Posts by Markfromcali

9

WELCOME newly awakened ele_lux

by wannabefree in

jw
friends

a pioneer, bible students, recently awakened ... i have great empathy for the emotional turmoil you are most likely experiencing.. welcome!.

you will find much support here.. also, if you haven't read these yet .... crisis of conscience.

in search of christian freedom.

Markfromcali

Hello.. /bttt

12

has anyone had an experiance with a meduim /clairvoiant ?

by looloo in

when i was studying years ago ,my sistertold me about an experiance she had at her church , the clairvoiant said to another lady present that she had a dead relative present , named them and said "they want you to know they now know the truth" the lady laughed and said "i doubt it she was a jehovahs witness !

" i wish i could go but im not sure if its wrong to go or not as there is someone i would like to know if they are ok , have any of you been to a church like that or is it all rubbish ?.

Markfromcali

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=people-only-use-10-percent-of-brain

Although there's no definitive culprit to pin the blame on for starting this legend, the notion has been linked to the American psychologist and author William James, who argued in The Energies of Men that "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources."

"It turns out though, that we use virtually every part of the brain, and that [most of] the brain is active almost all the time,"

I don't think I've ever heard people who do this kind of work try to sound scientifically legitimate by referring to this myth. Has anyone who is clairvoyant ever even claimed to have seen this? And it's one thing if they saw it in someone else, but how would they see it in themselves if it's a function of their own brain? Does anyone even claim that it's a function of the brain?

___________

"Thinking is not to agree or disagree, that is voting." -Robert Frost

6

Information control in the midst of an information revolution

by sabastious in

my older brother is a prime victim of information control.

one of the last talks we had together before he decided to shun me was about the age of the earth.. he told me that science was a fraud.

he proved this with the bible's claim that god created the world in 6 thousand years (a thousand years as a day to jehovah).. he told me that science says it has fossils that are millions of years old therefore they must be lying since it conflicts with the bible.. he has a 4 year old son, my nephew.. i know that he was describing to me a position that not even the watchtower has.

Markfromcali

It's not about information and thought control, it's about identity and psychological development. And I'm not sure that the revolution is all that far along, besides all the information in the world is not going to do much good if you are not self aware. Even if the kids get out, that in itself does not guarantee that they will realize anywhere near what their true potential is. You also don't need to limit access to information, if it's framed or structured in a certain way then you can influence the way people think, including the way they think of themselves IF the persons sense of self is content driven. The flow of information is only the most basic level, there's a lot more to it than that.

12

has anyone had an experiance with a meduim /clairvoiant ?

by looloo in

when i was studying years ago ,my sistertold me about an experiance she had at her church , the clairvoiant said to another lady present that she had a dead relative present , named them and said "they want you to know they now know the truth" the lady laughed and said "i doubt it she was a jehovahs witness !

" i wish i could go but im not sure if its wrong to go or not as there is someone i would like to know if they are ok , have any of you been to a church like that or is it all rubbish ?.

Markfromcali

There is a lot that people are unware of, the most important would be things about themselves and other fairly obvious things we just fail to consider. There are two things I would point out here: Your vulnerability and the fact that most people who do this do it for a living/profit.

This reminds me of an experience I had years ago at one of these "wholistic" fairs that had a psychic section along with everything and the kitchen sink. The times I've gone I typically just kind of walk through and don't particularly have much interest except to see what's out there, but this time this woman in the psychic section called me over. Actually, at first she asked a young girl, who must have been her apprentice or something to talk to me but she refused, which is kind of telling. Anyway, the gist of what she said was that I had a deep pain, and I can't remember whether she explicitly stated it has to do with romantic stuff but basically that's what ended up happening when I got home, and it felt very deep and seemed like it came out of nowhere. It's a vulnerability. Even though I'd been around the block and didn't really take her very seriously during this little free reading, it's clear something happened. I might add too that I was in a good mood and am aware enough of the way I carry myself that there wouldn't be any obvious cues that most people can read. I still didn't believe she's in a position to really help me (or even really have my interest at heart) as I tend to find these people don't address the deepest level of self, and since I'd already gotten to the point that I can ride out very strong bad feelings that's what I ended up doing. But like I said it was a lot more painful than there's any good reason for even if there's something deeper she didn't touch, and not everyone would have this perspective.

So basically I wouldn't just be concerned about wasting money on a fraud who doesn't do what they say they can do, but if they're able to make a living at it they must know how to do SOMETHING. I'm reminded of the idea of inception from the movie. And consider the basic relationship: You are seeking someone out who is supposed to be aware of something you are not aware of, this in itself puts you at a disadvantage and you have to trust or believe them. And again, they may be able to do something you're not aware of, just not necessarily what they say they are doing. And it may not be a matter of just "reading" anything, something may be done to you in some way.

My advice in a nutshell is that if you have any doubts at all anywhere about the integrity of someone who does anything like this, including teachers, ministers and so forth then you're better off dealing with things yourself than put yourself in the hands of someone questionable in anyway. And I don't mean to frame it in some fearful paranoid way, it is quite possible that the person doesn't really know what they're doing but do stumble on something real in the process. But in that case, it's basically just the blind leading the blind anyway.

27

Do you enjoy watching predators hunt and kill on Nat Geo, Animal Planet, or Discovery Channel, etc?

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

i've got a guilty pleasure, i enjoy watching the great white sharks sneak up on seals and ducks and all those teeth ripping flesh.

they are beautiful creatures.

those huge bodies flying through the air with a seal in their mouth smashing back down into the water.

Markfromcali

Maybe not enjoyment, but the fascination with what is real and spontaneous is understandable in spite of the violent nature. I just read the following this morning and it kind of puts it in perspective, also we might contrast this with the so called reality shows and other contrived events:

"The world of crime, even more than that of sports, is a last refuge of the authentic, uncorrupted spontaneous event. Of course there are rare exceptions (the planned "violators" of law for political purposes, like the suffragettes, or more recently the Freedom Riders in the South). But, generally speaking, crimes are not pseudo-events, however industriously they may be exploited by the press. Only seldom are they committed for the purpose of being reported. Quite the contrary, a man who commits a murder or a rape, who robs a bank, or embezzles from his employer, hopes to get away with it. Our hunger for crime news and sports news, then, far from showing we have lost our sense of reality, actually suggests that even in a world so flooded by pseudo-events and images of all kinds, we still know (and are intrigued by) a spontaneous event when we see one. The same quest for sponteneity helps explain, too, our morbid interest in private lives, in personal gossip, and in the sexual indiscretions of public figures. In a world where the public acts of politicians and celebrities become more and more contrived, we look ever more eagerly for happenings not brought into being especially for our benefit. We search for those areas of life which may have remained immune to the cancer of pseudo-eventfulness."-The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel Boorstin

15

Sisters Unite

by little witch in

enough of "rules" that intend to "put us in our place".... to suggest such a thing is a hate crime.. we are.. we have a voice...let us make it louder.

women unite!!!!.

do not believe a lie....refuse second class citizenship....enough explaining to males, and begging.

Markfromcali

Guys can be messes in so far as they deny their feminine side, so that they have to subjugate women externally in order to compensate for this kind of lack or imbalance within. Because of this, they would be very much dependent on an external femininity, which would also prevent/retard a harmonious integration of both internally. In fact, we see that there is so much identification with gender and masculinity in particular that such an idea would probably be unthinkable as it would seem to imply a loss of identity and sense of self.

So I would agree that education is important, although I think it is far more important to be educated psychologically as many seem to be psychologically naive - after all how else does one fall under the influence of a high-control group? And there is no need to have an aversion to such an integrative process, there are successful intelligent women who are very capable of dealing with the masculinity of the world while retaining their femininity, although it is possible to feel torn and pressured to wear different hats rather than coming from a harmonious place.

Anyway, think I'll stop by the library to check out what Jung has to say about the anima and animus in the process of individuation..

1

If You are Away from JW Family During the Holiday Season

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

for obvious reasons, we have trouble with the upcoming holidays.

so i want you all to remember the alternative that was restored in the 90's.. festivus for the rest of us.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbfmmcf5-ds&feature=related.

how to specifically celebrate:.

Markfromcali

Bring on the Feats of Strength!!!

29

Mind Control on Dr. Phil

by brotherdan in

usually i'm not into dr. phil at all.

but yesterday he had on dr. philip zimbardo from standford university on the show to talk about obedience to authority.

now the focus was on people doing bad and cruel things when obeying authority, but i could not help but see how many of the psychological issues also seemed to take place in jehovah's witnesses.. for example, a man was waiting outside the studio when a security gaurd walked up to the waiting man with a supposed thief.

Markfromcali

Watching an old Frontline, The Persuaders (2nd chapter) and this quote stood out:

DOUGLAS RUSHKOFF: Ad strategist Douglas Atkin, an expert on the relationship between consumers and brands, says he had a eureka moment one night during a focus group.

DOUGLAS ATKIN: I was in a research facility watching eight people rhapsodize about a sneaker. And I thought, "Where is this coming from? This is, at the end of the day, a piece of footwear." But the terms they were using were evangelical. So I thought, if these people are expressing cult-like devotion, then why not study cults? Why not study the original? Find out why people join cults and apply that knowledge to brands.

32

Angels are all male?

by sabastious in

genesis 6: 1, 2 - 1 when human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of god saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.. so angels are only attracted to female humans.. anyone else find this extremely telling?.

-sab.

Markfromcali

Could have something to do with the earth/material stuff being characterized as female, can't say it in an articulate way right now but you get the drift.

BTW I just saw Bruno ...

29

Mind Control on Dr. Phil

by brotherdan in

usually i'm not into dr. phil at all.

but yesterday he had on dr. philip zimbardo from standford university on the show to talk about obedience to authority.

now the focus was on people doing bad and cruel things when obeying authority, but i could not help but see how many of the psychological issues also seemed to take place in jehovah's witnesses.. for example, a man was waiting outside the studio when a security gaurd walked up to the waiting man with a supposed thief.

Markfromcali

There's no reason why experiments has to be done in a lab either. If you wanted to know how something works in the real world it may just make sense to make it happen there.

Blondie did you mean to include a link? There is nothing after the second sentence where you mention a test.