talesin

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Posts by talesin

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  49

  A philosophical question .... what does the word God mean to you personally ?

  by Finkelstein in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  to myself it means to seek knowledge and understanding of are selves and the world in which we live.. unfortunately history has shown whenever one tries to connect to god and of his knowledge through men who say they themselves are connected to god through spiritual wifi ie.

  gb members of the jehovah's witnesses for example, one usually ends up finding a accumulation of only man's acquired knowledge.

  over thousands of years of trying to connect to a god(s) for help and answers, mankind has eventually relinquished himself to seeking answers through scientific investigative acquired knowledge of the world in which we live in.

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  talesin

  I like what Lennon said:
  
  "God is a concept, by which we measure our pain."
  
  xx tal
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  22

  Seeking Reinstatement

  by Quendi in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  no, i'm not seeking to be reinstated so don't worry.

  but i did want to raise a point in relation to this.

  i know this was true in my case and i've seen it in others i have talked to about this.

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  talesin

  Hi there! And welcome, Disassociated Lady.

  There's a lot of good advice here. Some current JWS, and lots of ex-elders and some still. You may do better to start a new topic. There's button for it at the top of the page, I think.
  
  Meanwhile, you may get some good advice on this thread. I've been out of it for many years, and of course, never an elder (female), so just wish you the best, and am wondering why you want back in? Because of family? I can understand that, being about the same age, and it does get hard. xx tal : ))
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  150

  Start A Butterfly Garden!

  by Bonsai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  time to take a break from debating religion.

  take in a breath of fresh air and be healed by the wonders of nature around you.. how many of you have a garden?

  how many have a nice flower patch to go with your vegetable garden?

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  talesin

  Echinacea, or 'bee balm' is a hardy flower that monarchs love! Here's a pic of the flowers. I know, right? Those are quite common, and I didn't realize for a while that they were 'echinacea'. : ))

  [Edit: Bonsai, just saw your pic, and this is often mistaken for the Monarch due to the similar colours, but markings are distinct.

  FTB - sunflowers are so awesome, and so many varieties, depending on your location. You're so right, their seeds are the favorite food of songbirds (at least here, in the North East). : D]

  
  

  From the Community Garden at our local hospital (late in the season, there weren't many left). The close-up shows the centre, which is all seeds, for anyone who is not familiar with them. The seeds are prized by our feathered friends! : D
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  Bonsai, me, too! It will be at least April before the crocuses poke their brave little shoots and flowers up. Winter has its beauty, but oh, I do love flowers, and butterflies and moths. I paint them, actually. It's one thing that is so beautiful to me, since I was a child.
  
  I once saw a leaf butterfly that just emerged from its cocoon. I was sitting in the back yard, reading. I watched while it slowly waved its wings, and sat, drying them. Eventually, it flew off, I would guess in search of some nectar to start its life journey. So amazing to see. xx tal
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  16

  A funny little diplomatic cable regarding the Malawi atrocities against JW's in 1975

  by Saintbertholdt in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  no doubt that atrocities were perpetrated against jehovah's witnesses in 1972-73.. but what about the reports in 1975?.

  here is an excerpt from a diplomatic cable sent to the us secretary of state in 1977.. the cable was released/declassified in 2009.. .... re jehovah's witnesses, why do we go back to the.

  events of 197273?

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  talesin

  Quotes from Aug. 8 / 76 Awake! (TM) ; dunno if that's helpful

  From JWFacts

  “It is because Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to buy the Malawi Congress Party card. This card declares the holder to be a member of the ruling political party of Malawi. But for Jehovah’s Witnesses to buy a political card and thus join a political party would be an open denial of what they believe and stand for.”Awake! 1976 Aug 8 p.5

  
  

  Jesus Christ said of his followers: “They are no part of the world.” And he told a first-century political ruler: “My kingdom is no part of this world.” (John 17:16; 18:36) Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that joining a political party is wrong for them. They are not being obstinate or unreasonable. They would gladly buy an identification document, or even a card that declares them to be tax-paying citizens of the country. Awake! 1976 Aug 8 p.5 Malawi—What’s Happening There Now?

  
  
  
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  150

  Start A Butterfly Garden!

  by Bonsai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  time to take a break from debating religion.

  take in a breath of fresh air and be healed by the wonders of nature around you.. how many of you have a garden?

  how many have a nice flower patch to go with your vegetable garden?

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  talesin

  We have some beautiful rhodes here. Any winter damage (last year, a lot of them were damaged by the heavy snows) can be pruned. During winter, if your bush doesn't have shelter, you can cover it with burlap, or there may be a modern material available at the hardware store.
  
  These are only 2nd year bushes, from this spring. If you are in the northeast, you should be able to grow some nice bushes.

  
  
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  58

  Cappytan has made a video. Here is the link

  by joe134cd in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsbfnzrbiqq

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  talesin

  
  
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  150

  Start A Butterfly Garden!

  by Bonsai in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  time to take a break from debating religion.

  take in a breath of fresh air and be healed by the wonders of nature around you.. how many of you have a garden?

  how many have a nice flower patch to go with your vegetable garden?

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  talesin

  Bonsai (great thread) & VI ...we have Monarchs here, too, and they come for the milkweed. : ))

  I can't start a garden, but do feed the birds.
  
  Bluejays love their peanuts - they will cache them for later, and sometimes open and eat now. I have one who will take from my hand.

  Crows love scraps - that piece of fat you cut off the roast? Yum. Or the turkey carcass? They will carry it off and pick it clean. They also make caches.

  Europeans Starlings eat grubs and worms, but cat food will help them through the winter (it's high enough in protein). They are mimics, and will learn your 'whistle'. Have heard one who calls like the robin, and another who does a blue jay - they are hilarious!

  Suet in the winter for the chickadees and robins, other songbirds that stay over the winter. We have a pair of woodpeckers that visit occasionally to feed on insects in the rotten branches. They have a nest in the back of the property.
  
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  66

  What Should the Minimum Wage Be (USA)?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. social
  2. current

  during the gop debates donald trump said that american’s “wages [are] too high” and later said “that having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country” (7:25)..

  do you agree and if so why?.

  my two cents on this issue; do the math.

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  talesin

  Let's face it. In a world of globalization, run by corporations, minimum wage doesn't work. What does that mean, anyhow - "minimum wage"?

  The minimum wage was introduced in Canada as a safeguard for employees, so that businesses had to pay them 'enough' to house and feed themselves. That's all fine and dandy, but if your employees work the standard 37 1/2 - 40 hours per week, then you have to give them certain privileges, like paid holidays. So most large businesses, like Wal-Mart and the hospitals, hire part-time workers (who are usually 'casual', so no union to worry about), and the minimum wage worker is SOL with only 20-24 hours per week, unless they can find a second job (that does not have conflicting hours, in order to survive.

  The whole system is rotten to the core. Once again, just one person's opinion.
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  42

  What I thought CLAM meant , can you think of anymore ?

  by smiddy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for a while there i was confused as to what clam stood for .. ideas that crossed my mind .

  christ left a ministry , or meeting .

  children`s lives are mine .....( pedo`s in the borg ).

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  talesin

  Collectively Losing All their Minds

  (yes ,you are on a roll, keep it up, I am having a great laugh!)
• 
  66

  What Should the Minimum Wage Be (USA)?

  by Village Idiot in

  1. social
  2. current

  during the gop debates donald trump said that american’s “wages [are] too high” and later said “that having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country” (7:25)..

  do you agree and if so why?.

  my two cents on this issue; do the math.

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  talesin

  Medicine for profit - and we call ourselves civilized? - why is medicine without profit civilized? You're gonna have to expand on this point.

  This would depend on personal POV. If you feel that the bottom line (ie, profits) are more important than easing pain and suffering, then for-profit medicine is civilized. If you believe that relieving suffering and saving lives is more important than the bottom line, then it is not.

  The issue is complex. It's not a simple business. None of these problems are simplistic, which is why the debate can be endless.

  When you realize that most of the expensive medical research is funded by *drum roll please* the public purse, and then handed over to big pharma for final trials - oh, and to reap billions in profit, you may get a bit miffed.
  

  When you realize that a box of tissue sold to a hospital costs 5 times as much as the higher quality box of tissue you purchase at the department store, you may rethink that 'for-profit' thing a little bit.

  We NEED hospitals, we NEED drugs - these things are over-priced, and billions of dollars go from OUR pockets into the pockets of big business. Why? Because people will pay ANYTHING to save their child's/wife's/parent's life - to ease their pain, etc.
  
  But that matters not - it's all about supply and demand. And that's okay, because we are capitalists! And the bottom line is all that matters.

  We can go on and on about "other" cultures, and how barbaric they are, yet care not that millions in our own countries live in horrible conditions of pain and suffering. That woman has diabetes and can't afford her insulin? Tough - get a second job and stop whining. Okay, whatever. (BTW, had a friend in FLA in that position - late 30s, lost a couple of toes because she couldn't afford her insulin injections, and can tell many more stories like that) So yeah, I think it's uncivilized.

  But like I said, that is my personal opinion. No empirical studies, just anecdotal experiences. : ))