humbled

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Posts by humbled

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  26

  Why isn't the world a frazzle?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a jw i had a lot of silly ideas that seemingly explained things i wondered about.

  arguments from ignorance or special pleading i suppose.

  actually, my conclusions were daft.. one thing i have wondered about and i don't know if anyone else has, is why man hasn't either rendered the earth to a cinder or why there haven't been more nukes go off against nations.

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  humbled

  Incompetence and backroom machinations in government are the result of special interest interference, imo. Money opens the door to that back room.

  Big money is a dim North Star to guide the destiny of nations. But it does. Lobbyists and the Citizens United give special interests a heavy hand in U.S. government. Some great exemplars of the money/power complex: the Koch Brothers. These are the best of the corporate breed and they are absolutely involved with government officials and policy making.

  They are compelling figures for this discussion since they also make contributions to the arts and other philanthropic causes. Also, they have the libertarian political view that people are capable of running their own lives. But....

  How often do they concern themselves with the impact of their business decisions on people's ability to run their own lives? Not at all if business is business.

  And are they viewed as immoral hypocrites in their community for this? absurd question! They are competent. They are successful.

  The hidden wheeling-dealing of special interest is as old as government. Business vision is not focused on anything but the bottom line. Competence has a hard time surviving in that environment.
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  22

  My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.

  and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.

  i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .

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  humbled

  Wednesday morning in the U.S.A.

  Six days to lift-off, fulltimestudent.
• 
  26

  Why isn't the world a frazzle?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a jw i had a lot of silly ideas that seemingly explained things i wondered about.

  arguments from ignorance or special pleading i suppose.

  actually, my conclusions were daft.. one thing i have wondered about and i don't know if anyone else has, is why man hasn't either rendered the earth to a cinder or why there haven't been more nukes go off against nations.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  humbled

  sorry, double post
• 
  26

  Why isn't the world a frazzle?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a jw i had a lot of silly ideas that seemingly explained things i wondered about.

  arguments from ignorance or special pleading i suppose.

  actually, my conclusions were daft.. one thing i have wondered about and i don't know if anyone else has, is why man hasn't either rendered the earth to a cinder or why there haven't been more nukes go off against nations.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  humbled

  It may be that multinational greed prevents any frazzling action from being taken (nuclear bombs, etc.). Multinational corporations are not altruistic or patiotic--"We are responsible to our stockholders".

  Working people who make up most of the soldiery in any nation's army, those who man the fighter jets, man the artillary guns, etc.--they only follow orders of policy makers.

  Who makes policy? The guys with the deepest pockets.

  Tell me I'm wrong.

  Greed preserves the hunting grounds.
• 
  26

  Why isn't the world a frazzle?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was a jw i had a lot of silly ideas that seemingly explained things i wondered about.

  arguments from ignorance or special pleading i suppose.

  actually, my conclusions were daft.. one thing i have wondered about and i don't know if anyone else has, is why man hasn't either rendered the earth to a cinder or why there haven't been more nukes go off against nations.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  humbled

  It may be that multinational greed prevents any frazzling action from being taken (nuclear bombs, etc.). Multinational corporations are not altruistic or patiotic--"We are responsible to our stockholders".

  Working people who make up most of the soldiery in any nation's army, those who man the fighter jets, man the artillary guns, etc.--they only follow orders of he policy makers.

  Who makes policy? The guys with the deepest pockets.

  Tell me I'm wrong.

  Greed preserves the hunting grounds.
• 
  22

  My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.

  and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.

  i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .

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  humbled

  LoL , Terry!

  It was long enough already--you didn't have to post it 2X

  Maeve

  PS-Good points anyhow.
• 
  16

  Is this desperation or common? What have you seen?

  by Wasanelder Once in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a "sister" i know is in her late 80's.

  her friend was 90 and on her deathbed.

  (just a week ago.

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  humbled

  FeelingFree--

  I LOVE YOUR PARENTS! I am so glad they were bave and left. I understand how they hurt to think of their legacy. But you seem to be a comfort right back to them.

  Truly, you deserve each other.

  Maeve
• 
  22

  My Lecturer booby-trapped me - Patterns of Authority in Early Christian Communities

  by fulltimestudent in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i have a 2500 word essay due next tuesday, so i shall be invoiced until then.

  and, i already have been turned upside down.. even though there are set topics for the main essay, it is possible to negotiate for an essay on a subject of personal interest.

  i'd been thinking about the development of leadership in the early christian congregation, so i asked my lecturer, if i could write on that.. he asked me for a brief outline of what i was thinking, so i reviewed my early thoughts - that jesus primarily had left no clear instructions (because he was expecting divine intervention and the restoration of the kingdom), but he had trained his disciples in missionary work - which i interpreted to mean that jesus expected his own ministry to continue, to provide the judean people with continued guidance, modelled on what he (jesus) had done.. but as christianity developed (and the expectations of jesus remained unfulfilled) a different model developed and i wanted to explore the model we see developing in the nt (think pauline) and where that model came from and then transformed into the monarchial model with bishops.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  humbled

  In other words, your lecturer rejects the line of pursuit that accepts that the only investigation of the early Jesus-followers is to channel the Orthodox Christian Canon of scripture as though it were the "gospel truth".

  Good for him.

  Interested in how this goes.

  The fragments found of the Gospel of Mary have always struck me as the road less traveled when any discussion comes up of Jesus the carpenter/teacher. It suggests a man more as that shaman-wanderer than a progenitor of Paul's religion.

  Please keep us posted, fulltimestudent!
• 
  30

  Do You Think All JWs Believe Whatever Their Religion Teaches?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  that same question applies to catholics, jews, islamists, baptists and so on.

  .

  just because you belong to a religion, does it mean you espouse every idea that they have ever presented?.

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  humbled

  I realize that they didn't... when I saw how scared the elders were of me just differing about a cerain matter ( not even a main feature of WT doctrine), well, it made my blinkers slip just enough that I HAD to think. Slowly, slowly.

  It was sickening that they were not free to talk to me or look at the bible with me--WITHOUT THE STENCILED PATTERN!

  It took a while to realize that if I had a disagreement, I had to stuff it like everyone else.

  I couldn't do it anymore--
• 
  16

  Is this desperation or common? What have you seen?

  by Wasanelder Once in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a "sister" i know is in her late 80's.

  her friend was 90 and on her deathbed.

  (just a week ago.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  humbled

  My Catholic grandmother at age 96 was thinking about religious stuff. Not long before she died I heard her ask this question: "I wonder if everything they told us is true?"

  My mother, her daughter, was disgusted--"She's too old to be asking questions like that."