Posts by patio34

18

If Jesus Was An Elder

by Mulan in

jw
friends

i didn't write this poem, but think it is awesome.

a friend sent it to me yesterday.. if jesus was an elder.

if jesus was an elder, what would be his main concern?.

patio34

I almost missed this poem! :-(

But my new way of reading the Board is to start at page 4, so I don't miss so much good stuff.

Thanks, Mulan. I'll be saving this one.

Pat

28

i had a very positive experience today which maybe not-so-coincidentally coincided with my recent comments on matthew 25.. it was only my second personal experience with babylon the grape in my entire life.

my first was when one of my daughters got married in a catholic church over three years ago.

i actually sat inside the catholic chapel and watched her priest perform the ceremony.

patio34

Hi Farkel,

Thanks for sharing that. It really helps when I know what others are going thru.

I have a situation in my family with daughter, illness, drugs, & grandkids. Sometimes I feel like the only one.

So, your post lifted my spirits a bit to see that I'm not the only one struggling.

Thanks! And I hope your paycheck comes through this week! Keep us posted, ok?

Pat

25

What is Gods name anyway?

by Shane in

jw
friends

i was raised a jehovah's witness all my life, though i don''t go any more, not till i fall on my head and not afraid to ask questions does this particular question come up.. what is gods name?.

people act as though everyone in the world speaks english, what about the third of the worlds population in china could it be that is his real name at this late date?

why do we assume that it has to be "jehovah" when it could just as easily be how they call it in china, or india, or arabia, or south america anywhere that there is a large population?.

patio34

Here's a different perspective:

The name of the creator in Hebrew mythology is Yahweh. He was a tribal war-god who the priests claimed commanded war and gave them their laws.

Then Jesus and Paul (or rather, Paul, then Jesus) borrowed a lot of their religious ideas from Mithras. As has been commented on this thread already, Yahweh's name was not in the NT, and the differences in the character of OT and NT was night and day.

Mithraism, which predated Christianity, had a savior called the Lamb of God, and numerous other facets of Christianity, but BEFORE Christianity was popular.

So, it's not a proper question to say what is the name of God. Which god? Which mythology? And it presupposes the existence of any god.

Pat

29

draft letter - editorial comments?

by wasasister in

jw
friends

the following is the first-draft of a letter i would like to send to the society.

any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

(don't worry, i've developed a thick-skin.

patio34

Hi Wasasister,

Very convincing letter. If you want a frank opinion, I would edit it down a bit.

Perhaps this has been covered before, but would it be a good idea to put a 'cc' at the bottom, listing your local newspaper and other media? And then actually mail copies to media with a brief cover memo to introduce it.

I think I'll try that and post the results on the board.

Pat

8

Antitypical Shittum Revealed

by Grunt in

jw
friends

thanks, barbara and max for the inside view of bethel and the gb.

i am now almost certain that brooklyn bethel and patterson are the antitypical "shittem" and that is borne out by their work, the titles they give themselves and the ones who serve them.

surely this is but a miniature fulfillment of the prophecy with a major fulfillment on the global scale showing that the shittem of jerusalem's day was small indeed by comparison.

patio34

Very clever post, Grunt!

Thanks,
Pat

9

The view from the other side of the door.

by Bgurltryal in

jw
friends

ok. i read somewhere on this site something about those who don't know about jws fearing them so i thought,as someone who has always been 'worldly' i'd share what we really think of jws.. first of all we do not fear you, we fear your visits.

basically you're annoying!.

picture this; there you are happily going about your daily activities skipping joyeusly around your livingroom minding your own buisness and hark!, what's this?

patio34

Hi Bgurl...

Thanks for the perspective. I can remember going with another JW who could clearly hear a baby crying and yet persisted in her boring sermon. Had been with other really inconsiderate JWs too. And TALK, TALK, TALK! I remember thinking how bad it was to drone on like that, not involving the householder, just giving a monologue. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

And Welcome!

Pat

5

"Whoever fights Monsters..."

by rubberducky in

jw
friends

whoever fights monsters.... there is a quote that has been alluded to at times in the threads about pedophilia and blood and the wt societys attempts at spin doctoring and revisionism.

i felt it would be useful to read the whole quote as contained in bartlett.

it is from nietzsches human, all to human:.

patio34

Hi RubberDucky,

It's nice to have you at this board. Everyone has a new slant on things and stimulates our conversation.

Thanks for the complete reference to the monster quote. I didn't know what the complete quote was.

pat

7

Tolerance, opinions and fanaticism.

by Norm in

jw
friends

brooklyn regularly turns out window dressing articles in order to appear mainstream, reasonable and tolerant.

magazine is the vehicle for such propaganda.

the january 22, 1997 issue of the awake addressed the subject of tolerance.

patio34

Hi Norm,

Up to your usual good form, I see. What I liked about your post was that you correctly (IMO) linked the problem not only with the WTS, but also the Bible itself. The Bible needs to be scrutinized as well.

Those Bible accounts you quote, along with numberous others, give pause to many people who are willing to consider them very honestly.

It's as one person said when reading the Bible: 'Where's the religion in it?'

Thomas Jefferson was an atheist, wasn't he? Yet another instance of the WT quoting inappropriately and partially, twisting the true meaning.

Thanks for helping us to develop our critical-thinking skills!

Pat

4

Making Jesus Say More than he Said.

by Thirdson in

jw
friends

farkel wrote an excellent piece (as always) on matthew 25 and the wts version of what jesus meant as if jesus meant something he didnt say.

this is a similar subject and takes a piece from the greatest man book which for some reason i found myself flicking through again.

(i previously posted a short piece on the prodigal son) it is sad in a way, i kept this book thinking it may have some value as a commentary on the life of jesus but on rereading sections of it i feel inclined to toss it away.. so many times the book interjects its interpretation of what jesus meant and in chapter 63 there is a contradiction in the line of reasoning.

patio34

Hi Thirdson,

Interesting post--thanks. It continually amazes me the stuff that seemed so true, can fall apart when the WT blinders are taken off. JWs have NO critical thinking skills (neither did I) when it comes to their own material. But towards other writings, it's 100% critical.

Glad to be out!

Pat

9

The Only One

by silentlambs in

jw
friends

dedicated to those who thought they were the only ones.... the only one.

a troubled child with vacant eyes sits quietly alone with not much to say,.

he killed her puppy and said she would be next if she told her friends at play.. a father who betrayed her trust, violated her innocence and left her emotionally numb,.

patio34

Hi SilentLambs,

Poignant poem. What really struck me was the congregation's response: punish the victim. Is this pretty representative?

It's tragic the elders are viewed as the 'authorities,' when the social agencies and real authorities are the ones who could really mete out justice. It's a sham to further victimize lambs. It's a false hope and hurts people.

Thanks for the perceptive peep into what's been kept private.

Pat