UpAndAtom

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Posts by UpAndAtom

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  29

  New Special Assembly Day Program ( Sept.2003 )

  by Blueblades in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  theme:serving jehovah with a complete heart.

  the circuit overseer will discuss "helping others to serve jehovah with a delightful soul.

  "interviews will highlight the joy that results from cultivating interest and conducting bible studies with people who want to serve jehovah.. all in attendance will no doubt derive comfort and encouragement from the visiting speaker's first talk,"guarding our hearts in a troubled world".. in the afternoon,the part"extending a helping hand"will consider how we can assist others.what can parents do to shield their children's hearts from wrong influences and help them draw close to jehovah?.

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  UpAndAtom

  Delightful Soul

  joy

  derive comfort

  encouragement

  Take Delight

  If you removed these "few words and phrases", then the entire document (of many words) would lose 99% of it's impact... and I think the author suspects this, but doesn't understand any other way to communicate.... or at the very least has little (if any) critical review by his peers. I mean, that was the problem with George Lucas' latest Star Wars movies. Boring beyond belief, stupid & unrealistic monologue that "told you the story" and never once "showed you the story". For the younger generation that are growing up with crappy movies with no story at all, they actually liked Star Wars... but the older generation sees right through it; the exposition, the wooden acting, the bad monotone dialogue, bad directing, etc.

  Don't tell the readers how to feel - make them feel . This is sometimes difficult - even for a good author. A good author can bring tears to the eyes of a reader, but only a truly great author can make the reader sob like a baby (even a man). You'll never get the reader to cry by writing dribble with titles such as "The saddest story on Earth", or "Why we should cry more often", or "Thank Jehovah we have the ability to Cry"

  "What Can We Look Forward to Learning?

  I think the real reason the author includes this banal quasi-question/statement-of-fact, is they know they have NOT taught anything new... at least on a subconscious level, at worst a conscious one. In any case it immediately shrieks insecurity on the part of the author.

  It's the same problem as before ; Don't "tell them they are learning", just teach them, then they would "know" they are learning and would be excited even if you didn't use inflationary language. It's a paradigm shift that the authors need to make, but I feel they don't know how too.
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  29

  Woke up this morning with a question on my mind.

  by El Kabong in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know why i woke up this morning with this question on my mind.

  why would god make the angels first, which are superior to humans, then go and make something inferior, like humans second.

  i would figure that the angels would be like 1.0 then the humans would be revision 2.0 or something like that.

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  UpAndAtom

  I believe soul mates are our friends through many lifetimes and we don't necessarily marry them.

  It's funny, I've never heard anyone else express this before, but I believe this too.
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  29

  Woke up this morning with a question on my mind.

  by El Kabong in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know why i woke up this morning with this question on my mind.

  why would god make the angels first, which are superior to humans, then go and make something inferior, like humans second.

  i would figure that the angels would be like 1.0 then the humans would be revision 2.0 or something like that.

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  UpAndAtom

  Should I not feel sorry for a child who was molested because he is likely paying for his own actions as a molester in a previous life?

  Remember that scripture whereby Jesus is asked about the Blind man? His disciples asked him, "Is this man blind from birth because of something he'd done, or something his parents had done". Instead of Jesus rebuking the idea of reincarnation, he answered, "Neither. but so that the grace of God could be shown." and then he cured the blind man.

  Important points to ponder:

  1) Jesus did not rebuke the idea of reincarnation. (If the disciples question was stupid, I would've fully expected Jesus to tell them so, in plain language)

  2) His disciples (having already been with Jesus for some time), were already familiar with the concept of reincarnation in order for them to ask the question. They specifically asked if the man had done something bad, *before* being born!

  3) The disciples were making guesses as to the "true" nature of the man's blindness - but got it wrong on BOTH counts.

  4) How do we know, the blind man (before birth) did not volunteer for the role of "blind man". I can just image a bunch of Actors (in Heaven) and Christ says, "I'll be in Earth in 50 years playing the part of Jesus, I need a blind person to be cured. It will be difficult, but the rewards will be great - Do I have any volunteers?"

  Thoughts anyone?
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  68

  A Question for Those Who Believe in a Higher Power...

  by Piph in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ...but not necessarily the bible.

  do you pray?

  what do you call him/her?

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  UpAndAtom

  Life's been really difficult for me lately and I have been silent for a while in the matter of prayer...but I really miss the feeling of closeness I once had with God.

  I've been a bit like that too lately, I start to pray, then I just kind of wander off and stop... oftening wonder what in the heck is the point... the real point of prayer. My relationship has changed with God, there's no doubt about it - I too am grappling with this issue. I feel weird not praying as I once did, however I also feel that I've grown up as a person and that maybe I don't need to pray as I once did. Maybe that's the point of prayer? - To help us grow up! Once we have grown up, perhaps we naturally move to a different type of communication with God... a *knowing* type. Instead of our communication being one-way, perhaps it starts to become two way? I'm not talking about hearing his booming voice... but rather you just become more sensitive to your surroundings... more compassionate. A certain kind of *knowing*... perhaps a certain kind that Jesus had?

  I've heard the argument that Jesus was the man (physical body) that was inhabited by the Soul of Christ. That is, the Soul of Christ choose to be born into a body, that his parents just happened to name Jesus. As he got older, he never forgot (like so many of us do) who he really was. He was Chirst living inside a human body (much like a hermit crab inhabits an empty shell).

  I often wonder what my soul is like.... the real me. Have I lived before as a different person before but have been blind to this from birth? When I die, will I discard this empty shell and have an opportunity to examine my real Soul? Or more correctly, when I die, will my Soul examine the life of UpAndAtom(me)?
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  37

  Next New Light??? Heaven's Doors Closed in 1935

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the persistent passage of time has forced the borg to literally redefine the word "generation" to suit their needs (it now means any group of people within a span of time that can go on indefinitely).

  i'm starting to get the impression that they are going to have to do something with the 8000 or so people who insist on partaking of the emblems every year, thereby identifying themselves as "anointed" and heaven bound.

  in recent years they have tried to discourage people from partaking by emphasizing that they could be crazy or diluted or puffed up with pride if they partook (don't ya just love my jw speak!?!?

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  UpAndAtom

  It's a constant source of amusement to hear my brother justify the "new light" policy. Sometimes I get the feeling he feels uncomfortable explaining the increasing level of light levels, especially when I'm grinning and asking him,

  "What? Brighter Still? How bright can it get?"

  It does not bother him too much now, but over many years, I'm sure that this one little question of mine will start to wear him down, as he realizes the light was never that bright to start with.

  I can see how the younger members easily get the wool pulled over their eyes - but the elderly - that's got to be a different story!?!? I know one Elder (a writer for the WT and Awake in Australia... or at least he used too - he's getting old), who's been in the truth since the WW2. His wife died not too long ago, so surely he has at least considered his own mortality? For so many years he thought he might not die... or did he? Do witnesses get so blasé about "Armageddon any day now", that they don't really believe it anymore? When is enough, enough?
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  7

  Preparing for confrontation with JWs

  by garybuss in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been watching myself.

  if i knew ahead of time i was going to be present with a jw, i would prepare for a confrontation, and i would get a confrontation.

  now, i prepare for a non-confrontation.

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  UpAndAtom

  The best thing I've ever done to a JW is to walk up to a recovering patient (who had narrowly avoided death because of the blood issue), stand next to her, put my arm around her and give her heart-felt one-arm hug, and tell her, "I'm glad you're all right."

  Unbeknowst to me at the time, this simple action was something that the majority of her congregation had difficulty in doing... even to the extent that one of them cried, "Don't hug me! Don't hug me! I'm not good with people!" (or words to that effect). Now, every time I am around this lady (her hubby and entourage) I feel that I have a "get out of goal free card", and I can avoid argumentative conversations. I like to think my actions speak volumes more than the volumes they do have!

  I think playing mind games, using tricks-of-the-trade and preparing for a visit is pretty much a JW mindset. I say go with the flow - avoid any intelligent converstaion whatsoever, and whatever they say pretty much ignore and realize, that despite what you think - they are happy. Just smile.
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  20

  Ozzie's Weekend Poll #57

  by ozziepost in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, we're 57 today and i'm feeling old!.............

  (that's a joke....57 polls see!

  so, how's the weekend going?

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  UpAndAtom

  6. Less serious and here's why....

  I was just starting my studies in dub-material and getting cautiously excited about it all. At the same time, I was dating what I now realise was a very special girl in my life. She belonged to a different faith and although that faith had it's problems... in hindsight they were nothing compared to the problems I later found out about with JW's. Anyway... I pointed out some 'problems' in her faith... more specifically some of the churches teachings (as JW's pretty much teach you to do)... and I never saw or spoke to her again. I didn't mock her faith badly... and there was no confrontation to speak of... in all honesty I think she still like me a bit... but decided to "fade away" from my life... leaving me all excited and clutching a stupid bible instead of her. That was almost 10 years ago and I still think about how lovely and sweet a person she was. I have missed her. In some ways I never really recovered from that.
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  13

  Bethel labs - where the future is being forbidden - today!

  by RunningMan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  last week, my daughter asked me how much hair spray is too much (for those of you who dont know, spiky hair was banned at our district convention).

  so, i told her about bethel labs.

  it is a secret laboratory in brooklyn where intricate experiments are painstakingly carried out, day and night.

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  UpAndAtom

  Hey! I'd like to work in that place. Where do I sign up?
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  29

  Woke up this morning with a question on my mind.

  by El Kabong in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know why i woke up this morning with this question on my mind.

  why would god make the angels first, which are superior to humans, then go and make something inferior, like humans second.

  i would figure that the angels would be like 1.0 then the humans would be revision 2.0 or something like that.

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  UpAndAtom

  I am of the belief that we were once all as angles - and that at one time there was no distinction between God's first son, and his last (which makes sence right?) However, when we were given free will, most of us promptly used it for our own selfish purposes, instead preferring to inhabit the Earth creatures of the time (animals). Well, this wasn't God's original plan, so he says - you want to live in Animal bodies - then I'll create the perfect mould for you - Man - or Adam. At present, we are so caught up in our animal bodies - we've forgotten our true heritage. It seems that only Christ was able to morph into and out of a body (which we called Jesus). Much as I like to think my soul is free from this body - I still like looking into the mirror and thinking to myself - I'm pretty good looking. ha ha.
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  3

  Geneva convention anyone? Surprises?

  by UpAndAtom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i heard that a few surprises are in store for those attending the sydney convention later this year 2003. i heard this 3rd hand from someone attending the geneva convention recently.

  i was just wondering if someone could clue me in?

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  UpAndAtom

  I heard that a few surprises are in store for those attending the Sydney convention later this year 2003. I heard this 3rd hand from someone attending the Geneva convention recently. I was just wondering if someone could clue me in?