I absolutely agree that individual colleges should have the say of what they allow on their campus. It worries me when the government makes blanket rules. I do think that people have the right to make poor decisions. They also have the right to make informed decisions. Smoking/driving without a seatbelt/eating bacon/riding a motorcycle may be risky behaviors and have the possiblity of shortening my life. I want to know the risks. But it is my right to take the risks if I so choose.
bluecanary
JoinedPosts by bluecanary
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37
Lack of education does not = stupid.
by bluecanary in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> </w:worddocument> </xml><!
[endif] in combatting cult mind control, steve hassan writes:.
in principle, i am against banning cults from college campuses unless they expressly violate rules of conduct that every student organization is expected to follow.
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Weird stuff individuals believe
by bluecanary inthis thread doesn't just have to be about jws.
it's about the weird stuff that isn't taught by the religion, but an individual believes it.
my examples:.
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bluecanary
No argument there, Spike. No argument there.
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Trained Conscience?
by bluecanary inspike tassel mentioned having a properly trained conscience on another thread.
he and anyone else are welcome to share their thoughts here.. .
'bible-trained conscience' is a phrase we all used as witnesses.
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bluecanary
Spike Tassel mentioned having a properly trained conscience on another thread. He and anyone else are welcome to share their thoughts here.
'Bible-trained conscience' is a phrase we all used as witnesses. I looked up the definition of conscience, which is:
1. the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action
and
2. the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.
The first definition indicates that our conscience naturally impels from within, rather than be compelled from outside ourselves. The second definition leaves it open to include principles that may be imposed from without.
This may be semantics.
Do you think the conscience is merely our natural moral compass, without any influence, positive or negative, from outside ourselves? Or do you think the conscience includes learned morals? Obviously people have learned morals, but do you think that is a separate issue from the conscience? Is the conscience capable of being trained or do we merely layer other moral or ethical concepts on top of it? If your conscience tells you something different than the moral code you've chosen to follow, how do you decide which is right?
If you are a believer in creation, are our consciences reliable? If yes, than why are people who commit evil acts not tormented about it? If no, than why did God create a faulty moral compass? -
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I had to make a decision
by journey-on inwhen i first faded from jws, i didn't know for sure whether it was the truth or not.
being raised in it, it is not so easy to abandon the years of indoctrination.
then, one day i decided: sh*t or get off the pot.
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bluecanary
Pleasure talking with you about it, Spike
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Black people will be white in the new system
by bluecanary inone of the more ridiculous and offensive things the wts has ever taught and that is saying a lot.. i know i saw a link to this article sometime in the last two weeks but i've lost it!
can anyone direct me to this article?.
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bluecanary
Dude, how did I forget that this thread existed? Thanks everyone for your responses.
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What does it mean to sin against the spirit?
by keyser soze inthis was always one of the most confusing and troubling doctrines when i was a jw.
i heard the phrase many times, but it was never adequately explained what it meant.
i often wondered if i had committed such a sin, and if i could really not be forgiven.. how does one know if they have sinned against the holy spirit?
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bluecanary
Thanks for asking this Keyser. I just read this Scripture the other day and was reminded that I never understood it:
Matthew 12:31, 32 CHSB: "Because of this, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blaspemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come."
Why is blasphemy against Jesus ok, but not the HS? Is abbreviating the HS blasphemy?
If sinning against the spirit is such a big deal, you'd think you'd be given more detail on what not to do.
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I had to make a decision
by journey-on inwhen i first faded from jws, i didn't know for sure whether it was the truth or not.
being raised in it, it is not so easy to abandon the years of indoctrination.
then, one day i decided: sh*t or get off the pot.
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bluecanary
so, what is the TRUTH then? What are we to PROMOTE?
If I figure out what the TRUTH is, I'll offer to share what I've learned with others, as I share my incomplete understanding, opinions and beliefs with others now. Until then, I don't need to PROMOTE anything. If I promote something that turns out to be wrong, and I've convinced someone to believe in something that is actually false, what good deed have I done?
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You Have No Witness "Friends"
by metatron ini apologize for this point, as if beating it to death, but folks, you don't have any witness friends!
there is no such thing.. does that sound extreme?
too radical?
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bluecanary
Thanks, allelsefails. I agree. We liked working the rich neighborhoods because they were less likely to be home and less likely to talk to us if they were. Of course, we attributed that to them "having their paradise now."
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Lack of education does not = stupid.
by bluecanary in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> </w:worddocument> </xml><!
[endif] in combatting cult mind control, steve hassan writes:.
in principle, i am against banning cults from college campuses unless they expressly violate rules of conduct that every student organization is expected to follow.
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bluecanary
Use of the word 'stupid' to describe cultists is factually correct.
You can't just whip out a dictionary and think you're going to win an argument with it!
(Can you believe someone on another message board told me that once?)
Seriously, I see your point. Based on the definition, it is tecnincally accurate. I would ask then, is it a helpful description? For those who have gotten out, we see the light, we don't need to feel any worse for having made poor decisions in the past. We know it, without the need for some smart alec on a message board to taunt us with it.
For those still in, it will only alienate them from listening to useful information and feed their persecution complex.
I told a friend last night about being in a cult. He said anyone who would accept a cult is a moron. If someone tried to tell him about some guy who was raised from the dead, his response would be "Zombie!" I didn't get to talk to him more after that, but I would have pointed out how he may be cynical about religious or mystical claims, but how could he be sure he would discern the difference between a legitmate business and a commercial cult? Or a legitmate learning experience and an educational cult? Or a legitimate political action group and a political cult?
For all of these, singling out a particular group and warning against them is unhelpful. With thousands of cults of different kinds actively recruiting members, it's ridiculous to expect to learn about every one. And unnecessary. Learning about unethical recruiting methods would help immensely. There's no need for instructors to even focus on religious cults.
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"What makes one HAPPY?"
by quietlyleaving inthis topic is being discussed on another forum i've begun attending and i wondered what jwn members think enhances well being and happiness.. a psycholgist who has studied the subject was surprised that money is not at the top of most people's lists - social support including family, friends and such networks occupies the top spot.
(no surprise then that this is the wts' ultimate disciplinary method).. what do you all think?.
what are some other ways of achieving and maintaining well being and happiness?.
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bluecanary
The Buddhists teach that dissatisfaction is caused by desire. When we desire something to be other than the way it is now, we are unhappy. They teach that the way to eliminate dissatisfaction is to eliminate desire.
Personally, I think dissatisfaction is often caused by not understanding what we want. We think we want money, but really what we want may be security, a sense of acheivement or pleasure. I think that figuring out exactly what you want and devising a plan for the best way to acheive it is what makes one happy. I think the reason so many of us consider friends, family and our support system as vital to our happiness is that being able to talk about our feelings, goals and plans with them helps us better understand what we want and how to get it.