Posts by poppers

us marine band perform to welcome the chinese fleet at the pearl harbor in hawaii, the united states, sept. 6, 2013. a naval fleet of the chinese people's liberation army (pla), which is comprised of the missile destroyer qingdao, missile frigate linyi and supply ship hongzehu, arrived at the pearl harbor on friday to start a three-day friendly visit, after which it will participate in a search-and-rescue exercise with the u.s. navy.

(xinhua/zha chunming).

poppers

"US marine band perform to welcome the Chinese fleet at the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, the United States, Sept. 6, 2013."

Ummm...excuse me. Those aren't Marines playing, they are sailors.

22

My Walmart encounter with the dubs today

by poppers in

jw
friends

yup, there were 3 of them camped out in front of the store with their display of materials - first time i've seen them there.

he said he converted 5 years ago from the presbyterians, and that he had learned more in 1 year with the jws than all his time with the presbyterians (the usual stuff, jesus died on a stake, paradise earth, etc).

he claimed he didn't know about the invisible return of jesus, he was dismissive of the impact of disfellowshipping and that people can leave with little consequence, he claimed that the romans didn't use a cross until 200 years after jesus died on the stake.

poppers

When does this idea of impending Armageddon get introduced to people who study with them? Is that part of the "meat" doctrine?

22

My Walmart encounter with the dubs today

by poppers in

jw
friends

yup, there were 3 of them camped out in front of the store with their display of materials - first time i've seen them there.

he said he converted 5 years ago from the presbyterians, and that he had learned more in 1 year with the jws than all his time with the presbyterians (the usual stuff, jesus died on a stake, paradise earth, etc).

he claimed he didn't know about the invisible return of jesus, he was dismissive of the impact of disfellowshipping and that people can leave with little consequence, he claimed that the romans didn't use a cross until 200 years after jesus died on the stake.

poppers

Yup, there were 3 of them camped out in front of the store with their display of materials - first time I've seen them there. When I came out of the store later only one guy in his 50s was still there so I asked some questions in a friendly way. He said he converted 5 years ago from the Presbyterians, and that he had learned more in 1 year with the JWs than all his time with the Presbyterians (the usual stuff, Jesus died on a stake, paradise Earth, etc). Yet, when I asked about some things about the teachings of the JWs he was pretty unsure of himself and said he'd have to look into them.

He claimed he didn't know about the invisible return of Jesus, he was dismissive of the impact of disfellowshipping and that people can leave with little consequence, he claimed that the Romans didn't use a cross until 200 years after Jesus died on the stake. I didn't press any issues just to keep him talking and see what things he would equivocate on. The one thing that really stunned me was when I said, "Aren't you the guys that teach about Armageddon coming?" He said no, that he hadn't heard anything about that before, and I pressed him on it a little. Then he said he "wasn't sure", that he's still pretty new in the religion so he needs to study more (after 5 years he was unsure of that particular teaching? Sheesh!).

Later, when the other 2 returned, a middle aged women and an attractive female in her early 20s, I brought up the Armegeddon thing again and the woman explained it a bit. Then I said that the other guy just told me that the JWs didn't teach about it. He looked very uncomfortable when I said that and he denied even doing so. I challenged that statement by saying, "But you just told me that you don't have that teaching."

"Well, I wasn't sure," he said sheepishly. When I first brought it up to him I felt he simply didn't want to make the JWs look too weird to an unsuspecting and possible "recruit". The excuse that he was still learning about the JWs felt pretty flimsy to me. Isn't Armageddon a core teaching that comes pretty early when you study with them? I couldn't believe that he'd outright deny the teaching, and then I was flabbergasted that he denied even making that statement to the others.

I think he's got some 'spaining to do to the others.

4

How do I retrieve a PM?

by Frazzled UBM in

poppers

Look for the little envelope next to your name in the top right corner of the screen. When you click on the message it won't open at first, so do a back page and try again until it opens.

1

Brian L. Weiss

by Partisan in

i recently reconnected with an old ex-jw friend who served as an elder when i was growing up.

he has since taken to the belief in reincarnation & past lives.

he lent me a copy of the many lives, many masters by brian l. weiss, m.d.

poppers

I've heard of Weiss and have seen the book. It's nothing I haven't come across before - it's interesting stuff. I wouldn't put much stock in this being tantamount to Scientology teachings. You might want to read Journey of Souls, by Michael Newton to further explore the idea of souls and what they do between lives.

From Amazon:

Journey of Souls is a controversial yet inspiring investigation of the big question we all face at one point or another: "What happens after we die?" To find the answer, Newton opens cases from his private practice in which he hypnotically regressed his clients to a point between lives--after death, but before birth. Not only does Newton grapple with reincarnation, the spirit world, and the nature of the human soul, he also tackles equally sticky questions such as "Is there a Heaven and Hell?" and "What are ghosts?" Readers with a penchant for skepticism will balk at the lack of physical evidence to back up the claims in Journey of Souls, but the book remains a reassuring voice, affirming that our existence is not limited to the boundaries of our mortal flesh. --Brian Patterson

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1567184855/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=18763357167&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1554832321627075450&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_11aper7wfz_b

52

ever had an out-of-body experience?

by poppers in

jw
friends

once in a while, usually in the morning shortly after waking up, i find my "body" lifting up from my physical body, but i remain attached at the head.

it's a very pleasant experience but i wish i could totally separate from the physical body so i could go exploring.

this happened this morning again.. .

poppers

My limited experiences have always been spontaneous, without any intent to bring them about. It seems the key is becoming lucid during the dream state or remaining mentally awake while the body falls asleep. I've heard of each of these exit methods before and have tried to bring them about, but have never been successful at achieving either. What are your methods for doing each of these?

52

ever had an out-of-body experience?

by poppers in

jw
friends

once in a while, usually in the morning shortly after waking up, i find my "body" lifting up from my physical body, but i remain attached at the head.

it's a very pleasant experience but i wish i could totally separate from the physical body so i could go exploring.

this happened this morning again.. .

poppers

Well, this is a first for me - someone resurrecting one of my posts. Tell us more, Mr Fool.

8

What happened to my formatting tools?

by scotoma in

jw
friends

did i do something somewhere that took away all my formatting tools?

poppers

I've got formatting tools in Safari that I never had before. Simon has been making some changes. I'm using an iMac.