apfergus

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Posts by apfergus

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  44

  Which biblical names do you find cool?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which biblical names do you like, and maybe you'd name your child that way?.

  i like this one: bathsheba.

  oh, here are a few to choose from .

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  apfergus

  Someone already beat me to it, but: Mahershalalhashbaz--the longest name in the bible.
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  10

  Dream ticket for next presidential election

  by JWdaughter in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  mine would be lieberman/edwards or edwards/lieberman.

  i have never voted dem.

  before(for a major office), but for them, i would.

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  apfergus

  I would love to see McCain/Hagel on the ballot.
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  30

  How Accurate is Your Bull$h!t Detector?

  by Scully in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think everyone has a bs detector, but not everyone utilizes theirs, or ignores its warnings.. i find that mine seems very sensitive and unless i "feel" sincerity from the person i am sizing up, my bs detector has various levels of "alert" mode.. in "yellow alert" mode, i tend to be very guarded with personal information until the individual's behaviour identifies whether i should maintain that status quo or not.

  this seems to be my default setting, i think, because i tend to use it with all new people i encounter.. in "orange alert" mode, there's something about the person that just is not meshing with me.

  they may be trying to cross a boundary that i do not want them to cross, like bestowing a nickname on me without asking me if i'm ok with it first.

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  apfergus

  It doesn't sound exactly like the same kind of Bull$hit you're referring to, but there's an essay by Carl Sagan which can be found in his book The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark about how to improve one's baloney detection skills. It touches on all the common logical falacies and how to spot them. A very good read for anyone interested in not getting caught in another web like the WTBTS.
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  83

  Name Things JWs Try To "Demonize"

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the witnesses are always trying to scare the faithful by telling them that if they don't adhere to the teachings and lifestyle of the brotherhood-----that bad things are going to happen to them.

  for example, they might tell you of brother regret who left the "truth", had "fun" in the "world" and then got aids.

  now he's back in the "truth" but he only has months to live................can you think of other examples of how the witnesses try to spook the rank and file?

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  apfergus

  I played a bit of Dungeons & Dragons in high school, and my mother threw out my D&D books because she thought they were attracting demons to the house.
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  16

  Who else loves walking?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  gee, i walked about 15 km or 10 miles yesterday, and about 10 km today or 6 miles.. next time i go for a walk, i'll walk 7 times around the kingdom hall.

  maybe it will crumble.......

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  apfergus

  I always enjoy a good walk. Or a run or a bike ride, for that matter. When I get stressed I like to grab my headphones and Mp3 player and just hit the pavement. It really helps me loosten up.
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  4

  preposterous apostasy position (pap)

  by Gregor in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  main entry: apostasy .

  function: noun.

  pronunciation: &-'pas-t&-se.

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  apfergus

  People who know The Truth(tm), but do not live by it are very very awful people to the Watchtower, because they know the reality of things. It's not about religious apostasy, it's about self-preservation.
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  21

  Is There Anything That You Still Believe In Because of the Witnesses?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i still don't believe in hellfire.

  i think astrology and palm reading is ridiculous.

  that's a couple of things that i know i got from being a jw......what about you??

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  apfergus

  I believe in the value of personal study... just not from the Watchtower rags, anymore.
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  148

  A bit reluctant

  by saki2fifty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm a bit reluctant in writing this post, for i dont feel i should be here.

  even a bit nervous... .

  i've never officially dedicated myself to jehovah, but i was brought up in the truth, very strong, and at times when getting older, there were lulls in my attendance... yet to this day i still attend.

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  apfergus

  You're right, but have you found the truth? Not the truth about the truths of JW's, but after leaving, have you found the truth about God and his requirements itself?

  
  The "truth" is not something that you simply find written in plain black and white text in a book. Answers to questions like that don't come easy. I felt somewhat like you for years--I couldn't get baptized because I didn't think I could live up to God's standard. So my question for you is this: are you really as happy as you claim to be if you torture yourself as you appear to do about your inability to live up to God's requirements?
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  16

  I don't know how I'm going to give them up...

  by gwyneth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i bottle fed orphaned kittens from 3 weeks old--they are about 8 weeks old now.

  i have become so attached to them!

  my neighbor said she was bringing a friend over this afternoon to pick out a kitten to take home...i am having mixed feelings about this.

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  apfergus

  Aww! They're cute! I used to volunteer at the local animal shelter just so I could be around adoreable animals since I can't have pets in my apartment, but then school caught up with me.
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  46

  As An Ex or Fading Witness, Do You Have Any Goals?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you hope to accomplish anything at this point in your life?

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  apfergus

  Well I still have several years of graduate school ahead of me, but eventually I'd like to be a mad scientist.