Twinky

So what you're saying, Mike, is that TWI was never academic, despite (1) its purported "degrees in theology" (and a degree is a recognized level of education - it's a bit more than a school leaving cert) and (2) the Research Dept was no academic thing, either. If TWI had really thought its product was any good, it would have circulated it widely. After all, that's what most authors do, isn't it? And anyone who has researched God's Word would (by your argument) want to share it because it belongs to every person, or is it every believer? I can't remember your "qualification" from other threads. And some of the authors sell into an academic market, and some, like Ortberg and Yancey, sell to people who want more readable material. But that isn't what TWI wanted. It would be embarrassing (at best) to be found out in plagiarism. And even any original works (like the collaterals - if indeed there were original material there) couldn't sell in a wider market; there's so much better stuff available in an already over-provided market. Never mind being "peer-reviewed," these things wouldn't stand up to being reviewed in any other than a captive market. I think your comment, "It was a rural farmer country church family. Plagiarism doesn't matter there" rather belittles the abilities of rural residents. I think if they knew he was stealing other people's intellectual property, they'd be outraged at the idea that he was passing such off as his own material. There's probably a higher level of trust among country folk, and they don't like the theft of their own machinery and equipment; stock, crops and animals. Whilst they'd probably gladly share ideas on production, etc, with their own kind, they'd probably be pretty upset if someone took those ideas, patented them, and tried to sell the ideas back to them.

Tell you what about the video: it burns well. I thought at the time it was a great production. When I came to sorting through a load of Way stuff decades later, I had a quick look and watched the first 5 or 10 mins, felt terribly embarrassed at my previous Waydaze opinion, and decided to toss the tape in the woodburner.

Oooohhhh! Conspiracy theory!!!!!!!!

Hello, annio. Welcome and stick around! I met G33r quite a few times when he was at Gartmore involved in the Way of GB. Arrogant and soooo puffed up. Cold, heartless, and mean. There's a few threads about him here. In the meantime, a warm, hearty welcome to you, and someone will be along soon with some coffee for you to settle down with. Seems like my signal for a waiter summoned the wrong kinda coffee.

Hah! You cracked it, T-Bone. So we can legitimately call him "doctor" W.

It was never going to go far, no matter what forum it's in. As you can see, people found it and posted on it. So why complain?

I haven't done curling, but I have done lawn bowls (rink bowls), which is a little similar. The bowler has to be very aware of the line, the weight of the throw, positioning, how to block opponents and how to "blast" them. A lawn bowling ball is not perfectly spherical, but slightly flattened on one side, which can affect the way it rolls at the end. I would think a similar thing applies with a curling stone, as to how much curl is put on it. Geometry, if you like, comes into it, too - if you hit one bowl or stone, where will it go, what else will it hit, and so on - a bit like snooker, which also appears to be a bit of a boring sport. I saw the UK/Japan women's curling semi final yesterday. I thought it very exciting. Both teams, all players, were so skilled and totally engrossed, concentrated. We need to be ready to appreciate the skills of all the competitors, no matter which team they're on. One's own favored team wouldn't show so well against a bunch of doofuses (unless it's the Korean hockey team - I do feel sorry for the S Koreans, who had real potential). To be a great team requires a great opponent. Iron sharpening iron, and all that.

T-Bone, I watched a very exciting women's semi-final today. It is a game that requires a lot of skill, and there's a lot of strategy. Now as for the idiot Russians who were caught doping... after being allowed in under a special arrangement... I feel a bit sorry for the wife of the Russian curler who got banned - but at least she gets to keep her medal, as I understand it. Only he has lost his. Have you watched those snowboarders? Man... talk about no fear! Scary!!

That's so funny, RottieGrrl.

Astounding! In response to SoCrates’ question Mike replies: For one, it wasn’t “strongly urging” – it was mandatory. For two, and this really riles me: in my opinion, these are far worse (to name but a few). And they're not just "wrong," but mostly illegal: raping young women drugging them breaking up marriages enforced abortion Not to mention > theft > bullying > outrageous hypocrisy Set against those, forbidding to marry is small beer. By the way, can I bring this to mind:

Mike, you said this:

Okay, well, contact lenses won't work. Very different problem. Prisms sometimes help, but they are weird to get used to. Pray for healing??

Feel free to post ONE THING that you learned from PFAL here, and what its benefit has been in your life. After all, this is called GROWING PAINS and if you learned something from PFAL that is not available elsewhere then let's hear it. I discount anything from the material that was plagiarised (stolen) from other authors. Alternatively, you could start your own thread - "Things I learned from PFAL" or some such title.

I've worn contact lenses for about 45 years. One is for distance vision, the other is a reading lens. It took me at least 30 years to work out that the lenses functioned differently. My brain automatically selects the focusing distance it needs and I am completely unaware of which eye I am focusing through. Uncorrected vision in the dominant eye is -7, in the other eye -2. I don't think it works quite like that with spectacles, as the lens is further from the eye. Mike, you might want to try contacts if you are still having problems. Soft lenses are very easy to adapt to.

Mike, try reading my two posts of 10 hrs ago (higher up this same page 12).

How I love the way Mike picks and chooses what he will write about. Ignores me as usual, except when he thinks I support some point of his. Which is inevitably an untrue assumption by him. At least from a brick wall there's a possibility of an echo. Good post, as usual, T-Bone.

Shunning is such a mean and cowardly act. The JWs are just like TWI in the way they've hurt this family. I can see the poor woman who killed her family as being mentally ill herself, caused by their callousness.

But this needs shifting from About the Way. What fellowship has light with darkness?

Just heard this. A great loss. A brother in Christ of whom the Lord will be saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

Mike, you don't need to WITNESS (by which I assume you mean observe, or perhaps be the object of) evil to know it. And to know what it is. D'ya reckon Eva Braun thought Adolf Hitler was a nice man, and his actions could be separated from the Nazi regime? Would you look to Mein Kampf for guidance in life issues? Or, bang up to the minute, d'ya suppose Jacob Zuma's six wives think he's a great guy, was great for the country of South Africa and did it a lot of good - despite the serious corruption charges that have forced him to resign from the presidency? Would you look to what he said (rather than what he did) for guidance in life issues? You are surrounded here by a "great crowd of witnesses" whose evidence covers at least three decades of TWI history. Pretty much all of those witnesses attest to the dictatorship of and corruption within the regime instigated by a certain person. To persist in denying the evidence of these many witnesses is to say that they are at best delusional and at worst, outright liars; frauds, perhaps. You slap the witnesses in the face by continually denying their evidence; you insult and belittle them. WHERE is your new-found empathy? Why can you not hear? Why can you not see? Does Gen 3:1-13 apply in your case? Then the Lord God said to Mike, “What is this you have done?” Mike might have said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” But he didn't, because he still doesn't see that he has been deceived. Have a good look, Mike. Who has deceived you? The great crowd of witnesses here quietly drinking coffee, or the person who's been nicking the toilet paper?

If you look back at old threads, you'll find that the GS community HAS ALREADY HELPED VERY MANY PEOPLE to recover from the hurt inflicted by TWI. And if you, Mike, adopt a realistic model, and not the "Pure Good" that you seem to have adopted, you might find that you could help much better those who are trying to escape TWI's influence. And not just those people - you could help much better those in the world who suffer so many difficulties in daily life.

You're not into bright colors, OS?

Hi Mike. That's a more encouraging response than I'd expected. Thank you. I do have to take issue with you on one point: It's not so much "will" or "desire" as hearing the deeper heart issues, the words that are not said, the hurt that is not expressed. Sometimes a carefully worded question will elicit further information, and sometimes not. Sometimes the "action that assists" is simply to be there, to sit, to let the person talk - or not. And you listen with your inner heart, listen with as much as you can understand of God's heart. It's called empathy (not at all like sympathy!). I do not think you will get this level of intimacy at a dance club involving hundreds of people. That's a way of being with people, without actually engaging with them as individuals. In any large group, there is little space for intimacy. Sad to say, people can even go to large churches for years and yet never get engaged or involved with others, and so their needs go unmet.

Send him to the electric chair!

Welcome, GoldStar. Full marks for finding us. As you've already noticed, we have the occasional bunfight around here. But at least, we're at liberty to disagree Have fun!