paul from cleveland

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Posts by paul from cleveland

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  53

  DISCUSSION board.......or.....COMMENT board?

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the following is only my own personal analysis.. take it or leave it.

  but, by all means jump in and have a say.. .

  i think more and more we are losing our grasp on a wonderful venue at jw-net.. as a discussion board, i mean.. at one time, there were a great many wonderful and interesting discussions by a variety of persons with varied backgrounds having a good.

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  paul from cleveland

  I like both the deeper discussions and the lighter comments. Sometimes I want to learn. Sometimes I want to laugh.
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  59

  I don't belong here anymore

  by sizemik in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  these are some things i have been thinking about .

  .. when i first found this site i registered immediately ... never was a "lurker" ... and i've been here about six months.. everyone was very warm welcoming and i felt at home very quickly ... very pleasant at the time, but as time has progressed i look back and feel a bit "love-bombed" ... much like a religion i used to belong to.. i have found that this site is a bit "cliquey" ... groups of posters frequent at similar times and enjoy their familiarity with each other and that's great ... but they also sometimes exhibit a coolness toward those outside their clique ... almost as if your 'post count' is the first thing by which you are "judged" ... much like a religion i used to belong to.

  some posters develop a personal dislike for others and not only jump on their threads but even deliver the odd "slap" on unrelated threads to increase the discomfort for the object of their dislike ... not unlike a religion i once belonged to.. some posters even follow others around the board looking to counter or use snide or clever put downs at every opportunity ... a kind of intellectual "rivalry" that was common to those in that religion i used to belong to.. many posters like to use 'in-house' jargon and labels eg; "newbies" for those recently joined.

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  paul from cleveland

  Murray, I totally disagree with you. I've found this to be a very loving and supportive community. Sometimes we just see what we want to see.

  Like my mother always told me: "Two men looked out from prison bars, the one saw mud the other stars"
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  29

  What drove you? Love or Fear?

  by fade_away in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this has probably been discussed here before, but i'm new so sue me.. i think the religion of jehovah's witnesses has been an amazing but tragic social experiment proving that the mind is most vulnerable to brainwashing when it's in an unhealthy state.

  it seems to attract the bipolar, schizophrenic, depressive, and the paranoid.

  it preys on negative emotions like sorrow and fear.

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  paul from cleveland

  Fear
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  83

  I am out of here

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this place has become far to jw ish for my liking.. free expression and rights to make reply are shut down by those who hold the key.. this forum is turning into an uber christian outreach program with those who take umbridge to them getting locked and deleted threads.

  it would perhaps not be so bad if the moderators actually communicated to people such as myself rather than cold cutting.

  they complain when we make a public outcry and tell us it belongs in a private message, yet cannot see 'the straw in their own eye' and do not use the private messages to communicate why they have done what they do.

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  paul from cleveland

  To me, the original thread was simply about communication styles and whether or not they're effective at communicating our thoughts. It's something I think about because I want to be heard myself.

  I skip many posts after reading the first sentence or two because of the style. Either they're to religious or too vulgar but usually because they're not succinct.

  The only issue with the thread in question is that it singled out one particular person's style. I'd be interested in exploring that subject again but in a more general way.
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  65

  Anyone from Canada? Thinking of emigrating there...

  by teel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  title almost says it all.

  i'm sure there are some canadians here, so please voice your oppinion - am i out of my mind to move there, or is it the best decision of my life?

  - of course the answer is somewhere in between, but feel free to be extreme if you want to .

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  paul from cleveland

  Canada is beautiful. I'd love to move to Tofino on Vancouver Island.
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  92

  Capitalism or Communism

  by d in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which syestem do you think works better?

  capitalism or communism.

  i think none of them work.

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  paul from cleveland

  yeah, that too.
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  92

  Capitalism or Communism

  by d in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  which syestem do you think works better?

  capitalism or communism.

  i think none of them work.

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  paul from cleveland

  It's not a question of Capitalism vs Communism because both can exist together like it does in China.

  The question is: Which is better, Capitalism under a authoritarian govenment like China or Capitalism under a democratic government like the US?
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  31

  What I've found here

  by paul from cleveland in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i originally came here to find proof that the witnesses don't have the truth.

  i was so afraid of being destroyed at armagedon.. i didn't really find the convincing proof i was looking for.. what i did find, however, is the love and total acceptance that i hadn't felt before.

  to me, that's more important..

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  paul from cleveland

  Wow Ynot! It's going to take me a little time to sift through that post. Thank you, as always, for your wealth of knowledge.

  Just one note: I want to say I don't always feel this way. I think I've convinced myself and then fears that I'm wrong rise somewhere from the deep recesses of my mind.
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  31

  What I've found here

  by paul from cleveland in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i originally came here to find proof that the witnesses don't have the truth.

  i was so afraid of being destroyed at armagedon.. i didn't really find the convincing proof i was looking for.. what i did find, however, is the love and total acceptance that i hadn't felt before.

  to me, that's more important..

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  paul from cleveland

  Gayle, you're right. I don't want to go back. It felt like everyone there was just a shell of emptiness. Including me. We were all looking for love but none of us had it within ourselves to offer it to each other. How could we feel loved when our God was a relentless task master that was going to destroy most of mankind. All of us unless we stayed on the treadmill.

  I think it's as simple as Black Sheep stated: "You can get the man out of the cult, but can you get the cult out of the man?" It's just so ingrained.
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  9

  AllTimeJeff?

  by poopsiecakes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anyone heard from jeff lately?

  i hope he's ok and that his mum is ok too, it's been a while since i've seen him post....

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  paul from cleveland

  Yes, I've been wondering that too. Where is he?