Posts by VoidEater

my granddaughter - age 9 - gave me a big smile and hug before i walked out of the door this am.. it felt good then and i can still feel the effects.. children are precious and so wonderful!.

I am sooooooo thankful I never had kids - I lack the "gene" or whatever it is that allows the bonding thing. I (without sarcasm) bow to the good parents on this board and everywhere that know that feeling and care for children. I only know of the importance of kids from a very intellectual point of view - and a hope that every one of their lives are better than mine was.

21

Okay, so what is the significance of 1975 ?

by Gregor in

it obviously meant something when it was officially referred to for 9 yrs.

i know they deny that they implied it would be armageddon, so ok, then what was it all about?

have they ever brought it up again?

VoidEater

Thank you, TD, that went into my reference folder...

11

I think that my wife is maybe turning the corner !!!

by TooBad TooSad in

my wife has been softening up this past year.

she is missing more meetings for very feeble excuses.. i think that she is a little envious on meeting nights as she rushes around the house trying to get.

ready for the meeting, to hear the same things she has heard for the past 20 years, and i am in front.

VoidEater

TooBad = clever and smooth.

Thanks, Mouthy, made me smile!

39

What Is The Jehovah's Witness Religion To You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

to me, the witness religion is either a hardcore group of watchtower dogma believing "kool-aid" drinkers or a group of non-believing, mentally and spiritually lazy zombies who value their friendships and family over principle.. there are those in the middle who i believe are too fragile to even want to think about reality..

VoidEater

JW Religion = hypnotic state of ignorance leading to bliss (and occasional bouts of anxiety and self-loathing)

People have to believe in SOMETHING.

"I have confidence in sunshine / I have confidence in rain ... I have confidence in confidence alone / besides which you see I have confidence in me" - Hammerstein

It's inherent in a person to want to belong to a group...

We are social animals.

to feel a part of something important.

...and that gets taken to clinical Narcissism in too many cases. Thanks, journey-on, nice post! ;-)

72

WAR IS OVER-IF YOU WANT IT

by proplog2 in

jw
friends

christmas is the time to talk about peace.

jesus is called the prince of peace.. john lennon and yoko ono put out posters that read "war is over - if you want it".. peace doesn't depend on scientific progress.

it certainly doesn't take prosperity and riches to have peace.

VoidEater

Are they [the UN] NOT influenced by orthodox religions that feel threatened by a loss of membership?

7M out of 7B doesn't seem like something to create a global conspiracy over.

I would say that a religion that practices mutilation of sexual organs as a condition of membership has a good start at being a high-control religion.

The only reason I'm cirucmsized is because the congregation leaders told them [my parents] it was necessary.

What about religion that forbids the use of condoms and birth control pills?

What about religion that forbids oral sex?

72

WAR IS OVER-IF YOU WANT IT

by proplog2 in

jw
friends

christmas is the time to talk about peace.

jesus is called the prince of peace.. john lennon and yoko ono put out posters that read "war is over - if you want it".. peace doesn't depend on scientific progress.

it certainly doesn't take prosperity and riches to have peace.

VoidEater

The purpose of the legal system is to insure justice. The early Christians used the legal system. Have you forgotten Paul's use of his status as a Roman citizen to obtain justice in his case? So, your questioning JW's being no part of the world is without any basis.

a) Then why are so many victims of a variety of abuses within the congregation told to "wait on Jehovah" to put things right, and not to go to the secular authorities? A brother cheats you - don't take it to the courts. A brother molests you - don't take it to the courts. It's convenient for the WTS to put a public face on when it comes to notifyiing authorities WHEN REQUIRED, but that doesn't negate what is said in private nor does it make decades of "keep it in the congregation" go away.

b) Being no part of the world is part of what is used to keep embarrasements swept under the carpet (or within the walls of the Kingdom Hall). Of course it has basis.

72

WAR IS OVER-IF YOU WANT IT

by proplog2 in

jw
friends

christmas is the time to talk about peace.

jesus is called the prince of peace.. john lennon and yoko ono put out posters that read "war is over - if you want it".. peace doesn't depend on scientific progress.

it certainly doesn't take prosperity and riches to have peace.

VoidEater

Dupe post

72

WAR IS OVER-IF YOU WANT IT

by proplog2 in

jw
friends

christmas is the time to talk about peace.

jesus is called the prince of peace.. john lennon and yoko ono put out posters that read "war is over - if you want it".. peace doesn't depend on scientific progress.

it certainly doesn't take prosperity and riches to have peace.

VoidEater

So why does everyone on this discussion board keep condemning nearly 7,000,000 people who have committed themselves to a life of peace.

For the same reason total nuclear annhilation occurred in 1967 - oh, wait, that didn't happen either.

In my relatively short time I have seen doctrine lambasted, WTS control techniques critiqued, and individual behaviors ridiculed. I rarely have seen 7M people condemned. I have instead seen many posts about caring about the individuals ensnared in a hated organization. Equating this to the over-reaching "eveyone" condemns 7M people gets in the way of whatever valuable message might be coming.

JW's don't kill their neighbors in warfare. They would rather die than kill.

But to be fair apparently 23,000 of them have likely molested children, and the authority in the organization has taken little action to rectify matters in these cases.

And there are an untold number of them "officially" in the Mexican army. But we can worry about what their consciences will let them do once they're called into service. Or maybe they can get called into service and we can wait to see what they'll do on the front lines. Or maybe they can go to the front lines and we can wait to see what they'll do with a gun in their hand. Or maybe...you see, if you can start bending what are supposed to be iron-clad rules, you don't know WHAT they will do. It's a changing standard.

And a double standard - while some can join the army, others have to go to jail; and still others go through torment because they're not allowed to join a mere political party. Depends on the country you're in - and the year.

Why don't people harangue the millions of so called christians that carry on war contrary to their claimed leader Jesus Christ.

Do you really think they don't? Have you never seen a peace rally? Are you unaquainted with activism?

I would almost suspect you may be in an organization that has prevented you from knowing what's going on in the world around you. I have known many Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, that think they are the only ones that believe the Bible is the Word of God, or believe that war is wrong.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas but they have the PEACE the world dreams about at Christmas.

Depends on what you mean by "peace". Is the typical Witness shooting his enemy down in the street? Not that I've seen - so two points for acheiving a basic level of civility. But in what way is that Witness any different than the billions of his fellows that can make that claim?

Is the claim that only the Witnesses are conscientious objectors to war?

And how long before we get New Llight that will allow membership in the Army (oops, already there), or joining basic training, or going to the front lines, or...what's next?

Do those Witnesses have peace that have rejected their families, loved ones, friends, shunning them when those become disassociated, disfellowshipped, or are told that they have "disassociated themselves"? That seems to be the peace of the dead.

32

NEW CAR FOR BUBBLE

by south african beef in

jw
friends

bubble and i are off to choose a new car for her tomorrow.. we won't get it tomorrow as she wants the new '08 plate but we have to decide soon.. the choice is either a vw golf 1.6tsi match or a fiat grande punto 1.4dynamic sport - which shall we go for?.

the glof we would probably have to buy on personal contract hire but the punto we buy outright.

she has a punto now.. i know the golf has a good reputation for reliability but it's a bit dull!

VoidEater

From my somewhat dated experience, I would balance the extra cost against what would I think would be the somewhat tighter/heavier German suspension, and it's highter-tech peppier engine. Will you miss the likely more exciting performance driving experience? If no, the Fiat will give you I think comparable room and comfort these days - and a happier pocketbook.

I'd take each out and see what it feels like.

I would go with the VW myself. But I'm one of those Americans.