fulltimestudent
JoinedPosts by fulltimestudent
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What is this I have heard about the new teachings at the RC
by dogon inis there some new teachings i am hearing about, in the disfellow shipping area?.
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What is Critical Thinking? (Not the distorted view the society teaches)
by stuckinarut2 inhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6olpl5p0fmg.
this great video explains what critical thinking really is, and why it is a skill all humans need to employ in daily life.. the expression had been distorted by the society to something that is negative or wrong, yet that is far from the case.....
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fulltimestudent
stuckinarut2 Yes, "critical thinking" does not mean "negative" thinking, nor does it mean "to critisize", rather it means to "analyse".So perhaps "analytical thinking" is the term we should use so witnesses are not scared off.... The society has demonised the term "critical thinking" in the minds of all witnesses...
Another term sometimes helps, but if it means disagreeing with JW orthodoxy it is still not allowed.
I've known many so-called 'mature' brothers, in good standing, to have their own private ideas, often justified as, " I think that one day YHWH will adjust out thinking ....... ."
I recall a well-known brother in the Aussie branch who told me that in the NEW System, YHWH would teach us to communicate with each other through thought (telepathy).
It was only when someone starting talking too much or teaching publically that the sh*t started to hit the fan. (that was my experience - maybe it was different in other places.)
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No reduction in numbers in this Religious institution
by fulltimestudent inan american, jesse earl rockwell, 32, from santa barbara, california, spent six days at the larung gar buddhist institute in garze prefecture, sichuan province in china, to photograph this incredible sprawling hillside habitation.
his images show how devoted some humans can be in their desire to expand their imaginative powers.. all these people come to the institute to study buddhism.
is this place the world's busiest campus?.
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fulltimestudent
An American, Jesse Earl Rockwell, 32, from Santa Barbara, California, spent six days at the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Garze prefecture, Sichuan Province in China, to photograph this incredible sprawling hillside habitation.
His images show how devoted some humans can be in their desire to expand their imaginative powers.
All these people come to the institute to study Buddhism. IS this place the world's busiest campus?
Rudimentary log cabins, painted in traditional Tibetan red, are piled high along the hillsides and valleys.
They're all centred around a temple structure - the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute.
Images from the People's Daily - English web edition June 7, 2016. (Web-link: http://en.people.cn/n3/2016/0607/c90782-9069146.html )
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Maybe I'm Just Ignorant About the New "Anti-Gay" Video
by turtleturtle inhomophobia (m-w.com):.
: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals.
can someone tell me, specifically, was homophobic about the new "anti-gay" wt video.
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fulltimestudent
Dont want to use the word 'homophobic' in connection with the slick, but silly JW video?
Then try a word, Joe Kort (a behavioural therapist) suggests. What is that word? Its "microaggression". It was coined (apparently) by psychiatrist and Harvard University professor, Chester M. Pierce in 1970 to describe insults and dismissals he regularly witnessed non-black Americans inflict on African Americans.
The WT blurb writers (as I remember) were rather skilled in the use of 'microaggressive' words. From that perspective, just to say, "Jehovah does'nt like......." can be microaggressive.
Kort gives some examples of what he sees as "microaggression against 'same sex attracted people.*'"
*"Have you ever had real sex?"*"...I'm not being homophobic, you're being too sensitive..."*"Why don't you ever wear dresses?"*"So....who's the man in the relationship?"*"That's totally cool with me as long as I can watch"* "You are so Jack on "Will and Grace" or Cam on "Modern Family"----------------------------
BTW, somewhat lost in all this, though discussed a little, is the difference between 'attraction' and 'acts.' OR, as Kort sees it, as quoted in the NYT (March 20, 2014), the difference between 'behaviour' and 'identity'. Which was possibly a reference to his 2014 book, " Is My Husband Gay, Straight, or Bi?: A Guide for Women Concerned about their Men."
On which topic, my same sex attracted friends often comment that, at the gay beats around Sydney, the number of cars that have baby seats fitted, is amazing.
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*I'd rather use same sex attracted, than to use the word 'gay' or the word 'homosexual.'
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Russell's Yacht the Angel
by wifibandit inthe farmville herald.
(farmville, va.), 19 aug. 1910. chronicling america: historic american newspapers.
lib.
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fulltimestudent
Interesting news item.
I personally would believe that the organisation at that time did use the boat to reach seaman.
Some years before I was booted out, the JWs in Sydney were making big efforts to reach the crews of shipping that berthed in Sydney. A number of brothers were organised to do that. You had to approach the captain and attempt to be able to speak to the crew.
Of course, that was years later than the above 1910 boat. But before that time, in the 1930s, the Aussie branch had a boat called the 'Lightbearer' that was used to witness through the Islands to the north and north-east of Australia, they also attempted to preach through the islands belonging to Indonesia (then controlled by the Dutch as part of their empire). There was also another boat (forget its name) that may have preached through S.E.Asia. Hard to know how effective it was, but that's not the point in "Christian" preaching is it?
You go out and sow seed and YHWH/JESUS makes it grown.
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Hahahaha! I just thought I'd do a websearch for the lightbearer, and bloody hell! the 2016 year book on JW.com came up with the story.
There's pik on the web-site, and one of the 'happy' preachers.
I note that they used to use a powerful sound system on the boat (like the one they used in the sound cars) to preach to the locals.
I have a funny story about the sound cars:
The town of Gosford, just north of Sydney has a very large hill (mountain) on the east side of the town.
The congregation I was part of then, was assigned to help the local Gosford cong. cover their territory faster. So I was going H2H and met this old lady. I gave the current D2D sermon and the old lady said, "I know all that!" "Oh!" I replied, "that's good." "Yes," she continued,"One sunday morning before the war, (WW2) I was woken up by this loud voice, I went outside and heard the loud voice coming from that mountain. It was God himself warning our town about what he was going to do."
I told a local brother, and he laughed and explained that the brothers used to park a sound car at the top of that mountain, and broadcast sermons to the whole town.
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The story of Jonathan and David, is this male bonding or something else?
by James Mixon instart at 1 samuel 18;1-4..now imagine if this story had been about jonathan and a woman.. 1 samuel 20:30..saul calls jonathan a son of a perverse rebellious woman!
the blame for his.
behavior goes first to the mother, who was too soft," or too harsh who perverted his son somehow.. 1 samuel 20:41-42.."they kissed each other and wept with each other".. so was it merely deep friendship or a romantic relationship?.
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fulltimestudent
James Mixon : I must admit today that some of the Arabic countries have a jail house mentality in regards
to homosexuality, the person that is doing the raping is not gay but the person that is being raped is gay...Quiet so! The Romans did not think of the active partner (the penetrator) as doing anything wrong. But they did think that the person who was penetrated wasn't quite a man. A thought that can still influence some.
The Wikipedia entry for 'Homosexuality in Ancient Rome' describes the prevailing attitudes in the Roman Empire:
Same-sex attitudes and behaviors in ancient Rome often differ markedly from those of the contemporary West. Latin lacks words that would precisely translate "homosexual" and "heterosexual".[1] The primary dichotomy of ancient Roman sexuality was active/dominant/masculine and passive/submissive/"feminized". Roman society was patriarchal, and the freeborn male citizen possessed political liberty (libertas) and the right to rule both himself and his household (familia). "Virtue" (virtus) was seen as an active quality through which a man (vir) defined himself. The conquest mentality and "cult of virility" shaped same-sex relations. Roman men were free to enjoy sex with other males without a perceived loss of masculinity or social status, as long as they took the dominant or penetrative role. Acceptable male partners were slaves,prostitutes, and entertainers, whose lifestyle placed them in the nebulous social realm of infamia, excluded from the normal protections accorded a citizen even if they were technically free. Although Roman men in general seem to have preferred youths between the ages of 12 and 20 as sexual partners, freeborn male minors were strictly off-limits, and professional prostitutes and entertainers might be considerably older.[2]
This makes the healing miracle attributed to Jesus in Luke 7; 1-10 of interest to this discussion. As verse 2 says (in the NKJV):
"And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die."
Of course, Jesus is described as healing the boy, which considering that the relationship must have been known, and perhaps can be used to demonstrate that Jesus had a different attitude to gay sex to the masters of the JWs.
Hellenic culture (which had influenced Judah since the mid-fourth century BCE) also saw sex between men as acceptable.
We can never know precisely what happened between the two men we know as 'John the beloved,' and the real (historical) Jesus, we can only say what could have happened (as acceptable among the people of the time). But you can try it out next memorial, take a male friend along and sit next to him with your head on his chest and use the NT description of John and Jesus in your defense at your inevitable trial before the elders.
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If you'd like to know more about Hellenic attitudes to male to male sex, may I suggest James Davidson's book, The Greeks and Greek Love: A Radical Reappraisal of Homosexuality in Ancient Greece. Davidson is a Professor of Hellenic studies at the UK's, Warwick University.
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New ANTI-GAY video for Kids on jw.org
by ttdtt inhttps://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/videos/one-man-one-woman-marriage/.
disgusting!.
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fulltimestudent
Cofty:ttdtt - Are you serious?
The OT and the NT judge homosexuality. Paul says homosexuals won't inherit the kingdom. Are you seriously suggesting the WT could get away with permitting gay sex?
10% of all mammals exhibit homosexual or bisexual activity
Only humans and domestic sheep display lifelong homosexual preference even when hetrosexual sex is available.
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There are two propositions to be challenged in this part of the conversation.
First ttdtt's assertion, that: "10% of all mammals exhibit homosexual or bisexual activity"
A very high number of animal species (including, but not limited to mammals) can exhibit sexual behaviour with the same sex. Bruce Bagemihl's acclaimed analysis of zoological research on animal sexual behaviour discusses evidence of same sex, sexual behaviour in 450 different species of animals.
Because Bagemihl's work was essentially a meta study, analysing the work of many other zoologists, I do not think his conclusions have been seriously challenged.
It leaves a big hole in the Christian (including our former loving brothers and sisters) claim that the creation work of the YHWH/JESUS design team is always consistent with their moral laws.
The other assertion I wish to challenge is your (Cofty's) assertion that:
"Only humans and domestic sheep display lifelong homosexual preference even when heterosexual sex is available."
For example (just to cite two other species), Bagemihl, cites field work reports that some species of penguin's have been observed where some male bird's develop 'homosexual pair bonds' that last for the life span of the birds.
A sort of pair bonding also seems to develop with male elephants, and there are others.
However, the real problem with the remark is that it ignores the research that indicates that the 'natural' sexuality of most animal species is a sexual fluidity. This concept more easily explains the reality that can be observed in the natural world (human's included).
If non-one does any other research on the topic, have a look at the reviews of Bagemihl's book on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Biological-Exuberance-Homosexuality-Diversity-Stonewall/dp/031225377X
and maybe this page in Noel Castree's, "Making Sense of Nature." (p.85 of the google books site).
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New ANTI-GAY video for Kids on jw.org
by ttdtt inhttps://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/videos/one-man-one-woman-marriage/.
disgusting!.
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fulltimestudent
steve2: Given the sheer number of gay and lesbian individuals "produced" in JW marriages, this is indeed rich in irony.
And, we should not forget that the witnesses say that same sex attracted people can 'change.' But the evidence is that they do not change, they merely live a life of deceit, attempting to be 'straight.' Ask the wives (or, former wives) of so many people who tried to 'change' in the watchtower way. These sad guys do not experience heterosexual sexual attraction. They are the victims of christian fraud (the JWs are not the only christian group who make this claim).
The second false claim in the above video, is that God created humans, "male and female." Simplistic thinkers like the witnesses think that having a penis or vagina, makes you male of female. But the reality is that sex and gender (two different things) is much more complex than that.
All humans born of women (and that includes the historical Jesus) started life in a form that can be described as gender neutral, or even female. Take a look at the following 2 videos to glimpse reality and not the fake social construction foisted on the poor bloody kids in the above JW video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1Kdoja3hlk
And, as for women (and the so-called womanly virtues in the fake 'christian' social construction) they too are very different to the image of women in the above video, as the following video will demonstrate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4LbOnkakjA
The reality of human life, contrasted with the fake social construction taught by the witnesses, tells us something else. It tells us why the witnesses discourage tertiary (university) education. Never let the facts spoil a fictional story.
One last thing: There were many males in ancient Israel who were prepared to have sex with other men. Open your bibles children and turn to 1 Kings 14:24:
And there were also sodomites in the land. (KJV):
An interesting story, because a more accurate translation is that they were male temple prostitutes. So now we have a mental picture of many small temples across Israel, and inside you could find a man prepared to have sex with another man. Now prostitutes have customers, so we may imagine a number of visitors each day to each of these temples and inside an (unknown) number of 'male temple prostitutes' all offering an exalted spiritual experience through their sexual skills. Not quite what the WTS teaches about ancient Israel.
Viewed from that perspective, the description of David at 1 Samuel 18:1 take on a special poignancy:
1Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
Now jump across to 2 samuel 1: 26:
How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women! (NLT)
or this version:
English Standard Version : I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
Faced with this information, how can anyone argue that the relationship between the younger David and the older Jonathon, did not have a sexual connection?
It may distress some whose minds refuse to accept the evidence to think of David ( a type of Jesus) kissing Jonathon, but however much conservative Christians may try to argue it away, the evidence stares us in the face, since in the ancient world the older usually penetrated the younger, we must imagine Jonathon penetrating David (likely not just once, but a number of times), and providing such a memorable experience that David never forgot how wonderful his love affair with Jonathon was.
Now lets skip through the centuries to the time of King James himself,
as I'm sure everyone knows, James set up a committee and personally presided at many of its meetings to produce a new translation o the Bible, a translation that had a marked affect on the English language, and is particularly liked by many modern Christians.
I find it also poignant that James (even though married with children) preferred to have sex with men. In a different world arrangement his Royal partner would have been a male.
Here's a quote from a web-site on the British Royal family:
He also sought solace with extravagant and unsavoury male favourites ( http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=james1 )
I'm not sure about the judgemental statements evident in the word unsavoury. The English nobility could likely be said to have been 'unsavoury.'
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No-one else here is likely to know of him, but another giant in the world of human music has died
by fulltimestudent inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sbd6tficdk
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fulltimestudent
Chinese opera is an acquired taste, and I have not yet acquired that taste (smile) but I have to admire the artistry evident in this artform.
If you would like to know more, this 'obituary' by Thorsten Pattberg, a German scholar specialising in East Asian scholarship, will explain a lot.
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No-one else here is likely to know of him, but another giant in the world of human music has died
by fulltimestudent inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sbd6tficdk
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