talesin

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Posts by talesin

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  30

  Control - Whose worse, the JWs or the traditional churches?

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we once experienced, the "you'll die at armegeddon," fear instilled into us as jw's.. was that worse or better than the fear of eternal torment instilled by more conventional religions?.

  john spong gives his view.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkah3hemv3m.

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  talesin

  I think the key difference is in the Bishop's words .... the Church wants to keep people like children (born again), and CHILDREN are made afraid by horror stories like Hell. He says we are meant to grow up and take responsibility for our world - our NOW, not our "afterlife".
  
  The difference with the JWS, is that with no education, no outside contact or friends, they remain (or at least did, before the internet *grins*) naive about reality - they have "arrested development", and don't progress to adulthood. There is no decision-making, no exploration/learning in the Real World, and they become perpetually dependent on "Mother".

  How interesting that he feels the Church is only there to 'point him in the right direction'. In the past,. the priest's word was LAW. I have one friend who told his mother that the priest molested him, and he got a back hand across the face ---- for LYING.. Father So-and-So would NEVER do that! You just don't want to be a choir boy (or whatever they called it). The RCC is losing its tight grip of control through guilt, and softening a lot of its views.

  haha, just thinking of all the "recovering Catholics" I have met in the past 35 years. Glad that beast is losing its control over the Billion people who are members. xx tal
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  86

  Music Video: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on JW Broadcasting? - PARODY

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this took quite a while this evening.

  so worth it though.

  hope you enjoy!

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  talesin

  Cappytan, you MUST answer this question ,,, YES or NO! Is it a REAL Rolex?

  (just read the comments section) :P
• 
  42

  Something isnt quite right.

  by atomant in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  l was wondering if others get the feeling that the world we live in seems not quite right.l can not pin point anything specific but since childhood days l often get the feeling something isn;t correct.you know the feeling of deja vu.

  am l the only one to feel this way?ld love to hear from others and any storys they may have.having been raised in the jdubs maybe lm just suffering mild bouts of paranoia .

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  talesin

  There have always been cruel and heinous acts - just read the Bible (you are still a believer, so that is a good reference point), and you will find a lot of horrifying things - wasn't it King David who collected all those foreskins of non-Israelite boys? Or how about poor old Job? Jehovah and Satan had a contest to see how much Job could take, and they murdered his children, he lost his business, got inflicted with boils, etc.

  Read about the Aztecs and their human torture and sacrifices, or the Catholic Church's Inquisition, the Reformation's purge of Catholics - they were all centuries ago, and may give you nightmares.

  Times are no worse than any other - it's all in your perspective. There is beauty all around us, if we choose to see it. xx tal

  .

  PS ... yes, our western culture is superficial and can seem quite empty, but only YOU can change that - one person at a time. Put down your android or iphone and have a conversation with a person, IN person.

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  .

  (lol @ Jerryh Eat the Rich! I miss the old PJ )
• 
  24

  Just handed in my Disassociation letter

  by Thirteenth tribe in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  tonight my dl was posted by hand by my husband (a worldly guy).

  i had the luxury of being at work distracted whilst he posted it.

  i have been baptised for just over 2 years and studied since 2010. i couldn't take it anymore, not just the zealous dislike/disgust for 'people in the world' (this includes my husband and 99% of my family btw) but the obvious.... the investigations into child sexual abuse.

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  talesin

  Welcome to the clubhouse, TT. ; )
• 
  86

  Music Video: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on JW Broadcasting? - PARODY

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this took quite a while this evening.

  so worth it though.

  hope you enjoy!

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  talesin

  We are not worthy! Now, *that* is a vid - it covers all the bases. There is a clearly stated message, presented in an entertaining (love the song and v. talented) way, and as a person who has watched zero JW dot org stuff, these images of the GB and the animations are so f'king creepy. The cartoons are Disney-esque (who can mesmerize better than Disney? no one), and the other clips look far too much like every other televangelist movement. Ugh.
  
  I guess I'll have to check out your channel. : )

  (btw, I knew a David and Glenda who remained JW ... the vid made me do a double take).
• 
  70

  how do most of you now feel about the military?

  by sowhatnow in

  1. social
  2. family

  was not sure where to post this, but i was curious, how do some of you now feel about the military?

  would any of you let your children enlist, or would you yourselves join any military field?

  how do you feel about the idea of women in the military?

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  talesin

  What annoys me somewhat is that it seems to me that the West, and particularly the USA, is held to a higher standard than other countries are. I'm not sure why, is it the racism of low expectations? Whatever.

  LoveUni - I'm sure you know the concept of "American Exceptionalism". When you claim to be the best country in the world, and the protector of the weak, etc., then you are held to a higher standard by those countries that you constantly look down upon. It's quite simple, really. If the USA is better than everyone else, than be ready to prove it.

  : )
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  70

  When is a theory 'just a theory'?

  by HB in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the titles of cofty's excellent recent posts are all preceeded by the words "evolution is a fact...".

  richard dawkins is encouraging people to use the term 'fact' in relation to evolution, especially when debating with creationists as the word 'theory' is confusing to many, and the latter often takes the discussion off on an often unproductive tangent.

  the following may be of interest, it's from the bbc website - part of a regular series of articles called 'the vocabularist', discussing the origin and meaning of words: .

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  talesin

  If someone chooses to bait Xtians by using the word "fact" instead of "theory", does anybody really care? Stop fueling the flames. Is this a sandbox or an adult support group / discussion forum?

  As far as using 'common vernacular' as an explanation, I say fuddle-duddle! If I am going to TEACH something, I shall use the correct terms. And since when did 'fact' become the common term for 'theory'? That's only an issue HERE because someone chose to make it an issue.

  EDIT.

  From the Urban Dictionary (widely accepted as the best source of the current English common vernacular):
  
  

  TOP DEFINITION

  Theory

  1. In common, everyday language when you have a theory it means you simply have a guess. It doesn't have to be supported by evidence or fact.
  
  2. In the scientific community, an explanation supported by a evidence and is logically sound.

  1. "My theory is that Jane stole the cookie from the cookie jar!" - Jack after he found no cookies in the cookie jar.
  
  2. The theory of Evolution logically explains why life is so diverse, and the evidence that supports it includes fossils, DNA, living specimens, and bacterial research.
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  87

  Did you get " Counseled " about the Music you Listened to While you were a JW ?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from the time i was a small boy - i loved rock n' roll music.

  beatles, rolling stones, led zeppelin, hendrix.

  i started getting slighted for the music i listened to as i lay in my bedroom listening on headphones to led zeppelin's song " black dog " at age 14 with my elder dad looking suspiciously at me as i'm rocking out .

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  talesin

  I hope I never get past that age because that would mean I am complacent. I will always rebel against an unjust system (even if only by raising my cane) and maintain my independence (health permitting). xx tal /
• 
  87

  Did you get " Counseled " about the Music you Listened to While you were a JW ?

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from the time i was a small boy - i loved rock n' roll music.

  beatles, rolling stones, led zeppelin, hendrix.

  i started getting slighted for the music i listened to as i lay in my bedroom listening on headphones to led zeppelin's song " black dog " at age 14 with my elder dad looking suspiciously at me as i'm rocking out .

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  talesin

  No, because I hid my "demonic" albums inside the covers of "harmless" ones. mwah haha, you canNOT and never COULD take the rock and roll away from me. I was meek and a goody-two-shoes, but music and books? I diligently read secret library books under the covers and listened to my beloved music. That is how I survived childhood and adolescence. And that's no joke. xx tal Regards to Mrs. Flipper.

  PS. to JK - that is awesome! You two boys be good now, y'hear? xx
• 
  10

  Watchtower stock market investments

  by stirred but not shaken in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i recently installed youtube on my ipad, as i was prompted to view some videos of a non jw source.

  it was more for entertainment.

  eventually jw related videos showed up and i viewed some and found them interesting.

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  talesin

  Excerpts from that thread, just to 'whet the appetite' of any readers / lurkers.

  The H M Riley Trust is a U.S. trust that has the Watchtower Society as the sole beneficiary. Basically, it is a vehicle to make income for the Watchtower, using assets left by Henrietta Riley. The income generated by the trust is transferred to the Watchtower by means of a "donation". For the year ended April 30, 2002, the trust generated income of $1,740,127 and donated $1,945,645 to the Watchtower. In comparison, for the 2001 year the trust generated $2,939,731 in income, and donated $3,285,050 to the Watchtower. The difference between income and expenditure is made up by realising gains on the assets held.

  
  Figure 3: Extract of investment listing of HM Riley Trust, April 30, 2002
  One name that jumps out from the list above: Philip Morris Companies Inc, one of the world's largest manufacturers of cigarettes and tobacco products. Philipmorris.com states:
  Thus, the trust has made an investment in a cigarette company, with the object of generating income which will be transferred to the Watchtower Society.

  The Philip Morris name has long been associated with high quality tobacco products and globally recognized cigarette brands. Today the name is proudly carried by the leading cigarette manufacturer in the United States,Philip Morris USA, and by Philip Morris International, the world’s leading international cigarette business with products sold in 160 countries worldwide.

  Naughty, naughty! A tobacco company, ayup. :P