Posts by GentlyFeral

Episcopalians are pretty healthy as churches go; you'll find both homophobes and gay folk there, for instance, sometimes in the same church :S For a lively discussion of church matters by a vibrant, kindly, honest personality, run a websearch on "Episcopal" and "Louie Crew".

Gently Feral

7

I mailed my gift to..........

by shera in

jw
friends

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not telling..... it should be there in a few weeks.

edited by - shera on 15 november 2002 15:25:52 (i can't spell......)edited by - shera on 15 november 2002 19:41:50.

GentlyFeral

Mine went out a couple days ago.

GentlyFeral

16

So What's Your Party Piece, Then?

by Englishman in

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walk on top of a garden roller.. play a penny whistle by shoving it up my nose.. ride a white swan (although i haven't done that since i was 16).. so what do you do to entertain your friends, eh?

englishman.

GentlyFeral

Poetry, of course. Like this:

Sommeil Macabre
He was an earthling once: and now
The eye turns backward in the head.
The sleeper is well on his way
Out of his skin, beyond the reach Of ecstasy or rage or dread.
The sightless eye slid open, and
The wordless mind illiterate read
Black ink upon black pages; found All tongues are foreign now; and turned
To hungry trembling sleep instead.
The muscle sags upon the bone:
The hand too slack to lift the bread
To flaccid lips that hunger still
For sweeter food than this, for here
Even the sugar is made of lead.
The awkward flesh in mute debauch
Lies orderly with legs unspread.
Unpanting lungs make voiceless shouts
An orgy of silence; still tongues lap
Dry juices, unseen pink and red.
The Brownian motion of the soul
Turns the eye backward in the head
Suavely & gently; yet it is
The cosmic fibrillation that
Will tear the hard-lit stars to shreds.

Mind you, that one's most appropriate for a Halloween party. And, yes, I do have less creepy stuff on tap.

GentlyFeral

48

Why did YOU want to live forever??

by Scully in

jw
friends

what was it about living forever that appealed to you when you were a jw?.

was it the idea that you'd have all the time in the world to do whatever you wanted to do?

were you thinking about travelling the world and seeing it all transformed into a paradise?

GentlyFeral

Why, Francois, honey, I'm just beginning to appreciate the animal body properly.

Back when I was a good little dubbie, I wanted to learn every musical instrument, every aspect of several arts, also math and science (Algebra I alone would probably require fifty years ;)).

And then I wanted to hear the truth about all those six thousand years of human history from the lips of the resurrected ones. I was in no hurry to meet Moses and David; what about John Muir, George Washington Carver, Elizabeth I, Harriet Tubman? I wanted to -- once we got PBS up and running again -- host a TV show similar to Steve Allen's A Meeting of Minds -- but with the real personages, not actors.

And, 151drinker, shame on you ;) of course eternal youth was a given. How could you forget?

I'm with COMF, actually. Wasn't it Farkel who declared that all experience would eventually pale and all enjoyments crumble irretrievably to dust? I don't think so. I don't think it would be possible to remember a thousand years of experience all at once. I can well imagine picking up a book you yourself had written, so long after the publication date that it had begun to crumble -- and saying: "My god, I'm going to have to brush up my English before I can read this again."

Actually, what I most looked forward to in

~~Cloud-Cuckoo Land~~ the Kingdom was the feeling of being taken care of. I still miss it.

GentlyFeral

40

forgiveness?

by SPAZnik in

jw
friends

let's play "what if".... even if they *changed their ways*.... openly apologized.... and implemented drastic new policies.... would you go back?.

or are you "once stung, twice shy"?.

spaz

GentlyFeral

No. There's nothing to go back for (I was one of the lucky ones who had no jaydub relatives). The worldly life is so damn instructive and satisfying.

GentlyFeral

102

What Was The 1st Thing That Made You Question?

by minimus in

jw
friends

as a youngster raised in the "truth", i had my questions.

but anytime you ask a question that is unanswerable, you are told to just wait on jehovah.

as time passes, i believe that we store up a number of unanswerable questions that forces one to eventually think about everything.

GentlyFeral

I'm just smart enough for doublethink, so I, too, believed not only the crap they dealt out but all the rationalizations and retractions. I was one of the few who understood "why 1975 was not The Year" on the first go-round. (Basically: the "seventh day of creation," which ends in Armageddon, the 1000-year reign, etc., did not start until Eve's creation, date unknown.)

~~When~~ If nosyparkers ask if I was stumbled by someone's conduct, I say, "Yes: my own!" It's the literal truth.

See, we moved into this trailer park, and one of the nicest people there was someone who had about four strikes against him, biblically: a transvestite with wife and children who belonged to a fundmentalist church. He was a proud and happy transvestite, too, and sat out in front of his trailer in dress and wig teaching his children astronomy on clear nights. (He had a telescope almost as big as he was.)

So I was writing to a jaydub friend about all my interesting new neighbors and realized: I can't write about him, she'll be shocked and question my spirituality. (She was a fairly liberal jaydub, too, and one of the few I still miss.) Then I started thinking about all the worldlings around me and how much I had been taught to hate them, and how well I had learned to do that.

I realized that I was possessed by a demon of obedience (as a Pentecostal might put it) -- that the more obedient I got, the farther away I got from the Golden Rule.

"This isn't what Jesus meant," I thought. "And this isn't what I signed up for."

Shortly after, I told Jehovah, in my last prayer, that I was never going out in service again.

Then it occurred to me, "If this is the true religion, it's still making me a liar."

And then I promised myself, "As soon as I can find another church where I'm free and safe, I'll leave."

Y'all have heard the rest of the story before.

GentlyFeral

26

Who Voted Today?

by Scarlet in

jw
friends

they are saying in california that we will have a record low turn out at the polls.

i did my duty and voted first thing this morning.

i just hope who i voted for wins!!!!!

GentlyFeral

I was gonna vote Green, but my husband scared me by telling me that "when the turnout's low, Republicans dominate", so I chickened out. Again.

Look, all you liberals, drag your friends to the polls with you next time so I can vote my conscience, OK? The democrats are scumbags, except for Bill Lockyer and Pete Stark and the local guys, but the Republican platform is just damn tyrannical. Always.

And, no, I can't cite chapter and verse.

GentlyFeral

155

Christmas Gift Exchange Gimme Gimme Wantme List

by scootergirl in

jw
friends

i think it is time to stop cheerleading for the christmas gift x-change......we have quite a few names and i am really excited!

i am crossing off names as they post to this thread...... .

gentlyferal beckmelbourne truckergbveniceit pettygrundger talley mamashel nilfun beautifulgarbage orangefatcat been_there simon angharad heaven vickie butalbeexenawarrior mouthy animal debradoll ladylee mulan the_star joannadandy searchin50 happy2b scarlet randomtask celia siegswife caligirl waiting tinkerbell4125cc ridercoolbreeze onacruise/bikerchick ballistic windchaser flower elsewhere queer_reality kelpie revmalk funkyderek grout notinterested joy2bfree connielyne valis cowboy englishman plumkrzy lyineyes dutchie eyegirl scootergirl perry syn scully mac trotafax lovesdubs wild_thing lilacs yerusalyimbobsgirldawnmackincassiline maximumflash granny linda sortafairytale.

GentlyFeral

Queer_reality,

Music: I like many kinds. ... I do not have *any* recent (last four years) music cds.

You like pop and I like ethnic. I know of a record that we'd both like...but how's your Spanish?

And do you also like ethnic music (just in case Santa's first selection doesn't pan out)? Klezmer? Zydeco? Bulgarian Women's Chorus? Hah?

Also, re science fiction...could you list some books you own and some books you wouldn't read to save your life, so Santa doesn't bring them?

GentlyFeral

20

What Is Your Typical Week Like Now?

by minimus in

jw
friends

.

if you've left or are discontinuing the witness life, what are you doing now?

what's a typical week day or weekend like for you?

GentlyFeral

Well, let's see:

By the week:

Monday through Friday: Work. Come home. Websurf. A little herbal supplement, but only if I'm very tired, in pain, or feeling bitchy.
A little magic and idolatry if necessary.
Witchcraft lesson after work once a week. (I have a private tutor.)

By the month:

Queer women's poetry reading, one night a month.
Sex party every other month on a Saturday night. Sometimes a Friday night also (but NOT back-to-back!), hosted by a different group. Think of a house full of charming, respectful people who would do anything to make you feel at home and show you a good time. Oh, and they're horny and naked. But they will take "no" for an answer.
Used to add biweekly strip shows to the mix, until my favorite one shut down.
Folk dance once a month, but it's usually on the same night as the sex party, so I don't go every time.

Weekends:

Laze around the house, websurfing, watching movies, maybe go for a walk.
Herbal supplement as needed.
No guilt trips.

Holidays celebrated gleefully as they arrive...if we wish. Oddly enough it's not Halloween or Christmas that leave me cold, but Thanksgiving and Easter.

Other things I do now that I couldn't before:

Read about things the Bible doesn't teach/approve.
Write -- and put craftsmanship first.
Vote.
Christmas shop.
Wear gaudy clothes (and believe me, it is possible to be gaudy dressed only in black and white).

Oh, yeah, and did I say no guilt trips? :)

GentlyFeral