Posts by GrreatTeacher

22

Being a Rude Jerk, It's Awesome!

by Simon in

maybe it's a british thing, but we tend to be polite.

too polite.. even if someone is inconsiderate, we apologize as though we did something wrong.. prime offenders?

people in supermarkets, specifically costco.. they have nice wide isles and yet somehow, for some reason, some idiot will find a way to put their trolley sideways and keep a hand on it while reaching for something, thus blocking the entire isle.. or another favorite ... you're going through the entrance and someone just stops, maybe to answer their phone.. how about you wait in a queue at a checkout for ages and when it's their turn, then they start looking for their purse.. how many times have you thought "idiot" or muttered under your breath?.

GrreatTeacher

It's not Costco, but the road where I'm becoming less and less patient.

With my new 45 minute commute in horrendous traffic I just get livid when the light turns green and the doofus in front of me is texting on their phone instead of paying attention to traffic!

Hesitate for a second and other cars jump in front and you're sitting at the same damn light for another cycle.

Usually, commuters are good at commuting. They know which lanes to get in, they know to keep up the pace, they know when the light turns green to go, they know how to merge smoothly.

Then you get a shmuck who acts like they're on a Sunday drive and they jusy mess up the whole commuting machine. Then my commute stretches for an hour or more and, times 2, I'm living in my car for 2 hours a day!

Please, if you're not a commuter, stay away from rush hour!!! You and we and everybody will get there faster, and probably have lower blood pressure too!

31

Young People Ask: I’m Attracted to the Same Sex—Does That Mean I’m Gay?

by pale.emperor in

eurgh!

more patronizing and uninformed reasoning from the "experts" at bethel.

this time tackling the sensitive subject of those attracted the the same sex.

GrreatTeacher

Nope, it's very natural. All over other animal species.

19

Hospice and JW

by Terry Clees in

i am a bereavement coordinator with a hospice company.

i have noticed that most often jw patients decline chaplain care and also the family ends up declining bereavement care.

where i work our chaplains do not proselytize at all...they merely walk with the patient in their faith at the end of life.

GrreatTeacher

Hi, Terry Clees, maybe you are unaware of Witness doctrine, but according to it, Armageddon will be here to usher in a paradise earth for believers found acceptable, and this might happen any minute now!

They have been told all their life that they never have to die! Surely the imminence of their death greatly troubles them, though they do believe that they will be resurrected to that paradise earth in time. Their believing relatives are also sad that they have to say goodbye to loved ones in death, though they believe that they will see them again in the paradise earth. This victory feels very hollow and second best, however.

Some actually might question their faith. A doomsday religion without the promised doomsday is very troubling to many.

You may, however, be able to be of service to non-JW family. They've often left the religion in a hostile way. The JWs shun disbelievers. It may be that a relative visiting has been shunned entirely for years, even decades, and there may be a lot of anger and resentment there. The only reprieve from the shunning is "necessary family business" of which death would qualify. However, it's not entirely unheard of for JWs to shun entirely even past the death of a relative, the relative only being informed after the fact. Some of our members here have experienced it.

So, though you may not be wanted by the dying JW, non- or ex-JW family may be hurting extraordinarily due to their beliefs and practices, and you may be able to really provide care and comfort to those folks, if they're willing to open up about it.

Thanks for posting.

49

Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

by Spoletta in

my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

anyone else pick up on this?

GrreatTeacher

What a waste of the talents of 50% of the population.

And what an insult to have to do those far and few responsibilities with a napkin on their heads.

130

Not a sympathizer

by Richard Oliver in

i think everyone here is under the impression that i am a watchtower sympathizer, i am not.

i just like facts and when people say things, which are their opinions but that facts point out as not being true, than that is when i get so motivated to make a comment.

i have read posts here, listened to six screens and read jwsurvey and seen things that people say, which are opinion, but pass them off as fact.. there are legitimate things that people on here and former jws have concerns over without manipulating what is said or trying to pass off opinion as a fact.

GrreatTeacher

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear...

130

Not a sympathizer

by Richard Oliver in

i think everyone here is under the impression that i am a watchtower sympathizer, i am not.

i just like facts and when people say things, which are their opinions but that facts point out as not being true, than that is when i get so motivated to make a comment.

i have read posts here, listened to six screens and read jwsurvey and seen things that people say, which are opinion, but pass them off as fact.. there are legitimate things that people on here and former jws have concerns over without manipulating what is said or trying to pass off opinion as a fact.

GrreatTeacher

"It's my personal opinion!"

and

"I'm only interested in facts."

are two diametrically opposed ways of thinking.

You are being inconsistent in your argument, and it is therefore falling down.

46

Some apostates are coming across as crazed psychopaths

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

i'm not sure whether or not my view on this is correct so please leave your input.

in recent months i've been viewing youtube videos.

again, it might just be my view but there has been an increased amount of random people grabbing a camera and doing vlogs.

GrreatTeacher

I've really enjoyed this thread. It's made me think.

And, what I'm thinking is that sometimes your audience is ex-JWs and sometimes it's not.

And that's okay. We don't have to be perpetual anti-JW educators.

Sometimes it's just us, with our own complicated feelings, trying to make sense of it all and heal.

And I would think that would be a very individual process.

4

Autocracy: Rules for Survival

by Village Idiot in

pardon the cut and paste but i simply can not do better than the author.. autocracy: rules for survival by masha gessen.

i have lived in autocracies most of my life, and have spent much of my career writing about vladimir putin’s russia.

i have learned a few rules for surviving in an autocracy and salvaging your sanity and self-respect.

GrreatTeacher

Thanks, Village Idiot, for posting that.

I felt dark winds blowing in the US not too long after Obama was elected.

Lots of ugliness unleashed.

I'm afraid that it'll become the new normal.

49

How do you categorise the Society - Cult or High control religion

by UnshackleTheChains in

i have often seen many categorise the organisation in different ways.

some say cult, some say high control religion.

cult or high control religion?.

GrreatTeacher

Unfortunately, if you want to find real psychological and sociological scientific literature, you won't find it by searching for "cults."

They're designated New Religious Movements, partially because Scientology was offended that they were referred to as a cult, and they took over CAN; the Cult-Awareness Network.

This is a great story to research and get lost going down internet rabbit holes, which I've done before. But, it's been awhile and I've forgotten a lot, so, do research it yourselves. It's a very interesting story!

130

Not a sympathizer

by Richard Oliver in

i think everyone here is under the impression that i am a watchtower sympathizer, i am not.

i just like facts and when people say things, which are their opinions but that facts point out as not being true, than that is when i get so motivated to make a comment.

i have read posts here, listened to six screens and read jwsurvey and seen things that people say, which are opinion, but pass them off as fact.. there are legitimate things that people on here and former jws have concerns over without manipulating what is said or trying to pass off opinion as a fact.

GrreatTeacher

It's good to be able to identify facts vs. untruths.

An entirely different skill is being able to lay out an argument and prove your case.