I've always thought the biggest impediment for helping the Watchtower to change was ITS MEMBERS. If the majority of them would say wait one just a *&^%$ minute here, we aren't going to five meetings a week anymore, we wanna celebrate birthdays, et cetera, and we're going to withold buying literature and sending donations until you change things, the leadership would change. They would have to. For them it's all about the power and having someone to rule over. It certainly never was or is the love of "truth."
MegaDude
JoinedPosts by MegaDude
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8
Normalizing the WTS
by Elsewhere infor jws, persecution is a self-fulfilling prophecy because of their behavior.. if they were to make three basic changes they could easily become mainstream.. 1. get rid of their shunning practices.. 2. allow open discussion that questions wt teachings and policies.. 3. allow members to openly believe things contrary to the wt teachings without fear of retribution from the organization, or the individual members.. they are so hung up on protecting the flock and the phrase a house divided cannot stand.
they have failed to realize to power of the individual and the fact that people with different beliefs and thoughts can work together for a common goal.. as i see it, these things cannot happen because of the nature of most of its members.
the wts is appealing to and full of people that are searching for absolute biblical truth - black and white thinking.
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Normalizing the WTS
by Elsewhere infor jws, persecution is a self-fulfilling prophecy because of their behavior.. if they were to make three basic changes they could easily become mainstream.. 1. get rid of their shunning practices.. 2. allow open discussion that questions wt teachings and policies.. 3. allow members to openly believe things contrary to the wt teachings without fear of retribution from the organization, or the individual members.. they are so hung up on protecting the flock and the phrase a house divided cannot stand.
they have failed to realize to power of the individual and the fact that people with different beliefs and thoughts can work together for a common goal.. as i see it, these things cannot happen because of the nature of most of its members.
the wts is appealing to and full of people that are searching for absolute biblical truth - black and white thinking.
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MegaDude
I would like to see a "normalization" of the Watchtower take place, if only for the people I care about that are still trapped in it. That aside, what gets the attention of a big corporate religious organization seems to be donations drying up, members leaving, negative media attention, before it decides, oh, golly, we need to change something here!
The shuffling of pedophile priests to different parishes by the Vatican has been going on for so long. Now that multiple lawsuits are costing them serious money, massive negative media attention is being focused on them, there is suddenly quite a need to reverse old policy.
New light comes in the most obvious ways.
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Barbara Grizzuti Harrison dies at 67
by Dogpatch inhttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/26/obituaries/26harr.html.
barbara grizzuti harrison, who emerged as a popular, prolific writer of keenly observed nonfiction with a 1978 book about the dozen years she spent as a jehovah's witness, died on wednesday at a hospice in manhattan.
she was 67 and lived in the park slope neighborhood of brooklyn.. the cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said her daughter, anna harrison.
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MegaDude
Thanks for posting this Randy. And for also letting us know how serious her condition was and that we could contact her in the short time she had left. I had a chance to correspond with her and tell how much her book meant to me. She was a fine author, and a fearless lady for sharing so much of herself in "Visions of Glory."
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Who is Elsewhere and why is Elsewhere here?
by Elsewhere inoh great, now i'm confused.. "as every one knows, there are mistakes in the bible" - the watchtower, april 15, 1928, p. 126 .
believe in yourself, not mythology.. <x ><
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MegaDude
Ha, ha.
The Mycology Burger. Can't get that at Wendy's!
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Who is Elsewhere and why is Elsewhere here?
by Elsewhere inoh great, now i'm confused.. "as every one knows, there are mistakes in the bible" - the watchtower, april 15, 1928, p. 126 .
believe in yourself, not mythology.. <x ><
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MegaDude
David,
Have you been visiting Valis' pad again?
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I need help really bad!!!
by joelbear ini am having a complete mental breakdown.. my nerve endings on the right side of my body are burning all the time.
i can't face the stress and the pain.. i can't sleep, i can't rest.
i can't think.. i don't know what to do.. please help me.. joel
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MegaDude
Joel,
if you suspect manic depression and would be interested in reading a firsthand account of what manic depression feels like, I would recommend reading "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Jamison. She is one of the foremost experts on manic depression in the US, and also suffers from it. Her book is an easy read, and she is extremely candid on what she suffered before she got help with lithium. It might help you to have confidence in what the doctor suspects. It is available fairly cheap as a used book on Amazon.com:
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The Annual ``Don't Misbehave'' at Asemblies'' KM
by Room 215 ingreetings from the ``here we go again'' department.
while worldlings have only the song of the robins and the bloom of the daffodils and crocuses as harbingers of spring, jehovah's people and readers of their literature can always count on two more: the annual ``don't partake!
'' article in the watchtower, and the yearly exhortation to ``make nice at the summer's assemblies'' in the km.. in the case of the latter, the tone and content of the annual scolding is unbelievably demeaning to any responsible adult... being told to dress nice (suits and ties only, please, for the men and deresses only -- not too short ladies) not to abuse complimentary breakfasts, pool privileges and generally avoid rowdiness at the hotels where they stay-- all laced with clearly fabricated -- not to mention unattributed-- quotes from ``worldly observers amazed by our fine conduct.''.
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MegaDude
Are they still reminding JWs not to bring hotplates and cook in their hotel rooms?
That was always my fav behave reminder.
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Just another day in cheery Israel
by bboyneko in.. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=288592.
interesting article about what happened in jenin
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MegaDude
The conflict between Isreal and the Arabs will never be peacefully settled by them working it out between themselves. It will take a UN council to decide who gets what land, march in there, and enforce the boundaries with a strong military presence.
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Just another day in cheery Israel
by bboyneko in.. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=288592.
interesting article about what happened in jenin
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MegaDude
After all the suicide bombings that have gone on and on, I'm really surprised the Isrealies waited so long before responding like this.
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I need help really bad!!!
by joelbear ini am having a complete mental breakdown.. my nerve endings on the right side of my body are burning all the time.
i can't face the stress and the pain.. i can't sleep, i can't rest.
i can't think.. i don't know what to do.. please help me.. joel
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MegaDude
Joel,
You should run to your nearest kingdom hall and get some real help. I'm sure the elders would suggest the usual JW anecdote, a Bible study from one of their many fine publications. Of course, regular meeting attendance, and more time in field service are the usual anecdotes prescribed by the healing elders. Don't forget that personal study. And sitting down and just reading the latest Watchtower and Awake does wonders for the ailing spirit. What are you waiting for?