Posts by dgp

23

1984 And The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

1984 and the watchtower.. http://ebedabodah.blogspot.com/2009/06/1984-and-watchtower.html.

let me ask you: have you ever read the book 1984?

if you have, many things may now be going through your head in regard to the watchtower.

Cold Steel. I won't reveal more personal information that this: I DID live in a regime like those inspired in 1984. As a foreigner, I had many perks that the "rank and file" didn't. And, I didn't have to do the things the average people had to. You could touch sadness in the air. I know what I am talking about. Did you ever read the story of the East German female politician who was shocked to learn that the file the Stasi had on her had one informant, "HARALD", who happened to be her husband? She knew the Stasi had a file on her; that was not news. WHO the informer was, that was the big shock.

I am afraid you are misinformed. There are many people who do not walk away from the Watchtower because they know they would lose people they love. I am not in the Watchtower, and will never be, and I don't say who I am because I know the person I came here for would never speak to me again if this person knew I am posting here. Some people in this forum can't reveal their wish to leave the religion to their wives or husbands or children, else they would lose them. Did you read the post by Mouthy? The one in which she is exultant because this 81 year old lady finally got a phone call from her 63 year old daughter? That is why many people are stuck in the society. And that is why so many of their youth leave as soon as they can afford to leave.

23

1984 And The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

1984 and the watchtower.. http://ebedabodah.blogspot.com/2009/06/1984-and-watchtower.html.

let me ask you: have you ever read the book 1984?

if you have, many things may now be going through your head in regard to the watchtower.

dgp

Cold Steel, they may not have the same resources the Party had in 1984, but their mindset is just the same.

I have the impression that we have a troll here. For someone who bothered to read Bangalore's post and actually took the time to write something, you are either in absolute ignorance of the ways of the organization, or you want to pick up a fight. I won't do as you seem to want. I will use argumentation. If you're a troll or an active Jehovah's witness who is trying to use "theocratic warfare", well, the more, the merrier.

You wrote:

It doesn't have it's own police force, it doesn't have the ability to enforce any of its laws and edicts nor does it claim any inspiration of God. So what that there's a little grooming advice? So what that it sounds as though it were written for a low-grade idiot? These people have magazines with space that have to be filled up.

The organization does not have a Police force like a government would. But it does have groups of elders who DO enforce their own "laws and edicts". I wonder if you have taken the time to read the site. It's full of people who were submitted to "the laws and edicts" of the organization, as in "disfellowshipped". People are disfellowshipped in what the organization itself calls "Judiciary committees". Maybe the organization does not claim to be inspired by God, in the sense that it claims to be "GOD'S organization", and claims to be led by God himself. One of the many ways in which Crisis of Conscience is important lies in the fact that one of the men who ruled the organization tells it like it is: no God, only a group of guys making decisions like any other Board would, only this time over very important matters, such as, for example, people taking a blood transfusion.

Jehovah's witnesses are not "morons" or "low-grade idiots". They have been led to believe in something that I consider to be a lie. Many former ex-JW's think the organization is a lie, too. The witnesses aren't simply told how to dress. They are told even how much time they should devote to working, and how they should be doing it.

I see you believe that it's always the people who are to blame for what the leaders do. Since we're talking about 1984, and its relation to Socialism, can you tell me why the hell the Chinese don't overthrow their government? North-Koreans? Cubans? Why is it that the Iranians don' t overthrown their government? Why is is that so many Moslem women consent to their daughters's genitalia being mutilated? Is it because they give power to their rulers, and they don't seem to have the whim of withdrawing that power from the leaders?

Can you tell me more about this, please?

23

Did you ever feel being a JW was like ...

by sacolton in

having a license to be a complete douchebag to others?

it did for me.

i could automatically judge and condemn those who i didn't know and feel superior towards "worldly" people.. .

dgp

Question: So, when one of the worldlies showed you true affection and appreciation, and perhaps even love, how were you able to make that fit into your beliefs? Did that ever suggest that something was wrong with what you were told?

19

2012: Doomsday

by cattails in

just saw the 2008 movie called "2012: doomsday" by faithfilms.. what a waste of time and a waste of a dvd!!!.

here's the plot if one can call it that:.

"the final day on the mayan calendar finds four faithful strangers convening at an ancient temple in the heart of mexico in this apocalyptic thriller starring cliff de young and dale midkiff.

dgp

PSacramento, the Mayan calendar doesn't end in 2012. Only one of their "time cycles". I am sure the Mayan still alive are not bothered at all by that date.

I understand that San Francisco and Los Angeles are destroyed in that movie. Could we have a flood somewhere in Brooklyn?

Stillin, I like your grandfather's cuckoo and the end of time. I know somebody who has a Seiko that needs no batteries and no winding up. I believe this is PROOF that there will be no end of times.

23

1984 And The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

1984 and the watchtower.. http://ebedabodah.blogspot.com/2009/06/1984-and-watchtower.html.

let me ask you: have you ever read the book 1984?

if you have, many things may now be going through your head in regard to the watchtower.

dgp

Blondie, I just bought the book. Thank you.

23

1984 And The Watchtower

by Bangalore in

1984 and the watchtower.. http://ebedabodah.blogspot.com/2009/06/1984-and-watchtower.html.

let me ask you: have you ever read the book 1984?

if you have, many things may now be going through your head in regard to the watchtower.

dgp

Bangalore, the only difference (if there is any) is that the Communist claimed that Socialism would arrive "some day", which was understood not to be "imminent". But the rest is just the same. You call it "loaded language", they called it "newspeak". You have the FDS, they have the Party, and so on.

19

2012: Doomsday

by cattails in

just saw the 2008 movie called "2012: doomsday" by faithfilms.. what a waste of time and a waste of a dvd!!!.

here's the plot if one can call it that:.

"the final day on the mayan calendar finds four faithful strangers convening at an ancient temple in the heart of mexico in this apocalyptic thriller starring cliff de young and dale midkiff.

dgp

Mad Sweeney, it's good that you're playing Devil's advocate. The Mayan calendar was always a cyclical thing. Won't you please follow this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar

An excerpt:

However, and in common with other Mesoamerican societies, the repetition of the various calendric cycles, the natural cycles of observable phenomena, and the recurrence and renewal of death-rebirth imagery in their mythological traditions were important and pervasive influences upon Maya societies. This conceptual view, in which the "cyclical nature" of time is highlighted, was a pre-eminent one, and many rituals were concerned with the completion and re-occurrences of various cycles. As the particular calendaric configurations were once again repeated, so too were the "supernatural" influences with which they were associated. Thus it was held that particular calendar configurations had a specific "character" to them, which would influence events on days exhibiting that configuration. Divinations could then be made from the auguries associated with a certain configuration, since events taking place on some future date would be subject to the same influences as its corresponding previous cycle dates. Events and ceremonies would be timed to coincide with auspicious dates, and avoid inauspicious ones. [ 6 ]

The completion of significant calendar cycles ("period endings"), such as a k'atun-cycle, were often marked by the erection and dedication of specific monuments (mostly stela inscriptions, but sometimes twin-pyramid complexes such as those in Tikal and Yaxha), commemorating the completion, accompanied by dedicatory ceremonies.

They did have the belief that the world would end at the whim of the gods, but I read in the papers, though I don't remember where, that there's this Mayan priest or whatever who says he's just fed up of telling people the world won't end in 2012.

19

2012: Doomsday

by cattails in

just saw the 2008 movie called "2012: doomsday" by faithfilms.. what a waste of time and a waste of a dvd!!!.

here's the plot if one can call it that:.

"the final day on the mayan calendar finds four faithful strangers convening at an ancient temple in the heart of mexico in this apocalyptic thriller starring cliff de young and dale midkiff.

dgp

First things first. The Mayan Calendar used to include CYCLES of years. What is supposed to happen in 2012 is simply the end of one of those cycles. No end of the world here.

I found the explanation below HERE:

http://newswise.com/articles/cornell-expert-on-the-mayan-calendar-2012-hoax?ret=/articles/list&category=science&page=1&search[status]=3&search[sort]=date+desc&search[section]=20&search[has_multimedia]=

Cornell expert on the Mayan Calendar / 2012 Hoax

Released: 11/12/2009 2:10 PM EST
Source: Cornell University
Expert Available

Ann Martin
Cornell doctoral student in astronomy
Expert on the Mayan Calendar / 2012 Hoax

Newswise — Martin is a doctoral candidate in Cornell University’s department of astronomy. Her research focuses on the hydrogen content of galaxies in the nearby universe. Her hometown is Binghamton, N.Y., and she holds a B.A. degree in English and a B.S. degree in physics from the University at Buffalo.

The world will NOT end on Dec. 21, 2012. The Mayan calendar was designed to be cyclical, so the fact that the long count comes to an end in December 2012 is really of no consequence. Simply, it is the end of great calendar cycle in Mayan society, much like our modern society celebrated the new Millennium. It does not mean that the "world will end.” In fact, the Mayan calendar does not end then and there is no evidence to suggest that the Mayans – or anyone for that matter – has knowledge for the world’s demise.

So, NO, I don't plan to spend a dime in this.

62

Dec. 15th WT - WT Society REALLY Minimizes Earning a Decent Living

by flipper in

jw
friends

it's ridiculous.

i saw this so much in my 44 years in the jehovah's witness cult.

whether it was elders, pioneers, or other people in the cult criticizing others for working too much at their employment or missing some service or meetings due to employment.

dgp

I would like to comment that it's not just what activity you'll do that needs approval. It's also how much time you will devote to it. There's a Fisher-Price looking graph in the magazine, and it suggests that you should use one sixth of your time to "work". Yeah, right. That is enough for anyone to see that the person who made the graph (or the one who had it made) does not live in this world.

I wonder how witnesses in the developing countries will see this. You already have to work very hard, in very difficult circumstances, to do for a miserable living, and here comes the society and tells you that you "should" use only one sixth of your time to keep yourself. Ha-ha-ha. I wonder if they will keep statistics on this, but I am sure not many witnesses in the poorer countries will be following this guideline. They just won't be able to. I am not sure how strictly they will follow these "guidelines", but I am sure that will create a stir.

3

old friend trying to turn new hubby into JW

by lalaa in

jw
friends

an old friend of mine stopped going to meetings about 6 years ago.

we stopped going around the same time.

she always told me how she had no interest in jw guys and had no intention of ever being married to one.

dgp

A worldly man here. From what I can surmise, the following happens very often: a witness meets someone interesting, and sort of plays the amicable person because he or she won't take things further. Then the witness falls for the mere mortal, they get involved, and the witness finds he or she "shouldn't" be doing this. He or she needs to make a difficult decision: either to stop seeing the person (me) or to try to get the person into the society. In this latter case, sometimes they do get the mere mortal into the society, and sometimes they don't.

Quick summary.