Posts by GLTirebiter

51

As a JW, how did you feel about shunning?

by jwfacts in

i am interested in the answers for a new poll.

also, feel free to suggest other options, wording etc.agreed in full with the watchtower guidelinesagreed with shunning in general, but not for familywas stumbled by this practice but shunned as instructeddid not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people .

for me personally, i did not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people, even whilst at bethel.

GLTirebiter

GL Tirebiter, as a non-believer, did you ever discuss with your ex that you found his behaviour peculiar?

No, it was difficult to discuss anything related to the WTBTS with her, essentially impossible. In her eyes any disagreement merely showed that I "hate the Witnesses."

Separating your regard for someone as a person from your opinion of their behavior was something she did not fathom. I think that has much to do with shunning: if a person fails in some way, they must be A Bad Person. Never mind that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

51

As a JW, how did you feel about shunning?

by jwfacts in

i am interested in the answers for a new poll.

also, feel free to suggest other options, wording etc.agreed in full with the watchtower guidelinesagreed with shunning in general, but not for familywas stumbled by this practice but shunned as instructeddid not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people .

for me personally, i did not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people, even whilst at bethel.

GLTirebiter

When I was the non-believing mate of a JW, I found it strange and peculiar. How could Ex suddenly dodge phone calls from the Sister who had been her best friend for years? (A: because the elders said this friend was a Bad Association.) After years of ignoring her, how could it suddenly be as if it was the good old days and the dark period never happened? (A: because the best friend got reinstated.)

It's petty. It's mean. It's about as un-Christian a practice as could be imagined. It's a nasty way to manipulate people, and a weird loyalty test (WTBTS has many of those).

13

Born-ins. What does this remind you of ?

by DATA-DOG in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blw0mnqh0r8 .

i laughed out loud!

guess you had to be there!

GLTirebiter

(deleted, it wasn't all that funny)

76

Review of Memorial Talk

by pixel in

this is my personal review of the memorial talk for this year.

take into account that this is a new "outline".

i put "outline" in quotes because.

GLTirebiter

It feels to me like a rejection of Christ himself.

Yes, it is. Furthermore, it is a rejection of God's grace: freely offered, stubbornly refused.

88

Are we on the brink of another world war?

by slimboyfat in

i don't want to be an alarmist or anything... .

but i read this article in the economist today that argued it is only a matter of time until china and japan exchange shots over some small islands in between the two countries, it could escalate to full scale war, and the united states is treaty bound to come to aid of japan.

on top of that the united states is making diplomatic visits to various countries borderning china in a move that is viewed extremely negatively in beijing.

GLTirebiter

There is a stabilizing factor in play: Russia. It's similar to the three-sided cold war stalemate, except that Russia plays the part China did last time. The one who sits it out, ends up on top.

69

New World Translation

by MsD in

jw
friends

it may seem like a stupid question but who was responsible for translating their version of the bible?

i heard it was ray franz, several governing body members.

does anybody have any legitimate info that can prove who exactly translated it?

GLTirebiter

People don't know and people don't care.

Many people do know, and those who value the scriptures do care. The skills, qualifications and reputations of the translators are a valuable gauge of the fidelity of the translation. Quote from Tower Watch Ministries, who cite Ray Franz, who as a member of the Governing Body had first-hand knowledge of the translation committee and its members:

The translators of The New World Translation were: Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas, Fred Franz, M. Henschel

"Fred Franz was the only one with any knowledge of the Bible languages to attempt translation of this kind. He had studied Greek for two years in the University of Cincinnati but was only self-taught in Hebrew." ["Crisis of Conscience"; by Raymond Franz; Commentary Press, Atlanta; 1983 edition; footnote 15; page 50.]

160

NFC & AFC Championship Games - Who Wins & goes to Super Bowl ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

great time of year for us football fans !

so let's have your picks !

now that we know it will be baltimore ravens vs. new england patriots in the afc championship and atlanta falcons vs. san fransisco 49ers in the nfc championship - what do you think ?

GLTirebiter

Well, I got that one wrong. It's a family feud, Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh in New Orleans.

73

If you drink coffee . . .

by compound complex in

jw
friends

do you prefer regular brew or the fancy offerings?

can you drink it -- the leaded stuff -- any time, night or day?.

no survey here, just curious.

GLTirebiter

I will drink either plain or slightly fancy. But by volume consumed, it's plain (non-vanilla) from the company's coffee pot.

Tending toward insomnia even without caffeine, I usually forego it after dinner time.

160

NFC & AFC Championship Games - Who Wins & goes to Super Bowl ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

great time of year for us football fans !

so let's have your picks !

now that we know it will be baltimore ravens vs. new england patriots in the afc championship and atlanta falcons vs. san fransisco 49ers in the nfc championship - what do you think ?

GLTirebiter

After the Ravens defense played double OT against Peyton Manning, they're facing another long day. I doubt they will be rested and recovered enough to stop Tom Brady. I think it will be close for two or three quarters, but the end of the game will be Brady facing a tired defense. That's a huge advantage for New England.

For the Superbowl, Pats vs. 49ers: too close to call.

45

Anybody else kinda intrigued about Oprah interviewing Lance Armstrong?

by Theocratic Sedition in

jw
friends

i'm a bit excited about this to be honest with you.

i'm not even remotely a cycling fan, but all this controversy made it a bit difficult to simply ignore.

i'm curious to see how he does when those questions come at him full force.

GLTirebiter

I wonder if Lance is gonna blow the cover on how wide spread doping is in cycling.

Alexi Grewal spoke up about pervasive doping, but not many seem to have listened.

My prayer and heart is that if, and I still hope that that day comes, that my son desires to taste the “King of Sports” that he can do so knowing that somewhere along the line and in some fashion I came clean and was willing at least once to speak out and do something so that what I saw and experienced is not what he will. He deserves that and it is required of me. And I think I am not alone. I did enough time in the game to know how it was and who did what. All of us who were there, and who can speak up, should do so. It is such a paradox that the sport that has the most potential to reform addicts, to help them to connect with long-fried neural pathways from such things as methamphetamine, is the sport that is so filled with performance-enhancing drugs.