Posts by choosing life

19

The jws hijacked the 2nd funeral.

by littlebird in

last week i told you guys about my father in law who passed away.

he was not a jw.

he merely went to meetings with my brother in law to get out of the house and to go have lunch afterwards.

choosing life

Witnesses think of funerals as as another occasion to recruit, so they will often allow nonmembers a witness funeral. Someone had to give the elder permission to speak at the military funeral. I think I would be unhappy at that person, for allowing it.

I was at a witness funeral once and a lady sitting next to me gasped and said "that's just like an animal" when the elder described the deceased as being asleep. They don't have any regard for others' feelings because they have "the truth" you know.

16

Matthew 10:28

by Ding in

in view of their teaching that there is no separate soul apart from the body, how does the wt interpret matthew 10:28: "do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.".

i'm not asking about the hell issue here.. i'm wondering in wt doctrine how it's possible someone to kill the body but not the soul..

choosing life

If i remember right (and it's been a while), they believe that means they can destroy the present life now, but not the future possibilities for life. In other words, man can destroy a life now, but can't take away the prospect of everlasting life in the future.

I know that is not what it actually says in that verse, but that's the best they could come up with when the Bible so blatantly disagrees with their teachings.

43

Is weed good or bad

by frigginconfused in

choosing life

Quandry, I agree with you. The illegal drug business is destructive. They are doing all the things you mention. The problem could be easily solved if it was legal to grow and use your own plants. Their business would dry up and the violence would stop.

It is a lot like the period of prohibition in the US. It spawned an illegal trade in alcohol, along with extreme violence. The example of prohibition is a good model of what the "war on drugs" is accomplishing today. It didn't help society and most of us now would laugh at the idea of alcohol being illegal. It is time to stop the violence you speak about.

43

Is weed good or bad

by frigginconfused in

choosing life

Quandry, I agree with you. The illegal drug business is destructive. They are doing all the things you mention. The problem could be easily solved if it was legal to grow and use your own plants. Their business would dry up and the violence would stop.

It is a lot like the period of prohibition in the US. It spawned an illegal trade in alcohol, along with extreme violence. The example of prohibition is a good model of what the "war on drugs" is accomplishing today. It didn't help society and most of us now would laugh at the idea of alcohol being illegal. It is time to stop the violence you speak about.

43

Is weed good or bad

by frigginconfused in

choosing life

It's just a plant. Definitely has medicinal properties. Used to be a regular participant during my college years. It didn't slow me down any in my grades. Not so sure it wouldn't now with being older and all.

I often wondered how the conversation would go if it was legal and alcohol was illegal. Then this thread would read, Is alcohol good or bad? It is a matter of societal norms and acceptance.

I don't care to smoke anything, but I wish I lived in a state where it was legal as I would not mind trying it for medical issues. I watched a show on the many edibles provided and the different varieties of marijuana that treat different symptoms, insomnia, pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, seizures, etc.

I know it works quite well for chemo related nausea and wasting syndromes. I saw a lot of patients benefit from Marinol in the hospital and that is just one of the ingredients from the plant, THC. Funny, it is quite legal if the pharmaceutical industry can make a profit off of it, huh?

I have no problem with the recreational use of it either. Anyone who winds down with a glass of alcohol, but demonizes another doing the same thing with marijuana is just plain hypocritical, IMHO. Actually, marijuana is not physically addictive whereas alcohol most certainly can be. I do think one has a problem if they must constantly escape life with any substance, legal or not.

33

Comment on Loneliness

by jgnat in

jw
friends

one of the great lessons this board gave me is the cruelty of shunning by the jehovah's witnesses.

it is inhuman.

the toll it takes on a person cannot be underestimated.

choosing life

When we only surround ourselves with the shiny and attractive things/people in life, we are running from the ugly uncertainties of life. I have worked among the disabled, aged and mentally handicapped all my life. They have taught me a lot.

We will all face the "ugly" things in this life, whether it is by choice or when they are thrust upon us.

Loneliness is one thing we can all help remedy with a kind word, a smile or time spent with another who needs human contact.

Fear of rejection is what makes me feel totally alone. Overcoming those emotions can be way too difficult at times. The insanity of dealing with the idea of shunning my teenage son was what started my awakening from an abusive religion.

Thanks for suggesting this author, jgnat.

44

The Story of Randall Watters part II - Trouble at Bethel

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

my story part 2: trouble at bethel.

[if gte mso 9]><!

[endif]by my third year at bethel i was really enjoying it and determined to make bethel a life career.

choosing life

Great story. Amazing that the central teaching of the Bible, grace, is what they would call apostasy. It is a testimony to their level of mind control that most of the real story was kept from the congregations.

Thanks for writing your story. Look forward to the next part. cl

6

Warning about your avatar

by Quillsky in

jw
friends

if you're concerned about your privacy on the internet, i would like to give you a quick warning.. your avatar here, whether it is customized or a gravatar (the creature thing), is linked to your email address.

so if you comment on certain other sites with the same email address that you registered with here, the same image may appear.. for some it's not a big deal, for others it is.. i found this out, and decided to look into it further, when i saw my very same gravatar appear next to a comment i'd left on a friend's blog.. read more here......... http://en.gravatar.com/.

choosing life

That could get complicated.

123

How I obtained my personal files from Bethel

by jwfacts in

it has taken me a long time, but i have finally put together an article outlining how i used the law to force bethel to send me my personal files.

it is a very long article full of scans, so i have linked to it at http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/experiences/personal-files-privacy-act-1988.php.

in brief, in 2006 i requested that bethel send me my files on the basis that the australian privacy act 1988 entitles people to receive a copy of any information a corporation holds about them.

choosing life

That was all very enlightening, Paul. Thanks so much for taking the time to pursue and post about the whole process. I did not realize that if one agreed to meeting with the elders, that could be taken as being under their authority.

I had decided a long time ago that I would not meet with any elders, but this info gives me renewed resolve in this decision. Thanks again for adding clarity to a very murky process that can only be described as spiritual abuse.

30

Jw's must be having a hay-day!

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

all the earthquakes, mudslides, and now volcanic ash in the sky of europe grounding air-travel.. the end is nigh!.

jeff.

choosing life

Cadellin, could you post the marginal reference to Rev. 11:18, please? That makes sense that this scripture is talking about violence. I just never noticed it before. Before the flood, it says that the earth was ruined, in God's sight, because it was filled with violence. The witnesses use Rev. 11:18 to refer to actual physical destruction of the earth by mankind. Thanks.

I had lunch with a dub friend and the earthquakes were what they used to start the conversation about why I should get myself back to the hall, before it's too late. I always try to humanize the situation by talking about how many poor folks are suffering. They seem to ignore this. Then I changed the subject.