Not prepared for this kinda question, but here's a quick one.
Here is an article that appeared in Cultic Studies Journal (it is a $3 booklet), but it is interesting to note that this research journal (one that seems to be the most prominent among research groups) reports on JW practices...
http://www.cultinfobooks.com/detail.asp?product_id=CSJ14-01G
bebu
i saw a part on the today show where matt was asking if it was possible an emotional disconnect to be able to forgive immidietly after such a terrible tragedy.
i personally feel it is not natural to be able to forgive something so big so quickly and it makes me think they all put on a front because they are a cult-like group too.
if they said "one family is forgiving, and another family is mad as h*ll about the whole thing,"it would be much more believable to me.
I think if I had to forgive someone something like that, I don't know if I could immediately say it. I think I'd be screaming or fainting. I think it would feel like heaven and earth moving inside me to be able to resist my angry reflexes too...
But then I think that the decision to forgive is what will lead eventually to feeling merciful. Sometimes it seems like a process--that is, that I end up re-nailing the issue each time the nails of closure seem to pop off.
Maybe it's like a fire drill to the Amish, when there is finally a fire. They have preached forgiveness a lot, but the opportunity is now here and they "know what to do" even though they may not really feel (all of them anyway) very forgiving. Time will really tell how individuals decide to process it, imo.
bebu
do you remember, or do you do this ........talk to god, ask god for things, thank god for things and get angry at god?.
when i remove this mysterious, allusive god out of my mind and not rely on god, i have to go within myself for answers and think about things logically and not put off feelings to him and feel them within myself and deal with it on a whole different set of laws and bounderies and rules within myself.
does this make sense to anyone?.
The way I would PREFER God to work is not the way He works. But I hardly know much about human beings, and the complexity of not merely getting them to grow up physically, but emotionally and mentally and spiritually. I would sometimes love to be spoonfed, coddled... It doesn't happen though. Sometimes I think He lets us get so frustrated and mad that we are forced to figure out if we are serious about anything at all.
I think it is healthy to be honest with yourself about your feelings and such. You only get to do that when there isn't a barrier (like fear). I think that God, if He exists, must be big enough to take all the honesty a person can dish out, so why not think things thru as much as possible, or state what we think? It's certainly got to be the starting point, if nothing else.
bebu
i know a lot of this has already been hashed out before, but for my own personal mental health i feel compelled to post this stuff.
who knows maybe someone out there can use it towards their freedom.
so here is the last letter my wife and i submitted to the elders: .
That letter is a hammer! Excellent, excellent.
No wonder you will get df'd fast. It's so much easier than to try and give an answer that could fly.
bebu
my son takes my van to school everyday.
so yesterday, after school, he decides to leave the van there, ride with his buddy to work, and pick it up later!
he comes home about 8:00 pm wild!
Sue 'em until the school has to shut down.
Great. Make the school shut down, and make the WHOLE COMMUNITY PAY for what a few people did.
No one should have told you that you cannot access the information. I'd risk the ticket, and then challenge it in court.
Most likely, it was a prank. An abject apology would be sufficient, I think, if you let them know you'd accept one. And tell them you would appreciate NOT being threatened with a ticket for just asking for information the cops said you should be able to receive.
bebu
some of these i didn't find very funny but i didn't omit them because i thought some1 else might like them subject: irish humour... paddy was driving down the street in a sweat because he had an .
>important.
>meeting and couldn't find a parking place.. >.
Very funny! Keep 'em coming!
bebu
we are just friends and we talk maybe 3 or 4 times a year, just to catch up.
well today, actually 5 minutes ago he said he was going to be in my area with in the next month and wants to have dinner.. i don't see a problem with it.
i haven't seen him in years and it would be nice just to meet up for dinner and some laughs.
"Ask Amy", the newspaper advice column recently had a letter on this subject, referring to an earlier question from a reader. Here it is:
Dear Amy:
In your column, I have been reading about "exes" who re-enter lives. As a wife who has seen an ex almost ruin my marriage, I would say that couples need to make sure that everything is on the level with all parties. What started out appearing to be an innocent overture of renewed friendship between my husband and his first serious girlfriend turned into a nightmare for me.
It all started out innocently enough -- they ran into each other one day at a local store and exchanged phone numbers. He told me about it that evening, stating that they wanted our families to get to know one another. I begrudgingly agreed.
The "ex" called him several times after that, but she refused to actually talk to me on the phone or in person. There were many long phone calls, lunch dates over the next two years, demonstrating that she really only wanted to be in contact with him.
Unfortunately, one thing led to another.
We have gotten past the incident, but I must confess I am a whole lot less trusting of people's intentions these days.
Trust Your Intuition
You are absolutely right about intuition. Intuition is nature's gift to us, giving us the tools to avoid dangerous situations.
As I have said in this space, unless an ex is willing to come over for dinner and get to know the entire family, these friendships should be avoided.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093001336_2.html
It might be best to keep your husband in the picture, just so everyone is clear about relationships.
Good luck!
bebu
i'm moving on.
i want to express my gratitude to members here who have steered me right when my own compass was stuck.
i know i didn't put much effort into becoming friends with many of you and i'm sure that i'm the loser for it.
peacefulpete, you will be remembered fondly by me. I hope you find yourself just as unable to stick to your farewell as I found myself.
I echo that!
BTW, that was a lovely picture. Thanks for sharing it--you are a really lovely couple (wow, your wife has a GREAT SMILE!!)
bebu
i met a really nice couple once who went to an orphanage in a foreign country and adopted a little girl.
impressed with their goodness i probed a little as to why they had done such a noble thing.
surprisingly, the man told me that this was their third child to adopt.
An interesting analogy, perry. I'm sure to be thinking about it all day, especially since I was chewing on the idea of freedom earlier this morning.
If you will not ask for faith it is because you can't.
This is where it seems to always get tricky...
I believe that God goes before (prevenient grace) us in all our actions. I also believe that we have freedom, REAL freedom in choice. It is a mystery how God can preserve our true freedom, AND choose us as well. It is a paradox on the level we are accustomed to, one of the biggest mysteries about.
Mouthy.... LOVE THE AVATAR!!!!!!!! KEEP IT!!!!!!!!
bebu
the end of false religion is near - kingdom news campaign.
every once in a while, i get a stomach-churning glimpse into the the bizarre mindset of jwism.
what strikes me is how the jws believe that this tract is going to "shake people up", and stir up a firestorm of controversy that will shake the entire earth to it's core.
I wonder if my JW friend will decide to talk to me about the end of world religion... All the discussions I've had with her, she's really had to scrap for answers. She knows I won't bother looking at anything new until she can answer what I've pointed out as "red flags" in the past. So I don't think she'll bring up the campaign.
It's rather strange... if she is my friend, shouldn't she be talking to me about something that is so very important?? But I suspect that she is having a hard time thinking God is going to 'do me in', so she says nothing.
If false religions are doomed, the WTS' days are numbered.
bebu
