sizemik

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Posts by sizemik

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  15

  They won freedom of speech, while steeling mine!

  by BackSlider in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so oftin i recall being excited about all the cases that were won in the name of jehovah.

  i would talk with my dad and ask him how could it be possible that the supreme court judges haven't become witnesses.

  it made no sense to me, that these men and women were not moved by all the wins that the organization was piling up.

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  sizemik

  A nicely drawn parallel . . . banging on about freedom from their carefully constructed totalitarian regime.

  Hypocrisy is there middle name . . . the standard dictionary definition should be; - see Jehovah's Witnesses.
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  25

  A spin off of the athiest thread

  by trujw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  has anyone thought there is a god but he is not perfect.

  maybe he is flawed not all knowing and looks at us the same as i look at ants?

  people are either black or white.

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  sizemik

  - that worship is part of a human concept whereas the idea of there being an unnameable unknown type of spirit releases us from what is we already know to move towards what we don't know.

  I'm not sure I fully get that . . . but why only go some of the way? . . . why not start with a truly blank canvas? Otherwise we will always be looking according to what we "know". You can't change a portrait to a landscape half way through. We then end up spending time rejecting and refuting everything instead of actually proving stuff for ourselves.

  Any belief we are currently holding to is a prejudice, nobody can change that. The skill of intellect is setting that prejudice aside, albeit temporarily, in order to evaluate conflicting information with intellectual honesty. It's not really that difficult . . . but still remarkably elusive. You see folks not listening to stuff they don't want to hear all the time.
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  25

  A spin off of the athiest thread

  by trujw in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  has anyone thought there is a god but he is not perfect.

  maybe he is flawed not all knowing and looks at us the same as i look at ants?

  people are either black or white.

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  sizemik

  Maybe he is flawed not all knowing and looks at us the same as I look at ants?

  On occasion . . . the ants get to sneak up on a human, sting the shit out of him, and make his ass itch for a week.

  I'm looking forward to that part . . .
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  553

  Why are atheists so intent on scorning "believers"?

  by Chariklo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  until recently, i had never encountered this word "believers" used as it is being used on this board, to describe pejoratively a group of people.

  it's not clear to me whether they scorn all who have a faith of some sort.

  do they include buddhists, hindus, followers of the baha'i faith, followers of the cargo cult, native americans along with christians, or is it just christians who are honoured with this epithet?.

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  sizemik

  I'm just totally flabbergasted that an OP asking such a loaded, generalised, innaccurate and biased question . . . was actually being serious.

  You live and learn I s'pose.

  Palmie has the only acceptable answer . . . maybe you should just run with that.
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  28

  What came first? Atheism or the "apostasy" in JW terms?

  by Silent_Scream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  for those who are atheists: did you become an atheist while being a jw, then left, or did you not view them as the true religion and left, but still believed in god/bible, but later turned to atheism?.

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  sizemik

  It was the appallingly bad behaviour of some of my brothers that got me digging. By the time I left I knew it was all b/s but was still in hot pursuit of the real Jesus Christ. As I rounded a corner I ran smack-bang into Critical Thinking. After we picked ourselves up and dusted off . . . he introduced me to his cousin Atheism. They seemed to make a lot of sense. I still haven't seen Jesus.
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  13

  Blood Transfusions and Children's Rights

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  i am adding a section to my article on blood transfusions and would like the following critiqued and improved upon.. .

  rights of children.

  parents have a duty of care towards their children and governmental authorities are expected to remove a child from a parent that is mistreating or endangering a child.

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  sizemik

  Nicely assembled Paul . . .

  It's easy to run for miles with this subject, but you've been pretty concise, while still covering the topic well. The anecdotal examples are very well chosen . . . the Joel Cohen account was especially poignant and added some unique and very important perspective.

  Such a statement is emotionally compelling when uttered by a child, but a minor that has undergone a life of one-sided indoctrination on blood is not in a position to make an informed decision on such a complex subject.

  This point here is often poorly understood or not well made . . . but brilliantly illustrated by the Cohen example.

  A thought on the summary and the rape thing . . .

  "I would resist with all my strength such a violation of my body without my consent."

  I would make every effort to prosecute my attackers just as I would in a case of rape.”"

  Incorrectly labelled food products are "a violation of my body without my consent." My point being . . . there are wide degrees of severity when it comes to personal violation, murder being the top end of the scale. To immediately pair rape and a medical procedure as having the same level of severity is very subjective . . . and arguably a logical fallacy. There is no argument for rape being beneficial or necessary . . . so the analogy is invalid for that reason alone. The link is very emotionally compelling as you mention . . . Jeez, Dr's are now "attackers" . . . so it's validity must be sound. I wonder if there are other flaws that could be highlighted that question it's validity.
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  70

  Is it just me or is JWN going through a nice phase at the moment?

  by nicolaou in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  perhaps i've just been logging on at the right time but i've seen no insane eschatology or prophecy from our resident messiah/prophets and of course, rick isn't spamming the board and everything just seems .

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  well, nice.. i like it.. .

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  sizemik

  growing thicker skin and behaving like adults?

  It does smack of the schoolroom with Johnny running to teacher saying "Miss, Miss . . . Freddy said a bad word."

  Some offence-taking seems a bit staged and exaggerated to be honest . . . and the debate becomes a succession of claims for the moral high ground, and the issue itself is lost in this fruitless exchange of gunfire.

  Attacking the message is only the same as attacking the messenger in a child's mind. A forthright rebuttal is not a personal attack. Intelligent Adults should know the difference and respond accordingly.

  I agree with what you're saying and full marks for saying it.
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  20

  Lance Armstrong

  by Hortensia in

  1. social
  2. current

  i've been following the lance armstrong debacle, although i'm not really interested in sports.

  it's interesting how at first it was hard to believe that he was guilty of doping, because of his public image.

  it seems, though, that the evidence is overwhelming.

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  sizemik

  So now, do they have some new methods that find him in violation.

  About 30+ eyewitnesses and accomplices I believe.

  This does nothing but ruin the sport.

  Agreed . . . and that will be his cycling legacy . . . the man who ruined a global sport.
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  78

  Whitney Heichel killed by multiple gunshots

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  autopsy - whitney killed by multiple gunshots.. http://www.koinlocal6.com/mostpopular/story/autopsy-whitney-killed-by-multiple-gunshots/pfbmma18luksrgnszxpxfq.cspx.

  salem, ore. -- the oregon state medical examiner's office announced monday the death of 21-year-old whitney heichel was caused by multiple gunshot wounds.

  heichel's body was found friday afternoon on larch mountain in east multnomah county.. .

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  sizemik

  Nobody likes to be blame for what someone else did. So it would only be fair not to blame all the jehovah Witnesess for what one indivisual did.

  Ahem . . . Adam & Eve?
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  57

  How Suicidal Thoughts can take over your Life.

  by Lady Lee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how suicidal thoughts can take over your life.. i lived most of my life thinking about suicide.

  i have clear memories when i was 8 years old thinking about what it would be like to die.

  i went to sleep every night of my young childhood saying the prayer:.

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  sizemik

  Thanks L Lee . . . a selfless way to open a discussion

  I've walked the road too . . . but there's not much new in the details. The dark room only seems to have one door when you're in it.

  I found this piece of lyric today . . . it put a slightly different perspective on things. Forgetting the lost battles and remembering the hard fought victories it took to get here . . . that is the real measure of who we are. We are formidable.

  I found encouraging so here 'tis . . .

  WHAT YOU DO WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT (Si Kahn)
  
  It's not what you're born with . . . It's what you choose to bear
  It's not how big your share is . . . It's how much you can share
  It's not the fights you dreamed of . . . It's those you really fought
  It's not what you're given . . . It's what you do with what you've got
  
  You must know someone like him - tall and strong and lean
  Body like a greyhound and a mind so dark and keen
  His heart just like a laurel grew twisted round itself
  Till almost everything he did brought pain to someone else
  
  What's the use of two good legs . . . if you only run away?
  What's the use of the finest voice . . . if you've nothing good to say?
  What good is strength and muscle . . . if you only push and shove?
  And what's the use of two good ears . . . if you can't hear those you love?
  
  Between those who use their neighbours . . . and those who use a cane
  Between those in constant power . . . and those in constant pain
  Between those who run to glory . . . and those who cannot run
  Tell me which ones are the cripples . . . and which ones touch the sun?