Posts by GrreatTeacher

8

IDEAL BATHROOMS

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

i use to dream about designing a bathroom that was, well.

crazy.. today, i saw this photo and almost fell over.

obviously somebody else had the same dream!.

GrreatTeacher

Well, now we know the kind of luxury that Flipper and Flipper's Wife live in, and he invites us to a campground for the Lake Tahoe Apostafest??

3

Hey you are doing it backwards.

by donny in

"hey guy, aren't you doing things backwards in your spiritual life?".

this question or similar ones has been posed to me a few times over the years.

"most people i knew were agnostic when they were teens or young adults and then they become believers later on, but you seemed to have done it in reverse.".

GrreatTeacher

Good read. I've thought many of the same things. Thanks for sharing.

50

Freedom, Free speech, Censorship, Religion and Tight Pants

by Simon in

you would need to be living in a cave to not be aware of the turmoil happening in the world with groups like isis murdering cartoonists over their depiction of their prophet and sides being taken to either attack religion or to defend the right to practise it.. the battle lines appear to be drawn between those who believe in freedom and those who would see it curtailed to be replaced with their own version of what is and isnt acceptable.

most people want freedom and free speech but when choosing it are perhaps unconsciously judging it to only apply to things that they themselves believe in.. we need to be crystal clear what freedom and free speech were really talking about.

freedom itself is usually easier to define as there are some fundamental principles: you should be allowed to do what you want as long as you are not harming others.

GrreatTeacher

Well, Simon, who decides? Good point.

We can recognize a dangerous cult in the form of North Korea. That becomes a matter of national defense.

We regulate deceptive business practices like multi-level marketing and Ponzi schemes. Even monopolies are recognized as unfair.

But, it it doesn't involve defense or business, we can't seem to find the political will to do anything about it.

29

Had a major blow out

by freemindfade in

jw
friends

my mom was emailing a group thread of rhetoric about isis and armageddon, and i finally got sick of it and said some pretty intense harsh things about ideals, and wishing for armageddon.

then it went back and forth like some debate, all the while i am holding back unloading serious ttatt on my family.

i put a whole bunch of scriptures where the wonderful yahweh committed infanticide.

GrreatTeacher

I believe that Perry is of the belief that whatever God does is moral. Because he is God and is the source of all morality.

I know, sick and twisted, right?

50

Freedom, Free speech, Censorship, Religion and Tight Pants

by Simon in

you would need to be living in a cave to not be aware of the turmoil happening in the world with groups like isis murdering cartoonists over their depiction of their prophet and sides being taken to either attack religion or to defend the right to practise it.. the battle lines appear to be drawn between those who believe in freedom and those who would see it curtailed to be replaced with their own version of what is and isnt acceptable.

most people want freedom and free speech but when choosing it are perhaps unconsciously judging it to only apply to things that they themselves believe in.. we need to be crystal clear what freedom and free speech were really talking about.

freedom itself is usually easier to define as there are some fundamental principles: you should be allowed to do what you want as long as you are not harming others.

GrreatTeacher

Yes, I'm willing to give up my "choice" to join a cult. Because, accepting the work of Lifton and Sanger, it's not a choice at all. It's a careful program of mind, thought and behavior control that bypasses the rational, thinking self.

Yes, you have the freedom to choose your religion, but a cult is not a religion, though they hide under their right to freedom of religion in the US.

I would love to see them recognized and regulated as the danger they are to society.

29

Had a major blow out

by freemindfade in

jw
friends

my mom was emailing a group thread of rhetoric about isis and armageddon, and i finally got sick of it and said some pretty intense harsh things about ideals, and wishing for armageddon.

then it went back and forth like some debate, all the while i am holding back unloading serious ttatt on my family.

i put a whole bunch of scriptures where the wonderful yahweh committed infanticide.

GrreatTeacher

Unfortunately you can't out-argue crazy.

I have definitely drawn a line in the sand with my mother. I don't want to hear anything at all about "the truth." If she ventures there at all, she just gets silence from me.

She can't argue with herself.

50

Freedom, Free speech, Censorship, Religion and Tight Pants

by Simon in

you would need to be living in a cave to not be aware of the turmoil happening in the world with groups like isis murdering cartoonists over their depiction of their prophet and sides being taken to either attack religion or to defend the right to practise it.. the battle lines appear to be drawn between those who believe in freedom and those who would see it curtailed to be replaced with their own version of what is and isnt acceptable.

most people want freedom and free speech but when choosing it are perhaps unconsciously judging it to only apply to things that they themselves believe in.. we need to be crystal clear what freedom and free speech were really talking about.

freedom itself is usually easier to define as there are some fundamental principles: you should be allowed to do what you want as long as you are not harming others.

GrreatTeacher

Is it a free choice if there is coercion involved?

If your parents are threatening the roof over your head, I would say it is not a free choice.

If your wife is threatening divorce you and take the kids, leaving them ever more indoctrinated and farther away from your balanced view of things, I would say that is not a free choice.

Remember, this is a cult. While your argument on the whole sounds reasonable, it just doesn't apply equally to cults. This is not just an alternate philosophy or point of view. There are destructive psychological methods at work that preclude the making of an informed or truly free choice.

50

Freedom, Free speech, Censorship, Religion and Tight Pants

by Simon in

you would need to be living in a cave to not be aware of the turmoil happening in the world with groups like isis murdering cartoonists over their depiction of their prophet and sides being taken to either attack religion or to defend the right to practise it.. the battle lines appear to be drawn between those who believe in freedom and those who would see it curtailed to be replaced with their own version of what is and isnt acceptable.

most people want freedom and free speech but when choosing it are perhaps unconsciously judging it to only apply to things that they themselves believe in.. we need to be crystal clear what freedom and free speech were really talking about.

freedom itself is usually easier to define as there are some fundamental principles: you should be allowed to do what you want as long as you are not harming others.

GrreatTeacher

"Most people in a religion believe in that religion" - Simon

I think the JWs might be a group where that is not entirely true. It seems there are a good number of Jehovah's Witnesses who don't believe but are stuck in for family because of the disfellowshipping threat.

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