Haha! I ALWAYS think of this scene!
CoonDawg
JoinedPosts by CoonDawg
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7
New World Order Conspiracies and God Theories
by sabastious ingenerally, new world order conspiracies say that the whole world is controlled by maybe a few malevolent familes.
god therories say that god, a force of pure benevolence, is in full control of the universe and therefore the happenings on this planet.
new world order conspiracies say that these leaders are not in our best interest and must be removed from power by human means.
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"Do You Think They Are Extremist Publications?" Well, Yes!
by metatron infrom the may 1 watchtower, complaining about those poor misunderstood witnesses in russia, who are (gasp!
) actually accused of being extremists!
can you imagine!.
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CoonDawg
I love John Milton. We read Aeropagitica for a class last spring. It was a real eye opener. Milton was affiliated with opposition that tried to depose the king of England in the 1600s. His writing of an anti-censorship tome such as this at that time, when you could literally lose your head for it, is AMAZING! This quote isn't even the best part. It's definitely recommended reading, IMO.
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New World Order Conspiracies and God Theories
by sabastious ingenerally, new world order conspiracies say that the whole world is controlled by maybe a few malevolent familes.
god therories say that god, a force of pure benevolence, is in full control of the universe and therefore the happenings on this planet.
new world order conspiracies say that these leaders are not in our best interest and must be removed from power by human means.
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CoonDawg
When I was a kid, that's what the WT called it: the New Order - not the currently in vogue "new system."
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Who Do You Know Holds The World Record For The Most DFings?
by Was New Boy inwho holds the world record for the most disfellowshipings [ an reinstatments] in a single life time?.
i knew of one poor person charleen moss (roy baty's sister) who did it seven times.
she was a classic damed if i do, damed if i don't.
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CoonDawg
There was a cong. in Kentucky that was basicly a swingers club. They DF most of the elder body and dissolved the cong. My aunt and her hubby were there at the time. I always wondered if they had playmates too. They are two of the most smug self-righteous JWs alive. (they had a shotgun wedding to start off their marriage).
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"Do You Think They Are Extremist Publications?" Well, Yes!
by metatron infrom the may 1 watchtower, complaining about those poor misunderstood witnesses in russia, who are (gasp!
) actually accused of being extremists!
can you imagine!.
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CoonDawg
Yes, but I'm talking about banning the books too. I mean, banning books is simply counterproductive. In the words of Milton from Aeropagitica:
The worthy man, loath to give offence, fell into a new debate with himself what was to be thought; when suddenly a vision sent from God (it is his own epistle that so avers it) confirmed him in these words: READ ANY BOOKS WHATEVER COME TO THY HANDS, FOR THOU ART SUFFICIENT BOTH TO JUDGE ARIGHT AND TO EXAMINE EACH MATTER. To this revelation he assented the sooner, as he confesses, because it was answerable to that of the Apostle to the Thessalonians, PROVE ALL THINGS, HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD. And he might have added another remarkable saying of the same author: TO THE PURE, ALL THINGS ARE PURE; not only meats and drinks, but all kind of knowledge whether of good or evil; the knowledge cannot defile, nor consequently the books, if the will and conscience be not defiled.
For books are as meats and viands are; some of good, some of evil substance; and yet God, in that unapocryphal vision, said without exception, RISE, PETER, KILL AND EAT, leaving the choice to each man's discretion. Wholesome meats to a vitiated stomach differ little or nothing from unwholesome; and best books to a naughty mind are not unappliable to occasions of evil.
As all of us here know, their own literature is the best argument against them. Why ban the books?
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Moving 1000 miles in 28 days need suggestions
by TotallyADD inas many know my wife and i will be moving and starting a new business this summer.
in many ways it will bring freedom to us for no one knows us where we are moving.
being a born-in i would like to ask all of you what are some great ways we can meet new people and make friendships outside the jw cult?
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CoonDawg
My last move was the best one ever...950 miles from Nashville, TN to Fort Myers, FL. When I packed, I got to sit in my recliner and tell a small army "oh, that's for the master bedroom." or "Oh, you'll need to extra bubble wrap that, it's an antique." Then, once it was packed and on the truck, I told the driver..."I'm heading out. I'll see you when you get to Florida." Then I drove 14 hours straight through to my new home.
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A long and unexpected JW encounter
by AuntBee inhi guys!
i pull up to my daugher's home in phoenix this morning, just got there from tucson for a visit.
and lo and behold, 2 jw are walking up the driveway.
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CoonDawg
I'd have asked them why God, who had thousands of years with the Jews as his chosen people and infinity before that, is so effed up that he can't communicate clearly what truth is the first time. Seems to me that he'd have had plenty of practice by now and should at least have that part down pat. ...... Sheesh...five year old....my BUTT!
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A guy that I went to HS with is giving our public talk Sunday.
by Joliette in...i think he knows that i no longer believe that jw's are the 'the truth' buuuut, i still want to go and hear his talk.
he wrote on his facebook status today that he's very nervous but looking forward to it..
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CoonDawg
Just catch his eye and mouth the words "Your fly is down!"
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When Sects are Cults
by Lunatic Faith ini know this is a long post and i'm sorry.
but this is a paper i wrote for my sociology final this term.
i was supposed to look at some aspect of my life sociologically.
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CoonDawg
Very cool, Luna! Here is one I wrote for a class called "Second Language and Culture Acquisition"
Cultural Self-Study and Reflection
The cultural background of my family is not easily defined. My parents both came from Midwestern families with typical conservative ideals. They were both raised in large, white, middle class families in smaller cities in Kansas. They were taught to have a good work ethic and that nothing is free. Both subscribed to high control, evangelical, fundamentalist Christian religious sects. My parents raised their children within the model that they had been reared within.
As Rugh (2001) mentions, Midwestern culture is rooted in the values of the family farm mentality. Even for the non-religious, the lens through which traditional Midwesterners view the world is influenced by Calvinist / Protestant traditional values. A belief in God and a shunning sloth are two dominant qualities found within much of Midwestern society. My parents brought us up with these values in mind. My parents always strived to instill in their children a strong work ethic. This training has stayed with me as an adult. My siblings and I have always valued hard work and the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. This work ethic actually makes it difficult to identify with those who seem to accept half-hearted or lackluster job performance as adequate.
Though my parents had a strong work ethic, my family lived below the poverty level for the majority of my years at home. My siblings and I learned early in our lives to make do with what we had. The low socioeconomic level of our family served as a motivator to both me and my brother. We both wanted more from life. In this, neither of us followed in our parents’ footsteps. This cultural aspect motivates me to work hard and make smart choices when it comes to financial issues. I recall what it felt like to struggle from day to day to meet the financial obligations for a family of six. Though I’ve experienced financial hardship as an adult, the thought of struggling the way my parents did is abhorrent to me. This is strong factor in my decision making process.
Our low socioeconomic status tangentially exposed us to other cultures at an early age. Our family tended to live in poorer neighborhoods that had high ethnic minority populations. I’ve always considered this a positive in my life because in my formative years, my daily associates and friends were a diverse group. In fact, during my sixth grade year, my sister and I made up half of the white population at the school we attended. I’d like to think that this influences how I view minorities. I am able to be empathetic to those who are the minority in any given group because of my experiences. It has helped me to be sensitive to the cultural differences of others and, more importantly, the common ground shared by all.
The largest cultural influence, for me, is my religious background. My parents were both second generation Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though I am no longer a member of this sect of Christianity, it continues to play a part in my thoughts, actions, and decision making. As a young person, the tenants of this high control religion contributed to a sense of isolation. The religious leaders, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS), tell young people the following:
Even godless people may manifest fine qualities. But if you choose them as your close friends, your thinking, faith, and conduct will be affected. Thus, in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul stated: “Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers.”— 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, 1989).
With this sort of prohibition on association with non-believers, this seriously limited the depth of the relationships that were developed with my peers. These prohibitions were enforced by a policy of excommunication for those who would go against the rules put in place by the church leaders. The shunning of those who are nonconformists extends even to family members (WBTS, 1988, pp. 26-30). This judgmental view not only affected my dealings with my teachers and classmates, but it also limited the contact that our family had with non-believing extended family members.
My view of education, as a young person, was also heavily influenced by my family’s religious beliefs. During those formative years when my classmates were being introduced to the idea of college, I was being steered away from college. Church leaders at that time steered young church members away from higher education in favor of full time ministry. Those leaders promoted their own non-academic publications as providing and education equivalent to a college degree (WBTS, 1983).
Though I am not a practicing Jehovah’s Witness, some of the teachings stay with me. I know that my mother’s example of having a steady moral compass is something on which I will always rely. The example of doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing has become part of my own ethical code, and one that I hope to exemplify to my children and the students in my classroom.
In my adult life, I’ve tried to make up for lost time. Though discouraged from pursuing higher education as a teen, I treasure the opportunities that education has given to me. In my case, the culture that I was a part of as a youngster has inspired me. Though my inspiration takes me in a direction contrary to my cultural indoctrination, it is what energizes and motivates me as a future teacher. It’s what has helped me to be a lifelong learner and a voracious reader. It’s what makes me take my civic duties seriously and fuels my desire to push my students to contribute to their communities to make them better places. It helps me value the contribution that women make to our society, though I was always taught that women were to be subservient to men. I’ve been able to take up the challenge of listening to what others have to say and realize that their beliefs are just as important to them as mine are to me. I no longer dismiss these as simply the ideas of those that church elders have determined to be “bad associates.” This self-imposed direction does give me a low threshold for individuals who appear to choose willful ignorance. However, this doesn’t allow me to give up on trying to show even these the value of intellectual pursuits.
It is my goal to reach out to my students in a manner that uses the best of my cultural background while always considering that of my students.
References
Rugh, Susan Sessions. Our Common Country: Family, farming, Culture, and Community in the Nineteenth- Century Midwest. 2001. Indiana University Press. Bloomington, IN.
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, (1989). Questions young people ask, answers that work . Brooklyn, NY: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York.
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. (1983, June 15). An excellent education. The Watchtower , 31.
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. (1988, April 15).Discipline that can yield peaceable fruit. The Watchtower , 26-30.
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It is truly a "Dog & Pony" Show !
by Pitchess Co-Gen inmy bother ( who i don't really talk too because of a different issue with him ) and i got disfellowshipped on the same day ( 2/28/09 ).
ive been pretty inconstant when it comes to meeting attendance ( i haven't been in more than six months ), while ever sence my brother and his wife had a baby he's been super regular at the meeting ( nine months straight without missing one meeting !).
when he turned in his reinstatement letter ( by the way he moved to a new congregation ).
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CoonDawg
My ex was DF during the process of our divorce. I had let her know that if I wasn't having sex, she wasn't supposed to be having it either. Anyhow, she was DF. She flew in the face of everything that someone who was repentent was supposed to do. She showed up at JW functions and acted like everything was normal. She went out barhopping w/ a "weak" sister who was a friend, she lived w/ the guy that she'd been cheating on me with...then she dumps him and takes up w/ another guy...starts porking him and then cuts him off and informs him that if he wants anymore of that punanni that he has to study and become a JW and marry her. They've been married for about 8 years now. When they were going to reinstate her, the PO called me to tell me. I laughed in his face (well, his phone anyway) and asked on what planet she's been repentent -because it sure as hell wasn't on this one! His answer? "Well, it's almost been a year, and we have to give her another chance." There's your JW justice. DF and be hardcore on some because they committed a minor infraction...then let the hypocritical jihadist-style JW back in the fold. Go figure.