I support all forms of stem cell research. Frankly I don't understand the ethical objections to embryonic stem cell research--which seems to be a byproduct of the opposition to abortion, another objection I don't understand. It's very common for a zygote to fail to attatch to the walls of the uterus and simply be flushed out with the next cycle. How is taking a 4-5 day embryo that would otherwise fail to develop or--in the case of elective abortion--be discarded (or develop into a miserable, neglected, unwanted child) wrong? It seems to be advantageous for multiple reasons.
apfergus
JoinedPosts by apfergus
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25
We need help
by _Atlas ini dont post too often but im always lurking from my workplace.
but now i feel the need to ask for any advise from you guys.
a while back, when i decided i had enough of the wt internal politics and the wait on jah attitude, i faded away from the hall and basically disappeared into the night.
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apfergus
I'm going to echo what some others have said that this is not your fault. You aren't responsible for the facts being what they are. So don't beat yourself up over a thing like that.
I'll add, though, that I think the best way to move beyond something like the Watchtower is by exploring everything on your own and considering everything calmly and rationally. Even doing that you'll never find all the answers, but you will grow comfortable with uncertainty. It's not something that's easy for most people to do, I don't think, but taking the time to do my research and digest it with as little bias as I could was the best thing I've ever done. -
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My Story..... Need advice on reinstatement Letter.
by jrjr4189 ini've been a member of the site for a month, but have been reading the posts for a lot longer, however this is my first post.
i was raised a j-dub by my mother (my father wasn't religious) with my sister and brother.
i was pretty much convinced by my dub friends, bible study conductor, and mother that i should get baptized when i was 15 and decided to go for it.
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apfergus
One thing to keep in mind is that if you make the pretense of returning to the organization, JW family might also make it their business to keep you going to the meetings, out in service, etc. Even if you can manage to fade, it also might bring a lot of emotional troubles to your family as it did with mine. I'm not exactly in the bad graces of the organization, but it's pretty obvious that a lot of friends and family are very upset with me.
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last time in field service
by darth frosty inanother poster had the topic about your last meeting, but what really stands out for me is my last time in service.
it was a nice day and i was trying to keep up appearances.
i offered the rags a one door and the householder took them (i didn't bother with the donation spiel.
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apfergus
The last time I remember being in field service I was with my "pioneer buddy" or whatever they were called. I don't know if it was a widespread phenomenon, but in my congregation they would assign younger publishers to a regular pioneer who they would go out in FS with.
I remember it because I had a conversation with him about me getting baptized. I really don't remember what I thought about that idea then, but it wasn't long after that when I stopped going to the meetings for some reason or another. I'm sure it took everyone by surprise, too, because everyone always used to tell me how I'd make such a good PO/CO and my talks at the ministry school were so good, etc.
I remember some other random details about that Saturday afternoon, like talking about the band Jamiroquai. Actually, now that I think about it, I really don't know why I left when I did. I stopped going to the meetings when I was 17 or 18, but I still believed a lot of it up until only a year ago or so and I really wished I could have stuck with it to keep my mother happy with me. -
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Are you grateful you're out?
by bluesapphire inthe reason i ask is because i am in a dilemma with my husband.
long story short:
i joined and we met.
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apfergus
You're in a pretty tough place. Just try to communicate with him, and don't hold back (don't be cruel, either) because you're afraid of exacerbating the situation. I'm frequently guilty of not being a very strong communicator and what it usually takes is someone just being blunt with me and then giving me enough time and space to think about what they've said and communicating my feelings.
It sounds like he's just looking for an easy way out of a situation that's way more complicated than that. It's a phase I'm sure a lot of people here have been through. -
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Brooklyn Says they Need 40,000 qualified Brotheres
by drew sagan ini just mentioned this in another post but thought i would start a new thread about it.
my wife reminded me a few days ago that the bethel speaker at our convention stated that "the organization is in need of more than 40,000 qualified brothers to take the lead".
this basically means that brooklyn is saying that every congregation in the world is down 1 - 1.5 qualified brothers(?
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apfergus
I don't know why they don't just say that they recieved some "new light" and that Armagedon has been scheduled for 20XX so everyone get your ass in gear and preach. I mean, they've been wrong every other time they've predicted The End and some people have left, but there's never been enough hurt to bring down the Watchtower (unfortunately).
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they can't get it all done anymore
by truman ini had a door-to-door visit from two jws yesterday morning.
the first in a long time (with the exception of the obligatory memorial invite).
i live in a fairly small town, but these two, i did not recognize.
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apfergus
When I was still living in the university housing there would be JWs who would set up tables in the lobby to preach at the students. At one point I actually went to talk to them. I didn't bother to let them know that I used to be a witnessling and they wouldn't have known any of my witness friends or family anyway, since I'm on the other side of the state from them. It was actually a pretty good experience for me, since at the time I was still struggling with a few things from my years in the ranks.
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Weather!
by jeanniebeanz init is so blazing hot here in houston!
it's almost 10:00 pm and the ac is still running, and i've got the thermostat set at 80. .
what kind of weather are you dealing with where you live this fine july?.
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apfergus
I just got back from visiting family in Arizona where it was 70-80 with 7% humidity even durring the beginning of monsoon season. Now I'm back in Indiana where it's just plain hot and humid in comparison. I actually went outside in the middle of the afternoon today--big mistake.
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don't any of you get afraid??
by nowisee inall of the stuff re wts.
yet with all of this stuff happening in the mideast....with al gore's "an inconvenient truth" and scientists backing him up...with nkorea....with "christian" rhetoric....with pornography taking over the minds of our men.....bird flu....debt up to the eyeballs....complacency....pacs.....enron...corruption...serial killers in phoenix.....shrinking dollar....economy being sold to overseas.....etc.
can anyone reassure me?
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apfergus
Sure, things can get scarey. But what you have to realize is that we don't need an intervention by god to make things better. It is possible for humans--just simple, plain old ordinary humans--to change the world for the better. It's happened before, and you and I can do it again now. There will always be bad people in the world, but as long as we all remain consious of this and act accordingly there's really no reason to worry. When I get to feeling pessemistic I find it very comforting to pick up a book from my R. Buckminster Fuller collection--he's one of my favorite humanist writers and led a pretty amazing life.
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How long till...
by Quentin in.
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how long were you "out" of the tower before you realized you had a brain and could use it for yourself...took me about six years...short time...long time...how do you feel now that you can think for yourself?
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apfergus
It's scary to think for yourself, as opposed to letting the collective mindset do it for you.
Yes! When I first left I spent years trying to find easy answers. It took me a very long time to realize that I was never going to find answers to all my questions in a pre-generated doctrine. Eventually, when I learned how to think for myself, I realized that it's okay to not know all the answers to all lifes problems.