Hmmm

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Posts by Hmmm

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  14

  Missing me?

  by Mulan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in case you are missing me a little, i am very involved with my dying cousin.

  right now it is the middle of the night, and i can't sleep.

  my grief is becoming overwhelming.

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  Hmmm

  Mulan,

  My sincere condolences for what you're going through. It sounds like you made the most of your time together--that's a lesson for all of us. Thank you for sharing your story on xjws.net

  Hmmm
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  50

  an essay for Farkel

  by teejay in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  last fall, my second year of college english was based on the movies instead of classic literature.

  the textbook dealt with cinematic elements (lighting, sound, camera position, etc) as the tools filmmakers use to tell their story beyond mere dialog.

  the assignments involved watching clips of film, determining what the filmmaker was saying by his use of those elements, then writing full-bodied essays based on our assessments.. one of the film clips we saw was from dead poet's society.

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  Hmmm

  Bigboi,

  I've understood everything else you've said so far, but I have to ask:
  

  Cheerio my saltine fiend

  What does this mean?

  Hmmm
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  76

  I Said Goodbye

  by Farkel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my father was rushed by ambulance from his rest home to st. marks hospital in salt lake city, utah friday, but i only just heard about it.

  i received a call from the floor nurse and she told me he is not expected to live.

  his lungs are filled fill up with fluid and are continuing to fill u with more fluid: he has pneumonia.

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  Hmmm

  Farkel,

  I can't say I know exactly what you're going through, but I think I have an idea. My father has been bed-ridden for the past few years with MS. It probably won't directly kill him, but it effectively ended his life years ago. Our mothers must have been separated at birth, for all the good they can find to say about the men who selflessly slaved to provide for their families.

  I'm very sorry to hear this, but glad that you had a chance to say all that needed to be said. And thank you for sharing.

  Hmmm

  SixofNine: Please take these damned onions back! I can't see a damned thing, and I need to go have a talk with my dad.
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  8

  The "anointed remnant" and the GB

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he published the idea of the two classes in the march 15 and april 1 issues of the 1938 watchtower:.

  the watch tower march 15, 1938, page 83.. .

  so all of you faithful jehovah's witnesses out there, get used to it.

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  Hmmm

  Norm,

  Posts like this are the reason I joined this board.

  The reason posts like this go off into "oblivion" rather quickly is because we all agree with it. Well, maybe not all, but those of us who don't agree can only respond with ridiculous things like "And?"

  Unfortunately, where there is total agreement, there can be little discussion afterward--especially since we really have nothing to add to your well-reasoned treatise. It is a sad truth of discussion boards that the longest threads arise from heated disagreement.

  It's generally considered good netiquette not to waste bandwidth with posts like "I agree" or "Amen." Please don't misconstrue our lack of response with disintrest. This goes for you, Norm, and the others (you know who you are) who spend so much time researching and composing articles that make the rest of us say, "That was stated so eloquently, that I have nothing to add."

  Hmmm
• 
  86

  More Bethelite Table Crumbs Please!

  by MadApostate in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in a controversial post in a separate thread, janh makes an extremely good observation that a certain former gb member will likely carry many, many wts "top secrets" to his grave, for whatever reasons he does not wish to divulge such.. then, on this db, former bethelites constantly exchange posts where their word choice is "cloaked" so that many of us who were not insiders are left guessing at meaning, people, etc.

  obviously, even individual members of this fraternity have unique experiences and insights.

  if such info is not disseminated, it is lost if that person dies naturally or in an accident.. would you folks please post more elaborately so that the rest of us can benefit from your knowledge and experience.. the statement that motivated this post made a silent reference to the author of the happiness book.

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  Hmmm

  This DB resembles the Org so closely, and Max and his groupies resemble the Org hierarchy so closely (we have here the MSs, the Elders, the COs, the DOs, and even the GB, as well as the suck-up wanna-bes below each level) that anyone with an ounce of objectivity left is probably puking his guts out.

  "Brother Kent, your news headlines from around the world are riveting. Brother AlanF, I really appreciate your historical references. Brother Farkel, I really liked your treatment of Matthew 25, and the way you worked "dipfuck" into your closing prayer... Listen brothers, I was wondering if you needed anyone to carry the mics when the District Overseer, Brother Maximus, visits next week. I realize I'm new to this congregation, but I'm just trying to "reach out."

  "Really? Great! Oh, I gotta go. I see Brother Larc over there, and I wanted to talk to him about the literature counter.

  Hmmm
  (Since jokes and irony seem to fly right past people here lately, let me state for the record that the above is a JOKE)
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  174

  get a life -- 10 facts

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought it would be interesting for people to just post a few things about themselves so we can get to know each other just a bit.. try posting 10 facts about your life.. joel.

  1. i was born and raised in south georgia.. 2. my favorite subject in school was math.. 3. i was in the fulltime service (bethel and pioneer) for 4 years.. 4. my favorite color is blue.. 5. mitch and i have been together over 12 years.. 6. we live in a suburb of atlanta georgia.. 7. we love to eat out and have friends over for dinner and board games.. 8. the only sport i was ever any good at is tennis.. 9. my favorite tv show of all time is the simpsons.. 10. we are both naturists and wish we could lay on the beach naked every day.

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  Hmmm

  Here are mine. After proofing, before posting, I fear that it's a little too descriptive, so I'm going to have to ask each of you to read either the even or odd items, but not both.

  1. I have rather serious family responsibilities that prevent me from going public. My father has Multiple Sclerosis, and will need constant care for the rest of his life, and I have other family members who need care, but I can't really go into that. I have two brothers--one in, one out--who have pretty much abandoned their family to live their own lives.

  2. I'm paranoid about my identity being found out

  3. This is classified

  4. I live in Michigan, and have travelled around the US and a little in Europe. I plan to travel more in the future.

  5. I'm 30 and single. My prime dating years were spent as a JW who was falling away. Still too "in" to date worldly women, but "out" enough that I wouldn't have wanted a sister who would have me

  6. I'm one of the smartest people I know

  7. I would say THE smartest person, but I'm also one of the most humble people I know

  8. I can't tell you this one. It might give me away

  9. I crack me up. Other people too, once I get going

  10. I LOVE Sade. (The singer, not the Marquis)

  Hmmm

  Edited to cover up a little provincialism
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  29

  Best urban legends, you heard in the org?

  by Nicolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  personnally, i heard a lot of urban legends about the presence of a devil in a house.

  it was always the same kind of story about a devil who lived in a house and then the jw arrive and they pray jehovah and suddendly, the demon go away...

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  Hmmm

  JW couple is having problems with demons. They isolate the problem to something in the basement. (Ever notice how people who couldn't diagnose when a car runs out of gas, can find the most obscure knick-knack that was once owned by a person who knew someone who delivered milk to the third cousin of the sister of a devil-worshipper?)

  Two elders are called in on the case. The elders try banishing the demonic force by commanding it to leave. No dice. So they take paper plates and write "JEHOVAH" on them. They throw the paper plates down the basement steps. Each time a plate lands there is a terrible scream. Finally the Jehovah-plates ellicit no demonic moaning. The house is free of demons.

  This story was told to me at a get-together with family--JWs and non-JWs. I was desperately trying to change the subject, but we all know that JWs can't resist telling these stories. The non-JWs were sharing barely disguised eye-rolls with each other.

  Also told at that happy gathering: An "Illuminati" type story of the United Nations. A brother came "ran into" a high-ranking UN official. He asked him "So, when are you going to unite the world under one religion?" The UN guy said, "How did you know?"

  JW woman starts flirting with the dark side--ouija boards, etc... and is visited by demons. She says something like, "I'm not afraid of you. Show me your power!" She is "violated" several times by several demons, and is now permanently in a wheelchair.

  Years earlier I'd heard a similar story, but it was a man who'd been a witchdoctor before becoming a JW. He got a little cocky with his former demon playmates and challenged them. He's in a wheelchair. Probably sits right next to the aforementioned sister at the conventions.

  Hmmm
• 
  82

  Russell as "That Servant"; Re: Dunsscot

  by AlanF in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  since dunsscot claims he's leaving this board, and in answer to my specific request for a committment to answer all replies i might give to his latest replies to my previous dissections of his nonsense he said that he would not, i won't be giving a detailed reply to him.. however, dunsscot's posts contain a number of statements that prove how easily the watchtower society fools the jw community by lying to it, either outright or in so many words.. in this post we will examine a fiction that the society has managed to get poor people like dunsscot to believe with respect to c. t. russell, namely, that russell never claimed that he was "the faithful and wise servant" of matthew 24:45. the simple truth is that russell did indeed believe it.

  the fact that he did was printed in the watch tower, and the society itself taught it until about 1927.. let's first look at the context of dunsscot's denial of this important bible student teaching.

  in the set of exchanges below, the reader can see that dunsscot is attempting to deny that jw leaders claim to be god's exclusive earthy spokesmen.

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  Hmmm

  Duns,
  

  I admit that the article did not make it clear in what sense JWs are "prophets." I think such clarification is provided elsewhere. I also found these quotes that temper yours:

  What does "prophet" mean? Dictionary.com gives the following definitions:
  1. A person who speaks by divine inspiration or as the interpreter through whom the will of a god is expressed.
  This is one of the most common meanings of the word, and if you’re not using it in this way, you should probably make sure that your context makes this clear. Otherwise, you could be considered guilty of leading your readers astray--implying something strongly, while leaving yourself the loophole of not expressly stating it.

  2. A person gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression.
  OK, I guess since the dictionary lists this as a possible definition, the WTS could have been saying this. But 100 years of context disproves it. Sure, they claim to have profound moral insight, but they’ve never used the specific word “prophet” attached to such a statement. I mean, come on, I am gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression, but I don’t go around calling myself the Prophet Hmmm. I don’t think you could find more than a handful of instances in the past 100 years of all publications that use the word “prophet” in this sense.

  3. A predictor; a soothsayer.
  This is closely related to the first definition. It seems to me the difference is merely one of chronology. Whether the divinely inspired one speaks of events in the future vs. past or present.

  4. The chief spokesperson of a movement or cause.
  Again, the GB could have meant this definition when they used the phrase “his prophet,” but if they wish to be considered honest, the context (of this article, as well as that of their entire body of writing) must leave no doubt that they’re using a non-standard understanding of the word. I would accept this meaning if the GB were addressing how God feels about certain issues past or present. If they’re writing an article about how God views this current wicked world, and say that they pronounce this judgment as God’s Prophet, I could see it. But if they’re talking about events still future, the first and third definitions clearly hold sway.

  *** w59 1/15 39 Down with the Old-Up with the New! ***
  Today fear is more and more being expressed for the organized religion of Christendom. What is to come of it? For an answer, people should listen to the plain preaching by the remnant prefigured by Jeremiah, for these preach to men the present-day fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies.

  *** w59 1/15 42 Down with the Old-Up with the New! ***
  Let the nations of today not despise the Word of Jehovah God, come though it may through the internationally hated body of Christians known as Jehovah’s witnesses. What they are saying and preaching to the nations is not their own word; it is taken from God’s written Word. “So, then,” says Paul, “the man that shows disregard is disregarding, not man, but God, who put his holy spirit in you.”—1 Thess. 4:8. Ap

  I must confess that I'm not sure what you're getting at here. Are you focusing on preaching? Or do you mean to draw attention to the GB's role as predicter and spokesman?

  The first quote could be taken a number of ways. They could be calling themselves prophet=interpreter, prophet=predicter, or prophet=spokesman--heck, let's throw in prophet=inspired for good measure. Maybe you should write to them to disambiguate (from the latin "kumbaya" for loophole).

  I think you already know that calling the GB prophet/predicter is a lost cause.

  I will lump prophet=inspired/spokesman/interpreter all together for rebuttal purposes. To claim the special status as prophet, you'd better be able to back it up. In fact, in matters not relating to predicting the future, your conduct and teachings must be rock solid.

  Has Jehovah SO inspired the GB that they are noticeably correct more often than any other group? Has God inspired His Prophet to lie to us about the identity of the Superior Authorities? About what would happen to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah? (Yes, lied. Changing your understanding once is bad enough, but when a "prophet" changes his story, then changes it back, the first change can only be a lie from God through his spokesman, or the prophet was a liar when he claimed to be inspired.) Did God give His Prophet the profound moral insight to let people die over issues of neutrality, then chang His mind? To let them die over blood, then change His mind? Vaccinations? Transplants? To protect child molesters because two witnesses weren’t present at a rape? Did He give them such exceptional powers of expression that the GB’s staunch supporters admit it's unclear what they mean when they use a very common word?

  All religions pretty much "prophesy" in the broad sense of the term that the WT is employing. The WT has never claimed to be a prophet, who could foretell the future infallibly.

  This is a misrepresentation. When they say things like 'the end could no more fail to come in 1919 than yadda yadda yadda' they are making a very strong statement of infallibility. No, they've never said that they're 100% infallible for 100% of their prophecies of the future (though they admit this is the criteria that a true prophet must meet) but they have made predictions of the future and claimed that they were certainties.

  Further, they strongly imply infallibility when they don't allow even minor disagreements with their prophetic=interpretations of scriptures. (This illustrates one of my absolute biggest gripes wih the GB. In 2000 they can be teaching that scriptureA = interpretationA. You accept this and get baptized. In 2001 they, invoking their role as prophet=interpreter, say scriptureA = interpretationB. You say you disagree with this. You are disfellowshipped. In 2002 they say scriptureA = interpretationA. They don't admit that they were wrong. They don't openly state that this is a change in doctrine (it takes an astute WT conductor to point it out). They don't apologize to anyone who was DFd for being right. In 2020--after their interpretation has flip-flopped four more times--you've been cut off from your family and friends for 19 years because you were more accurate than God's prophet=interpreter.)

  When one points to their abysmal track record of predictions, or interpretations of scriptures, and thus disagree with their self-proclaimed role as prophet=inspired or prophet=spokesman, they are summarily cast out. What else is this but a claim through actions of being God's prophet?

  Let's summarize for those unable to follow my semi-coherent ramblings:
  Definitions of prophet:
  1a. Inspired: God does not change. GB allows followers to die over doctrines that change. (blood, neutrality, transplants, vaccinations)
  1b. Interpreter: Flip-flopping multiple times on scriptural interpretations. This means that they're wrong at least half the time. [Note: Forget the "tacking" excuse. Tacking moves one continually closer to the target--Divine Truth. Flip-flopping means that even if one understanding is getting you closer, the other must be taking you away from Truth.]

  2a. profound moral insight: Pedophiles protected so as not to besmirch God's name. Higher education frowned upon to shelter members from criticism of faith. Dishonest habit of blaming rank and file when they trust GB's predictions.
  2b. exceptional powers of expression: Most JWs can't explain GB teachings on "deep" matters. Duns admits they're vague on "prophet."

  3. predicter: A near 0% success rate with predictions. [see also, 2a]

  4. spokesman: See 1a and 2a.

  So, Duns, however you choose to define "prophet," just how does the GB satisfy the criteria? I only looked at one dictionary. If you had another definition in mind, feel free to define and defend it. Warning: Try to stay away from obscure latinized meanings from out in left field, unless you can prove that the GB had them in mind when using the word.

  Hmmm

  [Edited because I can't format for crap]
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  24

  Most hated Rules and Regulations

  by Bendrr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the thread about "clinking" got me to thinking.. what were the rules you hated most?

  rules that were just so boneheaded as to be infuriating.. there are so many rules and regulations to follow as a dub.

  some rules may not even be able to be referenced in the publications, at least not firmly and clearly.

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  Hmmm

  That was Bill Cosby that refered to growing "tiny little hairs, all over my face..." in a comedy album back in the late 60s. Man, you must be as old as me.

  Bill Cosby it is. I'm not quite that old, however. I remember listening to my parent's copy of Bill Cosby: Himself as a very young child. I was born after it was relased.

  Congratulations Francois, you may redeem your points at the prize counter.

  Hmmm
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  21

  AF - Proof that he's nuts (as if you needed it)

  by Mishnah in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  apparently it is a fact that af has been subjected to professional psychiatric aid.

  i applaud the fact that he once was able to bring himself to that point.

  by why has he abandoned real mental help and replaced it with places like this?

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  Hmmm

  Mishnah,

  I must confess I haven't even read the thread you reference, so I can only give my first impression of your impression of it...

  However, others have already highlighted your obsession over someone else's supposed obsession (I particularly liked seven006's rebuttal, and Skeptic's response shames you) so I'm a day late and a dollar short on that front...

  So I'll just be a smartass:
  

  Check it out: In his first three messages he used a form of "dumb" in reference to Dunscott 39 times!

  
  

  Sure he let loose a few times, but 36?

  New Light?

  Hmmm