today i noticed on television via 'entertainment tonight' how that supposed, self-proclaiming jehovah's witness 'sister' and top rating professional tennis player, venus williams, is back in the news again.. this time she was shown cuddling up to her italian bodyguard.
she had quite a loving expression on her face, while he had a glint in his eyes which seemed to say he'd like to do more things with venus' well toned body than just protect it from intruders or perceived danger.. last year, i posted on h 20 how appalled i was on viewing sr venus running around courtside with an american flag after she won wimbledon in england.
then there were those stationary tv close-ups while she stood reverently at attention as they played the u.s. national anthem.. my gripe in all this blatant display of double standards not so much concerns ms. williams' antics, but rather how they continue to be tolerated by her religion's governing body of jehovah's witnesses.
JanH:
I don't understand your inflective disdain? Please explain. Keep in mind I am not trolling or defending the WTBS, I am just saying information about supposedly public JW figures is of very little value.
Michael Jackson had very little effect one way or the other for the average householder or rank and file JW.
max, excuse the plagiarism of your thread heading.
royalties on the way!.
a few weeks ago maximus began a thread which he named nourishment for the spirit which resulted in a most interesting discussion of books that we had read and that meant much to us as individuals, some acknowledging that the books had added much to their lives.. now i would like to ask a question.. have any of you read or viewed a piece of art, read a poem, or heard a piece of music that actually changed an ethic in your life or adjusted a previously held viewpoint?
Sarah Brightman is quite the Diva in every sense! I also admire Kathleen Battle, Charlotte Church, Cecilia Bartoli, Leontyne Price, and the list goes on............
today i noticed on television via 'entertainment tonight' how that supposed, self-proclaiming jehovah's witness 'sister' and top rating professional tennis player, venus williams, is back in the news again.. this time she was shown cuddling up to her italian bodyguard.
she had quite a loving expression on her face, while he had a glint in his eyes which seemed to say he'd like to do more things with venus' well toned body than just protect it from intruders or perceived danger.. last year, i posted on h 20 how appalled i was on viewing sr venus running around courtside with an american flag after she won wimbledon in england.
then there were those stationary tv close-ups while she stood reverently at attention as they played the u.s. national anthem.. my gripe in all this blatant display of double standards not so much concerns ms. williams' antics, but rather how they continue to be tolerated by her religion's governing body of jehovah's witnesses.
Whether we discuss the Jacksons, the Wayans, and now the Williams Sisters, what we are really examining are not actual JW's. Irregardless of their baptized status or lack thereof, all are essentially convinced and reconciled in their consciences and have no qualms whatsoever about exercising personal freedom and pursuing their goals.
That exercise of freedom is precisely what invalidates these expose stories! If they had the gumption to exercise it, then they were never really hard core rank and file JW's to begin with, only casuals.
So they are NOT a reflection of the WTBS or its policies, rather they prove that many who are under the WTBS umbrella do not actually believe and pounce on the most promising opportunity. I do not find them or their choices objectionable. They are actually stronger than many double-life JW's currently in the borg.
this present system is definitely finished.
the present system being the anglo-american dollar dominated system.
it is in the final stages of collapse as is becoming more obvious by the day.
If you are a history buff of sorts, and enjoy topics like "Franco-Prussian War, Crimean War, WWI, WWII" then spend some time researching the preludes to these conflicts.
Briefly, in many cases, you will that many of the agressor nations particpating in these conflicts underwent severe economical hardships, followed by restructuring and refocusing of economical, human, political, and natural resources toward the goal of expansion and preparing for conflict against "supposed" enemies.
NAZI Germany was a brilliant example, before WWII it would take a wheelbarrow of currency to purchase one loaf of bread, and during the late thirties and early forties the Deutschmark rose to new heights in value, due to industrial engineering, manufacturing and a new economy and reorganized deutschbanke.
Perhaps Mr. Putin has already realized what historians have known for years about Russia; namely that the russian people are not autonomists, but serfs by culture. Generations and generations of russians have served emperors, czars, premiers, and now presidents. They are not a free enterprise people. They are not intrinsicly materialistic, other than for sustenance.
This economic maneuver by Putin is nothing more than an attempt to regain and centralize control. They have realized they are not equipped, nor understand how to implement a free market system. The only levels of control they are able to comprehend and abide with are authoritarian and centralized. Our system is based on checks and balances, without anyone retaining complete and total control.
They do not understand how to develop a system of checks and balances for government, banking, economy,etc... They are doomed to preparing for another world war, or sinking into 19th century poverty again.
why don't the brothers put more feeling and encouragement in their parts(if they believe this is the truth-show it) much of the information is above the heads of the children.
i have to force myself to concentrate on what is being said and not fall asleep.. children are forced to sit for 2 hours or get smacked.
you can just stay home and read over material.
Due to the strict adherence to insider tools like the "Ministry School Guide Book - old and new, most participants are preconditioned into a condensed presenation format.
Really, if the guide books are examined in detail, they are more of a compilation of a variety of information ranging from english grammar to basic public speaking and other miscellaneous contents.
Since the focus of the organization has always been primarily to separate and distinguish itelf from mainstream denominations, it is obvious that the charismatic and dynamic approaches often used by pastors, ministers, teachers, clerics, evangelists, would be frowned upon by the WTBS in order to maintain a "sterile, clinical and businesslike, profesional approach" to the delivery of religious information.
max, excuse the plagiarism of your thread heading.
royalties on the way!.
a few weeks ago maximus began a thread which he named nourishment for the spirit which resulted in a most interesting discussion of books that we had read and that meant much to us as individuals, some acknowledging that the books had added much to their lives.. now i would like to ask a question.. have any of you read or viewed a piece of art, read a poem, or heard a piece of music that actually changed an ethic in your life or adjusted a previously held viewpoint?
Thanks to Maximus and everyone else for reminding me of a true treasure we can inadvertently ignore in this short life. Music. I was raised on Classical Italian Opera and my father was a staunch VERDI fanatic.
Max, do you remember what VERDI's last name was an acronym for during the Italian Risorgimento?
V.E.R.D.I. ?
Anyway, I used to feel guilty playing opera CD's in the kingdom hall parking lot or out in service in the background of boring and pretentious hypocritical pioneer conversations. It is truly a relief to listen to one's favorite musical therapies for the soul!
I will never again place my freedom to thrive and nourish my soul with the creative gifts that talented humans have made available!
i'm just curious as to how many ex-witnesses here still believe in the god of the bible ?
and how many, due to the societies teachings have given up on god all together ?
I tend to agree in part with Joelbear about huamns inventing the qualities of Gods for the purpose of domination.
I think, at some point in history, man discovered violence. Through the use of religion enforced by violence, we have the segmented society we live in today. Everyone thinks their faith is correct and others should convert or be destroyed. See the point? We are a poisoned species!
Until we remove the desire to control and dominate other humans, we will never get past religion.
today i noticed on television via 'entertainment tonight' how that supposed, self-proclaiming jehovah's witness 'sister' and top rating professional tennis player, venus williams, is back in the news again.. this time she was shown cuddling up to her italian bodyguard.
she had quite a loving expression on her face, while he had a glint in his eyes which seemed to say he'd like to do more things with venus' well toned body than just protect it from intruders or perceived danger.. last year, i posted on h 20 how appalled i was on viewing sr venus running around courtside with an american flag after she won wimbledon in england.
then there were those stationary tv close-ups while she stood reverently at attention as they played the u.s. national anthem.. my gripe in all this blatant display of double standards not so much concerns ms. williams' antics, but rather how they continue to be tolerated by her religion's governing body of jehovah's witnesses.
While I am elated at the media coverage of the WTBS, I am also annoyed at the reports of "so-called witnesses" like the Williams sisters.
Unless someone from the congregation that they or their family supposedly attended posts some clarification here, then all we have is another case that resembles the idiot in GA a few years ago who had studied, then stopped and was never baptized, but killed his family or committed suicide. I don't remember exactly, but the point is it accomplishes absolutely nothing!
if you are an employer, never hire a jehovah's witness.
the reason for this is simple: that mistake may cost you a lot of money!
you can bot expect a jehovah's witness to do what they are told to do, but you can expect them to do the oposite!
I think that irregardless of the country in which you live, you must examine your prospective employees very carefully. Background checks are so important. Always attempt to verify their academics by contacting universites or colleges, or ask for transcripts which is common in the US.
Always insist on drug testing and obtain several forms of verifiable identification. If a candidate or new employee raises the topic of religion, then have that employee document their concerns in writing.
What I have found is that many JW's are literally and honestly AFRAID to mention they are JW's until AFTER they are hired. If it was not something to be concerned about, ashamed of, afraid of, or something which will never affect the employer's operating hours, schedule, customer relations, then fine, keep it to yourself.
However, as a manager in the federal government AND a business owner with employees, I can tell you JW's make many mistakes and take alot for granted.
Over ten years ago, I operated a small business in which several JW's were employed. Do you know that when the "Memorial" date arrived, none, I mean NONE had even displayed the courtesy to request that time off? It was a fast food service business which thrived during evening hours.
Just because the owner was a JW it was somehow "understood". That's just one incident. I could relate a million. Will I ever hire a JW again? I don't know. If it was a mature, well adjusted, balanced person (like someone from any other religion or lack thereof), then I probably would-with the understanding that I do not expect religion to interfere (like I am interfering now) with normal operations.
Most JW's strive for humility, will not attempt to manuever for positions, or try to ingratiate themselves for advancement. However, there are always those few (I estimate about 25-40%) of JW's who take advantage.
You know, the ones who always had more food than necessary during the old assembly food service program. The ones who tried to make a living out of the Hall.
Those types are usually the counterparts of trailer-park trash and other loafers/freeloaders in the world.
while it may seem absurd at first glance, and perhaps offensive, is it not feasible that humans under their own source of inspiration could compile a such a library?.
think of the language used in describing the prophecies and visions in the bible as we know it, and test whether or not you can apply the symbols and images used to a variety of settings, places in history, and recorded events?
if you think about nostradamus, celestine and many other so called "prophecies" that considered some, all or none of the bible, didn't those writings somehow satisfy the curiosities and spiritual needs of certain people?.
While it may seem absurd at first glance, and perhaps offensive, is it not feasible that humans under their own source of inspiration could compile a such a library?
Think of the language used in describing the prophecies and visions in the Bible as we know it, and test whether or not you can apply the symbols and images used to a variety of settings, places in history, and recorded events?
If you think about Nostradamus, Celestine and many other so called "prophecies" that considered some, all or none of the Bible, didn't those writings somehow satisfy the curiosities and spiritual needs of certain people?
If those types of writings and the many others located on bookshelves in the "spiritual sections" in bookstores and libraries are appealing and satisfying the inquiring minds of people everywhere, then I believe that honest and genuine individuals can undertake such a task.
Unless you are imprisoned, what prevents a studious, inquiring and ambitious person from researching and investigating the mysteries of our time and somehow make a reasonable and logical attempt at beneficial application?
Since that is a very vague question about a very vague topic, it stands to reason that the Holy Bible in all of its "literary variety" and "accepted canon" can be examined in the same light, at times.
Any thoughts from the MAGNA FORUM?
