Posts by Gopher

156

The Sigh Thread

by Farkel in

jw
friends

sigh.

i'm tired, folks.

worn out, actually.

Gopher

Butterscotch.

I appreciate the thought-provocation that your posts tend to induce.

And that you know Chopin from Chopsticks.

7

Prince (the JW/singer) endorses Republicans and bashes gay marriage

by Gopher in

i thought jw's were supposed to be politically neutral.

prince lives and proselytizes in l.a., and he came out in favor of the republican party and strongly for proposition 8 (the anti-gay marriage amendment that won the popular vote in california two weeks ago).. this guy is confused.

a political jw???.

Gopher

The quote is obviously not accurate. They quote him as saying "God came to earth...."

Actually, that quote could be accurate. I was thinking of Genesis 18:20, 21 which is the account about Sodom and Gomorrah. The scriptures there say that God said he would go down and see whether they were doing what the outcry said they were doing.

Since Sodom and Gomorrah were associated with homosexuality, I think that's what Prince was raving about in his quote.

7

Prince (the JW/singer) endorses Republicans and bashes gay marriage

by Gopher in

i thought jw's were supposed to be politically neutral.

prince lives and proselytizes in l.a., and he came out in favor of the republican party and strongly for proposition 8 (the anti-gay marriage amendment that won the popular vote in california two weeks ago).. this guy is confused.

a political jw???.

Gopher

I thought JW's were supposed to be POLITICALLY NEUTRAL. Prince lives and proselytizes in L.A., and he came out in favor of the Republican party and strongly for Proposition 8 (the anti-gay marriage amendment that won the popular vote in California two weeks ago).

This guy is confused. A political JW???

Disclaimer at the end of the article: A Prince "insider" is disputing the quotes in the story.

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/34601199.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciaec8O7EyUsr

alt

Gay marriage and doing 'whatever you want' is wrong, says Prince

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: November 17, 2008 - 3:43 PM

Prince, the gender-bending Minnesota rocker who now lives in California and makes the rounds as a Jehovah's Witness, spoke out in a newly released interview that the Bible opposes homosexuality and God has said "enough."

The comments from the Grammy-winning musician, who for decades has graced concert stages in high heels, makeup and flamboyant garb, appear in the Nov. 24 issue of New Yorker.

"So here's how it is," Prince began, "You've got the Republicans, and basically they want to live according to this." He pointed to a Bible.

"But there's the problem of interpretation, and you've got some churches, some people, basically doing things and saying it comes from here, but it doesn't."

Prince then moved to the other side of the political aisle, Democrats, saying, "They're, like, 'You can do whatever you want.' Gay marriage, whatever. But neither of them is right."

When asked for his views on social issues--gay marriage and abortion--Prince tapped his Bible and said, "God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out. He was, like, 'Enough.' "

Prince, who wrote sexually charged lyrics through much of his career, told the New Yorker that his change of faith came after a two-year debate with a musician friend. He likened it more to a "realization" rather than a "conversion."

He told the magazine that he attends meetings at a local Kingdom Hall, and he leaves his gated community in Los Angeles at times to knock on doors and proselytize. "Sometimes people act surprised, but mostly they're really cool about it," he said.

According to beliefnet.com, an independent website about the world's religions, the Jehovah's Witness faith that abortion is wrong, homosexuality is a "serious sin" and gender roles are defined: Men are the head of the household and women are loving caretakers who assist the husband in teaching the children.

The New Yorker piece was written by Claire Hoffman, a former entertainment writer for the Los Angeles Times. She also has written for the New York Times, Rolling Stone and Redbook.

One widely read celebrity gossip website, perezhilton.com, says that a Prince insider is challenging the article, saying that he was misquoted and the interviewer did not use a tape recorder.

2

Fred and Ginger

by lancelink in

i just love watching this: .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojw7-k8gv1w .

(sorry, i can't embed the file) .

Gopher

Lance and Beks --

Here's a link to the site for the worldwide celebration of Fred and Ginger's 75th anniversary in movies next year (1934 - 2009):

http://fredginger2009.wetpaint.com/account/fredginger75?t=anon

There are lots of ways to celebrate, including hosting your own film party, sending greeting cards, etc.

15

Full moon? Drunks - 0 Uzzah - 3 Peaceful Resolutions - 4

by Uzzah in

jw
friends

has anyone else noticed that people were completely screwed up today.

i had people at work freaking out, that normally are normal, others picking stupid battles just for the sake of fighting.. i hit my favourite pub tonight to forget about the day and ended up 'bouncing' three different beligerents.

all three at least 6 inches shorter 50-70 lbs lighter yet they insisted on attempting to throw punches and generally cause a scene.

Gopher

Next thing you know, they'll be sending a man to the sun. I hope they do it at night because it can get pretty hot up there.

Silly FJ -- don't you know they'll land on the DARK side of the sun?

10

Inherit the Wind

by beksbks in

wow.

i'm only 15 minutes in, but i'm already feeling smothered.

the marching matrons of the town singing "that old time religion" sends chills up my spine.. has anyone seen this?

Gopher

Yes, I've seen it. It's a classic, and still is as relevant as ever.

3

Doco, 'Chasing God' on TVNZ 7

by Black Sheep in

the documentary tries to answer the question, "why do humans believe in a higher power.. on freeview, tvnz 7 at 7:10pm sunday 16 nov.. & 2:10pm monday.. http://www.chasinggod.net/.

video at http://www.teachers.tv/video/23961 but it is not available outside the uk.. .

cheers.

Gopher

I'm not in an area where I could see this.

As God is not provable, people believe in him because of tradition or out of a need for comfort.

The synopsis says that people supposedly are turning to God more than ever. I doubt that. People have always had fears, superstitions and beliefs. Moreover, disbelief is gaining greater hold in the Western world. Many Western European societies are largely secular. Here in America, atheist, secular and humanist movements are gaining momentum -- partially in a horrified response to the attempted theocratization of our republic by recent presidential administrations and by the evangelical/political consortium.

The synopsis also says the people are turning to God, partially due to the violence and warfare. In reality, it seems that people's gods drive them into conflict with each other. Look at the all-out war against Western culture and religion by radical Islam for a recent example. Look at Middle Eastern conflicts throughout all centuries and the "troubles" in Ireland last century for older examples.

From my point of view, when 'belief' begins thinking stops. Perhaps we need to examine why people choose to stop thinking and start believing in unknowable and unprovable things. Is solace more important than facts and reason? Or is it just habit?

5

Ray Franz changes Kingdom Ministry to Kingdom Service -reversed later??

by Witness 007 in

"the light gets brighter and brighter"..or does it.???

in the 1970's ray franz arguement about the term "ministry" makes them change the "kingdom ministry" to kingdom service".......i find it funny that by 1981 after he was disfellowshiped they changed it back!....flip flop, flip flop.... i was also told the aid to bible understanding {raymond} and commentary on james {dunlap} go on the bottom of the witness bookshelf!

are these works still considered "food at the proper time" or has this spiritual food gone alittle "off.

Gopher

To be honest, I always thought the reasons they gave for the change to the name "Our Kingdom Service" were confusing and nonsensical. It seemed like they became afraid to say "ministry" or "minister".

This incident was just one more example of what should be plain to see: The WT Society had and has no such thing as 'divine guidance', but shifted as their leaders' ideas shifted. What's truth one minute is garbage the next.

17