Steve,
Before you start your hike on the Appalachian trail, be sure to read "A Walk in the Woods," by Bill Bryson. Informative and hilarious!
parakeet
JoinedPosts by parakeet
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parakeet
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19
Why some won't leave the Watchtower
by JH inname as many reasons as you can why some won't leave the watchtower organization, even though they know something is wrong.
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parakeet
1. Trapped in it because of family, friends, business. Would be too costly in terms of relationships and/or money to leave.
2. Unable to deal with the realities of modern living, some hang on the "promise" of a better world, despite their other doubts.
3. Too puffed up with the artifical status conferred on JWs. With it, they are members of an elite who will survive the coming holocaust and live forever. Without it, they would just be poor, undereducated, working drudges trying to get by. -
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Science or Art, which best describes the human condition?
by eyeslice ini ask this question because, as a young man i would have said science is the only and best way to describe who and what we are.
when you think about it, the wtb&ts fits into the science camp, having a dogmatic; everything can be explained type attitude.
now i am older am less sure.
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parakeet
hamsterbait:
***In some respects science is as subjective as art, and needs the same amount of imagination and fantasy, to arrive at a truly inspired answer to a problem.***
That's true, hamsterbait. I oversimplified the differences to get to my point, which was that either discipline is a valid approach to understanding the world. -
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New method of witnessing.
by corproal in.
i recently was at a bagel shop here in san jose,ca and while waiting i noticed something weird.at the back of the bagel shop was a little area that had one of those clear file holders,i was curious and went to investigate,to my surprise there were two issues of awake one in english and the other in an asian language.inside the awake was a copy of the watchtower.printed on the file holder was a message that basically said if you need any more information on starting that if you're interested in a bible study to call such and such number.i found this rather odd,the other curious thing is i haven't seen any witnesses in my neighborhood in almost 6 months.i guess they figured out that door to door work osn;t as effective.. craig
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parakeet
sass my frass:
***Running a shop, they probably don't have time to get out on the preach.***
They've got some nerve running a shop. Don't they know they should sell everything they've got and go d2d? The end is almost here, any time now. -
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as a jw..did you ever have a REAL theological discussion with anyone?
by candidlynuts inthis came up in a conversation with a non witness friend lately.
he said its like i thought i was having theological discussions all the time but from what he could tell...i would go to the door with prearranged comments, which would illicit one of a few comments and my response would be as programmed as the initial comments.
i'm no brainy person.. and freely admit i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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parakeet
Honesty:
***I profusely apologise, parakeet.
It was not my intention to demean your species by stereotyping.***
I accept your apology, Honesty. I'm glad I didn't have to go into parakeet-attack mode to defend my species.
parakeet
"Death from Above!" -
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as a jw..did you ever have a REAL theological discussion with anyone?
by candidlynuts inthis came up in a conversation with a non witness friend lately.
he said its like i thought i was having theological discussions all the time but from what he could tell...i would go to the door with prearranged comments, which would illicit one of a few comments and my response would be as programmed as the initial comments.
i'm no brainy person.. and freely admit i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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parakeet
Honesty, I must take exception to your portrayal of an average JW as a parrot. As a parakeet myself, I can tell you that my brethren, the parrot family, are extremely intelligent. Research with African grey parrots has shown that they can speak many words with genuine understanding of the meanings, not just in imitation. I think you'll agree that accomplishment is greater than most JWs can achieve. :-)
BTW, that is a beautiful photo of a scarlet macaw. -
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as a jw..did you ever have a REAL theological discussion with anyone?
by candidlynuts inthis came up in a conversation with a non witness friend lately.
he said its like i thought i was having theological discussions all the time but from what he could tell...i would go to the door with prearranged comments, which would illicit one of a few comments and my response would be as programmed as the initial comments.
i'm no brainy person.. and freely admit i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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parakeet
AuldSoul:
***I have apologized to each of them, and the many other people I tried to influence more toward the organizational perspectives on things.***
That proves your heart is bigger than the entire shriveled collective WTS heart. They have never apologized for any damage they've done. I'm very thankful I was a lousy JW; as far as I know, nobody ever joined the org because of anything I said or did. -
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as a jw..did you ever have a REAL theological discussion with anyone?
by candidlynuts inthis came up in a conversation with a non witness friend lately.
he said its like i thought i was having theological discussions all the time but from what he could tell...i would go to the door with prearranged comments, which would illicit one of a few comments and my response would be as programmed as the initial comments.
i'm no brainy person.. and freely admit i'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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parakeet
Going d2d, I would pray, literally, that no householder would ask me any question deeper than, "How much did you say you wanted for that WT?"
Shortly before my JW exodus, my brother (also a JW) and I would have heart-to-hearts about JW doctrine and the problems with it. He was braver than I was and began asking the elders some questions resulting from our discussions. After the first 3 or 4 questions they could not answer, he was told to stop asking questions because it smacked of lack of faith. When I finally left the org, my brother followed shortly afterward.
It's true that JWs cannot have real theological debate--logic and common sense have a way of demolishing crackpot doctrine thought up by a power-hungry gb. -
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Science or Art, which best describes the human condition?
by eyeslice ini ask this question because, as a young man i would have said science is the only and best way to describe who and what we are.
when you think about it, the wtb&ts fits into the science camp, having a dogmatic; everything can be explained type attitude.
now i am older am less sure.
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parakeet
I believe science and art are both attemping to describe the human condition; it's only their methods that vary. One attempts an objective description; the other, subjective.
As to which does the job better, I think it depends on individual personality. When I started college classes in my late 20s (after my JW experience), I soon recognized a pattern in my classes that I called the "gospel moment." In each introductory 101 course, sooner or later, the prof would deliver a statement to the effect that "if only humanity understood, really understood, literature [or astronomy, education, biology, art, physics, history, etc.], the world would be a better place."
My answer to your question is to discover which discpline speaks to your soul and study it for your own answers. -
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What I learned from ‘Gilead’?
by eyeslice inno, not that gilead!
i am referring to the novel gilead by marilynne robinson.
it is a must read for all ex-jws; its main character john ames combines deep religious conviction with humility and being non-judgemental.
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parakeet
Sorry, haven't read it. But I'm compiling a book list since joining the forum a few weeks ago. I will definitely add 'Gilead' to the list. Thanks.