Topics Started by Gopher

1
Went to a Christmas concert at Bethel yesterday!
by Gopher in
1. jw
2. experiences
yes, you read that right.. bethel university is a christian college in a suburb of saint paul, minnesota.

the performers were ernie haase and the signature sound, a gospel quartet from the southern united states.

i went along with friends & my girlfriend who are believers.. for me, there were enough seasonal/secular songs to balance out the gospel / jesus songs.
23
One less celebrity Scientologist
by Gopher in
1. jw
2. friends
it makes me very happy when a popular celebrity leaves a cult, because it could give others the courage to do it or start to think about leaving.. leah remini played carrie on "the king of queens", and has also been on "saved by the bell", "the talk" and had small parts in other shows.. http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/leah-remini-leaves-church-of-scientology-calls-it-corrupt-report-2013117.

leah remini leaves church of scientology, calls it "corrupt": report.

the church of scientology has one less celebrity among its ranks, according to a new report: leah remini.
49
Michael Jackson's kids decide no more going door-to-door
by Gopher in
1. jw
2. friends
this article made my day.

it looks like paris jackson and her brother prince michael have told katherine they simply aren't interested in peddling jw stuff from door-to-door any more.

i'm glad they are becoming their own people and emerging from their grandmother's control.. http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/05/paris-jackson-prince-michael-jackson-jehovas-witness/.
10
Grey's Anatomy 1/31/2012 - "Bad Blood" about a JW kid in the ER
by Gopher in
1. social
2. entertainment
i don't closely follow this show, but this week's episode (bad blood, season 9 episode 13) was captivating for me as an ex-jw.

one of the story lines centered on a 19-year-old boy whose family is jw (but he is obviously a fringe jw) - brought into the emergency room after a serious skateboarding accident by his friend who was totally unaware he was jw.. the episode summary along with a "watch this episode" link is linked below.. i found most of the jw storyline quite realistic (except for a "we believe prayers can yield miracles" quote from one of the jw's - i think it was the mother).

after the parents refused a blood transfusion for the boy, the resulting chaos and philosophical arguments were riveting to watch.. http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy/episode-detail/bad-blood/1062764?page=1.
10
Active JW prince - not paying Caesar's things to Caesar
by Gopher in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
the most well-known jw musical artist is prince.

for some reason he owes hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxes to the county, the school district, the state of minnesota, and many others.. maybe he believes the "old system" is ending soon so it doesn't matter anyhow?.

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/89037347.html?elr=karkslckd8eqduoaeyqyp4o:dw3ckuid3apc:_yyc:aunciaec8o7eyusl.
12
New book: "Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk"
by Gopher in
1. jw
2. friends
a new novel written by an ex-jw received a mainly positive review in today's minneapolis newspaper.

the author posted on this board about 2 months ago under the username "mutinyinheaven" , but hasn't posted since.. the book is available through amazon.com.. http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/books/88705662.html?elr=karksuuuodey3lgdio7aiu.

reviews: "confessions of a teenage jesus jerk"last update: march 21, 2010 - 2:04 pm.
17
I don't miss the Jehovah club
by Gopher in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
why are the anonymous jw's we sometimes see on the internet so testy with former members of their religion?

they have heard the bible verse that they should give respectful answers to those that demand a reason for the hope in them.

after pondering this a while, here is my best assessment.. the jehovah's witness organization is like a club.
20
New arrangement for hand-drying at district conventions - KM February 2010
by Gopher in
1. social
2. humour
new arrangement for hand-drying at district conventions.

in our efforts to simplify arrangements and reduce costs, the society is pleased to announce a new arrangement that will take effect at the annual district conventions starting with the keep on the watch even longer convention in the summer of 2010. the society needs to carefully allocate its resources so that the worldwide work can continue to grow and that the society can defend itself from legal challenges instigated by our opposers.. effective this summer, the number of paper towels allowed per visit in the restrooms at convention sites will be reduced from one to zero.

we do not think our dear brothers and sisters will notice the difference.
7
Prince (the JW/singer) endorses Republicans and bashes gay marriage
by Gopher in
1. social
2. entertainment
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???.
2
Did disfellowshipping leave you COLD? Science tells us why
by Gopher in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
shunning and social exclusion are among the very cruellest things that can be imposed on fellow humans.

the jw leadership is quite well aware of this, and so it's not exaggerating to say they are heartless in the way they treat former members.

an article from "live science" published today shows that it is literally a cold way to treat people.