WOW! 'Heaven,' you are absolutely correct. "You Who Love the Truth have seen so many lies." I am so impressed that you came up with that bit of trivia! Did you know that or did you Google it?
abilenetexas
JoinedPosts by abilenetexas
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"You...Have Seen So Many Lies"
by abilenetexas inmost people remember the song vincent (starry, starry night), don mcleans tribute to vincent van gogh.
(mclean's original manuscript to that song is buried in a time capsule beneath the van gogh museum in amsterdam.
) few people are aware that mclean wrote and recorded a sequel to vincent, which contains lyrics that have relevance for many ex-jws, especially those who have come to respect the memory of ray franz.
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"You...Have Seen So Many Lies"
by abilenetexas inmost people remember the song vincent (starry, starry night), don mcleans tribute to vincent van gogh.
(mclean's original manuscript to that song is buried in a time capsule beneath the van gogh museum in amsterdam.
) few people are aware that mclean wrote and recorded a sequel to vincent, which contains lyrics that have relevance for many ex-jws, especially those who have come to respect the memory of ray franz.
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abilenetexas
Most people remember the song “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night),” Don McLean’s tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. (McLean's original manuscript to that song is buried in a time capsule beneath the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.) Few people are aware that McLean wrote and recorded a sequel to “Vincent,” which contains lyrics that have relevance for many ex-JWs, especially those who have come to respect the memory of Ray Franz. The signature line from the song ends with the phrase “have seen so many lies.” The first part of that line is also the name of the song. Can you name the song?
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SONG: Could I Live With This?
by abilenetexas inone of my favorite songwriters is chip taylor, jon voight's younger brother who is best known for writing the songs wild thing and angel of the morning.
chip wrote a gorgeous song called could i live with this which, i feel, epitomizes the whole group-think dilemma faced by jws.
i have printed the lyrics below, and shared a youtube link to a performance of the song by chip and lucinda williams.
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abilenetexas
One of my favorite songwriters is Chip Taylor, Jon Voight's younger brother who is best known for writing the songs Wild Thing and Angel of the Morning. Chip wrote a gorgeous song called Could I Live With This which, I feel, epitomizes the whole group-think dilemma faced by JWs. I have printed the lyrics below, and shared a YouTube link to a performance of the song by Chip and Lucinda Williams. I hope you can appreciate the significance of the lyrics.
I’m only a body. One heart. One mind.
But ‘only’ is only one of a kind.
Oh, but that’s what I am here for. That’s why I exist.
And if I give in now to the roar of the crowd,
Could I live with this?
I’m only one petal that falls to the ground.
I’m only one bell. I can make just one sound.
But that’s what I’m here for. That’s why I exist.
If I change what’s true to sound more like you,
Could I live with this?
And though I’m not sure what life’s all about,
I’ve got my feelings.
And if that’s what I choose to figure it out,
Well, that’s a good thing.
And when I look in the mirror to see what I’ve become,
Will my eyes rest easy, or will I turn and run?
Will I accept my salvation with a forgiving kiss?
Like a thief who’s been caught, or a judge who’s been bought,
Could I live with this?
Can I accept my salvation in a forgiving kiss?
Like a thief who’s been caught, or a judge who’s been bought,
Could I live with this?
Could I change what’s true to sound more like you?
Could I live with this?
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Jury duty as a JW, were you summons for Jury service.
by jam infor over 12 years i have been summons for jury service.. each year i receive a summons and each year my physician.
send in my medical excuse.
don,t get me wrong, i would love.
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abilenetexas
When I was an active JW, I once served as the foreman on a jury. I had no problem with it, and I was never counseled about it, and I learned something valuable from the experience. I would welcome the opportunity to serve on a jury again.
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
I have a relative who has been a respected elder for many years. His father died never having been a JW, so while he may have been what God's Word would characterize as 'unrighteous,' he was certainly not 'wicked.' Yet, my cousin has long expressed the view publicly that his father would not be worthy of a resurrection. To my knowledge, I am the only one who was ever disturbed by this public contradiction of what the WT and God's Word clearly teach. So, it seems to me that the charge of apostasy is selective.
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
jwfacts, the Watchtower paranoia of apostates is precisely what aroused me from my own "profound trance," to use Dr. Stout's expression. I knew of other devoted JWs who were rumored to be apostates, but whom I knew were not apostate. But, it was when my local elder body threatened to brand me as an apostate for expressing a viewpoint championed by the Watchtower and substantiated by a letter from the Branch that I determined to become an ex-JW. It was at that point that I purchased and read Crisis of Conscience.
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
One of the things I admired most from reading Crisis of Conscience is how Ray Franz chose to appeal his disfellowshipment by letter. He knew that letter would speak for him long after his demise. As a matter of fact, it screams!
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
So true, jnat! I heard an interview with a certain author on Book-TV recently, and the statement by him that caught my attention was, "Secrecy breeds corruption. It doesn't matter who or what it is, secrecy breeds corruption." Thank you for your thoughtful response!
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
cptkirk, please check your private messages.
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Does the misuse of disfellowshiping promote sociopathic behavior?
by abilenetexas inwe do not burn people at the stake any more.
but how far removed are we from that dark ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 corinthians 5:11 and 2 john 9-11?
with that thought in mind, please consider the following:.
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abilenetexas
We do not burn people at the stake any more. But how far removed are we from that Dark Ages ritual when we tear families apart through the misuse of disfellowshiping by misapplying scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 2 John 9-11? With that thought in mind, please consider the following:
In her book, The Sociopath Next Door, Dr. Martha Stout’s working definition of a sociopath is one completely devoid of conscience. She refers to the conscience as the seventh sense. Under the subheading ‘Moral Exclusion,’ Dr. Stout suggests that whenever someone is excluded from our moral universe, ”interventions of conscience no longer apply to him. He is not human. He is an it. And unfortunately, this transformation of a [person] into an it makes him scarier as well.
“Sometimes people appear to deserve our moral exclusion. . . But in most cases, our tendency to reduce people to non-beings is neither considered nor conscious, and throughout history our proclivity to dehumanize has too often been turned against the essentially innocent. The list of out groups that some portion of humankind has at one time or another demoted to the status of hardly even human is extremely long.
“And once the other group has become populated by its, anything goes, especially if someone in authority gives the order. Conscience is no longer necessary, because conscience binds us to other beings and not to its. Conscience still exists, may even be very exacting, but it applies only to my countrymen, my friends, and my children, not yours. You may be excluded from my moral universe, and with impunity—and maybe even praise from others in my group—I can now drive you from your home, or shoot your family, or burn you alive.”
Under the subheading ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ Dr. Stout continues: “When conscience falls into a profound trance, when it sleeps through acts of torture, war, and genocide, political leaders and other prominent individuals can make the difference between a gradual awakening of our seventh sense and a continued amoral nightmare. History teaches that attitudes and plans coming from the top dealing pragmatically with problems of hardship and insecurity in the group, rather than scapegoating an out group, can help us return to a more realistic view of the “others.” In time, moral leadership can make a difference. But history shows us also that a leader with no seventh sense can hypnotize the group conscience still further, redoubling catastrophe. Using fear-based propaganda to amplify a destructive ideology, such a leader can bring the members of a frightened society to see the its as the sole impediment to the good life, for themselves and maybe even for humanity as a whole, and the conflict as an epic battle between good and evil. Once these beliefs have been disseminated, crushing the its without pity or conscience can, with chilling ease, become an incontrovertible mandate.”