Topics I’ve Been Pondering On

by JWINQUESTION 109 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  JWINQUESTION

  @JGNAT

  Thanks for the scriptures. :D I will give them a read after work tonight.
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  Onager

  JWINQUESTION, There's a whole massive, complex, fun world out there. Why are you so hung up on the gay question?

  Is it your sexuality rather than your religion which is really in question?

  I don't mean that as an insult, I just don't understand all this kerfuffle over something which shouldn't affect you at all.
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  JWINQUESTION

  @Onager

  I guess I'm just curious to see peoples (non-jw's or ex jw's) opinion on this matter. That is all. But you are right. There is a much bigger world out there to explore.
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  Apognophos

  I'm glad that you won't let some posters' rude tone discourage you, JWIQ. If someone here is confident that they're right, they can prove it to you calmly, with logic, without resorting to using words like "dumb-dumb" (the hell is this, kindergarten?). A few posters here like to snipe, but for the most part I think the group is pretty nice, so if you can overlook the occasional exceptions, we'll have some enjoyable discussions. I've learned a tremendous amount since joining here, and it's really been quite liberating.
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  JWINQUESTION

  @Aspognophos Exactly. I created this thread as a confused and open Jehovahs Witness and appreciate the many who gave me valuable information for me to read on. Don't understand the need from the insults and harsh tone from Datadog. I know my questions are naive but still deserve some respect.

  Just wondering were you a JW before?
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  Apognophos

  Yep, I am still an active Witness, in fact.
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  Viviane

  @Syme I'm not racist towards gay at all. I don't know why my topic or statements are all that bad. I've been trying to be as tactful as I can like I keep saying.

  Replace "gay" with female or Christian or black and see how the question sounds.
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  JWINQUESTION

  @Viviane

  Okay I will. Have a good day.
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  Onager

  This is my first post on here so bear with me. Currently I am still an active JW with serious questions about the JW org. I was hesitant signing up but really need as much input from the people on this forum to get a clear understanding on things. I would appreciate the replies to this topic be made without cursing or sarcastic comments.

  <snip>

  It is just when I see many (not all) posters and ex JW’s curse, I wonder is this how I am going to end up like after I leave.

  Ok JWIQ, I have something else I'd like to address, to get away from the whole gay topic.

  You seem to be very concerned about cursing. You don't want people responding to your post to curse and your worry that you'll start cursing if you leave the JWs. Have you considered why you feel so strongly about cursing?

  I'm assuming that when you say cursing you don't mean the old style "May your houses burn and your cattle die horribly" curse, but rather swearing; Using "bad" words.

  Have you considered why bad words are bad? I don't mean because of the way they show laziness of thought, a carelessness in speaking, but why those specific words are bad.

  If you take the big 3. To protect your eyes I'll call them F, C and S. One describes a perfectly normal activity, one describes a perfectly normal body part and one is a byproduct of eating. Why is that bad? In fact there are plenty of words which describe exactly the same things: Intercourse, Vjajay, Poo, which are perfectly fine. Why?

  I have a theory... :)

  You see all of the "bad" words are Anglo-Saxon in origin. in 1066 the Normans invaded England and stamped their tyrannical boots over everything, including the language. Anglo-Saxon became synonymous with low-born, common peasant behaviour.

  My theory is that this modern day attitude towards these words is related directly to that tyrannical invasion almost 1,000 years ago and, furthermore, any true son of England should use these words with pride! :)

  What do you think?
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  Apognophos

  I think that the words have a violent nature to them. They're not always spoken forcefully in anger, but they are designed for it and carry that feeling with them. You won't hear any five-syllable swears -- these words are short and to the point, meant to be spat out. I tend to flinch when I hear swear words, so I can understand how JWIQ feels.

  This is a bit ironic since I do swear in private, but the difference is that I am expressing my anger while others are not around. Having someone else say them to me is a bit like being swatted in the face because of the power of the words. I think it's better for relations with other people if we moderate our expressions when talking to them instead of going full-bore, and most people do indeed moderate their emotion when interacting with others, including toning down their speech.

  At the very least, even when the swear words are not making me flinch, they at least tell me I am dealing with someone of a lower social standing. Strangers simply don't use words like that with each other where I come from. Among friends, of course, we speak in a way that we know they're comfortable with, and some groups of friends think that swearing is no big deal.

  Anyway, arguing over the denotations of the words is not useful because we these words have been given a taboo nature. We can't be expected to throw away centuries of cultural conditioning and use them like any other words. It's a faulty argument which pretends that words don't have connotations, and it's a line of thinking that no one follows when actually choosing their words carefully during a conversation so as to avoid giving offense.