I just heard about this last night. To be honest I have just briefly looked at this site. I've always questioned the attacks on Afghanistan & Iraq; that we didn't know enough about what might be really going on. Like most people, I'm against war but have felt that there are times when war may be justified & necessary. (but as I write this, I question is it really ever justified and necessary) The problem is what really transpires before actual attacks against another. The fear or concern is, who can you truly trust or believe? (as far as political leaders are concerned). In the end I have to trust that God is the only truth, and that is what I need to hold on to.
azaria
JoinedPosts by azaria
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International Citizens Inquiry 911
by azaria ini just heard about this last night.
to be honest i have just briefly looked at this site.
i've always questioned the attacks on afghanistan & iraq; that we didn't know enough about what might be really going on.
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Many people do not show affection- why is this?
by gumby inwe all know people who will not show affection to those they love or care deeply about.
why cannot a father who loves his daughter deeply...........ever hug her and tell her how much he loves her?.
why cannot some spouses tell their mate they love them?.
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azaria
Cuz we're Norweigan! haha!
joannadandy: That just can't be! When I was younger one of best friends (Norwegian) was very affectionate. Some say that about Dutch people and I am here to say that it's not true. I do think that some nationalities seem more affectionate than others, that the more south you go, the more physically affectionate people are. (just maybe, because of the harsh winters people of the north were more isolated from each other, but then you would think that the oppositve would occur-to keep warm (just a silly theory)
I do think it could be fear of rejection, but some people just don't seem to be naturally touchy feely, and they seem okay with it. My fathers side was't but my mothers side is very affectionate. My brothers, my kids, friends are all very affectionate. Some people seem to have more of a need for physical contact than others. My father never showed any of us affection. He seemed very uncomfortable with it. I remember once absentmindedly putting my hand over his and he pulled away. I only remember one hug from him. He missed out on a lot. I absolutely love hugs and thankfully those around me do to.
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...and all this time I thought it was over
by arrowstar ini thought i had moved on.
put it past me.
was strong.
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azaria
I thought Puternuts post was difficult enough. I'm so sorry for what you went through Lisa. One wonderful thing -all the people here who are so supportive and caring. It sounds like you have a lot of good friends, that will help you get through this. Take care. I'll be thinking about you.
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Lost
by Puternut infeeling lost today.. it's the weekend, and i will be once again going home to an empty house, where my children won't be welcoming me home.
i haven't seen or talked to them in a very long time.
i won't be able to kiss their sweet faces, or hold them close to me, so i can tell them i love them.
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azaria
Puternut: I've mentioned this before but these posts are always the hardest. Like everyone else, I couldn't ignore responding. I can't imagine what you're feeling. If your wife is keeping your children away from you then she may at some point live to regret that decision. Kids grow up. Even though my husband are separated, neither one of us would ever bad mouth the other. They came from both of us and to criticize each other would only hurt them.
I have to force myself to forget about them, so I don't hurt.
I have to believe that you don't really mean this, that you're saying this because you are hurting so much. Please don't give up trying to have some relationship with your kids. Someday, I'm sure of it, they will appreciate that you tried to remain in their lives. Please take care.
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Food glorious food...
by LittleToe in.
a friend (and fellow scuba diver) brought me some fresh scallops, tonight - so fresh they were still in the shells.. i fried them with some mushrooms.. now i'm enjoying some fresh bread - boy do i love bread!.
what's your favourite fresh food?.
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azaria
I love freshly baked bread. When the kids were younger and I didn't work I used to bake at least one loaf each day. Just the aroma alone. Shrimp, lobster, pasta are a few favourites. I've made manicotti (ricotta cheese filled) with tomatoes from my garden. The best I ever had. Add some bread and a glass of wine, wonderful. I'm not the greatest cook but I can put together a good meal when I'm in the mood. I have learned to make a good Dutch vegetable soup. It has tiny meatballs. That with a loaf bread, really good. Salads- vegetable and fresh fruit salad. You'd think I would be overweight but thankfully I'm not. I just try not to overdo it.
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my next door neighbour is mentally abusing her 16 mo old baby...
by azaria inthe question isn't if i should do something about this, but how should i respond.
i only want to go to facs (family & childrens services) as a last resort.
i have considered asking if i could talk to her (in a non-threatening way), because i'm concerned for both of them.
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azaria
Thanks everyone for your replies. I tried to respond to all the great suggestions. Your comments made it more clear to me, what kind of person I think I'm dealing with. Sorry it became so lengthy. This also helped me to see it more clearly by actually writing it down. I did highlight the more important things in case you don’t want to read it all.
I do remember being sleep deprived at times when my kids were babies but I would have never, ever considered yelling at them. Babies cry. My girlfriend had a colicky baby & I really empathized with her. This is not the case here, the baby is not colicky. Before the abuse started this little girl didn’t cry much and if she did, it wasn’t for very long and it never bothered me, I would just go back to sleep. She just cries, and only screams when the mother comes in yelling at her. I don’t understand why the mother responds so quickly to her when she does cry. I truly feel that the mother is just a very self-centred person, who never learned how to raise children. Maybe she had very poor role models. Last week she was walking the baby down the hall. She mentioned that the baby always sleeps during the afternoon, so during this time the mother could have a nap herself. She, unlike a lot of mothers, doesn’t work, and it really doesn’t take a long time to clean an apartment. So I can’t see the problem being that the mother could be tired or sleep deprived. As for offering to babysit (which is a great idea) I don’t have the time since I work & go to school. By evening I’m just too tired. (I’m sure a lot more tired than this mother) The grandparents come on a regular basis, and I believe that they have taken the baby. Another thing has concerned me in the past. She may have left the baby alone, but I don’t know for sure, just a feeling. A few months after my concern I met her downstairs ( both of us coming home) and she made the comment that someone was watching the baby, that she wasn’t alone. I thought this was such a strange comment. Most people assume that a baby wouldn’t be left alone and I had the feeling that she was covering herself for times when she may have left the baby alone. Since the banging on the wall incident I haven’t heard the mother yelling. The last couple of nights, the baby predictably wakes up and cries for a couple of minutes and goes back to sleep. Maybe I scared this mother, but I believe that it will start up again eventually. I am very concerned that it could escalate to physical abuse, especially when the baby gets older and more verbal, talking back, mimicking the mothers behaviour, etc. which may happen. (or she could become a very scared passive girl) I did confide in the neighbour that lives below this mothers apartment. This lady is a retired nurse. She hasn’t heard a thing. My bedroom is the only one adjacent to the baby’s room. I am very concerned that if I do talk to the mother that it could escalate. If she is self-centred like I believe, she may resent the baby because she was found out. I don’t get the impression that she has post-partum depression, but I don’t know enough about it. I would think that if she suffered from it, it would have happened earlier on when the baby was an infant. I’m sure that it was a very stressful time when the baby had heart surgery as an infant. But most mothers reactions would be to over coddle an infant, not down the road abuse her.
I really appreciate the Govt info Skully. I’m going to look into the Healthy Babies, Healthy Children program. Never mind what the child is going through, I really hate the position I’m in. I’m not a nosey person and for the most part don’t know the goings on in this building. I just can’t imagine when someone knows about abuse that they could ignore it. I could not live with myself, knowing that I could have stopped mental abuse, especially if it escalated to physical abuse. I do think that I will go to her with a letter, in a friendly way, that I'm concerned for both of them. That way I will say what needs to be said, she can read it on her own. It doesn’t seem as confrontational that way. If I talk to her, I’m worried that it could get out of hand and that things may be said that could make things worse. I will give her some phone numbers and a copy of the Government Info that Skully mentioned. I have to admit that I’ll be scared when I do go to her, but I know that it has to be done. If her reaction is very negative or if I hear of any more abuse I will have no choice but to report her. Thanks again.
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my next door neighbour is mentally abusing her 16 mo old baby...
by azaria inthe question isn't if i should do something about this, but how should i respond.
i only want to go to facs (family & childrens services) as a last resort.
i have considered asking if i could talk to her (in a non-threatening way), because i'm concerned for both of them.
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azaria
The question isn't if I should do something about this, but how should I respond. I only want to go to FACS (Family & Childrens Services) as a last resort. I have considered asking if I could talk to her (in a non-threatening way), because I'm concerned for both of them. I rarely see the husband. I think he works shifts. The baby will cry around 4-5am and the mother comes in and screams & swears at her. The last time I couldn't take the screaming & banging anymore so I banged on the wall to make her stop. My bedroom is adj to the baby's. She obviously now knows that I know. Maybe writing her a note would be better. I am concerned about the repercussions (I have a daughter) but I feel that I can't ignore this. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. This is a totally defenseless child.
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Can someone be "saved" just by reading the Bible?
by somebodylovesme inawhile back, i read one of those pages with questions to ask jws.
one question was something to the effect of: "can someone be saved by just reading the bible?
" -- and the page said the bible says that this is true, but (obviously) witnesses teach the obvious.
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azaria
Hi SLM: You'd think I was on this forum all day, but I've just been popping in every once in a while.
I believe that Ephesians 2:8 may in part answer your question about works. I believe that we are saved by grace because we believe and do good works because we are saved, we are not saved by doing good works. It's a gift, we can't earn it.
if you BELIEVE in the Bible, believe in the God of the Bible, believe Jesus died for your sins, etc -- read and wholly believe the Bible -- but NOT go to Church... then can you be saved.
Personally I believe that someone can be saved even though he doesn't go to church but I do believe that God wants us to be with other Christians. I also believe that we have to repent of our sins. I was once at a bible study with a particular church and the pastor made me feel that if I didn't know the right sequence of salvation that there was a problem. I quit going soon after. Hopefully I answered your question.
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Can someone be "saved" just by reading the Bible?
by somebodylovesme inawhile back, i read one of those pages with questions to ask jws.
one question was something to the effect of: "can someone be saved by just reading the bible?
" -- and the page said the bible says that this is true, but (obviously) witnesses teach the obvious.
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azaria
Hi Somebody: I don't believe that one can be saved just by reading the bible. There are a lot of passages that attest to that. I'm sure there have been many people that have read the bible as a strictly literary piece of work? Below are just two that I found.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.
Romans 10:8-13 The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the scripture says, Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
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Doctrine or Scripture?
by kibizzle inmy h and i are generally good at avoiding the subject, but the other day we got into a "debate" about the "truth".
anyway, he gave a few reasons why he believes the jws have the "truth" such as the scripture that says "it is better to not have known the truth at all than have known the truth and walked away".
okay, at the time i was too upset to think rationally and say, "okay, which scripture would that be?
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azaria
NIV Hebrews 6:4-8 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
tabarugzo: I fail to see why your witness faith would be strengthened because of this passage. This is the word of God not the word of the Watchtower. Because of my mother, (who is a witness) I grudgingly looked into this organization because I thought that maybe it was the truth and for my own sake I needed to look into it. The opposite happened for me. I'm stronger than ever knowing the real truth and not the truth of the Watchtower. For that I am thankful to her (thought she doesn't realize it) I personally don't see the negativity, but a person who is questioning and God approves of questioning. That is how our faith is strengthened. I think your attack is very unfair. The same thing could be said of you about leading people astray with untruths of God's word. Just to let you know, I'm not saying this in a spiteful way.