This is what first started to wake me up. I remember sitting next to an elder at a Circuit Assembly who was not yet a Witness during the Vietnam War, but remembered many Witness young men who went to prison for refusing alternate service. He himself chose alternate service and worked at the US Post Office. I could see the pain in his face when this change happened.
truth_b_known
JoinedPosts by truth_b_known
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Alternative Military Service
by Sea Breeze in"what, though, if the state requires a christian for a period of time to perform civilian service that is a part of national service under a civilian administration?
… that is his decision before jehovah.
appointed elders and others should fully respect the conscience of the brother and continue to regard him as a christian in good standing.
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Rap Music That Debases Should Be “Cancelled “
by minimus ini find it interesting that we live in a cancel culture.
the influencers go after abraham lincoln, uncle ben , aunt jemima, the flag, the national anthem, people they perceive as not following their agenda.
in the midst of all of this, rap music and its dehumanizing culture are off limits to talk about.
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truth_b_known
Imagine calling PepsiCo and asking them if they would like to purchase advertising space on your public transit buses. Then tell PepsiCo that your bus company does not allow African Americans to sit on your buses. I am sure the PepsiCo representative would be disgusted with you and hang u the telephone.
Imagine calling a Sirius XM or Spotify and saying you have a catalog of artists who sing about -
- Trafficking in narcotics for profit
- Misogyny
- Murdering young men for respect
I am sure those companies' representatives would be disgusted and tell you to go kick rocks.
Now, imagine calling Sirius XM or Spotify and saying you have a catalog of African American artists who sing about -
- Trafficking in narcotics for profit
- Misogyny
- Murdering young African American men for respect
Those representatives would probably ask, "Is the music any good?"
There is one thing that drives all decisions in business, government, and organized religion - Money. As long as it is profitable to sell music that perpetuates violence in minority communities there will be such music.
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Do You Support The Death Penalty ?
by minimus indo you support the death penalty or do you think the worst punishment should be incarceration?.
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truth_b_known
The Texas stat comes from a 1992 Dallas Morning News article. The article is quoted by saying, in 1992, it cost 2.3 million dollars (US) to execute someone in Texas. The phrasing is misleading.
It costs about $22,000.00 a year to house a prisoner in the Texas prison system (TDCJ). That is if they do not have some sort of health issues that require constant medical treatment or surgery. Prison life is hard (for both the inmates and the correctional officers). A life sentence may only be 20 to 40 years depending on the age of the person at the time the start their sentence.
The real cost to the tax payers comes in with the legal appeals that death row inmates automatically get by law. For example - the first thing that happens is the prisoner's lawyer must get the trial transcript from the court reporter. A Murder trial that lasts 2 weeks will result in a court reporter charging the defense attorney about $60,000.00 for the trial transcripts. Then the attorney will charge the State about $200.00 an hour for his or her services in representing the defendant's appeal.
The actual cost of 1 dose of the drug used in lethal injection is about $17,000.00(US) and the one company on the planet that makes the drugs is now refusing to sell it to the United States as the company is located in a country that no longer practices execution of prisoners.
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Do You Support The Death Penalty ?
by minimus indo you support the death penalty or do you think the worst punishment should be incarceration?.
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truth_b_known
I always thought justice was about balancing the scales and making the victim whole again. I learned something from a Ted Talk from a speaker whose parents were murdered. Being raised Jewish, she was taught that she could not forgive the murderer as only the victim can forgive. Makes sense since the murdered person is the person who was actually wronged.
Imagine someone breaks into your house and steals your tv. The police locate the perpetrator. The criminal is convicted at trial. The court orders that the police go to the defendants home and take his tv. Then the State keeps the defendant's tv. You don't have a tv. The defendant doesn't have a tv. Now you're even.
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Would you leave the Watchtower if you woke up at age 80 plus, or just stay in for the rest of your life.
by pistolpete inso yesterday while i was doing some work for a customer, i noticed the wt mags on the sofa.
and i asked the elderly man if he was a jehovah witness?.
he said that he and his wife and all his children were raised in the religion, but only he and his wife attend the meetings or zoom.
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truth_b_known
Some famous Scotsman might have said something like, "All men die, but not all men are free."
Imagine being sent to prison to serve a life sentence at the age of 18. Now you are in your eighties. You are approached by a prison official who states that you can leave if you would like or just live the rest of your days in prison. Free room and board. Card games every night. All the raisin toilet wine you can drink.
You could only do what you would like in this couple's situation to a point. Then you would have to either life a lie or do what you want in secret. At some point it would be a choice of being a prisoner or being disfellowshipped.
Personally I'd chose freedom and make amends with my children.
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Watchtower fined in Belgium
by Vanderhoven7 injehovah's witnesses in belgium have to pay €12k fine for shunning policy.
news.
you have probably heard of the trial going on in belgium about the shunning policy of jws.
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truth_b_known
This is where the Watchtower's "Theocratic Warfare" will come into play. Disfellowshipped and disassociated Witnesses will be shunned. The Watchtower hold some sort of regional elders meetings where no recording or notes are allowed to be taken. The elders will be told by the Watchtower that new language will be used in the practice to get around this judicial ruling.
The official Watchtower stance will be that Witnesses are on their own to decide who they associate with and who they don't. If Witness just happen to shun someone in the congregation it is not sanctioned by the congregation or the Watchtower. Then it will be business as usual.
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Do You Support The Death Penalty ?
by minimus indo you support the death penalty or do you think the worst punishment should be incarceration?.
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truth_b_known
I used to support it 100%. Now, not so much. I have worked Murder cases where the only witnesses to the Murder were the suspect and the victim. We got a conviction. The State could not seek the death penalty in those cases as they were not Capital Murder cases (my state is very specific as to the circumstances that differentiate Murder vs Capital Murder). I would have a hard time with the execution of a person based on circumstantial evidence.
So, here is a counter question: Do you believe in redemption and, if so, do you believe all genuine seekers of redemption should be given an opportunity to attempt it?
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Strange midweek meeting '' initial call '' demonstration
by RULES & REGULATIONS incan it get any weirder?
here is a demonstration of a midweek meeting demonstration, showing a sister out in field service talking to a householder.
they are both wearing masks due to covid.
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truth_b_known
In the U.S. COVID-19 restrictions are done state by state. Several states have lifted all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
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God is Love , & other victim blaming in today's wt "study"
by waton insome thoughts for lurkers to free themselves from wt think: .
the "god of/is love" really applies tlc, tough loving care , to his beloved children.
letting them learn the really hard way.
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truth_b_known
The fundamental flaw of the Judeo-Christian belief system is that humans are imperfect and deserving of death (JW) or eternal punishment (the rest of Christianity). Then comes pride. Christianity teaches there is nothing we can do to earn God's grace. Christians nod in agreeance and say, "That's right!" However, those same people cannot accept God's grace is just freely given. They have to subject themselves to ridiculous rules and beat up on themselves because pride won't let them accept that grace otherwise. They're pride won't let them give value to something if they have not earned it.
Then we have those who believe the existence of pain, suffering, and death are proof that a god does not exist. Further, if a god does exist this god could not be loving while simultaneously allowing pain, suffering, and death to exist. For a god of love to exist that god must be the universal butler whose job it is to serve man and come to mankind's rescue.
Pain is inevitable. Pain does not happen to us. Pain happens. Suffering is what we chose to do with that pain. Death is part of the experience of life. To cheat death is to cheat ourselves out of the complete experience of living. Death gives life value.
People spend their whole lives searching for the answer to the question: Is there a god? The keep looking out in the world and out in the universe to find the answer. They come up with no answers. That's because they look outward instead of looking inward.
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Do You Get Easily Offended By What People Do or Don’t Do?
by minimus indoes using uncle ben’s food products offend you?.
are you offended if you see a flag?
what about a confederate flag?.
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truth_b_known
Being offended is an illusionary mental construct that protects the ego (another illusionary construct).
People cannot offend us. We chose to be offended.
I once had someone say something to me that might seem offensive. A bystander asked if I heard what was said as I did not respond to the insult. I replied, "Yes. The insult was offered and I declined. So the insult remains with the giver."