JanH

Joined

• started 67 topics
• posted 1,771 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by JanH

• 
  67

  Eminem and censorship

  by Uni girl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when my son came home from the meeting, he told me that they were told not to listen to eminem because (in his words) he's bad.. i can not stomach the kind of censorship that is put upon people...aren't these things a personal choice or at least a parents choice.

  by censoring everything they make a child go behind their parents back and close the line of communcation which could result in some real harm.

  i listened to eminem with my son and whilst some of the things are very offensive it was quite clear to me that although he was talking in the first person, he was actually expressing what he thought societal problems were,(no one think bob marley actually son the sheriff do they??).

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  If an actor plays a bigoted person on the screen or in a movie, we laugh at dumb people who get the actor and the role figure mixed up and harasses the actor.

  How come people can't realize the same thing about a musician? David Bowie was only playing Ziggy Stardust on the scene; he was not Ziggy.

  Marshall Matters have even made it obvious by taking one artist name, Eminem, and singing in the name of yet another guy, called Slim Shady. The opinions and ideas of Slim Shady are not those of Marshall Matters, even though it's obviously an expression of many of his own ideas and dark ghosts (like most authors use autobiographical material some of the time).

  Personally, I have never understood rap music, and never liked it much. But I find Eminem brilliant. And his lyric is some of the best musical lyrics written in the last ten years, and I don't say that easily.

  As for the censorship issue: obviously he has succeeded in offending lots of people and interest groups. It is my strong opinion that many interest groups for noble causes -- feminism, gay rights, anti-racism/civil rights, whatever -- after some time ends up suffering from a distinct lack of perspective. They also tend to evolve into organizations that are bigoted all by themselves; the only difference is they want to censor the others. That is sad. It's like seeing the Jews in Israel instituting an apartheid state and oppressing the Arabs.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  93

  What did you do?

  by StiLLinTruth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  to all those who have in some way left the organization (be it disfellowshipping, disassociating, dis-whatever):.

  come now, i know the amount of people who "realized that wt doctrine was in serious error" and politely handed in their letter of resignation has to be very small.

  the level of bitterness and hostility towards the closest-to-what's-biblical organization has to develop some other way.. what did you do?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  : The Bible gives us strict guidelines for life.. ya can't live with it, too bad! Step aside. Like you did.

  Like, don't wear clothes of mixed fabric? Not to mention that gem about not cooking a kid in the milk from its mother. I have often had real use for that rule in my life. And I'm sure all those slaves living through the centuries really appreciated God's concern for them, when he permitted slave owners to beat them half (only half!) to death, using the words "your slave is your money."

  Almost as interesting: the rules that are not there, but everybody things they are. Please show me from the Bible an unambiguous law against having sex before marriage. Or, indeed, show any scripture forbidding people to simply move together and live as a couple without asking a priest or judge first.

  Ethics -- something JWs don't understand -- is about explaining why some things are wrong and others are good. To blindly refer to some ancient book to dictate how people should live in the 21st century cannot but end in disaster.

  And, since you asked: I was disfellowshipped (indeed: forcibly disassociated; the elders lied to the congregation claining I had DAd myself) because I did not accept the 1914-doctrine.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  11

  Describe JW/ A mind altering cult/ Dangerous Cult

  by nojw86 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am sort of interested to your responces if someone might ask a ?

  about the jw how might you describe the jw?

  would they to your personal opinion be a mind altering cult or a dangerous cult?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  Well, most of us agree certain religions can do real damage. However, there is a lot of nonsense on the topic of "cults". There is little doubt that the "anti-cult" movement has done a lot of stupid things, and caused unnecessary harm by raising a hysteric reaction to new religious movements.

  Some of "anti-cult" practices has been outright criminal, like much of what was done by so-called deprogrammers.

  While there are certainly unethical practices in the WTS -- sometimes
  grossly so -- it is not fitting to talk about 'brainwashing', as such a thing does not exist. "Cults" mostly use control techniques that are employed to some degree in the society at large as well as mainstream religions. The difference is more in degree, both of control and coersion, practiced by the WT leadership.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  20

  still in doubt

  by gotcha in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's my 1st time to post here..i'm basically an open-minded person.

  so it has always bothered me to think that there is only one true religion.i've always told this to my mom but she thinks otherwise.

  i love my mom so much that i would do anything to make her happy but she knows that i have doubts.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  An actuarial study was done on the presumption that Noahs Ark landed with 8 people aboard about 4000 years ago. Based on that , the population of the earth today then should be between 4-6 billion which is pretty accurate.

  
  For having a alleged genius IQ, you really buy into stupid christian legends easily.

  A very basic understanding of history and statistics would tell you that no such calculation could possibly be made.

  Would you need me to tell you why?

  PS: I think it's sad you started off your presence on j-w telling an absurd lie.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  8

  The walls of Jericho, where?

  by uncle_onion in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am reading a book recomended by ginny tosken.. in it, it states that there were no walls around the city of jericho.

  i seem to remember someone posting last week about this which contradicts the above.. uo

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  This book has come highly recommended by people I trust. It indeed contains nothing new, but it is very new to the lay public. Amazingly, the conclusions of the serious archeological studies of Palestine have mostly been left unknown to the public, allowing the bible-based 'experts' to tout their claims unchallenged. Of course, anyone taking a course in archeology or history of the region will learned these facts many years ago. I know I did. It's been well known that the whole pre-exilic history we find in the Old Testament is almost purely fiction.

  But since these archeological facts run counter not only to the beliefs of conservative Christians, but to the whole ideological justification for the modern state of Israel, many have been reluctant to put these facts out to the general public. Israel -- and certain Jewish organizations generally -- stop at nothing to fiercly attack anyone putting forth evidence they allege to be "anti-semitic". Thus, most archelogists stick to publishing these facts in archeology journals, generally not read by the public.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  103

  The "Ransom Sacrifice" short version.

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the christian part of the world not many of us have escaped the much hyped and published sacrifice christ supposedly made when the romans executed him.. i myself was going around for years parroting this strange concept without giving it much thought.

  thinking and faith some times do not mix very well.. anyway, apparently god made a royal blunder when he created the first humans and they plunged mankind into death and despair first crack out of the box, while god stood by and watched helplessly.

  then we are told that god for this reason, in his infinite wisdom took mankind for ransom for thousands of years.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  Hi Mike,
  

  You wrote: Actually, Mike, the word "mathematician" in Augustine's text means "astrologer."

  So then, why did you apply Augustine's words to me.

  It was mostly a joke. I do find your exercise in numerology mostly humorous. If you read Russell's old Pyramidology texts (based on, among others, Dr Seiss), you should see a mirror image.

  Do you believe that my pointing out what appears to me to be evidence of design in our universe amounts to my practicing astrology? Does that make the Christian astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross an "astrologer" also, since his entire ministry is devoted to pointing out what he considers to be evidences of design in the sun, moon and stars?

  
  I don't know about Ross, but yes, what you do is astrology. You assert that supernatural beings are communicating with us by the placement of celestial objects. This is certainly the practice of astrology. It is also a form of occultism, that is, belief in hidden, secret communication from supernatural agents.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  103

  The "Ransom Sacrifice" short version.

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the christian part of the world not many of us have escaped the much hyped and published sacrifice christ supposedly made when the romans executed him.. i myself was going around for years parroting this strange concept without giving it much thought.

  thinking and faith some times do not mix very well.. anyway, apparently god made a royal blunder when he created the first humans and they plunged mankind into death and despair first crack out of the box, while god stood by and watched helplessly.

  then we are told that god for this reason, in his infinite wisdom took mankind for ransom for thousands of years.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  Actually, Mike, the word "mathematician" in Augustine's text means "astrologer."

  Take care.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  103

  The "Ransom Sacrifice" short version.

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the christian part of the world not many of us have escaped the much hyped and published sacrifice christ supposedly made when the romans executed him.. i myself was going around for years parroting this strange concept without giving it much thought.

  thinking and faith some times do not mix very well.. anyway, apparently god made a royal blunder when he created the first humans and they plunged mankind into death and despair first crack out of the box, while god stood by and watched helplessly.

  then we are told that god for this reason, in his infinite wisdom took mankind for ransom for thousands of years.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  The Church father and philosopher Augustine...

  "The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of Hell." -- Saint Augustine

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  103

  The "Ransom Sacrifice" short version.

  by Norm in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the christian part of the world not many of us have escaped the much hyped and published sacrifice christ supposedly made when the romans executed him.. i myself was going around for years parroting this strange concept without giving it much thought.

  thinking and faith some times do not mix very well.. anyway, apparently god made a royal blunder when he created the first humans and they plunged mankind into death and despair first crack out of the box, while god stood by and watched helplessly.

  then we are told that god for this reason, in his infinite wisdom took mankind for ransom for thousands of years.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  Mike,

  However, I've got a feeling that after posting my thoughts on the Bible's use of the numbers 4, 40 and 400, and my belief that the God of the Bible put those same numbers in the sun, moon and stars to identify Himself as the Creator of the universe, more people will probably call me "crackpot" than "sensible."

  
  There is always a danger that pushing crackpot ideas could make people make that connection, yes.

  You're an intelligent person. I don't think you need me to debunk those 'argument'. You already know, I think, how utterly nonsensical such arguments are.

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein
• 
  25

  What now?

  by agent2863 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  most of the people on this message board i've noticed are either ex-jw's or in the process.

  good for you!

  it is sad to see all the hurt & pain & confusion that the org has caused, and continues to cause.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  JanH

  Thinker: can you please move your picture to a site that doesn't require a password?

  - Jan
  --
  "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"
  -- Albert Einstein