What you have here is some interesting tidbit that is useful in painting a composite picture; however I wouldn?t hang my hat on it alone, it?s easy to get burned that way.
freeman
JoinedPosts by freeman
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11
Atta Trained in Baghdad????
by Yerusalyim inthis report has been in the british press, not picked up here in the states though...if true it's very interesting.. day of infamy 2001. memo: 9-11 chief.
trained by saddam.
document says atta in baghdad under abu nidal's tutelage just before attacks.
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Facial Hair and J.W.'s
by Coop Man ini have always wondered why witnesses are not "allowed" to have facial hair.
when i asked a local elder just a few weeks ago (he had no idea i was inactive, just happened to bump into him while my parents were visiting from out of town), his explanation was that "in some countries, it is totally acceptable to have beards, goatees etc...., but in the u.s. of a., facial hair is a sign of rebellion.
so, the local or territorial opinions on beards is what drives the local congregations policies.
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freeman
Yes that is the explanation; it?s just a shame however that it doesn?t represent anything close to reality. My conservative and respected attorney sports a beard, as does my equally conservatives accountant, I wonder why. For that matter, my doctor and my former boss also sported varying amounts of facial hair. I don?t recall these folks ever being accused of being even remotely rebellious in any way, shape, or form.
I will admit that that back during the 1960?s, some considered goatees a bit rebellious, so I guess there is some historical basis for this elder?s belief. However what this elder and the other witnesses need to do is join us in the 21 st century. Here in our century, facial hair is a matter of individual preference, freedom, and choice. Oops, sorry I forgot, the witness don?t do freedom, or choice, and of course their preference is whatever the men in Brooklyn tell them it is. Sill me... my bad.
Freeman
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HELP...Long Discussion on Evolution vs Creationism w/ a friend
by Panda inwell, i sunk low on this one and basically told my best friend that she is stupid to for one second believe what the christian tv channel "evolution professor" says about the "facts".
first i said there is no such thing as an evolution professor.
she continually said she wasn't evolved from apes.
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freeman
Someone with more brains than me will respond!
Not sure that I have more smarts then you Shamus, but I probably do have a bigger mouth, which is good because I also have big feet too.
Panda,
Evolution is a fact, you know it, I know it, and unfortunately she does not realize that even the ?evolution professor? at some level knows it too.
When I was practicing dub I knew evolution was true but somehow I was able to hold contradictory thoughts in my mind at the same time. I?m not going to get into the Orwell psychobabble about why one does this but it?s suffice to say it?s a little trick we do with our minds. Put simply we play this mind games with ourselves because to admit the reality of evolution could open up the floodgates of doubt, and that could cause great harm to our current worldview.
Panda I know it?s frustrating but right now it?s her crutch. If you want to bring enlightenment to her as a friend you just can?t attack her worldview, it is after all her security blanket. That aside, if you decide this poor soul does indeed need saving from the clutches of ignorance, I would suggest you do it incrementally.
You might just happen to somehow mention something about the antibiotic you are taking and how you will finish the prescription even though you are now fully cured. You were warned by your doctor of what could happen if you did not finish the bottle. And what could happen??? If you do not completely kill off the germs infecting you, the ones that survive may evolve into a new strain, a strain resistant to the once lethal antibiotics.
To put it in perspective, you are now confronting your friend with not only evolutionary facts, but facts supported by medical realities. Now if she does the least bit of checking on her own she will soon discover that the medical profession actually believes in evolution and proscribes medicine based on that reality. Wow doctors believe in evolution! Quite a bombshell wouldn?t you say?
Fortunately and/or unfortunately the visible and tangible effects of evolution on simple organisms such as germs requires much less time then one would require on higher organisms such as humans. It?s bad from a medical perspective because some of our once best medicines are no longer working, but at least such occurrences clearly and demonstratively illustrate the reality, the FACT of evolution. I?m not saying this will change her worldview overnight to one more closely resembling reality, but perhaps it could be a start.
Queue Mission Impossible music ? DUM DUM DA DA DUM DUM DA DA ...
Your mission Ms. Panda is to save this poor soul from the clutches of ignorance and put her on a path to reality if you can.
As usual, if you or any member of you IMF team are killed or captured, the secretary will disavow and knowledge of your actions.
This message will self-destruct in five seconds.
Good luck.
Freeman
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Graduate Degree
by joelbear ini am seriously considering staying in school and going for my master's and maybe my doctorate.
its always been a dream of mine to have a doctorate degree.
like the fabor college slogan says: "knowledge is good.
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freeman
Great idea Joelbear! IMO the best investment one can make is in there own education; that investment will pay dividends for the rest of your life, let nothing stop you!
Freeman
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my promise to you, a quote from ray franz
by the mole in***the mole*** i told many of you i recieved a letter from ray franz regarding my situation with my family and my kingdom hall.
his kindness and compassion found the time to write me and uplift me, this should help tinkerbell82 also....-----ray wrote, " as for what you will do in your present situation, that is something you must work out with god's help and the guidance of his spirit.
one must make decisions as to what conscience can allow, what good can be accomplished.
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freeman
Great quote thanks for sharing!
IMHO Ray exudes some of the very best traits humanity has to offer. I met Ray just one time some 26 years ago and I tell you that experience still to this day touches me. If ever there was an example of a true Christen, Ray Franz is it.
Freeman
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Did You Ever Steal?
by minimus intoday, i heard about how a very beloved relative of ours that recently passed away from cancer, had a reputation for stealing.
she would often go in stores and switch tags on clothing or other items (among other things).
we were shocked to find this out by a number of other relatives.
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freeman
Yes minimus, I used to steal on a regular basis. I have stolen large sums of money, millions of dollars in fact and highly sensitive, classified government documents too, ostensibly for sale to the highest bidder. Surprisingly I never have been caught and of course never went to jail because of these numerous thefts.
I?m just playing with you a bit minimus, I?m not a crook (said in my best Richard Nixon voice). However, some years ago, I was a professional security specialist. As part of my job, I was actually authorized to try to defeat security of high value and sensitive government systems.
This was done to expose the security flaws before the real bad guys found them. Very s imilar to they way they are testing the security at airports these days; seeing if authorized security testers can get past security with dangerous items.
Note the key operative word ?authorized?. Had I done any of this without authorization I know that I could be in jail for a very long time.
Should I ever think about using this talent to really steal, I have no doubt I would be one of the first people they would investigate. I have shared a friendly cup of coffee with FBI and Secret Service agents and I also been on the business end of these people too, and frankly they are quite scary. However, that is not what keeps me honest.
I think the value in stealing (at least for me) was never in the rewards of the theft (i.e. the money), but in the thrill of beating the system. I think that is what drives many people to steal; I think a good number of them are in fact ?thrill junkies? just like me. What do you think?
Freeman
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Special Assembly Day report 2003/2004
by truthseeker in2003/2004 special assembly day report.
theme: serving jehovah with a complete heart.
brief note: no new light this year, but a couple of new changes i have not seen before.
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freeman
Aren?t we all grateful to brother Truthseeker for bringing us this bounty of spiritual food!
Between the great write-up of the assembly from brother Truthseeker and the often insightful analysis our dear sister Blondie provides us with, we surly are blessed. Best of all we get the benefits of the meetings without the great
wasteinvestment of time normally required. Now if any of us should everundergo a brain seizurea spiritual reawakening, and wish to return toour own vomitthe fold, we will be up to date with the latestbullshitunderstanding from thefaithlessfaithful slave; all thanks to you.Thank you once again for your fine report, it was almost like being there, I even felt a bit of nausea, very realistic.
Freeman
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freeman
Baby got back....lots and lots of back!
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President Bush declared North Carolina a major disaster area
by MrMoe inhttp://www.cnn.com/2003/weather/09/18/isabel/index.html
president bush declared north carolina a major disaster area, clearing the way for federal aid to the storm-battered state.
the governors of virginia, north carolina, delaware, maryland, pennsylvania and new jersey have declared states of emergency.
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freeman
Simon, I’ve been to North Carolina, trust me, it was a major disaster area long before Bush said it was. But you’re correct, it is his fault.
Freeman
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Why is a trauma to move out from an organisation like the j.w ?
by arancia ini was converted j.w about 15years ago but last year i got to know what sort of people they were in reality.
my husband and i made the decision in five minutes.within few days we sent a very brief letter that stated in few words that we were living the oganisation disgusted for what we so in tv on channel 9 the previous sunday.
we reach very fast that decision because we freely and voluntarily got in ,therefore with the same spirit got out.
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freeman
Being a JW is much the same as living behind the iron-curtain was some years ago.
You are warned never to listen to the pleadings of anyone who is part of that decadent outside world, or even listen to your own inner voice that says something is so very very wrong. Behind the iron-curtain of the Watchtower your life is complete, beyond it you are on your own. One reason that it is so traumatic to move beyond the iron-curtain of the Watchtower is because the organization is so all encompassing, so all knowing, and without you every realizing it, it is also quite totalitarian.
In fact the Dark Tower is the living embodiment of the word totalitarian. The Tower has something to say on just about every aspect of your life, the way you dress, groom your hair, spend your money, spend any free time, the type and manner of sex you have with your mate. You name the subject; there is most likely already a commentary on it from the Dark Tower.
I believe that one of the biggest attractions to this cult is that everything is so very simple; just follow the rules written and otherwise and you will be OK. Your world is laid out in such a way that many of your very basic needs are met. You have instant friends, and that means that you need never develop real relationships based on anything other then the fact that you are all in the same group. Too bad you will never know what a true friend is. But who needs true friends when you have a have a grand purpose. Just don’t leave the club or else!
At least you already know what you will be doing on the weekend and for that matter much of the week too. Yes, you will be quite busy, you have a schedule, you need to get your hours in and don’t forget about underlining your tower, very important, it shows spiritual maturity.
When reality creeps in as it inevitably does from time to time you need not fear. You have built in mental defensives and also others are there to help you adjust to the correct group-think and put you back on track. All is well, problems will be minimized for you and what can’t be glossed over will be fixed any time now as long as you just hang on a little bit more. We are so very close to the end you know.
So why is it so hard to leave, why is it so devastating? For all the reasons I talked about above and I’m sure a good many that I never even thought of. Bottom line, don’t join a cult, they are very hard to leave.
Freeman