Posts by sizemik

In spite of the immediate change in the landscape, this must be good news for you Julia. He has obviously thought about things and made a decision . . . I doubt he will reject his own conclusions at any time hence.

If a change in living arrangements is what he wants . . . then go for it . . . enough people must be alerted about the ex and understand it's your son's decision . . . you'll probably get blamed whichever way the domino's fall . . . his future (and yours) is more important than what people think.

I'm happy for both of you . . . the best is yet to come

128

OK, WHO HERE IS GOING TO WATCH THE ROYAL WEDDING???

by Mary in

i admit it----i plan on getting up at 4:00 freaking am to watch it.

i remember getting up around that time 30 years ago .

anyone else plan on watching it?.

sizemik

Nice try Mary . . . I almost 'clicked'

185

Earthquakes Earthquakes and more Earthquakes

by sizemik in

jw
friends

for those who may be interested in things geological .

just an update on seismic activity here in christchurch.

what's below is the seismometer drum for the last 24 hrs .

sizemik

Actually I seldom drink . . . not by choice though . . . liver cirrhosis . . . had hepC since I was 19 (bout 35 years)

I have the very occasional tipple for memory's sake mainly at a special occasion . . . but I don't miss it

Skippy bottles? . . . that might draw me back to the wine aisle LOL

37

For the Sisters: Were you ever happy you couldn't have male "privileges"?

by Open mind in

watchtower policies clearly make women second-class citizens.

i don't see it changing anytime soon.

this thread is not about how ridiculous it is that a female is not allowed to hand out mags, territory, books or carry a microphone if a qualified male is present.

sizemik

I got my first taste of institutionalised abuse at a young age . . . everything was meticulously "tiered" and where you "stood" was directly proportional to the violence you received.

I saw the same hierarchial structure after a time in the KH and was resentful of it from an early stage.

I actually envied the sisters at times . . . just wasn't good-looking enough to wear a dress.

185

Earthquakes Earthquakes and more Earthquakes

by sizemik in

jw
friends

for those who may be interested in things geological .

just an update on seismic activity here in christchurch.

what's below is the seismometer drum for the last 24 hrs .

sizemik

The only time I drink is when Chris takes me fishing . . . he's a bad influence on me LOL

185

Earthquakes Earthquakes and more Earthquakes

by sizemik in

jw
friends

for those who may be interested in things geological .

just an update on seismic activity here in christchurch.

what's below is the seismometer drum for the last 24 hrs .

sizemik

How many minutes per month do you spend in a wine isle? . . . . none

Our local supermarket has unrestrained wine bottles for miles . . . I watched the security camera footage care of my wife, and about 600 bottles of wine exploded on the floor almost simultaneously . . . two people slipped in the "wash" of liquid . . . both ended up severely cut on the bottle bases . . . one received over 40 stitches. The bottles have been replaced and are still unrestrained. The current frequency and magnitude of shaking will have to trend down a bit more for me . . . but that's just me.

185

Earthquakes Earthquakes and more Earthquakes

by sizemik in

jw
friends

for those who may be interested in things geological .

just an update on seismic activity here in christchurch.

what's below is the seismometer drum for the last 24 hrs .

sizemik

Yep . . . as soon as I found the marker pen and the tiny little dots on the bottles . . . my Dads liquor cabinet was easy pickings

25

The Watchtower Organization - A Toxic Parental Figure

by Jeremy C in

almost everyone who leaves the watchtower organization acknowledges the fact that the jehovahs witnesses leadership is quite masterful when it comes to using guilt as a means of motivation and coercion.

throughout the watchtower articles, convention talks, and talks given by traveling overseers, there are often statements woven into the material that are designed to evoke feelings of guilt in those who are not robotically falling in line with all organizational programs and group-think.

in addition to the many cliches, buzzwords, and catch-phrases used in watchtower material, the organization also makes comparisons between the field service activities of witnesses in one part of the world to another part of the world.

sizemik

Yeah . . . thanks for the bump . . . a great perspective.

Had a CO tell me once that those zealous individuals in war-torn, poverty . . . "prayed for us affluent ones because of all the temptation we have to overcome" . . . patronising but clever as well . . . tangential guilt infusion.

10

Is life a black comedy?

by Joey Jo-Jo in

during the normal working day routine something occured to me that has been in the back of my mind for some time.. during bible times, scriptures dont appear to have a sense of humour, i believe its because life was (and his) serious, they were very dependent on what they made and ate, life must have been tuff, no diswashers, no cars, no gas or electricity etc.. fast forward to today, we work for the rest of our lifes but confort standards have increased, we have a huge selection of foods and entertainment, we go home to spend time with our loved ones, watch tv not realising in our own little way we have been condition to think during these years, that we dont think about tommorrow-death, we can suffer from some disease, the animals we eat suffered for our pleasure of eating meat, still in our time people die from starvation, natural disasters, crimes and war.. reality bites, dont know who said that but its very true.. and while my dad prays before dinner for god to help all brothers, "brothers" suffer, die, and others still die of starvation.

if i was ever going to reconcile the bible with reality, the same question that turned bart ehrman into an agnostic "why does god permit suffering" the most logical conclusion (and while faulty)i can come up with is that god is impartial, as it says it rains on both the good and the bad.

since the bible is faulty i could go one step further and say by what i see around, that while the creation of life (plants, animals etc) are intelligent, what or who ever created us either forgot about us or does not us to know, or does not want us to understand at this time.. when watching the royal wedding, watching the priests and royalty, i wonder how much blood and sacrifice went into all that gold and monarchy wealth.

sizemik

I see where your going JJJ . . . but I have no idea what the "destination" is in the wider sense . . . perhaps the current inhabitants lack the motivation for benevolent revolution because they know they won't be here to enjoy it. The prospect of death is very limiting for most . . . we often only see things in terms of a human lifespan. Hence the powerful desire for meaning through religion . . . but even that has a primarily selfish motive . . . to escape death.

We need the answer to be given to us . . . it cannot be found among mortals . . . but nobody outside of mortals is telling. The same dilemma that has plagued mankind throughout his existence remains . . . we are no further ahead in that respect IMO.