Simon,
I would like to make an appeal on behalf of Mad Apostate. Sure he can be rude and I agree he could use a break from the board. I just hope you will allow him back on your board at an appropriate time. Mad Apostate needs to be treated a little different than most people who post here. For some reason, he thinks people are out to get him. I want to make you aware of this thread in which I had an exchange with Mad Apostate.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=18729&site=3&page=1
I will post some of the more relevant parts of our conversation.
I said,
Mad Apostate,
You puzzle me. On one hand you have been very helpful, by providing us with a document to keep the Elders off of my back and to keep my good name in tact. Then you are rude to others when you debate with somebody. Why? I hope you have a good day, and peace to you and your family.
He said,
Jay:
I can only say one thing in response to your criticizing me, while nary a word about your buddy's identical behavior:
"Take your backhanded compliment and stick it up your feathered ass."
I later said,
MadApostate,
For the record I agree with you, that is why I addressed only you in my previous post. I thought I might be able to get you to see that you can rise above the level you are currently at. You make great arguments, but you can't seem to get above the intellectual belt when you make a point. Instead you insult people like saying, "stick it up your feathered ass."
He replied,
For the record Jayhawk1,
My lifetime experiences have put me in the presence of folks as "high" as the Chief Justice of the USSC, and as "low" as a Drug Dealer who was featured on "Sixty Minutes".
Thus, I am able to speak and write eloqently when I chose, or get infantile and dirty when "playing" with "trailer trash" like LDH. Its the "audience" that determines the style.
Please note that my remark to you was not a "f___ y__", and I even purposedly included the adjective
"feathered" to inject humor, so that you would not take it too seriously.
If I were not having FUN here, I would leave, because the vast majority here are not activists, and of those who are, the vast majority of them are either dishonest, impotent, or both.
So I said to him,
Mad Apostate,
I did not take the feathers up my ass thing seriously anyway. Likewise, I take everything said to me with a "grain of salt". So no, my feelings were not hurt by you. Most people know why I post here. For me it is to heal emotional wounds and to help other people the best that I can. It seems to me you are here to expose the Watchtower Society for what they are. I can respect that. Keep in mind your audience is more than just LDH/Lisa. Your audience is anybody that reads what you write. It may indeed be intended for LDH/Lisa, but many people read what you write, like myself. I make it a point to read what you write, because you are a brilliant person. Perhaps not the most tactful person on the board, but brilliant none the less.
Anyway, thanks for addressing me directly, and I look forward to your next thread, post, or reply to me.
So he said,
Jay:
Thanks for the nice response. I'll take your advice (temporarily) and quit playing with LDH. It just occurred to me that her newborn may be paying the price for her responses, so I'll leave her alone for now.
I do appreciate the compliments.
Thanks.
So yes, Mad Apostate can be hard to talk to, but he can be a very reasonable person.
For the record, I don't believe we have an elite group either. We just have people here that are friends, and some who just visit from time to time.
Again, I hope that, in time, Mad Apostate can return and all will be forgiven,
Is this a light saber in my pocket or am I just happy to see you?
"Hand me that whiskey, I need to consult the spirit."-J.F. Rutherford