King Solomon

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Posts by King Solomon

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  18

  Irish slaves: the forgotten history of slavery in the New World

  by King Solomon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the bible, ot & nt, certainty doesn't prohibit the most basic of human civil rights, freedom from slavery.

  of course, the bible was used to justify the ownership of slaves in america, as in many other lands.. an often-forgotten footnote in the history of america is that there was a time when poor white irish were imported from ireland to be sold as slaves during the 17th and 18th century.

  in fact, their worth was considered even lower than that of black slaves, who often fetched a price 10x that of an irish slave!

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  King Solomon

  The Bible, OT & NT, certainty doesn't prohibit the most basic of human civil rights, freedom from slavery. Of course, the Bible was used to justify the ownership of slaves in America, as in many other lands.

  An often-forgotten footnote in the history of America is that there was a time when poor white Irish were imported from Ireland to be sold as slaves during the 17th and 18th century. In fact, their worth was considered even lower than that of black slaves, who often fetched a price 10x that of an Irish slave!

  Market forces being what they are, some slave owners engaged in breeding "designer slaves", when black "studs" were mated with Irish women to create offspring that fetched a higher price (as mulattos).

  Here's the full story:

  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31076

  I share this, as you may encounter some who do not recognize the intrinsic evil of a certain practice (such as slavery; they may even try to argue to DEFEND the Bible's stance), until they consider that it may have happened to THEIR ancestors.

  Many racists will find the thought of a black man "defiling" a white women as abhorrent; this tends to make those harboring racist mind-sets to re-evaluate which of their cherished beliefs they wish to protect: their racism, or their Bible (which condones slavery, including such things as above). They cannot have both.
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  61

  Trying to talk to my mom - really discouraged, need help.

  by rather be in hades in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, i'm new here and i've decided to finally tell my mom the truth about jws.. and sorry for the long post.

  i'm at my wits end.. here's some background:.

  i grew p in a congregation in california, i'm not a born in, though i was raised in it from 5 - about 20. arond 20 i pretty mch faded out, bt the emotional ups and downs were jst all too much.

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  King Solomon

  I think you're still overthinking it, to be honest.

  Most people aren't impressed by facts and figures, etc.

  I'd recommend focusing on the basic theological questions, even using the account of A&E, Noah's Ark, Job, Jonah, etc. as examples. Someone just posted their episode reasoning from Jonah's tale, and I pointed out the examples where God behaves inconsistently thoughout the Bible; a hallmark of men's writing.

  But even there, not knowing ANYTHING about her family circumstances, it may be too late for her, or not worth sacrificing a comfortable life-style for a truth that has no practical value to her (if it means losing what JW friends she has, a spouse, etc). I've decided it's too late for some JW family members: they made their beds, so they must sleep in them. You can only control your own actions, not others.

  BTW, it sounds like it wasn't ALL bad, and all a waste! Remember the good times, too: like Gate F at Qualcomm. That wouldn't be a memory if you hadn't been in, right? :)
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  8

  OSCE (JW NGO) Who We Are - (Are They No Part Of The World?) You Decide..

  by BroMac in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.osce.org/whowho we arewith 56 states from europe, central asia and north america, the osce is the world's largest regional security organization.

  it offers a forum for political negotiations and decision-making in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, and puts the political will of its participating states into practice through its unique network of field missions.. the osce has a comprehensive approach to security that encompasses politico-military, economic and environmental, and human aspects.

  it therefore addresses a wide range of security-related concerns, including arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, human rights, national minorities, democratization, policing strategies, counter-terrorism and economic and environmental activities.. all 56 participating states enjoy equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally binding basis.. .

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  King Solomon

  My recent jawdropper occurred when I was looking at the JW neutrality stance over on JWFacts.com, and saw that the JW's had filed legal briefs in the matter of "Jimmy Swaggert vs CA State Board of Equalization" over a tax matter re: sales tax collection of religious literature.

  These legal briefs are called 'amicus curae', Latin meaning, "friends of the court" (which any law student knows). These briefs are filed VOLUNTARILY by parties who aren't named as a defendent in the matter, i.e. they had NO OBLIGATION to stick their noses into a matter of law, i.e. to defend themselves. Instead, Amicus briefs are filed so they can provide their advice on the case, offering the court their opinion to avoid a undesirable ruling that might effect them.

  Can you imagine Jesus sitting on the steps of the Courthouse, writing his legal opinions on paper, just so he can send them to his "friends, the Judges" sitting inside the Roman court?

  What part of "friendship with the World is emnity with God" does the JW Legal Dept and GB not understand?
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  3

  Opposite Sex Crazed Teen, or I'm being shunned by Hindu mom

  by skeeter1 in

  1. social
  2. family

  so, another parent was going to the mall with her tween.

  they asked to take my tween along.

  sure.. the other parent, mother, is from india, hindu.

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  King Solomon

  I've known a Westernized Indian who listened to rap, raised in schools/colleges here so no accent, smart successful, etc but he still decided to go the route of the arranged marriage.

  The thinking is the parents know what makes for a more-powerful alliance, and obviously familial blessing is a factor for helping the marriage survive. It's worked for 1000's of years, and depends on the wisdom of one's elders. BTW, the couple has to agree with their parent's choice: it's just that they're choosing their prospective mates, but the final approval is theirs. The couple learns to fall in love. My friend has 3 kids now, and seems happy.

  But the fact is, even if the kids DON'T comply with their parents wishes, they do NOT shun them like the JWs do! Did you tell her that JW's are forced to shun their children if they were DFed for a minor violation, say, smoking? I bet not....
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  16

  Thor answered my prayer

  by Stealth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  where i live in the usa we are experiencing record breaking drought and heat.

  over a month with no rain and 27 consecutive days with heat above 90. forcast calls for tripple digit heat for the next 7 days.. last night i broke down an prayed to thor, this morning he answered my prayer as i heard thunder at 5am and woke up to see rain.

  only 1/10 of an inch, but rain that was not in the forcast.. is this not proof that thor is a true god?.

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  King Solomon

  " It seems so obvious now that one single god cannot answer everyone's prayers. It is just to much for one god. You must pray to the right god in order to get results."

  Hmmm, I dunno : it sounds a bit crazy.... "Many gods", you say: mmmm... Sounds kinda confusing to me, cuz its hard enuf to keep track of the quirks of just ONE! One offers the benefits of one-stop shopping convenience.

  I've been thinking lately of going to NONE: that's even EASIER, as how much easier can it get, than having to keep track of just none? You'd think anyone could remember THAT: seems like they'd be all over it in the Bible Belt??
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  16

  Thor answered my prayer

  by Stealth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  where i live in the usa we are experiencing record breaking drought and heat.

  over a month with no rain and 27 consecutive days with heat above 90. forcast calls for tripple digit heat for the next 7 days.. last night i broke down an prayed to thor, this morning he answered my prayer as i heard thunder at 5am and woke up to see rain.

  only 1/10 of an inch, but rain that was not in the forcast.. is this not proof that thor is a true god?.

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  King Solomon

  Oh yeah? Well, YHWHs so awesome, so powerful, no man can see him and still live! (well, maybe with an exception, here or there). You can't even draw him, cuz.... (wait: why can't we draw him again? I forgot the rationale behind that rule....) It doesnt matter: y ou just can't! So don't even try....

  Oh, I just remembered why: it'll make him SAD... Very SAD, and ruin his entire day. You wouldn't want to do that, WOULD YOU?
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  16

  Thor answered my prayer

  by Stealth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  where i live in the usa we are experiencing record breaking drought and heat.

  over a month with no rain and 27 consecutive days with heat above 90. forcast calls for tripple digit heat for the next 7 days.. last night i broke down an prayed to thor, this morning he answered my prayer as i heard thunder at 5am and woke up to see rain.

  only 1/10 of an inch, but rain that was not in the forcast.. is this not proof that thor is a true god?.

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  King Solomon

  You fools!

  Let me explain climatology:

  We're standing on a flat round Earth (think disc-shaped) that has a massive metal hemisphere dome covering it, attached to the flat circular Earth all along the perimeter of the disc. The Sun, Moon, and stars are attached to the ceiling of the dome, mounted on tracks that allow them to move across the surface of the dome (think of trak lighting).

  There's windows in the ceiling of the dome, too, and the water that is stored above it falls thru the windows, giving us rain. The same windows are used to drop snow, hail, etc, as those are stored up there in separate storage bins.

  Heaven is above the dome, and God sometimes uses the dome (you may know it by the name, firmament) as a foot-rest (Mrs YHWH HATES when He does that!!!), or He walks across the top surface of the metal dome (that's your thunder).

  So there is a quick lesson in climatology, Genesis-style: that's how YHWH gets er dun. You'd have to be retawded (or home-schooled) to actually believe that Thor makes it rain, pee-shaw!!! As IF!
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  29

  The Pharisaical Laws of JW's

  by Emery in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i remember hearing from a former elder of a situation he found himself in while conducting the old weekly bible study.

  that morning only one male was present during the morning study, however that brother forgot his tie.

  under instruction from the slave, any brother not properly dressed for a meeting is not to have any congregation priviledges (hold mics, talk, attendent, magazines, reading).

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  King Solomon

  "I ran the sound system in the hall before I left. That was unless the CO or some big wig came around then they found a male"

  Well that makes sense.

  Many people don't understand that mixing boards have all of those faders, and sometimes multiple sliders need to be operated simultaneously for best results. That's where having that extra male appendage comes in very handy.... :)
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  26

  Jehovah protects Jehovah's Witnesses !!! Have you heard this?

  by Balaamsass in

  1. social
  2. current

  new story on my google alerts today.

  one more real life experience to counter what i have heard old jws, assembly parts and c.o.s spout for years.. jws kidnapped and beheaded;.

  abu bandit with p6-m bounty nabbed in basilan.

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  King Solomon

  Awwww, the old theodicy issue, the greatest unanswered question of the Bible: why does God seemingly allow bad things to happen?

  This is where the Bible shot-guns an answer, and to paraphrase what the Apple commercial says ("there's an app for that"), "there's a scripture for that": bad things happen to evil-doers as punishment, good things happen to do-gooders as a blessing, bad things happen to do-gooders because the Devil or God is testing you (see Job), or if nothing else fits, "unforeseen circumstances befall all". The Bible is like a Hallmark Store, a scripture for every occasion, for every sentiment you wish to express, so choose whichever fits.

  Of course, what these people are really trying to do is insulate THEMSELVES from life's uncertainties, in order to maintain a sense of having control over THEIR lives, a way to shelter themselves. They feel compelled to do something when seeing the pain of others, and feel helpless by not be able to offer ANYTHING to alleviate the suffering; so they offer their false hope instead. Think about it: they probably wouldn't cling to hope so tightly, as if it were a life-raft, if they HAD something else, right?

  They cannot simply say, "I'm sorry you've experienced your loss", and leave it at that. That makes THEM feel hopeless since they know there's nothing THEY can personally do to fix the situation, but they feel a need to put that tag on: "but i know someone who CAN...."

  So they must fill that awkward silence by babbling, seemingly unaware that the "cure all" which works for them is NOT a "one size fits all" remedy (and in fact only offers a sting to some, at a vulnerable moment in their life after suffering some loss).

  The old saying goes that the road to Hell is paved by those with good-intentions.

  Like Jesus said, "forgive them Father, for they know not what they do".
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  3

  Historical Jesus-Stanford University Course-iTunes University

  by Band on the Run in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i am listening to what i consider a very good discussion of the historical jesus.

  the lecture is for college students new to this area.

  basic principles are presented very well.

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  King Solomon

  Cool. Thanks for the recommendation: added to my "to check out" list.