Posts by detective

27

Colorgenics

by peaceloveharmony in

jw
friends

click the link :).

http://colorgenics.com/.

a good friend is someone who will come and bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "that was f**king awesome.

detective

Colorblind people have no personalities, I guess. Or maybe they are just shade-y people? Haha.

25

JW internet warnings

by larc in

jw
friends

folks,.

don't they know how dumb their advice turns out to be?

you tell a teenager not to go to the internet, and that is the first thing they will do.

During my recent conversation with my JW friend, he mentioned that they were warned to stay away from the internet. What's the reasoning behind it? Why, because you might stumble upon witnesses who write garbage like this that make them look bad:

Poem "He Doesn't Serve God"
> >
> > I met him at work one day
> > On my lunch break, I was about to pray
> > We talked on and on and oh, he's such a gentleman
> > I wished that moment would never end
> >
> > But then reality brought forth, the end of my lunch hour
> > As he arose, he stood as strong and tall as a tower
> > We met again and again; our souls began to cling
> > I've pondered, "Could this be the real thing?" ...
{additional stanzas bashing non witnesses...}
...Listen to me, let me tell you to your face
> > To marry an unbeliever is a total disgrace
> > Jehovah, a loving father, who cares for his sheep
> > So he set guidelines for us to hold and to keep
> > Let me say this, just to set things straight
> > He'll give you a nice brother, a theocratic mate
> > Cause there's nothing a worldly man has to offer at all
> > But unhappiness, sorrow and a serious fall

So, according to my friend, the internet ban is not really about saving JWs from Satan or from apostates, it's actually about saving witnesses from other witnesses. Hmmmmm.

8

Where can I find the rape comments?

by detective in

hi, i've seen the various stances on rape from the questions from readers but have lost track of where i saw them layed out.

can anyone get me the dates of the magazines or copies of the quotes?

detective

Loaned? Loaned???? Don't you have/want one of your own????

Well, I'll come clean. Since I'm so worldly, I actually mugged a jw and after defeating her two accompanying angels in a raucous bout of fisticuffs, stole the WT CD so that I could sell on the black market for drug money. Unfortunately, it's not drawing much interest among my crack dealing friends, so I'll just review it and see what I find.

8

Where can I find the rape comments?

by detective in

hi, i've seen the various stances on rape from the questions from readers but have lost track of where i saw them layed out.

can anyone get me the dates of the magazines or copies of the quotes?

detective

By the way, thanks very much for your help, folks! I was recently loaned the WT Cd-rom and wanted to know where to start looking.

This is appreciated.

When I speak to my friend, I'll probably substitute the word "little boy" for "woman". I wonder if that's what it would take to show just how wrong that whole rape thing is. Disgusting.

27

This is my last post

by rhett in

jw
friends

some people like having a large number of posts credited to them.

myself, i think it just goes to show that various people have way too much free time on their hands.

i thought that this is my 666th post i will now officially retire my username and start with a clean slate.

detective

um, are you aware that as Rhett, you've got only 665 posts listed? Don't you owe us one more?

6

Reasoning from Watchtower world

by detective in

jw
friends

sorry, this is a long post:.

i had a conversation with my jw friend the other night.

i thought i'd recap some of the arguments presented even though i didn't get to touch on all of the different counter arguments i would have liked to present.. on "worldly" people: i tried to explain what it felt like when i first realized that derogatory comments were being said about non-witnesses.

detective

Farkel, I completely agree with you about relying on science to figure out what fractions are acceptable. Huh? Where does god figure into that scenario? I attempted to call him on some of his arguments without being too overtly aggressive but he would hedge or get off topic in an attempt to draw me away from whatever point I was making. It was a pretty futile effort but at least I could get a better picture of what was making him tick in regards to his relationship with the organization.

Lucid,
the conversation wasn't even supposed to be about his darn group so I wish I had been better prepared to preface the conversation in the manner you suggested. It would have been good if I had been able to find the common ground and work from there. When you speak with your friend it sounds as if you'll take a good approach.

Julien,
the koolaid. That thought kept running through my head. Kool aid. Goes good with spiritual food I guess.

6

Reasoning from Watchtower world

by detective in

jw
friends

sorry, this is a long post:.

i had a conversation with my jw friend the other night.

i thought i'd recap some of the arguments presented even though i didn't get to touch on all of the different counter arguments i would have liked to present.. on "worldly" people: i tried to explain what it felt like when i first realized that derogatory comments were being said about non-witnesses.

detective

Sorry, this is a long post:

I had a conversation with my JW friend the other night. I thought I'd recap some of the arguments presented even though I didn't get to touch on all of the different counter arguments I would have liked to present.

On "worldly" people: I tried to explain what it felt like when I first realized that derogatory comments were being said about non-witnesses. Being a "worldly" one, I was shocked by the endless diatribes towards people of other faiths. I started by reading comments I took from witness websites and even by relaying that awful poem written about marrying non-believers that was posted here a few days ago.
The response: SOME witnesses misunderstand what it means to be a witness. SOME witnesses go too far in their thoughts about "worldly" people. These types of people are not representative of what witnesses are really supposed to feel about outsiders.
Counter argument: I read excerpts from the magazines that thoroughly derided people of other faiths. I knew this would be risky as it might put him in full blown witness mode. And it did. He defended each statement. So I told him I was going to substitute a few words and re-read the statements. I substituted ethnic groups ("black people", "korean people") and he nearly fell over himself grabbing the paper from my hand. I pointed out how upset he became when I did that and tried to explain that that is excatly how I felt when I read those statements for the first time. His response was that they weren't racists and it was okay to classify other people in generalizations if they weren't part of his group but that they would never do that with race issues. So I guess my point was somewhat lost- well, it was worth a try.

On blood: I explained that I was uncomfortable with people reducing statements in the bible to "what they really mean when they say that". I explained that there were no blood fractions in the bible. I asked him to show me his blood card, which he did. He explained that the governing body used a panel of blood experts to determine which parts of blood were okay to use. I asked him teh following: why the governing body would go to such lengths to dissect "what the bible meant", were they using science to figure out what god meant, how did they know what would be an acceptable fraction to god (how does god speak to them)...etc.
The response: essentially it boiled down to whatever they governing body said, he'd do. So I brought up organ transplants again and explained that they had already made decisions that had cost people their lives, how does he know that they won't change their minds again? Bottom line to him was that he would do whatever they told him to do, even if it meant that he could lose his life and they might change the teaching later. (he attributed this to his faith in resurrection) He agreed that they probably would change their teaching on the blood issue at some point in the future.
Counter argument: He knows I'm a fair-minded person so I told him "Well, if I was on the governing body and I believed that the bible meant "no blood" and I believed that the "forbidden blood fractions" were among those listed on his card, then I would have to issue a statement disallowing meat-eating and breast milk. Either that, or I'd have to revisit my policies. He knows I don't support the blood ban but he could see why I would say that. In the end it was still "whatever they say goes" but it was worth a shot.

On growth as indicator of god's blessings:
He cited the society's growth rate as a reason he believed they were god's chosen people. I cited examples of other religions that had higher growth rates.
the response: The growth rates of other groups must be inflated by percentages or something. They probably aren't true.Besides, the growth rate is only one of the reasons he knows they have god's blessings.
(I probably should have mentioned the decline in publishers in Japan but I didn't want to clue my friend in to the depth of information I've been gleaning over time)

For the most part, this conversation - which was NOT supposed to be about his organization once again turned into a Yay Watchtower! situation. We were supposed to talk about something else but inevitably when we have heart to heart talks, it always comes down to his group.
A few points that forced me to bite my lip: He said he felt he couldn't learn anything about the bible from me. I cited an example where I told him something he didn't know. He said he actually knew it, but had forgotten. Ugh! Just for good measure, I asked a few questions about the bible that he didn't know the answer to and made passing reference to how we know relatively little about the person(s) who put the bible together in the form it's in today.

I wasn't particularly happy with how the conversation went- particularly since it wasn't personal and we were supposed to be having a personal conversation. However, it does provide me with some insight into how he thinks. Usually he isn't particularly forthcoming about his feelings on his religion. Our friendship developed primarily because we didn't talk about religion (part of the reason i didn't realize the extent of the issue until well after knowing him). If anyone can provide any further ideas about the type of thinker he appears to be, I'll be happy to hear them. Sometimes another viewpoint might prove beneficial which is why I'm putting this out there. Thanks.

22

Another JW urban Legend

by NikL in

jw
friends

well i got e mailed another jw urban legend...er experience.

maybe you have heard it before but if not.... .

i received this great experience, well worth sharing.. .

detective

My JW friend just related a similiar story to me except the despondant man was on his stoop when he was approached by a witness. Although it wasn't the witnesses territory, he spoke to the man anyway, thus saving the despondant man's life. So the story now has two morals: the troof can save you, and for any lackluster publishers out there: even if it's not your territory you can still turn someone on to the troof and save a life.

I asked my friend if he thought the story was true. He said that there must be people somewhere who would know of the situation so it was likely to be true. He acknowledged that there was some possibility for embellishment but that it was probably true nonetheless.

I'm thinking it might be about time to introduce him to snopes.com

8

Where can I find the rape comments?

by detective in

hi, i've seen the various stances on rape from the questions from readers but have lost track of where i saw them layed out.

can anyone get me the dates of the magazines or copies of the quotes?

detective

Hi, I've seen the various stances on rape from the questions from readers but have lost track of where I saw them layed out. Can anyone get me the dates of the magazines or copies of the quotes? Thanks,
Detective

33

Agnostic Apostate Morals Kick In

by COMF in

despite my response in teejay's "taboo" thread - http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=25580&site=3 - in which i supported the idea of polyamory, i am presently in a relationship which is monogamous by mutual agreement.

i was fascinated and intrigued by the lady, and attracted to her, enough to make that commitment when she explained that it had to be that way or we'd need to go separate ways.. that relationship is presently at a rough spot, one which i described to somebody recently as "that point you reach, where all the spark is gone but you haven't put it out of its misery yet.

" her parents have been visiting from out of state since wednesday (it's saturday as i write) and we haven't seen each other since last monday.

detective

Gee, I'm about to be unpopular (again). I have had a few life experiences myself and I can say that I agree with Spender on this one. Facing temptation is normal but to imply that those things happened "around you" isn't realistic. Those things happened because of you. You were part of the situtuation and you allowed things to develop to the extent that they developed. If you can take credit for stopping the activity then certainly you can take credit for allowing the activity to get to the level that it did. Selective responsibilty doesn't work in this scenario.
That said, I am not condemning you for your actions and am glad that you found your moral center (or whatever you'd like to call it) and put a stop to something that you wouldn't feel good about. From your girlfriend's perspective, I don't think she'll jump for joy that it only involved a little groping and kissing. I mean, I wouldn't expect a thank you note, if I were you.

Everybody slips a bit now and then. It's good that you found your footing but I think it's also important to acknowledge your part in the slip up, not just the happy ending.