Posts by dgp

6

Benjamin Button?

by What Now? in

i just remembered this the other day and i had to share .... we were watching the brad pitt movie 'benjamin button' with some friends.

it's the story of a man who ages backwards.

while we were watching it, my friend made the comment "wow, that is what's going to happen to us in the new system".

Wasting one's life on an ancient fantasy

by Nickolas in

i could not help but think of my devout witness wife when i saw this in yesterday's funny pages:.

it is reminiscent of something she said awhile back about being restored to all the glories of youth when the new system comes.

from my non-theist perspective this is a sad example of escapism.

dgp

I fully agree with you, Nickolas. If only they could see what they are doing to themselves.

18

"...in case of an attack on the buses by Angry Christians..." Atheists sue

by Rabbit in

to me...the following story exemplifies why freedom of speech is so important.

people should be exposed to differing ideas & beliefs for their own good.. my comment is highlighted below, it's funny, sad & i realize...not representative of most christians.

(most, i believe will think about it, but, not act on it) .

dgp

Rabbit: I agree. I can but remember Arnaut Amaury, when asked how he would tell who were Albigenses and who were Catholics: "Kill them all. The Lord will know who are his".

24

Converts and near-converts, what did you give up for the Watchtower?

by Nickolas in

if you're born-in you probably won't understand the subject question.

maybe you will if you've taken up any bad habits since leaving the watchtower, if you've left at all.

but if you were a convert (or near-convert, like i was) did you have to change your lifestyle in order to conform to the expectations of the society?.

Converts and near-converts, what did you give up for the Watchtower?

by Nickolas in

if you're born-in you probably won't understand the subject question.

maybe you will if you've taken up any bad habits since leaving the watchtower, if you've left at all.

but if you were a convert (or near-convert, like i was) did you have to change your lifestyle in order to conform to the expectations of the society?.

Nickolas, thank you very much for your concern. I thought about you and your wife when I was typing my post. Not only do I have to move on, I have no intention of being "the fool who loses tomorrow reaching back for yesterday", as Dionne Warwick would put it.

It's just that I often feel guilty about it. If I had tried, maybe something would have happened. It was the rest of her life that was at stake.

24

Converts and near-converts, what did you give up for the Watchtower?

by Nickolas in

if you're born-in you probably won't understand the subject question.

maybe you will if you've taken up any bad habits since leaving the watchtower, if you've left at all.

but if you were a convert (or near-convert, like i was) did you have to change your lifestyle in order to conform to the expectations of the society?.

dgp

I never converted, and then I am not sure I lost anything. And this, to a great extent, because I won a lot in the process of not converting.

Sometimes I think that the witness I fell in love with would have had a relationship with me, and perhaps even married me, if only I had agreed to convert. She hinted such things more than once. Most of the time, however, I don't think so. I think she never really cared that much about me. I'm not sure about it. But sometimes she acted in a really mean way and it was clear that, at those times at least, she didn't care.

But, I first became interested in her because of the difficult situation she had at home, with her witness husband. I began doing research about the witnesses, and what I found pretty much convinced me I would never ever become a witness. Now, when she divorced and gave some serious signs I could have a chance, I sort of hesitated about converting; but then I decided I would never do it. If we were ever to have anything, I would remain an unbeliever. I thought I couldn't help her if I was in the same prison as she. I also didn't want to give up who I was. So we parted ways, she put distance between us, and recently got married to a witness.

So I didn't give up family or friends.

In the process of learning about the Watchtower and its ways, however, I learned a lot I wouldn' t have learned otherwise. I don't feel I'm exaggerating if I say that much of the person I will be will have to do with my opening my eyes to the manipulative ways of cults. That was an aspect of life I was simply not aware of. I also became a full-blown atheist. And then I became more sensitive to some aspects of life. I hope I'm making it clear that, in my opinion, I won a hell of a lot with the experience, even if I didn't get the woman.

There is only one thing I regret about my deeper involvement with the witnesses. The one thing I regret is that I never had the courage to show her what I had found out, what I knew, out of fear of losing her. Now that she's gone anyways, for good, I feel guilty to think that I should have put her first. I should have shown her what I had. If she ran away from me, at least she would have had a chance. It wouldn't have mattered if she had gone away with another man; the best thing I could have done for her was to open her eyes. Sometimes I think that I am not to blame because learning about the Watchtower is an overwhelming thing, like disentangling a rope that's tied with a zillion knots, and time was against me, and I didn't really know how to present things to her so she would think. Some other times I think she wouldn't have paid attention anyway. Still, I should have spoken. I hope one day she and I will have this conversation, she will be out, and she will understand and forgive me. I didn't want to lose her, so I didn't do what I should have done.

43

IS THE UK A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY NOW ?

by Hairyhegoat in

jw
friends

well here we have kids and old age pensioners living below the poverty line, and the prime minister promises 1.4 billion to overseas aid for jabs... the uk is a dumping ground for immigrants, and they all get houses and cars payed for by the tax payer.

i am not racisit but when my country is bankrupt then we need to close the borders and look after our own.

the freeloader imigrants need to find a new place to squat as the uk has run out of money, schools , hospitals, and most of all jobs.

dgp

..every poster on this board, faced with the same circumstances as some of these immigrants, and certainly many 3rd Worlders... would do the exact same thing; cross whatever border, at risk of breaking whatever laws... perhaps even personal injury... or death... to feed themselves or their families.

Actually, that's what Europeans did, by the millions, when Europe was desperately poor. It's easy to forget that now.

I can perfectly well understand the feelings of the Brits. I just would like to say that, bad as things are going, you're not yet where the real Third World countries are. Haiti, anyone?

Did you ever eat grapefruit peel steak? That's what Cubans (not exactly the most backward of the lot) ate for some "special" time.

43

IS THE UK A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY NOW ?

by Hairyhegoat in

jw
friends

well here we have kids and old age pensioners living below the poverty line, and the prime minister promises 1.4 billion to overseas aid for jabs... the uk is a dumping ground for immigrants, and they all get houses and cars payed for by the tax payer.

i am not racisit but when my country is bankrupt then we need to close the borders and look after our own.

the freeloader imigrants need to find a new place to squat as the uk has run out of money, schools , hospitals, and most of all jobs.

dgp

I think you're way above Third World in more than one sense. And it would be very difficult for the UK to slide down that much.

As to things being made mostly beyond the UK's borders, well, that is pretty much everybody's situation these days, with the possible exception of China.

18

"...in case of an attack on the buses by Angry Christians..." Atheists sue

by Rabbit in

to me...the following story exemplifies why freedom of speech is so important.

people should be exposed to differing ideas & beliefs for their own good.. my comment is highlighted below, it's funny, sad & i realize...not representative of most christians.

(most, i believe will think about it, but, not act on it) .

dgp

Thanks for the post, Rabbit!

70

What is your standing in a congregation if you're a man of 40 and never married?

by dgp in

on a different thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/members/private/211210/3/my-life-well-the-first-part-at-least.

someone commented that.

as a sister especially you are nothing when not attached to you husband.. this made me curious.

dgp

I see. Essentially you agree with me, Billy. You knew there was a high chance it wouldn't work.