thought i would tell you a story given by a member of the church i attend these days in scotland.
after a discussion about miracles in which i made my point that as being raised as someone who belived in god interacting with those in world with whom he truly loved, i had now come to an understanding that if god is the embodiment of omnipotence and goodness, then surely he would not play the role of a trickster who randomly throws miracles about like a trickster, causing chaos and a lack of understanding of the laws of nature due to this.
but it is the very fact of science and the laws of nature that show miracles to be uncommon, and that is is merely that man fails to understand that an certain event has yet to be explained through our knowledge of the world.
That's not a miracle. It's chance.
I'm afraid that not even the Vatican would confirm any of those stories as genuine miracles. None of the stories that pass among Witnesses are either. They're just chance and random events that end up well instead of disastrous in a difficult set of circumstances.
ok, here's my current list:.
i just finished the greatest show on earth by richard dawkins, and am almost finished crisis of conscience by...some guy.. currently in hand, i have:.
the power of myth, joseph campbell and bill moyers.
Actually, I'm writing a novella and so that's what I'm reading at the moment. I have to read/edit my own writing quite a bit.
It's a fanfiction novella about two gay cops in LA solving the murder of a dirty FBI agent who was involved in heroin smuggling.
I've been writing fiction for 13 years, ever since I decided to fade. I also write science fiction, erotica, adventures, and samurai stories, Japanese fairy tales...I lived in Japan for a while, and Southeast Asia and still enjoy the culture, food and history.
The last book I read was a science fiction novel set about 20, 30 years in the future about the growing political totalitarianism of the right wing factions in America called "Little Brother". Read it, it's good.
Imagine going to school or work, going on the internet, recreating, watching TV in your home and everything you do is monitored by some sort of electronic spy system because of right wing paranoia about terrorism and disloyalty to the government? That's what it's about.
glutton...fails to show love for jehovah.
is food a big thing in his life?
if in the presence of others, does he selfishly ignore their needs and take more than his fair share?
Well, they'd sure have a lot fewer big butts in the seats, and the way things are going, they can't afford that. 60% of our adult population in the USA is overweight, according to all those health official type people.
You'd think with a 50 billion dollar diet industry, we'd all be a bunch of walking skeletons. *G* Someone is getting really rich off of the fat of the land. And it's not me.
Again, are we talking moral or political liberalism?
I was always morally liberal by natural inclination, I was just repressed by a religiously restrictive religion my parents chose for me.
I have tended to vote for Democrats lately because I can't stand the Moral Majority and that's mainly what the Replublicans have been offering up for candicates for a while. I wasn't too put off by McCain until he picked Mrs. "I'm a Beauty Contestant for Jesus" Palin for a running mate.
What's the difference between letting the JWs tell me what to do in my private life through through congregational slavery and letting the Evangelical influenced Wreligious Wrong do it for me through their attempts at legislation of morality?
Yeah, Obama/Biden are overly idealistic dumbasses sometimes, but at least the liberal Dems aren't peeking into my bedroom window and telling me I have to pray to get a public education.
i'm trying to compare some statistics and figures on this to share later in the thread to see if more long-time witnesses are exiting- or are newer witnesses exiting after a shorter period of time.
and - are more people exiting in the last 10 to 15 years than before.
so your answers would be helpful in looking into this .
I quit attending regularly 6 years ago, but was often inactive long before that. I was baptized in 1976.
the definitions of partnerships are shifting.
indeed, they are different around the world.. the law doesn't always protect good partnerships that aren't on paper, and sometimes the law protects truly bad partnerships that are on paper.
the bible or church doesn't really have a definition of what a lawful "marriage" is.. i propose this..... if you set up home with a partner, you are "wed".
I'm married dammit! Well, I feel that way today.
I'm thinking my next relationship is going to be with my long time girlfriend (platonic at the moment, but she's a lesbian) after I kill my husband tonight.
Today. I hate men. LOL And Walmart.
inspired from another current thread.
i note some people are asking if they are allowed to participate in a questionaire for ex jw's if they are just fading or have not been df'd?.
my own situation is this: tecnicaly i am a jw, baptised as a young tweeny and never reproved, df'd or da'd.
I disfellowshipped myself, if you want to use their word, because I don't believe the defining religious beliefs of Witnesses and haven't for some time.
I'm not sure I ever believed a good deal of it, looking back.
My parents got into it when I was 11, and I now realize that most of my outward conformity to it was simply wanting to please my parents, and wanting to belong to something.
After all everything else I'd belonged to was suddenly taken away from me, like girl scouts, extended family to a large extent, holidays with them, 4 H and hanging out with school friends, so what else do you have?
Isolate, brainwash and assimulate.
my reason to ask this question was another thread by highdose, on whether people felt sorry for subjugated women in the organization.. with all the advances that women have undoubtedly made, is there any well-hidden anger among the sisters, for the role they have to play?
are there any complaints about it?
do you see the society responding to those complaints as, say, the catholic church sort of has, by allowing women to give the host at mass?
I always hated that "submissive woman" crap and pretty much ignored it. So did my husband, thankfully.
how come wrong numbers are never busy?.
do people in australia call the rest of the world "up over"?.
can a stupid person be a smart-ass?.
One of the best comedians ever!
I'm probably morally liberal, but politically, I'm a centrist. I'm an Independent populist.
I also know gay Republicans who are politically conservative but morally liberal, which leans to Libertarianism. And I know a good many Democrats who are far more morally conservative than I am and still can't figure out how we passed affirmative action and have states that allow gay marriage. LOL
What kind of liberal are you speaking of? Political or moral, two different things.
I was always actually morally liberal, deep down, even as a JW, I just had to hide it. I really never found anything wrong with homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, living together, dogs and cats getting married, clowns being allowed in public....LOL
I don't think there's anything wrong with polyamory, polygamy or legalizing some "recreational" drugs either. Never did.
Yes, I was a lousy JW. Thank god.
