LoveUniHateExams: Who wanted to ban ANIMAL FARM?
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Ah, tis a no-brainer: the Soviets, of course!
https://pen.org/animal-farm-banned-by-the-soviets-promoted-by-the-cia/
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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25
Political Correctness and Censorship / Banning Books
by TerryWalstrom inbanned books?censorship?.
let’s say you live in a land where the rule is: you can’t offend anyone.okay, fair enough.
let’s take a look at what follows (implicit in this rule).. if you are speaking to 10 people, is it okay to offend 1 in 10?
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TerryWalstrom
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I Am Still Here! Another Birthday look back at one helluva lifetime
by TerryWalstrom inwhen the doctor pulled my screaming body out of mom all those 7 decades ago, i landed in a post-wwii world.the world of 1947--compared to today's world--an alien planet.. the world i live in today has nothing in common with the world in which i grew up.. there were no cell phones back then--there were black telephones with a dial-tone and an operator who placed your call.
everywhere you found telephone booths!
a call was a nickel.where did all those telephone booths go?i dunno.where did my whole world go?i dunno.. tv sets were huge boxes with tubes and small screens.
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TerryWalstrom
When the doctor pulled my screaming body out of mom all those 7 decades ago, I landed in a post-WWII world.
The world of 1947--compared to today's world--an alien planet.The world I live in today has nothing in common with the world in which I grew up.
There were no cell phones back then--there were black telephones with a dial-tone and an Operator who placed your call.
Everywhere you found telephone booths! A call was a nickel.
Where did all those telephone booths go?
I dunno.
Where did my whole world go?
I dunno.TV sets were huge boxes with tubes and small screens. Images were black and white.
It was an idiot box. It still is.
A "computer" was a Science fiction trope and in reality, consisted of vast rooms full of blinking lights and hardware.Men wore hats, women wore stockings with a black seam down the back.
Everybody smoked cigarettes. Everywhere!
There was "easy listening" music filled with lush melody.
Movies were vivid storybooks filled with comedy, song and dance, and noir.
Only sailors, convicts, and primitive tribal communities had tattoos.
Kids said, "Yes Sir" and "No, Ma'am".And so on...
I've lived in several worlds on different planets--not literally, but essentially for all the extraordinary dissonances, customs, attitudes, and ethos. (Good word "ethos", look it up.)Today--what world is this?
Have I lost the thread?
Who knows their next door neighbor anymore?
Who spends time sitting on the front porch in the evening in a swing, sipping ice tea and waving at the folks across the street?
Who reads actual Literature?
Who buys paintings or objet d'art?
Who knows the classical music repertoire?
Who is conversant with dates, names, movements in human history with any certainty?I was there when TV arrived and the first commercial jingles were created.
I lived in the radio soap opera era.
I was there when Bebop lived side by side with West Coast jazz and the Big Bands faded as Rock n' Roll was born.
I lived among Beatniks, Folk singers, Doo-Wops, Hippies, and the birth of the Long Play record and the death of the 78 shellac platters.The year I was born, the transistor was invented. (1947).
I was 7 years old when the first transistor radios were sold (1954).
The very first satellite went into orbit when I was 15 years old. (1962)
I was 18 years old as 8 Track tapes were all the rage.(1965)I was 22 years old when man first walked on the moon. (1969)
I was 32 years old when the Sony Walkman revolutionized portable music. And it was just a cassette player!
By 1975, the first mass marketing of Video Tape Recorders was sold at about a thousand dollars each.
The personal computer was barely a dream in the future!So what? What point am I making?
If you aren't 70 then:
I'm from a different world than YOU are!My ways are not your ways.
My thoughts and feelings and ideas and opinions are just plain weird to you because you haven't lived my life and can't imagine my lifetime.I've seen people become famous, fade, and pass into obscurity.
I've heard fearful predictions for the future which turned out to be absolute hogwash.
I've seen the rise of horrible political leaders who later fell.
I lived through a great many wars and spent time in Federal Prison, a religious cult, four marriages, and produced 7 children.
I've been a Nerd, a religious fanatic, an artist, a composer, a writer, husband, father, best friend, and generally a pain in the ass.BUT I AM STILL HERE!
It isn't MY world--it is your world.I AM A LIVING TIME MACHINE.
When I speak--you are getting a message from another era.Just try to remember that--will you?
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25
Political Correctness and Censorship / Banning Books
by TerryWalstrom inbanned books?censorship?.
let’s say you live in a land where the rule is: you can’t offend anyone.okay, fair enough.
let’s take a look at what follows (implicit in this rule).. if you are speaking to 10 people, is it okay to offend 1 in 10?
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TerryWalstrom
BANNED BOOKS?
Censorship?Let’s say you live in a land where the Rule is: You can’t offend anyone.
Okay, fair enough. Let’s take a look at what follows (implicit in this rule).If you are speaking to 10 people, is it okay to offend 1 in 10? 1 in a 100?
1 in a 1000?If you say anything Important about something vital you’re guaranteed to offend at least 1 person. It is a given.
What would this mean?
You’re not going to be able to say anything important ever because the rule will stop you.
Which--if you’re honest--is the same as saying 1 offended person’s feelings are way more important than the other 999 people who want to hear vital things spoken (and written) about important topics.Yes--this HAS HAPPENED before and it will happen again!
If you scoff--why not take a look at the surprising books BANNED by offended authorities in schools and libraries.
1. TARZAN of the APES (Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Why? Obviously, Tarzan and Jane were living in sin! Duh.2. Where the Wild Things Are ( Maurice Sendak)
Why? Because the character, Max, was punished by being sent to bed without dinner.3. The Diary of a Young Girl, ( Anne Frank )
Why? “It’s a real downer,” said Alabama State Textbook Committee4. American Heritage Dictionary
In 1987, for example, the Anchorage Alaska School Board banned this dictionary for its "objectionable" entries — particularly slang words, including "bed," "knocker," and "balls."5. The Lorax, ( Dr. Seuss )
Why? The logging industry was offended by the anti-deforesting plot line.
6. Little Red Riding Hood, ( Trina Schart Hyman )
Why? Culver City, California school board objected to the cover illustration "Showing the grandmother who has consumed half a bottle of wine with a red nose is not a lesson we want to teach,"
7. Hansel and Gretel, ( The Brothers Grimm )
Why? In 1992, two self-proclaimed witches claimed: “It gives witches a bad name.”
8. Where's Waldo?, ( Martin Hanford )
Why? The book was banned in Michigan and New York because of a sunbathing woman suffering a wardrobe malfunction the size of a pinhead in a corner of one of Martin Hanford's drawings.
9. Twelfth Night, ( William Shakespeare )
Why? School authorities in Merrimack, New Hampshire objected: jolly cross-dressing and fake-same-sex romance were deemed in violation of the district's "prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction," and copies of the play were pulled from schools.
10. James and the Giant Peach, ( Roald Dahl )
Why? In Wisconsin in 1999, the book was banned because of concerns the spider licking its lips could be interpreted as sexual.
11. Charlotte's Web, ( E.B. White )
Why? A parents group in Kansas decided that any book featuring two talking animals must be the work of the devil, and so had E.B. White's 1952 work barred from classrooms. “ Showing lower life forms with human abilities is sacrilegious and disrespectful to God." (What about the talking serpent in Eden? Hmm.)
12. Harry Potter series, ( J.K. Rowling )
Why? The pastor of St. Joseph School in Wakefield, Massachusetts, deemed their sorcery-heavy storylines inappropriate for a Catholic school.
13. The Grapes of Wrath, ( John Steinbeck )
Why? “Communist values.”
14. Animal Farm, (George Orwell)
Why? Anti-Stalin themes. *(Yes, the murderer of 100 million people was once an ally during WWII).
15. Catcher in the Rye, (J. D. Salinger)
Why? “Sexual references.”
I could go on and on--but the point is made, I think.
If our rule becomes: You Can’t Offend Anyone, you’re not going to be able to say anything important, create something novel and surprising ever because THE RULE will stop you.
Just 1 overly sensitive soul who objects will prevent the 999 others from reading Charlotte's Web or looking for Waldo.
_____________POLITICAL CORRECTNESS means well--but the unintended consequences are TOO DIRE.
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43
Hidden history of the Watchtower religion
by TerryWalstrom inthe deeper you dig--the less impressive jw’s become!___________________you may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.. _____________.
did you know?the 1st case heard by the supreme court of the united states concerning the watchtower society involved a director (an officer) of the watchtower, william franklyn hudgings.. a brief description of hudgings and his character.hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various director and officer positions in the watchtower society, and the affiliated people's pulpit association and international bible students association.
at the time of this particular case, william hudgings acknowledged being the corporate secretary of the people's pulpit association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the watchtower magazine, the bible student's monthly, the kingdom news, and other watchtower publications.. (hudgings was also re-elected to the watchtower society board of directors in january 1919.
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TerryWalstrom
Our environment brings pressures and tests affecting our survival to which we respond. We must adapt somehow.
At a particularly vulnerable time of my life, I needed what Jehovah's Witnesses were offering.
Mind you--just a wee bit of it and certainly not ALL.
Like a Venus Fly Trap...the nectar carried a heavy price.
Instinctively we seek when we need. The raw materials of our experience provide
only so much and no more.
We each took what was there and paid whatever penalty came with it.
In the case of JW's...we were devoured. -
3
Science Fiction--Undue influence--Mind Control
by TerryWalstrom ini have been asked repeatedly, "how and why would you use science fiction and the history of jehovah's witnesses to explore the serious problem of mind control?
"how can you get jw's who may be waking up to dare to consider they may be subject to undue influence?i noticed early on with jw's--almost all of them are big science fiction fans!the same is certainly true of scientologists.as to "how"?
this chapter deals with the central plot point.. white house 1908. roald amundsen (arctic explorer) stood speaking softly in the oval office of president theodore roosevelt.. “newspapers call this the heroic age of exploration.but this word hero—that kind of word misunderstands the very nature of a man.”.
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TerryWalstrom
I learn something new every day.
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Science Fiction--Undue influence--Mind Control
by TerryWalstrom ini have been asked repeatedly, "how and why would you use science fiction and the history of jehovah's witnesses to explore the serious problem of mind control?
"how can you get jw's who may be waking up to dare to consider they may be subject to undue influence?i noticed early on with jw's--almost all of them are big science fiction fans!the same is certainly true of scientologists.as to "how"?
this chapter deals with the central plot point.. white house 1908. roald amundsen (arctic explorer) stood speaking softly in the oval office of president theodore roosevelt.. “newspapers call this the heroic age of exploration.but this word hero—that kind of word misunderstands the very nature of a man.”.
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TerryWalstrom
ILLUSION 1876
Back in Pastor Charles Russell's hotel room, Nelson Barbour took the measure of his new partner. The young man had already taken the measure of Barbour.
Russell smiled disarmingly at the older man.
"Brother Barbour, in answer to your question--the date of our Lord’s arrival is an illusion—but, not a lie."
"What is it you’re trying to tell me, young man?”
"I've hearkened to the voices of many strangers and I’ve squandered my Father's money. I’ve wrongly believed predicted dates were proved beyond any doubt—only to see hopes dashed. Frankly, I’m fed up with chasing my own tail in circles. I mean to accomplish something huge in this world."
Barbour moved to the canopied bed in Russell's hotel suite, seating himself on its edge picking at lint on his gabardine pants.
Barbour was exhausted. He listened with grim fascination as the young man spoke."May I ask the reason for such unsettled views?”
Russell strolled over to the window and cast his eyes evenly at the cityscape. Off in the distance, a building had caught fire. He wondered how much warning of escape poor souls trapped inside might have had. Would they get out in time or perish in their sleep? He shook his head sorrowfully.
“William Miller, God rest him, convinced thousands in his day. True believers stood watching the skies for Christ’s return to Earth in 1843. What happened to those simple folk with all their faith and certainty? Overnight, true believers became a laughing stock. Newspapers called it The Great Disappointment, don’t you remember? But--what they failed to see, I see most distinctly--what he got wrong served to wake up sleeping Christians and put them---and me--on alert. The time of the End is at hand.”
Barbour stared intently at the back of Russell’s head as he spoke. He rubbed his eyes wearily. The young man was a troubled soul; a wealthy troubled soul.
"But--Charles, I heard you in your sermon tonight--you spoke of a Martian plan to thwart the kingdom of our Lord. I must confess I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”
Russell pivoted his head wild-eyed. There was a sad, pleading tone of confession in his voice.
"I’m anointed with whispers of the Lord. . . prompting me.”
"Brother Charles—I too have such whispers, but I simply don’t have the funds to be effective as you are.”
"All funds necessary are securely in place since I've come into my majority. I have been afraid until now that mine was a lone voice crying alarm at the midnight hour in the wilderness."
"What did you mean when you spoke earlier—an illusion is not a lie?”
"A magician says, ‘Watch this’. and distracts you from what’s really happening. Satan is such a conjurer. Miller was used by the conjuror--misled, but Miller didn’t lie—he simply allowed you to fool yourself trusting him. ”
"I see. I see. But--more to my point--Charles, I’m losing subscribers who are fed up with promises and disappointment. Your Mars idea is sensational and attention-grabbing—isn’t that really what this is all about?”
"Brother Nelson—the churches use fear of Hell to motivate members. We can do better. Our Lord deals in signs and wonders and moves in mysterious ways. His plan is brilliant but very subtle.”
Nelson Barbour stood and straightened his necktie flashing a wary, serious smile.
"It sounds like we are about to embark on a life-saving work; an expensive work."
Outside the hotel a fire wagon raced by, clanging its alarm. The clatter of horse hooves upon stone streets rose and fell away with furious tumult. Crowds eagerly followed in the wake of its passing, drawn by the novelty of advertised disaster.
“Make no mistake; I’ve inspected dozens of charts: I've examined dispensational, chronological and even a Great Pyramid chart revealing prophetic dates preserved in stone measurements! The so-called trick is getting people excited the way William Miller did.”
Outside the hotel, the clattering fire wagon receded into the distance. Logs in the bedroom fireplace crackled and tossed sparks with sputters and smoke as if in protest. Russell’s face caught the red flickering light. His eyes burned with an inner fiery zeal.
“Nelson--my conscience is on fire. What I need are fellow pilgrims to assist in the subtle work.”
“Okay. Okay--but Charles--Martians—they’re not mentioned in the Bible.”
Barbour cocked a skeptical eye toward the Pastor who scowled reprovingly.
“Use your wits! Martians are actually demons!”
Russell frowned admonishingly. Barbour brightened.
“Oh, I get your meaning—in for a penny, in for a pound, they say. The subtle language on your part, Russell. It is the hook we've been searching for. In for a penny, in for a pound.”
Rusell pursed his lips with wry weariness.
"Yes—your penny and my pound it would seem!”
Barbour grinned sheepishly.
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3
An excerpt from my book (The Monorails of Mars) an allegory of the Watch Tower religion
by TerryWalstrom inexcerpt from my bookthe monorails of mars______ ______ ______.
military attaché geoffrey leonard interposed his body between the brit and the alien immediately in a formal manner of one who snaps to duty and attention when a high-ranking officer enters the room.. “forgive my manners mur-dok, this is jack clayton--“.
“ahh yes—of course—the kaliban exterminating brit who can get the lazy natives whipped into form!”.
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TerryWalstrom
ILLUSION 1876
Back in Pastor Charles Russell's hotel room, Nelson Barbour took the measure of his new partner. The young man had already taken the measure of Barbour.
Russell smiled disarmingly at the older man.
"Brother Barbour, in answer to your question--the date of our Lord’s arrival is an illusion—but, not a lie."
"What is it you’re trying to tell me, young man?”
"I've hearkened to the voices of many strangers and I’ve squandered my Father's money. I’ve wrongly believed predicted dates were proved beyond any doubt—only to see hopes dashed. Frankly, I’m fed up with chasing my own tail in circles. I mean to accomplish something huge in this world."
Barbour moved to the canopied bed in Russell's hotel suite, seating himself on its edge picking at lint on his gabardine pants.
Barbour was exhausted. He listened with grim fascination as the young man spoke."May I ask the reason for such unsettled views?”
Russell strolled over to the window and cast his eyes evenly at the cityscape. Off in the distance, a building had caught fire. He wondered how much warning of escape poor souls trapped inside might have had. Would they get out in time or perish in their sleep? He shook his head sorrowfully.
“William Miller, God rest him, convinced thousands in his day. True believers stood watching the skies for Christ’s return to Earth in 1843. What happened to those simple folk with all their faith and certainty? Overnight, true believers became a laughing stock. Newspapers called it The Great Disappointment, don’t you remember? But--what they failed to see, I see most distinctly--what he got wrong served to wake up sleeping Christians and put them---and me--on alert. The time of the End is at hand.”
Barbour stared intently at the back of Russell’s head as he spoke. He rubbed his eyes wearily. The young man was a troubled soul; a wealthy troubled soul.
"But--Charles, I heard you in your sermon tonight--you spoke of a Martian plan to thwart the kingdom of our Lord. I must confess I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”
Russell pivoted his head wild-eyed. There was a sad, pleading tone of confession in his voice.
"I’m anointed with whispers of the Lord. . . prompting me.”
"Brother Charles—I too have such whispers, but I simply don’t have the funds to be effective as you are.”
"All funds necessary are securely in place since I've come into my majority. I have been afraid until now that mine was a lone voice crying alarm at the midnight hour in the wilderness."
"What did you mean when you spoke earlier—an illusion is not a lie?”
"A magician says, ‘Watch this’. and distracts you from what’s really happening. Satan is such a conjurer. Miller was used by the conjuror--misled, but Miller didn’t lie—he simply allowed you to fool yourself trusting him. ”
"I see. I see. But--more to my point--Charles, I’m losing subscribers who are fed up with promises and disappointment. Your Mars idea is sensational and attention-grabbing—isn’t that really what this is all about?”
"Brother Nelson—the churches use fear of Hell to motivate members. We can do better. Our Lord deals in signs and wonders and moves in mysterious ways. His plan is brilliant but very subtle.”
Nelson Barbour stood and straightened his necktie flashing a wary, serious smile.
"It sounds like we are about to embark on a life-saving work; an expensive work."
Outside the hotel a fire wagon raced by, clanging its alarm. The clatter of horse hooves upon stone streets rose and fell away with furious tumult. Crowds eagerly followed in the wake of its passing, drawn by the novelty of advertised disaster.
“Make no mistake; I’ve inspected dozens of charts: I've examined dispensational, chronological and even a Great Pyramid chart revealing prophetic dates preserved in stone measurements! The so-called trick is getting people excited the way William Miller did.”
Outside the hotel, the clattering fire wagon receded into the distance. Logs in the bedroom fireplace crackled and tossed sparks with sputters and smoke as if in protest. Russell’s face caught the red flickering light. His eyes burned with an inner fiery zeal.
“Nelson--my conscience is on fire. What I need are fellow pilgrims to assist in the subtle work.”
“Okay. Okay--but Charles--Martians—they’re not mentioned in the Bible.”
Barbour cocked a skeptical eye toward the Pastor who scowled reprovingly.
“Use your wits! Martians are actually demons!”
Russell frowned admonishingly. Barbour brightened.
“Oh, I get your meaning—in for a penny, in for a pound, they say. The subtle language on your part, Russell. It is the hook we've been searching for. In for a penny, in for a pound.”
Rusell pursed his lips with wry weariness.
"Yes—your penny and my pound it would seem!”
Barbour grinned sheepishly.
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3
Science Fiction--Undue influence--Mind Control
by TerryWalstrom ini have been asked repeatedly, "how and why would you use science fiction and the history of jehovah's witnesses to explore the serious problem of mind control?
"how can you get jw's who may be waking up to dare to consider they may be subject to undue influence?i noticed early on with jw's--almost all of them are big science fiction fans!the same is certainly true of scientologists.as to "how"?
this chapter deals with the central plot point.. white house 1908. roald amundsen (arctic explorer) stood speaking softly in the oval office of president theodore roosevelt.. “newspapers call this the heroic age of exploration.but this word hero—that kind of word misunderstands the very nature of a man.”.
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TerryWalstrom
I have been asked repeatedly, "How and why would you use Science Fiction and the history of Jehovah's Witnesses to explore the serious problem of mind control?"
How can you get JW's who may be waking up to dare to consider they may be subject to undue influence?
I noticed early on with JW's--almost all of them are big Science Fiction fans!
The same is certainly true of Scientologists.
As to "how"? This chapter deals with the central plot point.WHITE HOUSE 1908
Roald Amundsen (Arctic explorer) stood speaking softly in the Oval Office of President Theodore Roosevelt.
“Newspapers call this the Heroic Age of Exploration.
But this word Hero—that kind of word misunderstands the very nature of a man.”He gazed about appreciating the room and its implications of history, power, and responsibility. Roosevelt had cleared his schedule savoring prospects of listening to wisdom and experience of one of few men on Earth he might call his equal or his better.
Roosevelt—the Bull Moose President, admired self-made men above all. Theodore Roosevelt had been a sickly boy who determined to exercise and build his body into something impressive, athletic and indomitable.
He succeeded.T.R.seated himself at his desk placing both feet on top of the leather blotter revealing a smart pair of cowboy boots. He thought of himself as legislator, cowboy, and naturalist.
Today, he was happy to play the audience as well.Amundsen mused.
"I am convinced a light supper, a good night's sleep, and a fine morning, have sometimes made a hero of the same man, who, by indigestion, a restless night, and rainy morning, would have proved himself a coward."Roosevelt had rarely met a more self-effacing man. He flashed his best smile. "Well, Bully for you! What do you make of this Mars situation—? Give me your best appraisal. I sent you my file. Everything we know or surmise was in it. I won't ask you if you've cracked it, of course, you did!"
Roald Amundsen leaned forward and hoisted his Gladstone bag off the floor; rummaged through it, and extracted a notepad. He thumbed a page or two and assumed the demeanor of a lecturing professor.
"One fact jumps out at me—Tesla and Edison; men of opposite temperaments are collaborating to create something bizarre: a so-called electric bridge to Mars!"
T.R. removed his legs from the desktop. Walking over to a small table he poured himself and his guest three fingers of Russian vodka. They saluted and tossed back the drink. The President sat facing Amundsen. The two men resembled boys hunkered down in a tree house, hatching secret plans.
“Isn’t it obvious--? If they achieve the impossible they become rich and famous."
"Sir, they’re both those things already. I suspect something more sinister is in play; something connected to a Pastor named Russell. Charles Taze Russell.”
“Edison and Tesla are egomaniacs, not followers of any religious movement. I don’t see what you’re driving toward."
“What about a coup d’état? Russell says Christ returned invisibly. Yes, already returned--but we can't, of course, see Him. He’s rallying citizens of a new kind of heavenly government opposed to regimes like yours, sir.”
The Chief Executive rubbed his belly and belched, then pardoned himself and chuckled.
"I don’t mind competing with invisible insurgencies or invisible rivals."Amundsen flashed a smile as he flipped a couple of pages in his notebook.
"There’s more to it than religious delusion, Mister Pres--"
"Call me Teddy, please!"
"Thank you, sir—let’s explore this. What if a well-spoken Christian leader could actually produce a theocracy with an invisible Christ and convince people he himself was speaking on Christ’s behalf? The Pope won world dominion as the substitute for Christ—as his Vicar. A convincing proxy-Christ could misdirect & mislead Christians; condition them to do as they were commanded—even turning them against you.”
"High treason can get you shot in time of war.”
"Martyrdom breeds zealots and it’s seen as proof their faith is to be taken seriously. Besides—if you die a martyr you get the expenses paid vacation to the streets of gold.”
"You wrote me about this Trojan horse idea of yours—how does it work in the case of this Pastor Russell?"
"A true believer’s mind welcomes a certain idea--a cause--a purpose or movement--and accepts it loyally on faith. Such a mind is very receptive to control, persuasion, to the point they can be instruments of the one leading them astray. With that in mind--think of Bible prophecy as you would a Trojan horse—if you are a pious true believer you accept not only the prophecy--but also--the hidden steering which can be opened up to allow an unleashed betrayal."
"I'm confused here, Roald. Which power is leading this overthrow and takeover?”
"A Christian figurehead who is a proxy for Christ could convince millions of true believers to refuse to fight for their country and only obey their own substitute theocratic Governing Body instead.”
The President stood motionless turning thoughts over in his mind; listening and weighing them.
“I’m a quick study, but the more you explain your theory, the more I feel like taking a snooze! How can one poor misguided man like this Pastor Russell be harmful to anybody?”
The Norwegian explorer rubbed his chin and shifted gears wearily.
“Okay. Okay. Let's really get serious. This is going to sound very weird but bear with me. Okay? Russell is being controlled somehow. His role is to convince others. He thinks his Jehovah God is whispering to him secret things-- and the man has enough money to spread these planted ideas.
The most dangerous men who have ever lived have thought they were doing the Lord's bidding. He predicts 1914 is World's End. Thousands of people believe him, you see?”"Tell me in plain and simple English—are your saying Martians--instead of Christ-are coming to Earth--or have already arrived pretending to be Jesus Christ--but with weapons as an invasion force? Convince me and I’m going to give you whatever you need to investigate this theory of yours and get to the bottom of it.”
Amundsen had been waiting for the right question and this one was the key.
“Mars will leverage Earth's surrender through an invasion of susceptible religious minds. When the army of Mars appears—these non-combatant dupes will welcome it! It will be seen as the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Such world events are only considered a bad thing if you are on the losing side—the Teddy Roosevelt side. If my theory holds true—you and all world governments will go down in defeat.”
Roosevelt’s eyes widened with understanding.
“Voltaire said it best. What can you say to a man who tells you he prefers obeying God rather than men, and he thinks he'll go to heaven if he cuts your throat? I know enough about human nature to know I am going to act on this immediately. Thank you, my friend. This requires Executive Action right away.”
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43
Hidden history of the Watchtower religion
by TerryWalstrom inthe deeper you dig--the less impressive jw’s become!___________________you may think you know the men who are vitally important to the birth of the religion--but chances are good you’ve been kept in the dark.. _____________.
did you know?the 1st case heard by the supreme court of the united states concerning the watchtower society involved a director (an officer) of the watchtower, william franklyn hudgings.. a brief description of hudgings and his character.hudgings was an attorney, quack doctor, self-identified ‘scientist’, a pro-zionist, and religious enthusiast who over the years held various director and officer positions in the watchtower society, and the affiliated people's pulpit association and international bible students association.
at the time of this particular case, william hudgings acknowledged being the corporate secretary of the people's pulpit association and acknowledged that his daily duties included the administrative charge of printing of the watchtower magazine, the bible student's monthly, the kingdom news, and other watchtower publications.. (hudgings was also re-elected to the watchtower society board of directors in january 1919.
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TerryWalstrom
The Watch Tower directors were not 'found innocent' by the judge or a jury. If they had been, the word "acquittal" would apply.
As to the word exonerated, the Directors were freed from prison until such time as a retrial took place. Instead of be recharged and retried for a verdict, the case wasn't brought forth. Consequently, with the old charge in limbo and no new charge moving forward, a state of imputed "exoneration" is what the WT is using to describe the outcome.
In common parlance, if you are exonerated, the IMPLICATION is taken to mean "found not-guilty". They were not officially. -
10
An Interview with an Apostate - Truth B Known
by truth_b_known intell us a little about yourself and your family.. i was born in the mid-1970s in the midwest part of the u.s. my parents were about to enter gilead when i arrived.
my father converted to jw in his late 20s/early 30s.
he was raised a catholic, but became an atheist/agnostic.
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TerryWalstrom
Wonderfully written and heartfelt! You're a credit to the 'brotherhood of the Apostates" :)
Honest-hearted people do eventually wake up--but--it's only the courageous who act to separate from the semi-comfort of a social order where all your 'friends' abound.
You are both honest and courageous. Kudos!
