Socrateswannabe

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Posts by Socrateswannabe

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  12

  To Kill A Mockingbird and Prequel

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are you a fan of harper lee's "to kill a mockingbird"?

  i read the book as a child and have read it many times since.

  miss lee obviously wrote the book to entertain us, and she accomplished that.

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  Socrateswannabe

  MILLIE210: Of course you're right about Scout. I think we would all like to have her childlike innocence and genuineness. You could even say the same for Jem and Dill. Dill got physically ill when he saw how Tom Robinson was being mistreated at the trial. There are almost too many role models to list. Tom Robinson was one of the foremost--right up there with Atticus, but many minor characters were admirable too.How about Judge Taylor for appointing Atticus to defend Tom and Sheriff Heck Tate for his support of Atticus. I love the section of the book where Jem has to read to Miss Dubose, as she struggles successfully to get free of her addiction before she dies. Atticus said she was the bravest person he knew. Mr. Dolphus Raymond was 50 years ahead of his time in his views toward race relations, and Link Deas was an uncommonly reasonable man for hiring Helen Robinson when she became a pariah after Tom's arrest. And there are others.

  Really, how does the bible stack up to this? To Kill a Mockingbird has taught me how to live. If I could be 1% the man the fictional Atticus Finch was, my life would be so much better than if I struggled my entire life to live by bible standards.

  WASANELDERONCE: I know you're right. The new book has value and gives insight into the mind of Harper Lee. I should want to read it but TKAM has meant so much to me, I'm not sure I can bring myself to read the new book, no matter its value.
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  12

  To Kill A Mockingbird and Prequel

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  are you a fan of harper lee's "to kill a mockingbird"?

  i read the book as a child and have read it many times since.

  miss lee obviously wrote the book to entertain us, and she accomplished that.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  Socrateswannabe

  Are you a fan of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird"? I read the book as a child and have read it many times since. Miss Lee obviously wrote the book to entertain us, and she accomplished that. It's possible her aim was to educate and influence us, somewhat like Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin". If that was her aim, I think she accomplished that too. Even when I was mentally "in" the Borg, I viewed this book as far superior to the bible in teaching morality, and in motiviting me to want to do good to others. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, Boo Radly, Miss Maudie Atkinson...they are all superior role models in comparison to any bible character I can name, including Jesus.

  Lee's new book, "Go Set a Watchman", I'm not so sure about. I haven't purchased it or read it yet and I'm not sure I want to. How about you? Will you read it? Do you think it should have been published?
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  5

  Salon.com article about Scientology

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  much has been discussed here about the similarities between jws and scientology.

  when i read this article on salon.com, it brought home to me the methodology that all cults, including jws, use to indoctrinate believers.. http://www.salon.com/2015/04/17/secrets_of_the_scientologists_why_people_do_horrible_things_for_belief/.

  its only after years of training, after they have told the church every private fact about themselves, that scientologists hear about xenu and humankinds alien origins.

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  Socrateswannabe

  Much has been discussed here about the similarities between JWs and Scientology. When I read this article on Salon.com, it brought home to me the methodology that all cults, including JWs, use to indoctrinate believers.

  http://www.salon.com/2015/04/17/secrets_of_the_scientologists_why_people_do_horrible_things_for_belief/

  It’s only after years of training, after they have told the church every private fact about themselves, that Scientologists hear about Xenu and humankind’s alien origins. Unsurprisingly, even after many years, Haggis and others still found the creation myth hard to stomach. Haggis even wondered if it was an “insanity test.”
  

  Curiously, none of those interviewed in the film exited Scientology at that junction. As Haggis put it, “you have already paid for the next [session],” your social life centered around the church, and, besides, you weren’t required to believe it. “If you were told [about Xenu the galactic overlord] on day one,” wonders the journalist Tony Ortega, “how many people would join?” He describes the Scientologist strategy as a “bait and switch.” But Scientology has perfected something more nuanced–a technique that separates the process of investing in belief from that of belief itself: By the time Scientologists are told about the creation myth, they have many persuasive emotional reasons to believe in it, or rather, to try to believe it.

  Scientology’s persuasiveness is not in the logic of its beliefs but in its ability to control behavior. People believe in Xenu and thetans because it becomes exceedingly difficult not to in light of all they have committed to the church.
  
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  18

  GB Bodyguards

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i have heard that at the international conventions and even at us headquarters, the governing body travel with entourages or bodyguards.

  does anyone know this to be a fact?

  if so, why?

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  Socrateswannabe

  I have heard that at the international conventions and even at US Headquarters, the governing body travel with entourages or bodyguards. Does anyone know this to be a fact? If so, why?
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  4

  Jehovah and FDS lack an understanding of basic human psychology

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i wonder if jehovah and the faithful slave lack an understanding of basic human psychology.

  i think its pretty common to succumb to things that you are being constantly warned against.

  your thinking is, if they want so much to keep this from me, its probably something that is very good, and i should try it.

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  Socrateswannabe

  Hey Vidiot, I hadn't thought about it that way but you are so right. It's all about control and they have created the perfect vicious circle that leads back to their control over everything. And Steve2, it is sad that millions of people have no other solution to turn to other than what they read from the FDS. You're right, there are no real solutions to be found there.
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  4

  Jehovah and FDS lack an understanding of basic human psychology

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i wonder if jehovah and the faithful slave lack an understanding of basic human psychology.

  i think its pretty common to succumb to things that you are being constantly warned against.

  your thinking is, if they want so much to keep this from me, its probably something that is very good, and i should try it.

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  Socrateswannabe

  I wonder if Jehovah and the faithful slave lack an understanding of basic human psychology. I think it’s pretty common to succumb to things that you are being constantly warned against. Your thinking is, if they want so much to keep this from me, it’s probably something that is very good, and I should try it. It seems counter-productive to try to motivate people by using negative stimuli. Using positive stimuli seems like the more god-like thing to do, but there’s very little of that in the bible or the Watchtower.

  You would think that the WTS would evolved with the times and realize their mistake. But along comes the January 15, 2015 study edition of the Watchtower, and the article that was discussed at last week’s meeting: “Let Jehovah Fortify and Safeguard Your Marriage”. Here are excerpts from paragraph 4:

  “How is it possible for a Christian to be drawn into immoral conduct? Christians who have fallen into wrongdoing have weakened their moral defenses by viewing pornography, reading erotic literature…watching lurid material on the Internet…sexually explicit movies, stage shows or television programs. Some have visited nightclubs and strip shows or have gone to massage parlors for sensual massages.”

  So if you’re a teenage kid sitting in the audience listening to this stuff, how does this not make you think about what it would be like to look at pornography, go to a strip club, or visit a massage parlor? Isn't this just planting the seed?
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  26

  Please help me figure out my dreams

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, this may be the stupidest post ever.

  i am stumped for an answer and would love to hear your opinions, though.

  every week or two for the last couple of years, i have a dream--or at least that's what i'm calling it--that consists of me waking up or thinking that i've waked up, and seeing the ceiling of my darkened bedroom filled with algebraic equations.

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  Socrateswannabe

  Thanks everyone. This has all been very helpful.
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  26

  Please help me figure out my dreams

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, this may be the stupidest post ever.

  i am stumped for an answer and would love to hear your opinions, though.

  every week or two for the last couple of years, i have a dream--or at least that's what i'm calling it--that consists of me waking up or thinking that i've waked up, and seeing the ceiling of my darkened bedroom filled with algebraic equations.

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  Socrateswannabe

  @ Witness My Fury: Thank you for the information on Oliver Sacks. I read the article from the link and a bit more on Wiki and this sounds really interesting.
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  26

  Please help me figure out my dreams

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, this may be the stupidest post ever.

  i am stumped for an answer and would love to hear your opinions, though.

  every week or two for the last couple of years, i have a dream--or at least that's what i'm calling it--that consists of me waking up or thinking that i've waked up, and seeing the ceiling of my darkened bedroom filled with algebraic equations.

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  Socrateswannabe

  Thanks everyone. LisaRose, you may have nailed it. I appreicate the insight.
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  26

  Please help me figure out my dreams

  by Socrateswannabe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, this may be the stupidest post ever.

  i am stumped for an answer and would love to hear your opinions, though.

  every week or two for the last couple of years, i have a dream--or at least that's what i'm calling it--that consists of me waking up or thinking that i've waked up, and seeing the ceiling of my darkened bedroom filled with algebraic equations.

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  Socrateswannabe

  @ Xanthippe, interesting observation and thank you. However I don't believe that I am sleep deprived, meaning I get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. And I don't believe I have sleep apnea, so I'm assuming that those hours are good sleep.