Utopian_Raindrops

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Posts by Utopian_Raindrops

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  8

  CHILD MOLESTERS IN WAUKEGAN SOUTH CONG.

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  .

  i haven?t posted here in awhile but a ?silent lamb?

  who is silent no more needs your help!

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  Utopian_Raindrops
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  8

  CHILD MOLESTERS IN WAUKEGAN SOUTH CONG.

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  .

  i haven?t posted here in awhile but a ?silent lamb?

  who is silent no more needs your help!

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  So Lurkers Lurk No More And Regulars Ask Around!
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  8

  CHILD MOLESTERS IN WAUKEGAN SOUTH CONG.

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  .

  i haven?t posted here in awhile but a ?silent lamb?

  who is silent no more needs your help!

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  I Haven?t Posted Here In Awhile But A ?Silent Lamb? Who Is Silent No More Needs Your Help!
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  13

  Uriel Acosta (TRUE STORY) Just another victim of FUNDAMENTALISM,

  by jst2laws in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  except for the fact that uriel was raised in a wealthy family i believe you will relate to his story

  uriel and family return to the true religion

  uriel was one of six sons born to bento da costa who was a portuguese catholic.

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  http://www.saudades.org/uriel.html

  THE TRAGIC LIFE OF URIEL DA COSTA

  By David E. Bertao

  ---

  The following story is a tragic one, not only because it involves a life cut down before its time, but because it carried to the grave the unrevealed wisdom of a brave and inquisitive Portuguese mind. The hero of our story wrote down for posterity far too little for historians to get a good grasp of him. He has been called variously a philosopher, a rationalist, and a free-thinker, ambiguous terms that can mean many things. Or nothing at all.

  Gabriel da Costa, as he was originally known, was born into an aristocratic family of New Christians in the northern Portuguese city of

  Gabriel da Costa was an independent thinker who struggled against the religious orthodoxy of his day. His nature was to question what others took for granted. A diligent study of the Bible led him to question the Catholic Church's insistence on following certain rituals as a condition for attaining salvation. Further, from his point of view, certain material in the New Testament contradicted material in the Old Testament. Since both Jews and Christians believed in the Old Testament and only Christians in the New Testament, he came to believe in Judaism as the religion that was closest to the truth. There are two versions of what happened next.

  In version 1, based on a reading of his autobiography, he carefully studied the Bible and then worked out a form of Judaism that was consistent with the Word, as he understood it. It was this Judaic philosophy that he took to .

  In version 2, based on Portuguese Inquisition archives, he first adopted the variant form of Judaism once practiced by his mother's family and only when he was in did he put the final touches on his Judaic philosophy

  In any case, his father died, leaving a widow with six sons all filled with a desire to convert to Judaism. But to do that in meant bringing the Inquisition down on them. So they converted their wealth into goods that could be carried and secretly embarked by ship for . Secrecy was important because all New Christians were required to obtain a special license from the king before leaving the kingdom. Once in , the entire family embraced Judaism, with Gabriel becoming Uriel, and his mother choosing Sarah. Although most published works show his name as "Acosta", he himself signed his name as "Uriel da Costa" and that is how it's shown here.

  It was in that Uriel da Costa's nightmare began. Soon after his arrival, he found Judaism, as it was practiced there, to be at variance with what he had come to believe. To him it seemed rather like Catholicism, an elaborate structure based on rules and tradition. So he wrote ELEVEN THESES (1616) as an attack on rabbinic Judaism. Ordered to recant, he refused. Excommunication followed in 1623. In answer, he prepared a larger work entitled EXAMEN DOS TRADIÇOENS PHARISEAS (1624). The rabbis managed to get the local magistracy to arrest him, throw him into prison for eight or ten days, and publicly burn his books.

  Excommunication was not an easy ordeal. It did not end at the doors of the synagogue. All in the Jewish community, at the risk of excommunication were ordered to refrain from any relations with him and to make his life difficult whenever they could. He later recounted how even children ridiculed him in the street and threw rocks at this windows, how his every misfortune was joy to the rabbis, and how even his brothers ignored him.

  Only his aged mother stood by him in this difficult time. For this loyalty, she, too, was excommunicated. Realizing that she might not have long to live and not desiring to accord her a Jewish burial, the rabbis wrote to Venice for advice: "Therefore we desire from you in case she dies in this time of resistance if we could let her lay on the soil without burying her at all or should we bury her in consideration of her honorable sons [Uriel's brothers]." On , a "Sara de Costa" was buried in the Beth-Chaim cemetery at Ouderkerk.

  Further misfortune befell him when his wife, whom he had recently married, died. He found himself isolated from Christian society because he was a Jew and isolated from Jewish society because he was an excommunicated heretic. He had no friends and did not speak the local language. Of himself he wrote: "I was naturally very pious and compassionate, in so much that I could not hear the story of any person's misfortunes without melting into tears; and had such an innate sense of modesty, that I dreaded nothing so much as to suffer disgrace." Yet suffer he did, of course.

  In 1633, he sought reconciliation with the Jewish rabbis and recanted his views. A cousin acted as go-between. Although readmitted to the congregation, he had not, in fact, significantly changed his thinking. A nephew who lived with him found his preparation of meat to be not in accord with Jewish custom. And he told family members all about it. The go-between cousin, hearing this, felt betrayed, took Uriel da Costa as his enemy, and set out to do anything to hinder him in his pursuit of personal and business affairs. He spared no energy in trying to ruin Uriel's life, including stepping in to prevent an upcoming marriage.

  A short time later and under suspicion, Uriel was asked for advice by two Christians who desired to convert to Judaism. He advised against it and secured a promise from them that they would not tell the rabbis. Of course, that is exactly what they did.

  Excommunicated again, he was ostracized by 's Jewish community for seven years. In 1640, unable to endure the situation any longer, he reapproached the rabbis for readmittance. His public recantation, enduring 39 lashes with leather thongs across a bare back, and being forced to prostrate himself so that the entire congregation could trod on him as they left the synagogue left him so demoralized and depressed that he was unable to live with himself. After writing his autobiography, EXEMPLAR HUMANAE VITAE (1640), he set out to end the lives of both his cousin and himself. Seeing his relative approach one day, he grabbed a pistol and pulled the trigger. It misfired. Then he reached for another, turned it on himself, and fired, dying, they said, a terrible death.

  Uriel da Costa is sometimes viewed as a hero in the fight against religious intolerance. Certainly he was a martyr in it. Central to his belief was that religion was disruptive of natural law, and a source of hatred and superstition. What he advocated was a faith based on natural law and reason. In this, he is thought to have inspired the great philosopher Spinoza, who was eight years old at the time of the suicide.

  Perhaps the real "story" for most of us is this: How far are we willing to go and what are we willing to give up for our beliefs. In the introduction to her translation of the Gutzkow tragedy, URIEL ACOSTA, Sarah Dorsey wrote:

  "It is not in condemnation of Jews I have translated this book, but because it interested me, and because all over the earth - wide as humanity itself - extends the struggle of bold thought with blinded prejudice, and everywhere the consequences are evil when prejudice prevails.

  "Every man who thinks must sympathize with Acosta. The man who seeks humbly and reverently for truth must, perhaps, ever be a martyr in some way, in a world struggling to free itself from superstition ..."

  The suffering of Uriel da Costa stands as a tragic example of what can happen when freedom of thought and freedom of worship are taken away.

  D.E.B.
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  5

  The Org wants you to: Conform Consume Obey!

  by Cassandra Cain in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey people you must seee this!!

  it is a perfect example of what it is like to be in the org.

  (the religous corp. that so many dedicate their lives too with "googaly" eyes each year).

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  Just pushing my own daughters post to the front!

  This guy's work made me think of how Jehovah’s Witness’s themselves are the “Happy Family” figure the WT Corp pushes in the public’s face to hide behind and give them a good image.

  So I guess JW’s are like Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse for the WTBS!

  I did used to own one of those hats with Mouse Ears and since my feet are so small often shoes are kinda big on me!

  Ciao 4 now U_R
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  2

  Silentlambs And Memorial Day!!!

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  post 653 of 658. since 28-nov-02.

  ip: s6whrlwhf2lham3ionacrusere: silentlambs and memorial day 27-may-03 01:30may 27, 2003. .

  post 2420 of 2447. since 03-jul-02.

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  ok I am repostgin here what I started on this thread

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/52688/1.ashx

  As some how I started that thread in in the topic for bible research and I don't think enough people are seeing it there......so here's all the stuff that's posted there!

  Utopian_Raindrops	Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 653 of 658 since 28-Nov-02	Today I placed a Lamb with a flier attached to it in front of a KH. There is a young sister who attends there who was repeatedly abused by her step father with WT permission over and over again. This beautiful girl has even tried to commit suicide before. I hope the Lamb and flier give a message to the elders that abuse will no longer be tolerated and I hope someone other then an elder saw this lamb 1 st . Leaving Lambs at KHs is going to be going on all week…..I hope some more people leave these out too. Here is the New Letter From Silent Lambs Well we terrorized the south, we put out ten lambs on ten different Kingdom Halls that take in around eighteen congregations.The respective cities were, Draffenville, Mayfield, Murry, Fulton, Paducah, in Kentucky.Cario, Illinois. Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City, Sikeston, in Missouri. If you would like to see pictures paste the url below in your adress bar, http://community.webshots.com/album/74607473IzKgFf It was a beautiful day for a drive and most of the KH's were deserted.The last one had a book study going so we just placed the lamb and bulletin on the front door mat, we hope it did not scare them too much. The round trip was around 250 miles but it was good to get the word out and no one can say silentlambs does not "walk the walk." We took pictures and will have them posted soon, we are still getting more pictures in.So far I have reports from three different countries and we expect more to follow. If you missed today and want to participate get your lambs out as soon as you can this week and we will put it up or you can post it in the guestbook.We are estimating around 400 Kingdom Halls so far. Thanks to all that supported this campaign and we look for to getting in all the results. I wonder can we count our time for this? silentlambs Here is the link to get the fliers you can print out. In English or Spanish. I chose to leave both. http://silentlambs.com/assistance/ONeThousandlambs.cfm
  IP: s6whRLWhF2LHAM3I

  onacruse	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 2420 of 2447 since 03-Jul-02	UR, I applaud you. Whoever saw that lamb and letter, you know as well as I that there was, at the very least, an elder's "mini-meeting" afterwards. And, of course, within 20 minutes after that meeting, the phones were buzzing, as the gossip about it made the rounds. One lamb, one letter, 100 wake-up calls. Not bad. Not bad at all. Kudos. Craig
  IP: fSitVjTwh8ZkoZ3h

  Utopian_Raindrops	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 654 of 658 since 28-Nov-02	Thanx Crag I am so hoping for the reaction you described! I posted this though in the hopes others would do the same and put a lamb in front of at least 1 KH. I am doing more KHs throughout this week. I bought lambs that are in a prayer position that have tags describing how they talk. We are removing the voice boxes removing their ability to speak. I don’t know if that will register to whoever finds them but I hope so. I have known too many effected by their policy including family so it must stop. Children must be safe and mothers must be aloud to leave abusive spouses with no stigma attached as well as congregational support. Anyway….please people….just one Lamb at one KH. Thanx for listening, Utopian_Raindrops
  IP: s6whRLWhF2LHAM3I

  pr_capone	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 1161 of 1179 since 26-Dec-02 22 y 7 m 28 d	I am glad there are people like you around. As soon as I can I will do the same thing in my hometown here in Kansas. Do you happen to have a copy of the flyer you left with the lamb??? Kansas District Overbeer
  IP: cYAImSUirlr/E2yU

  Utopian_Raindrops	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 655 of 658 since 28-Nov-02	{{{{{hugz}}}} PR!!! Howz our Sarge? Go here and get these fliers!!! http://silentlambs.com/assistance/documents/slspanishservicebulliten5-03.doc http://silentlambs.com/assistance/documents/slservicebulletin1-03.doc http://silentlambs.com/assistance/ONeThousandlambs.cfm I’m so glad your going to do this!!! It’s about time those old men at Bethel got a reality check! Whoa!!
  IP: s6whRLWhF2LHAM3I

  pr_capone	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 1165 of 1179 since 26-Dec-02 22 y 7 m 28 d	((((((( UT)))))))))))))) I'm doin good hun... sound like you havent been doing too bad yourself! Thanks for the link sweety... I will print some out and head on out to a shop to see fi I can find some plush lambs. How much are toy lambs running for these days??? Kansas District Overbeer
  IP: cYAImSUirlr/E2yU

  Utopian_Raindrops	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 656 of 658 since 28-Nov-02	Ok…. I paid anywhere from 3.50 to 5.99 for plush lambs and I am checking out second hand stores for more. Second hand stores have them a lot cheaper but my girls “Vash_The_Stampede_13” and “Cassandra Cain” really thought these praying ones would make a point. There are 6 KHs in my own state I am doing and 2 I know of in a neighboring state. I am hoping others do it and that maybe some KHs will have a pile of lambs in front of their doors!! It says this post has been read 42 times so I am hoping some readers will be doing what you are Eric!! You’re such a sweet heart!! {{{{hugz}}}} Buena’s Noches, (I am off to bed) U_R
  IP: s6whRLWhF2LHAM3I	27-May-03 03:14 May 27, 2003 by Utopian_Raindrops: Correct formatting

  pr_capone	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 1168 of 1179 since 26-Dec-02 22 y 7 m 28 d	Thanks hun.... gonna go lamb shopping when I get paid. Kansas District Overbeer
  IP: cYAImSUirlr/E2yU

  Prisca	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 6172 of 6176 since 15-Dec-00	Lambs in a praying position with their voiceboxes removed. How very symbolic! UR, I hope that word of these lambs appearing at the KHs will get some people thinking. Good for you!
  IP: JrYuC9YoHy6Gk1Wc

  dedalus	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 836 of 837 since 28-Feb-01	[removed]
  IP: 5rUHLY6/EC2ICBek	27-May-03 06:36 May 27, 2003 by dedalus: Inciting hatred on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality or sexuality or other personal characteristic

  pr_capone	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 1171 of 1179 since 26-Dec-02 22 y 7 m 28 d	yes Kansas District Overbeer
  IP: cYAImSUirlr/E2yU

  sf	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 3145 of 3151 since 16-Mar-01	Yea, yea, that's what I 'm talkin' 'bout when I speak of Action! in the communities where we all live. Imagine 'if' one person in each town made it their 'job', their 'mission' to do this, as Silentlambs.org has, and much more to Alert! (Awake!) their own town and/ or county of what really does go on inside the churches of this religion; a religion that has possible predators/ perps at your door. Good 'job'! Say, what about sharing those pictures by printing them out and displaying them and also handing them out with flyers attached? Just another idea. sKally
  IP: Fg5H0fQbPGCxFn/F

  sf	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 3146 of 3151 since 16-Mar-01	{{{{{{ Bravo UR!!!! }}}}}} sKally
  IP: Fg5H0fQbPGCxFn/F

  Lady Lee	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 1783 of 1800 since 28-Jun-01 50 y 11 m 30 d	I delivered about 20 fliers to one hall here in Winnipeg. There might be an alleged pedophile in that hall (with 2 cong). The flyers were put in or on people's cars, especially if children got out of the car. I have about 30 more to do
  IP: e7MNhiYCx+6xu81n

  Yizuman	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 726 of 733 since 02-Dec-02 38 y 9 m 17 d	w00t! Hot dang! Great job! Yizuman
  IP: PwWTDP2+30bDJp1y

  Utopian_Raindrops	Re: Silentlambs and Memorial Day
  Post 659 of 659 since 28-Nov-02	Sorry it took so long to reply to everyone…we have been packing to move as well as the business of living. Here is a picture of what some of the lambs we’re putting in front of KH’s Look like with the flier attached. (We have the flier in a plastic sheath) Not all the lambs we’re placing are the praying ones….the store only had so many but, I plan to do this on and off all year so maybe I will find more. My daughter Cassandra Cain posted this with a small explanation at an art site. Maybe others on line will see it there……who knows. http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/2025150 WOW Lady Lee!! I never thought of fliers on every car in the parking lot!! Good Job Gurl!! After our moving is done maybe that will be our next project!! Thankz so much everyone for responding and no matter what country your in go for it and leave a lamb in front of your local KH! Let the WT know they can’t get away with supporting abuse for children any more!! {{{{{{Hugz}}}}}} too SKALLY, Prisca The Beautiful, Lady Lee, PR, dedalus, Yizuman and all the lurkers who feel as we do!! Gotta Luvz You Guyz!! Utopian_Raindrops P.S. Bill will have pics off all the KH’s with Lambs in front of them at his site.
  IP: QSIQny61J9QUoqjb
• 
  15

  Silentlambs and Memorial Day

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  today i placed a lamb with a flier attached to it in front of a kh.

  there is a young sister who attends there who was repeatedly abused by her step father with wt permission over and over again.

  this beautiful girl has even tried to commit suicide before.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Utopian_Raindrops

  Sorry it took so long to reply to everyone…we have been packing to move as well as the business of living.

  Here is a picture of what some of the lambs we’re putting in front of KH’s Look like with the flier attached. (We have the flier in a plastic sheath)

  Not all the lambs we’re placing are the praying ones….the store only had so many but, I plan to do this on and off all year so maybe I will find more.

  My daughter Cassandra Cain posted this with a small explanation at an art site. Maybe others on line will see it there……who knows.

  http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/2025150

  WOW Lady Lee!! I never thought of fliers on every car in the parking lot!! Good Job Gurl!! After our moving is done maybe that will be our next project!!

  Thankz so much everyone for responding and no matter what country your in go for it and leave a lamb in front of your local KH! Let the WT know they can’t get away with supporting abuse for children any more!!

  {{{{{{Hugz}}}}}} too SKALLY, Prisca The Beautiful, Lady Lee, PR, dedalus and all the lurkers who feel as we do!!

  Gotta Luvz You Guyz!!

  Utopian_Raindrops

  P.S. Bill will have pics off all the KH’s with Lambs in front of them at his site.
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  20

  Depression, Suicide, Abusive Parents

  by kitties_and_horses_oh_my! in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is my first time posting...i've been lurking for awhile.

  i "faded away" in september and my mental health has greatly improved, although i still struggle with a somewhat-controlled eating disorder.

  i have a long history of mental health problems, from the time i was about 20. i was raised "in the truth" and my parents were very emotionally/verbally abusive.

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  Hi Kitties!!!!

  Welcome to the board!!!

  I am sorry for your struggles but I am sure things will be better with time.

  What I am doing about my abusive parents (mostly my mother) is only speaking to them one day a month and only allowing visits with my children once every 2 months…..with Holidays counting as the visit.

  I have decided that every time the phone conversation gets abusive I will make my excuses and say bye. Then I wont speak again with them for another month!!

  That’s the miracle of caller I.D.!!!! Yeah!!!

  I have also resolved myself to asking my mother or father “Why did you say that?” Pointing out to them it was not a necessary comment or that it was invalid.

  It was hell being a JW plus having such parents as I do so I can imagine how much you have been through. {{{{{{hugz}}}}}}

  There are so many here who understand where you’ve been and what you’re going through now that I know you’ve come to the right place.

  WELCOME!!!!
• 
  31

  Hallo from Scandinavia

  by viktoria in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hallo everyone out there.. .

  little old me from scandinavia wants to say "hallo" to you all.. i ve been lurking for some time now, but couldent find the courage to write.. i m trying to fade away quiet and elegant but the dubs are after me like a group of blood hounds.. i feel so very very miserable about it all.

  at this moment the most "loving and zealous" couple in my cong.

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  Utopian_Raindrops

  Viktoria,

  {{{{{{Hugz}}}}}} Gurlfriend!!!

  I am a single mother of 3 and I can tell you I know what you mean when you say

  “these people really,really hurt my son and me,without any reason at all.”

  You and I could probably tell hundreds of true stories!!!

  {{{{{{Hugz}}}}} {{{{{{{Hugz}}}}}Double {{{{{{Hugz}}}}}}}

  Welcome to the forum sweety!!

  Utopian_Raindrops

  WELCOME!!!!!
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  15

  Silentlambs and Memorial Day

  by Utopian_Raindrops in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  today i placed a lamb with a flier attached to it in front of a kh.

  there is a young sister who attends there who was repeatedly abused by her step father with wt permission over and over again.

  this beautiful girl has even tried to commit suicide before.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Utopian_Raindrops

  Ok…. I paid anywhere from 3.50 to 5.99 for plush lambs and I am checking out second hand stores for more.

  Second hand stores have them a lot cheaper but my girls “Vash_The_Stampede_13” and “Cassandra Cain” really thought these praying ones would make a point.

  There are 6 KHs in my own state I am doing and 2 I know of in a neighboring state.

  I am hoping others do it and that maybe some KHs will have a pile of lambs in front of their doors!!

  It says this post has been read 42 times so I am hoping some readers will be doing what you are Eric!! You’re such a sweet heart!! {{{{hugz}}}}

  Buena’s Noches, (I am off to bed)

  U_R