Joe Grundy

Joined

• started 102 topics
• posted 1,216 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Joe Grundy

• 
  66

  Latest May 2012 Watchtower: "JW wives must be more lovable"

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  yes, the latest watchtower is upon us.

  it opens with a typically outlandish article on marriage.

  here are a few of the headlines:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  This is just a thought - I can't back it up with evidence and it's based on my assumptions and experience.

  WTBTS seems to be putting a lot of effort into their work in developing countries where (this is a generalisation) there tend to be less-developed critical thinking skills and less of a tendency to question those who appear to be in a position of authority. In some of those countries (e.g. those in SE Asia) the sort of thinking shown in the articles about 'serving the husband' and so on would be much more acceptable than in the more liberated 'western' countries.

  When I was living in Cyprus I observed that those dubs who employed Filipina 'housemaids' tended to take them to meetings and there were quite a number of Bible Studies going on with SEA ladies. My dub friends were very keen to bring Tagalog magazines to my (now estranged) wife. She - although an educated woman - was not discerning enough to recognise any difference between the dubs and the religion in which she had been brought up (Methodist) and any 'Christian' religion was all the same to her, as it was to many of her friends.

  Had I been religious she would have followed me into a religion without a second thought. (The mags went into the bin).

  As for the other part of it, her ostensible mission in life was to make and keep her husband happy and I believe from my experience with other SEA ladies that this is a cultural thing. And in my experience any prohibitions/limitations as to sex life would not be easily accepted.

  Just my thoughts.
• 
  41

  Whitney Houston, We Will Miss You Forever! Dam Drugs, I Hate Them!

  by Bubblegum Apotheosis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am working on a paper about the suicide and economic index of happiness, reuters shoots her death, pass my desk, "sh*t , i think" life can be so brutal.

  with this in mind, i would like to ask you if you are happy, with your current life, if not are you working towards it?

  there is a decent size group of ex-jws and jws who have "checked out of this existence" mentally, and allow shi**y people to screw their brains up.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  Joe- How does your country's health plan work for people needing drug rehab..

  I don't know much about that I'm afraid. The NHS does have drug/alcohol abuse counselling and advisory services including home visits, there are NHS rehab units. GPs deal with this as part of their general healthcare, and of course some people are dealt with under the NHS mental health provisions (whether as in- or out-patients).

  And there are, of course, many private clinics and facilities, some of which would be covered by private medical insurance plans.
• 
  41

  Whitney Houston, We Will Miss You Forever! Dam Drugs, I Hate Them!

  by Bubblegum Apotheosis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am working on a paper about the suicide and economic index of happiness, reuters shoots her death, pass my desk, "sh*t , i think" life can be so brutal.

  with this in mind, i would like to ask you if you are happy, with your current life, if not are you working towards it?

  there is a decent size group of ex-jws and jws who have "checked out of this existence" mentally, and allow shi**y people to screw their brains up.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  'Here in Canada, some people die because they can not afford the pharmaceuticals they need. I don't know how this works in the UK, but in Canada, unless you are on welfare or have Health Care Insurance,,, no MONEY = no prescription. PERIOD.'

  It's different in the different constituent countries of the UK.

  Here in Wales, under the NHS all prescription medicines are free for everyone. ('Free' in the sense they're paid for by general taxation.)
• 
  8

  What similar features do the "Titanic", and the "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" have?

  by koolaid-man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120131141401aaf9wu1.

  undecided questionshow me anotherwhat similar features do the "titanic", and the "watchtower bible and tract society" have?the h.m.s.

  titanic, was not paying attention to the ice lanes, and..... .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  'Titanic' was not an 'HMS' it was an 'RMS'.
• 
  137

  Draconian Rules for Attending "Special Convention"

  by BluesBrother in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  british dubs are invited to attend a special convention next summer in dublin , irish republic.

  o k, this kind of trip has been done many times before.

  however i have never seen such a crude and rigid set of rules that would apply to their own people going on a trip, at their own expense of course.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  I pointed out on page 1 of this thread that I thought that the instructions about this Special Assembly may be in breach of anti-discrimination laws both in UK and Ireland. I have researched this a little further and now I am more convinced that this 'advertisement' is unlawful.

  Although I am not, never have been, a JW, I am a citizen of the UK and I am prepared to make an official complaint about this. Under the applicable laws it is not necessary to be personally affected by the discrimination to bring a complaint. I have some experience in the realm of law enforcement and preparation of cpourt/legal documents.

  I am happy to use my own name/address in the complaint, and I would suggest it be cross-referred to the UK Charity Commissioners.

  What I would need to do this would be:

  a scan of the full letter about this event

  details of the publisher (e.g. is it WTB&TS of UK, or CCOJW somewhere?) - this should, by law, be printed somewhere on the document.

  Never having been a JW, I have nothing to lose - and I enjoy a challenge.
• 
  137

  Draconian Rules for Attending "Special Convention"

  by BluesBrother in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  british dubs are invited to attend a special convention next summer in dublin , irish republic.

  o k, this kind of trip has been done many times before.

  however i have never seen such a crude and rigid set of rules that would apply to their own people going on a trip, at their own expense of course.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  Paragraph 3 appears to me to potentially be in breach of disability discrimination laws in both UK and Ireland.

  EHRC may be interested.
• 
  18

  An educated persons perception of the watchtower magazine

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the other day (australia day bbq actually) i somehhow got to discussing jws with some of my wifes extended family.

  one of them, quite well educated and academic mentioned she was given a wt (no awake to go with it) when they called.. she commented that as she read some of it, it struck her how it was going on about pedaphiles and homosexuals a lot and secondly how every thing they said was not backed up by any legitimate research nor data, just random % this or that to support the flimsy arguments.. her comment was that this was the most un-academic, poorly written journal she had ever read and without going any further, threw it in the trash!.

  the sheeple migh lap up the recycled vomit in that rag, but the public aint fooled.. the family laughed heartily when i informed them of the jw belief that the wt and awake!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  Yes, as a never-was JW, I can confirm that my view of WTBTS literature is/was that it was poorly-produced propaganda which did not deserve the time spent to read it.
• 
  17

  First Welsh person in WT magzine...

  by snare&racket in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  .

  latest wt mag april 15th, page 5.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  Reminds me of the old joke where a Brit tourist meets an Aussie who has a sheep tucked under his arm. (This needs an Aussie accent).

  Brit: 'Good morning. Are you going to shear that sheep?'

  Aussie: 'No, f**k off and find your own'.
• 
  384

  Atheism 2.0

  by Qcmbr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  apologies if this has been posted before or even discussed.. this ted talk gets at the heart of what atheism is missing and my wife an di discussed this for a long time last night.

  in short religion provides a framework for meeting, for ritual, for art, education and sociality.

  without this framework atheism can seem lonely harsh and certainly disorganised (the general idea that education and culture can replace the gap may well be true but without a formal structure the route to personal mental fulfillment is somewhat piecemeal and patchwork.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  I am an atheist - that is to say I don't believe in (or accept the existence of) a God, or gods, or 'inspired' writings. I do accept that belief in some sort of supernatural beings can bring comfort to people, whether they're 'christians', 'muslims', 'buddhists', or whatever, and I acknowledge and accept that their beliefs are important to them.

  I have come to accept that there is no point whatsoever in challenging those who hold 'religious' beliefs - whether it is the Bangkok hooker who lights incense sticks at the shrine at the entrance to a soi where she's going to ply her trade or a pilgrim to Jerusalem who believes that they're going to see a 'holy' site.

  There is no reason for me to discuss anything to do with religion with those who practise it. Their religion (whatever it may be) precludes them from exercising rational thougt. Many people who believe in religion seem to me to be able to 'shut off' part of their brain.

  I have, in the past, tried to have rational discussions with JWs. I have tried to have rational discussions with members of my family (evangelist fundies). There is no point, it is a waste of my time and theirs. We all smile, mouth platitudes, and walk away to our own lives.
• 
  35

  My father is dying

  by peridotgreen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my father, who has alzheimers, is dying now (he's 85).

  i saw him today - he weaves in and out.

  hasn't recognized me for a long time but was usually glad for the company.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Joe Grundy

  My father died on my birthday (12 July) 2010 after a few years of suffering Alsheimers. I was in Cyprus and didn't see him in his last days, nor did I go to his funeral (for practical reasons).

  It was pitiful to see my Dad in his last few years. He was always very sharp mentally (he loved to do algebra problems as a hobby) but once my Mum died a few years before he just 'switched off' and became mentally and physically incapable. He was brought up with a strong christian belief (PB not JW) but to be honest I'm not quite sure just how much he really believed it (WWII experiences and losing his first wife at 25 must have dented his faith). I hope, for his sake, he did.

  Two years before he died my two brothers and I went to see him in the nursing home (it wasn't in the UK and took some coordination). We took with us a photo album compiled of all the old photos we could get hold of and spent hours going through it with him. It was a depressing experience - there wasn't much there.

  By coincidence, the afternoon we visited the nursing home was the afternoon the local vicar came to hold a 'service'. By further coincidence, he was a Welshman from the area my Dad grew up. My last 'real' memory of my Dad was that afternoon, his three sons holding his hand (he was in a wheelchair) as we sang old Welsh hymn tunes. I thought I saw him smile but I can't be sure. That was the last time I saw him.

  I am an atheist, but I hope my Dad died clinging to his beliefs - otherwise so much of his life would have been wasted. I think he looked forward to an eternal life straight after death and if that sustained him, good for him. I don't know how he reconciled in his mind (but I bet this had been on his mind for man, many years) the question of whether he would be his first wife and true love, or with my mother, his second wife. Perhaps this was one of the questions best not pondered too long.

  periodtgreen, you have my sympathy. I said goodbye to my Dad a couple of years before he died. Even then, he wasn't the Dad I knew and even then I chose to remember him as he had been. Be thankful for the good memories - they will outlive the bad.

  Regards.