Posts by jelly

A federal sales tax in lieu of the current tax system is never going to happen because it would be bad for both businesses and consumers. The way the tax system works now is it provides incentives for certain behaviors that are supposed to help the nation as a whole. For example on an individual level people that go to college can deduct their tuition and books from their taxes. The theory here is that because the individual is educated he is a more productive member of the economy and will add more to the GNP over the course of his life. So the government subsidizes his education through tax incentives; in essence rewarding behavior that will lead to a stronger society. The same is true for businesses. Depreciation for new equipment can be deducted from your taxes this, in theory, should lead businesses to continually upgrade their capitol leading to a stronger more robust economy.

I realize that what I wrote above is how the tax code should work and that in practice it does leave a great deal to be desired. I would like to see the tax code simplified and some of the loop holes removed to create a more equitable system. But overall I think we need a way to create incentives (individual and organizational) for behavior that is beneficial for society as a whole.

Jelly (Terry)

60

Is it really so? Is there an inner circle here?

by Celtic in

jw
friends

before some of you jump down my throat thinking i'm stirring muddied waters, i'm not, but, a question has been on my mind here more often than not, who exactly is the membership made up of here, within this community, of an inner circle so to speak?

you scratch my back, i'll scratch yours etc pile of poo.. personally, i've had enough of clicky groups and cliches to last me a lifetime, so, who are these guys that try to keep others excluded from their small brained 'in club'?.

celtic mark - cornwall uk

jelly

I have not hit the skids but I wouldnt mind moving in with Prisca. ;)

Jelly

69

Who Here Believes in God?

by The_Bad_Seed in

jw
friends

personally, i do not believe god ever has or ever will exist.

i have my reasons -- i guess i could be considered an agnostic, rather than an athiest.

i was curious to see what the larger part of the former borg community believed, now looking from the outside in, rather than the opposite.

jelly

I believe in some form of a creator but not one that would fit into the traditional Judeo / xian mold.

Jelly

6

Was there Intent?

by jelly in

i have noticed that many people that grew up as a jw have a very difficult time leaving the org.

the obvious reason is the fact that they are going to be rejected by their entire social circle and family.

but on a personal level i have noticed the culture of the average dub tends to keep them shackled also.. for instance the meeting arrangement; the multitude of meetings seemingly effect witnesses in three ways:.

jelly

I have noticed that many people that grew up as a JW have a very difficult time leaving the org. The obvious reason is the fact that they are going to be rejected by their entire social circle and family. But on a personal level I have noticed the culture of the average dub tends to keep them shackled also.

For instance the meeting arrangement; the multitude of meetings seemingly effect witnesses in three ways:
(1) The most obvious is the time factor. By creating a standard of five meetings plus field service in one week the average dub is borderline exhausted. This exhaustion limits the amount of interaction with people outside the org. Basically if you have no time to develop an external (to the borg) support group you are in a weak position to make a break. It follows the same line as starving prisoners to keep them from trying to escape.
(2) The second negative effect on the average dub is improper socialization. Think about the TM school and what we learned there. Anyone that believes differently than us is wrong and must be corrected (intolerance); we learned how NOT to communicate and listen to other peoples views. These are just two aspects of the JW culture but they tend to stay with the witness (at least for a while) even after the realization that the org is false sets in. In essence I think the meetings warp dubs methods of socializing so even if the individual begins to reach out to external groups he will find it difficult and sometimes faces rejection. Similar to the concept of hobbling a horse.
(3) The third effect of the JW culture is the lack of education. This is not just about how to make a living this is about how to carry on a conversation with other adults. A large number of adult JWs know only two things; the bible and how to wash windows. The lack of a shared set of knowledge or common culture will often limit the JWs attempt to leave. Basically if the witness does make the time to find external social contacts (I) and learns to communicate in a socially acceptable way (II) they will often have nothing to talk about, no common bond with worldlies(III). Similar to putting a prison on an island so even if the prisoner escapes they have no where to go; Alcatraz.

They question I have is basically did the society do this on purpose? Did they intentionally structure the meetings and beliefs to limit the individuals ability to exit the organization? To me it seems that they have an almost perfect trap to snare people for life but I am not sure if they created it with intent or just lucked into it. I would appreciate other peoples opinions.

Terry

22

SURVEY Question RE: Disfellowshipping

by zev in

jw
friends

have any of you here, either by word of mouth or personal experience, heard of entire congregations being disfellowshipped, or nearly entire congregations, like say 50% or more?

thank you for your support in this all important survey .

from apostate central, ri .

jelly

I cant think of any elders wives I would want to have sex with. There were some extremly attractive younger sisters in our hall (3 to be exact). Two left to org permanatly, one left temp. basically got some guy to marry her than came back into the org (that must suck for the guy).

Terry

22

SURVEY Question RE: Disfellowshipping

by zev in

jw
friends

have any of you here, either by word of mouth or personal experience, heard of entire congregations being disfellowshipped, or nearly entire congregations, like say 50% or more?

thank you for your support in this all important survey .

from apostate central, ri .

jelly

"due to a sex ring of some sort"

lol a jw sex ring hahahahahhahahahaha. I dont put much past the society and I agree anything is possible but I would have to see some evidence of this one. Honestly I would love this to be true.

Terry

35

DO you REALLY think this is THE END OF JW's?

by minimus in

jw
friends

everytime a new revelation comes to the board, some suggest that this is the big one.

whether it be the blood issue, the u n debacle, the silentlambs saga, some cryptic comment about jw's and their involvement with churches, it seems like nothing effects the jehovah's witnesses rank and file.

personally.

jelly

Honestly I dont ever see the organization just completely collapsing in on itself from the weight of outside scandals. What I do see is a slow death (like cancer) from the internet, the orgs only true threat. From my perspective there are three reasons that argue for a slow death.

(1) The organization controls the flow of information into its members. The center of congregations will not be affected by shows like dateline because they will simply not watch it and if they do they will simply accept any excuse the society gives for their actions. For example look on the boards limited to witnesses only and run by witness; they all excuse away the silent lambs scandal as being without merit. So basically scandals will not cause a mass exodus of witnesses because like mushrooms they are kept in the dark and fed sh*t; unlike mushrooms however they like it.

(2) Most non witnesses do not care or notice anything witness related. JWs have a hard time understanding this. The vast majority of people just do not care about them. The effect this has is that scandals are quickly forgotten by the general population. Basically 99% of the general population will not remember the dateline show on pedophiles in the org 3 months from now. The effect this has is that scandals will not cause an undue ripple effect in their ministry; in essence witnesses will not have to begin defend the org. and its scandals to householders because householders are unaware of the circumstances.

(3) The third reason, and the one that will have an impact on the org, is the internet. I believe the internet is the main reason for the slowing of growth of the society. When people begin to study with the witnesses most will have a natural curiosity to learn about them from other sources; with the volumes of information available on the internet I think witnesses are going to find it increasingly difficult to draw in honest hearted but gullible people (in the past their bread and butter). Basically all growth in the org is going to come from families already in and people living on societies edges.

So while I dont see any scandal causing a collapse of the society like that of the Soviet Union I do see a gradual decay leading towards insignificance.

Terry

28

what flavour are you? :p

by FreeRangeChicken in

jw
friends

hmmm... tastes like chicken.. .

am i chicken?

am i a frog?

jelly

<TABLE BORDER=0><TR><TD>
<A HREF=" BORDER=0 ALIGN="LEFT" WIDTH=100 HEIGHT=100 SRC="" ALT="What Flavour Are You? I taste like Beef." /></A>I taste like <B>Beef</B>.<BR /><BR />
I taste like beef. I'm probably made of beef. You are what you eat, they say, and if the title didn't mean something else, I would be a beefeater. I think red meat is good for you. Puts hair on your chest. <A HREF="What'> http://quiz.ravenblack.net/flavour.pl">What Flavour Are You?</A>
</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you saw me you would realize how amazingly accurate this is.

Jelly

59

My mommy doesn't want me. . I need a hug

by StinkyPantz in

i sent my mom a letter not too long ago telling her that i wanted my family back.

well, i got a very unexpected response.

she basically said "no".

jelly

I am very sorry that happened stinkypantz. Times like this make me wish I was better at expressing myself because my words fall short of accuratly expressing my sadness over your situation. Dont give up; in situations like this the parents sometimes come around and then things will be back better than before.

Jelly