Well done!
talesin
JoinedPosts by talesin
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10
Go my invite / think I am now a Do Not Call
by rebelfighter inmy son says hey mom that's your doorbell.
so answer it.
next i get, mom it is the jehovah witnesses.
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13
A Troubling Culture: JW Group Think vs. Individual Critical Thinking
by MicaSmith ini had no idea that the resistance, governance, and duplicity i am experiencing as a jehovah witness is actually part of a bigger behavioral issue that permeates the entire jehovah witness culture.. i was troubled by the fact that many persons who have been crushed by the unfair practices of jw leadership described themselves as former members of the jw cult, and, or, apostates.
the latter bothered me to a greater degree because i felt the word apostate has been overused by jw's leadership and members.
anyone who disagrees with anything the governing body does or says is assigned the label an apostate.
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talesin
Great OP. : )
and LMAO @ Robo Bobo ahahaha!
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Calling on all EX Bethelites From The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s
by new boy inmany have commented here about my bethel experiences.
even though it's been over 40 years since i was there, many have found the stories to be interesting and amusing.
some have even mentioned writing a book about them.
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talesin
Just a heads-up. I am reading Keith's book at the moment, and his writing is excellent! More on that at another time, another thread. : )
That is to say, I think you are the person to write this book, Keith. You have been there yourself, and you have the writing skills for the project.
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24
Whatever happened to "YOU'RE WELCOME"? Has "NO PROBLEM" replaced it?
by Terry inwherever i go, i say "thank you" to clerks, servers, delivery people, hosts and hostesses and the response has become invariable: "no problem!".
have i aged to the point i'm now an old fuddy duddy who doesn't "get it"?.
is it counted mannerly to avoid, "you're welcome" in favor of "no problem"?.
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talesin
Younger people say things differently than oldz. Case in point: "the authorities". Under 60 simply say, "the police".
Or 'the cops', or 'I smell bacon'. :)
(I'm a boomer, and would never call cops an authority - the horror! But I'm a rebellious, anarchist hippy who hasn't given up her ideals.)
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Whatever happened to "YOU'RE WELCOME"? Has "NO PROBLEM" replaced it?
by Terry inwherever i go, i say "thank you" to clerks, servers, delivery people, hosts and hostesses and the response has become invariable: "no problem!".
have i aged to the point i'm now an old fuddy duddy who doesn't "get it"?.
is it counted mannerly to avoid, "you're welcome" in favor of "no problem"?.
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talesin
Just a change in expressions. I don't mind the 'np', as I think it's as genuine as 'yw'.
I have my own bug, though. Instead of hello, people say "Hi, how are you?" and don't want a real answer. They expect the standard "Fine, thank you.", and then carry on. Give them a *real* answer, like "oh, I'm having a great day shopping, how is your day?", or "Well, my dog died yesterday and I'm real sad". This is often the response:
If ya don't wanna know, don't ask me! (and that's *my* old fuddy-duddyism) : D
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59
Sweet 16 - Happy Birthday to Us !
by Simon init's the forum's 16th birthday today!.
amazing that not only have we lasted so long but we're still thriving and growing.. thanks to all the people and often colorful characters who've contributed to the site over the years.
some are still here with us, some have since moved on, but all have touched each others lives in some way along our different journeys.. .
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talesin
Happy Burfday, and thanks Si and Angh!
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29
Watchtower is cashing in on China
by nakanozzi injapanese brother in china recently revealed thatmany wealthy chinese are interested in watchtower’s teaching and donating money.ex-cos and ex-district os are now preaching undercover in china,and, numberes of special pioneers in china are growing !
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talesin
FTS, yes, I know that, just as there have been conflicts in Afghanistan for centuries.
I know you are a 'fan' of China, but I speak of recent events, of which I'm sure you are aware. Note the rise in self-immolations as a form of protest, and the arrests. I have been reading these reports for years, as Nepal was a dream goal as a child. So, yes, the recent antics in Nepal would make me extremely fearful of defying the Chinese government. It is not what I would call 'benevolent' to anyone who defies its autonomy.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-17046222
From the BBC, a portion of their historical timeline, covering events since 2008, when the Dalai Lama , imho, said 'enough, they have won'.
2008 October - The Dalai Lama says he has lost hope of reaching agreement with China about the future of Tibet. He suggests that his government-in-exile could now harden its position towards Beijing.
2008 November - The British government recognises China's direct rule over Tibet for the first time. Critics say the move undermines the Dalai Lama in his talks with China.
China says there has been no progress in the latest round of talks with aides of the Dalai Lama, and blames the Tibetan exiles for the failure of the discussions.
A meeting of Tibetan exiles in northern India reaffirms support for the Dalai Lama's long-standing policy of seeking autonomy, rather than independence, from China.
2008 December - Row breaks out between European Union and China after Dalai Lama addresses European MPs. China suspends high-level ties with France after President Nicolas Sarkozy meets the Dalai Lama.
Anniversary
2009 January - Chinese authorities detain 81 people and question nearly 6,000 alleged criminals in what the Tibetan government-in-exile called a security crackdown ahead of the March anniversary of the 1959 flight of the Dalai Lama.
2009 March - China marks flight of Dalai Lama with new "Serfs' Liberation Day" public holiday. China promotes its appointee as Panchen Lama, the second-highest-ranking Lama, as spokesman for Chinese rule in Tibet. Government reopens Tibet to tourists after a two-month closure ahead of the anniversary.
2009 April - China and France restore high-level contacts after December rift over President Sarkozy's meeting with the Dalai Lama, and ahead of a meeting between President Sarkozy and China's President Hu Jintao at the London G20 summit.
2009 August - Following serious ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang region, the Dalai Lama describes Beijing's policy on ethnic minorities as "a failure". But he also says that the Tibetan issue is a Chinese domestic problem.
2009 October - China confirms that at least two Tibetans have been executed for their involvement in anti-China riots in Lhasa in March 2008.
2009 January - Head of pro-Beijing Tibet government, Qiangba Puncog, resigns. A former army soldier and, like Puncog, ethnic Tibetan, Padma Choling, is chosen to succeed him.
2010 April - Envoys of Dalai Lama visit Beijing to resume talks with Chinese officials after a break of more than one year.
Self-immolations
2011 March - A Tibetan Buddhist monk burns himself to death in a Tibetan-populated part of Sichuan Province in China, becoming the first of 12 monks and nuns in 2011 to make this protest against Chinese rule over Tibet.
2011 April - Dalai Lama announces his retirement from politics. Exiled Tibetans elect Lobsang Sangay to lead the government-in-exile.
2011 July - The man expected to be China's next president, Xi Jinping, promises to "smash" Tibetan separatism in a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist takeover of Tibet. This comes shortly after US President Barack Obama receives the Dalai Lama in Washington and expresses "strong support" for human rights in Tibet.
2011 November - The Dalai Lama formally hands over his political responsibilities to Lobsang Sangay, a former Harvard academic. Before stepping down, the Dalai Lama questions the wisdom and effectiveness of self-immolation as a means of protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet.
2011 December - An exiled Tibetan rights group says a former monk died several days after setting himself on fire. Tenzin Phuntsog is the first monk to die thus in Tibet proper.
2012 May - Two men set themselves on fire in Lhasa, one of whom died, the official Chinese media said. They are the first self-immolations reported in the Tibetan capital.
2012 August - Two Tibetan teenagers are reported to have burned themselves to death in Sichuan province.
2012 October - Several Tibetan men burn themselves to death in north-western Chinese province of Gansu, Tibetan rights campaigners say.
2012 November - UN human rights chief Navi Pillay calls on China to address abuses that have prompted the rise in self-immolations.
On the eve of the 18th Communist Party of China National Congress, three teenage Tibetan monks set themselves on fire.
2013 February - The London-based Free Tibet group says further self-immolations bring to over 100 the number of those who have resorted to this method of protest since March 2011.
2013 June - China denies allegations by rights activists that it has resettled two million Tibetans in "socialist villages".
2014 February - US President Obama holds talks with the Dalai Lama in Washington. China summons a US embassy official in Beijing to protest.
2014 April - Human Rights Watch says Nepal has imposed increasing restrictions on Tibetans living in the country following pressure from China.
2014 June - The Tibetan government-in-exile launches a fresh drive to persuade people across the world to support its campaign for more autonomy for people living inside the region. -
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Terrorist attack in Belgium
by ILoveTTATT2 incheck the news.
there was a terrorist attack in brussells, couple of bombs detonated in the brussell airport and the metro.. 36 dead so far.. i send my sincerest condolences to the people of belgium.. the motive seems to be revenge for the capture of the last surviving member of the paris terrorist attacks..
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talesin
I remember the IRA, and did quite a bit of reading on the history before the 60s. It's the only war of terrorism that I lived, watched ... in the end, what was it proven to be about? Not religion, but oppression. It just so happened that the ruling class was CofE and the oppressed class was RC - for centuries! Was the Church involved? Yes. But the root cause? Oppression of an entire country, an indigenous people, by an outdated colonial ruling class.
It's all about money and power - religious fanaticism does not exist in a vacuum. There is a reason people turn to it, just as they do to any fanatical ideology. Sound familiar? We know that cults recruit the weak.
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Terrorist attack in Belgium
by ILoveTTATT2 incheck the news.
there was a terrorist attack in brussells, couple of bombs detonated in the brussell airport and the metro.. 36 dead so far.. i send my sincerest condolences to the people of belgium.. the motive seems to be revenge for the capture of the last surviving member of the paris terrorist attacks..
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talesin
smiddy, one of the problems (in my pov) is that the US is no longer dependent on OPEC for oil. Lessons were learned during the earlier crisis (late 70s, early 80s, line ups at gas stations, etc.). The USA gets 25% of its supply from Canada, which is its largest current supplier. ME countries no longer have that control. The balance of power with 'oil' has, once again, shifted. This has been going on since the mid-20th Century. OPEC was formed when the Arabs got sick of being treated like they were stupid, and raped of their profits. They spent decades paying 'us' back. Now, the tide is turning, and the days of fossil fuels are numbered. I think that the USA and the Saudis are partnered in the next phase of suppressing greener energy's availability to the public (we have the viable technology) in order to squeeze every last cent out of the oil business. *shrugs*
hahah, "You'll take my [oil profits] when you pry them from my dead, cold, fingers." ah, memories
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Watchtower is cashing in on China
by nakanozzi injapanese brother in china recently revealed thatmany wealthy chinese are interested in watchtower’s teaching and donating money.ex-cos and ex-district os are now preaching undercover in china,and, numberes of special pioneers in china are growing !
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talesin
Wow, check out these excerpts from an exJW blog, telling her story, about her missionary work, first in Vancouver, then in China. Very credible. It's a *must-read*, so here's a good taste:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/201302/?read=article_scorah
... When I got to China, things were really different, by necessity. Pro-selytizing is illegal. Religious meetings are banned. The preaching work and congregation meetings have to be conducted underground. This means that the handful of Witnesses in Shanghai can meet only covertly, which makes seeing each other more than once a week next to impossible. Preaching in the usual structured, door-to-door fashion is also, obviously, out of the question. For me, a Witness accustomed to a life of uniform routine, this seemed like an unprecedented adventure.
A couple of weeks after I arrived in Shanghai, I received a cryptic text message from a man who called himself James (some of us used fake names; we knew the Chinese government monitored electronic correspondence). He proposed meeting in a noisy local restaurant in the French Concession. I called his number when I got to the restaurant and he waved so I would know him. We chatted a few minutes, then he immediately got down to business. With a practiced manner, he explained the instructions from the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses as to how to conduct my missionary work. I was to find a job, perhaps teaching English, as a cover. Then I was to start cultivating relationships with worldly people, both Chinese and Westerners. These friendships were to be made with the sole purpose of religious conversion.
This sounded crazy to me. Every day of my life I’d been taught to stay away from these people, and I had. I was the person who made excuses not to lunch with coworkers. Who never kissed the boy who loved me in high school. I was the one who didn’t join after-school sports or attend birthday parties or my prom, all for fear of contamination. But I had my instructions; there was no other choice.
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Brother James recommended that before bringing up anything about the Bible with one of our new friends, we find out if that person or their family was affiliated with the Communist Party. Anyone who was a party member posed a potential danger, and contact was to be cut off immediately; a party member might turn in a Witness out of loyalty to the regime. On the other hand, it was also said that some people became party members simply to qualify for certain jobs, meaning they were communist in name only, and thus not as risky to befriend. I tried to casually return the conversation to Jean’s family.
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When I hung out with these worldly people, it was hard to shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong. They swore, they smoked, some of them drank a lot. They often made references to things I didn’t get. I didn’t understand their innuendos, and I hadn’t read their books or seen their movies. But I was a quick study. I had to play along; I didn’t want to blow my cover, and besides, it was interesting to learn about their lives. I was following my orders to a tee, and all of this could be done guilt-free.
In addition to my new school friends, I scheduled time each day to look for Chinese people to talk to. I’d sit in restaurants, hang out in Huaihai Park, read books in public squares, or hop on subways and buses, offering fast friendship to anyone patient or chatty enough to put up with my broken Chinese. I prayed for God’s help, but it was easy to find people who were interested in a foreigner, especially one who knew some Chinese.
Jean became my first Bible student.
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I realized I was leading Jean down a path that was potentially criminal and that would mean, if all went well, that she would become an underground enemy of the state, have to limit ties with her family, cut off her friends, and likely not marry or have children—Witnesses could not marry outside their faith, and there were very few Witnesses in mainland China—but I felt this was a small price for Jean to pay to have the truth. If I could convert her, she could survive Armageddon.
I still had to be careful. I wasn’t supposed to tell her where I lived. At first we would meet for our study sessions in public parks, until one humid day when I noticed two men in polyester suits vigorously snapping photos of us. We separated, and I took the subway in the wrong direction home, just to be safe. After that, I treated Jean to coffee at various Western cafés, but never the same one two weeks in a row. I taped gift wrap over the covers of our Watchtower publications so people couldn’t see what they were.
...This newspaper article from The Glasgow Herald, 1960 ... re 2 JWS arrested and imprisoned for their subversive activities: