Nicolau,
Thanks for your post. This books seems like fascinating reading, and I'll look for it on Amazon as soon as the ol' book budget allows. Carl Sagan is one of the great intellects of our time.
Faith
HappyHeathen
JoinedPosts by HappyHeathen
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6
Carl Sagan - "The Demon-Haunted World : &q...
by nicolaou incarl sagan.
the demon-haunted world : science as a candle in the dark .
"i worry that, especially as the millennium edges near, pseudoscience and superstition will seem year by year more tempting, the siren song of unreason more sonorous and attractive.
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A Healthy Grief Versus Unnatural Rejection
by Englishman inher ladyship and i have been "just a couple" now for 4 weeks.
simon's in australia, james is in a flat nearby, and ben is at cardiff university.
and we miss 'em!
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HappyHeathen
Englishman,
I have had the very same questions myself and am equally puzzled. For one thing, most parents would agree that they would put their children ahead of themselves in all ways and would even lay down their lives for them -- am I right? Then you look at the situation with J.W's., and it seems to fly in the face of natural law. Here are people who put their own salvation ahead of their relationship with their children -- their own flesh and blood. And after ejecting them from their lives, how do they even go on day after day, much less be happy? I don't get it at all.
Even as a dub, I could not shun members of my family. When my mom was df'd for several years, I continued to secretly see her. Though I couldn't explain it at the time, I felt I was answering to a "higher" law than anything the WT could teach me -- it had something to do with being in touch with my own humanity.
Faith
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Larc's weekend survey
by larc incould you please take a few minutes to answer the following questions:.
1. your age.
2. how long were you a witness.
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HappyHeathen
Could you please take a few minutes to answer the following questions:
1. your age 51
2. how long were you a Witness 13 yrs
3. how long have you been out of the religion. 28 yrs
4. which of the following symptoms did you experience as a witness.
4a. depression yes
4b. low self esteem yes
4c. anxiety yes
4d. psychosis no
5. Today, which of those symptoms do you have? none over and above what most people experience (still an occasional bout)
6. Today, how would you rate your overall degree of happiness 1. much less happy than as a JW 2. somewhat less happy 3. just as happy 4. somewhat more happy 5. much more happy!!!!
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A Mormon chimes in
by John Corrill injohn corrill here from the ex-mormon board.
i've found your forum interesting.
mormons and ex-mormons struggle with many of the same things jw's do.
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HappyHeathen
Double Edge,
Let's refer back to the original question by the author:
As an outsider, I always found the JW practice of avoiding blood transfusion and not celebrating holidays and birthdays to be a bit strange. What did/do you find strange about Mormon beliefs/practices?
Most of this thread has been written in the context of this question. The author told us what he found strange about JW beliefs. Then he asked us what we found strange about LDS beliefs. We are merely answering question. The info I passed on was not obtained secondhand but directly from Mormons themselves! I was only relating what I was told, and I don't deny that some of it was misinformation. But to be honest, having a completely accurate understanding of Mormon beliefs would probably not change my opinion of my Mormon friends one iota! I still liked and respected them as people but emphatically disagree with a lot of what their religion teaches.
And yes, you can infer from my screen name that I'm no longer a religious person. "Happy Heathen" was meant to be a light-hearted parody of the way dubs view anyone who is not JW as a "Heathen." I think I believe in God but not the one who is portrayed in the Bible, Koran, Talmud, or any other sacred writing.
And, lastly, I am QUITE HAPPY, thank you very much, now that I've shed myself of a burdensome, psychologically destructive religion.
Faith
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Recommend a Book
by Black Man inthat's right....recommend a book...any book that would be a good read....... mine's is:.
invisible man by ralph ellison
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HappyHeathen
Wow,
Lots of avid readers on this board -- thanks for all the great suggestions.
I would add:
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED By M. Scott Peck
A BEND IN THE ROAD (fiction) by Nicholas Sparks
Faith
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A Mormon chimes in
by John Corrill injohn corrill here from the ex-mormon board.
i've found your forum interesting.
mormons and ex-mormons struggle with many of the same things jw's do.
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HappyHeathen
Double Edge says:
Mormans believe that Jesus visited the "new world" after his resurrection, or so their Book of Morman claims, to which numerous posters have said there is no 'shred' of any evidence as to it being real. I don't know if it's real or not, but I just spent the last hour on the internet researching "Aztecs belief in Christ"...several references came up, including one from the El Paso City College:
Why do you feel you must defend LDS beliefs to us or present evidence that possibly their sacred writings are true? Is this your policy with every religion, even the Moonies or Children of God (some sort of "can't we all get along" mentality)? Is this your way of implying we aren't "open-minded" enough about Mormon tenements. Most of us have examined Mormonism enough to know that for us it doesn't make sense. Please don't insult our intelligence.
I have read very little here that disparages Mormons as human beings. We can certainly make the distinction between "people" and "religion". You can cut the White Knight routine.
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I think I landed my dream job, y'all!!!
by LDH inok those of you that know me personally know that i sit on a ton of event committees, usually for non-profits benefitting kids.
yes, it is very rewarding but there is no paycheck.
this has not been an issue for us.
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HappyHeathen
Lisa,
That's wonderful news!
Just one more sad aspect of the borganization is how members are "banned" from doing anything constructive to help others. Volunteering at the school or for children's sports can be very rewarding, so much more satisfying than selling magazines nobody wants.
My advice to anyone who is depressed upon leaving the WT is get out there and volunteer -- where you do it doesn't matter -- just working on behalf of others makes a huge difference in how you feel about yourself and the quality of your life.
Faith
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A Mormon chimes in
by John Corrill injohn corrill here from the ex-mormon board.
i've found your forum interesting.
mormons and ex-mormons struggle with many of the same things jw's do.
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HappyHeathen
Double Edge,
Believe me, I was not Mormon-bashing. The question posed by the author of this thread was "what were the strangest beliefs we had heard." I was simply passing on what I had been told my several Mormons -- far be it from me to know if the list was factual.
And I know the part about Temple garments is absolutely true. My neighbor showed me hers and those of her husband. Only Mormons married in the Great Temple are allowed to wear them, so it is not widely known that this is their practice.
I, too, had loyal friends of the Mormon religion (better than any JW friends I had) -- so please don't think I am disparaging them in any way. And I AM allowed to think their religion is almost as weird as the WT, even if I do respect their beliefs.
Faith
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Oh God, I Hate That Tune.
by Englishman inlast week, i was gurgling merrily at an episode of the simpsons.
it was the one that is a parody of the "thelma and louise" film where marge and her chum are being pursued by homer and chief wiggum.. marge's chum is trying to impress her with her cool music, but when she turns on the car radio, it begins to play one of her less cool tunes, something that i have never heard before called "sunshine and lollipops".
this repeated itself several times in different vehicles, whenever anyone turned on the radio, sunshine and lollipops came blaring out.
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HappyHeathen
When it comes to "annoying" I think of Barry Manilow's songs (or try not to actually). The worst ones in my opinion were
-- Copa Cabana
-- Mandy
But then so many of the songs from the 70's were whiny and annoying....
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A Mormon chimes in
by John Corrill injohn corrill here from the ex-mormon board.
i've found your forum interesting.
mormons and ex-mormons struggle with many of the same things jw's do.
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HappyHeathen
Hi DJ,
Years after I left the WT, I became friends with a Mormon neighbor who introduced me to a network of other Mormon women. For the most part, they were such nice people, though very driven much like JWs. They were always bustling to and fro with their Relief Society activities, Bible studies and church functions very amusing to watch after I was away from that lifestyle myself.
Almost immediately they tried to get me to attend the temple and talk to their missionaries, which I stubbornly resisted. But even though they couldnt convert me, they didnt discard me as a friend (one big difference between Mormons and dubs that I could see).
My neighbor and I had lots of religious discussions. Some of the weirdest stuff she told me was:
1. The temple undergarments: she and her husband were married in the Temple at Salt Lake except to shower, they were never to take these big cumbersome HOT undergarments off EVER.
2. God has a physical body and is represented in pictorials as being blond (blonds are more celestial than brunettes).
3. Mormons believe in baptism (figuratively) of their dead relatives to move them to a higher level of heaven.
4. Heaven is made up of 7 levels, and if humans knew how wonderful even the lowest level was, they would commit suicide to get there. Only truly evil people wont go to heaven.
Its been a long time ago, but those are a few things I remember. I lost touch with the group about 10 years ago.
Hope you hang around our board. Its good to have all different perspectives here.
Faith