I just saw it, and yes, it is worth it. A full hour on the subject. Compassionate. Balanced.
Posts by jgnat
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14just finished fifth estate
by Inquiry inwell, that was awesome.
it had powerful emotional impact, and male witnesses won't be well received at the door.
i think the molester in the sault will not be very welcome at doors in his community after this.
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14
just finished fifth estate
by Inquiry inwell, that was awesome.
it had powerful emotional impact, and male witnesses won't be well received at the door.
i think the molester in the sault will not be very welcome at doors in his community after this.
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jgnat
Not fair! I have to wait an hour!
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14
Help me Help a JW Friend
by JLOB ini am not jw nor have i ever been.
i do not know the ends and outs of the jw religion.
i have an employee who is jw.
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jgnat
All good advice. I really liked what Scully said,
What you're trying to establish in his mind, is that "worldly" people (those outside of the JWs) are capable of being caring and compassionate and of being good friends in hard times.
So it really does not have to be that difficult to help him. Do some nice things for him. Show him that you care. That way, you show him there is life after "death", death from the org. -
32
A Story About Faith
by jgnat infiancee .
she paced back and forth, fiddling with her hands, fiddling with the ring.
"how can you just sit there so calm, so relaxed, so...unmoveable?
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jgnat
Xander, I admire your persistence with this subject. I echo Lone Wolf in that that I appreciate the tone of our discourse. It has remained civilized and courteous.
I said,
Blind faith? No. Like I said above, I make a choice to have faith, with eyes wide open to the potential consequences.
And you replied,
'Blind faith' does not mean faith with no understanding of consequences. 'Blind faith' is believing an event or result will occur based on no accurate information.
How accurate does my information have to be before it is an informed choice rather than faith? And how would that be measured? What if my information gathering has disclosed clouds on the horizon, but I chose to speak words of faith anyways? Can people exceed expectations based on past performance? What if I chose to impart faith in others to help them succeed, regardless of the information at my disposal?
Let's not talk about faith in past events. Or the use ancient prophecies to predict future ones and call it faith. I believe such faith is misguided and unhealthy. The JW's are not the only religion guilty of this, but they are a glaring example. It is simply embarrassing to see the lengths they will go to try and "prove" that their version of history is more accurate, even to the point of adjusting verses in the bible to make them fit a narrow world view. i.e. "If God meant us to fly, He would have given us wings." This version of "faith", a weird amalgam of pseudoscience and sloppy scholarship, is dependent on proofs. And readily disproved.
I was presenting here the idea that faith in people, faith in relationships can be beautiful. And that self-designated faith custodians can be blind to it.
I thought of another analogy today. Sex, a biological act, can be described in several ways. Depending on how it is described and the perspective of your audience, it may be viewed as beautiful, perverted, or funny-looking. Rape survivors may struggle for years to obtain a normal sex life. Sex, which can be a beautiful act between lovers, becomes a horrid perversion for a rape survivor. They may never completely recover. I consider the JW version of faith to be a perversion, and the way they impart doctrine to their faithful amounts to Spiritual Rape. I mean, here is a religion that spouts a constant stream of invective towards ALL OTHER religions. When the WT in turn betrays their followers, what is left for the people to believe in?
Since my story did manage to hit a chord, and some called it beautiful, I think I have managed to touch on something basic in our common experience. Whether faith is viewed as beautiful, perverted, or funny-looking has a lot to do with the perspective of the audience.
Edited by - jgnat on 28 January 2003 21:46:24
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43
What do you expect after Fifth Estate program
by JH in.
with all the publicity around the fifth estate program being shown tomorrow night on cbc, do you think this will make a big impact in the general public?edited by - jh on 29 january 2003 6:44:36.
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jgnat
As much as we would like to see an immediate impact, it is unlikely. What is possible, however, is that the public will have a vague, negative, impression about those neat, well dressed fellas at the door. Instead of "those pesky JW's" it could become "those dangerous freaks". Their precious squeaky-clean image will be tarnished. It will become ever more embarrassing and demoralizing for the R&F to show their face door-to-door.
I see a slow, expensive decline for the society in North America and Europe. Imagine slightly dotty geriatrics in polyester jumpsuits limping along with their walkers from door-to-door. I just can't imagine the GB being smart enough to embrace the electronic age and go WWW with their message.
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26
Got my judicial notes & file destroyed
by roybatty indoes it bug you that there are notes about you stuck somewhere in a kingdom hall file cabinet?
i cant say that its kept me up at night, but it does bother me that there are notes from my judicial hearing (and a file) that i cant access but just about anyone with a little bit of nerve can.
anyway, i decided to call the po from the last congregation i was in and request that these notes be destroyed.
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jgnat
If I were you, I would ask for a signed, dated document (by at least two eye witnesses) indicating when they were destroyed.
Really.
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32
A Story About Faith
by jgnat infiancee .
she paced back and forth, fiddling with her hands, fiddling with the ring.
"how can you just sit there so calm, so relaxed, so...unmoveable?
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jgnat
Lone Wolf, I am impressed that you identify with my male character. As a woman writer, I can only go so far trying to figure out the male mind. If you can identify with him, that's great! A writer once told me (well, us. I was at a conference) that greater truths can be told in fiction. I am beginning to understand what he meant.
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32
A Story About Faith
by jgnat infiancee .
she paced back and forth, fiddling with her hands, fiddling with the ring.
"how can you just sit there so calm, so relaxed, so...unmoveable?
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jgnat
Surely you must have lived with a different human race than I, then?
Surely not. Read my story if you like. Perhaps that will convince you I am not a Pollyanna.
Blind faith? No. Like I said above, I make a choice to have faith, with eyes wide open to the potential consequences.
If I described faith in biological terms rather than biblical, I argue we see faith all the time in the natural world.
Watching Robins in the spring, as first they lustily belt out their territory song, then wear themselves ragged slaving away for their chicks, furiously risking their own lives when their little family is threatened. Why do animal parents sacrifice their own health and well-being for their offspring? I have heard it argued that such behaviour is biologically selfish, because it perpetuates the continuation of the genetic line. We could say the robins have no choice. Their behaviour is programmed in to their genetic makeup.
When all the analysis is over, however, robins are still lovely birds to listen to and to watch. There is poetry in living with faith.
Edited by - jgnat on 27 January 2003 19:37:47
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32
A Story About Faith
by jgnat infiancee .
she paced back and forth, fiddling with her hands, fiddling with the ring.
"how can you just sit there so calm, so relaxed, so...unmoveable?
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jgnat
SheilaM, Concerned Mama, thank you. Pr_Capone, you pay me a compliment every writer yearns to hear. I hooked ya!
Xander, I spit in the eye of death and despair. I have been close enough to both. I have lived long enough too, I think, to be cured of any naivete. I chose trust and love and life, with eyes wide open. But that's just me.
Edited by - jgnat on 27 January 2003 16:59:57
Edited by - jgnat on 27 January 2003 17:0:55
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32
A Story About Faith
by jgnat infiancee .
she paced back and forth, fiddling with her hands, fiddling with the ring.
"how can you just sit there so calm, so relaxed, so...unmoveable?
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jgnat
Xander, I was not trying to imply this fella had any religious pretentions at all. Nevertheless, you did say
Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.
And that is exactly how you present it here. Belief in a certain result of cause of actions based on no evidence to said claim.
If so, I accomplished my goal. In relationships, we often go out on a limb to believe in our loved ones, even though they have not proved themselves yet. Risky, indeed. And I believe, the essence of faith. My imaginary fella had it.