I'm in Texas too and in this area (south south Texas) people have very limited income and very few have computers or internet access at home. Most mexicans (aka hispanics but no one really calls themself hispanic) in this are are legal and 3rd 4th 5th generation but they are split between Spanish language Catholic and Mexican language Pentecostal. The largest Catholic population here are Polish (their masses are in Polish and English). They've been here since the 19th century (yeah, really!) We've even got a convent full of Polish Catholic nuns (they run John Paul II nursing home and employ many mexican americans). The young crowd of Mexican Americans almost all go to Pentacostal churches. There are dozens of these small (non-denominational) congregations with the proceeds supporting the preacher and his family. They usually have a band too.
Posts by Panda
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78JWs: Biggest Turnover Rate of Members! "Masked churn" rate of 2/3rds!!
by Seeker4 inan article just out this afternoon said the following.
note especially the second paragraph about jws: .
for some groups, their relatively steady number of adherents over the years hides a remarkable amount of coming and going.
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Watchtower at my gate!
by Panda inafter the last time jws came to my house (about 6 or seven years ago) and they promised to get back with me after discussing our discussion with the local elders --- which they didn't get back with me; well last week i found a wt folded and stuffed into my gate (i'm in a rural farm area).
i guess i should've read it.
i guess i should've at least looked past the cover but i just put in my burn barrel.
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Panda
After the last time JWs came to my house (about 6 or seven years ago) and they promised to get back with me after discussing our discussion with the local elders --- which they didn't get back with me; well last week I found a WT folded and stuffed into my gate (I'm in a rural farm area). I guess I should've read it. I guess I should've at least looked past the cover but I just put in my burn barrel.
I was positive I'd been id'd as an apostate since they announced that I was DA'd in '97 from another congregation. Now I wonder that since they stopped at the gate but din't come up the drive what scared 'em off --- that big old Brahma bull and his harem? The large Great Pyrenees? And I thought that maybe a nice iron pentangle would be necessary. LOL
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Mormon program on PBS
by LovesDubs ini watched this program...it was amazing.
you will be astounded how similar this organization is to the jws if you have not already come to that conclusion.
you can watch the whole program online.
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Panda
did as good a job as possible of showing the facts and history of the LDS church without taking any sides.
Undercover, This is exactly what the LDS would want you to think. It's just some nicely illustrated history lesson. This is the sort of complacent and politically correct attitude cults depend on to make their group seem "normal". But that's religion for you, learn how to make pretend that you aren't proclaiming your religion as the only way.
In a recent book by Stanley Fish (sp?) titled, Religion without Truth, he stated "The truth claims of a religion are not incidental to its identity, they are its identity."
So hook in the unwary because of your goodness and previous persecution THEN let them know that thankfully they are saved for eternity because they were smart enough to recognise the TRUTH.
Claiming to have the secret knowledge that god has given to your cults prophet is a way to say --- don't ever think of leaving us, you'll pay for that discretion forever.
Another good book about all-American religions is Starck's, The Churching of America. If you want undramatised history of religions in the US thats the book to read, thats the book with unemotional facts written by a historian and not a screen writer/dramatist.
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Mormon program on PBS
by LovesDubs ini watched this program...it was amazing.
you will be astounded how similar this organization is to the jws if you have not already come to that conclusion.
you can watch the whole program online.
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Panda
Read; Under theBanner of Heaven by Krakauer.
It's the story behind the murder of a mother and child by her Mormon relatives (inlaws) who wanted her to follow the polygamist rules, and allow her husband to bring home another wife! Her husband was actually out in the car waiting for his relatives to kill both her and the infant. While the author explained the crime he also wrote about the history of the LDS. A fabulous read.
BTW I saw the PBS show. They soft peddled the cult .
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Any Other Widows Here?
by Panda inso for me it's been 9 months since mr.panda died.
people have said it would "get easier" "fade" etc.
for me none of this has occurred.
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Panda
One of my biggest decisions still have to be made
Me too. Nick's ashes are in a pretty wooden box on the mantel. I was surprised at how heavy the box is and am glad because the cats can't knock that over! I don't know where I would scatter his ashes. When I think about him being reduced to that box I am amazed, but that's what he always wanted, to be cremated. When I read the bottom of the box it says the remains of Nicholas Pantazakos. The remains ... I think to myself what remains of me after he has gone, not much. When I realise that I will never see the love in his green-gold eyes ever again, no one will ever love me the way he did; and I won't love anyone the way I loved him, well nothing seems real; like this is all impossible, just can't be.
Maybe because it's been only 9 mos. but I sometimes get the idea that he'll be home *later*, of course, it's what I'd like to have happen. Nick's best friend who also left the WTS after we left gave the eulogy at the funeral. I'm so glad that we still have friends who understand the JW experience because they've been there too. I think it's made us all even more concerned with others feelings. Ya' know like the big picture is so much more important than the pettiness of religion.
Thanks for letting me pour my sorrow out here.Panda
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RubberStamping and Collage
by Panda ini've been doing loads of card art so take a look:.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tpantaza/tpantazacards.
if you would like you can leave comments!.
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Panda
BikerChic, Ya' know that is exactly what I thought ATC stood for last year. Artist Trading Card. Look ATC up in Wikipedia, it tells the history.
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RubberStamping and Collage
by Panda ini've been doing loads of card art so take a look:.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tpantaza/tpantazacards.
if you would like you can leave comments!.
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Panda
Purps, Not expensive, check out your local library for rubber stamping and also art books for collage. Enjoy! Panda
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JEHOVAH IS AN EGYPTIAN GOD;ANYONE READ THIS BOOK?
by badboy ini wonder what it has to say?.
any ideas?.
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Panda
I think that the Egyptian pharoah Akenaten had a revelation to worship one god, the Creator (the Aten or Aton?) which was symbolised as the sun. He even built a new city to pay homage to this god. Later his images and tomb were desecrated and all images of the Aten were chisled out of history (so the priests thought) and everyone went back to the older gods, but of course some of those things changed.
So many of the Hebrew Laws were derived from the Egyptian religion and others were to maintain their nomadic existence ie., no pork, no shell fish ... neither of them suited to nomadic tent and travel.
It wouldn't have been a moon god because death/creation and the moon/night (everything womb related) were considered goddess territory (Maat, Nut, Hathor)
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RubberStamping and Collage
by Panda ini've been doing loads of card art so take a look:.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tpantaza/tpantazacards.
if you would like you can leave comments!.
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Panda
I've been doing loads of card art so take a look:
www.picasaweb.google.com/tpantaza/tpantazacards
If you would like you can leave comments!
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Any Other Widows Here?
by Panda inso for me it's been 9 months since mr.panda died.
people have said it would "get easier" "fade" etc.
for me none of this has occurred.
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Panda
Thank you Casper.
I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my grief.
So many friends (real friends no longer dubs) are kind but ya' know here I am still a misery w/o Nick. I feel like fighting off my emotions but then again that would mean I wouldn't remember and I want to remember.
A funny thing lately has been when I remember the things I got really pissed off at Nick about, and now I chuckle at those times and how we always got through everything.