Posts by jabberwock

44

Texas Public Schools Required to Teach Bible This Year

by leavingwt in

texas public schools required to teach bible this year.

the school year is almost here, and if literature of the bible is not already offered in your child's school, it will be this fall.. books are a common sight in classrooms around the nation, but the bible is one book that is not.

come this fall, a texas law says all public schools must offer information relating to the bible in their curriculum.

jabberwock

You can't understand about 300 years of European history, or Shakespeare, or the Enlightenment philosphers who laid the groundwork for modern democracy; without a basic understand of the religious arguments.

By that reasoning, and considering the religious wars being fought around the world today, we should also teach other holy books - the writings of Confucius, Bhagavad Gita, I Ching, the Koran, the Talmud, Tao-te-ching (Taoism), Veda (Hinduism).

The Bhagavad Gita, the I Ching, etc. have not profoundly influenced the English language or English literature. The Bible has.

Just because a piece of literature bears religious significance for a group of people does not mean that it should be completely banned from the public school curriculum. Greco-Roman mythology including the Illiad and the Odyssey are often taught in public schools.

Religious instruction and evangelism, however should not be part of the curriculum. Unfortunately, that is sometimes the intent of those advocating for Bible classes in public schools.

39

You can lie to apostates but not the elders - Aug 23 study WT

by Mickey mouse in

check out paragraphs 6 & 7; you could not make this stuff up.

congregations will be studying this next week.. .

jabberwock

I love how they're so creatively vague while being so pointedly hateful

That's a perfect phrase. I think they keep things creatively vague when they are unable, or unwilling, to provide a more detailed explanation.

2

NEW ASSEMBLY HALL IN BRAZIL PICS.

by whereami in

jw
friends

i don't speak portuguese.

is this a wt site?.

http://www.sferica.com.br/temporario/betel/.

jabberwock

Yeah, that's the branch in Brazil.

9

Awake 2009 has Pioneer lying in court..would you tell others not to join army..NO, they decide!?

by Witness 007 in

awake 2009 sept p.14 judge asked a pioneer in indonisia in court "would you tell others not to join the army?

no said andre "it is for them to decide....." .

theocratic war strategy!

jabberwock

"No, it's for them to decide" isn't really an answer to the question.

The judge wasn't asking whether this Witness would decide for others, but how he would advise those who were making the decision.

A better question would have been something like, "What would you tell someone who was considering joining the army?"

11

Did GB Karl Klein really say that?

by sacolton in

governing body member, karl klein, uttered these words at a convention:.

"if jehovah doesn't do something soon, he's going to have to apologize to sodam and gommorrah.".

geez!.

jabberwock

Apologize? Not unless Abraham is around to guilt him into it.

32

Amarillo City Representatives Went to Bethel--Look what they said...

by CrimsonBleu in

jw
friends

this email came from my sister.

i copied and pasted as is.

i'd like to reply with a comment to my sis, but maybe better keep quiet.... .

jabberwock

This whole thing sounds like a movie.

"They raised their rates giving no thought to the consequences...little did they know who they were dealing with!"

Amarillo Elder: "I don't know what to do, Watchtower. The economy is weak, it's weak. Anyway, if I had these lower convention rates, it puts us right back on top, you know. But these... these motel owners out here. They won't give it to me...Oh, Watchtower, I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do... "

WT Rep: "YOU CAN ACT LIKE A MAN!...I'm gonna make him an offer he won't refuse. Okay? I want you to leave it all to me. Go on, go back out in field service."

32

Amarillo City Representatives Went to Bethel--Look what they said...

by CrimsonBleu in

jw
friends

this email came from my sister.

i copied and pasted as is.

i'd like to reply with a comment to my sis, but maybe better keep quiet.... .

jabberwock

"And it was reported to me that some motels actually raised rates to the brothers giving no thought to possible consequences."

How exactly did they raise the rates for the brothers?

"Hi, our family would like to stay at you hotel. How much per night for a double?"

"$100.00 per night."

"Did I mention that we'll be attending the Jehovah's Witness convention?"

"Oh, well in that case it's $150.00 per night."

Unlikely and illegal. The motels probably just raised their rates for everyone and stopped giving group discounts because they were losing money.

10

The movie 'Doubt'

by sass_my_frass in

jw
friends

this has probably come up before but i thought it was worth suggesting: this movie is quite intense but meryl streep and philip hoffman are just magnificent (as always), and it really portrays what members of an organisation do when confronted with abuse.

the leaders of the church handle it internally, but if it's the leaders who are the perpetrators, what can be done?

it doesn't even occur to the members of the organisation to go to the police on their own; they trust the system they know.

jabberwock

A few people have mentioned that they feel Meryl Streep's character strictly held the priest to the rules and held him to the letter of the law.

I have to disagree.

The letter of the law would have her suppress her suspicions and obediently leave the matter in the hands of her superiors. Here she knowingly breaks the law in order to protect Donald Miller and the other children at the school. She clearly states her belief when she says, "When you take a step to address wrongdoing, you are taking a step away from God, but in his service."

Considering the inaction of others in the movie and in similar real life situations I rather admired her courage in saying, "I will step outside the church if that's what needs to be done, till the door should shut behind me! I will do what needs to be done, though I'm damned to Hell!"

If only more people had even just a fraction of her determination to expose wrongdoing and protect the innocent.

Whether her action was justified is purposely left unclear. If you are certain about whether or not the priest is guilty then I think you have missed the point of the movie.

I'm sure most people will be convinced of the priest's guilt. I was when I first watched the movie.

But, let me offer the following possibility:

Is it possible that Father Flynn is gay? This might have seriously upset his fellow priests and the parishioners in the parishes that he had to leave.

Is it also possible that he doesn't believe, contrary to church doctrine, that homosexuality is a sin? We know that he is an advocate for change within the church. Perhaps he hopes that a progressive church will eventually accept homosexuality as natural.

Could he know that Donald Miller is gay and have told him that it wasn't truly a sin?

I think it's possible though not necessarily likely.

25

What made me take "The Red Pill"?

by God_Delusion in

what made me open my eyes after 30 years and smell the coffee?

and why did i accept the red pill, but my parents and everyone else is content with the blue pill?.

has anyone done any research as to what wakes us up?.

jabberwock

Baba Yaga, that has been just my experience. Thanks for mentioning it.

LeavingWT, that describes me very well. I had doubts for awhile, but I never gave myself permission to consider them. I should check out Steve Hassan's book. It sounds helpful.

I would add that I was tired of the mental gymnastics required to fight my doubts and ignore anything that challenged my beliefs. My justifications for ignoring apostates, historians, archaeologists, scientists, and my own doubts just did not seem honest or convincing anymore.

148

"Remember, nobody can REALLY love you unless they know and love Jehovah first."

by AllTimeJeff in

"unless they know and love jehovah first.

they love "jehovah".

they discuss how to make sure that though they are in charge, everyone doesn't see them, they see the great and powerful jehovah.... oh.

jabberwock

I think this is an attempt to label all relationships with non-Witnesses as illegitimate and inferior. Now parents and elders can tell other Witnesses who are involved with non-Witnesses that their girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse doesn't really love them. Such a thing would be impossible unless they knew and loved Jehovah.

Can you imagine how hurt those Witnesses with unbelieving mates must have felt when it was announced at the District Convention that their husband or wife doesn't really love them? How awful.