Posts by rocketman

22

Crazy Is Flirting a Sin? Q & A

by Iamallcool in

christianity -- christian living/is flirting a sinadvertisement.

expert: phillip senn - 10/10/2008.

question.

rocketman

I don't view it as "sinful", but I do view it as problematic. For one thing, I can't seem to tell whether I'm being flirted with or whether she's just being nice and maybe a bit gregarious. I think some women (and men) get labeled as flirtatious when in fact they are simply friendly. That's why I've soured on it over the years. Unless both people are definitely trying to send a signal that they want to date, I just don't see the value of it.

I realize that some people just want to flirt in order to put a 'feeler' out, to see whether someone might be interested. That's fine, but I think that, unless it's an unmistakable signal, it can be misconstrued. And worse yet is when friendliness is mistaken as flirting.

23

Feb.20 WT Study: "Reap Blessings Through God's Spirit-Guided King!

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

during the brain-numbing lesson this week, i looked ahead at the article for next week.

it's hard to get past the title alone:.

reap blessings through god's spirit-guided king!.

rocketman

Over the years they've come up with some very clumsily-worded (and corny) titles. The _________________ - Why?, _____________ - How? and _______________ - When? titles always made me cringe. There are too many to number, but we've all seen them. Just insert whatever topic you want and then dash question. I'm still waiting for "Sex - Why?"

26

Thank you, and Goodbye

by cyberjesus in

thanks once again to all of those who post in this forum.

and good bye to those of you who choose to leave.. the healing process of exiting a cult is a slow one.

specially if you were born in it.

rocketman

A few years ago, I considered myself as "fading" from this board (already faded completely from jw-dum). I only visted the board about once every few months. All the discussions about the religion were, at that point, actually kind of hampering my recovery. I felt as if the jws still had a hold on me. The board had helped immensely, but it seemed like time to move on.

But after a couple years, I started visting more often, and now I'm back almost daily. I no longer feel the 'hold' of the religion, so being here no longer feels like a fight. The subject matter is very thought-provoking, and if I want to avoid jw-related topics, there's plenty else to read and comment on. So I'm back, and I'm glad I didn't start a Farewell Thread.

48

Sports That Do Not Interest You

by minimus in

jw
friends

one sport that i think is lame is pro hockey.

it's the only sport where players are expected to beat the crap out of each other.

it's not as much about scoring but how many punches were thrown!

rocketman

I'm a football (American football) fan first and foremost, but I've been at hockey games and watched it on TV since the 1970s.

I don't like the fighting either and I see no purpose in it. Hockey is a physical sport, with plenty of chances to retaliate short of fisticuffs. So if a guy takes you to the boards and you don't like it, you'll get your chance to do the same. I don't see why a fight is needed.

You'll notice that there are seldom any fights in NFL games. Now, I'm sure there's plenty of nasty stuff going on. But if a player doesn't like it, he will get a chance to 'right the wrong' by planting a hit or block on someone. So the score can be evened without resorting to a fist fight.

What I'm saying is that, the more physical a sport is, the LESS need there is for fighting.

The one sport in which fighting does not surprise me is baseball. If a pitcher throws at a guy's head, the batter has no way to even things up unless he charges the mound. I'm not saying it's right, but in baseball, the lack of physical contact would seem to heighten the sense of frustration in some instances.

82

3/15 WT " Do Not Deceive Yourself "- WT's Excuses for No Armageddon

by flipper in

jw
friends

with the new " overlap generation " theory that the wt society is pushing onto rank and file jehovah's witnesses since last year this article i found really heavy hitting in the jw version of the wt.

the wt society is leaking oil in that confidence is low among jw's in not really buying into the " generation overlap " theory as many younger jw's are exiting the organization.

so what better way to try reeling members back in by giving them an article entitled " do not deceive yourself with false reasoning " !

rocketman

I used to read similar articles and then, when attending circuit assemblies, take note of all the Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus cars in the parking lot. Looked like some brothers and sisters (and many elders) kind of liked that "comfortable lifestyle".

75

Why Women Love Jerks

by compound complex in

jw
friends

do nice guys lose to bad boys?.

[see advert.

i'm afraid to look ...].

rocketman

I just read a USA article about changing attitudes among single people - it seems more guys are now interested in commitment, while women want more independence. It looks like things have done an almost-180 degree turn in that regard.

95

Super Bowl XLV

by Iron Head in

ok, let's get on with this.... .

rocketman

My instincts tell me Green Bay will win, but I'll be pulling for Pittsburgh. I've never been much of a Pack fan, though I will admit that without Brett Favre, they are easier to digest.

53

Things that JUST DON'T MATTER . . .

by nicolaou in

don't want this to turn into an irreligous rant, let's try to have a little fun .

things that just don't matter.

your neighbours religion.

rocketman

Facebook.

The WTS obsesses over it. People do too. And for what? And yes, I have a Facebook account.

103

Jan. 15th WT- Go to Meetings to Fight the Blues- Eliminate other Activities

by flipper in

jw
friends

our jw contact sent us the " witness only " wt's again and i just had to make a thread on this mind numbing article.

starting on pg.22 in the jan.15th it deals with " coping with discouragement ".

it seems lots of jw's are under intense stress these days ( can you blame them ?

rocketman

Once again, as always, they blame jws for the stresses and strains on their lives. 'It can't possibly be us (the WTS)'. You are pursuing unecessary activities, spending too much time on work and recreation!'. More cultish brow-beating.

206

I need a show of hands: who believes the Bible and to what extent?

by Terry in

i'll start off.. i don't believe anything is divine about bible writings.

i believe there may be some marginal history although not much.

i think alot of folk tales and regional myths are contained in the old testament.

rocketman

My current take on the Bible can be pretty much summed up by the story of the Good Samaritan...

It's an enduring illustration/story that makes an interesting and worthwhile point. I've seldom seen/heard arguments over whether there actually was a good Samaritan. The actuality of the characters doesn't seem to be the main point anyway - it's the story, based on what at least could have been an actual occurance (set in a historical backdrop), that resonates.

Jesus spoke in illustrations; as the Bible implies, he seldom spoke without them. Then why can't the OT also be very illustrative? Why can't the Genesis account of Adam and Eve and the Flood be illustrative rather than fully based on historical occurance? Maybe the OT God YHWH is "speaking" in illustrations, telling us meaningful stories without expecting that we believe such things actually occured. Or perhaps they are loosely based on some actual events - the Flood for example could be based on a significant flood that may have occured in the Mesopotamia area and became the stuff of legend.