Posts by Thirdson

23

How are you financialy?

by ball. in

jw
friends

how are you financialy?.

i don't know if i am am a typical brit, but i guess i am a fairly typical rags to riches storey.

i have just managed to finish paying off my house at age 32 after growing up a pioneer penny-less until 22, meaning now i can save for the future and buy stuff i want, but until now it's been a strugle.

Thirdson

I read an article today comparing salaries in the US to other countries. The US is way ahead and the main reason so many US jobs are being exported to other countries. That said, US personal debt is extremely high and a large number of people are not making adequate savings for retirement. It's almost like the reason a boss, I once had, used for not paying more. He said, "If I paid you more you'd only spend it and still complain how bad off you are." For "everything else there is MasterCard" sums up the US attitude. However, I read the UK is just as bad.

Like many JWs I didn't save toward retirement either. Now playing catch-up.

My dad accused me of being materialistic after I moved to the US. I explained to him that I live within my means, in a modest home (at least for my neighborhood) have no credit card debt, own my car, my furniture, my appliances and only pay interest on my mortgage. I do recognize that being counted among middleclass America, that on the global scale, I am among the very rich.

3rd

41

Constitutional Amendment : Slippery Slope

by patio34 in

this was too good to leave on the bush/gay marriage thread so i'm starting a new topic on it: .

the following was sent to me recently: .

as certain politicians work diligently to prevent marriage between two people of the same sex, others of us have been busy drafting a constitutional amendment codifying all marriages entirely on biblical principles.. after all, god wouldn't want us to "pick and choose" which of the scriptures we elevate to civil law and which we choose to ignore:.

Thirdson

Patio makes some good points if you use the Bible to make law.

I thought about this subject today, waiting in the bank and reading a recent Time magazine article on the subject of transsexuals. A surprisingly large number of people are transsexual, many unaware. What made me think about constitutional amendments to make marriage to be between and 'man and a woman only' is what actually constitutes gender?

For transsexuals this is ambiguous. Gender (in humans) is normally determined by the 23rd pair of chromosomes, XX being female and XY male. Some people have both cells that are XX and cells that are XY. What gender are they? Is gender based on early conditioning and dress? How about physical attributes? Does lacking ovaries make someone male? One person interviewed was raised as a girl. Only well in to adulthood did she see her medical records. As a child she had surgery to remove her 'twisted ovaries' -- actually testes. Although genetically XY the embryo failed to develop as a boy, some condition caused the testes not to develop properly and without testosterone never developed male genitalia. She was raised as a girl and was told she will never be able to have children. Now an adult, she is in a relationship with a woman.

Although the subject of marriage was not considered in the article it made me think. What about people like the aforementioned person, a woman who is genetically male, in a relationship with another woman? Will a constitutional amendment take them in consideration? What about all the other varying degrees of transsexual physiology? Will ambiguous men be allowed to marry? What about girls who develop male characteristics at puberty? Will they need to become legally male in order to marry a woman? Isn't a constitutional amendment defining marriage so loosely opening up a whole can of worms particularly when it comes to equality for all?

24

Where's everybody from?

by dustyb in

jw
friends

there was a lot of threads that i've seen recently asking where everyone is at.

so i thought i could just make a reference thread for everyone to reference to when they're wondering.

share if you want to!.

Thirdson

Warwickshire, England.

Now living in exile.

3rd

16

Ozzie's Weekend Poll #85

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

g?day all,.

so how?s this weekend going for you?

strange things have been happening downunder.

Thirdson

A+. Being related to the elders.
After that the rules apply differently

If not related to an elder follow:

Getting my hours in.

Dress and grooming (Dress either left or right and if you can't you'll never, ever, ever, ever amount to anything)
Being at all the meetings. (Be visible)
Making comments at every meeting. (Be heard, down side #2.)
Getting my hours in. (Or lying on your time card)
Volunteering to help the elders. (Special activities good especially if it means skipping #4)
Volunteering to be an attendant. (Requires #2 and #8.)
Volunteering for microphone duty. (Be seen, helps #2. Extra point for commenting and having Bro. Mic #2 hold mic for you)
Being at all the meetings early. (Only necessary if #6 applies)
Inviting the elders round for a meal. (Don't poison them and serve plenty of wine)
Volunteering to clean the KH toilets. (Not elder material, too humble)
Reading my Bible daily. (What?)
Writing the Society with suggestions for improvement. (Kiss of death)
Other (please detail)

3rd

10

Baptism

by finger in

jw
friends

do you have to do a certain amount of door to door before you can get baptised in the uk?

Thirdson

Finger,

The decision rests with the local elders as to when a person qualifies to get baptized. An aspiring JW needs first to be an approved publisher, that is the elders deem the person to be good enough to be publicly representing themselves as a Jehovah's Witness. After that, the person needs to set a track record of door-to-door work. How long and how much is up to the elders and standards vary wildly.

A person could be baptized after 2 or 3 months but not always. There are other things that are taken into consideration, such as how long and how much has been studied, how much of JW teachings they know and they have sit through sessions with elders covering 80 basic doctrinal questions. All this combined with a field service record is considered and even then the elders can still deny a person on a whim.

3rd

18

It's Lent

by Yerusalyim in

happy ash wednesday all.

now begins the season of penance anticipating the resurrection.. our knights of columbus council sponsored a "fat tuesday" pancake dinner last night.

great success, over 220 people came and stuffed themselves on pancakes, bacon, and sausage.

Thirdson

Yesterday was pancake Tuesday. When I was a kid, growing up in a dub family, my mom still made pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. At some point she stopped doing this, I guess when she learned it was "pagan" or that it was a Babylonish practice, (I wonder what Chaldean pancakes are like?)

Yesterday evening I made up some batter and after supper I cooked a few pancakes and served them English style with sugar and lemon juice. It brought back good memories. I'm not giving up eggs for lent but I thought the tradition was a fun thing to do.

3rd

20

1993 Circuit Assembly Demonstration that Involved "The Firm" (1993)

by FirstInLine in

i remember in 1993 at one of the circuit conventions that they did a drama in which a young adult woman living with her parents was going to go see "the firm" (1993) with some other young adult jws.

when she told her parents of her plans they expressed their concerns and she pleaded that sometimes a really good movie is ok to go see if it is rated r. she heard from reliable sources that there wasnt anything really bad with it like gratuitous sex, drugs or demonic themes.

in the end her parents convinced her that jehovah would still not approve because it was rated r. she was reminded that even worldly people recognize it is a bad movie because they are the ones that gave it the r rating.

Thirdson

I don't remember the firm being mentioned but I remember many similar items denoucing popular and 'R' rated movies. Now here is a difference, in the UK movies rated 'X' and then '18' which replaced it were condenmed by the WTS.

An 'R' rated movie in the US can be watched by anyone under 18 as long as an adult buys the ticket. In the UK the age ratings are that, you have to reach that age to watch. Many 'R' rated movies are designed to apeal to teenage audiences. "The Firm" was rated 15 in the UK and I watched at a theater without fear of offending too many people. Seems that rarely are books on which films are based ever get much of a mention.

3rd

14

The Lego Brick Bible -- Hilarious!

by Leolaia in

.

http://www.thebricktestament.com/

it's all pretty funny but check out the stuff on women and slaves (under the epistles), it's a riot!

Thirdson

I like the bit on newly weds not being disturbed. JWs are condemned.

3rd

35

American Idol 2004

by Mulan in

is anyone watching this year?

i am stunned by last night's show.

they were all just terrible, and couldn't stay on note.

Thirdson

Last night's show was pretty bad. Only one of the two who went through to the next round deserved to be there.

My favorite contestant has to be William Hung. He has a huge fan base and a web site devoted to his talent with plenty of remixes.

Try this --> "I have no Professional Training"

3rd

68

What was your very first job ?

by xjw_b12 in

jw
friends

.

do you remember it ?.

did you you learn anything from it?.

Thirdson

My first job was working in the prototype parts machine shop at the company paying my college education. My first assignment was to make a 4-way high pressure (6000 psi) connector with mounting flange out of 4 inch round stock. It took me the best part of 4 days working on a special lathe (with milling capability). I thought 4 days was way too long but apparently the finished piece by the "new kid" impressed my supervisor, the shop forman and the manufacturing manager. I got some nice assignments working in precision manufacturing and was still called in to cut special threads after I graduated from college. My first job paid 19 GBP per week.

I really liked that job. But I quit my later production engineering job with the firm when the majority of my work was for military applications and my "conscience" told me I had to quit. I haven't touched a lathe in 20 years and wouldn't have a clue nowadays how to use one.

Thirdson