http://kent.steinhaug.com/forum/showthread.php?s=4482111f612323457bbe52046903bccf&threadid=603
i for one am really sad about it though.
the watchtower observer was the first xjw site i found.. i will miss you kent and thanks so much for everything you have done.. gravedancer
I don't think this is good news but probably a good personal decision. We all do what we can and Kent has certainly done alot. But there is a time to let things go, to think about oneself and their family and to not let the WT rob you of anything more.
Thanks for all of your hard work. You will be missed.
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there was never a time in my life when i felt more alone than when the first wife moved out, unannounced.
i came home from work one day and the house was practically empty and she hadn't said a single word.
it was a betrayal/disappointment/disloyalty that, truth be told, i still have not recovered from and probably never will.
Yes, that last paragraph was most unexpected and brilliant. Nice post and it's good to see you were able to hold on through an incredibly painful experience. I hope more people read this.
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there are certainly enough valid criticisms of the wts and the jw religion, but a significant number of often-repeated criticisms of the religion are, imnsho, just ludicruous and serves to take attention away from the real issues.
significant problems with the wts includes, but are not limited to, the shunning policy, the blood issue and of course the corporate policy of hiding child molestors.. here is a list of criticisms of the wts that i find particularly annoying to see:.
russell was a freemason (or, even worse, the wts is part of some other large-scale conspiracy like the illuminati).
As was already said, thanks for a thread that was long overdue.
Unless we hold to a high degree of accuracy and reasonableness we will keep shooting ourselves in the feet.
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since he was 6 years old my son has been good friends with a boy in our hall, they are both in their teens now.
his friend has recently tried to ignite their friendship again.
i was happy for my son because this friend of his is really a great kid, a fine person.
I would just make sure he gets an education. Odds are pretty good they both will leave at some point. This religion no longer makes sense to young people and I think it is a matter of time before all of them are gone.
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well, here are my thoughts on the subject.
we sit here and bash the wbts for having gender separation, but what about us apostates?
do the women apostates carry as much weight as the men, and why do you say so?
I wouldn't concede the women here are any less aggressive against the WT. There are several social groups represented by large numbers of women that aggressively promote their cause and carry out their agenda.
I do see a tendancy to put more weight to some and to look to established cliques for some sort of "direction". That these inner circles exist among exJWs is likely to be distasteful but unfortunately is a natural progression of things imo. That these inner circles are largely directed by men also could be frustrating by those who were hoping for a more diverse mix after the WT.
I think that women are empowered to do as they will but it remains up to them to choose to use those freedoms that are there. For everyone wishing more women were more "important", many also seem to be content with things as they are. Maybe old attitudes just die hard.
Even the Society has remarked that women are more trustworthy in the public eye. Why they have not used women as representatives to the media like they had planned I do not know. But I would love to see more exJW women acting as spokespersons for children's issues and blood issues etc.
I still smile at Lisa's post where she was having an argument or something with someone and just without hessitation phoned Brooklyn for the straight goods. That kind of thing is so cool because you know half of us guys that never ask for directions are like "well we just can't call Brooklyn"... That would be just too obvious.
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a short version,if you haven't heard it already.. abc asked toby keith to appear on their fourth of july special,hosted by peter jennings.in fact they asked keith to open the show with his new patriotic song courtesy of the red,white and blue.that was until jennings got around to listening to the song,apparentley.after which he found the lyrics personally offensive,and insisted that keith be cut from the show.in particular,the line"we'll put a boot in your ass/cause it's the american way"(i've posted the complete lyrics on the thread vincent's goes underground,in case you're interested).
reaction from the music community,both country and pop,has been overwhelmongly in keith's favor.an oklahoma city radio station has started a drive to collect old boots (the crustier,the better).sign 'em,bring 'em in and they'll ship the lot to jennings...guess he can figure out where they're intended to go.several other stations across the country are doing the same.. on a related note,charlie daniels was cut from pbs's fourth of july special because he planned to do his new song the last fallen hero.pbs spokesmen said they had hoped that charlie would perform "some zesty fiddle tunes".... sad that our celebration of freedom isn't free.... nuff said,.
cowboy.
Because of Jennings' Canadian and more international perspective he probably realizes the song essentially confirms the distasteful stereotypes of why America is disliked around the world.
The song IMO is glorifying patriotism and basically saying that war, revenge and violence are the "American way" and that is not the best image to be putting forth to the world. Sure that is the "American way" but from the perspective of the outside world is that something to be proud of?
The performance being in America and for the 4th of July is not likely to be of international interest, but at a time when America is trying to get international support for expanding their 'war on terrorism' I can see why Jennings would not be supportive of this particular performance.
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thought everyone would like to hear some great news about the calgary blood case.
i was sent the following, which i've modified to protect the guilty:.
at the witnesses' request, the trial has been put over till october.
Old Hippie,
I appreciated that quote from Greg Stafford and your personal comments. While I don't personally agree with them, I do find them to be respectable and reasonable on a certain level.
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thought everyone would like to hear some great news about the calgary blood case.
i was sent the following, which i've modified to protect the guilty:.
at the witnesses' request, the trial has been put over till october.
It is interesting that the WT has agreed to compromise on such an important issue for them just to prevent their dirty laundry and hypocrisy from being aired in public.
Asside from the Stratton victory, the WT has been really hit hard in recent months and cannot seem to get the upper hand on any front. I wonder how long they can keep running and hiding?
I really hope this girl can recover and get well and live long enough to appreciate the larger picture. I think time will tell if we really "won" but my hat's off to all who helped give her a chance.
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being spiritual, what is it?
that title looks like a watchtower article, doesn't it?
i raise this question after reading a recent thread, regarding what people believe now that they are no longer a witness.
I find it frustrating even in the exJW community when you have conversations with those who constantly lecture me on my failure to be "conscious of my spiritual need".
Since I would consider myself agnostic, I think spirituality for me is an awareness of the bigger picture, of one's role in the community and nature and how we view and accept that role. It is a constant journey of learning from others and the world around us and then sharing that knowlege with others as they grow as well. Accepting that death is inevitable and appreciating our time is relatively short should drive us to spend these few years in love and peace instead of hatred and war and making the world will be a better place for the generations that follow.
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i'm a jw and i know jw's are not supposed to have tattoos but im wondering if its ok to get my ear pierced.if anyone has any information regarding this please reply.thank you.
If you were a JW you would surely know the answer to your own question. What do you think the answer is?
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