If financial success is so crucial, why don't they pass a plate and have a stewardship drive. My church does it one Sunday per year. People don't yap about it. So a KH in a poor area is discriminated.
Band on the Run
JoinedPosts by Band on the Run
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12
Who choose the elders to give talks at the Circuit Assembly and District Assembly?
by Iamallcool inhow does that work?.
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Jehovah's Witnesses, Voluntary Response Bias, and Other Questions
by TheClarinetist in[please forgive my math in this post.
it is very inexact and used mainly as examples.].
as many of you should know, i have a rather large axe to grind with regards to jehovah's witnesses.
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Band on the Run
You know the GB bias and people who voluntarily bother to come here certainly have a bias. There isn't a mathematical certainty to other side. I will say this from my experience. JWs are very insulated from the world and very trusting of the GB. They will sit there and bury their instincts. Power that is not checked always corrupts. These stories could be abberations. There was a very fast response of me, too.
I am freely stating that I have a bias. Will the GB acknowledge their biases?
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DOUBLE STANDARDS from the Watchtower Society
by Terry inthe double think standards of jehovah's witness authority is best illustrated by the following:.
jehovahs witnesses refuse to buy the malawi congress party card.
this card declares the holder to be a member of the ruling political party of malawi.
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Band on the Run
I noted that it is all right to compromise in Latin America but not in Africa. While Latin America has a large indigenous population, this smacks of racism. A theological position should apply to any location on earth. It resembles U.S. policy in the Middle East. The US would never tolerate dictators on European soil but we suck up to them in the mIddle EAst b/c the people aren't fully human to us.
Also, during WWII Japanese AMERICANS were interned in concentration camps even though the FBI assured the govt that there were spies but those interned were not spies. Germans on the East Coast were never interned.
Would they bribe an American official? As much as I don't like the WTS, I wonder if anyone is truly venal with intent. Maybe their culture is so stretched with tension, they have lost morals.
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Jehovah's Witnesses, Voluntary Response Bias, and Other Questions
by TheClarinetist in[please forgive my math in this post.
it is very inexact and used mainly as examples.].
as many of you should know, i have a rather large axe to grind with regards to jehovah's witnesses.
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Band on the Run
The bias of people responding is highly documented. Many college and grad courses are devoted to understand it and trying to limit it. It was not mandatory in my days so I don't know the details. Anger is a strong motivator. I have no doubt those experiences actually happened. Are there so many Roman Catholics ready to lynch the church over pedophiles? The very act of sexual abuse transforms one. Typically, they were strong members of their parish -- and many remained active even after the church screwed them. It is much worse with Catholics than Protestants. The celibacy requirement breeds sexual deviancy. Lack of birth control guarantees a fresh supply of victims and the authoritarian nature of the church, and I believe the Witnesses are even worse, converge to create a toxic situation.
What angers Catholics most is the not the act itself. Short of paradise horrid things will happen. It is the coverup. Children need protection, not priests. Only a fraction of the cases would occur if the church did not reassign and actively cover up. The sin is not a sin of omission or turning the other way. It is a serious sin of commission, actively creating a paradise for pedophiles, valuing priests more than the laity they are suppose to serve.
When I read the New York Times or Vanity Fair or New Yorker,which I adore, I know the bias and can adjust for it. Several times I've chuckled as the NYT gunned for Elliot Spitzer, Charlie Rangel, or McCain. Few people believe in neutral sources (though many will suspend for a Bible that they have no idea how it came to be. Magic) today. Facts exist objectively but they can be slanted or explained in a certain way indicating bias. With the Internet, we have access to countless viewpoints. More and more people are creating their own newspapers by going to sources they select. Multiple sources become important.
Just as with the Catholics, the Witnesses have a very bizarre view of sexuality. I would be stunned if men would be grilled this way. There is no justification for it. Details are not needed to decide whether one is prone to a practice and has repented. They used to question rape victims this way. Only Christ can see into people's hearts and minds. Everything they complain about the Roman Catholic Church the Witnesses magnify. I don't think they view the Vatican as evil as much as the Witnesses are jealous of its power. They ape it every chance they get.
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completed my degree this week
by chickpea intook my final final exam to end my course work.
for my aas in complementary and alternative .
medicine, so when all the applications and .
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Band on the Run
I live in a rental now. When I approached my local florist, I was told Lily of the Valley was too expensive for anyting besides a wedding. I really want it for a special birthday. I telephoned elite florists in a city. They told me that wild flowers were hard to procure. It will cost be about $80. if I pick it up. Parrot tulips are similar. Something about hothouse from Holland.
Yet it is prolific in the wild. In fact, it is blooming here now. The salesperson showed me where the wild flower was coming up on the lawn. How did Catherine Middleton find it? The perfume may be cheaper than the flower itself. Crazy.
I've thought of sprinkling seeds in a pot by my door.
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How are elders really selected?
by 21stcenturywoman in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp /> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables /> <w:dontvertalignintxbx /> <w:word11kerningpairs /> <w:cachedcolbalance /> </w:compatibility> <w:browserlevel>microsoftinternetexplorer4</w:browserlevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="--" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!
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when i was growing up i was told that the "holy spirit" assisted in the selection of elders.
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Band on the Run
What if a wheeler-dealer wanted to be an elder? Suppose they ask to see the criteria and prepare an Excel spreadsheet showing how they meet the criteria. It would give them an unfair advantage over brothers merely trying to be faithful. My thought is that I tried to become involved in local party politics. No policy discussion occurred. It was a real coffee clache group. This stuff is so subjective.
How do they know how many hours you actually have worked? You could pad the hours by saying you wrote letters to contacts. Most of the time if I wanted to purchase a WT or Awake I could not garner the attention of the JWs in the train station. All they do is talk with each other. During the am and pm rush, they have no interaction. All they do is display the WT and Awake on a separate table. I ran into a Witness once on the train who seemed classier. Altho I told her my true feelings for WTS, she wrote me a personal letter with clear handwriting on nice paper. I was shocked.
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Lack of true friends as a Witness
by stuckinamovement init was kind of a sad realization i had the other day that as a witness you are conditioned to not have friends.
i realize that most of this fact is related to my own stupidity and arrogance.
when i was in my teenage years i had a great group of friends that i ran around with.
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Band on the Run
I would have welcome a game night. There was no mixing. The ones who excluded me from their circle got much more "cred" in the KH. They lived in a very bad neighborhood. I was in hand me downs and working. They were on welfare yet wore leather riding boots and the latest styles. One night I went to KH and about seven of them were disfellowshipped for sexual activity. I was so naive I was utterly shocked. The thought of my being in the KH and that they were outcasts was so bizarre.
I don't understand the lack of socialization. When I worked 80-100 hrs as a lawyer, the firm encouraged and paid for social activities outside of work. The bonding helped work productivity or else we would have to pay for it. So I figure if people were not suffering chronic depression, the door to door work would be more vital.
Jesus never said preach and do nothing else in life. He had dinners with people. I think they were dinner parties not casual suppers. If you notice, Jesus had a large social circle which would make sense. How do carpenters get clients? God created us to be social creatures, not robots.
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A polite way to ask someone to keep their hands to themselves...
by White Dove inwhat's a polite way to ask a man to keep his hands to himself while conversing in a group with you?.
this neighbor of mine and i were sitting in chairs on the deck with other people.. he always touched me whenever he said anything to me or i said anything to him.. it was as if he was using touch like an antenna to send and receive signals.. i didn't know what to do, so instead of risking embarrassment for us both, i did nothing but stand up and step away.. i stepped away after he attempted to caress my hamstrings on one leg.. *shudder*.
wonder why 60+ year old men think that a woman being nice to him means she's hot for him.. also wonders why it's only the smoking, beer guzzling, scrawny, bony, and smelly old men who do that.. .
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Band on the Run
The post about respecting the vibes you are getting summed it up perfectly. This is what rape victims told me. Incest victims are raped at a higher percentage than nonincest victims. No one knows why but one theory is that your early warning system is taking out. We can post detailed plans but no one has the knowledge of the situation at the moment in time as much as the woman does. This is why there is no rape protocol.
I thought it was sexual touching. Personally, I hate huggers who are not family members or close friends. Casual acquaintances will leap up and say they need a hug and unbidden embrace me. I need a way to stop it tactfully. People have critiqued the stiffness of my body. My children and hubby are free to hug me. This is so common there should be some ethics about it.
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A polite way to ask someone to keep their hands to themselves...
by White Dove inwhat's a polite way to ask a man to keep his hands to himself while conversing in a group with you?.
this neighbor of mine and i were sitting in chairs on the deck with other people.. he always touched me whenever he said anything to me or i said anything to him.. it was as if he was using touch like an antenna to send and receive signals.. i didn't know what to do, so instead of risking embarrassment for us both, i did nothing but stand up and step away.. i stepped away after he attempted to caress my hamstrings on one leg.. *shudder*.
wonder why 60+ year old men think that a woman being nice to him means she's hot for him.. also wonders why it's only the smoking, beer guzzling, scrawny, bony, and smelly old men who do that.. .
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Band on the Run
I thought of this more. YOu prob. felt safe b/c there was a group of you. Was he high or intoxicated? It is not juvenile male behavior as much as making you uncomfortable. Since he lives so close, you may have an ongoing problem. I've had two similar situations. The first involved a male teacher just before I left for college. I worked in a federally financed reading program doing chores. When no one was around,he would stand behind me and breathe on me. I don't think he was attracted to me erotically. Power was his game. I was 17 at most. My mother and the Witnesses led me to believe that this stuff does not happen to a good girl. I was terrified. If I could find him today and beat him up, I would. The memory of the shame, fear of rape, just not knowing what to do. Also, I felt i was too ugly. People would not believe a married man would do it and a teacher. Now I am certain that others made charges and they were in his record. I had nowhere to turn for help.
The second situation is strangers in NY. Most black and Latino men who seemed to think that blonde hair signalled hunting season. I got the jeers, whistles, whatever. Some men would come to me straight in a street filled with other women. I just cried inside for the longest time, believing this did not happen to other women. I had to do something wrong. A landmark book on rape written by a feminist came out. She argued that we had a right to be safe and free, regardless of race. I started yelling at the time of my lungs that if they took one more step towards me I was going to have them arrested and even mentioned where the precinct was if I knew. Once I assert.ed a boundary, they were off guard but backed down. Later, I met women who gave up cheap, great apartments to move to better neighborhoods to avoid them. They were beautiful. It is embarassing but I did not know what to do. Once I read the book on rape, it changed dramatically.
Two issues remain for me. What happens if a man becomes angry that I shouted out at him? American men seem okay with it. I ride taxis a lot. African men and Middle Eastern men seem to not have the same restraint. It is a fine line to walk between setting a boundary and inflaming a situation. Overall, I feel that any man would would seriously harm b/c I shouted was going to hurt me anyway. The second issue is by not setting a boundary is a woman giving signals that will invite rape. B/c that kind of hand action is so uncalled for it seems like a prelude or warm up. We can't know what their intentions are. I don't think this is boys will be boys. Short hand gestures are one thing. This sounds more systematic.
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Lets assume that the Bible is accurate - odd about Adam having sex with his wife?
by sinis ini was reading the book of jashar and it talks about how adam "knew" his wife after they were kicked out from the garden.
does this mean that they did not have sex prior to this incident?
also in jashar, chapter two it says adam once again knew his wife in the 130th year.
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Band on the Run
I looked up this book in wikipedia. There is no copy in existence from OT dates. What we have now is a fake.
It is interesting. Wikipedia has another article on the lost books of the OT,at which I did not have time to read. I understand the book of Mormon goes into outer space.
The whole Adam and Eve thing is sexual. It seems to say that creation was sexless. Was it God's plan to not reproduce Adam and Eve? They must have been so lonely and not self-sustaining. What did they do? Why did God give them genitalia if they weren't supposed to use it? Of all the stories in the Bible, Adam and Eve sounds the most far-fetched. What about orgasms? Scientists say there is an important part of the nature of human orgasm separate from animal orgasm. I can't recall what it is.
It pairs the Fall with sexuality. How did they know how to know each other? Adam had no mother-in-law or belly button. I don't know whether the surrounding cultures equate creation, fall and sexuality. And we know who wrote the story? Not a woman.