Posts by Pathofthorns

107

Ray Franz And Things That Are Too Hard To Handle.

by Englishman in

jw
friends

i see that ray franz is coming in for a fair bit of criticism due to his apparrant unwillingness to accept that jw's had a problem with the existence of child abuse when he was a member of the gb.

also, it would appear that ray is being chided for his belief in the rule of 2 witnesses before action can be taken against an abuser.

it seems to me that it is quite likely that ray wasn't aware that there was a serious abuse problem within the society when he was a member of the gb, if only for the reason that ray would find such an activity so detestable that he would believe it to be a virtually impossible act for anyone to perpetrate.

Pathofthorns

I also can't see a problem with Ray leaving out a discussion on the WT and child abuse. The subject is a trap door imo and I wouldn't put in my book if I was him either. Perhaps in the future if and when more details come to light, but not yet.

I think the UN issue is a whole different thing, and is a subject Ray can approach with much more certainty. As has been said, it is Ray's book and he can write what he wishes.

And as for the "beating a dead horse" comments, well no one is forcing you to continue opening these threads, so please skip over them. And maybe mention to Bill to stop starting threads on the subject elsewhere if he truly believes the interests of abused persons are of more importance than his pride.

Path

14

Respecting God-given Authority

by Marvin Shilmer in

jw
friends

respecting god-given authority.

the watchtower bible and tract society (wts) teaches jehovah's witnesses (jws) that "anointed servants" of god are endowed with an appointment of authority over christians.

the basis of this teaching is the biblical text of matthew 24:45-47, which reads, .

Pathofthorns

An outstanding post. While what you wrote strikes at the very heart of this religion, so many just blindly follow without thought. There are so many distractions involved with being a JW that rarely do people stop and think about the most obvious things.

Path

8

Foo Fighters

by bay64me in

i'm going to see the fantastic foo fighters tonight.

can't wait, i'm soooooooooo excited!

Pathofthorns

I've seen the Foos twice and they put on a hardcore performance. Going to see GNR at the end of the month and it should be interesting to see how that one turns out.

Path

6

Seems that Y'all are having an impact

by acsot in

notes from the wts annual meeting held on october 1, 2002. you may be excused at any time to be sick!

the real and unreal way to worship god - dan sydlik.

matt.

Pathofthorns

Thanks for the post. Your comments give good insight into what is on their minds these days. Maybe you can add the words "annual meeting notes" to your post header.

Path

28

Would The Society Ever Lie To You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

after reading about how we now have an increase in the lord's organization, i must wonder whether we think that their data is reliable.

the society has used "theocratic stratergy" for years and lied about anything that is in their best interests.

why take any stock in what they say about anything.

Pathofthorns

Even if the statistics that could be reasonably accurate were in fact accurate, it still doesn't change the mess of problems hidden beneath those statistics.

Despite whatever positive spin one can put on these numbers, the problems that are dragging them down are very real and will inevitably have to be faced sometime.

Path

21

Snoopin' Elders! Has this happened to you?

by Alligator Wisdom in

have any of you known or heard of elders snooping and rummaging thru yours or anyone else's personal belongings?

perhaps to find "evidence"?

well.....this just happened to me!

Pathofthorns

I'd laugh if you had Rage Against the Machine's "killing in the name of" playing in the background and you said with a straight face "I really don't think my choice of music is a contributing factor to my spiritual weakness".. lol

They can be so clueless sometimes. Maybe pull out a copy of COC and say "Maybe this has something to do with my problem?"

Path

27

How Would You Help An Alcoholic Friend?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we have a dear friend that is an alcoholic.

she is a witness.

she is a very sweet person.

Pathofthorns

All I can say is that it sure must be a difficult thing for anyone to give up alcohol COMPLETELY, let alone someone that has a serious dependancy on it. I have to give alot of credit to anyone that has been able to give it up because that sure must have been tough. It is easy to talk about the guy with the "problem" going to AA and getting help but how many of us could get on the wagon with our friend if that is what it took?

Alcohol is deeply woven in our society especially in social settings and maybe even more so in JW culture. It is a known problem that is either hidden or we mutually turned a blind eye to it because it was arguably the "only vice we were allowed to have" as a JW once said.

The Society really hangs out to dry people with problems related to (extreme)alchohol abuse, smoking and drug dependancy. They ignore the nature of these things and think that prayer, study and field service will make them better and if it doesn't maybe disfellowshipping will. They end up driving alot of sick people over the edge and putting them in an even more dangerous situation by not offering them practical help.

Path

4

JW takes cell-free blood - TorontoStar

by Pathofthorns in

i'm not sure if this was posted yet, but here is the url to the article in yesterday's paper on the subject...[url] http://www.thestar.com/nasapp/cs/contentserver?pagename=thestar/layout/article_type1&c=article&cid=1035774253809&call_page=ts_news&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=news/news[/url].

path

Pathofthorns

I'm not sure if this was posted yet, but here is the url to the article in yesterday's paper on the subject...[url] http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1035774253809&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News[/url]

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22

Saddam accepts UN resolution

by Shakita in

jw
friends

well, duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

what do ya think?

saddam is just playing games again.

Pathofthorns

I think he might comply fully with the resolution. It is the best way for him to make the US look bad, for him to remain in power and for him to maintain control of Iraqi oil.

The US military is tied up and the economy goes down the drain while the war on terrorism goes nowhere. Compliance with resolutions will lead to sanctions being lifted and his people will gain renewed confidence in him.

Imo, full compliance with the UN resolution is the best way and probably the only way Sadaam can beat the US. Why does he need weapons of mass destruction anyway?

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6

Lasting Financial Life Lessons

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

thought i would share this writer's thoughts with my fellow jwd'rs.

he writes about money and investing, but injects some healthy philosophy where appropriate.

learning that real problems aren't money problems.

Pathofthorns

Thanks for sharing that.

I especially liked the last paragraph.

Learning that real problems aren't money problems. Our easy problems involve money. They may be terrifying, but there is always a solution. Our big problems are the ones that can't be solved with money. They are the ones that make us cry in the night and pray for relief. The marriage that doesn't work. The illness that can't be cured. The child who is afflicted. The friend who won't be helped. If you are an adult and still think money problems are real problems, you have led a charmed life. Be grateful.

Path