Posts by GLTirebiter

i would like to have your opinions on what i should do about a situation please.. i have recently discovered that a 'brother' in the congregation (which i no longer attend) is a child molester.

i've seen documentation from his psychiatrist dated a few years ago, stating that he doesn't feel that this person is likely to offend again.

the 'brother' has said to the elders at some point that he has it under control but cannot be 100% sure it won't happen again.

GLTirebiter

Is he on a registered offender required to avoid contact with children? If so, report to the authorities that he is involved with a woman who has young children. They have the power to intervene.

41

Would you read your child's diary?

by DATA-DOG in

jw
friends

this is obviously a question for parents.

i have made my decision, but i am interested in your views and feelings.

if you are a young person, i would be interested in your thoughts and feelings too.

I'm also with Tec on this issue. Unless there's something dangerous going on, leave it alone. If you need to read the diary to realize there is a problem, the problem is a bigger than anything they wrote.

52

Old People Should Hurry Up and Die - says the New Japanese Finance Minister

by fulltimestudent in

the newish japanese government is conservative in bent, and its finance minister recently raised eyebrows with the above statement.

japan, as you may know, is a rapidly aging society as the long falling birthrate bites into the demographics.. here's how the english guardian reports this tale:.

let elderly people 'hurry up and die', says japanese ministertaro aso says he would refuse end-of-life care and would 'feel bad' knowing treatment was paid for by government.

GLTirebiter

Sounds like he'd make a great republican candidate here in the USA.

Sounds like a real-life democrat I remember. Richard Lamm said essentially the same thing. From Time Magazine:

Colorado's Governor causes a furor on the issue of dying

The words seemed calculated to provoke an uproar. Elderly people who are terminally ill "have a duty to die," declared Colorado Governor Richard Lamm, 48, at a meeting of the Colorado Health Lawyers Association last week in Denver. "Like leaves which fall off a tree forming the humus in which other plants can grow, we've got a duty to die and get out of the way with all of our machines and artificial hearts, so that our kids can build a reasonable life."

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.