DB

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Posts by DB

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  11

  They Stone You When You Try to Figure Out....

  by SixofNine in

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  does this "ring a bell" with anyone?

  pardon the pun.

  i have a vague recollection of being a kid, and struggling to figure out how to reconcile the practice of execution by stoning with a loving god.

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  DB

  One account that bugs me is that of Achan, as reported in Joshua ch.7. True, the guy did wrong. But Joshua, in the attempt to single out the perp, says "My son, render, please, glory to Jehovah the God of Israel and make cofession to him, and tell me, please, What have you done? Do not hide it from me" to Achan, and when he fesses up, and if one looks at verses 20 and 21 he actually sounds repentant, or at least sorry, and yet he AND his whole family plus everything the guy owned was destroyed.

  The only way I can somehow reconcile this account with a merciful God is that maybe Achan was not really sorry (or he was just sorry he got caught) and that God was able to see through it to his real heart motive. But if that is not the case, then it seems to me that a guy who confessed ought to have received more consideration.
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  21

  Favorite Batman Villain

  by joelbear in

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  2. friends

  mine was mr. freeze.. joel

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  DB

  Julie Newmar as Catwoman was hot; and for fun I like the Joker and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin's, not John Aston's...Aston was better as Gomez on The Adams Family).

  More2c, you mean you were not allowed even to watch Batman? Wow, talk about restrictive. But then again, I know of some jws who do not watch Star Trek (too violent, they say). So I guess I am not at all surprised.
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  44

  Were you atheist/agnostic BEFORE you came here?

  by gumby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something has puzzeled me for a long time since i came to this board.

  first i would like to say i'm not judging any in what i'm about to say as we all are at different places in our lives and i respect that.. here it is: at what point in your life did you no longer believe in god or believe the bible?.

  how many came to this conclution after coming to this db?.

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  DB

  Puffsrule, glad you read the essay. When she mentioned "freedom from religion" I agreed that she has every right to enjoy such. Also, I was not at all surprised that she was turned off to the thought of a destructive god even at a young age. Her thought about the clergyman pointing to all sitting at church and saying "You are all sinners!" while she knew she had done nothing wrong also struck a cord with me.

  I am not an agnostic or atheist, but on the otherhand I can respect and understand those who are. Personally, I seldom pray at all, though I am an active jw. Just something odd about talking to an invisible guy, I guess.
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  44

  Were you atheist/agnostic BEFORE you came here?

  by gumby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something has puzzeled me for a long time since i came to this board.

  first i would like to say i'm not judging any in what i'm about to say as we all are at different places in our lives and i respect that.. here it is: at what point in your life did you no longer believe in god or believe the bible?.

  how many came to this conclution after coming to this db?.

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  DB

  This week's issue of Newsweek magazine (Dec 10th), page 14, contains a very interesting personal essay along the lines of this thread. Linda Angeloff Sapienza authored the essay, entitled "God Bless America? I Just Like The Tune" adding "As an agnostic, I feel out of step with a president who seems equate faith with patriotism". She mentions her youthful days spent going to church, even though she never accepted a belief in God. It makes for some very interesting reading.
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  20

  DF'd 4 smoking........feel unworthy;yet....

  by IWish4Truth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was df'd 6 months ago for smoking cigarettes.

  i really reached out for help but had a hard time breaking the habit.

  maybe i should have been disfellowshipped, according to why it is done.

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  DB

  One time, when I was an elder, we df'd a woman for smoking. The thing was, she had never even been at our Hall; she simply moved into the territory. Somehow, one elder got info that she was smoking, and the next thing I knew, we were forming a judicial committee to hear the case. I was picked for the committee. To me, the whole thing was absurd; but I did not speak up (which I now regret!). When we announced the df'ing, people in the congregation asked privately: "who?", yes, no one even knew the woman. She was not actively associated with the congregation. At the very least, the matter should have been put on the back burner until she became active again. It was simply a case of hunting a person down and then df'ing her simply to satisfy some weird 'justice'.
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  17

  She Doesn't Look Very Submissive To Me..

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm talking about the rather delightful lady on the intro page at * http://www.watchtower.org/.

  nice hat too:.

  englishma.. nostalgia isn't what it used to be....

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  DB

  About three years ago, there was an Awake cover with a very attractive blonde holding a baby. I heard a comment from one younger brother on the 'babe' factor. It does in fact seem that lately, some attractive women have been appearing in the Mags. Maybe it's a ploy to get more readership from the male segment of the population.
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  25

  Matthew Twenty-four (Is Knocking at the Door)

  by Yadirf in

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  "matthew twenty-four (is knocking at the door)".

  this was a song written and recorded by johnny cash in 1973, an artist that i admire to some extent.

  (btw, anyone who likes jc's music can find the lyrics and chords to some of his music by clicking here ---> http://www.toptown.com/hp/66/jclyrics.htm.

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  DB

  Perhaps Johnny is the Faithful and Discreet Slave.
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  19

  too tired to fight

  by Bridgette in

  1. jw
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  dear friends,.

  i will try not to make this a maudlin goodbye.

  well, maybe a tad maudlin, but not goodbye .

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  DB

  Bridgette, your post is very touching. You deserve a good break, and may God bless you.
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  36

  Some things that annoy me about the WTS

  by Leander in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm still currently a jw myself and i'm serving as a minsterial servant in a limited capacity.

  (a few weeks ago i was vocal about the doubts i've had and the elders made the decision to allow me to stay on as a ms but without giving talks) .

  1. recently as in the last few years i've been paying more attention to the various members in the congregation and i've observed some interesting things.

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  DB

  This may be my all-time fave post. Every comment made here hits the mark dead on. I've thought through all of these issues at one time or another. Thanks to Leander for raising these points, and to all those who commented.
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  26

  70 Hour Pio's & 15 Min Pubs

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  let's see here - according to the latest rumor.

  you can be a regular publisher by putting in 15 minutes.

  a month.. you can be a regular pioneer by putting in 70 hours.

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  DB

  Met, where or by what means did you hear about the 15 minute publisher thing?