DB

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Posts by DB

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  32

  The "one-Scripture" Rule

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so much of jw belief is based on just one or two scriptures, while they ignore the thrust of true christianity!

  here are some examples:.

  1. the faithful and discreet slave--mentioned once in the bible.

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  DB

  Interesting, Lisa.

  Actually, as you are well aware I am sure, the birthday celebrations mentioned in the bible in no way resemble those held by most sane folks today. I have never heard of anyone being beheaded at a modern-day b-day function. Also, no one that I know of has ever been 'idolized' by having their b-day celebrated. Most people have some cake and get on with their day.

  To me, a nice, dignified b-day acknowledgement (or party, if you will), is not objectionable. I guess a case could be made against excess revelrie and some of the pagan trappings, but to me a simple celebration is not objectionable.

  BTW, I have heard of some jw graduation parties that have had guests numbering in the HUNDREDS. Now, rhetorically, why don't they consider that as undue attention given to one individual? And yet, even a small b-day gathering is seen as possibly giving undue attention to the individual.
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  25

  Anyone here into vinyl?

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anyone here into vinyl?.

  no this is nothing pervy.. i'm in a musical mood today and one of my passions is buying records.. (not collecting records as i actually buy them to listen to).

  i still buy records on vinyl rather than cd when i can, the packaging is much better and if you have a good record player so is the sound.. it getting hard to find much nowadays in a lot of record stores.. theres an excellent record shop near me though that stocks a ton of the stuff.now wheres all my wages gone?

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  DB

  A HiFi and home theater enthusiast myself, I think the Compact Disc was a terrific invention, the most important in audio since Edison's playback device.

  I liked LPs only for their cover art and some goodies like booklets, etc. But the clicking and popping, the preening and cleaning, the flipping of discs and changing of worn styli and cartdriges, was simply a drag.

  I have read literature on the analog-digital debate, and in my view, digital wins hands-down. However, I can appreciate that some audiophiles to like the 'warmer' sound of analog better. But for my money, nothing beats the convenience and pristine sound of digital.
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  5

  5/1 Watchtower

  by DanTheMan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i decided to take the wrapper off instead of toa (trash on arrival).

  the cover?

  a hokey, "end of disabilities" scene with fake happy expressions (the father is especially hilarious.

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  DB

  good one Ashi, lol...but, there is one big difference. Subscriptions to MAD magazine are still available.
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  57

  Post a message to Sharon Roe(Janet Bryant's sister

  by seven006 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sharon like her sister janet was also raised a jw.

  she left the religion three years ago just about the same time as robert and janet.

  her husband is not a jw but did attend the occasional meeting.

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  DB

  Hello Sharon,

  I am currently a Witness and have read about this whole matter with a great deal of interest.

  The folks who post here are indeed very sypmathetic to you and your situation. Though I am a JW, I can, perhaps in some small way, appreciate how your brother-in-law might have felt. I saw a similar situation here, in which a brother who was reproved, though not disfellowshiped, cut out of a business partnership by another JW. Yes, I find the whole shunning thing distateful, and at times, it appears to be motivated, not by love, but by spitefulness, in an effort to punish the estranged one with guilt perhaps.

  May you find consolation from the words and actions of those who are with you during this terribly stressful time. Take care, DB
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  5

  WTS approves of blood "orgies"!!

  by Scully in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had a very interesting situation at work last night.

  without going into a lot of details, i ended up administering a blood product for a serious blood clotting deficiency, called von willebrand's disease, type iii.

  according to http://www.medscape.com it is the most commonly inherited bleeding disorder, caused by inheritance of a quantitative or qualitative abnormality of von willebrand factor (vwf).

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  DB

  Elsewhere, that was good for a hearty laugh! :)

  Now that I've stopped laughing, it is an interesting, and often confusing (especially for jws who base life-death decisions on this stuff) situation. I have known of several jws who have been very confused by the DPA form, which things were prohibited, which were allowed, etc.
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  18

  JW conventions

  by WildTurkey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was wondering, how did you pass the time at the circuit assemblies and district conventions?

  i hated those things, they are to damn long.

  i would walk the hall, and look for brothers to talk to.

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  DB

  I was assigned to work in accounting at assemblies for several years, when I was an MS, then and elder. I noticed that cookies, donuts, and other items were brought in and left in the kitchen by generous jws, even though food service was eliminated. The items were for workers to enjoy.

  I'd go back mid-session and enjoy some cookies, etc. Then I'd go back in, sit with my wife, and grin with a sneaky kid who just got away with something, lol. Then I'd tell her what I was up to, and she'd get a little jealous and then laugh a bit too.

  When I was a teen, a friend and I would take the car and go driving during the afternoon sessions. That was fun, too. :)
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  18

  What's your forecast?

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  every year the question on every dub's lips is: "how many came to the memorial this year?".

  well, what do you think will happen this year?.

  will there be a 'flattening out' of the increases?

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  DB

  I wonder if the number of partakers will finally show a decline.

  I'll guess 14.8 million total attendance.

  And my personal forecast: Another Memorial wondering why a meeting that is given such importance always ends up leaving me feeling disappointed. So much buildup, and all we do is hear a talk and pass emblems around. I haven't seen a partaker in years.
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  15

  Did "Bad Storms" == Armegeddon?

  by LDH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we had quite a bit of wind here last night, and as i was up with the baby and couldn't sleep anyway, i was thinking back to when i was young.. living on the east coast, we got some of the mega storms that the southwest doesn't usually get, at least not with any regularity.. as a kid, everytime a vicious thunderstorm or violent electric storm started, i would wonder the unimaginable:.

  is this armegeddon????.

  lisa

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  DB

  Lisa, I guess it's somewhat common to view a storm as apocolyptic to sme degree; and when one is influenced to view the world's end as imminent, it may well be that they look at a notable storm or other natural catastrophe as being Armageddon.

  Once, before a meeting for field service, a ministerial servant made a comment about a recent snowstorm, saying that snow storms were a "sign of the times". I don't know which Bible he was reading, lol, since no mention is made of snowstorms as being part of the sign of the last days.
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  6

  Newsweek--Spiritual Influence article

  by JAVA in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some might be following the andrea yates trial (the mother who drowned her 5 children).

  the march 18, 2002 issue of newsweek, has an article on page 8, entitled "examining a spiritual leader's influence," that's about the yates trial.

  i'll list some quotes from this article:.

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  DB

  One time at a circuit assembly, a brother, from the platform, applied scriptures in Lamentations, dealing with mothers eating their own children during the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem, to women who send their kids to day-care centers. My wife and I looked at each other in disbelief.

  Also, the mentality that a person may be better off dying now than at Armageddon is common among jws. When a non-witness dies, sometimes some jws will remark: 'well, he/she stands a better chance now, since they could be resurrected, rather than having to face Armageddon'. Such remarks are not only callous, but they betray a type of mindset that, if stretched perhaps, could justify, in the mind of a person who has some mental/emotional problems, acting in such a way as Andrea Yates did. I know of no actual cases where this has occured though. But, could such a mindset lead to such actions? I'm not really sure, but I can see where it may be possible.
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  16

  Help needed Re: Elders stepping "aside"

  by Pathofthorns in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have a vague recollection of elders who voluntarily took a break from their positions due to health matters or to take care of family situations.. in some of these cases it was possible for them to have some sort of understanding with the congregation that they would still be respected as elders but without the title and less assignments.. i realize this subject is somewhat stupid, but i have my reasons for asking and if anyone has sound information regarding situations where an elder can take advantage of something like this and how one would go about it, it would be appreciated.. path

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  DB

  safe4, I agree, that whenever elders step down, there is accompanying gossip and speculation in most cases. Some elders try to pre-empt this by openly stating to a few jw friends why they decided to step down. But even then, I think that speculation probably continues, as some try to figure out the "real" reason that a brother may step down.

  I also feel that the better term is "step aside" or simply "resign", but the step down term seems to be entrenched in jw jargon. It does seem to hint at a heirarchal arrangement of sorts. And given the way elders, CO's and DO's are treated and almost revered, I do belive such an arrangement does exist, if not explicity, at least by strong implication.