Posts by Mommie Dark

43

Reform....why?

by Deacon in

jw
friends

the organization cannot be reformed from outside; that can only come from individuals who have the guts and will to do so inside, and the determination to get rid of hardline thinking that is so strangling.

my personal desire is to see immediate change regarding the child abuse policy, and that will come.

to see a clear, quick change in the horribly inconsistent blood policy rather than drag it out over years; kids are dying in the process.enforced shunning is also an evil that they will have to deal with eventually; it's ripping them apart.. .

Mommie Dark

"Maybe we really are on our own.'

Yes we are. All grown up and having a big old slice of real life in the real world all on our very own! No Big Brother heaping big old chips of guilt and shame and fear on our shoulders, no Skydaddy keeping score of our collective and individual failures...

it only feels scary because it's a brand new taste sensation, brother. You've been spoonfed spiritual glop for so long you don't yet recognize the taste of true nourishment.

Don't panic. You can develop a nice rounded palate and appreciate life's subtler nuances, but you will get a spiritual tummyache if you try to digest all the facts too fast. Paradigm shifts swallowed without sufficient careful mastication can reflux on you bigtime!

Take a deep breath, and remember...YOU ARE NOT ALONE. God isn't going to kill you for using your brain and your heart...not today anyway .

26

Amish - JWs similiar problems

by larc in

jw
friends

something to read,.

i just found a site where david yoder describes the amish culture in great detail.

it is fascinating to get an inside view of their world.

Mommie Dark

I always caution tourist who are tempted to buy preserves and baked goods at roadside Amish stands. Remember that Amish customs vary widely between groups. Some of these people do not believe in germ theory and do not practice basic sanitation hygiene. If the hands don't appear dirty, they may not get washed after Mutter wipes her privates in der outhouse. Der gorgeous pickled beans may have been open kettle canned after being wiped off by yesterday's dishrag. The myth of the spotless Amish kitchen is the ideal, not the standard.

If you crave Amish recipe treats I strongly suggest you go to a licensed Amish bakery or restaurant. One that receives regular inspection by the local health department.

In this as in so much of life, CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!

141

JW Kids Leave the Organization: Facts

by Maximus in

jw
friends

the october 1 watchtower 2001 features articles on training children "properly" and dealing with a "prodigal child.

the latest inside u.s. figures reveal that 86% of jw children leave the fold, with some 29% who eventually come back for reasons of family ties, most never "reaching out.

" that means over half leave permanently.

Mommie Dark

"I could not agree more. On the other hand, those with a position on the hill, so to speak, may have an impact where pip squeaks like me have little to no influence."

Even the smallest pip can influence someone or something; have you ever had a pip stuck in your teeth? And it just goes 'squeekysqueek' against that floss no matter what maneuvers you try to dislodge it?...you just never know what will be THE straw that breaks a camel's back. You never know when some tiny seed you planted will suddenly bloom up in a questioning JW's heart.

'Position' is relative. Every sincere voice raised against the Tower's abuses is speaking from a position of power: the power of real unvarnished truth.

18

Do bethelites get social security?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

i was just wondering you know whether in bethel workers get credited with whats called in britian national insurance.. in britian you carnt miss six years of payment and expect a full goverment pension which isn't much anyway.also you cant claim full income support , sickness benifit or job seekers allowence if you have missed or underpaid you ni.. this came to mind as my wife worked for a company that didn't pay contributions for her .. when latter on she lost her job the goverment wouldn't pay her any job seekers allowance as no ni contributions were credited for that year.. so does bethel pay ni contributions for bethelites and circuit overseers and the like.

Mommie Dark

A Bethelite would only receive Social Security retirement money if he had paid into the system. If you haven't paid the tax you don't get a check.

Certain disabilities can qualify you for Social Security Disability, or SSI, whether you have ever worked and paid into the system or not. This pays a maximum of $532 per month.

An old ex-Bethelite is mostly SOL in the USA.

State welfare and disability assistance varies wildly from state to state. Food stamps are usually administered by local welfare departments but are in fact a whole separate system under the Dept. of Ag. In Ohio you gotta register to work and either take the first job offered, or work for the county in a workfare program, to get any of these for more than thirty days (or have proof of disability.)

And of course we have no National Health anything, and state medical assistance programs(and the providers that will serve them), although most children can now get basic preventive care mostly free, also differ widely in different states and even counties.

8

The scariest Place on Earth........

by spike in

jw
friends

no, i'm not referring to the borg palace in n.y. i was watching the tv show where they select a family to spend a night roaming around a haunted island, castle etc.

now if the god/devil concept isn't right, what causes the energy forces to scare the hell out of those people?

if this was discussed before, bear with me i'm a newbie trying to figure out what to believe.. never give up, and never under any circumstances, face the facts-r.gordon

Mommie Dark

The scariest place on earth is the bit of floor just around my family's toilet after all the men get through with their morning whiz.

It takes real courage to go in there and clear off those Spirits of Ammonia!

13

How are you influencing the world spiritually?

by nakedheartpoet in

jw
friends

those of us who are in the ranks of dedicated witnessess what are you doing or plan to do to influence the world around you spiritaully?

like swelling our ranks or being a personal demonstration of the truth?

Mommie Dark

I influence the world spiritually by playing good music real loud so the whole neighborhood can share it with me.

I also spend a lot of time debunking and exposing various cults, particularly the Jehovah's Witness cult, since it is one of the most dangerous mind controlling groups and I know a whole lot about them. This is a wonderful spiritual service to the world. It makes me proud and happy to be of such service to humanity.

23

Holidays: Do you celebrate?

by Vitameatavegamin in

jw
friends

i smell something burning; oh, just me thinking again!!.

anyway, one thing i always missed were the holidays-christmas especially.

i know that this is an unproven celebration to say the least, but i have always loved the warmth and beauty of this holiday, although very commercialized in this day and age.

Mommie Dark

I say, celebrate ALL of 'em! You can get those cool calendars that show every holiday from every culture and nation... if you work at it a bit you can manage a holiday ever week or so! Cinco de Mayo, Hannukah, Yom Kippur, Kwaanza, Saint's days...and of course you can find interesting holiday customs from around the world to embellish your celebrations. We decorate the giant spider for every holiday, too...maybe this year I'll scan his picture for ya, he has a little Santa hat and a web o'lights with precious little stocking, hanging in the window next to the tree...

I don't recommend you try to get your employer to give you time off for all those holidays though .

The trick is, to make the celebrations festive without bankrupting the family. Christmas can be rough with a huge family like ours so we have tried to concentrate on giving the kids a great time without worrying about lots of gifts.

And of course holidays are a great excuse to kick out all the jams and do some major COOKING! My sibs know that what they can expect from Mommie is lots of cookies & bread. Got a standing order for those gingersnaps from one of the little brothers...

I've made it a point to share all holiday origins with Little Dark. We relish every pagan custom and superstition that led to our modern celebrations. It's a good way to connect to the ancestors and to acknowledge the best things about our shared humanity.

28

Favourite Bands...............

by JW72 in

jw
friends

hi everyone, i'm a musician so this poll is quite interesting to me(not that the others aren't.....).. 1. wishbone ash.

2. genesis.

3. extreme.

Mommie Dark

COMG the Focus album you want is called 'Moving Waves' and I don't know for sure but I think Papa may have it somewhere. Email me and I will see about sending it to you.

"Hocus Pocus' and Edgar Winter's 'Frankenstein' play great back to back. Follow them with Funkadelic's 'Maggot Brain' and you don't even need drugs to trip out...

Here's my partial list (my fave band is whichever one is grooving me at the moment):

Cream
Traffic
Grant Lee Buffalo
Weezer
The Beatles
The Temptations
Pink Floyd
Jimi Hendeix Experience
Brian Augur Express

of course there are hundreds of others. It depends on mood, circumstance, and plain old whim.

I learned the joys of pot from Frank Sinatra: Strangers in the Night IS about smoking for the first time, right? (Doobie, doobie, doo---bie doobie doobie, doobie doobie doo--) Oh you Frank, whatta guy!

15

Emily at the Beach

by Undecided in

jw
friends

here is emily at 8 months on the beach at emerald isle, nc.

she's my latest grand daughter.

you can see her personality in this picture.

Mommie Dark

But Friday, I thought your god doesn't want anyone to die, but wants all to attain salvation? If His Revealed Word is so obscure and hard to figure out, that makes it pretty worthless. YOu can't have it both ways...either it's THE guidebook for all seasons or it isn't. If it's obscure and hard to figure out, it's useless as a practical guide for living.

So is the Gospel message of salvation simple and clear and easy to attain, or is it difficult and obscure and you have to work your sorry sinful ass off to figure it out? Which is it?

Sometimes I wonder if you actually lend a second's thought to some of the things you assert. If your god is that devious and tricky, he's a right bastard and doesn't deserve an iota of respect.

14

Is there proof that............

by deceit in

jw
friends

in the bible times, men 'could'/'did' shave their faces?.

the question comes from a conversation with my father (elder).

he says the reason why all men had beards was that they could not shave them because there wasnt anything sharp enough.. i am sure their swords were sharp enough alone to do it.. (he is very against people growing beards, i guess it pisses him off that i've got a goedee now hehe)

Mommie Dark

Some native Americans shaved with sharpened clam shells; they would shave elaborate designs on their heads, shave in ways designed to make them appear more fierce, for personal expression or to display some tribal solidarity. Some tribes made rituals of plucking hair to alter appearance, too.

The comment about not having shaving instruments is just plain ignorance. Humans are toolmakers, and the urge to alter our appearance is as old as the race. Combine the two and it's inevitable that someone would figure out a way to control that pesky hair and make doing so part of some ritual.

I have heard that in ancient Egypt it was common to shave off all body hair as a hygiene measure. I seriously doubt this practice would have gained much favor as an everyday measure unless it was pretty easy to do.