Ham

maybe I shouldn't ask.. is da "pastor" over thirty.. is he da "offspring" of mog.. does he really give a damn, besides his own sordid heritage.. You might answer "yes" to only the second of the two choices here.. as far as the "love boat".. if you think Bozo the Clown is the head of the church.. in a strange way, I must agree with you.. maybe you don't see it.. I dunno.. there seems to be a difference between a subservient and blessed flock..it's hard to divide the two.. do they "have" to be blessed?

Excuse me.. what the h*ll is it? just wonder.. "youve had over three years experience squeezing the life out of some poor gawd forsaken organization". Is that it? I'm just trying to figure it out..

"don't trust (or vote for) anyone over thirty." I think that's how I'll vote this time.. pick the one who is younger..

I love you Socks.. don't take it weird or anything.. sounds almost like a description of White House "occupees" .. well. Almost. Usually they are married first.. then the other "virtues" come later.. Sorry.. it looks like its a rampant disease.. where do we go from here? hmmmmmm. Maybe a new law.. "Politicians shall have no children." sorry.. just a thought.. I would be satisfied with "no incumbents shall enter".. and if the wonderful Greasespot machine will do its job, and merge this to my former post, I won't be raking in success of inflating number of posts..

so you know da truth like it hasn't been known since day one.. you'd better wear it well.. pretty ambitious if you ask me..

Maybe the question should be.. in regards to "red flags".. do we wear our skins, or do our skins wear us.. I've met some Roman Catholics who have worn their skins well..

"what if you found everything you believed was WRONG.." somebody asked me that once.. its a life long spiritual journey for some. One is born, raised in some religion or another.. never sees outside of their little box.. what does one do when the box is burned.. go look for another box? maybe try to find one that's *slightly* more fire retardant? heh.. seems its been one stepping stone to an island of "wrongness" after another.. the funny thing about all of this.. I knew I was *wrong* all the time.. It's like.. if someone wants to say.. "you're nuts".. I'd whole-heartedly agree.. It might be *nuttiness*.. but there is a strange peace to it.. EVERYTHING is wrong. That's the whole point of participating in this life, isn't it? everything is *perfect* on the other side.. or is it infinitely more intricate and competitive..

For the "believers education".. I would recommend.. Norah Jones. Come away with me. then.. feels like home.. I would rate these as highly as Beatles.. Rubber Soul, Revolver.. Magical Mystery Tour.. etc, etc.. heh.. a God-Daughter of the Beatles.. what more could one expect..

Wait till you look at Norah Jones.. "it" calls.. it will come..

No disrespect intended.. :)

:) you haven't seen anything, yet..

Ha! hey.. you (and me) can fit in, anywhere..

Heh.. it was the only character with the badge of mathematical excellence.. that made his way out of that existence.. I can't say it is (or were) me.. because I am still here..

If you ever have the time (or inclination).. I love the old Doctor Who series.. if you can stand the cheesy special effects.. Full Circle.. the brute confronts itself.. State of Decay.. it's a society that mathematically that can't exist, without some kind of oppressive source.. Warrior's Gate.. I won't say.. Fiction is fiction, isn't it? :) I wonder where the authors get this stuff..

seems.. what the "average" follower does not see.. or the scam would not perpetuate itself.. we are played one against another.. one "class" of society against another.. one religious adherence against another.. now, math, its hard to do this.. but they have their little (polite mostly) internal quarrels at times.. they generally agree on the methods and results.. but division seems to be the situation, one generation after another, and if one believes it, one lifetime after another.. who gains here? can't be da follower who avoids family, regarding them possessed of da enemy.. I dunno.. I've had to deal with this.. in ways I wish I didn't.. I've had to tell some who I love.. "your beliefs require you to think I am possessed. Now what are you going to do.." yeah.. I've been in those shoes before..

Ha! Like the claims.. Obama isn't really American.. he's an Islamic devotee.. he's getting a divorce.. he's.. (this, and that.. ad infinitum..) and the other side is no better.. seems we all are like the J.W.'s.. and Socks claims of the R.C.'s.. doesn't seem to make much difference how old or young the belief happens to be..

Wasn't there a native american story.. of the animals.. they could go to some designated cave, take off their skins, and realize they were all the same..

at this point.. the "cult" label seems freely thrown here at times.. I think they ALL are cults. every last stinking one of them.. not limited to religious. I'm in one of the larger intellectual cults at the moment.. maybe the difference is.. it isn't the individual that sets the standard.. its a mathematical proof.. but a "destruction of SELF" is not required..

and I am (or wasn't) trying to be mean or beat you, Mr. Socks over the head with anything here.. as far as "mainstream" or lack thereof.. I cannot include one's beliefs with my choice of friends. Now there has to be some reasonable assumptions. 1. You are not willing to burn, stab, shoot or otherwise assault me on account of my beliefs.. and most of the time that seems to be asking far too much of a lot of people.. I can't make friendships or connections based on belief. Past failures convince me of that.. Who gives the control? Well.. in the USA it's supposed to be a fee society and all.. the individual either affirms or disaffirms the control that one party exercises over another.. sometimes with or without consequences.. as far as "controlling oversight".. it was SUPPOSED to just be a bible study.. some group reading a book to try to get a little bit of truth and make some sense out of it..

but with the JW's.. wasn't there an evolution as to who was "the best"? I mean.. you start with da 144000.. faithful followers, sons of the sons of Israel.. and what happens when you have more followers than slots to fill? well.. mathematically there is something called the pigeonhole principle.. you have more slots than selections.. then some selections won't have slots to fill.. what do you do with the ones that don't "fit"? well.. maybe one has to dream up different slots for them to occupy.. can't all be clergy.. maybe some can be staff.. or Branch coordinators.. or just go through three grueling years to have the coveted "twig coordinator" position.. sounds like the same thing to me..

It was kind of "cool".. I was da Squirrel incognito.. rescued from da den of lions.. I have much more to say, but all that is just the result of a vivid imagination..

Perhaps. But I think what doesn't get lost in the comparison is "too-much-Wayfer-like-must-Sux". It's like.. perhaps one has an isolated, non-mainstream dogma one adheres to.. fine. Doesn't bother me at all.. but then one adds a controlling oversight for the "standard" (whatever or whoever that is) follower.. and it starts smelling a little bit like a cod left on the dock a little too long.. then ultimatums from the pulpit, how devilish holders of different opinions have become.. kind of like.. the very last offshoot meeting I attended. No kidding. The "main teaching".. it was during an election year. "Now these liberals are so... spiritually compromised.. *they* are not like *us*.. who know da *truth*.. You'd think they'd just scooped up the flounder, or whatever indistinguishable sea creature it was and properly disposed of it.. but in the good old USA.. NOOOOOOOOOOOO.. it went further. "they are at the least influenced by da prince of darkness.. maybe even infested with debil spirits.. they might not turn homo today, or tomorrow.. but..." the most "unsettling" thing here.. a half dozen of supposed educated people sat, heads bobbing in affirmation.. I was one of them. I left the room while not turning my back.. my head bobbing as well.. and never went back..

I could derail my own thread further.. hey.. if if goes onto some crazy colored bus.. I'd go in a moment.. there are those who can't forgive me.. for doing something I never did.. Interesting or not? It's just the way it is.. I'm sorry I couldn't be gawd almighty.. I tried.. believe me.. Yeah.. I wish I could fix everything.. :)

Kesey spiked it with the absolute finest that Sandoz laboratories had to offer at the time.. he described Owsley's interpretation as something like second rate.. or the best that one could come up with at the time.. the Government always has the best drugs..