Thirdson

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Posts by Thirdson

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  8

  Happy Mothers Day!!!

  by Jang in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www1.bluemountain.com/cards/boxa225257e1/fkenahgmsy85kd.html.

  motherhood and homemaking.

  i feel like ive wasted my life," said one mother whose last child had recently.

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  Thirdson

  If my mom were not a JW she could enjoy two Mother's days. One for her UK based family and the one for the US family.

  This will be a holiday that will get relaxed once the current GB dies and the WTS is forced to get away from its extreme unorthodox ways.
  It will probably be too late for my mom.

  We celebrated Mother's day for several years when we were growing up. Sometime in the 1970's the Watchtower specifically banned the holiday so we stopped. The thing is the USA written Watchtower considered the reasons for not celebrating based on the USA's date. The UK date is earlier in the year...I don't know why. But why should UK JW mothers have to have their totally different "day" banned by the men in Brooklyn?

  THirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  25

  Are 'we' Rubbing the dubs?

  by philo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  has anybody considered the possibility that the internet community may be making life worse for dubs, as a whole, rather than better?.

  i recently had a medical scare, went through testing, and scans.

  a doctor even called round my house uninvited to give me a hospital appointment!

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  Thirdson

  Just my thought on the JW/WTS pressure. Throughout its history the WTS has made everything new a "boogeyman" Today it's the Internet, a few years back video games, music, video movies. In the 70's it was TV and we were questioned whether we even needed one. We didn't get a color TV at home until 1981 when I bought one with my siblings for use at home. Go further back and vacinations and aluminum cookware was at fault.

  OK, the Internet is the most serious threat to the WTS because of the free flow of information in relative anonimity. But I don't think this information is making it too hard for JW's The thing with this "war" is that getting out is the easiest solution. Today most JW's in the western world have TV, video/DVD players. Many of them think nothing of watching R-rated (18) movies at home. The WTS has not relaxed standards but millions ignore their pontifications. So it is/will be with the Internet. It is not the medium but the less subjugated state of the average Joe Witness that is the WTS's biggest concern.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  17

  Roadside Assistance?

  by outnfree in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think i remember reading somewhere here about how some poor df'd sister's car broke down on the way home from a meeting once and none of the brothers would stop to help.

  it made somebody ashamed, as well it should have!.

  here's a twist: the son of the local p.o.

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  Thirdson

  OutnFree,

  You'd think in the parable of the Good Samaritan, that if told today and the Samaritan was a DF'd person the man beaten by robbers would say, "leave me here to die from my wounds, I don't need your help you despicable disfellowshipped person."

  It makes you wonder what value or that Bible reading does or all that supposed application of Christian principles.

  I remember the relaxing of the rules about DF's person in the late 70's. What I do remember is that the same people who said how good the new relaxed rules are, were the same people 5 years later (or less) who said how good the higher standards are. I never commented in that Watchtower study as I didn't like the reversal. How sad, it would take another 10 years or more before I acted on my feelings.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  2

  Cults...

  by Camay05 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this website is very interesting, a friend of mine sent this information to me http://www.factnet.org/coergrps.htm

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  Thirdson

  "Cult" is a very subjective term and I came across thoughts on cults twice yesterday. 3 thoughts now with this post:

  1. Yesterday I attended a management course on Civil Treatment. While discussing religious discrimination we had to examine and comment on a sample memo sent to a manager about an employee requestimg time-off for a special religious meeting with his new found religion. In the memo the supervisor calls the employee's religion a "crazy cult or something". -- Oops you can't discriminate just because you think someone's religion is a cult.

  2. Yesterday the Dalai Lama addressed the Minnesota legislature. One representative (Arlon Linder) stayed away because "Lindner said that the Dalai Lama is a cult leader and that Buddhism is incompatible with Judeo-Christian tradition."Minneapolis Star Tribune -- May 9, 2001. -- Buddhism is one of the world's major religions. If they are a cult what about Christianity?

  3.

  Wow, Amway listed as a cult too.

  
  Afraid so. There is a "church" near where I live. It is in fact the world headquarters of the "Church of the Inner Selfness" otherwise known as Eckankar. Mrs Thirdson and I looked them up on the Internet. Lots of "Unfavorable" sites. The best was titled "My Life in Eckankar and Amway". Not the first time I have seen Amway linked to fringe religions. I think it has to do with the method of selling to friends and family and close knit religious communities are great for profits.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  17

  More on Prince

  by Mulan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i talked to my jw friend today.

  she and her husband were studied with by larry graham, in california, about 10 years ago, or more.

  i asked if she knew anything about prince being a jw, and she said that their son went to visit the grahams in minnesota a year ago, and met prince at their home, and that he had been studying then, for about a year.

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  Thirdson

  On the previous thread I said I'd ask my son who knows a couple of JW kids at school. When I asked him he replied, "Prince went to the meetings for a while and those big places like at Stadiums but 'they' wouldn't let him become a Witness because 'they' didn't like his music."

  That's second-hand news from a 13 year old who got it from a 12 year old Witness who goes to the cong' in the city where Prince's recording studio is.

  Not that reliable but the best I could find.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  32

  Wow! The look they had on their faces!

  by ianao in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  witnesses: "why, no sir.

  witnesses: "well, actually sir if...".

  witnesses: "ok sir, but may i just say something?".

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  Thirdson

  RHW,

  They never come round my place either. The only time I speak to them is at the airport. I'll post one of my fun conversations one day.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  11

  Witness Kids and Disfellowshipped Parents

  by tergiversator in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought i'd share my own experience on the subject (sorry it gets a little long winded!

  ) and ask how having to shun relatives as a kid affected anyone else here.. disfellowshipping (and disassociation) have been part of my life for as long as i can remember.

  when i was six or seven, my dad, after opposing my mother's becoming a witness for several years, had a whirlwind flirtation with the organization and got baptized (as my mom put it, he was so disappointed that nothing special happened when he got baptized that he left the assembly at the lunch break).

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  Thirdson

  Tergiversator,

  Thanks for sharing your story. The good thing is you haven't wasted your best years in a controlling religion.

  How are things with your mom now? How long have you been away from home at college?

  I hope things are going well for you otherwise.

  Good luck in all your new endeavours,

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  4

  New doctrines?

  by philo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for the watchtower society doctrine has been a millstone because as a publishing organisation survival depends on writing and this inevitably means changing doctrines*.

  otherwise there would have come a point where nobody would buy their books - end of story.

  of course they could just publish reader's digest type stuff, but before long people would find better sources of general interest, i.e., the reader's digest.

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  Thirdson

  Thinking about that other popular monthly magazine, the WTS could start mailing everyone in the world with a subscription offer to 24 issues of R_eader's Awake. Along with it, your chance to win a seat on the Heavenly throne.

  "144,000 lucky winners will get the chance to rule the world for 1000 years. You Mr. Interested of 5812 Peach Tree Avenue, Atlanta, could be one of those lucky winners. To win, return your entry form along with your paid subscription. If you return the entry within 7 days you will be eligible for a free gift (an outdated book from the WTS warehouse). Seek meekness and seek righteousness you may already be a winner. Act now before it is too late!"

  (Your chnance of winning is dependant on the number of entrants, one seat per household, must be over 18 and a resident of the planet Earth.)

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  13

  Need advice

  by hybridous in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my 17 year old brother is a model witness for the local congregation.

  he's been baptized for a couple of years now.

  my jw mom is quite liberal...she has allowed us kids to play sports, be in school plays...etc.

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  Thirdson

  I agree with Six, there is no harm in talking. You know the inside consequences, have eperienced the same problem and can provide valuable asistance without being a threat. The worst you could do is rat on him and cause JW type trouble. 17 is young age to have to make decisions of conscience, heart and religion. You need to be a friend.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'
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  25

  WERE ANIMALS MEANT TO BE VEGGYS?

  by uncle_onion in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i would be very interested in any creationalists response to genesis 1:30 where the bible tells us that all animals wre originallly vegetarians.. why aren't they vegetarians now?

  what about gnats who only live on blood?.

  this to me brings up a lot of issues that can not be answered.

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  Thirdson

  The problem with trying to present the idea that animals were not meat eaters prior to some recent time in history is POO!

  There is a wonderful field of science called Paleo-scatology, the study of fossilized feaces. Unfortunately for the vegetarianists, the poo contains fossilized fur and bone. Studying poo tells a lot about the flesh/meat diet of long dead and sometimes extinct creatures.

  Sorry to pooh pooh anyones belief otherwise.

  Thirdson

  'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'