Posts by GrreatTeacher

43

Jesus Saves From What? March 2015 Watchtower Article

by Perry in

i just skimmed the titled article on jw.org and once again the watchtower is misdirecting:.

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20150301/jesus-death-and-resurrection/ .

they try and make the old case that jesus saves us from being destroyed at armageddon.

GrreatTeacher

I think Perry actually just admitted a very important thing: that he couldn't manage to live a successful life on his own.

Doesn't this sound like AA when alcoholics admit that their lives have become unmanageable? Then AA provides the structure to get their lives back on track? Fundamentalist Christianity serves the same role as AA. It provides structure for people who are having life difficulties.

And when they preach, it's like they assume that everyone else is having difficulties, too. It's like it is relieving to believe and tell others that everyone is a sinner. I think that's ultimately what is so offensive to others. It sounds like an assumption that everyone's life is as messed up as yours.

Many of us have happy marriages, children and careers. We haven't ever needed the structure of religion to keep us on the straight and narrow, in fact that life sounds suffocating and detrimental to healthy living and happiness. We neither want nor need to blame the bad things in our life on Satan and we don't need a god to help us to handle life.

I can't imagine anything more miserable than being involved in the strictures of religion again. Why can't fundamentalists realize that their heaven feels like hell to us?

9

My grandson

by James Mixon in

us berkeley news center, "young bug enthusiast meets .

his hero, e. wilson.

maybe someone can post it.. i sent this to my other grandkids that are jw.. my grandson is nuts about bugs, lol..

GrreatTeacher

What a cute little guy! You know, sometimes meeting someone like this that you look up to really cements in your mind your value as a scholar.

I hope he holds this meeting in his heart and mind and uses it to provide inspiration for his academic career.

You must be so proud!

102

A couple questions for atheists on Suffering

by little_Socrates in

who 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?

GrreatTeacher

LisaRose, you hit the nail on the head. Just because a person may have survived suffering and then have gained some strength from the situation doesn't then make that suffering good or desireable or even purposeful.

I think some here are arguing that a silver lining in a cloud is a good thing while I think the existence of the cloud in the first place is the problem if you believe in a benevolent, omnicient god.

25

Rainham residents upset about plans for Jah Jireh care home for Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Simon in

(posted for andersonsinfo).

people are protesting against plans to build a large care home for jehovahs witnesses behind their houses.. homeowners living in the bloors lane area of rainham have lodged objections to proposals by the jah jireh charity, which specialises in spiritual and physical care for followers of the religion.. people living in neighbouring homes say it is too big and its three storeys will dwarf their properties.. .

what the care home will look like.

GrreatTeacher

Nimbyism - Not In My Back Yard

I feel for the homeowners. I wouldn't want a 3 story commercial building in my residential neighborhood, either.

I wonder if it is considered residential or commercial, though? As far as zoning is concerned.

11

Dating After Leaving?

by Garrett in

hey guys,.

this is going to be a topic of a different nature.

so, while i am not looking to date at the current moment since i'm still trying to figure out who i am and what i want life, i do want to start dating in the near future.. my issue is that i've been in for almost all my life and it's left a big hole when it comes to my romantic life.. i was wondering, after leaving, did any of you date?

GrreatTeacher

I met my husband at work. I was the only girl on a huge construction site, so I had my pick. My now husband was a little too goofy and crazy and I resisted his DAILY question, "When are you going to go out with me?" for 6 months. I finally went out with him to shut him up and I found that he was a little different away from the bravado of the construction site. He was really a nice guy!

I didn't really bring up the JW stuff til later down the line. I probably mentioned it before meeting my family for the first time. He actually stopped by my family house to visit and my mother was cutting something in the kitchen and shook a knife at him saying "Why is he here?" I can't believe he stuck around after that!

We dated and were married within 2 years. It was family pressure on both sides to hurry up and get married. JW parents and Catholic parents in 1992 thought we should be married before we lived together. If I had to do it over again, probably would've waited a little longer to get married. We were both very young.

But, Thursday we'll have been married for 22 years! And still in love. I get excited when he comes in the door at the end of the workday. We're very happy and I definitely feel like I made a great decision.

Trust your gut feelings about people. And give shy people a chance. Be patient and wait for the one who feels right. With time, you'll find the right person for you.

22

Utah to bring back firing squads

by cofty in

are parts of the usa in a different century from europe?.

why don't they just stone them to death?.

GrreatTeacher

Yes, Utah is a nearly entirely Mormon state. And blood atonement is the doctrine that requires blood to be shed to atone for sins. That's why they want firing squads brought back.

Utah would be #50 on my list of states that I would like to live in.

15

"Millions Will Attend -Will You?" Mea Culpa!

by Joe Grundy in

dubs are working the housing estate where i live.

i was outside my house, applying some tlc to my old jag (worshiping worldly things?)..

one old guy, half a dozen middle-aged and upwards ladies.

GrreatTeacher

Heaven, I've been stressing over that exact thing. Should the argyle socks and the athletic socks be separated? I just can't decide. Maybe a little wine and some crackers will make my head a little clearer on this subject...

32

Do JW Children Still Call Adults "Aunt" and "Uncle"?

by cofty in

when i was young we were taught to refer to other adult jws as aunt or uncle.. was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?.

was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?.

thanks.

GrreatTeacher

We just called everyone by first names. I was 7 years old and addressing older brothers and sisters as Bertha and Harold. This was a south central Pennsylvania circuit.

Now I live farther south in Maryland. Children address familiar adults by Miss or Mister with their first name, like Miss Jenny and Mister Justin.

61

KH 1st timer, could use some advice

by rathernotsay in

jw
friends

hey people, .

i am soon going into a kh for the first time and i could use some advice around etiquette etc.

i know next to nothing besides the fundamental beliefs of jws, i personally dont believe in any religion, and that stance isnt ever going to change, however i don't want to come across as rude or disrespectful.

GrreatTeacher

She wants you to go to the memorial because it's an annual show. If you really want to see the crazy in action, you need to go to a regular Sunday meeting and a regular weeknight meeting. The memorial won't give you a true idea of what being a JW is about.

My advice is to go to a regular Sunday and a regular week night meeting to get a true picture of them. Going to the memorial might earn her brownie points, but if you really want to learn about what goes on there on a regular basis, don't waste your time.

You don't need to wear a suit, but khakis and a button down shirt would be good.

Also, I dont agree that you want to go late so no one has a chance to talk to you. I would think you would want to meet, even if only superficially, the elders, especially the ones that had a private meeting with your wife about her sex life! Get a feel for those men. ( Optional to tell them if they ever talk to your wife about her sex life without you again, you'll knock their teeth out. ) Do people not get how inappropriate this is?

Set out boundaries in the beginning with your wife. Two meetings and that's it, just for your own personal information. Do not go to more meetings than that. Their intention is to convert you, no matter what they claim.

Oh, and that "really nice guy" that came up to talk to you? Yeah, it's all a show. He's probably not that nice in real life. He just wants the conversion brownie points. They are fake, fake, fake with outsiders. But, you'll get more of a feel about how they really are at regular meetings than at the memorial. The most frazy will be showing at a midweek evening meeting.

46

Groanfest. Share your daftest jokes .

by jhine in

lots of serious stuff being discussed on site .

i thought!it would be nice to make each other groan/ smile for a change .please share your corniest ,punniest , or daftest joke .. i will start with this shocker , borrowed from tim vine .. vandalism in a multi story carpark ....... ...................................,............................ wrong on sooo many levels !.

come on now share yours.

GrreatTeacher

Have you ever smelled mothballs?

Yes? How did you get your head between their little legs?