have you ever read "no blade of grass," "on the beach" or "the satan-bug?
" i have a feeling it wouldn't hurt to reread those old novels.. folks around here argue about gmo foods, for instance, without realizing that one of the main problems with gmo is lack of diversity, dangerous if a disease comes along that kills the main crops of the world.. and people seem to have forgotten that humans could indeed destroy themselves completely, if someone starts a nuclear war.
they always seem to think there could be survivors of an all-out nuclear war.
Horensia, thanks for reminding us of those old and excellent books. Excellent thread.
eva luna, I also keep a small moleskine in my bag and a larger one on my desk for thoughts. I usually give one or two as gifts to friends at Christmas time.
Blondie, I read Alas, Babylon years ago and just recently bought a new copy of the book. I wanted to read it again.
Everyone, thanks for all the book titles. Oh! so many good books and so little time.
PHG.
the storm was much more intense and killed many more in the caribbean and yet i see practically nothing mentioned about them here or in the media.. .
pathetic..
I haven't read everything posted about this but I have to say that America is the center of my world regarding what devastation Sandy has brought on my fellow Americans. This is my home and these are my people. It saddens me to see how these people have lost everything;they no longer have a home, clothes, no water, electricity, and are hungry and cold. That does not mean that I do not sympathize with all those others who have also died or been devastated by Sandy. America and Americans have always been there for others who suffer from these storms. America provides foreign aid to many nations all the time, not only during times of disasters.From my recollecion, many Americians went to Haite to help out when they had the last hurricane and many may still be there helping. Anyway, why pit one nation against another during times like these. People can have sympathy for more than on nation at the same time. It's just that this time it happened in a big way to American and we all feel it deeply. I live 10 miles from the Atlantic and I know that could have been me if not for the direction the storm chose to take.
PHG
i just wanted to take a survey.
let's not let this get into the same old same old debate of atheism vs belief.
just respond with "atheist" or "believer" or "maybe god exists".
I am not sure. I have to think and study on it some more. I believed in GOD and the Bible before I got on this site and started reading certain books and listening to Dawkins. Now I don't know.
PHG
just had a quick read through the new 16 page edition of the watchtower, and noticed an article about able who was adam's son.
the article said in part.
abel speaks to you today.
Is that a direct quote from the WT or the Weekly Reader (children's periodical for you whipper-snappers)?
Are you saying that schools no longer have the Weekly Reader? What else has gone down the drain!
PHG
i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.
they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.
they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .
james, I was never sure if they had taught it all along and then just stated it outright or if it was "new light." It was a shocker to me. I wonder if the "new light" regarding the F&DS will shock anyone. I don't think it will, I think the "old school" will just accept it.
PHG
i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.
they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.
they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .
LostGeneration, I agree with your assessment of those still in the borg in their 70s-80's. They have invested too much time and faith in the borg to enable them to leave. If they should have doubts, I believe they would suppress those thoughts. They have too much to lose. I recall a line from "Scent of a Woman" where Chris O'Donnell, the student hired to watch over Al Pacino, suggests that he drink coffee instead of Jack Daniel's whiskey;Pacino replies that "It's too big a leap." I think it would be "too big a leap" for them to consider doubts.
below is a statement from gb member gerrit losch.
notice what is said about the fds.
is this true?
I, too, agree with Phizzy, and others, that this is speaking about two outcomes and not groups of people.
Leolaia, thanks for your further exposition of the parable.
PHG
i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.
they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.
they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .
I guess I qualify as one of those older "old school" Jehovah's Witnesses. I left the borg in about 81-82. I lost all the friends I had know all my life plus all of my family, except two brothers and one cousin. I never doubted that I was in the "truth" or that we (jws) were God's special people. I did become discourged about the WTS having so much control over our lives but it was not until I read an article about Jesus being the Mediator for only the 144,000 that I began to have doubts about the borg. It is scary when you find out the ttatt. We have been taught that Jehovah hates all false religion so at first you don't know what to do. At first, if you are alone in your disbelief, you just drift. CoC was a real help to see that I was not alone in my disbelief. My older brother had left the borg and told me about his disbelief, so I did have him and one younger brother to share information with. As you might expect, it is very difficult to realize that everything you have believed all your life is a lie. It is a life-changing experience and you second guess yourself often. After a while,you accept the ttatt and get on with your life. You learn to live with your losses and realize that there is life after being a jw. Of course, this site helps me to see that there are thousands like me and it helps to see that I am not crazy or just being rebellious. I am grateful to those who were in the know for the information that they have provided to the rest of us who left on our own without knowing what was taking place at HQ. We just stepped out into the darkness not knowing what we would encounter or where we were going. We just knew we had to leave this place.
PHG.
a long time ago the jw's published a book called "humans in search of god" (translation of the dutch version so i am sorry if the title is not totally correct).
i always remembered one sick drawing in it and it always made me wonder how this drawing could be used in one of their books.. .
warning: can be shocking to people who never saw it before!.
Do people really turn that grey when their heart is cut out?
Yes, James, they do turn gray. My mother was a very white woman and when I was called to the hospital because she was bleeding and had a card saying she would not take blood, she was confused and her color was gray. It was a terrible sight to see.Her kidneys failed soon after she turned gray.
PHG
next week i am having surgery at the local hospital .
one of my old jw 'friends ', that no longer considers me worthy of even a hello ,is a surgical tech there .. would you take steps to ask she not be on the operating team ?
it was brought to my attention today that i do have the right to ask for that person not to be present because of personal issues .. what would you do ?
As a nurse, I agree with everyone else. Dont let this person anywhere near you or allow them to have any information about you. If he/she is a true professional, he/she will understand. You have rights. Use them.
PHG
