I'm in southern Vermont. Not too far!
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Seeker4
JoinedPosts by Seeker4
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Seeker4
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Is using 10% of our brain just a myth?
by truthseeker inthe society has said many times that we only use 10% of our brains.
they use this assertion to claim that this is part of man's imperfection.. this article attempts to refute that claim.. .
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/columns/?article=bnbraincapacity>1=10789.
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Seeker4
Yeah, this is one myth that has always really irritated me.
I think it might be way more accurate to say that our brains seem to have an infinite capacity for learning and storing information, so there's no danger of our ever filling our brains to 100% capacity!
It was one of those silly things speakers used to repeat all the time to prove we were supposed to live forever.
Ugh....
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How Do You Deal With Stress & Depression?
by minimus ini know many people who are stressed and depressed.
they feel burnt out and anxious.
how have you dealt with such issues?
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Seeker4
On a more serious note, in addition to alcohol, I find that excercise, looking beyond the immediate problem, and not dwelling on negative crap goes a long way.
Long ago I decided that I would not live unhappy, depressed or in a negative world. That decision has been a big help.
Also, don't let the assholes get you down.
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How Do You Deal With Stress & Depression?
by minimus ini know many people who are stressed and depressed.
they feel burnt out and anxious.
how have you dealt with such issues?
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Seeker4
I drink.
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Seeker4
Yes, I remember Orobus/Eduardo quite well.
The website is well done! Good for him!
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A first for me today--I voted!
by onesong ini'm not into politics and don't put much stock in the government having anything to do with my happiness, but i decided it would be a new experience and why not.. i have to admit it felt good.
seeing democracy in action was great and as small as my 1 little vote is, it feels empowering to have a say..
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Seeker4
Onesong,
Congrats! One of the first things I did when I stopped going to meetings was register to vote. I listen to NHPR everyday, so I'm following this pretty closely over there.
Hey, I'm in Vermont. Where in NH are you? I'm right on the border with NH in Westminster. I apologize if I've asked you about this before. I forget things sometimes....
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Things that are really bad.
by joelbear69 inas jw's we were taught that almost everything was bad for some reason or another.
xmas, birthdays, lucky charms, watching r rated movies, not going to meetings, .
going to college, liking sports, etc.
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Seeker4
Joel,
You're exactly right.
Abuse of power and bullying were not at all uncommon among the elders and COs, yet the organization was and is fixated on sex and making sure no member thinks too much about things (or at least doesn't talk about it if he does!!). The actual expression of a Christ-like personality through kindness, humility, compassion and forgiveness is a rare thing among many JWs.
Some of the stupid things we were taught as "bad" are just ridiculous.
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BETHELITES - Whatever Became of?
by Black Man ini often times wonder what happened to certain bethelites that i ran around with during my 1990s tenure there.
while there are still a few left there, the greater majority of them aren't there for various reasons (marriage, disillusionment, left the borg, etc).
a couple of cats i wonder about - there was one brother who i believe was from kansas, who got his fingers cut off in a printing press.
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Seeker4
I was never at Bethel except to do temporary construction work at the Bossert in the 80s for a week or so. I did have a lot of friends and connections there, and visited Bethel often.
The Spatzs, Walden Chin, the Chains, Fred and Marge Rusk - all were good friends of ours that we visited often, or had visit us and our families. Many, many other acquaintences there.
Some mentioned working in scaffolding. There was a brother from my congregation, Karl (can't for the life of me think of his last name right now!! His step brother was Bethelite Rob Pollock of "Bethel sent him to engineering school to get his degree" fame.) who worked on the scaffolding crew for years. Big guy - and now I think he's fat and bald to boot. Indicated he ran the crew, but not sure how true that is.
No one ever mentions him in these threads, and I'm not sure if he's out now with the latest downsizing. His JW mother lives in this town where my office is, and I run into her and she shuns me at the local grocery store. That's actually better than having her talk to me, as she was one of the more brainless Witnesses without an original thought or the niggling of a doubt - at least from all outward appearances.
He was an OK kid, but I think he kind of turned into one of those Bethelites who thought he was really special. The last times I saw him there was a definite air of arrogance about him.
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Atheists Bible Quiz - True Believers Beware - You'll Love It...
by besty inhttp://ffrf.org/quiz/bquiz.php.
we found this quiz after reading the book parenting beyond belief and sweetpea and i decided to take the challenge - afterall how difficult can 50 bible questions be for us born and brought up as jw's?.
our results were enlightening to say the least - we both scored 28/50 - not exactly brilliant although apparently above average.. take the quiz and post your results and comments..
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Seeker4
Hey, AlmostAtheist, I got 41 out of 50 also.
When I reviewed my answers, I saw that I got three wrong that I'd had the anser right and then changed it.
I also disagreed with one of their conclusions on women and divorce.
An interesting quiz, if extreme in a few of its interpretations, as you menitoned.
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Preaching work - What other religion preaches??
by Black Man ini know the mormons go door to door and i have seen some church of god people occasionally.
who else has organized preaching ministries (door to door, etc.)?
i'm in an ongoing dialogue with relatives and this is one of their contentions - that the witnesses must have the truth (despite the many fallacies) because they are the only one that go door to door preaching.
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Seeker4
A few points.
First, I totally agree that house to house preaching is incredibly ineffective as a means to teach people about the Kingdom, something I realized while still an active JW. I've pioneered and not talked to a person at the door for weeks and weeks! And when you do meet someone, how many of them actually hear a message about the Kingdom? Maybe one in a thousand! Most are simply offered a piece of literature.
Ask any group of non-Witnesses what the JWs are preaching when they go house to house, and I guarantee that NO ONE will say that they are "preaching the Good News of God's Kingdom!"
So, you're first argument ought to include those ideas.
Second, I totally disagree with Prophecor's idea that the JWs are fulfilling Matt. 24:14, which says NOTHING about preaching door to door the way the JWs do. Many, many other churches are doing a much more effective ministry work via television, radio and the computer, reaching more people in one broadcast than the JWs talk to in a year.
And finally, all religions preach in various ways. The JWs lay claim to the door to door work because it supposedly sets them aside as different. Lots of other religions do it, it's just that the Witnesses have made it sort of a "badge of honor" when the reality is that it is super ineffective and just odd and downright rude in the 21st Century.
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