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

voices in my head dancing
not to me, they're not gone yet

trying to keep it dynamic here...hehe...

33

Y R U AVOIDING THIS?

by puzzled in

i was just reading moxy's post "biggest mathematical miracle in the world" .

and as i was reading all the logical reasons why it would have been impossible at least physically impossible, for that many israelites not to mention even one, to wonder through the desert 40 years and not leave a trace of their even having been there.. the only thing that seems to be more incredible then that is how many people on earth believe it.

regardless of weather it's true or not what is it that continues to inspire millions and billions of people to continue to believe?

Xander

I really can't believe you can even stomach the Bible Code crap?

Gods, I had no idea this was in there. Hehe. I'll have to try and dig up the website on this. The 'Bible Codes' are total BS. Using a computer, one can find patterns in the Bible saying everything from Hitler rules to Elvis is still alive and well.

It's a riot, really.

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

That's really a neat little 'quiz'. I tend to find quizzes completely annoying, but for someone that is not all that interested in religion, it's a good little link to see if there is someone else out there who thinks about things like you.

I think the reason many of those quizzes are annoying is because they try and match you to something loosely defined. Like the 'Which Star Wars character are you' or 'Who would be your best friend from Dawson's Creek.'

In order to get them to work, they have to make up characteristics for the characters, who are complex people.

Its ironic, but religion is much, MUCH simpler. Each religion has a set of rules and guidelines. Just feed them all into a database, ask the user some intelligent questions, and you can peg which group of people thinks like they do.

It is kind of neat. IIRC, when I took it I was 100% match with pagans and something like 4% JW. My wife was more like 80% Quaker as a best match, and something like 30% JW match, IIRC. Liberal Protestants were up there, though.

A, AGuest, uhhhh....Idon'thaveanyideawhatyou'retalkingabout

10

Edeteing disaybled

by bboyneko in

jw
friends

eye dont layk this disaybeled editeng beecauz thean eye cent gou bak und chang mei postz and corekt forr spellink az eye em nut the bast speller in tha woorld.

Xander

ohh damyt, win dedd tehy terrn oph teh ehdit feechur.

mI en reel depe schet gnow

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

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. It is very unbiased - as each section is generally maintained by followers of that belief.

(The site even covers Atheism, check under 'Secular Philosophies')

http://www.belief.net/index/index_10000.html

If you don't know where to start, it has a neat survey it calls a 'belief-O-matic'. You answer a number of questions relating to how YOU think about spirituality/god/etc. and it will present a list of religions and how you match up.

(Interestingly enough, JWs are actually represented here. So if you take the test and come out as 100% JW - uhhhh...)

http://www.belief.net/story/76/story_7665_1.html

22

Do you celebrate Holidays after you leave?

by Lalis in

hi everyone im new in here i was just curios does anyone here after leaving the j.w.

organization celebrate any holidays without a problem?

or attend birthday parties and stuff like that without it bothering you?i know i dont have a problem with it.i dont celebrate any major holidays but thats because after so many years not doing it i would feel weird doing it now but i dont have a problem being invited to a gathering that has to do with any of the above.

Xander

FWIW, here is a site with a fascination calender of holidays sorted by religion:

http://www.earthcalendar.net/2002/religions2002.html

22

Do you celebrate Holidays after you leave?

by Lalis in

hi everyone im new in here i was just curios does anyone here after leaving the j.w.

organization celebrate any holidays without a problem?

or attend birthday parties and stuff like that without it bothering you?i know i dont have a problem with it.i dont celebrate any major holidays but thats because after so many years not doing it i would feel weird doing it now but i dont have a problem being invited to a gathering that has to do with any of the above.

Xander

Almost all of the holidays origins were christian, not pagan

Ummmm...what? I hope you're being sarcastic here...the JWs are actually correct about the origins of the holidays.

Trust me, I'm a happy pagan who observes them.
My Samhain is your Halloween; Yule is your Christmas; Imbolc is kind of on its own; Ostara is your Easter; Beltane to May Day; Litha doesn't have a protestant festivity, but the Catholics celebrate the Feast of St. John the Baptist; Lughnasadh is another one without a direct link, it's observed July 31st; Mabon roughly corresponds to Thanksgiving

Obviously, though, they are right off their nut regarding birthdays and national holidays. I mean, really. Why is an anniversary okay to observe, but not a birthday? Go figure.

70

Renga

by LittleToe in

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

as the winter sun.

casts long shadows on the road.

Xander

Hmmmm...where to go from there....let's see, lots of angles, how about...

more unfruitful harvesting
as homes are empty till late

19

Haiku

by ghenrymt in

quiet, dark midnight.

stars shine clearly and brightly.

aurora dances.

Xander

This one really got me laughing. Thanks, Xander.

I like doing simple poems, so I'll probably throw a few more up. Mine have been alternative between Senryu (basically, 5-7-5 poem that discusses emotions and relationships - essentially 'the human condition' as opposed to nature, which is what Haikus address) and just spoof-Haikus. But, I'm sure no one cares.

BTW, anyone want to start a Renga? Maybe a Rengay? Now *that* could be fun!

6

new article on jw loss in courts

by orbison in

jw
friends

jehovah's witness lose bid for intervenor status.

vancouver/cknw(am980)-- the b.c.

court of appeal has denied intervenor status to the jehovah's witness faith, in a case involving a woman who died after refusing a blood transfusion.. the judge has ruled there would be no benefit to allowing the religious community to make submissions.. two doctors named in a medical negligence lawsuit are trying to have the case thrown out of court, based on a pre-surgery release form daphne hobbs signed, refusing permission for blood transfusions on religious grounds.. she died from massive bleeding following a hysterectomy at chilliwack general hospital six years ago.. the woman's husband and children are suing, claiming it was negligence by the doctors that led to her need for the blood.

Xander

these are the quaestions a doctor should be asking.

[Mr. Peabody voice]
Well Sherman, stepping into the not-so-wayback-machine, we arrive at my youth.

Here, at a local Kingdom Hall, we see the tale retold of a young girl who had a blood transfusion forced upon her by the court. Why you ask? A good question, my boy, for the reason is simple. The judge asked her to recite not 1, but the first FIVE books of the bible in order, and she could not.

Yes, and for THAT reason, my mother decided to make my brother and I memorize every book of the bible in the correct order such that we'd be able to pass this 'test' if it came upon us.

Now, applying this to todays...
[/Mr. Peabody Voice]

Christ, do you really want another generation of kids being forced to memorize those questions?!? That's all that'll happen, you know. The society learns of new attacks, and makes up new scare-tales for the youngins.