Journeyman

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Posts by Journeyman

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  42

  How do you feel about Brexit?

  by SydBarrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the "independent scotland" thread got me thinking on this.

  there are a lot of brits on this board.

  what are your thoughts on brexit?

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  Journeyman

  And where is the open debate on whether we want to be involved in this war in Ukraine? We have no choice in the matter we are dragged into it without a vote and whether we like it or not.

  I understand this viewpoint, although it was the same with the Gulf Wars, especially the second one for the (IMO illegal) overthrow of Saddam, based on lies about WMD. The UK was pulled into it by Blair who was determined to unquestioningly back up his buddy George W. But that's already "old history" and so much more has been built on top of that.
  

  What does seem different now though, perhaps due to social media - is that everyone, including the public, are expected to buy fully into supporting the Ukraine military and financial campaign (UKR flags on their profiles, their car windows and bumpers, etc, etc). At least with Iraq, for example, although the people on the whole were told to accept it was the "right" thing to do, noone was really expected to support it to the extent of posting propaganda material themselves.

  But then that's happening will all kinds of causes, campaigns and movements today too, from MeToo to BLM to Pride and anything else than can be summed up with a fancy hashtag or flag/symbol. Strange times.
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  42

  How do you feel about Brexit?

  by SydBarrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the "independent scotland" thread got me thinking on this.

  there are a lot of brits on this board.

  what are your thoughts on brexit?

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  Journeyman

  What are your thoughts on Brexit?

  Haha... I'm not sure you really want to go there! That's quite a can of worms to open up. But then, since there are already threads repeating the interminable (and intractable) divisions between pro- and anti-Trump voters in the USA, I suppose its only fair to risk one about this subject!
  

  But since you ask... I think it was absolutely the right decision, but one that has been badly handled by those in power who were supposed to be pro-Leave, but have not gone about implementing it in the right way, making a right mess of it almost from the outset.

  In the meantime, many who voted Remain but lost the vote, having failed with their pre-vote doom campaign and their attempts to overturn a valid referendum outcome, have continued to whinge from the sidelines, throw all kinds of insults at those who voted to Leave, and repeatedly talk down the UK since, insisting that every bad (or even just slightly less than positive) thing that has happened since 2016 is "because of Brexit". It's no wonder they're disparagingly called "Remoaners" by those who voted Leave! It's actually become something of a sick joke that they constantly pop up on forums and interviews blaming Brexit for anything that seems like bad news.

  Where I do agree with slim is the state of the two main political parties - being in such a mess that there is no real choice on offer to voters. But then, they have been heading that way from long before the Brexit vote. Really, since Tony Blair took over the Labour Party (the main left-leaning party) in the mid-1990s and turned it into "New" Labour, tearing up a lot of the party's former supposedly socialist(*) principles, the choice has been narrowing to the mess we have today.
  
  What seems far worse now though, is the poor calibre of Prime Ministers and cabinets we've had really, especially since the Blair era. All the senior politicians in the main UK national parties today (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat) seem of dubious character and trustworthiness to me.

  (*) - The caveat here for American readers is that "left-wing" and "socialist" in UK and European politics are NOT the same as "communist", despite what you may have been brought up to think from your own electoral system!
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  55

  "Independent" Scotland joke!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. social
  2. current

  humza yousaf, scotland's first minister, said: "scotland, i'm afraid, is suffering because we are not independent.

  " https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66012834.

  try telling that to scotland's tourists and many island communities: the ferry services are dying month by month, and the two new overdue & over-budget ferries justify a serious legal/criminal enquiry.. any bunch of incompetents who can't provide a small country with a ferry service and a legally binding contract to build 2 new boats - having controlled scotland since 2007 - has no credibility in claiming they could run a country!.

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  Journeyman

  To be fair, I do consider the separation of Scotland from the rest of the UK as damaging to all.

  Not only do I disagree with the indy Scots like the SNP, I strongly disagree with the (mostly English) elements that take the view "stuff the Scots, let 'em go if they want to!"

  I'm a product of mixed heritage between three of the four nations of the UK, so I feel very personally that the three nations on the mainland at least should remain together and will ultimately all suffer if apart. I consider them all together as my "homeland", and will always feel that whether I go to London, Edinburgh or Cardiff, they are all MY people and country, whatever nonsense sectarian politicians try to divide their people.

  Northern Ireland is a different matter as I recognise it's been much more sensitive and problematic, with divisions and severe sectarian violence even up to recent years (and still periodically breaking out), so I understand that being a much more live concern for the possibility of independence, especially given the demographic shift between Catholic and Protestant populations.
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  30

  JW Marriages - Loophole in wedding vows

  by Finally-Free in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  not being raised as a jw, i went to many church weddings, mostly in catholic churches.

  all the times i went to jw weddings i thought it unusual that they had their own vows, much different from the wedding vows used elsewhere.

  i remembered jws mentioning "divine temination" of marriages to me and thought the vows reflected that thought.

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  Journeyman

  He told me that At one wedding--the person conducting the ceremony decided to use his own words--and my dad stopped him and insisted he use the exact words in the script. I dont think he was too popular after that.

  I heard of a case like that during a recent JW wedding. The "authorised person" was also a JW, and was also a stickler for the rules like your dad (rightly so, IMO). It wasn't as bad as the bro taking the service using his own words, but apparently what happened was that the bro was either underprepared or nervous and accidentally mis-spoke - leaving out some words or something similar - and the AP interrupted him and made him go right back and start over again.
  

  Funny how only the vows for the wife mention respect.

  This is based on the scripture at Ephesians 5:33 "Nevertheless, each one of you must love his wife as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband."

  I suppose the idea is because the husband is supposedly the "head" of the marriage, having respect is considered more important towards someone "taking the lead".

  But yes, respect should be a basic requirement on both sides (and come to that, in every family relationship - between kids and parents too).
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  5

  What is "the UK’s LARGEST GROWING consumer goods sector?"

  by BoogerMan in

  1. social
  2. current

  would you have guessed it's vaping?.

  apparently kids can buy vapes in the uk - with very little/zero deterrents for retailers.

  follow the money!.

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  Journeyman

  I find it depressing how vaping shops have spread on British high streets (and that stat about their growth says a lot about the state of the UK today).

  As if there are not enough needless so-called businesses out there, with nail bars, tattoo parlours, betting shops, cheap chicken takeaways, and other tacky operations in a lot of rundown UK towns, we now have another largely valueless addition with vape stores.

  With all the current cultural hype about vaping, I wouldn't be surprised if its found in a few years to come that it is not as "healthy" an alternative to "real" smoking as is currently being claimed. It's the same old trick: get naive consumers hooked on something to spend their money on that they will keep coming back for (but that gives them zero real benefits) then milk them for cash for as long as possible.
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  18

  How did you pass the time when the Kingdom Hall meetings became boring and repetitive/

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  another boring and repetitive ''watchtower study.

  '' all the articles are about the ''faithful and discreet slave.''.

  for whatever reason, you tolerate this for years.

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  Journeyman

  The good thing about the fact that all the congregations now use electronic devices rather than paper magazines and Bibles, is the ease with which it's possible to read other documents or websites without being noticed. A relief for today's PIMOs!

  Previously, I used to find volunteering to be an attendant or work on the sound desk made time pass quicker and gave something else to focus your mind on during particularly tedious studies. Not an option for sisters, of course!
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  55

  "Independent" Scotland joke!

  by BoogerMan in

  1. social
  2. current

  humza yousaf, scotland's first minister, said: "scotland, i'm afraid, is suffering because we are not independent.

  " https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-66012834.

  try telling that to scotland's tourists and many island communities: the ferry services are dying month by month, and the two new overdue & over-budget ferries justify a serious legal/criminal enquiry.. any bunch of incompetents who can't provide a small country with a ferry service and a legally binding contract to build 2 new boats - having controlled scotland since 2007 - has no credibility in claiming they could run a country!.

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  Journeyman

  The whole idea of Scottish independence is a bit of a joke anyway, TBH.

  I agree, especially now with what has been revealed about the SNP leadership. And with wee Nicola Krankie out of office, Hamza is a far less inspiring and unifying figure (thankfully).

  Leaving the EU was the right move, but breaking up the UK would be a disaster for all the constituent countries, IMO, and the sooner the prospect of Scottish independence recedes into the background, the better.

  I always found it amazing that the pro-indy Scots (and Remoaners around the rest of the UK) would whinge about anyone who was against Scottish independence but supported Brexit, claiming it was hypocritical.

  However, there is a huge difference between being a member of a 300+ year borderless union of essentially similar nations which has stood for generations and during which millions have intermarried, lived and work together, versus a constantly changing union (from 6 to 27 in 70 years, and 8 more bidding to join) of less than 80 years duration (and only 33 for borderless travel) between hugely different nations, many of whom have significant cultural and historic differences and have been at war with each other even in the past century.

  Anyone who cannot see that the EU and UK are at root very different unions (and that's not to mention the aspect of a shared landmass) is both culturally and historically naive.
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Journeyman

  

  Good grief, that even LOOKS like a cult photo!

  The low-budget hippy cult leader (who's eaten a few too many pies) holding forth with his "pearls of wisdom", while the adoring acolyte gazes at him in rapt attention.

  Frightening.

  Even the funky chest of drawers in the background has a ziggurat-like appearance to it. And what are those votive offerings on the top in front of the clock?
  
  

  And what do those kind of cult leaders have in common?

  • Milk their followers for money
  • Obsessed with sex
  • Drag along with them a number of weak-willed and/or brain-washed followers
  • Get an ego boost from the praise of those 'worshippers'
  • Over-inflated sense of their own importance
  • Unable to believe they could be wrong, that their 'mission' will fail or that they will be brought down
  • Demonise anyone who opposes or resists them.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Journeyman

  .Can you imagine if OOPS , the other photos the rated XXX one ,had been leak ?

  Oh please, no. I hope there AREN'T any X rated pics or video of LE out there!

  If there were any I hope they were securely deleted, for the sake of the wellbeing of mankind. I don't ever want to have my eyeballs assaulted by the sight of such a thing!
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  20

  Very Interesting Post...

  by XBEHERE in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and then, for two years…..nothing happened.until they pretended everything was normal and sent everyone back to the hamster wheel.

  back to meetings, back to d2d, back to assemblies & conventions.

  everyone, get back on the hamster wheel, and don’t you dare complain or try to get out of it by using zoom.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/14fhe4y/exercise_patience_classic_gaslighting_from_wt/ .

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  Journeyman

  Anyone who believed that our pandemic was a sign has to be crackers...
  I never saw that in the JW official teaching although I am sure some jumpy dubs went for it .

  Agreed. I never believed for a second that COVID would inevitably be the start of the long-awaited "end". The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was far more deadly and yet the end didn't come then.

  Besides which, as the Bible often reminds us, the end is supposed to come "like a thief", "at a time [you] do not think to be it" and so on. That would hardly be consistent with an obvious global situation like a deadly plague sweeping the planet (not that COVID proved to be as bad as it could've been, but we know it is still possible for a future pandemic to be worse).