According to Wikipedia covenant marriages are legal in only 3 states (Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana). They are a voluntary option in those states. So far only about 1% of couples opt for such a marriage. I suspect that if push came to shove a good lawyer could figure out a way around the divorce restrictions.
Posts by JeffT
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5'Covenant' Marriages -- A new type of marriage, harder to divorce
by rebel8 inas i understand it, covenant marriages are available in a few states.
they are a supersonic, superfine version of conservative marriage.
it's harder to divorce--it has to be with certain causes or agreement of both spouses.. covenant marriages have been criticized by human rights advocates as a potential tool for abusive spouses to restrict the escape of their victims.. in at least one state, the couple must receive premarital counseling and the signature of the counselor before obtaining a covenant marriage.
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The incredibly white NAACP leader
by Simon inthis is a bizarre story.. there is a woman who is the local leader of the naacp who is obviously trying to mislead people into believing she is black who is actually white.
very white.. she obviously gets a tan regularly but looks more orange.
yes, orange really is the new black!.
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JeffT
The crazy just got crazier.
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/bizarre/rachel-dolezal-discrimination-lawsuit-786451
She has some real issues, in my opinion.
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Was the Economic Collapse of 2008 and the obvious Money Grab by the Organization a Coincidence?
by My Name is of No Consequence inlet me start off by saying that the org has always been trying to get money.
but is it a coincidence that they have been so in-your-face about it since 2008?
in 2008, most of the world experienced an economic drop-off that it has not witnessed since the 1930s and is still struggling to recover from..
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JeffT
If that was the main reason for the recent money grab, then shouldn't it have happened way before 2008?
Again, I don't think so. The GB are hide-bound in how they do things. It would have taken some time for them to even notice that flogging people for donations wasn't working, then formulate a response to the problem, then implement the response. And, I don't see how what happened in 2008 would have led them to doing what they're doing now.
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Was the Economic Collapse of 2008 and the obvious Money Grab by the Organization a Coincidence?
by My Name is of No Consequence inlet me start off by saying that the org has always been trying to get money.
but is it a coincidence that they have been so in-your-face about it since 2008?
in 2008, most of the world experienced an economic drop-off that it has not witnessed since the 1930s and is still struggling to recover from..
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JeffT
There isn't any way to know for sure, but I suspect not. I think the big factor was the loss of income from magazine sales. Up until 1990 magazine sales were what we business people refer to as a "cash cow." They were selling millions of dollars worth of magazines a month, there was no downside, publishers paid for the mags whether they went to the public or not. With a supreme court decision that year, those sales would be taxable. Rather than pay taxes on the sales the WTBS decided collect a "donation" instead. Income plummeted.
IMNSHO what we're seeing now is an effort to replace that lost income. Also my opinion - they should have just paid the taxes, they could get some MS to do the paperwork for free, and they would have kept the income stream.
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New Light on HOLIDAYS and BIRTHDAYS? (September 2015 Watchtower)
by FusionTheism inwatchtower-- simplified study edition, september 2015, "is your conscience a reliable guide?":.
in ancient rome, some christians had different opinions about certain foods and celebrations.
what advice did paul give them?
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JeffT
The title of the article is "Is Your Conscience a Reliable Guide?"
This is the final paragraph:
"How fine it is when our goal is to bring our lives ever more into harmony with Jehovah’s" {read Governing Body's -JT} "standards and ways! To that end, the conscience can be an invaluable tool. By regularly immersing ourselves in God’s Word," {read "Watchtower Publications - JT} meditating on what we find, and striving to put it into practice,we train our conscience. It will thus prove to be a valuable asset in our Christian life!"
As I suspected, the answer to the question posed in the title is "No."
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Ever been on a "snipe hunt"?
by kairos inif you are a jw, that is.. "there's the kingdom over there!!
""armageddon is near""we're in the last of the last days""we will have three day conventions next year... jehovah willing""the work is speeding up""it's an invisible presence".
snipe hunt.
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JeffT
Where I went to college it was "Side-hill Dodgers" but the idea is all the same. And yes, it always ended with beers and laughing. Upon thinking about it, it usually began with beers, too. -
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June 2015 Watchtower equating Apostates with The Antichrist!
by nicolaou inshit!
it finally happened.. years ago i speculated on this happening but can't find the posts.
anyway, this is a tactically aggressive move by wt.
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JeffT
Most of that article, including all the scripture references sound to me like a good description of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. -
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JeffT
The first prototype of the new self-propelled witnessing cart. -
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California Supreme Court Case - S226656
by Gayle inhttp://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/maincasescreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2109889&doc_no=s226656&search=party&start=1&query_partylastnameororg=watchtower bible and tract.
started 5/27/2015.
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JeffT
The Supreme Court is asked to hear about seven thousand cases a year. It takes about a hundred of them. Generally, it is looking for cases that have a major impact on Constitutional issues, or major Federal policy. I don't think this case will rise to that level.
In any event it would have to go through the Ninth Circuit first, and they would have to render a decision that the USSC didn't like. All that gets expensive, at some point the lawyers would cut a deal, which may be what the WTBS is hoping will happen.
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California Supreme Court Case - S226656
by Gayle inhttp://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/maincasescreen.cfm?dist=0&doc_id=2109889&doc_no=s226656&search=party&start=1&query_partylastnameororg=watchtower bible and tract.
started 5/27/2015.
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JeffT
I imagine the lawyers are hoping to pressure Candace's lawyers into accepting a lower settlement.
I doubt they could appeal to the US Supreme Court.