebuddah is a pregnant hermaphroditethe governing body of jehovah's witnesses are brainless, racist and closeted homosexual alcoholicsthere, that feels better.. best,.

nyckid.

NYCkid

Regarding the teddy bear named Muhammad by a class in a prestigious private school in Sudan and the ensuing controversy, which is a prime example of religious fundamentalism (or religious extremism if you prefer) gone awry, I thought I'd incite some conflict in good 'ol USA....

Jehovah is a self-centered tyrant
Jesus is a wine-loving homeless hippie
Allah is Jehovah's alter-ego
Moses is warlock
Joseph Smith is a pedophile
Buddah is a pregnant hermaphrodite
The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses are brainless, racist and closeted homosexual alcoholics

There, that feels better.

Best,

NYCkid

29

funny thing about being sad...especially now of all times w/ snow & NBC

by oompa in

jw
friends

i have to get feeing better soon.

i don't mind some ups and downs, but staying low for days at a time just ain't right.

somebody here was talking about snow the other day and how the elders would almost never cancel the meeting.

NYCkid

WE DONT WANT TO HEAR YOUR TRUTHS YOU THINK YOU HAVE FOUND, LEAVE US ALONE AND LET US HAVE OUR TRUTH (illusion).

Oompa, I hear ya. Your statement above reminds me of an illustration about illusions and truth in Plato's "allegory of the cave" in his book The Republic. You can google this to find the text and many interpretations, but to summarize, Plato talks about cavemen who in a cave, are chained, and whose faces are turned toward the stone wall before them. Behind them lies a light source that they cannot see, but it throws shadowy immaes on the wall and is both what they only know and believe. One of the cavemen breaks his chain, escapes the cave and is blinded by the sun and stammers around until his eyes adjust to the light. He sees everything outside of the cave and with excitement, returns to the cave to tell everyone what he saw and to leave the cave, but they are not interested in the least and only want to believe their truth of the shadows on the wall.

Most who study Plato believe that the caveman who escapes represents "the philosopher" (like Plato) and the sun represents truth and science. I'll leave any interpretations to you, but I think Plato's allegory of the cave is so appropriate for us who have left the JWs.

Hang in there,

NYCkid

177

Barbara Anderson is on NBC Nightly News Tonight 11/21/07

by AndersonsInfo in

a producer with nbc in new york called within the past hour to tell me that the segment i interviewed for (once in nashville, tn in august and once in washington, dc in october) is set to air tonight on nbc nightly news with brian williams, that is, if no huge calamity takes place to bump the feature.

this piece will be two minutes and 45 seconds long, the longest slot nightly news has for topics of interest, and will feature a discussion about the court documents that are found on the cd i recently produced, "secrets of pedophilia in an american religion, jehovah's witnesses in crisis.

in addition, nbc's internet site, msn, will follow with a detailed story.

NYCkid

Good job Barbara for working to get the truth out. I just saw it and it was good reporting.

A higher power must have directed me tonight since I didn't know before hand that the segment was airing. I literally had just turned on the TV when Brian introduced the story and showed a photo of a K.H. sign, I was like what???. Athough I usually watch Katie on CBS, I thought I'd check out NBC. Then of course I had to log on to JWD to see the buzz and add my two cents.

Let's hope this will help the JWs to establish and enforce a world-wide policy on reporting all child abuse accusations to law-enforcement authorities.

NYCkid

64

Come on people! Can we inundate this paper with protests?

by Shawn10538 in

i mean, there is so much bullshit talk on this site, and every time there comes up an opportunity to take some action, you all just wus out.

what will it take for you all to get a spine and do something?

write a letter or email to this paper and let them know how you feel about their article.

NYCkid

Simmer down Shawn...lol

This is what I sent:

I am writing to respond to Mr. Johnson's article regarding Jehovah's Witnesses. Unless the article served as a free marketing opportunity for the Waynesville congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, the reporting was highly subjective and one-sided. In the interest of truth, had Mr. Johnson investigated more thoroughly, he would have discovered that the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are not compatible with religious tolerance or intellectual reason.

Since their only creed is the Bible, they interpret it literally regardless of conflicting interpretation of outside theologians, Bible scholars or modern mores. As a result, they believe that anyone who does not join their religion will perish very soon, at Armageddon which will mark the second return of Jesus Christ. Since there are just over seven million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide, billions of the world's inhabitants will die. I wonder if the residents of Waynesville appreciate how their Jehovah's Witness neighbors view them?

Furthermore, their policy of disfellowshipping (a term not found in any Bible translation or version) is not a loving act and serves only to divide families based merely on the fact that one chooses to no longer practice the religions practices or beliefs. Parents, children and grandchildren are shunned by their own family members, many who have had no contact for years. In an age where a dramatic change in the nuclear family unit is taking place, their policy encourages family breakdown.

I hope that Mr. Johnson will engage in more objective, fair and balanced reporting in the future.

9

Are JW's former Chiliasts?

by NYCkid in

hey, i was reading karl marx today for one of my college classes and he mentions briefly the chiliasts and i quote, "in their minds [french revolutionists] may 2, 1852, had become a fixed idea, a dogma, like the day on which christ should reappear and the millennium begin, in the minds of the chiliasts.

" the footnote goes on to say about the chiliasts, "the adherents of an ancient christian sect, who believed in the second coming of christ and in the establishment of the millennium, a thousand years of pardise on earth.

obviously this mention of the millennium believing chiliasts struck my curiosity since that is exactly what jws believe especially when chiliasts believed that satan would be let loose at the end of the 1000 years for one final battle.

NYCkid

Thanks Fjrprice,

I find this sort of thing fascinating and you've sparked my curiosity further. I didn't realize that the Jews had a collection of apocalyptic books. These must have had an influence with the New Testament's book of Revelation??? How far back do these writings go? Yes, it all sounds very familiar especially with the pro Iran war, Christian and Jewish Zionist movement going on right now (Rev. Hagee and the like). Can you recommend any books that discuss the ancient Jewish apocalyptic movement, etc? Generally I find it fascinating how the JWs and other fundamentalists (including Jewish and Islamic fundamentalists) interpret the holy books literally and with such morbid fervor.

By the way, congratulations on your ordination. Catholics are the beholders of some of the world's most extraordinarily beautiful churches.

Best,

NYCkid

20

I did my first "bad" thing...question about voter registration

by B_Deserter in

jw
friends

i was at work yesterday and was asked if i wanted to put $5 down on a square the guys had going on for nascar.

i had been asked before, and always said "no thanks," but this time, i had some cash on me (which is a rare thing), so i decided i might as well try it.

so there you have it, i gambled.

NYCkid

Congratulations on gambling. The first time I did slots in Atlantic City (post-JW) , I won $170.00 on a $20.00 play. Thankfully I didn't play anymore and enjoyed the weekend with my winnings. I don't gamble much other than the lottery.

Anyway, everyone gave you good advice about voting registration but I wanted to add a few things. You can find detailed information regarding your states election/registration laws on the internet. I found the link for you (http://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,1607,7-127-1633-49313--,00.html). It depends on your state, but some allow you to register without declaring a party, but generally you can only vote in the primaries for specific party that you are registered for. It depends on your state of course.

I remember feeling very nervous the first time I voted but now I try to vote in every local and national election. It's our right, especially since we pay taxes and should have a say who makes a decision on how to spend our money...among other things of course. I even became involved in the 2004 John Kerry campaign and worked my way up to volunteer coordinator and hosted meetings and events at my apartment...it was great fun although I regret supporting the jerk, but at the time, anyone was better than what we have until Jan 2009.

Best,

NYCkid

9

Are JW's former Chiliasts?

by NYCkid in

hey, i was reading karl marx today for one of my college classes and he mentions briefly the chiliasts and i quote, "in their minds [french revolutionists] may 2, 1852, had become a fixed idea, a dogma, like the day on which christ should reappear and the millennium begin, in the minds of the chiliasts.

" the footnote goes on to say about the chiliasts, "the adherents of an ancient christian sect, who believed in the second coming of christ and in the establishment of the millennium, a thousand years of pardise on earth.

obviously this mention of the millennium believing chiliasts struck my curiosity since that is exactly what jws believe especially when chiliasts believed that satan would be let loose at the end of the 1000 years for one final battle.

NYCkid

Hey, I was reading Karl Marx today for one of my college classes and he mentions briefly the Chiliasts and I quote, "In their minds [French Revolutionists] May 2, 1852, had become a fixed idea, a dogma, like the day on which Christ should reappear and the millennium begin, in the minds of the Chiliasts." The footnote goes on to say about the Chiliasts, "The adherents of an ancient Christian sect, who believed in the second coming of Christ and in the establishment of the millennium, a thousand years of pardise on earth."

Obviously this mention of the millennium believing Chiliasts struck my curiosity since that is exactly what JWs believe especially when Chiliasts believed that Satan would be let loose at the end of the 1000 years for one final battle. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Chiliasts? Apparently they were a sect as early as the 3rd century A.D. I did a google search and came up with some interesting stuff most notably on the link (http://www.preteristarchive.com/PartialPreterism/hill-charles_04_01.html). Anyway, I have come across other religion sects in my readings (primarily sects from post-Reformation Europe) that had similar beliefs and practices that the JWs still have today, like the Anabaptists for example. It's kind of interesting now since I was raised a JW and had always thought (or was taught) that the JWs were original in their beliefs.

Anyway, I find it interesting...should have been a religion major...lol If anyone knows about Chiliasm, I'd love to learn more.

Best,

NYCkid

21

WERE HERE ANY DYSFUNCTIAL FAMILIES IN YOUR CONGREGATIOON?

by badboy in

jw
friends

any takers?

NYCkid

One of my old congregations was the epitome of dysfunctional. Several step family combos, a few whose divorced spouses had been reinstated and then remarried...boy that was uncomfortable, and then the brother with the metal plate in his head who would lay down on the floor behind the last row during every meeting to relieve his headaches. Also the mentally disabled women in town who someone called on one day and ended up converting, she never had so many friends and somehow my family always got stuck with transporting her to meetings and assemblies (a few other familes were too good to be bothered), the child molester (he converted to JWs while in prison and then eventually was released - he was a real creep). Several families with 5 or more children, somehow they either didn't know about, could not afford, or did not believe in birth control. Oh and then the elder who never learned to read really and sitting through his talks was excrutiatingly painful...but bless his heart, he did try his best. - I kid you not, I could not make any of this up.

I used to wonder why our congregation never hosted the District Overseer or had an opportunity to do the drama...now I know why....LOL But my mother and others seemed to pride themselves in having a dysfunctional congregation because "Jehovah draws those who are down and out, not the educated rich people who don't need Jehovah." Post-JW membership, we all know the real reason...you'd have to be a self-hating crazy person to believe the WTBTS crap. Wishing them all well in their dysfunctional bliss.

Best,

NYCkid