Posts by sparky1

56

Montana Supreme Court will hear the $35M case tomorrow

by Corney in

the montana case enters the home stretch.

the state supreme court will hear oral arguments tomorrow, 13 september, at the northern hotel in billings during the state bar of montana’s annual meeting (announcement 1, announcement 2).

an introduction to the argument will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the argument starting at 10 a.m. (4 p.m. utc, 9 a.m. sf time, 12 a.m. ny time, 5 p.m. london time, 2 a.m. saturday sydney time).

sparky1

"I do not see the distinction, except in the minds of Witnesses."

"Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have a Paid Clergy?"

"Following the model of first- century Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses have no clergy-laity division. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work. Witnesses are organized into congregations of about 100 members. Spiritually mature men in each congregation serve as "older men' or elders. (Titus 1:5) They do so without being paid for their services." FAQ 2012-06-26 JW (dot) Org

If their is no clergy than Data-Dog is correct. This religion cannot have it both ways. No Clergy, no Clergy confidentiality.

65

Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Alive and Well

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was on facebook and a person i have known for a long time posted how trump is mentally ill and is truly a psychopath.

a couple of her friends chimed in when i suggested that perhaps the fb friend was really the psychopath.

a couple of her friends began to defend her but i was surprised by how many people defended the president!

sparky1

Here you go Blondie:

As is his wont, President Trump praised Ambassador Bolton as a "fantastic representative" on his team.

https://freebeacon.com/politics/trump-praises-bolton-fantastic-doesnt-say-wont-fire-Mueller/

Now that Advisor Bolton turns out not to be a sycophantic lockstepper , President Trump will view him as 'persona non grata'

84

Do You Think People Should Be Scorned For Wearing A Red MAGA Hat?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you support free choice to wear a political hat or article of clothing?

if someone wants to put a bumper sticker on their car in support of a political candidate or party, should they be able to do it without fear of being maligned or abused?

?.

sparky1

"sparky1--how can people support a party that is confrontational and physically abusive -- even encouraging it's base to be uncivil/uncultured." - LV101

I don't know how they can because I can't speak for someone else. You would have to ask them. I am Libertarian and old fashioned liberal in my thinking. I think that both parties and their followers are acting disgracefully and uncivil/uncultured. Even Supreme Court associate justice Neil Gorsuch says that 'he laments the loss of civility in public discourse' and that Americans should remember that their political opponents "love this country as much as we do."

84

Do You Think People Should Be Scorned For Wearing A Red MAGA Hat?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you support free choice to wear a political hat or article of clothing?

if someone wants to put a bumper sticker on their car in support of a political candidate or party, should they be able to do it without fear of being maligned or abused?

?.

sparky1

Blondie, I gave thumbs up to each of your posts. Your opinion is valid and non-confrontational.

84

Do You Think People Should Be Scorned For Wearing A Red MAGA Hat?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you support free choice to wear a political hat or article of clothing?

if someone wants to put a bumper sticker on their car in support of a political candidate or party, should they be able to do it without fear of being maligned or abused?

?.

sparky1

Absolutely not! In the USA anyone has the right to express their opinion and preference for whatever political party they support and endorse. No one has the right to inflict violence or verbal abuse on another person just because they choose to wear 'their colors' so to speak. I have no use for President Trump as a person and most of his programs and policy are bogus in my opinion. That being said, I applaud him, the Trump Make America Great Again committee and the RNC for having their political themed clothing made in the USA.

65

Trump Derangement Syndrome Is Alive and Well

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was on facebook and a person i have known for a long time posted how trump is mentally ill and is truly a psychopath.

a couple of her friends chimed in when i suggested that perhaps the fb friend was really the psychopath.

a couple of her friends began to defend her but i was surprised by how many people defended the president!

sparky1

I follow President Trump on Twitter every day. This tells me all I need to know about the man.

150

Cause of Mass Shootings Mental Health?

by blondie in

jw
friends

i have been sad to see so many groups and individuals say that the cause of these events are the mental status of the shooters.

i have looked over the backgrounds of these shooters, and few had medically identified mental health issues.

it is too easy to think that people shoot or kill other people because they are mentally ill.. actually, many or most people with real mental illnesses are most likely to be the victims of others.. i have been a volunteer with the organization called nami (national alliance of mental lillness) for 25 years now.

sparky1

I am not a gun lover or collector but understand the rights of those who choose to collect and use guns responsibly. Personally I find assault type weapons offensive but my opinion should not trample on the rights of others. That being said, the people who 'misuse' anything (guns, knives, home made bombs, automobiles, vicious trained animals, etc.) to harm other human beings should feel the full force of the law and be subject to severe punishment in the swiftest manner possible. The DEATH PENALTY for mass murderers should be carried out swiftly and to completion. That should begin to slow down anyone thinking of perpetrating such heinous crimes.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/barr-and-doj-drafted-legislation-to-speed-up-death-

25

Greenland For Sale

by Poztate in

the donald has recently suggested that he would like to look into buying greenland from denmark in the same manner that alaska was purchased from the russians.

i think the danes would be smart to look into selling it as it is costing them money every year with very little returns for their investments so far.. the alternative might well be that donald declares greenland a national security threat and invades them so that the world remains safe for democracy.

i would suggest to the danes that as any other real estate transaction that they put it on the open market and see how much russia or china are willing to offer .

sparky1

"Everything is for sale." - Simon

Not everything:

My integrity is not for sale and my cat is not for sale. Everything else may possibly be negotiated.

22

Simple Thought Experiment with a stunning premise!

by Terry in

thought experimenttake the classic definitions of "god" and deconstruct it layer by layer by asking achingly simple questions.ready?

set?

go!_____god is (fill in the blank with the usual definitions).

sparky1

Interesting treatise. It reminds me of some type of a 'reverse' play on Baruch Spinoza's ETHICS.

79

Who really is the faithful and discreet* slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time?

by Alex Williams in

this statement was answered in a form of a question to a question posed by one of his followers;.

jesus realized that composite slave had to qualify for such an appointment when he came into power of his kingdom promised by jehovah god.

[and they came to life and ruled as kings with the christ+ for 1,000 years].

sparky1

The Faithful and Wise Servant has morphed over the years.

First it was this gentleman:

Then as Jehovah's Witnesses moved away from 'creature worship' it became this group of people:

alive during 'this generation'.

Now that Jehovah's Witnesses have returned to 'creature worship', this abomination has claimed for itself the title of Faithful and Discreet Slave:

The modern day Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, who claim to be part of an 'overlapping generation' of remnant of the 144,000 class. As a group they claim for themselves the title of the Faithful and Discreet Slave. As individuals they claim to be Domestics served by this body. That makes them the most 'self serving' individuals in the Jehovah's Witness religion.