Posts by GLTirebiter

48

Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

GLTirebiter

All the hybrid crops we use for food now are "GMO", it's just that their genomes were modified by generations of selective breeding and cross-pollination (trial-and-error approach) rather than methodically in a lab (the factory approach). Even organic crops are nothing like their counterparts from a few centuries ago.

It really depends on how the GMO is different, and how it is used. Example: the big risk for "BT" corn is that pests constantly exposed to the BT toxin will be selectively bred for immunity to that natural pesticide, so there are regulations requiring mixes of BT and non-BT plots intermixed with each other (so that BT-susceptible pest genes won't become extinct).

24

Went to a Catholic Funeral Today

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

it was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?

does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!

alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".

GLTirebiter

The last time I went to a WTBTS funeral, the elder read the obituary from the newspaper, verbatim. He read it in an expressionless monotone, like somebody reciting a school lesson just to be done with it. I do not recall that the elder made even one little addition showing he ever had met the deceased. Besides reciting the obituary, he just followed the approved script and cited the usual Watchtower references designated for the occasion.

How could the family find any comfort in that soulless imitation of a memorial to their loved one?

24

Went to a Catholic Funeral Today

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

it was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?

does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!

alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".

GLTirebiter

I will go to Catholic weddings and funerals. What I will never do again is Easter Vigil. Oh. My. God. Sooo loong.

For reference, the Easter Vigil is about the same length as the weekly WT meetings (two hours). That's only once per year, and there is always the option of going to the regular length mass on Easter Day instead of the longer vigil service the evening before (unless you're a convert being baptized or confirmed during the vigil service or the convert's sponsor, in which case you obviously are expected to attend!).

24

Went to a Catholic Funeral Today

by Captain Schmideo2 in

jw
friends

it was for a dear friend of the family that i have known all my life.now, bear in mind that i was born and raised jw, so my experience with catholic ceremonies can be counted on three fingers, a wedding, a "regular" mass, and this funeral mass.once they got down to the actual speaking about the deceased, i felt emotionally involved, but prior to that, i was watching and had questions about aspects of the services (these i have seen in common for all three times i have been in an rc church):why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?

does god hear it better if you sound all spooky tenor?i observe that every time a reading from one of the gospels takes place, it is preceded by a big musical number:"alleluiah!

alleluiah"( "and nowwwwwwwwwwwwwww, heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's jesus!".

GLTirebiter

Why the "sing-song" voice during the prayers?

That would be Gregorian Chant, a traditional form dating back to times before printing presses and mass literacy. The rhythmic cadence helps with memorization, as well as setting a solemn tone for worship. It is for the benefit of the faithful to help them follow the familiar sequence and thus pay attention to the mass, not to help God "hear better".

I get "why" it's probably done, but "whew" what a time consumer.

The "Alleluias" precede and follow the Gospel Antiphon, a Psalm passage selected to introduce the Gospel to follow (it relates to each day's Gospel reading). It also sets a reverent tone appropriate for hearing the Gospel, which is the highlight of the "Liturgy of the Word" (not merely a footnote, as it would be in a Kingdom Hall "talk"). Singing or saying the antiphon takes maybe a minute, hardly a big time consumer.

7

Clergy as Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect

by OrphanCrow in

in the united states, the statutes governing mandatory reporting of child abuse are determined at the state level with variances occurring between states.

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/clergymandated.pdf.

the statutes outlined in the above pdf are the statutes by which jw elders are accountable to according to the state in which they live.. candace conti's court case was filed in california and the reporting laws that apply to clergy in that state are as follows:.

GLTirebiter

‘penitential communication’ means a communication intended to be in confidence--including, but not limited to, a sacramental confession--made to a clergy member who, in the course of the discipline or practice of his or her church, denomination, or organization, is authorized or accustomed to hear those communications, and under the discipline, tenets, customs, or practices of his or her church, denomination, or organization, has a duty to keep those communications secret.

This statute consistently uses singular wording, not plural. That suggests that a Judicial Committee meeting would not be privileged as a penitential communication when than one elder is involved or if it includes witnesses. Is a legal professional in the audience able to confirm or refute this conclusion?

25

Graduating college May 14. Update on Getting my GED and going to college thread from 5 years ago.

by noni1974 in

jw
friends

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/187163/getting-my-ged-can-go-college.

i started this topic 5 years ago letting everyone know i had decide to get my ged and go to college in hopes of getting an education so that i could have a career instead of just a job.

i wanted fulfillment and a future, not just another job that has no really future in it.

GLTirebiter

Well done, Noni!

14

'Theocratic Warfare' - Do you know when and where it started?

by EdenOne in

we all hear this notion of "theocratic warfare", and how it is used to justify jehovah's witnesses to lie or withhold the truth even under oath, based on the reasoning that we don't owe the truth to those who aren't entitled to it.

but, can we put our finger on where this doctrine started?

well, brace yourselves, here it is.

GLTirebiter

Eden one, you should know that Theocratic Warfare Strategy has its roots in Eden itself, having been founded by that low-down snake, the Father of Lies himself. "You will not die", he said... remarkable how little it has changed since then!

107

I have a serious problem

by My Name is of No Consequence in

i have a serious problem that i cannot solve on my own.

i was born-in but am only in by a thread at this point.

i quit the tms a few weeks ago and wrote a post on it.

GLTirebiter

Teen-age step son. Has a car. Does he have any "worldly" friends who could be a good influence on him? Spending time outside the JW cloister could do him a lot of good. Support him when he wants to do this!

11

Air Canada Crash, oops, I mean "hard landing"

by Simon in

just watched the news about the air canada crash in halifax that they want to claim was just a "hard landing".. i can only imagine the distinction matters for insurance purposes otherwise they are just being idiots.

pretty poor behavior for the airline whatever the motivation imo.. now i'm no plane expert but i think when then plane is smashed up, the engines have come off and the nose is in pieces that should be obviously classed as a crash.

if you can't take off again then you have been in a crash, not a hard landing.. .

GLTirebiter

The difference between an Air Canada "hard landing" and a crash seems to be that everybody survives, and most didn't end up in the hospital. The plane looks like a write-off.

38

rumor out that governing body is going to adjust the loveing disfellowshiping arangment df yes shunning no.

by poopie in

jw
friends

can anyone confirm they seem to be having disagreement writing dept and service dept some feel that df ok as long as you do not add wholesale across the board shunning regardless of the sin ..

GLTirebiter

If true, perhaps my kids could talk to each other again (one is an obedient JW, the other is DF'd). But I won't hold my breath waiting for this to happen.