Posts by Spoletta

38

If we are further away from perfection, why are we more moral?

by stuckinarut2 in

as we know, witnesses teach that adam and eve were perfect and then committed the first act of sin and rebellion.. they in turn were cursed,and we all declined as their offspring.

humans supposedly lived shorter and shorter lives, and became more imperfect and sinful.. the further away in time humans go then, they should be getting worse.

so why is it then that as a society, humans have actually improved in so many ways?.

Spoletta

And the way my son has developed with modern technology is far from sub-humun. He is kind, loving, knows his identity and we love each other.

This is so true. My son interacts with people all over the world. He has friends in many countries, with the same interests, and has learned how much we have in common with others.

We also share with each other the interesting things we find on line, favorite comedians, movies, music, and a host of other things. We have a much better relationship than I had with my father.

Like anything, It's what you make of technology that can shape who you are. I think that we're more moral because we now have the ability see the world as a whole, and have empathy for others that couldn't exist in a society with less real time access to the problems and successes that shape the world. I know more about people and cultures than my parents did, and see the world through different eyes. I can care about the well-being of people that, in the past, I would not have known existed.

15

Jehovah Witnesses View on medical marijuana?

by Slade1224 in

i was wondering what the view jehovah witnesses and the bible and tract society had on medical cannabis?

i remember as a kid reading in the reasoning book that marijuana was bad and smoking it caused cancer and was worse then cigarettes.

as more reach comes out we are leaning marijuana can cure certain forms of cancer!

Spoletta

I think that as time goes by and marijuana use becomes a part of mainstream culture, the stigma will fade and the younger witnesses will consider it no worse than alcohol.

67

Japan On High Alert

by snowbird in

jw
friends

my g'daughter and her hubby are stationed in okinawa.. i talked with her a few hours earlier today, and she stated they're preparing for the worst.. young people are remarkably resilient, aren't they?.

sylvia.

Spoletta

I'm surprised that China hasn't tried to covertly remove the present wacky President of North Korea and replace him with someone more stable. At this point, a puppet with limited nuclear capability seems preferable to the status quo.

Along with the missile threat, I also worry that a country like Iran could get their hands on a nuclear device from North Korea, and smuggle it into a country like Israel.

38

If we are further away from perfection, why are we more moral?

by stuckinarut2 in

as we know, witnesses teach that adam and eve were perfect and then committed the first act of sin and rebellion.. they in turn were cursed,and we all declined as their offspring.

humans supposedly lived shorter and shorter lives, and became more imperfect and sinful.. the further away in time humans go then, they should be getting worse.

so why is it then that as a society, humans have actually improved in so many ways?.

Spoletta

For the most part, the world is no longer divided into Kings and serfs.The so called "common" people have a say in the way they live their lives, and as there are more moral people than not, life has gradually gotten better.

The day of the all supreme tyrant is fading away, albeit not fast enough.

24

Church gets own police force - are the Dubs next?

by SadElder in

just read this article in the washington times.

other sites have similar stories.. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/12/briarwood-presbyterian-alabama-megachurch-gets-sta/.

can you imagine the dubs with a sworn police force with arrest powers?.

Spoletta

We have fire push-release doors. After they see you on the monitors, someone will come and let you in, I guess it's to keep out the terrorists.

24

Church gets own police force - are the Dubs next?

by SadElder in

just read this article in the washington times.

other sites have similar stories.. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/12/briarwood-presbyterian-alabama-megachurch-gets-sta/.

can you imagine the dubs with a sworn police force with arrest powers?.

Spoletta

As Buffalo Springfield pointed out "Paranoia runs deep". On a side note, they've started locking the doors at our hall after the meeting starts.

48

Disfellowshipping decision to go before Canadian Supreme Court

by Simon in

high court will examine whether judicial review applies to membership decisions made by religious groups.

the supreme court of canada has agreed to hear an appeal involving a calgary man who was kicked out of his jehovah's witness church.. randy wall, a real estate agent was "disfellowshipped" from the highwood congregation for being drunk on two occasions and allegedly verbally abusing his wife.. as a result, he says his clients refused to do further business with him, so he argued his property and civil rights were affected.. after losing three internal church appeals of his expulsion, wall made an application with the court of queen's bench in calgary which ordered a hearing to first determine if there was jurisdiction for the court to hear the application.. decisions and appeals.

a judge decided the superior court did have jurisdiction to hear the application.. the church then appealed wall's decision to the alberta court of appeal, which upheld the court of queen's bench, affirming the court has jurisdiction to hear the matter.. one of the three appeal court judges dissented — arguing that congregations are private organizations akin to bridge clubs, whose decisions "are not enforceable promises and have limited, if any, impact outside its small circle.".

Spoletta

As far of the legality of the whole issue, I would think it would fall into the area of being a kind of boycott. I recall some Christian denominations calling for parishioners to boycott Disney films for some silly reason or other, and don't think there was anything illegal about it. As someone said, you can't force people to patronize your business.

It would be good, however, if this exposed the practice of shunning to some who weren't aware of it.

7

School shooting in San Bernardino

by azor in

jw
friends

2 miles from where i live.

my heart goes out to the parents of the murdered child.

what a sick bastard.

Spoletta

I think of my sons at that age, imagining the incredible shock and pain I'd feel if it had happened to them.Those lives are changed forever.

Random events like this make you realize that every day is a gift that should be taken advantage of, because things can change so quickly. It's easy to blame it on guns, or mental health, but the truth is, bad things happen, and we can only do so much to prevent them.

Those families are going to need a lot of support the next few days and weeks, I wonder if anyone here has any experience in finding out if there is any kind of fund to help them with any financial needs they might have in the coming days.

76

Breaking news: Islamic Terrorist Attack in Stockholm Sweden involving stolen truck, 3 gunmen on the loose!

by kpop in

time to break out the facebook filters, #hastags, candles, vigils and sing "we are the world!

" one day, one day, with enough #hashtags and scented candles we'll stop those annoying terrorists!.

https://twitter.com/newsthissecond/status/850334044042792960.

Spoletta

It also doesn't seem unreasonable to, for instance, check on someone's social networking or other history when they are applying to enter the country.

I'll add checking their Facebook and Twitter accounts to the screening process.

@Spoletta - Islamic terrorism and creeping Sharia pose a real threat to Western lives, society and culture.

The only point I can agree on is the tragic loss of life. But the majority of lives lost to terrorism occur within the Islamic countries themselves. the lives lost to terrorism within the Western nations are tragedies, but numerically insignificant when compared with other more preventable losses of life.

As far as society and culture are concerned, I find it very unlikely that we'll be bowing to Mecca and wearing hijabs in the future. Every culture that has come to America has only added to the diversity of our nation, while eventually assimilating into the general populace. There will always be small enclaves of every culture somewhere that we can visit to discover a more ethnic experience. But I've yet to see any of these expand and engulf an entire region.

Your flippant attitude REALLY DOESN'T HELP!

When thoughtful discussion fails, I find a little sarcasm goes a long way when I want to point out fallacies or weakness in another's arguments. It at least makes me feel better.

26

Dear supporters of Russia's JW Ban:

by Jehalapeno in

this is the kind of government you are supporting.. over 100 gay men have been sent to concentration camps for homosexuals in chechnya and three people have been killed.. stop supporting fascism.. if you support the russia jw ban, what other thoughts and beliefs are you ok with policing?.

if you support the jw russia ban, have you read george orwell's 1984?

don't you realize you are advocating for literal fascism when you support the banning of a belief system?

Spoletta

As soon as one group is banned, no matter how we disagree with their views, it leaves the door open to banning something we feel is important.

When the ACLU protects the KKK's freedom of speech and right to assemble, it's protecting our rights at some time in the future. It may be disturbing, but it's part of what makes this country a better place to live than some others.