Posts by TerryWalstrom

17

Who Is America? Sacha Baron Cohen (Ambush humor--what do you think?)

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

there have been many tv programs all the way back to candid camera which set people up for pranks.

it was all in good fun and the results were shown only if a legal release was signed allowing the prank to be broadcast.getting permission after-the-fact was essential, otherwise, you've wasted your efforts.ahhhh, but what about public figures who are legally exempted from the necessary "permission" form agreement?is an ambush set-up fair or even ethical?the answer we give depends on how much we love or hate the victim!if we really, really dislike certain public figures there's a tendency to want to see them embarrassed and exposed as buffoons, idiots, hypocrites, and fools.on the other hand, consider this.

in a nation as divided as is america along color lines, political factions, and social "correctness" concerns--are we lighting a fuse by going too far?____why am i asking this question?i watched this preview and found myself torn.

TerryWalstrom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l80Um3_xhSs
There is no doubt at all that Sacha Baron Cohen plays off
against very straight people with uproarious results.

17

Who Is America? Sacha Baron Cohen (Ambush humor--what do you think?)

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

there have been many tv programs all the way back to candid camera which set people up for pranks.

it was all in good fun and the results were shown only if a legal release was signed allowing the prank to be broadcast.getting permission after-the-fact was essential, otherwise, you've wasted your efforts.ahhhh, but what about public figures who are legally exempted from the necessary "permission" form agreement?is an ambush set-up fair or even ethical?the answer we give depends on how much we love or hate the victim!if we really, really dislike certain public figures there's a tendency to want to see them embarrassed and exposed as buffoons, idiots, hypocrites, and fools.on the other hand, consider this.

in a nation as divided as is america along color lines, political factions, and social "correctness" concerns--are we lighting a fuse by going too far?____why am i asking this question?i watched this preview and found myself torn.

TerryWalstrom

There have been many TV programs all the way back to CANDID CAMERA which set people up for pranks. It was all in good fun and the results were shown only if a legal release was signed allowing the prank to be broadcast.
Getting permission after-the-fact was essential, otherwise, you've wasted your efforts.
Ahhhh, but what about PUBLIC FIGURES who are legally exempted from the necessary "permission" form agreement?
Is an Ambush Set-Up fair or even ethical?
The answer we give depends on how much we love or hate the victim!

If we really, really dislike certain public figures there's a tendency to want to see them embarrassed and exposed as buffoons, idiots, hypocrites, and fools.
On the other hand, consider this.
In a nation as divided as is America along color lines, political factions, and social "correctness" concerns--are we lighting a fuse by going too far?

____
Why am I asking this question?
I watched this preview and found myself torn. Why? Exposing dangerous people who are fools is a public service ON THE ONE HAND.
Tricking somebody by pretending you are a wounded Veteran so you can make a fool out of them--well, that's really disgusting.

I'm asking for opinions. Has Sacha Baron Cohen done us all a public service or pushed America closer to the point of no return?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkXeMoBPSDk

26

Youth and Spiritual Goals in this week's WT study (Are you F-ing kidding me?)

by TerryWalstrom in

i regret following the wrong goals when i was a young person.

such as?such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that i was pleasing the big guy in the sky.such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while i peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios i was brainwashed into parroting.such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--except for me and those i was able to convince to waste their time too.thanks, watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual brothers and sisters for all my efforts.sure am i glad i didn't "waste" my youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) fun!i was 12 years old when i was introduced to the watchtower and the kingdom hall.23 years later, i walked out a free man.the emotional damage took decades to reconcile.i'm 71 and i'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!the watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.thanks for nothing!____________________the above is in answer to:.

this week's wt-study:.

TerryWalstrom

Have you heard this saying about procrastination?
"Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?"

Well, if we distill the essence of JW theology for practical content we

find the opposite message loud and clear:
"Put off until Armageddon everything normal people do to make life better."
Tim is short.
Life's importance, quality, and character are destroyed by Watchtower's message because it isn't the call to action which has practical benefits.
It is corrupt, inverted, counter-productive and unnatural.

All of those 8 million people are waiting for the Jehovah bus while standing in the rain without an umbrella. That bus has not yet arrived but it is due any minute. Except...it's not coming.

26

Youth and Spiritual Goals in this week's WT study (Are you F-ing kidding me?)

by TerryWalstrom in

i regret following the wrong goals when i was a young person.

such as?such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that i was pleasing the big guy in the sky.such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while i peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios i was brainwashed into parroting.such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--except for me and those i was able to convince to waste their time too.thanks, watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual brothers and sisters for all my efforts.sure am i glad i didn't "waste" my youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) fun!i was 12 years old when i was introduced to the watchtower and the kingdom hall.23 years later, i walked out a free man.the emotional damage took decades to reconcile.i'm 71 and i'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!the watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.thanks for nothing!____________________the above is in answer to:.

this week's wt-study:.

TerryWalstrom

Is there a JW on the planet over 40 who isn't overweight or suffering from diabetes?
I certainly don't wish ill on any of them health-wise, but the Dub diet must consist of Big Macs and soft drinks.

26

Youth and Spiritual Goals in this week's WT study (Are you F-ing kidding me?)

by TerryWalstrom in

i regret following the wrong goals when i was a young person.

such as?such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that i was pleasing the big guy in the sky.such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while i peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios i was brainwashed into parroting.such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--except for me and those i was able to convince to waste their time too.thanks, watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual brothers and sisters for all my efforts.sure am i glad i didn't "waste" my youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) fun!i was 12 years old when i was introduced to the watchtower and the kingdom hall.23 years later, i walked out a free man.the emotional damage took decades to reconcile.i'm 71 and i'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!the watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.thanks for nothing!____________________the above is in answer to:.

this week's wt-study:.

TerryWalstrom

It's rather tacky to criticize the appearance of other people...BUT!
I have yet to run into a JW from the old days who doesn't look like something churned in a blender, wrung out to dry, and giving a coat of gray paint.

Thr lifestyle (if you can even call it that) of the JW is so empty of joy, and optimism or meaningful effort and purpose, there is a direct somatic effect on the health, mental state and--yes-- the physical body of the Witnesses.

Anybody agree with this observation?

26

Youth and Spiritual Goals in this week's WT study (Are you F-ing kidding me?)

by TerryWalstrom in

i regret following the wrong goals when i was a young person.

such as?such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that i was pleasing the big guy in the sky.such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while i peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios i was brainwashed into parroting.such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--except for me and those i was able to convince to waste their time too.thanks, watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual brothers and sisters for all my efforts.sure am i glad i didn't "waste" my youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) fun!i was 12 years old when i was introduced to the watchtower and the kingdom hall.23 years later, i walked out a free man.the emotional damage took decades to reconcile.i'm 71 and i'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!the watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.thanks for nothing!____________________the above is in answer to:.

this week's wt-study:.

TerryWalstrom

An analogy I've used goes like this.
Here is an empty glass. That was me at age 12.
That glass can be filled all the way to the top with something.
Once the glass is filled, there isn't room for anything else.

My glass was kept filled by Watchtower with busy, busy work, meetings, field service, book studies, Bible studies, meetings, etc.

When I left, that glass was so full of WT thinking, ideas, morality, judgments, doctrines that there was still no room for anything else.
I walked around as a non-JW but--for all practical purposes--still a propaganda machine.

The ONLY WAY to change my beliefs, my processing, my attitude was to POUR OUT what was in that glass.
How?
I took a 3X5 card with me wherever I went each day. On the card was a simple vocabulary word which represented important IDEAS--but with correct definitions (to replace WT definitions.)

It took about 5 years and 5 X 365 terms to UN-brainwash myself.
Instead of plunging back into some "other" religion, I studied the art of reasoning as developed by civilizations through history.

Philosophy's purpose was to answer the question: What do we know and how can we know it?
I settled on Aristotle (the father of Logic) and worked my way through the developments of reasoning and the use of non-contradictory definitions.
I started from scratch reading basic Science facts and how those facts were discovered, tested, and determined.

Books I read?
Mortimer J. Adler's 10 Philosophical Mistakes was an eye-opening book. It discloses how little mistakes here and there damaged mankind's ability to find the proper methodology for discovery and knowledge.

I began reading about cults and how they were started, soon mutated and eventually endured: Mormons, Scientologists, Moonies, Hare Krishnas, each had similarities.

Then, mainstream religion was next.
Reading Karen Armstrong's books (The History of God, The Battle for God, the Great Transformation) on religion and god was an astounding education in itself.
Richard E. Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible was and is an enlightening book.
This led to a real deconstruction by "whistleblower" Bart Ehrman and his best-selling books: How Jesus Became God, Misquoting Jesus, God’s Problem, Jesus Interrupted and Forged.
What a journey! Richard Carrier was hoot!
_____

Had I grown up in the computer era and the Worldwide Web, I would like to think it would be impossible to convince me of Jehovah's Witness "Truth."
In fact, I don't know how it is possible today unless the people being converted aren't computer savvy or are simply intellectually dishonest and superstitious people.

I spent a couple of years watching debates on many subjects with such people as late, great Christopher Hitchens and--wow! It's not easy to be naive about religion after that.

I think most of us who leave the Jehovah's Witness cult behind go through necessary but time-wasting stages. It's impossible to avoid.
Problem:
We really begin by asking the wrong questions which lead to wrong answers and blind alleys.

"Who has the true religion?" That is the wrong question.
"What is the correct Bible interpretation?" That is the wrong question.

"How does man determine what is true?" That is the right question.

We can't skip finding out what Logic is (the art of non-contradictory description.)
We can't skip understanding Fallacies, Confirmation Bias, Propaganda and basic Science.

All the above interest me and I've spent considerable time in discovery, contemplation, and dialogue with others.

Note: personal debates are really counter-productive although I surely got into them with a real vengeance.
I say arguments are counter-productive because neither party in a debate is humble and trying to learn. (It is anger and ego tinged with revenge.)

The worst part of being a JW other than wasting your life is the time spent shutting out everything else: i.e. the art of living a happy life.

Loving your life really is the first Art one should master.

26

Youth and Spiritual Goals in this week's WT study (Are you F-ing kidding me?)

by TerryWalstrom in

i regret following the wrong goals when i was a young person.

such as?such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that i was pleasing the big guy in the sky.such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while i peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios i was brainwashed into parroting.such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--except for me and those i was able to convince to waste their time too.thanks, watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual brothers and sisters for all my efforts.sure am i glad i didn't "waste" my youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) fun!i was 12 years old when i was introduced to the watchtower and the kingdom hall.23 years later, i walked out a free man.the emotional damage took decades to reconcile.i'm 71 and i'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!the watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.thanks for nothing!____________________the above is in answer to:.

this week's wt-study:.

TerryWalstrom

I regret following the wrong goals when I was a young person.

Such as?

Such as spending a hundred hours a month of my precious youth rapping my unwrinkled knuckles on doors and waving soon-to-be-obsolete religious messages in front of aghast householders.

Such as spending my 20th, 21st, and part of my 22nd years in prison imagining anything useful was happening or that I was pleasing the Big Guy in the sky.

Such as taking a crappy job as a janitor and trying to support my family on beans and rice while I peddled cult materials, arguing with people who were better educated about fantasy scenarios I was brainwashed into parroting.

Such as making excuses for my depressing existence for my empty feeling of constant depression by consoling myself that soon billions of people would be annihilated--EXCEPT for me and those I was able to convince to waste their time too.

Thanks, Watchtower for twenty years of dry rot for my brain, a Jehovah sized hole in my heart, and a great big "thank you" in the form of shunning from all my wonderful spiritual Brothers and Sisters for all my efforts.

Sure am I glad I didn't "waste" my Youth on education, career, lifelong friends, and (gasp) FUN!

I was 12 years old when I was introduced to the Watchtower and the Kingdom Hall.
23 years later, I walked out a free man.
The emotional damage took decades to reconcile.
I'm 71 and I'd be thrilled to have those 23 years back!
The Watchtower is one of the most insidious time-devouring organizations on our planet.
THANKS FOR NOTHING!
____________________
The above is in answer to:

This week's WT-study:

The Watchtower - April 2018 - "Young People, Are You Focused on Spiritual Goals?"

18 No one remains young for long. Young people quickly progress to adulthood. Sad to say, as adults, many then regret having followed the wrong goals when they were young or, just as frustrating, having had no goals at all. But youths who today keep focused on theocratic goals will well into adulthood be deeply satisfied with the choices they made.

118

Do You Think President Trump Is Doing a Good Job?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think he is.

if you don’t want to put reasons for your yes or no, it’s ok. .

your vote,please?

TerryWalstrom

Only a "crazy" person and a Narcissist would aspire to the Presidency.
That's about as obvious a statement as I could write.
The least crazy and the least Narcissistic among history's Presidents have been ineffective.
Having said all the above, there are 3 things to consider, IMHO, about the election of Donald Trump.
1. Bernie was deliberately undermined, cheated, and robbed of the Democratic nomination. This was because President Obama had cleaned out the finances of the party and left it bankrupt and that opened the way for Hillary Clinton's crew to completely take over the running of the Democrat organization in all her corrupt splendor.
So, Bernie, though wildly popular and defeating Hillary over and over, got screwed.
2. The Democrats had taken the blue-collar workers and minority voters totally for granted as far as their vote is concerned. Over a period of years, Democrat candidates were losing, losing, losing, over a 1,000 seats nationwide. (Hint: A TREND).
3. Hillary disdained the intelligence and integrity of the blue-collar crowd just as Obama had done. "Basket of deplorables" and "They cling to their guns and God" are examples of that disdain.

The ONLY thing that could make people vote for Trump was that Hillary was a KNOWN corrupt liar with decades of malfeasance on record working against her being at all sympathetic. She was treated as above the law by the F.B.I. and her contempt for abiding by the rules of handling secret documents astonished just about everybody.
Trump was just as much a liar and a truly awful character--BUT--he had one big + working for him. He wasn't Hillary.
He flipped the old saying, "The Devil you know is better than the Devil you don't know."
Voters held their noses and pulled the lever the way a losing gambler drops his last quarter in a slot machine and whispers a prayer to Fate.
_______

The Russia-colluded-with-Trump storyline is total bullshit.
All the stories published have turned out to be scuttlebutt, rumor, lies, fake unnamed sources, and malarky.
Rachel Maddow told Santa Claus stories to irate Liberals and pumped up her ratings--but--she has no evidence--only imagination to back up her purple prose.
The Muller investigation has had to move heaven and earth to rack up face-saving points by turning to attorneys and businessmen who were naughty and squeezing their nuts until they shook nickels out of their pants pockets.
They can't afford to issue a final report until AFTER mid-term elections because there's no "there" there and all the hysteria will undermine the Democrats "We are the Opposition" nonsense.

Trump is no better or worse than many of the U.S. Presidents of the past.
He made the elite furious because they pumped up his chances by featuring him with extraordinary free access to public attention during the candidacy period (they were thinking he was so awful he'd make Hillary more saleable.) The Dems helped elect him! They can't accept it was THEIR BAD JUDGMENT cheating Bernie and running the Clinton crime family.
So, what do I think of Trump?
He's a horrible embarrassment, but no worse than George Bush in that regard.
His peculiar approach to policies might work simply because nobody else has tried them.
America's political system was designed by the Founding Fathers for the explicit purpose of neutering a man like Trump.
Most of the damage done so far has mostly been by the hysteria and bad Faith over-reactions of his opposers suffering Trump Derangement Syndrome.
His "fellow Republicans" pretty much hate his guts. He's destroyed the Republican Party.
But...so have the Democrats destroyed their party as well.

If Bernie runs again (despite many efforts by Democrats to castrate him) he will probably lead a Social Justice victory landslide.
If Democrats run Maxine Waters, Oprah, Hillary or the usual gang of idiots...well, Trump will be back for another 4 more years.

Has Anyone Here read this book?

by TerryWalstrom in

anybody here read these books?

if so, how do they differ from jw bait-n-switch debunking?joe kovacs is an acclaimed journalist who has spent 25 years in broadcast, print, and online media, receiving a host of awards for excellence in news coverage from both the associated press and united press international.

he is currently the executive news editor for worldnetdaily.com.

TerryWalstrom

Anybody here read these books? If so, how do they differ from JW bait-n-switch debunking?

Joe Kovacs is an acclaimed journalist who has spent 25 years in broadcast, print, and online media, receiving a host of awards for excellence in news coverage from both the Associated Press and United Press International. He is currently the executive news editor for WorldNetDaily.com. Joe has written hundreds of news articles, many focusing on Bible matters.

A reviewer on Amazon:
In some ways his interpretations have echoes of Jehovah's Witness teachings about the Bible, but, for the most part, you'd have a hard time finding reputable scripture scholars who would agree with Kovacs' conclusions.

____

God once put out a contract on Moses.
God once ran a lottery
God never said "Let me make man in my image"
Israeli underwear did not disintegrate for forty years
Jesus had more apostles than just The Twelve
Neither Noah, Abraham, Isaac nor Jacob were Jewish
The Bible celebrates womens breasts
The Bible doesn't say Noah's Ark landed on "Mount Ararat"
The Bible once called someone a dumb ass
The Bible records the worst case of hemorrhoids in history

______

_____

88

Favourite female heroes in film ...

by LoveUniHateExams in

... well, obviously not rey (daisy ridley) from the latest star wars films.

she's a complete mary sue.

but, before hollywood tried to force sjw propaganda down our throats, there were lots of powerful, legit female characters in film.. here are some of my favourites .... ripley (sigourney weaver): i though this character was great.

TerryWalstrom

Jennifer Jones (Pearl) in DUEL IN THE SUN.
Talk about an exciting and bloody revenge ending!
Gregory Peck (Lute) has all but raped Jones' half-breed character (Pearl) but it turns into a bestial sensual awakening for her.
She knows he's no good--but--he's hot!
The moral fella who loves Pearl is shot by Lute and vows to finish him off.
Peck (Lute) does everybody wrong and in the end, he sets up a trap to assassinate Pearl under pretext of a rendezvous.
She arrives and they end up out in the hills shooting holes in each other. But wait--that's not all!
As they are dying (each from the others' bullets) they crawl across the jagged rocks in the mid-day blazing heat and die in each others' arms.
Yeah--amazing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7qGqSto5Vg