Posts by VoidEater

3

I could be totally SCREWED

by feenx in

jw
friends

i had a post on a week or so ago: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/150845/1.ashx in reference to my engine blowing up and a dispute that is ongoing with jiffy lube.

well i spoke to a corporate guy at jl today and they are ordering an insurance claim audit where a mechanic will come out and tear apart the engine to officially diagnose what happened to cause the engine to blow a hole in the oil pan.

the corporate guy said he is not saying for sure but his guess is that jl will not be liable because there is nothing that they could've done or not done to cause a rod to blow.

VoidEater

Feenx: What work did the shop do on the car a couple weeks ago?

About the only thing that JL can do wrong is not put enough oil in the car or leave something loose so the oil leaks out. Do you have an oil pressure gauge in the car, and did you happen to notice what it read? Did you see any idiot lights on before she blew?

What were the driving conditions when this happened? High rev during acceleration from stop?

The best case against JL would be if there was evidence that the engine ran dry. Then you could claim that they didn't put in (enough) oil. All the better if there is evidence that the drain plug was loose/damaged, or the oil filter wasn't fully attached and was leaking.

In the absence of that, it would depend on what work the shop did, to see if they did something wrong. Any warranty from the shop?

EDIT: Just read the previous post.

The "clicking sound" was possibly a broken ring moving around. A broken ring can catch on the cylinder wall and throw the rod in a variety of stunning directions.

Keep us posted...

16

Humans Need Fantasy

by metatron in

jw
friends

the problem with making judgements about religion is that it is all too easy to dismiss the value of its ( usually) unsupported beliefs.. guys like dawkins and hitchens extol the value of atheism - as if they could prove that a life without illusion is somehow "better".

related to this, we may also think that objective facts should overcome true believers simply upon their confirmation.

life just doesn't .

VoidEater

I agree.

In fact, I would submit that perhaps all of us live to some extent in fantasy, sometimes in ascribing rationale to the world and to people, sometimes in interacting with what we think is the "real world".

But beyond that, Vision is the first step in creating change - and Vision requires fantasy, the ability to exercise the imagination.

And sometimes you just need to escape what you think of as tedium.

The philosophical West in general seems drama-driven and -obsessed. It abhors boredom and vaccuum. It wants the next distraction, which may very well be a constructive distraction.

The philosophical East in general seems calm-driven, and finds value in waiting and observing. It abhors hurry and reaction.

Both seem to have their fantastic elements.

22

..Are you Afraid??..

by OUTLAW in

jw
friends

we all make friends on this board..but..what happens when someone you get along with,posts something you don`t agree with?.....are you afraid to tell that poster what you really think?..they might get really pissy with you!................are you afraid??..

................outlaw

VoidEater

Not at all. I respect my friends too much to hide my opinion, or to think they have to agree with me. We have much more important things in common, like having birthdays that are close together.

36

OPINION POLL: Dressing Up. Yay? Neutral? Yuck?

by Open mind in

jw
friends

something was wrapped around my neck at birth and it wasn't the umbilical cord.

it was a neck tie!.

because dressing up in a nice suit, good quality dress shirt (i own one), $50-$75 neck tie (my wife has purchased a couple for me that were in this price range.

VoidEater

Oh, like some other things in life - if I *have* to, it's a pain, but if I *get* to, it's fun. It's more fun to dress up now without meetings.

There was a time (in my "pretty youth") when I dressed trendy - pastel suits, Alexander Julian shirts, and then on weekends leather. Now that I'm ~~older~~ distinguished, I'll dig out a decent suit on the odd weekend. My favorite Bill Blass suit stopped fitting long ago, sadly, but I still have an Armani that was big at one time and now fits decently. I guess I had money for clothes back then!

If I have to do it for a special work meeting, I'm stuck with "ceremonial robes" and a choking tie; if I get to go to an event, it's fun (let's see...the dalek tie or the cows with funny hats?).

21

May have just opened can of worms - posted on a spirit world forum

by feenx in

jw
friends

as i'm sure many of us ex dubs do i have had tremendous fear, anxiety, curiosity and overall need for answers about spirits.

we all learned the same shite.

any spirits are demons.

VoidEater

Feenx: As always (as far as I've seen!) AA gives great comments that I can't say better.

I'll give another perspective, as well. In my time I have travelled to a lot of places people might call the "spirit world". I've had a variety of experiences that some would call being in contact with "spirits". I have been in shamanic communities and participated in indigenous rituals for close to 20 years.

In every single personal experience and in every case I know of, no "spirit" ever caused anyone to do anything. This goes back, in living community memory, for decades.

Many people have confronted aspects of themselves that they had to come to terms with. Within the context of some rituals, people have faced off against their own fears and the parts of themselves that AA refers to.

But for those experiences that people insist were with other entities, none of these entities were "satanic".

I language it in this way: I have walked with "God" many times, but never seen a devil.

15

When Life gets you down remember this

by orangefatcat in

jw
friends

funny thing now that i am no longer a jw ,thank god for that , i can't imagine how i ever had time to be a witness, here is the scheduled life of jw's which i copied from another site and give them the recognitions it deserves, http://www.escapefromwatchtower.com/mind.html.

inundated with activity.

b.. attending the ministry school andservice meetings.

VoidEater

As early as the late 60's there was a talk from the platform on all the time Jehovah gives you in a week, can't you get your lazy self out in service at least 10 hours a week? You've got 168 hours a week, for Heaven's sake!

My parents looked at each other out the corners of their eyes. Even at 8 years old or so (I was "bright"), I started "taking notes":

5 hours meetings, 3 hours travel, 7 hours dinner, 7 hours lunch, 3.5 hours breakfast, 56 hours sleep...Dad worked, so 40 hours work, 10 hours travel for that...mom shopped, I went to school...

One of my first eye-opening moments, what fishonest duckers.

39

Why don't I see any pastors or clergy on this forum?

by moshe in

jw
friends

it just occurred to me that i have never seen a member on jwd who was a minister/priest/rabbi/monk,friar,shamman, etc.

maybe i have just missed their posts and then again, maybe they don't come here for some reason.

i know they must come in contact with jw's and ex-jw's all the time.

VoidEater

Micky: I think what you have to say is relevent. I would think that this pastor is just being neighborly - until you brought up the silence when your husband is around. That sets off warning bells for me.

PS - beautiful avatar!

39

Why don't I see any pastors or clergy on this forum?

by moshe in

jw
friends

it just occurred to me that i have never seen a member on jwd who was a minister/priest/rabbi/monk,friar,shamman, etc.

maybe i have just missed their posts and then again, maybe they don't come here for some reason.

i know they must come in contact with jw's and ex-jw's all the time.

VoidEater

I am an ordained minister, but I don't come to this board wearing that hat. I was a Pastoral Counselor for a number of years and have been at the center of a shamanic community. I have served on the Board of Directors of a religious teaching organzation, and the teaching staff of a psychological institute.

On this board, I wouldn't think these roles of mine are particularly important. Rather, they would tend to get in the way since they can create an artificial impression. How can a pastor not believe in the Christian God? Doesn't a shaman have a bunch of wild, weird beliefs?

Instead, I would hope to create an impression from the comments I make, the experiences I relate. i don't have anything to "teach" here, though I do hope some of my experiences can make people more aware of what's important to me (e.g., don't think your kids are safe from abuse just because they're with people from the congreation).

And I appreciate the support I get when I can let down my guard enough to share the not-so-great parts of my life.

21

What gives us the right to question other's religion?

by dawg in

i recently wrote an article about mormonism for a local rag that got rejected, it was concerning mitt romney,and his belief in the mormon faith.

i wrote it because many people were saying that we have no right to question another's faith in our local newspaper... i said that we in fact do have that right whenever that person is running for president..... my article stated in so many words, that mormonism has been totally refuted both by the scientific community (dna, no ties with istreal and the natives here in the states) and by many of smith's previous actions in his early life... he used seeing stones once before and was arrested for fraud... i said that romney was showing by his religious beliefs that he was illogical, and someone like that shouldn't be president... what got the story booted was when i started in on christianity.. now, don't get me wrong here, i love some of christ's teachings, but if someone is a fundlementalist, then they shouldn't be president either in my mind... .

so, where do you guys draw the line in your personal lives, when do you feel its appropiate to question someone elses religion?.

VoidEater

I think when someone speaks of their religion, they have invited discussion on the topic. This is especially true for someone in public life, doubly so for those in or seeking public office.

A tenet of our government is a separation between church and state, and while a religious person may serve in government, their responsibilities to the constitution and its principles must not be swayed by their personal religious convictions. They must demonstrate a little-found maturity, the ability to recognize and separate their perosnal lives from their public duties.

Huckabee stating his goal to change the consistution to match God's standards is a case in point.

The only way to ensure equality and freedom for all religious thought is to ensure the government maintains a secular, non-religious base.

Shame on the "local rag" that rejected the story.

Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, author of "You Don't Have to be Wrong For Me to be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism", says some good things on the subject, I think. I hope he's right when he says the religiouis right has finally lost its near strangle-hold on American politics.

54

Evolution is a religious teaching

by lrkr in

i kid you not.

page 16 of 1/1/08 wt.

"although evolution is usually presented in scientific language, it is really a religious doctrine.".

VoidEater

RD: I think you have confused philosophy with religion, and perhaps morality with religion. Perhaps you are saying that in your view evolution and secular humanism serve the function of religion?

It is a simply mind boggling improbability, yet this is EXACTLY what you believe, and that my friend, takes FAITH.

Hmm...seems to me I am applying logic rather than faith.

In any case, perhaps I should take it as a religious experience that I will not be targeted with nuclear weapons by posters on this board this evening...or that other posters on this board exist.