ChasUFarley

Hubby gave me that book to read when we first met. I was freshly out of TWI - like days fresh - and the book was painful to read then. Painful because it hit the bullseye on what I had experienced. I HIGHLY recommend this book - it's tough to read but you won't regret it. I had to take it in short bits. It's not a big book - something you could read in an afternoon - but it's thick in wisdom!

Did they tell you about how they pinpointed the DAY that Armageddon would start? (Basically, the day the world was going to end.) Yep... they did - it was a public thing they released back in the late 70's. How do I know? I was there. :unsure: All hell was going to break loose that day - it was scary as hell. I really thought that a crack in the pavement was going to swallow me up that day. Anyhow, you know what? It didn't happen. How do I know? I'm STILL HERE. :) My Bible says that if a prophet is a true prophet then what he/she says will come to pass. In the Old Testament, prophets were stoned to death for a false prophesy. Thank God for grace, eh? (Whoops - JW's don't believe in grace, do they? ) (This isn't me saying your church president should be stoned - only that saved by grace is a doctrinal difference. I am very tolerant of other religions/beliefs.) I will say that the one thing I did take away from my JW experience was the one God (non-trinity) belief that I still hold true today. I still believe that God is Jesus Christ's father and that they are not one with the Holy Spirit, etc. They are on the ball with that teaching. Maybe you've answered this on other posts - so please forgive me if I'm asking you to repeat yourself - but what were your ties to The Way? I'm just curious what brings you here - you're most certainly welcome - I'm just intrigued by your current beliefs, I must admit.

I've HEARD that the older version of Nero can bypass the copyright coding on DVDs... and I've HEARD there's some shareware out there that you might be able to find if you Google it that will also bypass the coding...

gorp.... it's an acronym, for those of you who were WOW or Way Corps should know it - Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.

* bump *

Life is sexually transmitted...

They "rationed" toilet paper? Like, were you given like 20 squares a day you could use or something?

SLIGHTLY Yes, this is a DOCTRINAL forum, by title, but threads have been entertained here that have to do with everything from agnostic beliefs to Wiccan, to Zen Buddhist, to everything between. It's not limited to church, Christian, or cult (i.e. TWI) based views. It's not just theology. I thought I should mention that because some of the posts who had contributed to this thread are not Christian - yet I believe their beliefs should be respected as much as anyone else's, whether we agree or see eye-to-eye or not. It's their right and privilege to believe whatever and however they see fit. Peace.

starbird - no one is saying you can't discuss *your* beliefs however I think what is missing here is *why* this is your belief... it seems to me, who has posted counter points to your posts, that you don't wish to engage in any debate or dialog - you just harp on about your beliefs, with no personal validation behind them. It almost seems robotic and hollow, which is too bad, because as someone who has come across this issue in the workplace (a hospital), I would have thought there would be more information, history, etc. behind it. It seems more like an empty drum you're beating on and not a solid truth you've witnessed in your life, save two friends who have declined blood. You are more than welcome to post your beliefs but I think you're credibility is waning with your lack of personalization with each post, I'm sorry to say. Peace.

You just posted, didn't you? <_< Did you have to ask permission before you did it? Or did you just hit the "Add Reply" button like the rest of us? And hidden rules? If they're hidden, what makes you think we know about them?

I don't remember the posters name but one of the funniest posts I ever read was by someone who wrote about his or her WOW brother doing coffee enemas. The only thing is, the dumb guy didn't let the coffee cool off before putting it in the enema bag and dispensing it up his @rse.... they said they could hear him "OOOH!-ing" and cussing from the hot coffee...

I love it - very nice! The colors are good on the eyes and the new features work for me. Many thanks for all that you and Greasy Tech do to keep this place running - you guys ROCK!

I'm getting stumped at dinner time and need some ideas. Here's the dilemma: Kristopher, my 5 year old, will eat a lot of things but not spaghetti, eggs, green beans, or anything spicy. Andreas, my (almost 2 year old!), will ONLY eat pancakes, mac-n-cheese, baby food in a jar, toast, bananas, sausage, hot dogs, crackers, and that's about it... There's not many foods he'll eat but boy, can he eat those on the list! I'd like some simply, kid-friendly foods that I can make for the whole family that we can try.

And again... starbird dodges another set of questions...

Your two friends were fortunate. I sincerely mean it when I say I hope you are as fortunate if you are ever faced with a similar situation. But you still skirted my questions in my post. And questions in other people's posts. I believe you're not here for diaglogue but for preaching or for trolling purposes. Noni - I love the little gif in your posts of the cat in the litterbox - LOL!

It's hard to "define" in medical terms what leaves people, but did you know that when someone dies, they loose 5 grams of weight? What is "it"? (Rhetorical question)

I've been reading some of the reviews today - no one seemed impressed. The only place I saw anyone "excited about it" was on NBC - which is part of Microsoft... (MSNBC, anyone?)

I find it most interesting that starbird will got out of his/her way to discredit the acceptance of blood and call it suicide, but yet cannot look at what the statistics are for how transfusions and transplants will save lives. It is looking at trees with a refusal to open one's eyes to the forest that is around them. It's called bondage but then I wouldn't expect much different from someone who will not clearly answer questions or engaged in debate without baiting his/her own posts. First off, if the logic was carried through on abstaining from blood, then please tell me WHY JW's are not all vegans? Blood is in the meat that you cook and eat - why is that acceptable? It seems to me that all these scripture refer to eating blood products. There is no reference to having them placed in one's veins. I do know that some blood products are now acceptable. I believe it was the practice during the 1960's and 70's when a more extreme measure was taken by JW's to not accept any blood products at all. This has changed, that I am sure of. (I work in a hospital and very closely with the spiritual care and quality management department.) Also, it is not honest to say that ALL JW's embrace this belief - there is a rift within the organization about this practice. It is my understanding now that it is an individual's choice. Most hospitals have policies now that deal with JW's *extreme* beliefs and how the beliefs may be circumnavigated by a court of law to save a patient's life, especially in the case of a minor. [by the way - it is the JW's belief that is someone received a transfusion, it is not a sin of their own.] There is nothing heroic about someone dying because of a lack of a transfusion. Religious freedom, although permitted by this country's constitution, is not absolute in that people should not loose their lives to it when their lives could and should be saved. The Hippocratic oath that physicians take begins with the words, "First, do no harm..." To allow a patient to bleed out or become so low in blood, when the rest of the prognosis could be good, would be a violation of that oath. I do not believe that God could have possibly meant this to the extreme that it has been taken. The risks of a dying from a complication from a transfusion are 1/220,000 (some stats are lower - I picked a high one to be fair) - you have a greater chance of dying in a car accident or from electrocution or from being poisoned or from heart disease or ___________. So, why aren't some of those things not allowed by the religion? I mean, if the logic is that you "might die" from a transfusion, and the probability of you dying is higher from a MVA - then why are you allowed to drive? In pregnancy, blood passes from the placenta - part of the mother's body - to the baby. This is, for all definitions of the word - a transfusion. If it wasn't for this - none of us would be here today. Life started with a transfusion... think about it. The blood in your body now was once in some else's body - your mother's. The JW standards on transfusions and transplants has changed throughout the years. Its not written in stone and has "softened" compared to where it was 20-30 years ago. It's not black and white as starbird has stated and there's even a reform movement within the organization to change the policy. That alone speaks in volume to the practice and belief. Edited to add this note: The scriptures referring to abstaining from consuming blood also refer to the blood of things that are dead. Blood donations do not come from dead donors.

I got a tattoo last summer. :)

I used to be a vegetarian and probably will go back to it someday. I like the taste of meat but I liked how I felt (health) better when I was a vegetarian. I'm not one who is real disciplined to exercise, so its easier for me to regulate my diet than to make time to work out. I still ate dairy and egg products - I probably wouldn't give those up, but I prefer soy milk to cow's milk - I like the taste (and so do my kids). Perhaps when my babies are older I'll have more time to exercise but its not possible right now. I have concerns with how meat is processed - not just that the kill is humane but that the conditions are sanitary. Now I hear that radiation is being used to make sure meat does not have deadly germs. Its sad to think my hamburger glows in the dark - is it worth it? Also, why should something die because I feel like having a burger or a hot dog or whatever? Isn't there enough other food available on this earth? Honestly. For me, I guess, it's more about moderation than it is about a "cause"... Personally, anyone who is a radical _________________________ (fill in the blank with the group, cult, belief, etc., of your choice) is a big turn off. I just avoid people who live, sleep and breathe ________________________ - I don't bother with them. They're on their trip and I don't have time to understand it and far be it from me to try to change them.

I was always the overweight, bookish girl who was last picked for gym and started developing way too late. I never had a lot of friends - just a few close friends, who I'm still friends with today. I was picked on for my weight, my haircolor (red), and the fact my father was much older than most of the dads (my dad was almost 60 when I was born.) I was always sorta an outcast. My senior year I lost a lot of weight and sorta got more popular but nothing like the "in crowd"... However, when my high school reunion came around, I showed up and was warmly welcomed. I was more confident (the Word), had a great job with very good money, was single, and well dressed. I got chased a little by some of the single guys - guys who wouldn't have given me the time of day 10 years ago. I had a couple of people say, "I can't believe it's you!" It felt good. And - the thing that clenched the night for me was when the former prom queen showed up. She's packed on a good 100+ lbs since school and looked like Miss Piggy. She had way overdressed for the occasion - she was in a ball gown and looked like a meatball in traction. She was drunk and sloppy - people steered clear of her and all of a sudden, the tables were turned. Success is the best revenge.

I've had to get used to Mac OS X just recently because my PC with XP (Home Edition) is STILL in the shop... I'm loving OS X - it boots up very quickly. I haven't had to install a single driver to get it to work with my digital camera, photo printer, and other items that I work with. There's about five different ways to do the same thing - like burn a DVD - so you can pick what you're most comfortable with. The Mac has a built in camera, which is nice for video chat - something I want to try out soon. It's easily switches from user to user - if Kristopher wants to use it, its very quick and simple to get it to his account, which I have set up with parental controls, etc. on it. The version of Office for Mac is smarter, in my opinion, than the PC version - there's windows for formatting you can move all over the place, and select what you want to format, whether it's a table or footers/headers, etc. It's just smart to use. From what I've heard, Vista is a ripoff of OS X anyhow - I'll take OS X, thank you. Plus there's not a great need for all sorts of security software running in the background all the time and all the different drivers for this that and the other. We'll probably always have a Mac and PC in the house, but I'm really preferring working with the Mac.

I can't stand it when people don't look at my face when they're talking to me - if they're busy (i.e. doing dishes) or something, that's fine, but I hate it when people engage me in conversation and look at the floor or turn their backs. --------------- Now, my oldest son, Kristopher, is the poster child of quirks... He won't sleep with a empty cup or glass on his night stand - he places it outside his bedroom door, in the hallway, like you see in hotels when people are done with their room service tray. He has to have a nightlight on and his bedroom door has to be almost -but not quite - shut. He listens to music - the same CD - every night and doesn't want it turned on until he has been tucked in with the covers up to his chin. He has to have his security blanket - called "Yia Yia Blanket" with him when he sleeps or chills out. However, Yia Yia Blanket is a secret and he hides it in his closet whenever a friend comes over to play - he has told me that he has not told any of his friends about it and has made me promise not to tell anyone. He also won't go to bed until I first make his bed - the covers have to be perfect! Kristopher hates seeing me in my pajamas - he gives me heck when he sees them and says, "Mommy, you gotta go get dressed NOW!" Sweatpants with a drawsting tie at the waist will make him run out of the room - he hates them, for some reason. He can't stand it when I get my hair cut - he wants it back to however it was before the haircut. He gives me the greatest amount of guff about it! I pity the woman who hooks up with him... (he's only 5 years old - I can't imagine his list of quirks 20 years from now...)

I had never heard of this before. After reading the Wikipedia page you linked to, I can see where a knowledge of the Apocrypha would be beneficial in this case, as there are a few references to those books in the article. Very interesting...

Me too.