joelbear

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Posts by joelbear

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  53

  Bonn/Kyoto: Bush's stance gets heckled

  by philo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  paula dobriansky, the head of the us delegation, said to heckles from delegates for environmental groups: "the bush administration takes the issue of climate change very seriously and we will not abnegate our responsibility".

  spoken like a true politician.

  the story.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1452000/1452315.stmpa

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  joelbear

  America is based on capitalism.
  Capitalism is based on the concept of a fiat currency.
  The fiat currency has no natural value.
  The fiat currency is valued more than natural resources that have natural value.
  Fiat value replaces natural value.
  Nature or that which has natural value, is usurped and eventually eliminated.
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  44

  Wrong date

  by tattoogrl333 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello i'm new to the whole jw study thing, but they said it fell in 607 but due to the advice of others here i looked it up.

  i found in 3 encyclopedia's online that it fell in 586. i printed them out and am going to get more.

  i'm going to show the lady i study with, i'm just curious what you think will happen, and if she will try to deny it.

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  joelbear

  Tattoo,

  Ask yourself this. If Jesus Christ said no man knows the day and hour of his return, not even the son, only the father, why would that same father put cryptic clues as to the date of Christ's return in Revelation, Daniel and Ezekiel?

  Isn't it fairly clear that god wanted people to serve him because they loved him and his ways, not because they could calculate when they were going to get their reward for serving him.

  Every reference book outside of Watchtower material gives the date for the fall of Babylon as some date besides 607 BC. Of course, these books have no agenda tied to that date. Always question the agenda behind the claim. Question my agenda, question everyone's agenda. That is the only way you can cut through the propaganda of what people are saying and get to the truth, which is usually hidden.

  In the end, I think all the chronological doctrine is quite irrelevant. If you think you would be happy as a Jehovah's Witness, try it. My advice would be to delay baptism until you are quite sure, because the ramifications of changing your mind after baptism can be quite emotionally difficult to deal with (cut off from people you have become friends with and emotionally tied to).

  Look at their behavior. Talk to them. See if they are people you want to associate with and who have the same goals as you. Share your goal of covering your body with tattoos and question them about their feelings about that. Present yourself as you truly are and gauge their reactions. Get to know them and let them get to know you.

  Every religion can rationalize their belief structure. The proof in the pudding is how their belief structure affects their lives.
  Are they more loving, happier, more fulfilled with their life through their spirituality? I think you will find that there are happy fulfilled Jehovahs Witnesses and just the opposite. I think you will also find that this is true of any religious system. That is because, happiness and a sense of fulfillment and spirituality comes from within, not from a set of beliefs.

  I wish you well on your journey. I have been quite interested in your posts. If you are interested in reading more about my beliefs visit my web page www.joelbear.com and click on Lifeism. I make no claims to have found a higher truth, this page simply contains my thoughts.

  hugs

  Joel
  www.joelbear.com
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  75

  Oh May We Ever Live Up To Our Chosen Name!

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are some really weird and interesting names on this site.

  just out of interest, lets swap details of how we selected our chosen "stage name", it could be fun!.

  i chose "englishman" when i first started to lurk at h20.

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  joelbear

  I chose Joelbear way back in 1993 when I first signed onto AOL. My given name is Joel and Bear refers to the fact that I belong to a homosexual subculture of big hairy masculine men that are sexually attracted to big hairy masculine men.

  I use the same name everywhere I go online because I want people who see me in one place to recognize me in other places.

  hugs

  Joel
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  16

  "Mists of Avalon"

  by Mulan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did anyone watch this show on tnt this week?

  it's another version of the arthur legend.

  i finished watching it tonight.

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  joelbear

  Englishman,

  One of my dream trips is to go to Glastonbury. I am a big big King Arthur fan, from childhood.

  Will you take me, please please. I'll cook for you the whole time I'm there and I am a great cook.

  hugs

  Joel
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  35

  What first made you doubt?

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there will be one about what your favourite color is later... .

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  joelbear

  I picked behavior. Interesting that it is current number 1. I would go further and say behavior of JW's in general is what made me doubt.

  I got sick of the, "well, the brothers are imperfect excuse", well, heck that goes for anyone in any religion or belief system.

  If you're gonna declare yourself the truth, you had better be prepared to really be different, not just holler you are different from every mountain top.

  hugs

  Joel
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  12

  Another island thread

  by Bendrr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  bitter mango got me going with the cd's thread.

  looks like it's one of those nights.. ok, you're stranded on an island.

  which one member of this board would you be stranded with if given the choice?.

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  joelbear

  I would say DannyBear or at least my imagined image of DannyBear.

  hugs

  Joel
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  44

  10 movies > stuck on an island

  by Bendrr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  to carry the island thing further, if you were stuck on an island what 10 movies would you have?.

  1. superman.

  2. airplane!.

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  joelbear

  1. The Day the Earth Stood Still
  2. The Wizard of Oz (I am such a homo)
  3. Star Wars
  4 Casa Blanca
  5. The Razor's Edge (Bill Murray Edition)
  6. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Ni)
  7. Gone with the Wind
  8. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
  9. Maurice (The absolute best movie ever made about how it feels to be gay)
  10. Rear Window (Hitchcock is by far my favorite director)

  lets do a exjw movie night

  hugs

  Joel
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  6

  One Simple Truth

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some things are so simple, they can get overlooked.. for some time, i wished there was a simple, unassailable.

  arguement against being one of the borg.. and there is - what is the purpose of life?.

  answer: to be happy!

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  joelbear

  I agree strongly with Metatron on this one with the caveat that I also think life is about helping other people be happy.

  I did not know a lot of happy Jehovah's Witnesses. I was not a happy Jehovah's Witness. There was not much effort on the part of other Jehovah's Witnesses to help me be happy.

  Therefore, it wasn't for me.

  If people are truly happy being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, by all means, they should stay Jehovah's Witness.

  hugs

  Joel
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  20

  Mother Troubles

  by joelbear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my mother called tuesday night.

  as many of you know, i have chosen to stop communication with my family as of the beginning of this year.. my mother has called 4 or 5 times to talk, but i have not called her, my father or my brother or anyone in his family.

  all of them are witnesses of varying degrees.. i tend to go into a deep depression each time my mother calls.

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  joelbear

  Hi all,

  I appreciate the support very much. I do see a therapist and I have been in Alanon. Both have helped me a great deal. I am much healthier now than I have been in the past. I believe a lot of this is due to the fact that I have stopped trying to relate to my extremely sick witness family.

  They are miserable and yet tell me constantly that the Watchtower organization is the only hope for happiness. AAAAARGH!!! Its mind boggling. For the past 12 years I have tried reasoning, fighting, begging and everything else I could think of to try to get through to them. In December, after a bitter email fight with my brother's wife, I decided to simply give up and cut off relations with all of them.

  I have also read Erroneous Zones by Dwyer and have caught him on TV several times. I do think his advice helps a lot. I don't let my depression keep me completely down. I have a happy relationship with Mitch, have had a good career in banking and am now planning a new career in Sociology or Mathematics. I have friends.

  But, a 1/2 hour talking to my mother and I curl up in the fetal position psychically.

  There is no hope for her, my father or my brother, they are 75, 78 and 56 respectively.

  My goal is to live as many happy days as possible.

  By the way, Rainbow Connection is Mitch's and my song. It plays on the Mitch and Me page on my web site.

  hugs

  Joel
  www.joelbear.com
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  61

  Perfection and the Penis

  by crossroads in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did jesus get circumcised or not?

  quote from mark(thats me) "i believe woman was the .

  last and greatest creation" of course i have my own.

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  joelbear

  Beards and backhair rock.

  bear hugs

  Joel
  www.joelbear.com