Posts by mindmelda

106

Anyone going to the TEA PARTY Tommorow?

by Cagefighter in

jw
friends

i will be there with the lonestar tea partiers!.

-cage.

mindmelda

I also have a son with Aspergers, a milder form of autism, but he still needs more attention that other 17 year olds would need. That kept me from working full time for years.

I don't know where we'd be if my MIL hadn't taken us in, but she says without us, she'd be in a bad way too, so it's a good thing for now, but yes, I miss my house, of course. We had a very nice house and all the kids had their own rooms, something they don't have now. Still, we make do. You just have to.

SSI is an awful process. I have a cousin who applied after a serious car accident he had while on the job, he was driving a van for Office Max and was hit by a driver who ran a red light. He broke his back in three places and crushed a vertebrae in his neck.

The man could hardly walk, has had 4 surgeries on his back and neck to keep him from being paralyzed and still has one leg that is partially paralized and it took SSI two years to accept him after he got a lawyer!

The thing that kept them going was that Workman's comp and the other insurance came through first. But, of course, that didn't last forever, and h had a lot of very high hospital and doctor bills. They still had to pay some out of pocket.

Yes, I know so many people who need their own "bailout". I don't expect the government to do everything for me, but I also dont need it stepping on me while I'm down, either.

Interestingly, I know quite a few people in this area who were Republican and raised that way that switched to Democrat that last election. I don't think Obama is perfect or has all the answers, but I can say that he seems to be doing his best to do what he said he would. I don't remember being promised any miracles.

But, my husband is a rabid Democrat now...I'm still an Independent, but I am a liberal one. I guess part of the reason I am is I'd just like to see more than two parties in America. I think it's part of our problem.

But, I guess it was Independent Bernie Saunders ripping Alan Greenspan a new one that got to me. He said everything I wanted to say to that douche...sometimes I think the Dems are just TOO nice. Sometimes. *G*

I hope you get your hearing and good wishes on that. I'm sure that someday, my husband will be there too. He is a type two diabetic and his neuropathy is getting worse every year. That's pain from the nerves being damaged by the diabetes, which in his case, seems to be his worse problem. He's on Ultram, a fairly strong pain medication for neuropathic pain every day now.

25

What is the reasoning of Israelites being allowed to have concubines?

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

were they all foreign women?

it seems to be contradictory too, because they weren't to have marriage alliances with other nations.

but, i guess using the woman as a sex slave and baby making machine was okay.

mindmelda

I hates to tell you but in the Bible, all women were property. That didn't change in the United States until the 1920s when women were given the vote, well, technically. All of a woman's property and her money became her husband's upon marriage until fairly recently.

Why do you think that that phrase "husbandly owner" is used so much in the Hebrew scriptures? Under Jewish law, women and children were property. Men were supposed to treat them well, but legally, that is what they were. How else could a man sell his daughter into slavery if he didn't own her first?

Even the Christian wives were property, the Greek, Roman and Jewish societies they lived under all regarded women legally as property.

Women expected to be treated like property, and hence, sold to a man to do with as he pleased. The bride price is the payment a man paid for a wife, making her his property. When you pay for something, it's yours.

Even in Greek and Roman society, women and slaves had pretty much the same status. Strangely, some wealthy courtesans had almost equal status to a man because no man owned them and they had wealth, so it didn't belong to their husbands. That gave them a unique status in those socieites. The same was true in feudal Japan...only the wealthier geishas or onegai had almost equal status to males....for the same reason.

65

Ugly Sisters

by XPeterX in

jw
friends

o.k i have noticed that most female jws are ugly.and by ugly i mean ugly.they won't work out,they are fat and won't go on a diet (some female teens won't even shave their legs),they neglect their appearance/body in general.any opinions?.

.

p.s many will eventually get fat after marriage.

mindmelda

I hate to say it, but everyone gets fat and loses some hair when they get older. Our fat redistributes even if we don't have a lot and everyone's hair gets thinner.

Among other things. I'm 50, and yes, I've moved past looks, because at some point, you just have to. Unless I find a free plastic surgeon, I'm sure I won't look like Cher at 60. LOL

106

Anyone going to the TEA PARTY Tommorow?

by Cagefighter in

jw
friends

i will be there with the lonestar tea partiers!.

-cage.

mindmelda

The thing that makes me saddest about all of this debate over health care and finances is to read that there are actually some people who believe that everyone who is poor did something evil or bad to make themselves that way, they deserve to stay that way because they're all druggies or whores or just bad lazy people who deserved to die in the gutter, and that helping them to help themselves makes our government "socialistic".

When did that happen? That the people who think they have God in their pocket think that charity to the poor and compassion for their plight and wanting to help them better themselves are liberal tricks to convert everyone to socialism?

These are the kind of people who see someone in the unemployment line or at the welfare office getting food stamps who has been looking hard for a job every week since laid off and yells, "Get a job!" at them.

I'm one of those people. My husband and I both lost our jobs. We used to be almost middle class, but had no health care provisions because of pre-existing conditions and neither of our jobs offered health care. We made decent enough money, but my husband got very sick and we lost nearly everything.

I'm not a drug dealer, a hooker or a welfare scam artist. I'm a person trying to find work, regain something of what I lost, and re-train for a better job in this economy. My husband's line of work, construction plumbing was hard hit and now he's too generally disabled to do that kind of physical work every day. He's in his fifties with multiple health problems that he's ironically finally getting cared for now that we're so poor we can get Medicaid...I have two minor kids, so we qualify. He finally found work after 5 months of both looking and recovering from his serious infection. He now makes 15 dollars less an hour than he used to make, and can only work 4 days a week.

We live with relatives, who do need us, but still, with me going to school instead of working all the time, we couldn't afford to live elsewhere. We pay part of the utilities here and help keep up the farm. My MIL is widowed and in bad health herself, she has terminal lung cancer. We live with her and probably will until she passes away.

You may say, "Not my problem, too bad." But every time someone like me looses a home, can't pay their payments, can't find work, can't get off food stamps or Medicaid because we can't make enough money, can't get educated for a better or different job, can't pay for our health care so we can stay healthy enough to go to work, to school, YOU ALL PAY FOR IT. You, the taxpayers.

One option is to just let people like me and others just swing in the wind. Well, we saw that during the great depression. Homeless people drifting around, no jobs, starving, stealing, living in camps, riding the rails.

The 22% unemployed during the Great Depression actually constitute about the same number people as the 10% we have now unemployed. The population of the US in the thirties was only about 127 million, it's now over 300 million. We've pretty much doubled our population since then. (our last big population increase was the early 90s, by the way...it's been decreasing since, probably in part because of economic reasons.) That's a lot of people not working and depending to some extent on social welfare to get by. But, what you gonna do? Just let them starve?

I've seen countries like that, been there, where over a third of the population is dirt floor shack poor. There's disease, filth everywhere, hunger, people selling their children for sex and farming them out to work hard labor for pennies, crime, theft, violence, children and old people eating from the garbage bins of the weathly.

Don't think we don't have places like that in Good Old America, too. I've seen it here too, along the Mississippi in small, very poor, mostly rural towns.

Yeah...not nice to think about, but without some of those awful "socialistic" programs we put in place in the 30s...that's what much more of America would be now...I'm convinced of it.

25

What is the reasoning of Israelites being allowed to have concubines?

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

were they all foreign women?

it seems to be contradictory too, because they weren't to have marriage alliances with other nations.

but, i guess using the woman as a sex slave and baby making machine was okay.

mindmelda

Polygamy was the most common form of marriage in those times. The main reason for it was the lack of men. Women probably outnumbered men two to one in some cultures.

Depending on how warlike a tribe or society was, they could lose up to 40% of their males in their prime to violence, war and hunting accidents.

Anthropologists base that on Stone and Bronze Age artifacts, graves and also, on tribes of people in recent times who lived in Stone Age or Bronze Age isolation, like the natives of New Guinea.

They had similar problems, and they were polygamist...so were many Native American plains tribes polygamist for that same reason or the Mongols. Warrior cultures lose a lot of their men. Yes, the Hebrews were a tribal warrior culture in those times. Have you read their book...hellooo? They're always fighting with some other tribe who wants their goats and gardens. Foreskin trophies and heads on pikes and swording women and children and decapitating and...well, they definitely get an R rating from me.

Also, high infant mortality, diesease, famine...life in the Bronze Age was kind of short, violent and not a whole lot of fun sometimes. Probably why their gods were mean SOBs most of the time, Jehovah included.

65

Ugly Sisters

by XPeterX in

jw
friends

o.k i have noticed that most female jws are ugly.and by ugly i mean ugly.they won't work out,they are fat and won't go on a diet (some female teens won't even shave their legs),they neglect their appearance/body in general.any opinions?.

.

p.s many will eventually get fat after marriage.

mindmelda

wow, size 17/18?!?!? By the way, that's your 1000th post.

Really...what do I win? I hope it's not a date with David Hasselhoff. Ew....

Yeah, when I was single, I got more dates with men of color, as they say. My husband, who is Creole and Native American mostly in ancestry, with some English and Scots added, (Creole is Black and French if you don't know that...one of his great great grandmothers was a mulatto who was a free woman and married a French man from Lousiana) often says to me that there's some poor black woman out there with a flat white woman's butt, because I got hers.

Yes, I could carry a stack of plates on my arse without using my hands, but my husband loves that, so I'm good. It makes pants a real pain to find...I ususlaly have to buy bigger and take the waist in about 3 inches or look for pants made for "curvy" body types.

But, I've had many a black man appreciate my behind, and a few white boys tell me it's ugly or "fat" so I'm sure that culture and such is a large determiner of what we think is attractive.

18

How Did You Find New Friends?

by daringhart13 in

jw
friends

i'm painfully curious on this subject.. when you have devoted your entire life, your entire social circle, everything you know......to this religion....when you fade away, how did you make new friends?

how did you replace all those people you thought were your friends?.

on top of fading away....... i lost a 'relationship' with a 'sister' due to not wanting to continue as a jw.

mindmelda

Through work, school, clubs, groups, churches...the same way all the other "worldly" people find friends.

You'll have to overcome that unfortunate JW brainwashing that makes you go "AHHHH! no a pod person! Run! " every time a non JW talks to you or acts friendly, though.

Just take it slow at first until that passes. The local library is a safe place, join a book club or reading circle if you love to read. I joined a knitting circle at a local yarn store where we talk and drink coffee and help each other with projects because I love knitting and crocheting. Join a photography club, a bird watching club...anything like that. Turn your interests into way to make friends.

Take classes, for credit or fun. Cooking, crafting, gardening, basket weaving (particularly useful for post JW stress management!) learn a new skill. Doing things together bonds people.

I love to sing so I took some singing lessons, and from that joined a small choir that sings Christmas carols during the holidays at local businesses for charity. I went to nice karaoke bars and sang...and I had a ball. Go to dance clubs and learn line or square dancing...take ballroom dancing lessons at the Y...hang out in a sports bar and watch a ball game ...anything to get out and find out what youve been missing.

If you have non JW family, get reaquainted after reassuring them that you won't Witness to them. Find people who you knew pre JW if you're not a born in and tell them you've been deprogrammed, its safe to come out and be friends again!

508

Most-Ignored Scriptures by JWs

by Mad Sweeney in

the watchtower has been known for over 130 years as a great scriptural cherry-picker.

they pick out disparate unrelated verses and combine them to support the wackiest of wacky doctrines.. on the other hand there are many scriptures they almost never address, whether because they contradict wt doctrine or because they simply don't have a clue what they mean or how to spin them to the wt advantage.. one of these is revelation 19:1 that mentions a "great crowd" "in heaven.

" the only time it is ever brought up it is dismissed.

mindmelda

The Jews believed that anyone calling on the name of YHWH would be saved. I won't bother to quote the zillion scriptures on that.

The early Christians believed that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord would be saved.

Paul in the first chapter of Hebrews applies a scripture that uses YHWH to Christ and says this is the lord who will save you.

Therefore...YHWH was "the Lord" or Christ to Paul. I've never heard any Witness in 34 years of studying it intensively ever address that scripture or explain it away.

In fact, although they scrupulously restore "Jehovah" to every place in the Hebrew Scriptures where it was replaced by "Lord" and also in the Greek Scriptures where the writers quote from the Hebrew scriptures, such as Paul does in Hebrews, chapter one....they omit it there...why? Why that one omission? Oh, and look in your large print Bible...it says in the footnotes that "adonai" was substituted there for "Jehovah" in the scripture Paul quotes.

Well, in the older large prints like the one I have it does. God knows what they have in there now...probably changed it like they have edited Watchtower volumes that have conflicting doctrine in them.

Rework the JW teachings from A to Z, and I might be interested again someday. Get rid of the unscriptural homophobia, the unChristian obsession with Jehovah and the rules and rituals of the Jews, the denial of heaven to All who put faith in Christ, the extraneous teachings about dates that come from superstition and pyramidology and 19th century Adventism, and the confusion about the nature of God and Christ, and forbidding of things not forbidden, the cover ups and scandals, the....well, too long a list to spend all night writing.

But then again, why should I bother? I've found something that makes me infinitely happier than being Witness for 34 years ever did.

30

It pains me

by Weeping in

jw
friends

it pains me to have to say what i do.. believe me, i would much rather just say kind things and never offend anyone.

it really hurts me to get people angry at me.

i certainly do not intend to make people angry.

mindmelda

I wouldn't be excessively rude, but if you consider "I'm not interested because I've read and studied the Bible, not just with JWs...I have an uncle who is a Baptist minister who I love dearly, but after a million conversations, I don't share his beliefs about everything he says is in the Bible."

I'm actually a very good Bible student...I know the languages enough to understand some important things, I know the history, I know the important teachings of all the mainstream faiths. I've listened to Catholics, Lutherans (I have two good friends who are Lutheran ministers), I've talked to Rabbis, another good friend of mine is a Deaconess in a Presbyterian church.

And, after all is said and done, I'm still a Universalist Unitarian. I would never tell anyone what they believe is wrong or crap, because I believe that all paths will eventually lead to God if the seeking of him is done in earnest.

So, why would I have any problem with you? However, I have one tiny recommendation out of concern after reading that post. Try focusing on Christ rather than his enemy. I once spoke to Andrew Womack's right hand guy about that very topic. Womack is a televangelist, has his own ministry, but is rather low key. I like him. I think he's somewhat Charismatic. I actually love Charismatics because they just come out and tell you that Christ is a magical God! They do magic all the time for him. They call it spirit, but it's magic...no difference, really. I love those Charismatics. I love people who believe in the spiritual and the fantastical...I do.

But, he said that he used to expell demons once or twice a week...always wrestling with them, challenging them, teaching about how to be free of them, and then one day, he had an epiphany...it was his own doing! By thinking more about them than about Christ, he had opened the door to all that evil and negative spiritual energy out there that he calls the Devil and I call, well, negative spiritual energy.

When he stopped doing that...he never has since had one "demonic" experience. He said, Because a true servant of Christ never needs to fear the Devil. Never. You are stronger than he will ever be because Christ is. If you have his spirit inside you, no Demon or Devil would ever dare come near you or ever bother you.

According to him, if you're experiencing the fear of the Devil, it's because you are giving him too much credit and power over you...only you can allow the Devil in. Spend that time dwelling on your Savior Christ and find joy in him.

And remember, Christ never forced himself on anyone. He said, "Come to me"... not, "Get over here now, I mean it, get over here now or I'll come over there and get you!"

19

The Watchtower and Alcoholics Anonymous

by maputo95 in

jw
friends

many people have stopped drinking through the 12 steps of the programme of recovery of alcoholics anonymous.

can active 'jdubs' join aa to get over their addiction?.

mindmelda

I think sex addiction can be real, but it's not nearly as common as all these celebrities who are just exploiting women (or vice versa, I'm sure) would like to think it is.

The sexual addiction I'm familiar with is where couples cannot relate to each other except sexually...they fight all the time, never get along or talk otherwise, but have a lot of sex and actually can get off on the opposition and even violence. Sex based on conflict or hate is one form. Anything done out of rage, fear, guilt, coercion or compulsion isn't good. That's what sexual addiction is.

Unfaithfulness can have it's roots in sexual addiction at times, but it's not just about a person being unfaithful. Married or committed couples can have sexual addiction without unfaithfulness, as per above.