Posts by patio34

10

The Good, The Bad and Evolution

by Defender in

jw
friends

in the bible account of genesis, there we were told that adam and eve ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and bad and thus, like god, they started to know good and bad.

these few words and actions apparently changed the course of humanity.

even if we assume that this account is just a fable and did not actually happen, a number of questions and issues come up namely;.

patio34

JanH,

Enjoyed your dissertation on evolution. Have you read Jared Diamond's "The Third Chimpanzee" and "Guns, Germs, & Steel'? Very good also.

I have a question for you: it has been stated recently in the news and in these books on evolution that humans and chimpanzees share more than 98% of their genes. This means they branched off relatively recently.

The question is how unusual is that? Do you have an idea of what percentage humans share with other species? It seems to be a very big deal in supporting evolution. I just wanted to know some more numbers.

Any ideas?

Pat

41

My apeal of disfellowshiping letter

by D wiltshire in

jw
friends

the first question is:.

i ask you would paul even think of doing such as thing as the wt has done here?????

i asked them not to keep double-talking me but to just come out and say what the charges are.

patio34

D Wiltshire,
Nice to meet you and look forward to your posts.

I'll remember that point about what victims of the kangaroo court said stuck with you over the years. So, despite the angst it causes you (but it may well be a good catharsis), your points and letter might wake someone up someday.

Kudos for you!

Pat

20

JW Kids

by patio34 in

jw
friends

greetings and felicitations to all,.

tonight i attended my first al-anon meeting--it's for families of alcoholics.

i've been having trouble with my daughter and drugs.. but anyway, the meeting was in a catholic church area.

patio34

Eby, NoJW, Willy, Lisa, Waiting, Billygoat, and Joel,

It seems that it was a pretty average experience to be isolated (Ray Franz brings that out so well in ISOCF).

Here's another point I just now realized from all your thoughtful posts: even if there is something arranged once in a while, there is nothing set up on a regular basis. What I mean is a regular group activity for all. Some churches, and secular groups, have regular get-togethers for all sorts of different interests.

So, even if some well-meaning ones try to be outreaching, it's scattered and, as has been brought out, liable to be dealt with severely.

Aren't we all glad to be out of prison? Hip-hip-hooray!!!

Waiting, LOL about the benefits to your kids. I particularly liked they learned to have hangovers and still stay focused and pick out sturdy shoes!

Pat

13

Elders will ask two questions---any advice?

by Erin in

jw
friends

i have been missing in action for 6.5 years.

i moved 55 miles away.

a couple of weekends ago, two elders (in suits) from my old cong.

patio34

Hi Erin,

Someone told me the other question is "Do you still want to be known as a Jehovah's Witness?" The answer to that giving the basis to disassociate you, I guess.

Pat

3

Bible & Theory of Evolution: Something in ...

by bigboi in

jw
friends

hey all:.

i've been thinking about this one.

maybe the bible and evolution have something in common.

patio34

Hi Bigboi,

Thoughtful post. I don't think it can be stretched that far because of the time frames. The books on science put these events in terms of 10-20,000 years instead of one generation, albeit long.

But it was an interesting parallel.

Pat

20

JW Kids

by patio34 in

jw
friends

greetings and felicitations to all,.

tonight i attended my first al-anon meeting--it's for families of alcoholics.

i've been having trouble with my daughter and drugs.. but anyway, the meeting was in a catholic church area.

patio34

Hi Reagan,

That is so true. I remember a couple of costume parties, skating parties, etc. But then all was squelched, as you said.

It is even harder on families with only one parent. But, you know, it's hard on everyone forced to live such an unnatural life.

Have a great day!
Pat

3

Chance, Natural Selection and God

by JanH in

jw
friends

chance, natural selection and god .

the first replicator had to originate by chance, since there was and is no natural selection present to work on a non-replicator.

dna is much too complicated to originate by chance.

patio34

Hi JanH,
Very good presentation! But no surprise--yours usually are.

I read that book recently and thought it was very good.

Wasn't it in Dawkins' book that the example of malaria and sickle cell anemia given? That's where in Africa, where malaria is prevalent, there is a large percentage of people with sickle cell. This mutation gives them a protection against malaria.

Then, if evolution is true, one could predict that in the event malaria was not a natural selection factor, sickle cell would not be an advantage and the incidence would go down. That is what happened when coming to the U.S.

It's an example of a mutation bestowing protection and therefore more of the possessors of it would reproduce since they weren't killed off by malaria.

But where malaria disappears, ones without the mutation of sickle cell don't leave as much progeny and the number go down.

That was such a good book.

Pat

29

Heroin Overdose=Daughter=HELP!

by patio34 in

jw
friends

i'm having a crisis in my family and really need some advice and even (((())))!.

background:.

daughter is 28-yrs-old.

patio34

Mommy and Tina,

Thanks so much for the edifying info and warm thoughts. It WAS hard, being fresh out of 'prison' to sit through their prayer (and in a Catholic Church facility too!). But I found the rest of the meeting refreshing and heartening. It's SO hard to deal with someone so out of control, and then to find others you can share with that have similar problems.

I couldn't stay for the whole meeting as I have a condition that often makes me sick in the evenings. So I'll be going to a daytime meeting from now on.

Tina, your good summation of Al-Anon seems to be what I found. The most important component for me is the detachment and recognizing I can only change me, not her. Plus, finding peace and contentment in my personal life.

It seems that it will be critical help. I'll go to one tomorrow.

In the past I went to the elders about similar situations and it was of NO help. After all, what can they possible know? They are not professionals.

Warm thoughts to you,
Pat

20

JW Kids

by patio34 in

jw
friends

greetings and felicitations to all,.

tonight i attended my first al-anon meeting--it's for families of alcoholics.

i've been having trouble with my daughter and drugs.. but anyway, the meeting was in a catholic church area.

patio34

Hi Elisabeth,
Your choice of such a grueling college and having all that free time is truly telling about being a jw. I remember a couple of events that were put on for fun. But then the WT came out with articles about wicked 'large gatherings.' Those old men who do nothing, see nothing, hear nothing running a dictatorship.

Tina,
When you think about it, it's comparable to a 'social child abuse.' Or better yet, a violation of children's labor laws. Also, re: Xmas and b'days, When JWs used to say you can give gifts all year long, it never seemed to actually happen. And the kids in school had to leave the parties. What a cult! (Thanks for the compliment!)

Scorpion,
That's a good point about the WT saying kids want to leave to live a wild life. They always have to put a negative spin on everyone who disagrees with them. I'm glad you aren't continuing the cycle of WT slavery.

Monica,
Thanks for the warm wishes re my daughter. I'm glad you survived your jw upbringing. JW kids DO have to spend all their time avoiding friendships. How unnatural! And then maybe all there were in their class was a jw kid they didn't get along with, or who was breaking all the rules anyway!

Jigrigger,
I agree with you that what gets stolen from them is normal character development. No wonder so many of JWs are struggling with depression, etc.

El Kabong,
Nice to meet you and thanks for the post. The irony is that your parents were really doing what they thought was right. The better the jw parents follow dictates, the worse off the child is.

One brother I knew quipped that someone had to pay rent on two homes because his family's size qualified as a "large gathering." What else do jws have to do? I'm so glad to be out, aren't you?

Pat

29

Heroin Overdose=Daughter=HELP!

by patio34 in

jw
friends

i'm having a crisis in my family and really need some advice and even (((())))!.

background:.

daughter is 28-yrs-old.

patio34

Hi Elisabeth,
Thanks for the thoughts--it's good to hear from you and that you're doing so well.

Things are better now. My daughter seems to have taken things seriously and is in a drug rehab class every day now. Her kids are back with her.

I went to my 1st Al-Anon meeting tonight (the irony of it--a Thursday nite meeting!) and it seems to offer a lot of support and ideas.

So, for now, the crisis is past. This thread was a lot of assistance and comfort.

Take care,
Pat