Hey! In any of the old pioneer books or letters, does anyone remember a suggestion of raising pedigreed dogs or cats for money?? I read that somewhere (can't remember where now!) and it really irked me...I grew up in "Puppy Mill" Kansas...
asleif_dufansdottir
JoinedPosts by asleif_dufansdottir
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16
Shining As Illuminators - New Pioneer School Book
by truthseeker inhi everyone, i heard this first hand, although it remains unofficial at this point.. pioneers who are currently serving, will get the new replacement to the old pioneer book (1977).
i was told they most likely would go back to pioneer school to get one.
there is new information in there, though i wasn't told what it was.. bad news is (if you can call it that), that pioneers who are no longer on the list will not get the new book.
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65
Man gets life in prison for spitting
by happyout inman gets life in prison for spitting
wednesday, july 2, 2003 posted: 3:16 pm edt (1916 gmt).
story tools
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asleif_dufansdottir
Maybe men wouldn't get raped in prison if they didn't dress so provocatively.
I guess the only way a man will get a real jail sentence for rape is if he happens to rape a police officer while she's on duty. Why is it that endangering a cop of communicable disease by spitting on them (which, in my opinion, deserves punishment) is punished more harshly than endangering a woman way more so of those diseases by raping her?
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90
Williams sisters
by Phil ini was recently having a discussion with a jw on the extent to which the williams family are jws.
his statement was that only the mother is a jw.
papa?
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asleif_dufansdottir
From http://www.asapsports.com/tennis/1998lipton/032398VW.html in a March 1998 interview (yes, this was a long time ago)
Q. You could buy the whole program, make it into a Venus Williams program. I wanted to ask if you feel comfortable talking about this. I know you're a Jehovah's Witness. Do you actively visit and witness? Can you tell me a little bit about that?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Do I actively visit and witness?
Q. I'm not that familiar with that religion.
VENUS WILLIAMS: I understand.
Q. What does that entail for you? What do you do, I guess, to actively be involved in your religion?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Well, we believe -- it's just like tennis. You can't just go once a month and expect your game to be on top. You have to reiterate everything. We believe in good association, association with fellow Witnesses, not becoming too involved with people that don't have the same beliefs and same values that we do. We go to meetings three times a week. They encourage us. You learn there, you learn more, just continue learning until you get a better understanding of things. I guess you are aware that we do house-to-house witnessing. I can't do that at all because I'm on the road. Getting more popular, I don't know if I can go house-to-house. I'm thinking about that. People are going to say, "What about the women?" I'll say, "What about this?" I was thinking about that.
Q. Have you done that a few times?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yes, ever since I was little. Generally, I can speak to people about it.
(snip)
Q. I would like to get to the religious aspect. You grow up into a family, and this is the religious belief that's already there. So you grow up into something existing. Young people tend to reevaluate, question, challenge beliefs, then maybe accept them or maybe turn into something else. Did you ever go to a period where you actively questioned the set of beliefs that was put in front of you?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Never. Not just because my parents believe, but because I do. I think that some of the reasons why a lot of people say Serena and I were good kids, we're obedient, never going crazy, is because of our beliefs. In the Bible it tells us that disobedient children do not live all their days. I believe that. A lot of times, like, I'm thinking about it, if I was not a Witness, if my parents told me to do something, I was thinking would I do it or not? Would I do what I want to do? The main reason I do is because I want to obey them, because it will be best for me, and because I'm afraid that things won't go right for me. It's God's law. So I do it because of that, too. I mean, I have to. That's how I live my life and how we got our lives.
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90
Williams sisters
by Phil ini was recently having a discussion with a jw on the extent to which the williams family are jws.
his statement was that only the mother is a jw.
papa?
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asleif_dufansdottir
Venus and Serena (who, BTW, aren't JWs)
The media keeps reporting that they are. Where does the media get this information? As far as I know (I'm hardly an expert on them), they have not gone out of their way to stop from being referred to as JWs. They have not 'corrected' (again, AFAIK) the media. They make reference to "Jehovah God" on tape. They are hardly going out of their way to not be known as JWs (except for that whole professional sports figure thing).
Is there a difference (for "our" purposes) between an 'active, baptised' JW and someone who was 'raised in the truth and believes it but doesn't follow the rules'? Does the general public understand the fine points of distinction between these two 'types' of JWs (or those who call themselves JWs)?
Maybe they could hide behind their "unbelieving father" when they were younger, but it's pretty obvious that they're adults now and they are behaving in a stunningly untheocratic manner (competition, calling attention to themselves, wearing 'immodest' attire on international tv, not 'buying out the opportune time from worldly pursuits', that whole 'nose ring' thing of mom's) while still allowing themselves to be portrayed as JWs. At a minimum I would expect them to be getting pressure from the elders to publicly dissassociate or find another career path.
Yet they continue to be the poster child for 'what JWs are not supposed to be doing' while still being publicly identified as JWs. Something is rotten in Denmark. I don't blame the Williams themselves. If something fishy is indeed going on, it's the society who's at fault for not seeing to it that the rules apply to all equally (but then, we knew that already).
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90
Williams sisters
by Phil ini was recently having a discussion with a jw on the extent to which the williams family are jws.
his statement was that only the mother is a jw.
papa?
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asleif_dufansdottir
It doesn't matter what the Williams say they are. The only thing that matters is public perception. The way the whole Venus/Serena issue is going down, it is making other XJWs look like the reason their parents didn't allow such behavior was their personal decision. This is a joke.
Perhaps that's why they're allowed to do it. Maybe the whole reason that there are a few high-profile JWs who are allowed to flaunt "the rules" as we all knew them, is to give weight to the "personal decision", "conscience issue" argument that JWs are so fond of.
We know that 99% of JWs view a "suggestion" from the society as an absolute command from God (even if they don't all follow it strictly to the letter - they at least try to keep that from the attention of the elders)...yet the society dearly loves to hide behind "personal decisions" and "conscience matters" to try to keep from being sued or otherwise held accountable for people dying from blood transfusions or just being p*ssed off that they couldn't play organized sports as a child.
Maybe if there are a few very carefully handled cases of JWs flaunting 'the rules' and not being df'd or announced as bad association, JWs can still pat themselves on the back and tell themselves and the general public that all of us horrible apostates are 'blowing things out of proportion' and 'it's really not that bad.'
Maybe they have the rank and file so well under control that there's very little danger of them behaving like the Williams sisters or Prince, and it's worth the minimal difficulty to have those 'abnormal' ones to point to as an example when us bad ol' apostates are talking about what JWs are 'forced' to do or 'forbidden' to do.
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90
Williams sisters
by Phil ini was recently having a discussion with a jw on the extent to which the williams family are jws.
his statement was that only the mother is a jw.
papa?
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asleif_dufansdottir
So you think that other JWs look to the Williams as role models, eh? Sorta like they do Michael Jackson and Prince, huh?
Don't you think it's rather bizarre how most JWs have this love/hate relationship with the fact that these people are supposed to be JWs (past tense in MJ's case)?? On one hand it makes the religion more appealing to the average person, but on the other, it is soooo far removed from approved behavior that it makes them cringe.
Don't you think that every time a fan of one of the above (again, excluding MJ) gets called on in service, the JW who's calling on them milks it for all it's worth? "Oh yes, we're 'normal.' We're not a cult. See? We have members who have a life." The Society knows it's a marketing tool.
Why else would these people get away with dress and behavior that would get Joe or Josephine AveragePublisher df'd so fast your head would spin? Mikey didn't get his chain (publicly) yanked until he made Thriller, which was so obviously beyond the pale that they couldn't let it go.
Yet, as has been mentioned, it's a 2-edged sword for the JWs...let some young brother (or sister!) show up to a congregation gathering in something Prince would wear, or some young sister want to take tennis lessons or some kid want to play in a tennis tournament, or some Sister decides if Sister Williams can get a nose ring so can she (plus it's Biblical)...what would happen? So the JWs can use those celebrities as bait, but they have to be very careful about handling a fan of their who became 'interested', because it would be so obvious so quick that they are not 'normal' JWs.
I love Prince, but I cannot believe the crap he gets away with as a JW. I have a suspicion that, especially in his case, there is someone running 'interference' for him...keeping the more unpleasant aspects of being an 'average' JW away from him, and keeping the more...unusual...aspects of Prince more or less out of the view of the elders (or at least giving them plausible deniability). Strip away the celebrity status and take away the 'buffer' and drop him in some little rural congregation out in the sticks with some of the more self-righteous and power-hungry control-freak elders many on this board have had to deal with, and I don't think he would have ever become a JW, much less have stayed one as long as he has.
I never ceased to be amazed when I hear about musicians who are JWs...who make music that I have no doubt a member of my old cong would have been strenuously counseled for listening to (much less performing).
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29
We made it to Florida!!!
by StinkyPantz inwell we made it to florida, but the journey was not exactly what i would call a fun one.. .
as many of you know, my fairly new suv was totaled (by no fault of my own) one month before we were supposed to be making our big move.
well, we were forced to buy a car with limited income until the insurance company paid up.
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asleif_dufansdottir
SP! I'd been wondering what was going on with your move. I feel a real kinship with you, especially since I'll be moving 1500 miles at the end of the month to go to grad school. To Tempe, AZ, so it'll be hot and dry rather than hot and humid (my profile says we're already there ).
I know how it feels to feel like your future is hanging by a thread, so I was really empathizing with your car issues. My issue is whether we'll get this house sold by the time we have to move (we have accepted an offer and are just waiting for the inspection). We already have the condo in Tempe bought, so at least we won't have to do the house hunt.
GOOD LUCK in finding a place and getting your residency for in-state tuition. I'm still waiting to hear if I'll get a graduate assistantship or if I'll have to spend $12,000 my first year for tuition .
Doesn't it feel great to get your future in motion??
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27
Post your pointless "talents" here
by berylblue inmine is......(and this from a woman who will probably not notice the big a when it happens) .
i can find four leaf clovers anywhere, anytime...i never even really look.
just walking down the street, i'll look at the lawn and see one.
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asleif_dufansdottir
I can talk to cats.
Even when I'm not trying to. Actually, I guess it would be more accurate to say that cats have been known to seek me out and talk to me.
Total stranger's cats have come up to me and managed to get across to me that they were locked out of their house and wanted back in (do you know how dumb it feels to knock on a door and announce to a total stranger that their cat told you it wants in?? fortunately, the owners so far have been relieved to have their cat home). More than once.
A cat will bypass a roomful of people, including its owner, to come up to me and tell me it's hungry and it's food dish is empty, or it's water dish is empty and it's thirsty.
It's usually very specific information. I have no idea how the cat does this or how I understand it...I just know what they're trying to communicate to me.
Technically, I guess this talent isn't pointless to the cats involved. But it sure makes people look at you funny.
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Lightning Strikes Preacher Who Asked For Sign
by seawolf inlightning strikes preacher who asked for sign
bolt hits steeple, travels through guest evangelist's microphone
posted: 1:35 p.m. edt july 3, 2003 updated: 1:45 p.m. edt july 3, 2003
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asleif_dufansdottir
Good grief.
Stories like this always remind me of the movie "Oh, God"...which contained my all-time favorite movie quote dealing with evangelists (paraphrased except for the last sentence)...
Slimey Tele-Evangelist: "So, you speak to God, huh?"
John Denver's Character: "Yes"
E: "Did he give you a message for me?"
JD: "Yes"
E: "Really?! What did he say??"
JD: "He wishes you'd just stop."
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Growing up a gay Jehovah's Witness (My Life Story)
by m0nk3y ini feel the need to express how i feel and felt about my life as a gay man.
i was brought up from birth as a jehovahs witness.
this has played a major part in my life and it has been a real struggle to get past.
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asleif_dufansdottir
I remember a conversation I had with an elder’s wife. I wanted to know why some people were gay. She said, “It’s because they dwell on immoral thoughts”. And so I asked her “How do you keep yourself from thinking about other women”. She literally gasped and said firmly and loudly “I have never had immoral thoughts about another women!” And so I asked her “How does Ed (her elder hubby) keep from fantasizing about other men? She just spluttered.
Too, Too, TOO funny!!! I may swipe that as a comeback someday...hope you don't mind