Just now, I had two living, breathing, proseltyzing Jehovah's Witnesses come to the door. It's been yeaarrrs! One was very skinny and the other the other persuasion (I wonder how she would appreciate the articles re: overweight people printed in the seventies?).
Unfortunately for me of course, they couldn't have come at a worse time. I've had a mega cold for the past week, and (ladies you'll feel me here) have horridly wretched cramps twisting my innards.
Sooo....I was too startled to collect my thoughts, they offered the "What does the Bible really teach" (my only real non-online literature I have!).... I don't have the stomach for at the moment. I was very polite, but I did get in that "You know, Jehovah's Witnesses haven't been here for a looong time, we've had Mormons. Don't some JW's live closeby?" Of course I invited them back for a visit. I dearly hope they come. I got really freaked out when I heard the knock on the door, cos we're trying to sell the house, have the sign up now, and I was afeared it was someone trying to survey things even though it's expressly "by appt. only" and we're not prepared in an instant.
I am wearing my "Army National Guard" t-shirt that we received when my brother joined. I haven't changed in a week cos I've been ill, so I look like a homeless person.
I do hope they come back. I haven't had much opportunity to give an anti-witness even though I've been absorbed by everything WT for years. I should have scheduled something. I just said "will you girls come back, I would love to discuss some things with you."
Oh if they only knew I ran down to post about it on an apostate website.
smellsgood
JoinedPosts by smellsgood
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18
Finally! Jehovah's Witnesses come to see smellsgood!
by smellsgood injust now, i had two living, breathing, proseltyzing jehovah's witnesses come to the door.
it's been yeaarrrs!
one was very skinny and the other the other persuasion (i wonder how she would appreciate the articles re: overweight people printed in the seventies?).
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smellsgood
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Any famous relatives?
by greendawn indo you by any chance have any famous relatives?
i personally don't have any, not living ones anyway.
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smellsgood
I'm related to Robert the Bruce from my Dad's side. That's right! Scottish royalty all the way. Er, I think it'd be slightly cooler to be related to Wallace, but I don't think he had any children.
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The Greatest Answer In the History of the World!
by smellsgood ini don't know how you will feel about miss south carolina if you view her answer, but i would move for throwing down the irrelevant leaderships of our respective countries (that means you, deleware), and making s.c. empress of the earth for life.
and maybe a few years after death.
surely even as ashes in a jar, she will be as a light of intelligence, clarity, justice, fluidity of speech, and above all, hotness.
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smellsgood
Yes, yes, I'm a contradictory mix of emotions for the girl. I do feel sorry for her, at the same time I find her answer too hysterical not to laugh about. It definitely was the worst question of the five, and certainly the best answer of any pageant I've seen.
btw: the guy at the end wasn't a judge, someone edited that in after the fact. The judges don't say anything in response, I think that's a good policy.
freeme: Ah, I felt you might be foreign. Wie geht es Ihnen heute?
There was actually this program about how Europeans perceived the U.S. on PBS last night. It was very interesting, and very much what I would expect. I agree with some of what they feel, but there was one British snob in particular who called us all idiots. Only an idiot would call 300 million people she didn't know idiots.
its because i feel like the US is ultimately self-fascinated. Big NATIONAL sports events (NBA, NHL, etc) are somehow BIGGER than international ones (contrary to EUROPE),
smellsgood: I think sports has less to do with any self-fascination than other factors.
One of the biggest factors in the development of America is simply Geography. By living in Germany, you have Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, etc, all of Europe really close at hand, Americans have other States with very similar sort of Americans in the next state. Where you have France, someone in Utah has Nevada, or California. People speak the same language, have the same President, the same media, all across the country (of course there's immigrants). We are encompassed East And West by vast Oceans.
This and many other factors I believe lead to a kind of isolation that can plant our eyes more steadily on ourselves than the world. However, I think it is an insidiously cultivated attitude, along with the what has become the rather narrowing vision of the 'American Dream,' poor education with regard to the World, as well as just person by person selfishness. And yet...
Americans privately are still by far the most generous people on the planet. We give more to causes for needs all over the world than any other country of people PRIVATELY. We could still do more.
the news on US news sites are incredible dominated by US events. Patriotism is big, USA rules! ;)
smellsgood: I think that whether or not current events in the private and public life of America detract from it, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are documents which are awe-inspiring for their scope and breadth, simplicity and genius. I personally when I think of America, think of these documents, what it meant for them to experience freedom of religion, speech, etc. What the purpose was, and what America was made to be and I think still stands for today. It is liberty.
I think Americans today are spoiled and undereducated about even their own Country. It is sad, they don't know what they got. But of course, I would just as happily live in any of the free countries of the Western World.
<<<<They are just not interested in the rest of the world :)>>>>
I would say that is right and wrong. I think Americans are interested, I know I don't go a day without thinking about other places and people in the world. I know many people like that.
<<< And those dont listen in schools when it comes to other countries as well.>>>>
True, cliches can get the best of a country. It's a shame that the American students behaved so stupidly. But they were kids, maybe you haven't had enough encounters with adult Americans?? Besides, education about the world is quite poor in my experience. But I only attended one school.
I have no bad feelings about most European countries or people. In fact, I just feel interested in them, their language, culture, history, art. -
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The Greatest Answer In the History of the World!
by smellsgood ini don't know how you will feel about miss south carolina if you view her answer, but i would move for throwing down the irrelevant leaderships of our respective countries (that means you, deleware), and making s.c. empress of the earth for life.
and maybe a few years after death.
surely even as ashes in a jar, she will be as a light of intelligence, clarity, justice, fluidity of speech, and above all, hotness.
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smellsgood
I don't know how you will feel about Miss South Carolina if you view her answer, but I would move for throwing down the irrelevant leaderships of our respective countries (that means you, Deleware), and making S.C. Empress of the Earth for life. And maybe a few years after death. Surely even as ashes in a jar, she will be as a light of Intelligence, Clarity, Justice, Fluidity of Speech, and above all, hotness.
Believe me when I say, you have never experienced an answer given in such a way, as the third runner up for Miss Teen U.S.A. has done with complete ease. This is one for the history books kids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTjaYaORCKo -
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What's Your Favourite YouTube Clip?
by sweet pea in.
if you need to laugh... .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujxi6x-moxe&feature=active_sharing .
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smellsgood
Well, my bro got me interested in Japanese stuff, and I found some clips from Japanese prank shows. Really really funny sh*t. You could NEVER EVER get away with these things in the states, you'd be sued by every single person who got pranked. These are well worth a watch. Even if you have dial-up like me. Just type in "japanese pranks" if you wanna see more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h38kd8dYzg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL39CvrkVQ8 -
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What are you reading?
by Hortensia init's rather quiet on the jwd forum tonight - probably you are all out partying, eh?
i'm wondering what's in the pile of books by your chair or bed?
i have a couple of mysteries, robert barnard's newest one and a really old arthur upfield.
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smellsgood
I really can only read what's laying around the house right now, my library card is useless cause I'm horrible at returning books and I have too many fines. Plus books is too 'spensive for me right now.
So, I've read at least a dozen Nancy Drew Mysteries. Hypers!
I got so excited when I saw the trailer for 'Prince Caspian' I reread that book and 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.' I love the Chronicles of Narnia.
I'll give it another plug, "Son of the Revolution" by Liang Heng and Judith Shapiro. True story of Liang Heng and his family growing up during the Revolution (Down with the reactionary Capitalist Roaders!) under Mao Ze Dong. Should be required reading for every spoiled American child who doesn't have a point of reference on how lucky they are to be born here, or any free country.
Otherwise, I've read some Lemony Snicket books. So, all in all some very heavy duty intellectual fodder. -
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Dilemma - What can I offer my wife if she leaves the witnesses?
by truthseeker inthis week, my wife called me an "opposing husband" - because i stopped believing that jehovah chose the watchtower society as his sole channel on earth.. .
my wife knows about the society, it's flip-flop on doctrines, child sex abuse scandals, including the un, but none of that matters.. .
she doesn't read the litertaure, not even the bible.. .
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smellsgood
She doesn't believe she could ever find a gathering of worldly people who don't curse, swear and drink/smoke, so for that reason she doesn't want
to leave the organization. >>>
she's ign'nt.
They're called Mormons, Baptists, Pentacostals, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, et cetera. As far as I've read on this board, if she desires to not associate with drinkers, smokers, fornicaters, and the like, she should quit gathering with Witnesses in her area immediately.
Why does she have to find an idyllic location before she chooses to get out of the sewer? Why does she need an oxygen chamber before she chooses to stop inhaling asbestos? Why does she need a ballgown in order to stop rolling in elephant dung?
The question: where else would I go? Well, if she believes in YHWH, and were to believe in the Bible, she might start wondering about the absent character of the WT screenplay: Saviour #1, played by a short dusty man. Perhaps she could also ponder a hypothetical situation where an employee for example, knows that her employer is a liar, a thief, and a murderer, but just shrugs and sighs about that, because he brings such wonderful ambrosia to her Potlucks.
Does she not think that knowing he's a liar and a thief and a murderer, makes her culpable in a very dreadful way: passively so. She doesn't even have the guts to cut off contact because she's doesn't want her world shaken or changed. Just gonna stay in that comfort bubble, becoming more and more lost in a world where 2+2 always make up 5.
Sorry, I don't know how you stand it.
Does the god she serves hold human life in high esteem? Who serves a god who was furious if you drank a glass of wine, but pleased when a child died from an accident on a bike? -
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A few questions for the Brits!
by smellsgood inso, have i heard right?
do you guys get free health, dental care?
including like, orthodontia, braces which cost roughly $5,000 w/o insurance in the americas, usually half with?
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smellsgood
This is what we find difficult to believe, America the richest country in the world does not provide free or at least partly free medical care for its citizens. I wonder what happens to someone that suffers a heart attack and has no money to pay for treatment or insurance, will that person be left to die? Or let's say a cancer or kidney problem sufferer what happens to them?>>>>>>>>
Good question greendawn! I don't think that care is denied in a catastrophic/emergency setting. You can go to the emergency room and they won't ask you for money upfront.
My grandma has tremendous heart problems, I know they've filed for medical bankruptcy, but she still is receiving all the care she needs.
You will get treated I think.
I do remember a story of a young couple and a child who had cancer. They had crap insurance, so what happened is they ended up being up 1/2 million dollars in debt. -
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Name your Top Ten or However Many you can Favorite Comedy Movies
by flipper instarted one thread serious, so thought i'd go light and easy on this one.
so what say yee to this?
here are mr. flippers, about in this order, but not necessarily.
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smellsgood
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one of my favourite movies, it's classified as a comedy so...
'The Gods must be Crazy'
The Princess Bride
Pink Panther
Bridget Jones Diary
umm, that's all I can think of. I don't get to see alot of movies really -
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mormons!
by John Doe inwell, my second day of classes, and i was approached by two mormon "missionaries" on the bus.
they were both dressed rather oddly--two young women in ankle length dresses and long hair pulled back with those odd hair thingies.
they were both incredibly nice and not pushy, but they were crestfallen when i told them i wasn't interested in reading the book of mormon and that i didn't know anyone who was.
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smellsgood
"I didn't know "missionaries" were assigned within the US."
I ran into this guy from my school a month back or so, and he told me how he'd been on his compulsory 2 yr. mission. I asked where he went, answer??
Arizona.
I was like, WTF, so their just shuffling people around the U.S., why wouldn't you just proseltyze in your own state? It was weird.
My brother is in the National Guard, and apparently there are quite a few Mormons around. One of the Mormons did HIS mission in Thailand, and as a consequence is completely fluent in Thai. The guy from my school remains moderately fluent in English.
When I made a face about him joining the Army (because of the timing) he's like "What, are you a Jehovah's Witness?" ha ha!