The only time suffering is aptly qualified as "evil" is when it's unecessarily inflicted by a human upon another human. Everything else is just random chance, even something as horrific as the Tsunami of 2004.
Eden
EdenOne
JoinedPosts by EdenOne
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102
A couple questions for atheists on Suffering
by little_Socrates inwho told you that the world should be free from suffering?.
do you find any value in suffering?.
do you think it is possible to experience all the beauty and goodness and pleasure the world offers without also experiencing the bad?
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a situation I know of and the mind set of the elders.
by joe134cd inok here's the situation i know of.. a women was in a situation where she was forced to reveal a hidden sin and was given a private reproof for it.
before this she had an other wise clean slate.
btw the reproof was for an unrelated matter and had nothing to do with apostasy.
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EdenOne
Elders are too busy these days to waste much time with someone they perceive as not being worth the effort. If you're a female with no family "in" and no children that can be potential bible studies, then you're a VUP - Very Unimportant Person - and they'll leave you alone, at least until some zealous CO wanting to do a shepherding visit instead of door to door witnessing will force them to take a modicum of interest in you. Be thankful for your peace.
Eden
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50th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" -- WHAT???
by Marvin Shilmer intake a look at the linked ap photograph and tell me what you think:.
- miss black u.s., miss black georgia and miss black teen .
what would the likes of al sharpton say if the hallowed event this weekend at the edmund pettus bridge in selma, alabama had been attended by a miss white u.s., miss white georgia and miss white teen?
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EdenOne
It's only "racism" when it's promoted by the dominant majority. Or didn't you get the memo? Turn it around and it will be called "empowerment" of minorities [previously oppressed or whatnot]. What most people don't get - it's UNFAIR, and it's the seed of a new fashion of racism. Because racism and segregation - promoted by a minority or a majority, it's still RACISM and SEGREGATION. Better call a spade a spade. If the Rwanda (and Burundi) history since the Belgians left the territory serves as a lesson, remember that Tutsis and Hutus took turns in mass-murdering each other since 1959, all based in racial-ethnical discrimination, which shifted as the minority became power or the majority took over power. Racism and segregation are still racism and segregation, even when they are promoted by the less favored minority - because it fuels the future aspiration that, once the minority is able to grab the power, they will have their revenge.
Eden
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Watchtower in local newspaper
by lostinthought inforgive me if this has been posted already but this was in my local paper today.. http://m.recordonline.com/article/20150307/news/150309486/0/wap&template=wapart.
if you have time to read, this is an interesting article talking about watchtowers property in ulster and orange county ny and how much the properties are worth.
it also goes on to show how the tax exempt stays is hurting the communities..
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EdenOne
Each JW tourist visiting the local shops will benefit the community by placing a tract with each shop employee... the community is happyfied!
Eden
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"The Tower of sand"
by Doug Mason inmy study on the pillars that create and support the existence of the governing body: "144,000", little flock, great crowd, and other sheep.. http://www.jwstudies.com/the_tower_of_sand.pdf.
doug.
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EdenOne
marked for later.
Thanks, Doug, look forward to reading it.
Eden
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THEOCRATIC KENOSIS: the Watchtower Organization's ultimate goal for humanity
by TerryWalstrom inever wonder why jehovah's witnesses have almost nothing but words instead of love?.
every wonder why jw's praise their corporate leaders rather than jesus?.
every wonder why faith is only demonstrated by allowing children to die and molesters to escape, or disasters to be welcomed through obstinate demonstrations of loyalty to the org?.
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EdenOne
Great post, Terry.
It's a very observable reality - once the individual has been emptied from any individuality, having ultimately become just an empty recipient of whatever propaganda the Watchtower wishes to fill it with, once the person leaves the cult, all that's left is a huge, empty hole of what used to be the Watchtower indoctrination. An empty hole, the empty outer shell of an empty soul ...
Eden
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34
Pick your belief system
by Giordano ini think we've all noticed a ton of newbe's these past months.
one part of escaping or thinking about escaping the jw's is coming to terms with what you believe now and/or what direction you are leaning towards.. here is a site that has a quick quiz that may be of some worth or just for fun.
i took it when i first signed on here and the results surprised me because it was pretty accurate.. you don't have to sign up for anything and when you finish you will get a percentage answer on 20 major belief systems.
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EdenOne
Funny enough, I take that test now and then to monitor my own progress as I fade away from the JW world.
Here are my latest results:
100% Secular Humanist
91% Unitarian Universalism
84% Non-Theist
74% Liberal Quakers
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0% Jehovah's Witnesses
"You've come a long way, baby" ....
Eden
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Please Welcome me
by Sofia Lose inhave lurked here for many, many years.
female, latina, middle-aged, born-in, 3rd generation jw, northeast usa.
my fate is to continue to play the game 'till death do us part because the very strong and tangled web of friends, family, business, etc.
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EdenOne
Welcome, Sofia! -
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Wife is FOR SURE waking up
by cappytan inwell, this is a new development.
she broached the subject of ttatt tonight.
said i was right about the flood.
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Interesting article on challenges to Darwinian model of evolution ...
by EdenOne inthis article, published on the huffington post by stuart a. newman, shows that modern science has found that there are other mechanisms at play in nature that disprove certain tenets of the darwinian evolutionism based solely on natural selection.
i've spoken before about the mechanisms of hybridization and their potential to introduce lasting changes, but this article speaks of other mechanisms as well.
interesting read:.
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EdenOne
Can't stay for long now, but what has been disproved was Darwin's intransigence regarding the existence of other mechanisms beyond natural selection that would be at play in the development / evolution of life. In his model, it was all about small gradual adaptations and "natural selection" would weed out the weakest strains and ensure the survival of the fittest. That explanation is simplistic and very incomplete, we know that now.
Eden