Posts by GinnyTosken

10

Explaining 'Religion' To 5 Year Old

by HesterPryne in

jw
friends

23 years ago

hope you all don't mind my barging in here like this..haven't posted for a long time.

yes i am of the lurker class..lol.

now what i a hoping you all can help me with:.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Hi, Hester,

I think Mommy is a bit confused about my posting reading suggestions for children and religion. Awhile back I posted about a book I would not recommend:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=10059&site=3

I did look around a bit on the net to see what I could find for an eight-year-old. I found a children's book list used by a Unitarian Universalist church:

http://www.uua.org/re/reach/curriculum/our_chosen_faiths.html

When I looked at some of these books on Amazon, I could also look at links to similar books customers had bought. Sacred Myths: Stories of World Religions by Marilyn McFarlane looks promising, and is offered at a special price with another book by Peggy Fletcher Stack called A World of Faith.

With my own son, I first tried to expose him to a diversity of beliefs. Before he started school, his daycare provider was a Muslim woman. When he was very young, we lived in student housing and his two best friends were from India and Finland, so this helped in acquainting him with other cultures and beliefs. When he asked questions, I tried to be fair and present the answers as "Some people believe . . ."

I think your using a book about Lakota Sioux is a wonderful idea! Once your granddaughter understands that there are many stories that try to explain the beginnings of the world, why things are as they are, and what happens to us when we die, she will be more apt to do some comparison shopping before she decides on a religious practice.

Ginny

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53

First Post Musings

by Perry in

jw
friends

23 years ago

this is my first post and i must say that i have been lurking here from time to time and have been impressed with the content.

back in college i visited the old h2o site many times and this is definitely superior.

thanks to all for the rich content i've been enjoying.. my great mother was a witness making me a fourth generation.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Hi, Perry!

Your first post musings are very good reading.

Sounds like you have the ability to hold two opposing ideas at the same time and to suspend judgement until you get more info. Thats my definition of an educated person.

Are you a fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald? He said:

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.

Your comments about legalism and family pretension reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. In many ways it reminds me of my life as a JW and the struggle to face painful truth.

Maggie describes a life of pretense with her husband, Brick:

I'm not living with you. We occupy the same cage, that's all.

Gooper and Mae could be a typical JWs, doing what they are told to do by "Big Daddy" and hoping for a reward:

For him, it was always Brick, always. From the day he was born, he was always partial to Brick. Why? Big Daddy wanted me to become a lawyer. I became a lawyer. He said: 'Get married.' I got married. He said: 'Have kids.' I had kids. He said: 'Live in Memphis.' I lived in Memphis. Whatever he said: 'Do!' I did all right. I don't give a damn whether Big Daddy likes me or don't like me, or did or never did or will or will never. I've appealed for common decency and fair-play. Well, now I'm tellin' ya. I intend to protect my interests. I'm not a corporation lawyer for nothin'...

Big Daddy at first thinks that mendacity is a necessary evil:

Mendacity. What do you know about mendacity? I could write a book on it...Mendacity. Look at all the lies that I got to put up with. Pretenses. Hypocrisy. Pretendin' like I care for Big Mama, I haven't been able to stand that woman in forty years. Church! It bores me. But I go. And all those swindlin' lodges and social clubs and money-grabbin' auxiliaries. It's-it's got me on the number one sucker list. Boy, I've lived with mendacity. Now why can't you live with it? You've got to live with it. There's nothin' to live with but mendacity. Is there?

Big Daddy changes:

I'm not gonna stupify myself with that stuff. I wanna think clear. I wanna see everything and I wanna feel everything. I won't mind goin'. I've got the guts to die. What I want to know is, 'Have you got the guts to live?'

I hate apologies, especially for the truth.

I look forward to reading more of your musings.

Ginny

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17

The Fight For What Is Right

by silentlambs in

jw
friends

23 years ago

the fight for what is right.

as i reviewed the events of last year, it brought me to the simple comment above.

the thirty first of december will mark my one-year anniversary of no longer serving as an elder.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

“The person who went to the media has spoken against God.”

Wow! The substitute circuit overseer didn't leave any doubt about how he viewed the Society, did he?

Ginny

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5

Press Release- Investment Opportunity

by SixofNine in

23 years ago

pfizer corp. (nyse pfe) is making the announcement today that viagra.

(mykoxaphalentooldphyew) will soon be available in liquid form under.

the trade name of mydixaflopin.. mydixaflopin will be marketed by pepsi cola (pepsi bottling group nyse.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

My adrenaline is still up though

Adrenaline? What a cute name for it.

Ginny, pondering Jolt, Seven-Up, and and Barq's

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15

Building Kindom Halls & Picking Up Chicks..

by Valis in

23 years ago

i always got stuck going w/my dad to jw building events and for a while i thought it was a drag to have to work all weekend for free, until i started to realize there were lots of chicks running around that i could have fun with.

that and assemblies.

i can probably attribute that newfound fascination with jw girls from different cities as one of the biggest contributions to my eventual liberation.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Wickid,

I was wearing my elaborately overloaded toolbelt (with brand new, unused tools)

Heheheh. Funny--I always just carried a stud finder.

Ginny

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11

Irlam KH magazine article Df'ing

by Simon in

jw
friends

23 years ago

an article about a sister in our local local kh was in a womens magazine today.

the local kh was the topic of conversation at angharad & dylan's playgroup with the verdict that the jws are "disgusting how they treat people".

apparently, they were also quite vocal about how the articles about the wtc were trying to cash in on the suffering and they were not impressed (a wise & discerning group those mums!)..

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Simon,

I can't help but notice this passage in the article:

Surely a few dates with Simon, 18, wouldn't harm.
But a week later at his place, we started kissing, his hands slid over my body. I relaxed, responded, so natural . . .

Simon?!?

I do think it would be great if she knew of a place where she'd be welcome, especially considering your share in corrupting her.

Is it too late for folks from the board to send her Christmas cards? Or maybe you can do what Englishman does for his Dub-in-the-Pub and collect our good wishes in a thread and mail them to her?

Ginny

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30

Press Release

by JohnJBB123 in

jw
friends

23 years ago

december 4, 2001. for immediate release:.

a national human rights organization is taking jehovah's witnesses to task for claiming to support human rights while denying them to members.. approaches to education, inc., a arizona based human rights group, went public this week about its concerns that the jehovah's witness religion claims to support the un declaration of human rights while at the same time that it denies those rights to its members.

while jehovah's witnesses claim to be crusaders for freedom of religion and human rights, and in favor of religious tolerance, this is not what they practice within the group, states john b. brown, the executive director of approaches to education, inc, individual members of the jehovahs witnesses are not allowed to question their religious beliefs, because this questioning may elicit a punitive response by the religions leaders.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Here is a post on the subject of "The Watchtower Society and Human Rights":

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=6254&site=3

Ginny

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15

Building Kindom Halls & Picking Up Chicks..

by Valis in

23 years ago

i always got stuck going w/my dad to jw building events and for a while i thought it was a drag to have to work all weekend for free, until i started to realize there were lots of chicks running around that i could have fun with.

that and assemblies.

i can probably attribute that newfound fascination with jw girls from different cities as one of the biggest contributions to my eventual liberation.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Valis,

I always assumed I was not the only one, but I was curious to know if any of you folks had simmilar experiences.

You might be interested in the experiences of Francois:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=7685&site=3

Ginny

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19

Stuff we wouldn't do offline that we do here

by joelbear in

jw
friends

23 years ago

1. argue with a six year old.. ever had a deep discussion with a six year old (or someone with a three year old's mentality)?

ever heard two six year old's arguing?.

typically it turns to name calling and "i know you are but what am i" exchanges fairly rapidly.. would we walk up to a 6 year old or a mentally challenged adult and engage in one of these ridiculous, non-productive and demoralizing exchanges?.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Joelbear,

I think each of us has to decide who on this board has the mentality of a six-year-old and whether the discussions are non-productive or demoralizing.

On the "Usage of the Internet" thread, you say you have chosen not respond to Fred Hall, NYT, and Yadirf. Yet there were times when you did choose to respond, just as others choose to respond now. As ISP says, "Live and let live." When people grow tired of this, they will stop. Only each person who replies can decide whether the experience is non-productive or demoralizing for them.

I have been thinking about the subject of harsh disagreements since I saw Ashitaka's and Andee's comments in the "Military Tribunals" thread. Both Andee and Ashitaka hoped the "miserable thread" would die, and Ashitaka had earlier said:

Why not just drop it, so that dubs coming here don't see what they expect....division.....

In the "An Internet Apostate" thread, Yadirf asked:

Would you like for me to put together a list of posts from various apostates on this board that could have but failed to show sorrow after intentionally inflicting pain on another?

This has been discussed before. Should we create a sort of alternative "spiritual paradise" so dubs won't be offended by this site? Should we all smile and act nice to each other and repress our anger and annoyance? Is the purpose of the board to help JWs out of their old mindset, to help ex-JWs heal, to socialize, to discuss, to debate, or a mixture of all of these?

Are childish disagreements a sign that we don't have love among ourselves? I don't think so. Some of the most childish and volatile disagreements I've experienced have been between members of my own family. It is because we love each other so much and because we know each other so well that we react so strongly to each other.

I love this place because of the mix of support, humor, discussions, catfights, debates, and disagreements. I don't expect that we'll always "dwell together in unity," and I like the mixture of characters. Things aren't always pretty, but this tells me people here are honest and are displaying the full spectrum of their humanity.

And besides, I'm a Pee-Wee Herman fan, so "I know you are, but what am I?" suits me just fine.

Ginny

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105

An Internet Apostate

by Yadirf in

jw
friends

23 years ago

an internet "apostate" is a person who delights in sowing discord on the internet.

s/he tries to start arguments and upset people.. apostates see internet communications services as convenient venues for their bizarre game.

for some reason, they don't "get" that they are hurting real people.

23 years ago

GinnyTosken 23 years ago

Yadirf,

According to that reasoning then neither did I ... because most here knew from whence the thoughts came from, even as shown in the other thread.

You are mistaken, Yadirf. I did not know the source until Ballistic spoke up. I then did a search for "Timothy Campbell" and part of your text and found the original. It may have been a parody to Ballistic, but until the original source was revealed, it was plagiarism to those of us unfamiliar with the source document.

There's little difference between doing that and my having replaced the word "troll" with "apostate" in this persons work.

The difference is that your original post and my parody were together in the same thread for all to see. You did not acknowledge the source of your ideas.

Ginny

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