Posts by Xander

70

Renga

by LittleToe in

http://thewordshop.tripod.com/renga.htm .

as the winter sun.

casts long shadows on the road.

Xander

Sorry, you all just seemed to be having so much fun...

But the cutting blade bit deep
The life of words turned bitter

9

Easter, What Is The Real Truth

by Candle in

jw
friends

easter, what's the real truth: previously, and as found in most encyclopedias, most scholars took the view of "the venerable bede" who in 8th century england speculated that the name easter may have come from the name for the anglo-saxon goddess eastre.

but closer research shows several other possibilities.

one is that the name more likely came from the latin for "white week" that spring week when people wore white to be baptized as christians.

Xander

Christianity reached Germany in the 1500s the Christians there symbolized the resurrection hope, that is new life, via rabbits and eggs.

So, that fact that the local pagans were ALREADY using rabbits and eggs to celebrate fertility well before the 1500s doesn't strike you as a terrible coincedence?

This is not to say that the modern observation of Easter is entirely pagan, far from it:

persons taught that Christmas trees and Santa are pagan instead of the real truth

Santa I'll give you, buy only because the pagan stories vary considerably regarding his purpose (generally, pagan stories favor Santa as a punish-the-evil elf rather than bless-the-good).

However, I can't see how the Christmas tree's origins can be questioned. Pagans have been lighting trees for celebration of Yule for some time. This is, after all, the longest night of the year. Hence, the illumination of an evergreen tree (green symolizes life) is used to herald the return of light.

8

Insanity at the helm?

by chappy in

jw
friends

what the hell is this guy thinking!?.

(reuters) - citing a classified pentagon report, the los angeles times reported on saturday that the bush administration has told the defense department to prepare, on a contingency basis, plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries.

the military was also directed to build smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations, the newspaper reported.

Xander

When you guys wage war please do it in a nice way.

I'm not saying we must fight 'in a nice way'. I'm not a pacifist, and I realize war can be ugly. There is, however, a chasm between 'ugly' and 'nuclear'.

you could just use a tactical nuke and destroy the enemy

Do you really and honestly think the free world would tolerate the US using nuclear weapons openly in combat? Of ANY kind?!

How much more or less powerful is a tactical battlefield nuke than plane flown into the side of a skyscraper

Last I checked, the Hiroshima bomb would fall into the catagory we now call 'tactical nukes' (1-20kt). A big TacNuke, to be sure, but still merely a TacNuke.

Do you really want those going off all over a battlefield?

Have you read of the effects nukes have? Browse to www.fas.org and go to their 'weapons of mass destruction' page. Make no mistake - nuclear weapons are and should always be A WEAPON OF LAST RESORT.

This new report is a terrible change in perspective.

"in the event of surprising military developments"

Like, say, when the Chinese troops came into North Korea during the Korean War? If this new policy is accepted, that war would have gone nuclear then.

Or when N. Vietnamese armor actually started entering S. Vietnam cities. Okay to go nuclear then?

As I mentioned, I am not a pacifist. We MUST fight for our beliefs, we MUST maintain enough nuclear arsenal to act as a deterrent. We MUST NOT EVER use them again.

8

Insanity at the helm?

by chappy in

jw
friends

what the hell is this guy thinking!?.

(reuters) - citing a classified pentagon report, the los angeles times reported on saturday that the bush administration has told the defense department to prepare, on a contingency basis, plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries.

the military was also directed to build smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations, the newspaper reported.

Xander

we're all screwed if somebody accidently pressed the BIG RED BUTTON.

You're missing the point.

Why this review is dangerous is because it is redefining the 'big red button'. During the Cold War the 'big red button' meant firing tons of BIG nukes at enemy cities to wipe them out, with the expected return fire.

This review indicates Bush's administration is considering using battlefield (tactical) nukes AS A MATTER OF COURSE. Essentially, this proposal is suggesting that MAD only applies if the nukes used are big enough and targeted at civilians - that smaller nukes CAN BE USED FREELY without triggering WWIII.

The point of this review is that in the 'post cold-war world', various members of the government feel that nukes no longer need to be considered as a weapon of last resort.

That ANYONE in the government could take such a report seriously is VERY BAD.

47

Favorite food at Assemblies

by finnrot in

jw
friends

i hated growing up as a witness.

i hated the boring ass meetings where you could hear a pin drop on the floor, i hated going door to door and i hated not being normal like the other kids.. but the one thing i liked was going to the assemlies at the oakland coliseum.

i would wander around and find other kids to goof around with.

Xander

I am there with you on the burritos Seeker! lol and the cheap lime sodas bring back a lot of memories!

Damn straight! I *loved* those burritos. And the cheese danishes, too. The cheap lime soda + cold roast beef sandwich wasn't bad, either.

Oh, then flirting like mad with the girls for the lunch hour (as that was the only time they seemed to approve of JW-boys and JW-girls associating! [8>])

That's why I left the org, after all. No more convention food. That was it - the last straw. I mean, people dying because of the blood issue, child molesting, WTBTS joining the UN...who cares about all that. I just couldn't take the lack of convention food. [8>][8>]

16

Please don't discredit Apostate FLUFFERS!

by Smoldering Wick in

jw
friends

i'm not sure where we draw the line at fluff?

is it humor, sex, happy posts, personal experiences, life lessons?

who determines which post (or poster) falls into what category?

Xander

Awwwww...

I saw a thread on fluffing, so I came to visit.

But, this isn't what I was expecting at ALL when I read 'Apostate Fluffers'.

6

anyone here ever been a Satanist?

by gravedancer in

jw
friends

since most people do not understand what satanism is...i am just wondering how many have taken the time to find out what it really is and become followers of the practice.

Xander

but Satanism, like other paganisms

Just FYI, 'Satanism' has nothing to do with 'paganism'. Pagans worship a variety of Gods and Goddesses related to parts of the Earth and natural world. In essence, we are 'nature worshippers' (not accurate exactly, but close enough for an outsider).

Pagans DO NOT believe in a single almighty being, Pagans DO NOT believe in a single powerful entity of evil. Everything that is good and evil is already within everyone.

Satanists, on the other hand, believe in a being of evil that can be seperately worshipped.

It could be argued that Satanists have more beliefs in common with Christians than Pagans.

30

Alternatives to JWs

by Xander in

jw
friends

since there are new people coming to this board on fairly regular basis with questions about the jw religion, i thought i'd pose this topic.. many, upon leaving the organization, don't really know where to turn for guidance.

"look to yourself" doesn't really cut it when you've been told how to think your whole life.. many choose atheism, which is fine.

however, for those still looking for a religion, here is a site that lists many of the worlds major religious movements.

Xander

Did you expect to see it? IE., do you hold those beliefs now?

Just wondering. (67% JW?!? And you call yourself 'Apostate Man'?? Of course, since they only accept 100% JW, I guess that's accurate. Never mind. )

20

FLAG NIGHT AT THE KINGDOM HALL

by Danielson in

jw
friends

being tne sarcastic semi-doubter bastard i am ,i thought i would satisfy a rebellious inkling in my soul i've wanted to satisfy at the kingdom hall from earliest teenhood i wore a flag pin under my suit jacket!whoa i thought, maybe i'll get caught!

that made it irrisistable!so yesterday i did it!

funny beneath all the smiles of my brothers and sisters was the beast of indignation waiting to surface if the sight of the monstorous abomination would surface before their eyes!

Xander

Oh, Roy, that's awful [8>]

Wearing a sport coat for a talk?? C'mon - Dan would NEVER do anything so daring

30

Alternatives to JWs

by Xander in

jw
friends

since there are new people coming to this board on fairly regular basis with questions about the jw religion, i thought i'd pose this topic.. many, upon leaving the organization, don't really know where to turn for guidance.

"look to yourself" doesn't really cut it when you've been told how to think your whole life.. many choose atheism, which is fine.

however, for those still looking for a religion, here is a site that lists many of the worlds major religious movements.

Xander

Wow...{{warm fuzzy}}...I feel like I did some good. Let me know how it turns out.