Posts by Ravyn

26

Some Questions; Civil Answers Please

by Swan in

jw
friends

i am questioning whether the internet is a good place to hang out.

last month i was scammed by an impostor who took advantage of me while i was depressed and vulnerable.

even this discussion board has become very vicious lately.

Ravyn

Dear Tammy,

If it does not feel right to you, then maybe you need to take a break. I was also a member of an Exit-Fundyism group on yahoo and there was just as much contention and flaming. In fact i quit that group after the war started becoz I was tired of that being the only subject. I am on other groups with other themes and there are not as many flames and petty maliciousness. But you have to remember the source and the fact that we all came from a much worse place. The KHs I have been in would have treated you much worse than people on this board treat you--only difference is the KHs tell you it is 'agape' and use it as an excuse to control and get in your business. On a discussion board it is up to you how much you share--big responsibility for a bunch of people who were told how to dress and cut their hair just a little while ago! You don't have to read every thread and you certainly do not have to respond or argue back. It is amazing how fast you can kill a thread by telling someone that you have nothing to 'prove' to them and don't care what they think or do!

The internet has changed my life. made me a different person thru education. I met my husband online.

but a JWD-fast may be in order. we all take breaks from time to time. just hang the do not disturb sign on your door and let us know you are ok and will be back later. You can't go backwards tho--and once you have been here(the Internet and JWD) it is only forward from now on. Kinda like Windows XP....

Ravyn

27

Awwwwwwww!!!!

by Bendrr in

jw
friends

now ain't that just the cutest thing?.

that's chewbacca.

"chewie" for short.

Ravyn

oh Mike you make me miss my Gideon and Ursula! they were the best rats! Ursula had too many babies and she died trying to have the last batch.....she popped em out like cookies from the oven...and Gideon would use his little hands like a surgeon and help her deliver them! They popped all over him when they got their eyes open and he just took it in stride. He was so happy. He would 'tick' at me and bulge his eyes---as I understood that to be the equivalent of purring. He would sit on my shoulder and tug at my ear when he wanted kisses...

Ursula was a beautiful golden blonde, and Gideon was black. He was such a fluffy little baby, and he used to hide between my boobs in my bra....until he got too big to fit!

Ursula was buried in an empty Watchtower box....and I got Gideon another companion named Malta, but she was not as friendly and one day I noticed ole Gid was in the same place with babies popping all over him as he was the night before and I knew he had passed away. He was buried in an oatmeal box. I let Malta go in the woods by a lake after that--she seemed the type to be able to take care of herself well enough---certainly better than if she was in a snake cage.

My favorite thing was when Gideon would get into the trash..I would yell at him from the other room...'Gideon WHAT are you doing!?' the rustling would stop and I would go into the kitchen to find Gideon in the trash with his eyes closed staying real still...I guess he figured if he closed his eyes I could not see him....

I loved that rat! He was the cleanest and smartest and most loving pet I have ever had. He only lived for about 3 years. But I think he was happy.

Ravyn

12

"Bring me a toga..."

by logansrun in

any speculation as to why ct russel requested to be wrapped in a toga on that fateful haloween night in 1916 -- his deathbed?

could it be he felt his physical body would be raptured to heaven and that he should have "clean, pure, white" garments?.

comments?.

Ravyn

maybe the friggin old nutcase just thot he was at a party? toga toga toga.....

or maybe they didn't hear him right and all he really wanted was a 'hoagie'---he was from Pennsylvania. "Bring me a hoagie.....meat at the proper time and put it on Miracle Wheat bread..."

geesh if he was going to be buried under a pyramid you would think he could atleast dress in the appropriate style to match.

Ravyn

19

Baptism 1973 and 1985 Questions hmmmmmmmmmm!

by Beans in

i was doing some research and noticed that the baptism questions were changed several times over the years.

the questions in 1973 were as follows: *** w73 5/1 280 baptizing follows discipling *** if you feel the same about serving jehovah god and taking christs yoke upon you, we suggest that you consider the following two questions, which are asked of candidates for baptism:.

(1) have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognizing yourself before jehovah god as a condemned sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him, the father, through his son jesus christ?

Ravyn

I was one week older than my twelth birthday when I was baptized May 25, 1974. That was not legally binding in the US. I did not know they changed the baptism questions(and therefore the contract I was under since I turned 18) until 1996 at which time I considered the contract null and void and I left. Had I known it had been changed in 1985 I would have left in 1985. Technically I did not leave the Borg----it left me.

Ravyn

13

More information needed regarding End Time Religions/Sects

by Prins Vaillant in

jw
friends

this year i am going to write my thesis about the end time, armageddon, ... .

do you have knowledge of other religious movements or sects who believe in a sort of end of the world as we know it.

please comment.

Ravyn

welcome Prins V!

the english word for end times is: eschatology

you might do a search on it. Also besides Armageddon, there are other names. some of them are:

Ragnarok, War between the Sons of Light and The Sons of Darkness, Apocalypse, Doomsday.

and some good sites:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/end_wrld.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05528b.htm

http://pages.prodigy.net/aesir/esch.htm

Ravyn

36

God's Billboards?

by bikerchic in

jw
friends

some billboards are getting attention in

some reported seeing one or two messages, but the newspaper listed all of them.

here's a list of all variations of the "god speaks" billboards.

Ravyn

Czar---I will gladly party with you---but those prickles on your face might, err, impede some of the revelling doncha think?

Ravyn

36

God's Billboards?

by bikerchic in

jw
friends

some billboards are getting attention in

some reported seeing one or two messages, but the newspaper listed all of them.

here's a list of all variations of the "god speaks" billboards.

Ravyn

Derek,

to maintain that humans are not spiritual is as erroneous as maintaining that humans are not logical. you can't prove faith.

You're entitled to believe that. I'm entitled to ask you to prove it before I'll consider it valid.

That is the whole point! I am not asking for you to validate anything. I am beyond outside validation in my spiritual quest and that, in my opinion, is the entire goal of any religion! I don't care what you believe or not. How you believe is your business and your path. You can't compare paths and you don't need to. Are you happy believing or not believing in what you do right now at this moment in your life? If the answer is yes, then you are where you are supposed to be--good for you. If not, you have a built in survival instinct called hunger and you will be searching to satisfy it. I can't prove anything to anyone but myself. And I am not trying to.

Atheism can no more disprove the existence of god than religion can prove it. And don't be too sure of what you think reality is, because that in itself is an illusion. But hey----if it works don't fix it, and if it stops working find a new one.

What do you call it when something has a built in 'cover-your-ass' factor? Well that is pretty much the Big Three Jerusalem religions. If they think it is their spiritual obligation to force their beliefs on other people and in fact believe that their own survival depends on that--then what can you do? Then it becomes a destructive system that violates the rights of others and it should be eliminated. Does the bateria that kills people have a right to live that equals the right of the human? Depends on whoyou ask and who is bigger and stronger. Not all religion is destructive. The ones that are, need to be checked. I just don't know how to do that either.

Ravyn

36

God's Billboards?

by bikerchic in

jw
friends

some billboards are getting attention in

some reported seeing one or two messages, but the newspaper listed all of them.

here's a list of all variations of the "god speaks" billboards.

Ravyn

Abaddon,

I don't believe all belief systems are equal. But I do believe everyone has an equal right to believe in whatever.

I take issue with any kind of fundamentalism that gets in my face and tells me I am wrong to believe how and what I believe (atheists tell me I am wrong to believe at all!) and these billboards are in my face and offensive. and statues of a religious nature in a government buildings are also stepping on my toes.

I am not Christian. However I do not see that christianity is any less valid a belief system as any other. The problem is not the system, but the fanatics that hold it. NonCatholic Christians can hold their breath till they turn blue, but they can't change the fact that the Catholic Church was the first christian church organized with any kind of power and all the sects since owe their existence to it. And it can be proven by history that ancient civilizations had some kind of religion--I have never even heard an atheist claim that they existed before the church. I personally do not care what you believe, as long as you leave my beliefs to me.

As far as I am concerned the Roman Catholic religion is the closest christian system to the universal mythos and archetypes that I hold as a witch. Goddess gives birth to her own Son who is also her God, he dies as a sacrifice and is resurrected to start the whole cycle over again. Acceptable offerings include bread, salt, wine, blood. Not a whole helluva lot of difference there. But I don't 'worship' or 'sacrifice'--I see the big picture as symbolic and archetypal and necessary to human development, but still progressive. I don't see the Catholic Church as being progressive, which is where I end my relationship with it. And Protestant Christianity as a whole has lost its universal appeal and has become just a heresy of Judaism. I am not Jewish. It does not mean anything to me.

But I still maintain atheism is a religion because an atheist is the first one in your face about 'proof' of your belief system if they find out you believe in a deity. Why should someone who is secure in their own beliefs need to constantly challenged those who believe differently? I admit I am guilty of this too. But I intend to strive to bow out of religious challenges in the future. Unless they overlap into other areas of life where they do not belong, like in govt buildings and on highway billboards. My favorite bumper sticker says:

"Don't pray in my schools and I won't think in your church."

keep it in its place and out of my face.

Ravyn

4

awww...shucks! love stinks!

by Ravyn in

jw
friends

italian hitchhikes for love

afp

aug. 29, 2003 a 15-year-old italian who hitchhiked to sweden in search of a girl he met on holiday got a helping hand from police who drove him the last stretch of his journey on thursday, swedish media reported.. the starry-eyed italian was so infatuated with a 17-year-old swedish girl he met in the united states earlier this summer that he left milan to hitchhike the 1,240 miles to the stockholm suburb of taeby.. but before he could reach his goal police were called to a gas station in the small swedish town of linkoeping, where a "poorly dressed" boy who "looked a little confused" had been observed.. "he said he wanted to go to stockholm to see his flame who lives in stockholm," a local police duty officer, mikael kinnaa, told the news agency tt.. after running an identity check, police found that the teen had been reported missing by his parents, and that the young girl of his dreams did indeed live in taeby and knew him.. however, she had not actually expected him to visit.. swedish social services would normally have taken the teen into their charge, but the swedish father called the boy's father in italy, and they agreed to let him spend time with the girl.. police, touched by this display of southern passion, drove the young romeo the last 110 miles to stockholm early thursday, where he finally set eyes on his juliet again.. but this romeo's love turned out to be unrequited, and within a few hours the swedish family unceremoniously bundled the broken-hearted latin lover onto a plane back home to milan.

Ravyn

Italian Hitchhikes For Love AFP

Aug. 29, 2003 — A 15-year-old Italian who hitchhiked to Sweden in search of a girl he met on holiday got a helping hand from police who drove him the last stretch of his journey on Thursday, Swedish media reported.

The starry-eyed Italian was so infatuated with a 17-year-old Swedish girl he met in the United States earlier this summer that he left Milan to hitchhike the 1,240 miles to the Stockholm suburb of Taeby.

But before he could reach his goal police were called to a gas station in the small Swedish town of Linkoeping, where a "poorly dressed" boy who "looked a little confused" had been observed.

"He said he wanted to go to Stockholm to see his flame who lives in Stockholm," a local police duty officer, Mikael Kinnaa, told the news agency TT.

After running an identity check, police found that the teen had been reported missing by his parents, and that the young girl of his dreams did indeed live in Taeby and knew him.

However, she had not actually expected him to visit.

Swedish social services would normally have taken the teen into their charge, but the Swedish father called the boy's father in Italy, and they agreed to let him spend time with the girl.

Police, touched by this display of southern passion, drove the young Romeo the last 110 miles to Stockholm early Thursday, where he finally set eyes on his Juliet again.

But this Romeo's love turned out to be unrequited, and within a few hours the Swedish family unceremoniously bundled the broken-hearted Latin lover onto a plane back home to Milan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ravyn

36

God's Billboards?

by bikerchic in

jw
friends

some billboards are getting attention in

some reported seeing one or two messages, but the newspaper listed all of them.

here's a list of all variations of the "god speaks" billboards.

Ravyn

without getting too abstract here....I think that atheism is religious in its non-belief(humans need religion for some unknown reason and this just supports religious mystery and 'faith'). So when I hear or see atheists and humanists arguing with religious people about matters of faith I think what it would be like if you just turned off the sound and watched the body language---I doubt you could tell which one was which. Non-belief becomes dogma, and atheists are as evangelical and charismatic within their own paradigm as any born-again xtian or islamic fundy.

I believe in gods/goddesses. I believe there is One Ultimate way back somewhere that we cannot touch from here and we need the other lesser ones in between in order to connect. But it is a Baskin-Robbins kind of theology....it's all ice cream, but comes in 31 flavors and you have no right to force feed me the flavor I don't like, or want, or happen to be allergic too. Christian fundys(all fundys for that matter) are convinced that their flavor is the only true flavor and all the other flavors are poisonous and it is their duty to keep you from them. oh well.

The Catholic Church was the first organized version of Christianity that achieved anything lasting. Of course it had problems--there was no one else to blame! However, all the problems were caused by groups and factions within it, who eventually died off or broke away to form their own groups. You cannot blame the whole Church for everything. Yes they claim responsibility by default. But life aint that simple and anyone with eyes in their head can see that there have been as many good guys as bad guys, and it logically comes out that there were more good ones...since the Catholic world has not dissolved into and evil melting pot--regardless of the latest scandals--(the vast majority of the Church's influence is untouched by these scandals no matter what the media and detractors have to say about it). So back when their was only one Church and it was the Roman one, whatever happened is the shared responsibility of every sect that has since broken off of it up to the time they left. I am tired of hearing Protestant groups disowning responsibilty when they were originally Catholic and have as much responsibilty as anyone else up to the time they left communion with the 'mother' church. Why must christianity insist on rewriting history? What is wrong with admittingy ou were once wrong---fixing it--and going on? Geesh!

even atheists owe their existence to the Church. without the Church they would have never decided to not believe! They would be hard-pressed to try to come up with a lineage of atheism pre-Christianity since they use the supposed 'immaturity' of humanity's religious 'superstition' to support their non-belief! In other words--before Christianity the pagan people were superstitious and not as evolved as they are today---which makes it rare that an atheist would have existed back then.

Anway, the 'throwing the baby out with the bath water' analogy is an odd thing for an atheist or non-believer or even agnostic to use since to a believer that is exactly what THEY have done! Of course you can't prove the existence of god---who said you could? who said you have to? Do you have to taste all 31 flavors before you believe Baskin-Robbins has them?

why can't humans live and let live? where does this fundy-gene come from? it will be the death of us all, and I mean all--human and non.

Ravyn