thought you all would enjoy this.. i went to a b'day party for a friend who is a bible-thumper in the worst way!
(10x worse than most jw).. i'm sitting around like a zombie while everyone is talking about how "blessed" they are to "know christ" blah blah blah blah blah.. then my interest got peaked as one of the women started quoting scripture talking about how the reason her life is blessed is that her great great grandmother was a russian mennonite blah blah blah and the bible says that god will bless your offspring if you come to know him.
blah blah blah.. so i start asking a few well placed questions like "well what does that mean for the poor muslim sop whose great great grandmother was a muslim?
Someone says 'Thank you Jesus' and we cringe.
Actually, I find that I don't cringe as much at that as when I hear "Jehovah." I can't equate God with Jehovah. Jehovah is the god of the JWs, not the God of Christianity. I know it's "just another name" but I can't get past the squirrelly feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever I hear/read the name "Jehovah" in reference to God.
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
i moved into a new area several months ago, and my subscriptions to the watchtower and awake magazines expired.
(note: i'm baaad, not attending meetings in my new area.).
so it'd be easy to renew my subscription, right?
I think the PO Box idea is a good one, although I can't imagine every picking up another WT or Awake as long as I live.
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
i am a policitcal conservative, at least a fiscal conservative and sociel moderate.
i support the death penalty, but i agree that our judicial system needs to overhaul how wwe treat criminals to achieve better rehabilitation results.
and of course, withhold the death penalty in cases where there could be doubt.. in mcveigh's case, i believe that he deserves the death penalty.
In the Cleveland Plain Dealer back in April, a woman wrote a letter to the editor explaining what she felt was the appropriate punishment for Timothy McVeigh. Here's the general list she provided, with my apologies for specifics -- it is no longer archived on the PD Web site.
1. Spend the rest of his life in an 8x8 cell, no human contact whatsoever.
2. Pictures of his victims before and after the bombing would be taped to the walls of his cell so that he can contemplate them for the rest of his long life.
2. His name would be erased from the public consciousness. Not even a brief mention of him in the history books, or the "message" that he attempted to convey through his actions. The media would never again mention his name.
I thought this was very interesting... my personal opinion is that he should have been executed by public hanging, after which the victims and their families get to pelt the unhooded body with rocks as it hangs for a full week. But, I guess we're in "civilized society" and I'll have to settle for a needle in his arm as he falls asleep. Wonder if the warden had to sing a lullaby...
God believes in justice, and so do I. I think we should be using the death penalty more than we are. It shouldn't be used solely as a deterrent, but guess what -- if your ass stands a chance of ending up in the electric chair or on the death bed, maybe you'll think twice about blowing away that liquor store owner for $150.
God Bless America.
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
hello to onen hag oll (one and all).. my name is mark from the westcountry of the british isles, kernow (cornwall) to be precise, very, very rugged and magical celtic country full of myth, legends and ancient magic.. i was brought up within the borgy bogie balderdash, 3rd generation, father, wt overseer and local and regional assembly, convention organiser.
my parents are still both in as well as my older sister and her family.
i was disfellowshipped in april 1995 for anger and swearing.. the journey since has been a tour of magic and mystery, in search of healing and self-belief and empowerment enabling.. i work in community regeneration issues, especially social exclusion and am a full member of independent uk government 'think tank' the community action network (can) www.can-online.org.uk.
Welcome... I'm fairly new here, myself. It's been fun so far, and I've managed to pick out who to ignore...
Ah, Celtic, bone of my bones and knot of my knots...
Cheers,
Reagan
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
no conclusions, just thoughts.. should we disfellowship all of our friends and family who are jehovah's witnesses in order to protect ourselves and in order to wake them up to see how dangerous a path they are on?.
would like to see a discussion of this.. thanks.
joel
Joel, my thoughts are this... My family is choosing to shun me out of obedience to the WTBTS. I will be the Christ-like one. I will forgive them for their foolish ways and love them despite their blind obeisance. I will send them cards every few months and a dinner invitation on occasion so that they know I love them and care for them despite their decision to shun me and my husband (and eventually, our children). I will not make them suffer because that is not what Christ would do.
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
i went to the meeting tonight to check out things in the local congregation.
this spiritual paradise is showing a few cracks.
when i arrived about ten minutes before the meeting started, i felt like a ghost.
SL, my heart sinks knowing what you went through, imagining if it were me (and knowing which "brother" would stand guard outside the ladies' restroom while I was in there).
Farkel wrote:
Ah! Potential Kingdom Hall "bathroom crime" here. One can commit all kinds of crimes alone in a Kingdom Hall bathroom. I'd be leery of you, too! You might try to whiz in a "non-Theocratic" way. Shame on you should you ever try that.Believe it or not, we had "bathroom crime" in my hall. It seems that someone was spitting their chewing gum into the urinal in the mens' room. It used to drive one elder crazy; he would walk around before the meeting, checking to see which brother was chewing bright green gum. He never could figure out who it was.
He got so crazed about it, he actually brought it up in a local needs talk he gave. He was getting pissed off while on the platform, talking about how "disrespectful it is to Jehovah's house" to spit chewing gum in the urinal. I distinctly remember my parents looking at each other and rolling their eyes.
I wonder if he ever caught the urinal-spitting-chewing-gum-bandit...
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
city loses big convention .
by bill johnson, special to the daily record.
wash your car, it will rain.
thousands of Tampons won't have to travel
I nearly pissed myself when I read this... first class in their pretty pink boxes? Deoderant or regular? Super-absorbent or "light days"?
Sorry, It's the end of the week 'round here...
--Reagan
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
a few posters have asked me questions re my background, so, here is a potted version of my 54 years as an earthling: .
i was born in bolton, greater manchester, in the north of england.. my father was an air-traffic controller and was transferred to london heathrow when i was quite young.
hed flown many missions on lancaster bombers during ww2.
Joel, I'm in the same boat as you. I remember sitting in bookstudy, bored out of my gourd, counting the eyes on the wheels. It was the same with the 1914 doctrine; I think that only 2 people in the entire congregation (one pioneer and one elder) were able to explain the 1914 doctrine without the aid of any JW books or literature (including, of course the Bible, since 1914 was never mentioned there, last time I checked!)
It's amazing how we just accepted things without really questioning the deeper matters. I know that, even if I hadn't experienced the "wrath of the elders," I would have left eventually. I'm too cerebral to be a JW.
Cheers,
Reagan
PS -- Englishman, I thought you were much younger... but don't worry, this doesn't color my opinion of you!
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
has anyone had chance to read james kostelniuk's "wolves among sheep"?
i read about him a while back on kent's site, and how his children & ex-wife were killed by a psycho witness (isn't that redundant?
lol).
Has anyone had chance to read James Kostelniuk's "Wolves Among Sheep"? I read about him a while back on Kent's site, and how his children & ex-wife were killed by a psycho Witness (isn't that redundant? LOL). Has anyone picked this up? If so, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.
--Reagan
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
happy monday!.
had no price tag.
much to her embarrassment the cashier got on the intercom and boomed out for the entire store to hear: "price check on lane thirteen, tampax, supersize.
Suburbia: From the Latin meaning “to tear out the trees & then name streets after them.”
"I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul."
