PrimateDave

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Posts by PrimateDave

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  9

  If You Didn't Have to Count Time

  by journey-on in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ....how many do you think would actually go out in service?

  if they didn't think some elder was keeping up with their hours and number of placements, i think most witnesses would avoid it altogether.. ...also, if the brothers didn't have a corporate congregational ladder to climb, would they make any real effort?

  i think many of them do it because being an elder or ms gives them a sense of accomplishment and a certain authority they otherwise would not enjoy in the mundane world.

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  PrimateDave

  If I didn't have to "count time" or do any other stupid recruitment activities, I wouldn't have. What is more, I probably could have stayed in to keep family happy and fill a seat at the hall on a fairly regular basis. Not that I would have believed any of the doctrines, but I could have enjoyed the social aspect at least if there had been any real sense of community beyond the "the end is so near" mentality.

  Any of you Watchtower people reading this? Get rid of field service and you might not lose so many members.

  Dave
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  46

  PETA

  by beksbks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what are your thoughts on this organization?.

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  PrimateDave

  I'm all for ethical treatment of animals, including bipedal hominids. But let's be realistic. Shit happens. Life isn't fair. No one and nothing lives forever. I try to eat vegan. Mostly. I'm not religious about it. If someone offers me a hamburger, I'll eat it and enjoy it.

  PETA is too much like a cult. Just too idealistic and extreme in its views. Really, it has always been a part of human behavior to use animals in some way. PETA won't change that. If anything they seem to inspire reactionary nutjobs to form anti-PETA groups. Extremists defending animals and nutjobs defending their "right" to eat 4000 calorie hamburgers. May we live in interesting times.

  Dave
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  65

  Kundalini "the 'original' coiled serpent"...anyone here familiar with it?

  by lurk3r in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  PrimateDave

  Fascinating stuff. I've read a couple of books on meditation. One of them went into some detail on the possible side effects (Kundalini?) of the practice but noted that the mental discipline cultivated by meditation techniques should not be sidetracked by these effects. The author related some amazing mental abilities developed by advanced practitioners such as the ability to maintain a lucid state while dreaming and use that conscious state to continue meditation. The author also related the varying religious traditions both eastern and western which have used meditation techniques; example: Sufi dancing. I wish I still had that book with me. I've practiced meditation, but unfortunately get out of the habit after a while. I've never experienced any unusual side effects.

  Dave
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  49

  Is rejecting supernatural explanations close-minded?

  by inkling in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here is an excellent video regarding the accusation that skeptics are.

  "close-minded" to the supernatural and to woo-based explanations .

  if you have ever been on either side of one of these conversations, .

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  PrimateDave

  Excellent!

  Dave
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  12

  Thinking of moving to Puerto rico, any advice?

  by avishai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i make about a $1000 a mo.

  us disability.

  i'm a non-denominational wedding minister, and was wondering if many people go there to get hitched.

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  PrimateDave

  Also, Puertorican residents don't pay federal income tax, but do pay and receive Social Security from the federal government.

  Dave
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  64

  I'm disgusted by YOU

  by skeeter1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  posts on fluff are fun...i admit.. posts knocking jws are therapy...i know.. posts revealing wt lies, deception, etc...well, they help those who are still in.. but...... how come no one wants to do any grass roots, writing letters, etc.

  to the governments about the jws?

  ireland is about to set national policy for its hospitals and doctors on how to handle jehovah's witness patients.

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  PrimateDave

  Honestly, I'm not sure I have an opinion one way or the other on the so-called blood issue at this time. Perhaps, if Jehovah's Witnesses rejected all forms of medical treatment on religious grounds, then I would have pause for concern. The fact of the matter is that alternative medical treatment is still medical treatment that respects the wishes of the patient. If qualified doctors can be found to administer said treatments, then who is anyone else to say what should be done?

  Dave
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  12

  Thinking of moving to Puerto rico, any advice?

  by avishai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i make about a $1000 a mo.

  us disability.

  i'm a non-denominational wedding minister, and was wondering if many people go there to get hitched.

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  PrimateDave

  Hablas Espanol?

  I've been here for over 3 years now this time. I lived here for a couple of years back around 1990.

  Puerto Rico is beautiful and ugly, cheap and expensive, safe and dangerous, crowded and untouched. And noisy.

  It is the American Caribbean with Latin roots. Don't confuse Puerto Rican culture with Mexican just because they speak [mostly] the same language. Of course, lots of Puertoricans do speak English, but if you live here very long, the locals will really appreciate your efforts to speak Spanish.

  The island has malls, movie theaters, Wal-Marts, K-Marts, Sam's Club, many major restaurant chains, casinos, golf courses, old Spanish architecture, suburbs, condos, slums, public housing projects, rain forests, beautiful beaches, mountains, crowded cities, traffic jams, toll roads, potholes, coconut palms, bamboo, bougainvillea, mangroves, friendly people, crazy politics, high speed internet, coffee, rum, lighthouses, caves, agriculture, industries, pharmaceuticals, universities, etc.

  Should you move here? Have you ever visited? As much as I have enjoyed my time here, I can't see spending the rest of my life where I'm at. You could maybe visit first, then try it out for a year. There are no passports or visas involved. It would be a bit like moving to Hawaii, except you can get by a whole lot cheaper here in PR.

  Anyway, just some thoughts.

  Dave
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  177

  Should Pot Be Legalized?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't smoke anything but i know many that do--- some frequently, most infrequently.. personally, i don't see much difference between drinking alcohol and pot use.. should pot be legalized?.

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  PrimateDave

  I said it before on a related thread. If it became legal to possess and use marijuana, it should still be illegal to perform certain tasks while under its influence, just like with the consumption of alcohol. As for marijuana being a gateway drug, in my opinion alcohol and nicotine are the real gateway drugs.

  Once again, I recommend watching Super High Me. You can see it on You Tube.
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  56

  Triblulation is upon us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  by unbaptized in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the signs are becoming more and more clear.

  violent crimes are increasing and lawlessness is the thing of the day.

  people are starting to lose their minds due to the increasing job loss and economic hardship.

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  PrimateDave

  I would like to recommend going to the library and reading Jared Diamond's Collapse. Yes, even if civilization as we know it did collapse, it wouldn't be anything new except in scale, perhaps. And then another one would form after the collapse of this one. But there will be no divine entity that will rescue a select few for following the dictates of a magazine publisher with large real estate investments.

  Dave
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  177

  Should Pot Be Legalized?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't smoke anything but i know many that do--- some frequently, most infrequently.. personally, i don't see much difference between drinking alcohol and pot use.. should pot be legalized?.

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  PrimateDave

  Homer, I'm refering to the privatization of the prison system. It is big business. How else can one justify keeping a 'health' issue (as if...) a reason for incarceration.

  Anyway, I only smoked a joint once a few years ago, and it must not have been all that strong because it seemed to have hardly any effect on me. I have no desire to try any hard drugs or sniff glue. I rarely drink alcohol because most of the time I have no desire for it. I'm pretty sure I could get pot locally if I wanted it, but I probably can't afford it anyway thanks to it being illegal.

  Dave