David_Jay

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Posts by David_Jay

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  11

  Watchtower Magazine Covers I'd Like to See

  by David_Jay in

  1. social
  2. humour

  the watchtower announcing jehovah's kingdom:.

  "1914--the generation that will not pass...wait a minute.

  "who really is the messiah?

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  David_Jay

  TTaTT4u,

  I wish that laxative/sleeping-pill issue was available when I was a JW. The old light was that this combination was great to use, especially during conventions. ;)
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  12

  Suffering And The Meaning Of Life

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what is the meaning of life?

  we all die, so what is the meaning.

  religion tries to bridge the gap with absolutist answers to this problem of existence by giving immortality to it's members in good standing(so join us or parish).helps to pay the bills using fear of annihilation to keep members as a source of material $$uport.

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  David_Jay

  Waton,

  I had to live with my aunt after being rescued from my parents due to child abuse. Of no blood relation, she was a JW. Therefore my teenage years until I was old enough to live on my own were spent under the shadows of the Watchtower.

  I began my return to Judaism three years before I officially left with the help of a rabbi.

  To an extent I was somewhat aware of some these values and customs, but was fought tooth and nail by the Witnesses when I tried to incorporate them then. It was my incentive to leave when and how I did.
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  12

  What Is Brain Washing?

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't think this applies to the watchtower corporation as the beginning this is talking about the more extreme forms.

  but interesting just the same.

  i'm sure we see some of the wt's depictions of death and and destruction(verbal and in pictures) that awaits those not in corporate "jehovah's" favor, a clear uses of inducing maximum fear and stress to make the mind more suggestable to corporate directives.

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  David_Jay

  You are talking about extreme forms of brain washing along the lines of Pavlov dog experiment and so the term 'brain washing' referring to that form may also depending of the context and education of the person may simply be the zombie of a religions experience programmed by a controlling pastor.

  Well, if you already know, why ask: "What Is Brain Washing?" Why not be more honest in your thread's title and write: "Let Me Tell You What I Believe Brain Washing Is (and I will let you know what I think of your views if you add anything to my thread)."

  We used to use this tactic when out in field service as Witnesses. We would ask the householder a question, not because we wanted an answer but so that we could steer the conversation in the way we wanted it to go.

  "What do you think brings true happiness?" we would ask the people we met. We weren't asking because we valued their viewpoint, but so that we could correct it with "the Truth" from the Watchtower.
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  12

  Suffering And The Meaning Of Life

  by Brokeback Watchtower in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what is the meaning of life?

  we all die, so what is the meaning.

  religion tries to bridge the gap with absolutist answers to this problem of existence by giving immortality to it's members in good standing(so join us or parish).helps to pay the bills using fear of annihilation to keep members as a source of material $$uport.

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  David_Jay

  Not all religion does this.

  There is no promise or guarantee of eternal life in Judaism. Concepts like Olam HaBa are not by any means assured. So if that's what you really think, then you're wrong about that...and maybe a lot more.

  It might be due to the bad taste the experience with Jehovah's Witnesses have left many of us with, but the idea that all religions offer absolute answers and a way to eternity is a narrow and, yes, ignorant view.

  There are no definitive answers for me as a Jew. And as for death making life meaningless -- well, that's hogwash. Knowing that our time is limited by an end should give each moment of life meaning. Instead of viewing it as punishment as Jehovah's Witnesses paint it, death is often viewed as a well-earned reward to some Jews and other religious disciplines.

  While I cannot promise others will take to this advice, Judaism sees that the real solution is to embrace the temporary nature of life. Why look for the beyond? It will only take your focus off the now of life. You cannot savor the food in your mouth now if you are wishing for a better meal of tomorrow that may never come.

  There is suffering, yes, but the worst type might be when we deny the transitory nature of our existence and choose to live in lies and fantasies about an eternity that may not be waiting for any of us. If you lose sight of what you have now, even if it be little and broken, you will never have even that if your head is up in the clouds wishing upon a dream. And if there is nothing more than today, you're an idiot if all you do is complain about the fact that it will one day be over. Crying that your party will last only an hour will cause you to miss the very purpose of your party.

  Life will always be futile if you don't make the most of what you've got. You may not have been dealt the same hand as the guy sitting next to you, but you can still win at poker with the worst cards and a good bluff. Your garden won't grow on its own unless you work to make it produce food and flowers--otherwise all you will have is dirt. It's your own fault if you do nothing with the dirt you're given.

  One must find the intrinsic value in the present. That's what we're taught in Judaism. If there is an eternity awaiting us from a benevolent God, we won't get it if we label the life we have now as something that doesn't deserve appreciation. What parents give toys to a child who never appreciates the ones they already have?

  You don't need religion to find value in a limited life. You need determination and action. If you aren't going to give life at least that, neither a religion or lack thereof is going to do you any good.

  If you don't know the meaning of life, it's your own damn fault. If your life has no meaning its because you failed to give it any.
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  133

  Why is the white race so different?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what i'm saying is the white race is the only one that has a verity of eye and hair colors , so what gives?

  is it that this race was influenced genetically by a group of pre humans that didn't mix with other races?

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  David_Jay

  Nothing personal, just the observation, that in my home country, the jews, by virtue of their names, were the most german germans around, the Rothschilds, Oppenheimers and Dreifuss. Then a Jewish customer answered my question about that: These local sounding names were given these families for taxation purposes.

  I didn't take it personal.

  There is a lot of confusion with people because Jews have two names, a secular one and a Hebrew name.

  For instance, the surname "Hernandez" is Jewish but most people think it's Hispanic in origin. In a sense they are correct in that the Jews of Spain invented the name for themselves (and then got scattered due to the Alhambra Decree). The same goes for "Campos" and "Marroquin" which are the names of my Jewish ancestors from Spain. People think these are in the Spanish language, but all three names are actually in Ladino.

  The secular names the Ashkenazi Jews took for themselves sound European. That's why people with the last name "Gold" and "Stein" aren't always Jewish. Unlike the Sephardic Jews that invented names for themselves, the Ashkenazi usually adopted or adapted their secular surnames. Sephardic Jews often invented names for themselves to disguise themselves as Catholic, such as "De La Paz" or "De La Cruz." The surname "Pena" is Sephardic, and means "Peter" after St. Peter. (Crypto Jews tried to blend in and hide this way through new names.)

  My Hebrew name is "Caleb Judah-Bendavid Cohen" but most mistake my secular name for something that comes from Mexico (which I've not disclosed). Something similar goes for Ashkenazi Jews, as my friend "Adam Saul Goldberg" has the Hebrew name of "Ashur Saul Avram."
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  35

  Best Website in the world - JWORG

  by TheWonderofYou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jw believe that jworg is the best website and most translated in the world.. i heard this today in streetservice.

  there was already a thread about this subject.

  anybody can link it?.

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  David_Jay

  Darkspilver,

  It was rhetorical.

  A "rhetorical" question is...

  ...a question asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information.--Google American English Dictionary, italics added.

  They are questions asked in order to offer a comparison, create a dramatic effect or to make a point rather than to get an answer. They often employ hyperbole, so a rhetorical style question is never meant to reference anything literal.

  So what you mean is that you thought I was asking a "non-rhetorical" question, not as you wrote:

  Which I understood to be a rhetorical-style question referencing the apparent lack of technology to handle this large number...

  It's okay that you like to cross "Ts" and dot "Is," and I admire that. So I hope you don't take it badly when I say you missed learning what "rhetorical" means.

  Otherwise, I hope we're cool.
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  133

  Why is the white race so different?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what i'm saying is the white race is the only one that has a verity of eye and hair colors , so what gives?

  is it that this race was influenced genetically by a group of pre humans that didn't mix with other races?

  .

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  David_Jay

  ShirelyW,

  I am so with you on this one:

  Hmm, I guess everybody played along at the KH and then went home and carried on with their own beliefs about race and politics, etc. what a fine bunch of actors the JWs are !!

  In one congregation I attended, there were such fights about race that at one point the circuit overseer had to make sure there was "representation" of each race in the congregation on the elder body. As you can imagine, this meant some of the elders were not as qualified as the others (not that any that I ever recall were "qualified" to be anything more than what a high school diploma makes you ready for).

  This spilled over into the congregation and there were horrible cliques created as a consequence.

  When I moved down into South Texas, the Spanish congregations accused me of being what those brothers called a "vanilla wafer" since I am dark on the outside but "sound and act white." I was told constantly: "You need to be in the Spanish congregation instead of the English ones and be proud of your race as a Mexican-American."

  When I told them I was Hebrew and not Mexican-American and that I spoke Ladino and not Spanish, the reply was usually something like: "Oh, I wouldn't speak that type of Spanish as people will associate you with a lower class," and "Ladino is the language of people from poor breeding."
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  35

  Best Website in the world - JWORG

  by TheWonderofYou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jw believe that jworg is the best website and most translated in the world.. i heard this today in streetservice.

  there was already a thread about this subject.

  anybody can link it?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  David_Jay

  Darkspliver,

  I never said there was a lack of technology.

  I used to work as the Assistant Director of IT for the largest Catholic diocesan territory in the United States after I left the Watchtower. I have assisted in creating two sites used by the Roman Catholic Church in America. I also helped develop the current e-membership system they use today, not to mention traveled across hundreds and hundreds of miles to work with parish office personnel to instruct them on how to use it. I worked in IT from 1987-2007.

  I don't get where you are coming from. My argument was always that they didn't have a desire for such a system. I merely mentioned if one can imagine how demanding it would be if there was one, not that it was impossible. I've sat on numerous meetings in the pastoral offices among bishops and clergy where the possibility of such things have been discussed.

  I think you are arguing against a misreading of what I wrote. Even if I wrote one of my posts badly enough to cause this misreading of yours in the first place, my follow-up post and this one should suffice in letting you know that I have never, ever been arguing about the technological side.

  If you need to know more and have actual data on what bishop, dioceses, and parishes I worked for, I will gladly put you in touch with them to verify this claim of mine. I just don't know why you're arguing about this with me over something I never said.

  Chill out. I'm not the enemy here.
• 
  133

  Why is the white race so different?

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what i'm saying is the white race is the only one that has a verity of eye and hair colors , so what gives?

  is it that this race was influenced genetically by a group of pre humans that didn't mix with other races?

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  David_Jay

  Waton,

  I'm not Ashkenazi. I'm Sephardic or Mizrahi. I've got a dark complexion, with Middle Eastern-Israeli features.

  Because of this, the United States has actually created a new category in its "race" documents. Beginning with the 2020 USA census, a new way of categorizing people begins. My birth certificate has me marked as WHITE-HISPANIC, though I am neither. Beginning in 2020, I will be MEAD-I, which stands for "Middle-Eastern or African descent : Israeli."

  I've been confused for Mexican, Cuban, Greek, Arab, but never have I passed as "white."

  I consider myself an idiot, personally.
• 
  11

  Watchtower Magazine Covers I'd Like to See

  by David_Jay in

  1. social
  2. humour

  the watchtower announcing jehovah's kingdom:.

  "1914--the generation that will not pass...wait a minute.

  "who really is the messiah?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  David_Jay

  The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom:

  "1914--The Generation That Will Not Pass...Wait a minute. Where did they go?"

  "Who Really Is the Messiah? Jesus or Andy Cohen--You decide."

  "Why You Shouldn't Follow Uninspired, Imperfect Leaders--Unless It's the Governing Body!"

  "Stephen Lett: The Full Frontal Edition"

  "What's the Bible Really About? (No, really. We have no idea.)"

  "The Honesty Edition: How We Brainwash People Into Believing We're Not a Cult."

  "Inside: Diet tips from Geoffrey Jackson"

  "You're Right. We Are a Cult!"

  "1975--Oops!"