Posts by RollerDave

19

Did you like Pirates 3 : At Worlds End (Spoilers possible)

by free2beme in

jw
friends

i went and saw this movie sunday and i admit, i was not expecting much.

i liked the first one, a ton.

i thought the second one was too long and boring, with all sorts of new information that was so off the plot of the original, that you felt like it sort of ruined the original.

RollerDave

I thought it was a pretty good movie, but sadly disappointing as a conclusion to the Pirates franchise.

A convoluted plot-line combine with logical inconsistencies enough to jar one's willing suspension of disbelief right up to the ending that left MUCH to be desired.

I will be buying the DVD as deleted scenes supply the information that upon completing the first ten years and finding his love waiting, the Capt of the Dutchman is freed from his curse.

This, of course sets up yet another inconsistency as 'the Dutchmen MUST have a captain,' but I would prefer to have (yet) another logical hole in an otherwise pleasing storyline than to have invested all those hours for naught.

The first one was good, the second stretched it a bit, this was the worst of the three. but still fairly worthy overall compared the other swill Hollywood seems to be serving.

There's my two cents, you may keep the change.

Roller

3

Breaking the mold

by RollerDave in

we are all products of our upbringing to more of an extent than most of us are probably aware.. those of us brought up in the wts mindset have to admit that we have been affected by it.. i, myself, am surprised at the effect it had on me, i sometimes find that i have been molded into the mindset and even though i have discarded the wts trappings, the framework remains to be used be new beliefs just as harmfully.. unless the actual framework, the mold, can be broken; we run the risk of just stumbling from one disastrous belief system to the next.. being a zealot can be so appealing, but it is just a part of the framework that props up the wts mindset.

i have been guilty of it.. as the very glimmerings of disenchantment began faintly glowing within me, i found that redirecting my considerable zealotry helped me to ignore my misgivings for a time.

i redirected my stubborn certainty into computer os bigotry.. i became an amiga fanatic, devoted to that platform with a fervor replicating that of a wts drone.

RollerDave

We are all products of our upbringing to more of an extent than most of us are probably aware.

Those of us brought up in the WTS mindset have to admit that we have been affected by it.

I, myself, am surprised at the effect it had on me, I sometimes find that I have been molded into the mindset and even though I have discarded the WTS trappings, the framework remains to be used be new beliefs just as harmfully.

Unless the actual framework, the mold, can be broken; we run the risk of just stumbling from one disastrous belief system to the next.

Being a zealot can be so appealing, but it is just a part of the framework that props up the WTS mindset. I have been guilty of it.

As the very glimmerings of disenchantment began faintly glowing within me, I found that redirecting my considerable zealotry helped me to ignore my misgivings for a time. I redirected my stubborn certainty into computer OS bigotry.

I became an Amiga fanatic, devoted to that platform with a fervor replicating that of a WTS drone. No other type of computer was even a 'real' computer, those who left the Amiga camp were dead to me, and there was no shortcoming within the Amiga I could not rationalize away, hell, EVERONE should have an Amiga, I thought.

Right now.

Of course, then Commodore went belly up and the Amiga lost developer support, extinction faced my quasi-pseudo savior-figure and I drifted. Then I saw an infomercial on the television.

Macintosh, the second coming of the PC Christ!

It wasn't long before I threw myself wholeheartedly into evangelizing for the Mac. Yes, they actually called it that. I would try to sell a Mac to anyone I met. If I was going to the therapy pool, I would talk the driver on the way to get a Mac, convince a couple people there at the pool, then sell one to the poor sap that drove me home. My friends actually referred to me as the 'Mac-Pope'

Ironically, I was wildly more successful bringing people into fold of Mac Faithful than I ever was converting people to the craptown. I guess really believing in something down to the center of your bones can make a difference.

Not surprisingly, Apple encouraged such Mac Evangelism, but not by compensating any of us. If I had gotten even a 5% commission of the brand new Macs I moved while hanging out at CompUSA, I could buy a sports car.

By this time I had faded out of the Jews and pimping the Mas was all I did, I was disabled, in physical therapy. and had nothing but time, and I spent that time lavishly. As if I never felt I could do enough to be 'good enough.'

Good enough for what, I never figured out.

Then, I began feeling misgivings about the Mac and it was terribly frightening. My wall of false certainty had to come down and Apple was engaging in such wholesale ass-holery that it was made easier for me.

I mean, OS-X was no OS-9, and it had a bunch of features that had previously been 'evil' due to being very Microsoft-like but were now 'o,k' heck, even Bill Gates was on board and being all chummy with Saint Steve, New light flashing up all around and it unsettled me to my core.

Each new Macworld keynote brought new awesome features, but only if you bought a new Mac to get em, and OS-X required you to learn a whole new OS, so I thought, 'ok, if I gotta start again, why should it automatically be with you jerks?'

So, with my involvement with the WTS years behind me, I began to let go of my zealotry and widen out.

I broke the mold. Its just a PC, not a religion. I went through something similar related to the type of music I listen to and the brands of automobile I preferred. I only got over it when I realized all these foolish convictions over what amount to morally neutral-consumer choices were related and had their root in the WTS mindset I thought I had abandoned!

Now, I use whatever type of PC I want, it's just a tool, and I watch for that zealous fire rising up over some non-consequential thing, and stamp it out.

It's scary how your formative years spent within such a mentally sick mindset can affect you sometimes beyond your own realization.

Comments?

Roller

37

What's a JW's main motivator?

by PopeOfEruke in

what's the main motivating force behind the average jw?.

i'd say it's a fear of their own death.

fear of dying.

RollerDave

I like all of the suggestions thus far, but let me put this forward;

I think one of the prime motivators of the WTS mindset is a sort of smug certainty.

The WTS appeals to people who don't want to wonder, they want it all buttoned up and explained to the nth degree.

They want to KNOW, even if what they 'know' is dead wrong.

Well, that MY take at any rate.

Roller

14

Unscriptural

by RollerDave in

just had a lovely chat with my mom today.. after hashing out a bunch of other business, she asked what we were up to this monday.

of course i told her we were going out to see dad.. this gave her pause because she is well aware that dad is rather deceased.

she sputters 'you mean... his grave?

RollerDave

Open Mind, I wish I could claim 'stomping around screeching' but I got it from WT Wizard. I don't remember if he said the stomping around bit, but I know I pictured it that way while reading his posts.

Hmm, The jews visited tombs! That sounds very scriptural to me!

I think my mom may just be a bit batty over and above her WT-ness.

Roller

14

Unscriptural

by RollerDave in

just had a lovely chat with my mom today.. after hashing out a bunch of other business, she asked what we were up to this monday.

of course i told her we were going out to see dad.. this gave her pause because she is well aware that dad is rather deceased.

she sputters 'you mean... his grave?

RollerDave

Just had a lovely chat with my mom today.

After hashing out a bunch of other business, she asked what we were up to this monday. Of course I told her we were going out to see dad.

This gave her pause because she is well aware that dad is rather deceased. She sputters 'you mean... His grave? ...'

'Why would you, I mean, you know he's not there.'

'Well, mom, it's how I show my respect. we go every year.'

She replied in a manner that I had heard many times over the years, 'well, that's just unscriptural.'

For some reason the term 'unscriptural' jumped out at me for the first time.

This term seems to suggest a mindset that operates on the principle of everything being forbidden unless specific authorization can be found allowing it. Since many of the things for which a person with such a mindset in modern times would seek to find authorization involve technology or situations that have no viable biblical corollary, authority beyond what is provided within the bible must be found.

This authority takes on an authority equal to that of scipture since it is a magnification, and extensios, of those scriptures.

Thus we find a situation that is not mentioned anywhere in the bible being refered to as 'unscriptural'.

So where would one find the 'scriptural' requirement regarding visiting a grave? What actual biblical principle would such a 'requirement' be based upon?

Ancestor worship? idolatry? Association?

More likely that the time could be better spent stomping around screeching.

So there we have it, the WT stand that unless something is specifically permitted the answer is 'no' vs the authentic Christian way that except for a few prohibitions, most things are OK unless they would stumble someone.

Annoying.

Roller

91

New Stupid Assembly Rules

by WTWizard in

i have heard on this discussion board numerous rules that apply to upcoming a$$emblies.

some are designed to stop people from meeting the opposite sex; others, to make sure everyone is always ready to recruit new members into the scam.

i heard that some km inserts have been urging those whose congregation has cleaning assignments to sit in the section that they are assigned to clean.

RollerDave

And of course they will have to do the Sheep Roundup. They are going to have to physically carry me in on a board if they are to have any chance of getting me into this craphouse. And even then they have to wonder what apostate Web site I will be stirring up once I get there.

WT Wizard, I don't think any of US are wondering which website! Might it be http://www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com ? All in fun, WT, I love that site. Roller

18

Remember When The Watchtower Was Printed on Paper?

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

ah, those were the good ol' days.

you could underline with a pen and the paper wouldn't rip.

you would pinch the paper between your fingers and feel like you're holding a piece of paper instead of a tissue.

RollerDave

I wonder how long before the magazines go to an electronic only distribition pattern?

They would be a proprietary format only viewable with the WT Viewer that will only allow access with an active approved 'key' that it checks in a WT database every time and that the WT can revoke at any time.

I would be remiss not to suggest that such a key might well be worn at the wrist or on the forehead!

Such an arrangement would allow them to see when individual witnesses access the literature, and to keep it from being 'misused' by we 'evil slaves.'

128 bit encryption with a revolving key would do the trick, and if you became unnaproved, the WT Viewer would randomize the key making it permanantly unavailable.

Such a loving provioson from Big Brother, uh, I mean the FDS.

Roller

8

Do you spend an inordinate amount of time thinking of responses you would

by troubled mind in

jw
friends

like to make to your ex-witness friends and or family members.

sometimes i think i am becoming obsessive about it .

i see former "friends" and jw relations everyday .we live in a community of 6,000 and there are six witness families on my street alone.

RollerDave

I've spent my fair share of time running 'scenarios' and then spent other people's fair share of time too.

Playing 'what if' can be a valuable tool for coping, I don't think its anything to worry about unless it gets to the point where your ability to function is impaired.

Your situation certainly uncerscores the need to tread carefully and stay positive, I think it's admirable that you manage this.

It makes me grateful for my situation, I don't walk on eggs fot anyone, if I'm doing what I think is right and they have a problem with that they can go chew rocks.

I guess that's a rather blatant position and a luxury others might not possess.

So your mileage may vary, results not typical.

Roller

45

Sister-in-law attempts suicide

by golf2 in

jw
friends

my sister-in-law tried to take her life this afternoon.

it still remains to be seen if she makes it through or not.

though a witness, she's had many bad experiences in life.

RollerDave

My heart and prayers go out for this pooe woman who hurt so very very much.

I sympathize with you and everyone else touched with sadness by what her pain brought her to, and pray that she recover and find peace.

Roller

4

The Snow Day

by WTWizard in

i know it's a little late in the year for snow, unless you live in the far north or high up in the mountains.

but, i wonder how many others would hope for a blizzard on meeting night or when the a$$emblies were scheduled--or if anyone has ever had the crapmorial cancelled for snow.. one thing i liked was when, on a meeting day, it would be snowing hard.

there would be a foot or so on the ground with more coming down toward suppertime.

RollerDave

I don't know about that WT Wiz, up here in the Great White North, it takes a whole lot more snow to shut things down. If we get thirty inches, they shut it down, but for a measly fifteen inches, it's 'game on!' and you not only have to go to to the Kingdumb Hell, but you get the joy of slogging through the slush and muck.

In other parts of the US, a couple inches can set the whole are in a tizzy, but the bleatings go on.

All in all, a mixed bag, but if I had to go anyway, I sure would rather not have to slog.

Roller