I also want to own a good pocket watch! I'll certainly keep my eyes open for one of those. Can anyone suggest a good jeweler/dealer who carries a line of them?
Quendi
Posts by Quendi
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62Watches: mens mechanical facination
by elderelite inlots of guys have a mechanical facination, be it cars or building things or one of a hundred other ways.
one area in particular is watches.
i have a few that i love.. a personal fav is my tissot sea star 1000. cant post a pic atm but its an awesome watch.... .
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62
Watches: mens mechanical facination
by elderelite inlots of guys have a mechanical facination, be it cars or building things or one of a hundred other ways.
one area in particular is watches.
i have a few that i love.. a personal fav is my tissot sea star 1000. cant post a pic atm but its an awesome watch.... .
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Quendi
I haven't owned a watch for many years but I plan to get one in the next twelve months. My dream watch would be a rose gold one. I have an unending fascination for all things rose gold. I love watches and will be glad to own one again. Maybe I will get a combination analog/digital one so I can keep track of time in different time zones. I do that with Fox Clocks on my computer and I think that's really cool.
But I also love clocks. I own several--one of them an antique Gilbert--and will probably collect more before all is said and done. I'm waiting until I get reestablished permanently in a residence before I get what I really want: a grandfather clock. That would be really, really sweet.
Quendi
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46
The UN Debacle, Disfellowshipping Policies, Child Abuse Cases---Will ANYTHING Ever Sway A JW From "The Truth"?
by minimus ini wonder..
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Quendi
Thank you, Sulla, for sharing your views on the question of JW cult status. It is precisely this kind of discussion and debate that is lacking in the religion and has led to the current crisis. The point you make about 'brainwashing millions' is a big one. I think that is what has happened among Jehovah's Witnesses. The Governing Body has actively engaged in it, and their actions along this line are not unprecedented. Stalin did it in the old Soviet Union and Hitler the same in Nazi Germany.
While it is true there is no single charismatic leader in the religion, I believe that the charisma is there and is exercised jointly by the Governing Body. That can be seen when any of them gives a talk, whether at a district convention or a smaller gathering such as a special talk. I recall when one of the Governing Body gave several talks at a district convention in Denver, Colorado eight or nine years ago. His talks weren't out of the ordinary or especially good, but it was his status that cast a spell over the delegates. After he gave the final prayer, he lingered for a while on the stage. In a way he had no choice because the stage was surrounded by hundreds of people all eager to see, hear, and even touch one of the 'future kings of the earth'. So he spent quite a bit of time smiling and glad-handling with all these strangers. That to me is the sign of a cult.
Decades ago, before the Governing Body really gained power and prominence, you could see the same reaction among Witnesses when they were in the presence of either Nathan Knorr or Fred Franz. I was very conscious of this myself when I met Franz after a talk he gave in Fayette, Alabama in 1976. I was among those who got on the stage after the final prayer and reveled in the glow of being noticed by one of the 'Lord's anointed'. Those of us who did get to talk to Franz afterward spoke of it as something we would remember for the rest of our lives. I imagine that many of those well-wishers at the Denver convention felt the same way, especially those who had brought their children to the platform so that they could meet the speaker.
The arrogance and pride JWs have over the belief they alone have the truth is another feature of this religion that labels it as a cult for me. The followers of Jim Jones, Sun Myung Moon and David Koresh all felt the same. I'm convinced that if Witnesses could have settled land with only themselves as residents and where they would have been free to create their own theocracy, they most certainly would have done so. The Puritans did it in seventeenth-century New England as did the Mormons in nineteenth-century Utah. The creation of those societies led to tyranny and terrorism being imposed on the settlers. Jones and Koresh did likewise; and really, it is hardly different among Jehovah's Witnesses today. People are afraid to speak their minds, don't feel free to exercise their free will and power of reason, and have to view others with suspicion because a confidence shared with them might get them into deep trouble with the police-elders.
I've enjoyed this discussion and am looking forward to further thoughts from others. The fact that we can have it is just another fruit of the freedom we can now enjoy and which I have no intention of ever surrendering again.
Quendi
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68
For Immediate Release JW-MEDIA.org post response to child sex abuse verdict
by BlindersOff1 inhttp://www.jw-media.org/usa/20120620.htm .
just plain old corporate denial.
let the games begin.. .
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Quendi
Like 00DAD, I am now ashamed that I was ever affiliated with this cult in any shape, form or fashion. The official reaction from the Society has only strengthened my resolve to never darken the doorstep of a kingdom hall or any other meeting place of Jehovah's Witnesses for as long as I live.
I sincerely hope that the words of Hosea 8:4, 7 come true in the WTS's case: "They themselves have set up kings, but not because of me. They have set up princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and their gold they have made for themselves idols, to the end that they may be cut off. For it is wind that they keep sowing, and a storm wind is what they will reap."
I expect that the WTS will appeal all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States if it must to get this verdict overturned. They will hope that SCOTUS will uphold their aiding and abetting of child molesters in the name of religious freedom. But they are in for a big shock. They won't prevail this time; and when they ultimately fail then I hope we'll see the barbarians storm their gates, breach their walls and overrun their citadel. Rank-and-file Witnesses may not think much of this case, but I believe legal experts across the United States are watching very carefully; and when all the appeals are exhausted and the verdict and awards are upheld, I hope we will see many more lawsuits launched. If that happens, then I think we'll finally see the end of this execrable cult and on that day I'll rejoice--and I won't be alone.
Quendi
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68
For Immediate Release JW-MEDIA.org post response to child sex abuse verdict
by BlindersOff1 inhttp://www.jw-media.org/usa/20120620.htm .
just plain old corporate denial.
let the games begin.. .
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Quendi
The WTS keeps thinking that it has "a covenant with Death" and that it will ride out this storm, but it has miscalculated. While I don't expect a palace revolt from rank-and-file Witnesses--most of whom are too mind-numb to even care about the verdict and awards rendered in thiscase--but i am holding on to another hope. That hope is the verdict will be upheld upon appeal and that we will then see more such lawsuits filed against the organization. If there is to be no reaction from within, then it may very well fall to external forces to bring down this cult.
The WTS statement is disgusting on its face. Everyone is right to say that the use of the word "claimed" implies a belief that Candace Conti is an abject liar, that the molestation never took place. Furthermore, it also implies that even if she was assaulted, the WTS policy of secrecy and silence in these matters had nothing to do with enabling this perp to continue assaulting other young victims. While an appeals court may reduce the amount of damages awarded, I don't see how it can reverse the verdict. And if the WTS loses on appeal, then it will have to decide whether to pursue this case all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.
In a way I hope it will so that it can finally and decisively be held accountable for its crimes. But it is obvious that even in these early days following the end of the Oakland trial the Society is feeling some heat. Otherwise it would have issued no statement at all but would have tried its time-honored strategy of sweeping the matter under the rug. Maybe there are enough Witnesses with functioning consciences calling on the Governing Body to answer this development. Maybe they will read the statement and conclude that the organization is definitely in the wrong. But whether they do or not it may well be that this case will mark the beginning of the end for the WTS. I certainly hope so.
Quendi
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Clergy Confession and California Law...I found this interesting info.
by mind blown inwhat do you guys make of this?
am i understanding correctly about a third party and the clergy is not bound unless otherwise stated?
"penitential communication": a "penitential communication" for purposes of the privilege is a communication made in confidence, in the presence of no third persons so far as the penitent is aware, to a member of the clergy who, incident to the tenets of his or her religious denomination, is authorized or accustomed to hear such communications and has a duty to keep such communications secret.
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Quendi
Confidentiality is also breached when notes are taken. That is something that happens at judicial committee hearings and files are also maintained about the meeting. So the WTS cannot claim that judicial committee meetings are privileged. They involve more than two people; additional parties can be consulted; the decision can be appealed; and files are created and maintained. No court in this country will rule that these meetings are protected under the penitent privilege rule. So if the WTS wants to argue that the Candace Conti verdict, for example, should be reversed on appeal because the privilege was violated, it will lose.
Quendi
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18
dis-associated/disfellowshipped - are they the same?
by Caedes indo you have to formally dis-associate to count as such?
there seems to be a lot who are hounded to make a formal declaration to a judicial committee.. so my questions are (i would be very interested in references from the wt cdrom) - what is the official stance on those who simply stop going to meetings, do they count as disassociated by their actions?
should they be treated the same as those who are dis-fellowshipped?
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Quendi
Despite citing love and compassion as the reasons for shunning disfellowshipped or disassociated people, this religion exercises neither towards them. That makes all their claims about shunning being scriptural and Christian false.
Quendi
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46
The UN Debacle, Disfellowshipping Policies, Child Abuse Cases---Will ANYTHING Ever Sway A JW From "The Truth"?
by minimus ini wonder..
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Quendi
This is a wonderful thread and I want to thank minimus for starting it. I have to agree with those who say that many leave because of something that has impacted them personally rather than from a close examination of this religion. That was certainly true in my case. Although I did have some doubts going back to 1995 when The Watchtower offered a new definition of "generation", it took being disfellowshipped and the judicial committee's refusal to reinstate me to finally open my eyes to the fact that this religion was not worth my time and effort anymore.
During the time I vainly sought reinstatement, I began looking at the Bible and WTS theology anew. I was then ready to accept that the two were at variance and the differences could not be reconciled. That made my decision two years ago to never return easier to make. Yet I have to wonder what would have happened if I had not been disfellowshipped in the first place. Would I still be one of Jehovah's Witnesses? I have to sadly say the answer is most likely even though I would have been very unhappy and miserable. I would have given myself false consolation that at least I was still "in the truth" and surrounded by people who were real friends.
It takes both courage and humility--two qualities noticeably lacking in the WTS leadership--to change a life's course. For those of us who left, we needed both to escape. We also know of many who believe in their hearts that the WTS is a false religion but who stay on because for various reasons they can't face the difficulties and challenges leaving this religion would entail. Not all of them are cowardly or arrogant because they have chosen to stay. In many cases the collateral damage their departure would cause would be too great. They are faced with a choice of evils and have to select the least among them. But for those of us who have managed to escape, we can be thankful that we didn't suffer more than we did.
Sulla has given me a lot to think about on the question of whether the WTS is a cult. There might be some validity in the reasons put forward for saying no. Fifteen or twenty years ago, I would not have said so. That is because I couldn't point to a single leader or group as being the religion's focus. Matters are otherwise now. There can be no doubt that the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, by donning the mantle of the "faithful and discreet slave" to the exclusion of all others, has made itself the unchallenged leader of this religion whose every utterance and edict is to be unquestioningly obeyed. They have cowed most into submission and expelled others who refused to follow. To my mind that says this religion has adopted all the trappings of a cult and is becoming worse by the day.
Quendi
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WT Study for 6-17-12
by Bobcat ini did not see a thread on the 6-17-12 wt study article, so i thought i'd put this here.. .
this is just a thought on unquoted references that sheds a little "light" on why they are not sourced.. in paragraph 4 of the lesson it says: 'as one reference work states, it is "the sum total of the interior man.
"' it is referring to what the bible means when it speaks of the figurative heart.
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Quendi
The WTS won't give a reference source unless the citation suits its purpose. It doesn't want Witnesses to engage in independent research and confirmation of the information in its publications. So while the Insight volumes often do cite references, many Witnesses don't bother to read them anyway. If they do and look up the cited references, they can get more information, and sometimes that can reinforce WTS thinking. But I think the prime reason references are not given in The Watchtower is because that would encourage the rank-and-file reader to begin thinking for himself.
Quendi
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Proud to be a Jehovah's Witness?
by compound complex inlet's be honest, brothers, and apply to ourselves what we write in our publications:.
awake!, september 8, 1987, pages 10 and 11: future prospects for protestantismand for you!.
if your church fails to act, will you?.
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Quendi
I'm proud that I am no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses!
Quendi