CunningMan

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Posts by CunningMan

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  47

  just a typical marital counseling session?????

  by oompa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so how did it go some have asked?

  at some point the lady therapist asked me what was probably my number one concern....it just came out...."i don't know if i can stay married to a jw"...wife burst into tears...and never let up...not even on the way back to drop me off at work...i also said in session i would prefer an open minded wife, and i don't think wife would pick me now either...not an unbeliever, not an overdrinker, and that marriage to me meant being able to share pretty much everything with one another, my feelings, my friends, my concerns, and that i did not like living a double life...and explained what that was too......she of course said she would stay in the marriage, and mentioned the adultery only rule...so i said it sounds like she feels she is stuck with me...she said it sounds like our marriage is already over....the lady says she does know for a fact that jw's do indeed get divorced without sex sins...cause she has counseled more that one couple like us...one in, one out....that ended with divorce.

  i did say nice things about her...said the things i love.....and vice verse...and we both said we wanted the marriage to work....so at least a good basis for continuing the sessions.....the lady wants us to find common ground and just ignore the religious difference for now...i said great but how can we do that when the religion is all encompassing to my wife...it is everything....i will be glad to go to the ground if she can find it....but she never got a chance to find it yet...we ran out of time.

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  CunningMan

  Oompa,

  I can't imagine what it's like to be in your situation, although I'm currently active and want to fade. When it comes to persuading someone to reconsider their beliefs, they're going to have to do it by themselves. Trying to argue or plead with her is not helping. It seems like there is little you can do in terms of getting her to change, but there is something you could do to help yourself endure your situation.

  Although trying to get the right balance of medication has been a mess, you should ask your therapist how you can cope with your own anxieties. You mentioned many times before that you've been feeling guilty about living a double life and maybe you're feeling bad because you're wife is feeling bad. Since you have this burden, ask her what strategy you can use to cope with all those miserable thoughts and emotions. If medication is a bust (I'm not saying it is- I'm not an expert), then you should try to find some healthy way of coping with these feelings.

  She might not come around to understand you, but that doesn't mean you have to let it get the best of you.

  By the way, I don't think you should feel guilty for living a double life. I've been living a double life for about seven years, but it's the only way I know how to stay sane. Sometimes you have to make compromises when you're in a tough situation. Give yourself a break, because few people will.

  Hope things get better.
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  58

  WHO IS JOHN GALT? (A survey on Ayn Rand)

  by Terry in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  since its publication in 1957, atlas shrugged has sold more than five million copies.

  perhaps a measure of the book's continuing influence may be estimated from the results of a survey conducted jointly by the library of congress and book-of-the-month club in 1991. the survey asked readers which books had made a difference in people's lives.

  the results found atlas shrugged placing second only to the bible.

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  CunningMan

  10p,

  Being a serious philosopher means fairly evaluating other people's arguments. Rand constantly criticized other philosophers, but showed a complete lack of understanding of their work. If Rand actually studied previous philosophers, she wouldn't have written all this disposable propaganda which only served to teach her own misunderstandings. Whenever people seek books that are "accessible to the common man," they're really want something dumbed-down so they don't have to do any serious work. If you want any real understanding of a topic, you should try to read books that are a bit over your head.

  You cannot understand what philosophy is by appealing to the etymology of the word "philosophy." You have to study philosophy and understand the arguments that philosophers have made. If you disagree with their arguments, it should be when you fairly evaluate the arguments given and not because you simply dislike what they say.

  As someone who is currently pursuing his philosophy degree, I can say that studying philosophy is hard work and it there's no way avoiding hard work, unless you want quick answers to difficult questions.
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  58

  WHO IS JOHN GALT? (A survey on Ayn Rand)

  by Terry in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  since its publication in 1957, atlas shrugged has sold more than five million copies.

  perhaps a measure of the book's continuing influence may be estimated from the results of a survey conducted jointly by the library of congress and book-of-the-month club in 1991. the survey asked readers which books had made a difference in people's lives.

  the results found atlas shrugged placing second only to the bible.

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  CunningMan

  Anyone who has studied philosophy in an academic setting knows that Ayn Rand's writings are lacking quality in both scholarship and argumentation. Her lack of scholarship is evident whenever she discusses the work of other philosophers, especially Immanuel Kant whom she mentions repeatedly, but never discusses his arguments, nor does she even quote any of Kant's works. Rand's mistakes are not limited to Kant; she misinterprets about any other philosopher or position she criticizes. While she completely loathes Kant, she fawns over Aristotle, which is ironic since she doesn't understand him either. Unfortunately, Rand's audience has no acquaintance with philosophy besides her own and many uncritically accept whatever she says.

  Even more unfortunate is her own arguments, which are often sophomoric and unoriginal. For instance, ethical egoism has been argued before by Thomas Hobbs, but the majority of contemporary philosophers find arguments for this position untenable.

  I can't give an exhaustive discussion of Rand's arguments. Otherwise, I'd have a JCannon-size post that nobody would read. However, there are some good criticisms of Rand by philosophers who know better. The late Harvard professor Robert Nozick wrote "On the Randian Argument" in response to her ethics. Note that Nozick is a famous libertarian and expresses sympathy for her political views, but shows that her arguments don't justify her claims. A good online source of criticism comes from a philosophy professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Michael Huemer discusses Objectivist philosophy in these two links:

  WHY I AM NOT AN OBJECTIVIST

  Critique of "The Objectivist Ethics"

  If you want to understand philosophy better, don't bother with Rand. To understand philosophy and it's history takes a lot of time and patience. This means reading a lot of historical works or even better, taking a lot of philosophy courses.

  In brief: Rand does to philosophy what the Watchtower does to history, archeology, and theology.
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  35

  Being a JW Certainly Helped to Screw this Guy Up!

  by jamiebowers in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.stuff.co.nz/4618008a10.html.

  murder accused: 'i was the chosen one'by kim ruscoe - fairfax media | monday, 14 july 2008. email a friend | printable view | have your sayrelated linkssubscribe to archivestuff.

  latest: samurai swordsman antonie dixon has told a high court jury he was raped and sodomised by his jehovahs witness elders and chained to a clothesline by his mother.. .

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  CunningMan

  There's more to the story than what the article is telling you.

  Take a look at this article:

  http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/423466/481486

  Not only was he on a methamphetamine known as "P" while committing the crimes, but he has been jailed 4 times and had 160 prior convictions, mostly for theft and burglary.

  I would rush to judge this guy as mentally ill. It's likely that he's simply a bad guy pretending to be mentally ill to escape the consequences.

  Some more good news: in September 2007, the Court of Appeal overturned Dixon's convictions and ordered a new trial. They say the new trial will likely be held this year.
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  103

  Jeremiah and the 70 years. Jewish exile or Babylonian rule?

  by digderidoo in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have never until a few days ago been able to reconcile the 70 year prophecy with the 587/6 bce date for jerusalems destruction.

  although a post was about this in a previous thread by a@g , i would like to explore this more.. when the 70 years are applied to babylonian rule, rather than the jewish exile everything seems to make sense.. to ellaborate for those who haven't come across it, this is how 587/6 does match the 70 year prophecy.. i hope a@g doesn't mind but i have cut and paste his post:-.

  the 587 date does match the bible.... (jeremiah 25:11) 11 and all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of babylon seventy years.".

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  CunningMan

  Typical response.

  By the way, what reason is there for buying into the type/anti-type distinction used by the society? No justification has been given for this distinction, but it's simply presumed for the sake of their preconceived conclusions.

  As for the day-year principle, it is far from "enshrined in Biblical Hermeneutics." Only Adventists and Witnesses adhere to it. You haven't even discussed my reasons for rejecting the principle.

  By they way, don't talk down to me. I have done my own research by fairly reading and verifying the claims made by people like Jonsson. What really undermines the society's chronology is not just secular chronology, but the old literature by Russell himself. What did Russell really claim concerning 1914 and what were the supposed evidence he gave for that claim? If you understand that, it's obvious that the society's current teaching is an ad hoc reinterpretation of Russell's speculations.
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  103

  Jeremiah and the 70 years. Jewish exile or Babylonian rule?

  by digderidoo in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have never until a few days ago been able to reconcile the 70 year prophecy with the 587/6 bce date for jerusalems destruction.

  although a post was about this in a previous thread by a@g , i would like to explore this more.. when the 70 years are applied to babylonian rule, rather than the jewish exile everything seems to make sense.. to ellaborate for those who haven't come across it, this is how 587/6 does match the 70 year prophecy.. i hope a@g doesn't mind but i have cut and paste his post:-.

  the 587 date does match the bible.... (jeremiah 25:11) 11 and all this land must become a devastated place, an object of astonishment, and these nations will have to serve the king of babylon seventy years.".

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  CunningMan

  Well, I have a response to Scholar:

  Even if this 607 date were correct, the WBTS cannot claim that the "seven times" mentioned in Daniel 4:25 refers to a period of 2,520 years. There are two reasons for this:

  (1) If you read Daniel 4:25, you'd see that it only refers to 7 years of Nebuchadnezzar's madness and nothing else. There is no indication that the word "year" is used symbolically.

  (2) The WBTS makes us of the day-year principle, which was inherited from Adventist speculation. They try to justify the use of this principle by appealing to Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:5. However, neither of these scriptures give any indication that the words "day" or "year" are meant to be used symbolically and neither of them establish a rule used for interpreting other scriptures.

  I'm sure I'll get the usual lame response, but that's what I get for posting this already convoluted thread.
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  501

  Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  having problem pasting this...

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  CunningMan

  Do any former Bethelites remember someone named Rob Carlson (I think his name was spelled like that)? I believe he lived in Wisconsin for some time and was at Bethel during the 80's during the shake-up. He died several years ago, but I was wondering if anyone knew him.
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  74

  News Flash !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  by TooBad TooSad in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  my wife excitedly told me that she talked to the wife of an elder that just came back from.

  the special training for elders in upper state new york and that the elders are being told .

  to go back to their congregations and to get them ready for the great tribulation.. i said to her that is great news !!!!

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  CunningMan

  deddaisy,

  Until I hear some real evidence, there is no reason to think this rumor is true. They may have or not, but I don't see any reason to think it's anything more than a rumor.
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  18

  JW's are the least tolerant and least open minded of all religions!

  by Gill in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.cultnews.com/.

  i hope this link works!.

  but jws are the least open minded and least tolerant of all religions!

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  CunningMan

  Good point. There should be studies on attitudes between theists, atheists, and agnostics. Still, I think the studies give a more optimistic picture of American religion. I think the often negative media coverage of religious intolerance is due to a vocal minority of nut-jobs.
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  501

  Warren Schroeder from Bethel on Freddy, Kline and the apostate books!

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  having problem pasting this...

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  CunningMan

  Thanks for clearing that up.