Posts by jwundubbed

Just because the JWs get their information wrong... it doesn't mean they got the information wrong that you think they did. This article neither proves nor disproves their premise... but it does seem to imply that a giant sequoia could potentially, under the right circumstances live through a great flood. Look down to the bottom where the summary is. It would have to have been young, but as you stated it would have been... young for a giant sequoia.

13

What does this video say to you about U.S. news organizations?

by Wasanelder Once in

this video was somewhat revelatory to me.

i knew that fox was a coordinated news outlet but i had no idea it was so rigid.

that's the iron fist of the corporate agenda.

jwundubbed

I read the BBC. I look stuff up.

I haven't watched US News in about 10 years and I find that I am often far better informed than most people I know on a wider variety of subjects.

36

Things are too quiet at Warwick (Bethel)

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i guess it's the covid-19 thing.

but very little news from a couple of people i know well there.

they can't leave the "compound" or much of anything else.

jwundubbed

What options do they really have?

I absolutely refuse to feel sorry for a group of people who have a roof over their heads, food to eat, live in worry free comfort and chose to be exactly where they are. There are a lot of people who are out of work because of the pandemic and do not have the option to be bored rather than to worry how they are going to get through this crisis. These people have options. All they have to do is make a different choice. But they really don't have it as bad as many people in the world right now. So, no. I don't feel sorry for them. And I can't justify laughing at their plight when they are so well off.

41

Removing Historic Monuments and Statues - Does the Term "Historical" Make it Right or Wrong?

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

after further review and thought, i really don't see how removing a monument or statue that may be truly offensive to a large group of people is in some way rewriting history.. i think of germany or other parts of europe.

you don't see swastikas on buildings or statues of hitler or mussolini or other upper level generals in public.

would it be good for a person (think jewish) to drive around a city and see hitler in a public park, even though it is "historical?

jwundubbed

1) I don't want angry, unruly mobs going around toppling what they protest are statues of oppressive historical figures. That's not democracy.

Democracy - a system of government by the whole population

That is exactly democracy. That is the people speaking up. It isn't pretty and orderly, but it is a form of democracy. Democracy isn't always calm, peaceful, and under control. That is especially true when a democracy is in it's infancy as it would be if we had that government here (US). We don't. We live in a Republic. As do some of the other nations facing this issue. I'm not familiar with any nation that is actually a democracy. We may be somewhat democratic.. but democracy (in the US at least) has been ignored for far too long. The people are speaking and this is what it looks like.

2) Christopher Columbus, Churchill and other great historical individuals of importance are neither Nazi nor equivalent to Dr. Mengele.

Christopher Columbus isn't a part of American history. He didn't find America, he didn't even step foot on America. He did enslave indigenous people and hang some of them without trial. I don't think we need statues of him in the US. He was a great explorer, but he was no paragon of manhood or even of humankind. He wasn't well liked in his own time and for good reason. Every person who has a statue is complex and flawed, but I see no reason to keep up a statue of a racist. He should be fine just gracing our history books. He wasn't a great man even though he takes credit for a lot a great things that he never did.

Racism is equivalent to Nazis. The Nazis are racist in their definition. They are the epitome of racism. It isn't just that they committed egregious genocide against a race of people. They put themselves up as the only worth race. It is justified to compare any racist person who acted on their racism as being on par with the Nazis. Columbus enslaved people instead of killing them. Oh, no he did kill people for committing crimes but didn't give them a trial (fair or otherwise) of any kind. Not everyone is up to the standards of Hitler and Mengele, but racist people and people with a platform that speak out to advocate their racist beliefs certainly would have fit in the ranks of the Nazis. I don't mind saying that Trump and Hitler have a lot in common. I mean, ICE camps aren't exactly the same as the concentration camps but they aren't far from it either. Hitler didn't have special camps just for the children.... but Trump does. And yet, a lot of people in the US believe that Trump is a great man. Should he have a statue too?

I don't personally believe that Churchill needs to have a statue. I'm not from his home country so it isn't really my place to say if his statue should go or stay. But he wasn't a great man. He was the man in office when very bad things happened and he did right for his country. He fought the Nazis but not because they were racist. He fought them because they were trying to take over the world. Most people didn't even know the Nazis were racist or how racist they were until the war ended. That is another vote for making parallels between the Nazis and other racists. Churchill was racist but much like Trump he swayed back and forth on issues according to what would further his career. He was certainly a paragon of white male privilege. As a woman, I'm not keen on glorifying that in any country anymore. But I see that as being a problem for a long time to come. In the US the people in power still hold capitalism as our highest standard. So, privileged white men will continue to have statues... as long as they weren't openly racist.

Does the Term "Historical" Make it Right or Wrong?

You know this question can be asked two different ways.

Does 'Historical' make it right to have a statue up of someone who is racist? No. But history is full of fallacies. Most of what we learn in school is simplified into making complex and flawed white privileged men, or just privileged men into paragons of humanity. George Washington and his peers weren't all good. Many of them were racist and owned slaves. Being 'Historical' isn't enough to keep a statue up. But what if a person did something so profound and meaningful that it overshadows their flaws. Then is that a good enough reason for them to have a statue? It might be.

Does 'Historical' make it wrong to take a statue down? No. History has a way of aligning itself with the times. History is written by the victors but it can't stand up against an angry populace. Books and statues have always been at the beck and call of what is popular. That is the very nature of how humanity treats history. 'Being historical' won't save a statue from being brought down and it shouldn't. These statues shouldn't stay up just because bringing them down makes people feel uncomfortable. We, ex-JWs, of all people should understand the necessity of confronting our fears and our uncomfortable feelings. There is cognitive dissonance at work here. We don't want to be racist but we feel it is okay to raise the confederat flag or have it held by a statue of a racist man who did something great. Get real. Now's the time.

Face your cognitive disonance and recognize that your discomfort is a red flag. Your brain is telling you to look deeper.

31

Why Do You Think People Become Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

besides growing up in the religion, why do you think people turn to jehovah’s witnesses?

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what made you become a witness?

jwundubbed

I think overall, people who join are people like you and me who are looking for something in their lives that we all look for... hope. Lots of groups offer false hope, but you can't see it until you are up close and personal.

My mom joined after her first divorce. She had a dysfunctional family and had suffered a lot of abuse and trauma. She married at 14 and divorced at 18.

My dad joined because the Vietnam draft was looming over his head and everyone was scared. There was a lot of change happening in the world at that time. A lot of people can't handle change well and look for something bigger than themselves to give them hope and reassurance.

My siblings and I were all born in.

2

When staying home isn't safe

by Fadeaway1962 in

https://religionnews.com/2020/05/26/when-staying-home-isnt-safe/ .

now they claim they have been assisting victims of domestic abuse for decades, and they can offer victims timely emotional support and reliable guidance from the bible and jw.org.. is a slight improvement from the dec 2018 article page 14 .

extremely physically abusive , even to the point that she feels her health or life is in danger , some have endured and tried to work at improving matter's..

jwundubbed

I remember assisting victims of domestic violence when I was a kid. I remember picking them up off the floor and cleaning their houses. I remember my mother consoling them and trying to give them hope from the bible while the elders told them they weren't being wifely enough and that they should pray for guidance. I also remember how the abusers were protected by the elders.

I don't want to know what it actually is that they call assistance in this day and age. I don't believe it is much different from what it was when i was a kid.

14

Looking for suggestions, I'm being called on by a JW

by Tameria2001 in

just before the pandemic affected my area, a couple of jws came to my door.

this was the first time i didn't tell them to hit the road but instead had a pleasant conversation with them.

i never revealed that i am a former jw, nor do i ever want the jws in my area to know that i was ever one.

jwundubbed

If you mention the Spanish Flu, you might want to mention that it came back for a second round after it mutated (or evolved). The H1N1 flu that scared so many people a few years ago, is from the same strain of flu as the Spanish Flu. I'm not sure what your goal is for this seed but learning what disease is and how it works would help a lot of people. Especially since there is so much misinformation out there.

24

My dad is now a ministerial servant tonight

by Wagurl in

my dad just became mistrial servant should i move out i’m almost 18. what the hell should i do?

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jwundubbed

You have gotten some great advice here, but I have to address something. A bunch of people have told you not to get baptized because then the church will have power over you. That is bunk. It just isn't true.

Baptism is a verbal contract at best and one they cannot possibly enforce. Can you imagine if you went to court over breach of contract? They have never ever even tried to do that to someone, because they don't have a leg to stand on. They have power over you only if you give them that power. The better reason not to get baptized is if you don't believe in the religion or in God.

No one should tell you if or when to get baptized. That is a personal choice between you and God. No one else gets any say in it. It isn't a contract between you and the religion even if they say that is what it is. it isn't a legal contract and the only power it has as a contract is if you believe in it.

For me, getting baptized was what brought me out of the JW. That was the beginning of the end for me. I didn't get baptized for them and it was that moment that I realized they had no power over me. Leaving physically and emotionally wasn't as easy as recognizing they had no power over me. I was still underage. I do not, for one moment, regret getting baptized.

38

Has Anyone Had Chinese Food Lately?

by minimus in

jw
friends

since this virus, i have noticed that nearly all of the take out joints in my area are closed.

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jwundubbed

I'm one of the lucky few that has an essential job. I only have it every two weeks, but I'm buying into my local community. Food that delivers are still open in my area. I use UberEats to give back just a little each week. I support my local shops.

I also support the Chinese. They are no more responsible for this virus than the rest of us. Viruses and disease are a part of life and if we are going to go there, then everyone in the world has the right to blame us for the fact that measles hasn't been eradicated all because some people in the US (the ones who started the false information) decided that vaccinations cause autism, which it doesn't.

I don't agree with blame game. That this strand of a virus started in one place doesn't really mean anything at all. Virus strands evolve and mutate and grow and spread from every part of the world. If you believe in God then you have to blame him since he created all life in the universe and viruses are alive, technically. If you don't believe in God then you can blame life, because this is what life is.

I see the point in blaming anyone for things we have no control over. I prefer to live life moving forward.