Tina

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Posts by Tina

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  44

  Were you atheist/agnostic BEFORE you came here?

  by gumby in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something has puzzeled me for a long time since i came to this board.

  first i would like to say i'm not judging any in what i'm about to say as we all are at different places in our lives and i respect that.. here it is: at what point in your life did you no longer believe in god or believe the bible?.

  how many came to this conclution after coming to this db?.

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  Tina

  hi gumby,
  I had severe doubts of the existence of a diety while still a JW.
  That was one of the factors that caused so much internal turmoil for me. As a voracious reader I had encountered too many facts and ideas that told me otherwise.
  Going back to college expanding my research,being able to openly discuss issues confirmed what had always troubled me . And with more thought and study led me to the conclusion I have now.

  Especially womens historical issues regarding male supremacy and patriarchy. I began to learn the bible was simply literature.Nothing sacred about it. The myth of Adam and Eve was nothing more than metaphor for birth death and re-birth(just one example) and that the hebrew tribal godlet yhwh was nothing more than the paternalistic,patriarchal prototype to monotheistic religions.
  The sciences were revealing as well.......

  I began to realize not only I,but no one else could make a case for gods existence. That the only arguements were coming from closed minded rigid fundamentalists who ignored,denied and dismissed the data from just about every discipline around.
  So I was a humanist before I came to these boards. And the knowledge shared by the really brilliant people here has expanded my views even more. They have led me down paths of study I may have missed . This thru reading the threads on evolution,what I see as socio-cultural issues,pscy issues,etc.
  Others experiences and knowledge can only enhance yours,if you keep an open mind. Tina

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
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  30

  Wow, Was This Really 28 Years Ago?

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this friday, december 7th., is our 28th wedding anniversary.

  her ladyship and i intend to visit our favourite restaurant, dimitri's, for a slap-up greek meal plus a considerable quantity of excellent wine.. its a time when we like to reflect on our life together, the lows as well as the highs that we have experienced over the years.

  mainly, our life has been one of laughter and fun.

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  Tina

  (((((((eguy and Her Ladyship))))))))
  best wishes!!!
  luv,T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
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  146

  Friends we are too unbalanced.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .

  we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.

  we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .

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  Tina

  Hi again,
  I just wanted to clarify my stance here. I never mentioned hate in my posts. What I repeatedly mentioned were the behaviors,not the person. The behaviors fit my definition of evil.
  I've thought long and hard about that,as I had to make an honest assessment of myself as a witness.While appreciating the etiology of said behaviors I am a firm believer in personal responsibility and accountability regarding them.And the etiology makes them no less evil to me.
  With that being said,I also believe behaviors can be changed or improved. I know that I have done this as many others who have left.
  Once the restrictions of WT policy and teachings are removed thru honest self inquiry,hard work and research,you can only become a more tolerant,open individual.JMO,T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!

  Edited by - Tina on 5 December 2001 12:50:50
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  19

  Things that make you go HMMMMM?

  by ashitaka in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  regarding the "my boyfriend is a jw" post, with all of the hmmmm's.

  the meaning of hmmmmm?

  and what makes you go hmmmmmmmm?.

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  Tina

  edited(for now):>

  wondering............T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
• 
  48

  Turn back on God because of WTS or JW's??

  by IWish4Truth in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my opinion, it's one thing to not agree with organizations that impose certain rules upon it's members, but it's quite another to turn one's back on god himself because of disagreements.

  is there not still some higher power out there who has the best interest of humans at heart?

  how can it be denied, especially in these terrible times, that something or someone is gonna have to step in and take over and end this havoc.

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  Tina

  Well said Ab!!!
  It irks me to no end to see this specious assumption yet again!!
  Folks that spew this never seem to consider that many of us researched long and hard for years trying to evidence a case for a super sky daddy. And that using reason logic ,critical thinking found nothing to support this. Hence,our conclusion there was none. It had NOTHING to do with the WTS. How could I continue to believe what I found to be myth and superstition?

  Another ludicrous assumption ,and a snide judgemental one is that our disbelief is to serve 'selfish needs'.lolol

  Unable to offer rational logical proof for their theistic belief,they resort time and time again to ad hominem. Not to mention this 'moral highhorse' they ride which merely shows their intolerance for non-believers. When I continue to see this ad nauseum,it serves to strengthen my conclusions. hugs,T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
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  61

  the intellectual laziness in jh, ks & follo...

  by elke in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the words: intellectual laziness.

  recognize this trait?

  ahhh,many who apostasies from the one truth, shall we say ,adopts this trait-and transforms into epitomies of intellectual laziness...they construct the premise there is no true god to mislead others...they proceed to construct arguments to support these prefabricated conclusions with the building blocks of false logic...they convince intellectually lazy individuals the odds of a creators existence are remote...a lie recognizable to any form of honest intelligence.. craig rusbult, ph.d. explains why god refuses to provide irrefutable proof in his existence on the web page http://www.asa3.org/asa/education/views/proof.htm - "although it isn't stated directly in the bible, god seems to prefer a balance of evidence: there is enough reason to believe if we want to believe, but not enough to intellectually force belief against our will.

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  Tina

  Speaking of no valid arguement from Erich.......don't expect one.He 's not capable of it, as his oh so cutting edge and insightful one to me in another thread was,"say Hi to Mussolini for me'......
  I laffed at your outrageous claim there and now here.lololol

  Keep your ethnic slurs mein liebchen Erich. Responses like that are typical of those with no substantial,reasonable data to support their outrageous claims,lololol.....you do give me a laugh tho.T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
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  146

  Friends we are too unbalanced.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .

  we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.

  we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .

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  Tina

  hi larc,
  No,I have no desire to maintain (if I had one anyway) a relationship w/ my JW relatives. So for me,no exceptions to the rule.

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
• 
  146

  Friends we are too unbalanced.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .

  we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.

  we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .

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  Tina

  sleepy,
  You've totally missed the point. I suggested you look it up.It is not my definition,but universal ideals.Do you understand this sentence?
  You are exactly like the witnesses.You want all the answers handed to you so you dont have to put forth some honest effort.if you would take the time and do some research,find out what Im talkking about,you would quickly lose the crass assumptions you are making that this is just my concept. These are considered universal(for the last time) And I consider it to be a far superior,humanitarian concept of being and inter-relating than those who abide by the cultic doctrine that you seem to think is ok.

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
• 
  146

  Friends we are too unbalanced.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .

  we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.

  we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .

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  Tina

  sleepy, I suggest you do some basic research on this since you have no idea what they are.
  It will help you develop your critical thinking skills.I gave you the basic concepts,Im not going to do your work for you.

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!
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  146

  Friends we are too unbalanced.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well sometimes we are.. look we have the knowledge and experience to help a lot of people.must of us have one time been jw's and understand how many think.so lets not put them off by being too negative.. when we were witnesses most of us were quite happy .

  we tried to be good people , to put into practise principles that many people think are good.

  we did this sometimes even when we didn't want to , because we thought god would hold us accountable and because we cared for people .

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  Tina

  Hi Name,
  Thanks for clarifying that!
  No matter how some may want to rationalize this,their negative behaviors are problematic. On both a societal and individual level it's xenophobic. And where's the good in that?
  When they dehumanize others,perpetuate inequality,prevent their own from fulfilling their full human potential,it's evil. And as you mentioned they have no moral qualms about taking all they can from the system,yet find it morally repugnant to give back to it. D-D is not giving back to the community.

  I think the baseline problem here is sleepy is asking us to find balance in an organization that is so heavily skewed and imbalanced. Can't be done.
  T

  Vive Bene
  Spesso L'amore
  Di Risata Molto!!!

  Edited by - Tina on 4 December 2001 12:58:26