Posts by greenie

35

They "can give gifts on any day of the year"... But do they?

by Albert Einstein in

jw
friends

how many times we had heard from jw (commenting on christmass, mothers day or bithdays) "they dont need a pecial day set to give gifts, because the can give it on any day" .... but whats your experience if you compare jw and non jw ... are they really giving?.

my sons (7) example:.

he has non jw grandparents: gets all kinds of gifts all the time, sweets, magazines, toys,.

greenie

Not that I've seen! They only get together as a family on the parents' anniversary. And that's the only time they give gifts as well.

77

Are Jehovah's Witness men good catches?

by garyneal in

i've stated this before on this message board but i was kind of curious about this and wanted to get some feedback from the group.

in particular, the ladies who are either current or former jw's.. about a year or so ago, my wife went with me to a church i was attending at the time.

we then later that morning attended a kh meeting.

greenie

I agree, DGP, about Gary not knowing what he was getting into. I never quite understand the full rational of a JW that wants to be active pursuing a non-JW. I'll have to ask mine more about this. I think anyone not formerly with the organization would have no idea what all it involves - back to the lifestyle concept. Maybe they think because they're so sure it's the truth that there's no way you wouldn't see it too, or maybe they think you wouldn't be involved with the religious upbringing of kids, or maybe they think because holidays are both despicable and not a big deal to them that they'll be easy for you to let go. Maybe they think by being with you, they can save you at Armageddon. Or maybe they just don't think about it at all. I don't know.

Just keep in mind Gary and DGP that you're below their level according to some margin of society's rules and standards. By most people's you're probably a great catch.

77

Are Jehovah's Witness men good catches?

by garyneal in

i've stated this before on this message board but i was kind of curious about this and wanted to get some feedback from the group.

in particular, the ladies who are either current or former jw's.. about a year or so ago, my wife went with me to a church i was attending at the time.

we then later that morning attended a kh meeting.

greenie

I agree with DGP on the description of suitable. And GaryNeal, I think while your wife may think/have thought a JW would be the ideal mate, it's only due to the suitable factor. What I mean is, the JW way is not just a set of beliefs, it's a lifestyle. So, a JW man definitely would have been more suitable to that lifestyle. I would bet that in your situation even a man that didn't practice a religion and didn't object to the kids being raised solely JW (as opposed to your being religious and wanting to play a role in your daughter's religious upbringing) would have been more suitable. However, it does not mean that some mythical JW man would have been a better match for her based on personality and emotion. You fit the bill there. To me and to most people, I think that would be the more important thing, unfortunately for JWs, that is not the case. I think personal emotions matter less to them.

And I have definitely had this conversation before and it is very painful to hear their would've, could've, should've. I agree with Ynot that it's better left alone.

221

In the Interests of Unity Between us Brits and You Yanks...

by creativhoney in

jw
friends

tally ho!

i thought it might be jolly nice to have a thread that dispels the myths about each others cultures.

so from little britain i hope y'all respond and we can turn this into a nice chat.

greenie

Ohhhhhhhhhh, and how could I forget my favorite: SNOG! What a L-O-V-E-L-Y word for a kiss!

I had a Brit counsel me on this once: how she spoke the Queen's English and I just spoke a derivative (pointed out snidely I should say). Then she preceded to talk to her other friends about "snogging" someone, and I couldn't resist asking her: "Really? So does the Queen say snog? Oh no? Well I suppose you must speak a derivative, too!"

10

What did the Bible mean re: worldliness?

by greenie in

this topic was broached in another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/184175/1/please-help-re-objections-to-thanksgiving) and i was interested in expanding more on it.

i am no bible scholar and view the bible as - gasp - more of a guidebook than literal one, but my impression has always been that the worldy bunch involved non-christians (personally i'd say non-religious ones, no offense anyone!

)or pseudo religious ones that were unethical and/or immoral.

greenie

PSacramento and Glenster, I completely agree with you, and DGP, I don't disagree with you, I think we're just making different points. I think PS and Glenster are right that the majority of Christians are probably more moderate, it's just the banshees that get all the press. Too bad for the moderates. Maybe I should start banging a drum or something.

221

In the Interests of Unity Between us Brits and You Yanks...

by creativhoney in

jw
friends

tally ho!

i thought it might be jolly nice to have a thread that dispels the myths about each others cultures.

so from little britain i hope y'all respond and we can turn this into a nice chat.

greenie

I love in London how all the street crossings have painted on the ground "Look Left" or "Look Right" so the rest of the world doesn't get run over.

And do you really say "further afield?"

Also, I looked at that Wikipedia article and according to it, the Mason Dixon line would make D.C. and Maryland southern states...?

6

Kinda cool...from Karen Armstrong (former nun) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

by greenie in

jw
friends

thought this would be nice to share, it really resonated with me:.

compassion unites the world's faithsby karen armstrong and archbishop desmond tutu, special to cnn

november 10, 2009 9:18 a.m. estendclickprintinclude google_ad_section_end startclickprintexcludeendclickprintexclude google_ad_section_start content reap keep startclickprintinclude reap startclickprintexclude 'let's revive the golden rule'endclickprintexclude /reap editor's note: karen armstrong is a former roman catholic nun who has written more than 20 books about common themes in islam, judaism and christianity, including "the bible: a biography.

greenie

I realize it's long, so here's my favorite paragraph:

"One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community, where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace.

Religion, which should be making a major contribution to this endeavor, is often seen as part of the problem. All too often the voices of extremism seem to drown those that speak of kindness, forbearance and mutual respect. Yet the founders of every single one of the great traditions recoiled from the violence of their time and tried to replace it with an ethic of compassion. ...

... When asked by a pagan to sum up the whole of Jewish teaching while he stood on one leg, Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, replied: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah -- and everything else is only commentary." His Holiness the Dalai Lama put it even more succinctly when he said: "My religion is kindness."

These traditions have also pointed out that it is not sufficient to confine our benevolence to those we find congenial -- to our own ethnic, national or ideological group. We must have what one of the Chinese sages called jian ai, "concern for everybody." If practiced assiduously -- "all day and every day," as Confucius enjoined -- we begin to appreciate our profound interdependence and become fully humane."

6

Kinda cool...from Karen Armstrong (former nun) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

by greenie in

jw
friends

thought this would be nice to share, it really resonated with me:.

compassion unites the world's faithsby karen armstrong and archbishop desmond tutu, special to cnn

november 10, 2009 9:18 a.m. estendclickprintinclude google_ad_section_end startclickprintexcludeendclickprintexclude google_ad_section_start content reap keep startclickprintinclude reap startclickprintexclude 'let's revive the golden rule'endclickprintexclude /reap editor's note: karen armstrong is a former roman catholic nun who has written more than 20 books about common themes in islam, judaism and christianity, including "the bible: a biography.

greenie

Thought this would be nice to share, it really resonated with me:

Compassion unites the world's faiths

By Karen Armstrong and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Special to CNN November 10, 2009 9:18 a.m. EST Click to play 'Let's revive the Golden Rule'

Editor's note: Karen Armstrong is a former Roman Catholic nun who has written more than 20 books about common themes in Islam, Judaism and Christianity, including "The Bible: A Biography." She received the 2008 TED Prize. Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for opposing apartheid in South Africa. Since 1988 Tutu has been chancellor of the University of the Western Cape in Bellville, South Africa.

(CNN) -- We have called on the world to sign up to a Charter for Compassion.

Compassion is the principled determination to put ourselves into the place of the other and it lies at the heart of all truly religious and ethical systems.

The charter, which will be unveiled Thursday, November 12, has been composed by leading thinkers in many different faiths. Thousands of people have contributed to it online. It is a cooperative effort to restore compassion to the center of religious, moral and political life. Why is this so important?

One of the most urgent tasks of our generation is to build a global community, where men and women of all races, nations and ideologies can live together in peace.

Religion, which should be making a major contribution to this endeavor, is often seen as part of the problem. All too often the voices of extremism seem to drown those that speak of kindness, forbearance and mutual respect. Yet the founders of every single one of the great traditions recoiled from the violence of their time and tried to replace it with an ethic of compassion.

The great sages who promoted the Golden Rule were nearly all living during periods of history like our own. They argued that a truly compassionate ethic served people's best interests and made good practical sense.

When the Bible commands that we "love" the foreigner, it was not speaking of emotional tenderness: in Leviticus, "love" was a legal term: It was used in international treaties, when two kings would promise to give each other practical support, help and loyalty, and look out for each other's best interests. In our global world, everybody has become our neighbor, and the Golden Rule has become an urgent necessity.

When asked by a pagan to sum up the whole of Jewish teaching while he stood on one leg, Rabbi Hillel, the older contemporary of Jesus, replied: "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the Torah -- and everything else is only commentary." His Holiness the Dalai Lama put it even more succinctly when he said: "My religion is kindness."

These traditions have also pointed out that it is not sufficient to confine our benevolence to those we find congenial -- to our own ethnic, national or ideological group. We must have what one of the Chinese sages called jian ai, "concern for everybody." If practiced assiduously -- "all day and every day," as Confucius enjoined -- we begin to appreciate our profound interdependence and become fully humane.

We come at this issue from different perspectives. I, Karen, was a Roman Catholic nun for seven years, from the age of 17 to 24. After that, I turned away from religion but came back to it after a series of career disasters -- when I was invited to make some TV programs for Channel 4, which was just opening up in the United Kingdom. The more I studied religious traditions that were different from my own, the more I had to revise my views on faith in general.

I started to study Judaism and Islam, and found that these faiths both offered a perspective on religion that was different from the somewhat parochial Catholicism of my childhood but which really resonated with me. I no longer see any of the great faith traditions, eastern and western, as superior to any of the others.

Each has its own particular genius and each its particular flaws. Every single one of the faiths regards compassion and the Golden Rule as the litmus test of true spirituality and sees it as one of the main ways in which we come into relation with the transcendence that we call God, Nirvana, Brahman or Tao.

In 2008, I was honored to receive the TED Prize, which consists of money, but more importantly, a wish for a better world the TED organization will help you to realize. I knew at once what I wanted to do and TED helped refine it. The result was a Charter that would restore compassion to its central place in religious and moral life.

If we wish to create a viable world order, we must try to implement the Golden Rule globally, treating all peoples, even those who seem far removed from us, as we would wish to be treated ourselves. We must strive for a global democracy, in which everybody, not only the rich and powerful, has a voice and which takes everybody's needs and aspirations with the utmost seriousness and respect.

Today we are all bound together, electronically, economically and politically, as never before. Our financial markets are inextricably connected: When one falls, there is a ripple effect worldwide. What happens in Afghanistan or Iraq today may well have repercussions tomorrow in New York or London.

Our world has become dangerously polarized and many of our policies -- political, economic, financial and environmental -- seem no longer sustainable. We have a choice. We can either choose the aggressive and exclusive tendencies that have developed in practically all religious and secular traditions or we can cultivate those that speak of compassion, empathy, respect and an impartial "concern for everybody."

The Charter for Compassion is not simply a statement of principle. It is above all a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time. You can find out how you and your community can participate in the launch and in the ongoing effort to build a fair, just and compassionate world on our Web site: charterforcompassion.org.

We cannot afford to be paralyzed by global suffering. We have the power to work together energetically for the well-being of humanity, and counter the despairing extremism of our time. Many of us have experienced the power of compassion in our own lives. We know how a single act of kindness and empathy can turn a life around. History also shows that the action of just a few individuals can make all the difference. In a world that seems spinning out of control, we need such action now.

The Charter is a summons to action and includes directives about how to implement the Golden Rule. There can be no detailed directives; everybody will have to see how to do this in his or her particular sphere: in the media, in study, teaching, parenting, business, or politics.

The launch is only the beginning of the journey -- not the end.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Karen Armstrong and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

10

What did the Bible mean re: worldliness?

by greenie in

this topic was broached in another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/184175/1/please-help-re-objections-to-thanksgiving) and i was interested in expanding more on it.

i am no bible scholar and view the bible as - gasp - more of a guidebook than literal one, but my impression has always been that the worldy bunch involved non-christians (personally i'd say non-religious ones, no offense anyone!

)or pseudo religious ones that were unethical and/or immoral.

greenie

Yes, DGP, I am more inclusive than exclusive, myself, as in, "all good people go to heaven" instead of "all good [fill in the blank with the name of your religion or denomination] go to heaven" or paradise earth or wherever. Personally, I think the bible supports my view.

10

What did the Bible mean re: worldliness?

by greenie in

this topic was broached in another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/184175/1/please-help-re-objections-to-thanksgiving) and i was interested in expanding more on it.

i am no bible scholar and view the bible as - gasp - more of a guidebook than literal one, but my impression has always been that the worldy bunch involved non-christians (personally i'd say non-religious ones, no offense anyone!

)or pseudo religious ones that were unethical and/or immoral.

greenie

This topic was broached in another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/184175/1/Please-help-re-objections-to-Thanksgiving) and I was interested in expanding more on it. I am no Bible scholar and view the Bible as - gasp - more of a guidebook than literal one, but my impression has always been that the worldy bunch involved non-Christians (personally I'd say non-religious ones, no offense anyone!)or pseudo religious ones that were unethical and/or immoral. What do you think?