...and fear. Fear of finding out that what you were taught is wrong, and fear of growth. The really sad thing, I find, is that when confronted the racist will usually spew out all sorts of "arguments" and "proof" that their view is correct. I don't think the problem originates in hatred; I think it originates in a history of ignorance, coupled with a fear of growth, the unknown, and change, which have led to hatred when put all together. I think the hatred is a mask for the fear. It's pathetic, I agree.
SpiderMonkey
JoinedPosts by SpiderMonkey
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100
Why are people racist?
by MrMoe insomething on the song thread that i posted, song by tu pac, got me to thinking about racisim.
why do people discriminate against people that have different color skin?
i understand it is a learned response, but my "elder" father is very racist... and this is how i was raised.. i don't get it.
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Appeal Letter 7-29-02
by silentlambs indraffenville congregation of jehovahs witnesses.
judicial committee elders of:.
murray congregation of jehovahs witnesses.
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SpiderMonkey
Bill, whatever your intent in writing that letter, I wish you success. You have what I call "a fire in your belly," and for that you have my full respect. Whether you are un-disfellowshipped or not, whether Brooklyn changes its policies or not, you have brought comfort to thousands where the WT offerred no comfort whatsoever. Whether you achieve your aims or not, you should at least have peace of mind knowing that your actions have proven your integrity.
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HAVE you CHANGED???
by minimus inafter reading so many comments about our collective personalities, i wonder how we were percieved by the congregation in general.
some of us on the board seem to be shy, others appear to be stronger type personalities.some stories that i have read, suggest that when you left the organization, either nobody was surprised or everyone was shocked.
do you think that you are basically the same type of person , now, as you were when you were attending meetings?
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SpiderMonkey
I am of the "shocked-the-bejeezus-out-of-the-cong-when-df'd" class... Was definitely a goody-2-shoes back then; since I more or less grew up in it, and went through a lot of torment while my JW mom & non-NW dad argued endlessly about how to raise the kids... When my dad "converted," I just sucked it all up, but it was against my grain. I've always felt like I was still essentially still the same person, but to what degree, I don't know - recently I met an old formerly JW friend through this board, and when we met in person, she said something to the effect that I seem much more relaxed now. That is the big change from then til now, I think; back in the day, I always felt "hunted"... I didn't know if Jehovah was going to destroy me for being a hypocrite who didn't really believe, or if someone else was somehow going to "expose" me... I always just felt on edge. Like others mentioned, I do feel much more relaxed now, at peace w/ myself. I don't feel like the universe is out to get me & beat me into the wrong mold.
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What is your definition of........
by SpiceItUp in......beauty?.
i know the whole sentiment of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
even rod sterling had his say on the matter (boy i loved that episode).. what is beautiful in your opinion?
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SpiderMonkey
I don't have a definition... Assuming you're talking about beauty that leads to romance... It always seems to be different w/ every relationship, for me... Some different blend of qualities that I love, plus some undefinable spark. Some qualities I'm always attracted to are confidence (love for self... having one's own interests... etc), sincerity/honesty, intelligence, love for animals & children, a hopeful perspective... a strange blend of softspokenness & outspokenness that I don't think I can describe in words...
Physical beauty as society defines it, in my experience, does not often go along w/ inner beauty... The stereotypical supermodel so often ends up getting by on looks alone that she ends up being a pretty shell of a person... The 2 very best relationships I've ever been in were with women who were "overweight" by society's standards... I guess that my ideal of physical beauty would be long dark hair, my height (5'6"), light-colored eyes, athletic... But every time I've met "her" she's been spoken for, so I'm not exactly holding my breath It's definitely the inner qualities that do it for me...
edited because "along" isn't the same word as "alone"... LOL... SpiderMonkey... "a loon, but not loonly"
Edited by - spidermonkey on 29 July 2002 22:22:18
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XJW Pagans
by SpiderMonkey into spice, moe, gsx, & many others i've met here, i have a question: whether xjw or just associated w/ jw's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves pagan: do you have a link to a pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does?
i'm getting to a point where i frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against jw's and basically posting "yeah.
" i'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but i am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... i want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words.... this is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has.
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SpiderMonkey
Thanks, all, for the response; I will check those out!
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XJW Pagans
by SpiderMonkey into spice, moe, gsx, & many others i've met here, i have a question: whether xjw or just associated w/ jw's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves pagan: do you have a link to a pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does?
i'm getting to a point where i frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against jw's and basically posting "yeah.
" i'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but i am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... i want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words.... this is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has.
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SpiderMonkey
OK, yesh, now I understand... It works, even though it tells me it doesn't Thanks again, arachnia!!!
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XJW Pagans
by SpiderMonkey into spice, moe, gsx, & many others i've met here, i have a question: whether xjw or just associated w/ jw's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves pagan: do you have a link to a pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does?
i'm getting to a point where i frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against jw's and basically posting "yeah.
" i'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but i am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... i want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words.... this is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has.
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SpiderMonkey
Arachnia, your site keeps telling me that my e-mail address is already in use?!? I'm not sure how that can be, as my addy is only about 6 months old and I've never seen your site before! Please help if you can; you can e-mail me privately if you like.
love, Mike
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XJW Pagans
by SpiderMonkey into spice, moe, gsx, & many others i've met here, i have a question: whether xjw or just associated w/ jw's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves pagan: do you have a link to a pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does?
i'm getting to a point where i frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against jw's and basically posting "yeah.
" i'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but i am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... i want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words.... this is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has.
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SpiderMonkey
Cheers, arachnia, I'm going to check that out right now... gsx, I know there are plenty of flaky Pagans out there; that's why I'm not more involved in the Pagan "community" already Trying to change that tho... If I do run across any other sites along the lines I mentioned, I'll be sure & post them here.
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XJW Pagans
by SpiderMonkey into spice, moe, gsx, & many others i've met here, i have a question: whether xjw or just associated w/ jw's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves pagan: do you have a link to a pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does?
i'm getting to a point where i frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against jw's and basically posting "yeah.
" i'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but i am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... i want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words.... this is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has.
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SpiderMonkey
To Spice, Moe, gsx, & many others I've met here, I have a question: Whether XJW or just associated w/ JW's at some point in time, those who now consider themselves Pagan: Do you have a link to a Pagan site that offers good chat & board services like this one does? I'm getting to a point where I frequently find myself reading some very valid ideas against JW's and basically posting "yeah." I'm not interested in leaving this board entirely, but I am interested in finding a board that suits my current beliefs & interests more fully... I want to accentuate the positives more so than the negatives in other words...
This is in no way meant as a slam against this board; this board has helped me as nothing else ever has. But, as I've managed to work out some of my issues in the past few months, I feel myself wanting to move ahead w/ my life. I will constantly monitor posts here to see what arguments I might be able to use w/ my family who are still JW's (and I will damn well find a way to attend or help sponsor an apostofest, hopefully sooner rather than later)... But I don't feel I'm contributing much here; the "oh yeah" reflex is getting really tired and I don't want to use up bandwidth posting something that I really only need to say to myself... If there is some net "place" y'all think has been particularly helpful to your growth & knowledge in Things Pagan, I'd love to hear about it. Feel free to post here, or e-mail me privately.
love, Mike
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tehe...
by FiveShadows inhappy birthday to me...happy birthday to me...happy birthday dear five...shaduh..yeah....happy birthday to me!
...(takes a bow) ~fs
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SpiderMonkey
5s, I'm curious if you've ever read a comic called "Animal Mystic"... When you said "Shaduh" it made me wonder, that's all...
Happy 1st score of birthdays, & many scores to come