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This is what, just ordinary spam? We allow that here now?
NeonMadman
JoinedPosts by NeonMadman
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NeonMadman
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21
Do you know the real purpose of the Society?
by compound complex inthe following notes on fred franz's conducting of the morning bible discussion [17 november 1979] were taken by a bethelite and later given to ray franz:.
some persons are now talking about reading the bible, that we should read "just the bible.
" well, that's what christendom's churches have been telling the people to do for centuries and look at the mess that's resulted.
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NeonMadman
... Topics must relate to the 19th century "history" theme of this site, and must NOT speak negatively of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Society, or the "Pioneers".
That's going to be pretty hard to do, since the truth about the Society's origins will tend to reflect negatively upon the organization. As they study the history of the Society, are they allowed to mention all the silly teachings and false prophecies?
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Older posters check in...just post your name...we need to hear from you!
by restrangled ini am not the oldest but have 3 years here!
restrangled.. how about you?.
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NeonMadman
Been here since 2001, though I don't post so much anymore.
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Things I learned at the 2009 DC !!!
by tresdecu inunfortunately i had the "flu" friday and saturday.
but i made it to the sunday session to make an apperance.. on sunday, i learned that we are,... ready, this is a new one for me :"...on the doorstep of the great tribulation..." so close brothers!
so close!.
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NeonMadman
>>Also I saw the most hilarious bathroom bros. - Three 'brothers' standing in front of the sis's bathroom. Two holding a sign saying "closed" and one in the middle holding a sign saying "cleaning in progress"
They probably needed to have three guys guarding the door in case any nasty apostates tried to burst into the bathroom and disrupt the important work of Jehovah's organization.
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Do You Have an LP Record Collection?
by compound complex ingreetings, audiophiles:.
i have had my own records - 78s, 45s as well as lps - since the 1950s and was given an entire collection from a private lending library.
i wonder if those never opened are worth $omething .... and you?.
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NeonMadman
I probably have over 1000 LP's in boxes in my cellar. I'd love to take them out and listen to some of them, but they are kinda buried and I have no place to put them if I took them out. It would just be another big mess...
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San Diego Pastor & Wife Told They Can't Have Bible Study Group In Their Home!
by minimus inabout 15 people meet for a bible study in the home of the pastor.
the county has informed him that he cannot have a religious assembly in his home without first applying for a very expernsive permit.. hmmm.
maybe the society took home book studies away for legal reasons.. personally, i think the government has no right to tell people they can't meet up for bible study..
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NeonMadman
ETA: I'm not allowed to run a business out of my home if it generates traffic. Why should my rights to conduct business be less than someone's rights to conduct religious services?
Municipalities generally have zoning laws that restrict businesses. This is so that General Motors can't plop a production plant in the middle of a residential neighborhood so that the residents have to deal with the traffic, pollution, and whatever else it generates. I suppose you could argue the same thing about a large church, but (1) we aren't talking about a large church here, we are talking about a home gathering of 15 or so people; and (2) while religious freedom and freedom of assembly are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, freedom to conduct business wherever and whenever one desires are not. So, constitutionally at least, I think the freedom to conduct religious services is a freedom of a higher order than that to conduct business.
A government saying, "You can't have large meetings in this building because it's a fire and traffic safety hazard," does not restrict anyone's right to practice their religion.
True enough, although again, I would ask whether other comparable gatherings are being permitted while religious services are being prohibited. If political gatherings, lodge meetings, clubs and societies of various stripes are allowed to meet and religious gatherings are banned, then I think that unconstitutional religious discrimination is being practiced. If NOBODY can have a large meeting in such a building because it is seen as a fire and safety hazard, then fine. Otherwise, the allegation of "fire and safety hazard" is just being used as an excuse to discriminate against religion. And, of course, 15 people gathering in a private home is not a "large meeting" that should be subject to such regulation anyway.
When I worked inpatient psych, people used to pull the Religious Freedom card all the time. They tried to say we had to allow them to do anything done under the guise of religion
Obviously, not everything claimed as a right under the rubric of religious freedom needs to be allowed. The examples you cited are a good example of where reasonableness needs to be applied. Society can't allow human sacrifice because someone claims that is what their religion requires, nor need we accommodate those whose religion involves the use of illegal substances. But we are not discussing these extremes. We are talking about whether a homeowner is allowed to have a reasonable number of friends over to visit - for whatever purpose - in his privately owned home, or whether the state has the right to interfere with such gatherings when religion is involved. When my daughter was a teenager, we had several parties in which 30 or 40 people were present at our house. Should the government have shut us down? Would it have been different if the people were there for a Bible study instead of a party? In fact, I would expect the Bible study to have a greater degree of protection than a party. Frankly, the fact that we are even discussing the matter gives me great concern for the future of freedom in this country. A few decades ago, such governmental interference would have been unthinkable.
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San Diego Pastor & Wife Told They Can't Have Bible Study Group In Their Home!
by minimus inabout 15 people meet for a bible study in the home of the pastor.
the county has informed him that he cannot have a religious assembly in his home without first applying for a very expernsive permit.. hmmm.
maybe the society took home book studies away for legal reasons.. personally, i think the government has no right to tell people they can't meet up for bible study..
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NeonMadman
Since everyone is reading this as a parking and congestion issue (which I'm really not getting from the article itself, but I guess that is possibly the county's concern), I'd have to wonder whether other similar activities are similarly prohibited in the area. Are cub scout troops allowed to meet in private homes with attendances of 15 or so? How about Superbowl parties - do the residents have to restrict them to a certain size? What about birthday or anniversary parties? The article mentions Tupperware parties, people meeting regularly for poker night, people who meet regularly to watch baseball, etc. Are all these activities also prohibited in private homes in the area because of parking and congestion issues? If not, then what we are seeing here is a pretty clear case of religious discrimination and a violation of the First Amendment. If NO gatherings over a certain size are allowed, then at least the county would be consistent in enforcing its ban (though I'm still not sure it would be within its rights to do so). But if some gatherings are allowed and others of similar size and scope are proibited because of the nature of the meeting, then the Christians are being discriminated against.
By the way, the First Amendment guarantees the right to practice one's religion and the right to assemble peaceably. It does not guarantee the right to live in a neighborhood with ample available parking at all times and freedom from occasional heavy traffic. Obviously, if the participants at the study were violating the law in the way that they parked their cars, then the law should be enforced by ticketing and/or towing the cars, not by shutting down the assembly.
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NeonMadman
What was the question again?
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11
WBTS BOOKS PRINTED IN MEXICO?
by badboy inwhat does the bible really teach says it is printed in mexico.
what a surprise!.
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NeonMadman
The newest editions of the Kingdom Interlinear Translation are being printed in Brazil.
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I was counciled for putting in Pioneer hours and not officially "Pioneering"
by RubaDub ini didn't want to hijack the thread about people having to "wait" until the society approves their pioneer status.. i recall once an elder was shocked that i had done the 60 hours a couple of months but not officially on the pioneer list for the months.
i told him that i didn't need the title, that the purpose was to do the work, not get a title.. i then heard a long lecture about how that was not encouraging to others, etc, etc, etc.. he got rather annoyed when i asked him what the purpose of the preaching work is.
of course he said to spread the good news.
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NeonMadman
I think I would have simply answered, "Don't worry, brother. I'm very sorry to have offended and you can be sure that I'll never put that many hours in service again."