i want to officially retract the opening statment of my "does anyone else not care about katrina?
" thread.. i've been watching coverage like a hawk all day, and it cannot be compared to the homeless problem in our country.
i still stand by what i said, which is that we should always support and feel compassion for those who are less fortunate, even when cnn is not involved, but this is definitely different.
My grocery store...Publix...has a thing where I can donate at the checkout when I buy my groceries. It's very handy. Also, I volunteered with my company. They are donating some cash, as well as two tractors, drivers, and fuel to pull relief supplies to the Gulf Coast for some local charitable organizations. I have volunteered to be one of the drivers...but my boss says that I'll have to take a number as the majority of our 50 drivers have made the same offer.
Ern
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i have to say that generally the criticism on this board toward jws is over the top.. i personally have huge problems with the 'truth' right now in my life but i notice the ones who have literally nothing good to say about anything.. there are a lot of good witnesses and a lot of good doctrine and a lot of good motives among jws.. criticism fine, but jesus commended when due.. .
There are a lot of good Witnesses and a lot of good doctrine and a lot of good motives among JWs
I can certainly agree that there are a lot of good witnesses....my mother, my daughter and my wife among them. There are a lot of a-holes there too. A person's religion does not define who they are or what kind of people they will be. The good ones would be that way no matter what their religious preference...the a-holes...same deal.
As far as doctrine, the JW's doctrine for the most part, is not unique. They share alot of doctrine with other groups including the Worldwide Church of God and the Seventh Day Adventists. The founders of all three religions came out of that same bible study group in Pennsylvania that CT Russell did.
As far as motives, well...as many have said "the road to hell is paved with good intentions..." Good motives do not justify one's actions. The whole civil war in the US was sold by southern leaders as a "way to preserve our heritage and way of life"...the same for racial discrimination down through the years....it still doesn't excuse the acts committed in the furthering of these "innocent" motives.
I do welcome you 5th...and I wish you well in figuring out your feelings about the WTS. Each person has to define those feelings for themselves. For my part, I don't have ill will towards individual members...for the most part...but I do have a problem with this organization that claims to be the sole tool of God.
Ern
well, fall is here and it's that time for new shows to come on tv.
what shows are you looking forward to watching?
i marked the ones i want to see in red.
My wife and I watched Rome on HBO. Wow...that's a great show. I'm also looking forward to a new season of "The Shield". I don't get much time for TV during the week...but when I do I enjoy CSI and Law & Order.
Ern
why do people do that?
she told me herself she thinks the religion is bullshit but she has that nagging doubt of what if it's true.
i am trying to wrap my mind around that comment.
I get a kick out of people who "hedge their bets" this way. I actually had a friend tell me that this was a reason to go back...."well, what if you are wrong?" To me, it's a matter of a person not being willing to take a stand, in spite of what they know.
Ern
i had plenty of friends when i was a kid.
great memories of kick ball, dirt bomb wars, hot wheels, etc.. i had plenty of friends when i was a teenager.
great memories of cruising ashley street in valdosta, listening to the radio, playing board games.. i had plenty of friends when i was in my 20's.
I think I understand what you are saying. Many of my "friends" from my younger days were really merely aqauintences. I moved to Nashville about 6 1/2 years ago. I knew no one, save my new wife and her family. I spent about 3 years in that situation...then it was time to meet people. I really only have three close friends...one is still a JW and I have known him nearly all my life. Our friendship is not determined by the elders in his congregation...or even by his occasional self righteous jag...
My other friend...well...he and I spent the better part of 18 months living 5 days a week in the cab of a truck. We spent more time with each other than we did with our wives. He knows more about me than pretty much any other person on the planet.
My 3rd friend...well, we met a the race track...and bonded instantly.
all three of these guys are about as different from one another as they can be. I think that one reason why I have so few friends is because of self analyzation. I came to realize that as a younger person, I wanted friends, yet I wasn't a very good friend to others. In my attempts to change this, I would rather have fewer friends but be able to be genuine and devote the time to them that a real friend should.
Ern
hey, all.. i was doing the fun (task) of going over our budget.
i use quicken..pretty handy...anyhoo....i was appalled by how high i have allowed the credit card balances to get...eeek.
so i wanted to figure out how much i need to pay to get them paid off.
My wife uses Quiken for her finances...I use QuickBooks. Those guys at Intuit put out some really great tools.
Thanks for the link. We don't have high credit balances, but any tool that can help me keep finances under control is a great thing.
Ern
i officially have a home and a morgage.
i'm so excited.
this weekend i'm going to be painting the interior and you would belive who is helping me....my jw mom and my jw uncle!!
Yep...Congrats dude. You will become a regular at Lowe's and they will become intimate with your checking account and credit card. It's really fun though. I moved to my current house in January. Already, the way I keep my lawn and the exterior of my home has begun to influence the neighbors into keeping their places up. I also have another home that we moved from in January. The games really get interesting when you have to keep up two places. But, as many have said, realestate is the best investment....
Also, if you can afford it, take up the offer for a house keeper. We just did. It's great to have your weekends not filled with those chores...it allows you to do all those other non-cleaning chores.
Ern
When I was about 4 or 5, at a book study things were grinding to a close. The conductor asked "Does anyone have any more announcements?" I raised my hand and was called on....why, I have no idea....
I puffed up proudly and announced to the group...."My dad got me a new Tonka truck!" Everyone was rolling.
I also was in a congregation that was dissolved by the C.O. because our territory was so hard hearted that our 2 elders and 1 mini-servant were "being wasted on the area." We then had to drive nearly 45 minutes each way to and from meetings.
Ern
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i can't believe this guy goes round slapping parking tickets on people's cars by day and slapping "you can live forever" leaflets through people's doors at the weekend.. it would be funny if he got mixed up one day and started booking people with messages of a paradise earth.. well, i guess jesus loved tax collectors too.
I have photos of me on car park attendance. Did we all carry F***ing cameras around with us or what?
I don't know about that, but it was one hell of a good way to get out of sitting through the boring session. Besides, it gave a good vantage point to scope out the chics coming into the lot.
Ern
do you think it matters?
how long did it take for you to start voting?
was it liberating?.
I voted for the first time last November. I figure that in my local elections, it's very important for me to have my say....
As for national elections, well....I'm an independent. I don't know how much my vote counts...but it does feel rather cathartic.
Ern
