jgnat

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Posts by jgnat

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  33

  Have you investigated Gnostic Christianity?

  by Gnostic Bishop in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  have you investigated gnostic christianity?.

  the gnostic wing of christianity, if it can even be called that today, has quite a few differences to christianity and catholicism.

  if the old gnostic christians were here, they would hardly recognize what has happened to the original orthodox catholic church or its various offshoots in protestantism and islam.

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  jgnat

  Unitarian Universalists
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  15

  Those who vote, do you stay loyal to your party?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. social
  2. current

  i was ready to vote today but i found out i had to be registered 30 days in advance, i missed the mark by 4 days.

  anyway, even though i selected a party, i was on quite a few votes going to vote for other parties.

  here is why, i was looking up the websites of each candidate.

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  jgnat

  I am beginning to think that Party Whips are death to democracy.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whip_(politics)

  Change is coming to the democratic process. Direct democracy is coming.

  http://www.ted.com/talks/alessandra_orofino_it_s_our_city_let_s_fix_it

  http://www.ted.com/talks/pia_mancini_how_to_upgrade_democracy_for_the_internet_era
• 
  15

  Those who vote, do you stay loyal to your party?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. social
  2. current

  i was ready to vote today but i found out i had to be registered 30 days in advance, i missed the mark by 4 days.

  anyway, even though i selected a party, i was on quite a few votes going to vote for other parties.

  here is why, i was looking up the websites of each candidate.

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  jgnat

  I won't judge a candidate based on a voting record or a platform. I look for the most intelligent and capable candidate, regardless of party.
• 
  7

  Interview with a UBM

  by jgnat in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've been meaning to build this survey for some time.

  built on simon's great survey template for "apostates", this survey is especially for "unbelieving mates" or simply those who may be dating or falling in love with their jehovah's witness (jw).. if you are interested in my story, the link below will have to do for now:.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/36842/1/jgnat-says-hi.

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  jgnat

  I've been meaning to build this survey for some time. Built on Simon's great survey template for "Apostates", this survey is especially for "Unbelieving Mates" or simply those who may be dating or falling in love with their Jehovah's Witness (JW).

  If you are interested in my story, the link below will have to do for now:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/36842/1/JGnat-Says-Hi

  Template:

  Interview with an “Unbelieving Mate (UBM)”

  Tell us a little about yourself and your family.

  Is your JW still an active Witness?

  Would you stay with your JW whether or not they ever left?

  Did you have any background with the Witnesses before you found your JW?

  How does your family feel about your relationship with a JW?

  Do you have any status or influence at the Kingdom Hall?

  When did you start investigating the Jehovah’s Witnesses seriously?

  Where did you find information? Internet sites? Books?

  How difficult or painful was the process of understanding the JW experience and their relationship with “Unbelievers”?

  Was it a big dramatic revelation or a gradual realization?

  Did you convince your JW to leave the Witnesses? What has that been like?

  How were your family relations affected by your involvement with your JW?

  Do you and your JW have extended friendships you both enjoy?

  How long have you been together?

  Is there anything you look forward to doing with our JW if they ever leave?

  What are you most proud of achieving in your relationship?

  Is there anything you appreciate about the Witness lifestyle?

  Do you have any religious affiliation now? What do you believe?

  How do you now feel about religion in general?

  Do you feel any guilt celebrating xmas or birthdays or doing any other JW "no-no"s?

  Have you attended any face-to-face meetups of ex-JWs?

  How do you explain the JW experience to outsiders? Do you bother?

  Do you feel animosity or pity toward current JWs?

  How do you respond to witnesses when they call at your door?

  Storm the barricades or tend to the wounded? (do you favor activism or support)

  What do you think is the most effective approach to reaching people still in?

  Do you think the WTS can or should be destroyed, will continue on as-is or grow / change?

  How has your life been impacted by your involvement with your JW?

  Are there things in your life you blame the WTS for?

  How much of your time is still spent on JW related matters?

  What do you think of the ex-JW community?

  Do you see yourself still being associated with the ex-JW community in 5 or 10 years time?

  What are your plans for the future?

  What advice would you give to anyone who is in love with a JW?

  What would you change in your life if you could go back and talk to yourself?

  Do you have any regrets about your life with your JW?

  Can we read your life-story anywhere? (links to online or books)

  Feel free to use this form for your own story, and post in the "Personal Experiences and Reunions" section.
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  7

  The WT as a bureacracy

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's a quote from a health care change agent, which i think suits the wts very well.. no matter how innovative or entrepreneurial a firm might have been at its start, once it is has been in existence for some time and has an established place in the social economy, its goal in life is to persist.

  it leaves the world of innovation, often loses its purpose, and exists solely to exist, i.e., to cover its costs.

  often this is a reflection of the corporate hierarchy, where, sadly, leaders lose their sense of providing true value to their customers, intent instead on aggrandizing their own position and preserving their status.

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  jgnat

  Overseers, are they salaried? Or have they taken that poverty vow?
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  14

  He Got Reinstated . . .

  by Hamahead in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  feeling low today.

  i haven't posted for a long time (forgotten log in details = new username) i'm in a good place with my family now and have built a life outside the religion.. today i found out a good friend has gone back and got himself reinstated to be able to have contact with his elderly mother.

  that is the only reason apparently.

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  jgnat

  Does it feel like a sort of disloyalty?
• 
  7

  The WT as a bureacracy

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's a quote from a health care change agent, which i think suits the wts very well.. no matter how innovative or entrepreneurial a firm might have been at its start, once it is has been in existence for some time and has an established place in the social economy, its goal in life is to persist.

  it leaves the world of innovation, often loses its purpose, and exists solely to exist, i.e., to cover its costs.

  often this is a reflection of the corporate hierarchy, where, sadly, leaders lose their sense of providing true value to their customers, intent instead on aggrandizing their own position and preserving their status.

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  jgnat

  I would go farther, STAngel, and suggest that corporate bodies all on their own strive continued existence...at all costs. It explains obsolete departments, government, and all sorts of deadwood.

  I suggest also that the higher up in the organization, the more out of touch they are. We can see on the front lines where there is stupidity, inefficiency, but the guys at the top are incapable of dealing with that sort of detail. Easier and faster just to cut.
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  7

  The WT as a bureacracy

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  here's a quote from a health care change agent, which i think suits the wts very well.. no matter how innovative or entrepreneurial a firm might have been at its start, once it is has been in existence for some time and has an established place in the social economy, its goal in life is to persist.

  it leaves the world of innovation, often loses its purpose, and exists solely to exist, i.e., to cover its costs.

  often this is a reflection of the corporate hierarchy, where, sadly, leaders lose their sense of providing true value to their customers, intent instead on aggrandizing their own position and preserving their status.

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• 

  jgnat

  Here's a quote from a Health Care change agent, which I think suits the WTS very well.

  No matter how innovative or entrepreneurial a firm might have been at its start, once it is has been in existence for some time and has an established place in the social economy, its goal in life is to persist. It leaves the world of innovation, often loses its purpose, and exists solely to exist, i.e., to cover its costs. Often this is a reflection of the corporate hierarchy, where, sadly, leaders lose their sense of providing true value to their customers, intent instead on aggrandizing their own position and preserving their status. The firm no longer reflects the creativity of risk-taking, becoming a bureaucratic shell of its former glory.No matter how innovative or entrepreneurial a firm might have been at its start, once it is has been in existence for some time and has an established place in the social economy, its goal in life is to persist. It leaves the world of innovation, often loses its purpose, and exists solely to exist, i.e., to cover its costs. Often this is a reflection of the corporate hierarchy, where, sadly, leaders lose their sense of providing true value to their customers, intent instead on aggrandizing their own position and preserving their status. The firm no longer reflects the creativity of risk-taking, becoming a bureaucratic shell of its former glory.

  http://runningahospital.blogspot.ca/2014/10/who-comes-after-gary-it-doesnt-matter.html

  What do you think? Does the present behavior of the Governing Body better match the executive of any large corporation, or a group of divinely appointed, particularly compassionate and anointed leadership?
• 
  59

  Does The State Have The Right To Quarantine Someone Because They Might Have Ebola?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  no doubt you have heard about the nurse that thumbed her nose to the state and went out of the house in spite of being ordered to stay at home.

  what is your opinion on this?.

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  jgnat

  Thanks to modern medicine, we've forgotten that there was a time when quarantine was one of the few tools in the medical toolkit. Tuberculosis treatment before antibiotics was quarantine in a sanatorium. The most effective treatment, 3,000 calorie a day diet to help the body fight the disease.

  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079536/

  Yes, a huge social cost but necessary in the absence of alternatives for such a terrifying disease. There's stories here in Alberta of family members sending back letters unopened in fear of catching the disease.
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  59

  Does The State Have The Right To Quarantine Someone Because They Might Have Ebola?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  no doubt you have heard about the nurse that thumbed her nose to the state and went out of the house in spite of being ordered to stay at home.

  what is your opinion on this?.

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  jgnat

  HIV is a slow killer. Ebola does not grant that sort of time.

  Cuba used quarantine in the early days of the HIV outbreak and has an enviable rate of infection (0.1%).

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/health/a-regimes-tight-grip-lessons-from-cuba-in-aids-control.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0