This is especially true since these churches are tax-exempt. If their message and stance in the community is so weak that their members cannot or will not support them, the government has no business propping them up.
Posts by Gopher
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3Massachusetts officials given a jap in the ribs! Stop Giving Taxpayer $ to Churches!
by Sol Reform inhttps://www.au.org/media/press-releases/massachusetts-communities-must-stop-giving-taxpayer-aid-to-houses-of-worship?utm_source=au+main+email+list&utm_campaign=aab0b99647-13-6-25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_39ed39e994-aab0b99647-288613497.
massachusetts communities must stop giving taxpayer aid to houses of worship, says americans unitedchurch-state watchdog group tells state officials to end public aid to religionjun 27, 2013. americans united for separation of church and state has warned officials in massachusetts that they must stop allowing communities to use taxpayer money to renovate houses of worship.earlier this year, americans united received several complaints that massachusetts municipalities were using funds under the community preservation act to repair churches.. this practice, americans united asserts, violates both the u.s. and massachusetts constitutions.
"houses of worship should be supported by the men and women sitting in the pews, not the taxpayers," said the rev.
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On What Date Did Watchtower Have THE TRUTH?
by OnTheWayOut inif a jw tries to gather you back to the flock or debate with you, try these questions:.
on what date did the watchtower arrive at the truth?.
(a sharp jw will try to be fuzzy.
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Gopher
You guys are nothing more than HUMAN APOSTATES !!
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Type Jehovah into your last media site and what article appears?
by usualusername inbbc news.
21 dec 2012. mayan prophecies: life after the (non) end of the world.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20712815.
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Gopher
The first story that came up in the Minneapolis newspaper's website was about a stabbing. The key person of interest was someone in a JW family who wasn't taking his medications for his mental condition. For the story they interviewed someone who was described as a "pastor" of the JW congregation.
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Name Jehovah
by allyouneedislove ini have a question regarding the name "jehovah".. is yahweh an english translation of the name?
if not, and some say that we don't know exactly how it should be translated, what about the argument the wt makes regarding "we do not know how jesus' name was originally said either".
other bible translations translate names like "jeremiah" from their original language.
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Gopher
The first part of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah has an interesting explanation of how the name Jehovah came about.
There is a controversy over which name is the real one. I say "Yahweh? No way!" (Actually I don't care what people call their deities.) -
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Jws and urban myths!
by Julia Orwell injws sure love urban myths.
the jws have their own collection built up over many years, part of their own unique worldwide jw culture.
i've come across the same ones in america that i've heard in australia, and they pass from legend to myth and finally reality as quoted from the platform.
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Gopher
Along with the Sister Paine in the rear legend / joke, there was the legend / story about the "brother" saying a concluding prayer at a meeting and asking Jehoober to forgive our "falling shorts".
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Jws and urban myths!
by Julia Orwell injws sure love urban myths.
the jws have their own collection built up over many years, part of their own unique worldwide jw culture.
i've come across the same ones in america that i've heard in australia, and they pass from legend to myth and finally reality as quoted from the platform.
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Gopher
Another myth had legendary country singer Glen Campbell being a JW. Supposedly someone in the WT headquarters had seen the name Glen Campbell on a Watchtower magazine subscription wrapper back in the days when people could subscribe to the magazines by mail. Very probably wasn't the same Glen Campbell.
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Smurf WArs
by snare&racket ingrowing up in the uk we didnt hear any stories about smurfs being demonic or evil etc, i watched the smurfs without a bad consciense.. what were the stories?
the rules and the reasons why?
how widespread was this crazy idea?.
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Gopher
Even Dial soap was rumored to have blood in it. How icky to bathe in that stuff if you were a rumor-believing dub drone.
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good times we had when we were JWs
by smiddy inboth my wife and i were talking about some of the good times we had when we were jw`s ......and we did have good times socialising ,going out for meals ,hotels ,/ wedding functions /,with groups on barbequres /,camping at national parks , and beaches ,/enjoying fellowship at one anothers house on many an occassion ,/video nights / thearter nights with who we thought were good freinds ,our children grew up with their children and vice versa .i was a ms my wife was a people person who liked to entertain at home and many people responded to that.and i would say that apart from the first 5 years of our involvement and discarding the last few years of our leaving their was at least 20 + years of our relationship with our brothers and sisters who we considered our intimate freinds.. once you leave the religion they dont want to know you ,i tried a couple of times with no response.. whatever happened to trying to get you going again ?
(not that we ever would but they dont know that )and no neither of us were disfellowshipped.
i just think it`s a pity that in their veiw freindship is conditional on staying with the organization.
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Gopher
The hard thing to come to grips with: Some of the friendships in there felt so REAL. But conditional friendship is really only half-friendship, not the full meal deal. So in a way it's sad, because JW's never really have complete friendships in the organization because it can be dropped quickly over a difference in religious opinion.
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Do you feel guilty?
by new hope and happiness ini have recently been having a feeling of guilt for having escaped the w.t while so many friends and family remain trapped.. has anyone else ever had similar feelings?.
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Gopher
:I feel I should be doing something to help friends wake up, but I figure they'll have to work it out for themselves
Agreed. The best thing we can do is show any possible kindness (or avoid them if it's best), but be available for them if they ever decide to come on out and need our support. The support from my sister and one childhood friend (who also grew up JW) was invaluable to me at the very start of my post-Watchtower journey.
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Jws and urban myths!
by Julia Orwell injws sure love urban myths.
the jws have their own collection built up over many years, part of their own unique worldwide jw culture.
i've come across the same ones in america that i've heard in australia, and they pass from legend to myth and finally reality as quoted from the platform.
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Gopher
More Smurf background, FYI: http://forums.randi.org/archive/index.php/t-188891.html