Belle

Adding it to mine, too! :D I'm currently reading "Why People Believe Weird Things" by the guy that started Skeptic Magazine and www.skeptic.com - can't remember his name right now, though. GT, I just finished reading a section about science, scientists and religion and he basically says the same thing that you do: Except that he also points out that scientists often and frequently have their work proved to be invalid and once it is, they accept that and move on to the next experiment because one more thing ruled out gets one that much closer to "the truth" - scientifically speaking. Scientists also want, accept and encourage others to test their conclusions. Religious people are insulted when someone questions or tries to test their belief. But, also there are scientists who DON'T rule out a God - Heck, even Stephen Hawking accounted for God with his Big Bang Theory! He developed the Big Bang Theory, but always maintained that we don't know WHAT or WHO caused the big bang. ;) He believed in God, but not the same way most "religious" people do.

Yeppers! Y'all used to make my head spin! LOL! Too much WayBrain and a person has a hard time thinking, much less keeping up with such scholarly debates. I love to come down here when there are valid discussions going on with people who know how to discuss things and ask questions rather than merely attack or stalk people. I have learned sooooooo much in this past year and feel like someone who has been under a rock for ten years. We were never allowed or encouraged to learn about other people's beliefs, cultures or customs and all we did learn was insults like we still see here from a particular poster....All based on ignorance and from what someone "else" has said instead of actually learning, listening and discussing things. I've learned to think and not just re-read what I've been told something says. I've learned about the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi papers, different theological views, different resources that are out there and so much more and what's really exciting is that there's so much more out there! IT's fun! It's an adventure! Now I feel capable of going back through those debates with Jerry and Raf and like I might actually be able to comprehend some of them without my brain blowing up from spinning too fast. :P I love being able to discuss ideas and to watch the pros discuss them, especially. I always learn something down here, even if it's just to be thankful that I don't think like "that" anymore.

ROFLMAO!!! Rascal that really takes the cake!!! (no drinks, though, please) :P

:D :D :D :D

Let's see...... It's good for scraping candle wax off things. It's good for scraping goo off the kitchen counter. You can use the height to measure shots in a glass You can wear it to places where no one has heard of TWI and lead them to believe you're someone very important. You can glue a magnet to the face of it and attach kitchen magnets to it for changes in accessorizing your wardrobe.

Well, it's official! You may now refer to me as Rev. Belle. :) HOWEVER, I do prefer just "Belle" in keeping with the traditions I grew up around. Our pastor was called Dr. Lloyd growing up but that's because he actually earned his doctorate. The pastor after him was called Mr. Smith because he didn't. He wasn't "Reverend" Smith, just Mr. Smith and "Mike" to the adults. Kinda like my great uncle is Jack or Mr. Jones, pastor of the local church.... I just want to know if I can park in the clergy parking spot at the hospital now. :ph34r:

Everyone should put Weenie Roast on their prediction list and make it happen! 'Course I'm a biased weenie roaster, now. :)

I usedtacould play spoons, a wash stand and a jug - not all at the same time, though. :D But it's been about 15 years..... I'm sure all the talented GSpotters on here could put together one mean album. What would you call your first album?

Clear as mud, Oakspear! I think sometimes we just agree to disagree, but here it looks like the majority agree that it just doesn't matter in the whole scheme of things. That's where I am. I spent too many years arguing over jots and tittles and I don't give a sh1t about 'em anymore. I don't think God does either. He/She most likely laughs his/her head off at how anal people can get over a book and how they put God in a box. It's so much bigger than that and, like several mentioned above, it's the living and doing that matters, not the learning, studying and reading & writing.

Raf, I'm so sorry! It's a creepy, twilight zone kind of atmosphere, isn't it? At least that's how it was for me last year. Like Moony said, I hope things start to get back to normal quickly. Florida officials are experts at hurricane recovery now, so hopefully people won't be inconvenienced for too long. You have family down there, too, right? Are they all okay? Please do let us know how the restability goes for you.

Mine too, Skyrider. I wave it toward NK every once in a while just to make sure they know.

Bringing this to the top for a friend of mine who recently left TWI. :) Proud of Ya, Dude! ;)

Got a whole CD or three of 'em, David. This one seems to be mostly Fresh - did I mention I loved his posts? :P I'll divvy 'em out slowly though so as to not monopolize the board.

You're completely correct, MIT! They were just looking out for my best interest. I shoulda remembered that! :P craig did teach about Jesus learning via scuttlebutt about something he had to set straight, didn't he? Or was it Moses? Can't remember..... But I do remember the lesson....scuttlebutt and gossip can be a useful thing....very useful thing - especially when catching TWIts disobeying the internet rule. :o

Welcome, MadeItThrough! Your experience sounds all too familiar. People can't think for themselves anymore. :huh: We had a party once at our house and, as good little wayfers, everyone arrived ten minutes early, but our HFC called and was going to be late. (Which is a whole nother story in and of itself) Anyway, we had a few guests and visitors at the party and I was expecting people to mingle, talk to them, make them feel at home, etc. I did mention this was a PARTY, didn't I? :ph34r: Nope, nada. Everyone sat quiety with their hands in their laps. I couldn't get anyone to start in on the food and drinks. Couldn't get anyone to talk to our guests, not even to talk to each other. Everyone sat there so quiet just looking at each other. Once the HFC finally showed up and we were allowed to start the "agenda" for the party, people lightened up a little bit, but it was like they were characters with roles to play and they didn't start acting until told what to do and how to act. Pathetic. We lost all sense of social skills and general b.s. small talk ability in TWI. Just zombies smiling when told to, serious when told to be, melt your face mad when we don't know what else to do. Just pathetic.

I wanna be ordained! Mama would be so proud! :P Goey, this is why I miss the simple small town southern ways. Most of the churches are run by lay ministers and volunteers. There is no "staff" and everyone is invited to any and all meetings about "church business". My great uncle is a Baptist minister at the local church, he retired from preaching when he retired from the Post Office (his day job) and now only preaches when the new minister has to be out of town. He's no better than anyone else in the church and, if you met him, you'd have no clue this man was an ordained minister and no one calls him Reverend, either. He's just Jack Jones who preaches on Sundays in his overalls. B)

There's lots of contradictions in here..... One minute they're "fighting for the people" and the next they're in someone's face. :unsure: I think I'm beginning to see where Craig got his "I yell because I care" attitude. And what's with making sure he points out every single compliment that vee pee gave him? He certainly is in Wonderland and I wonder how many of those compliments reallly happened and how many were said rather tongue in cheek.

Everyone had to teach and lead in our area. The HFC and assistants would get together and plan out the next three to six months worth of teachings for the fellowship. You had to turn in your personal schedule for any nights that you might have to miss fellowship. That included any excuses (which had to be good excuses) for your absence. You'd come to fellowship after the meeting and get the schedule for the month including the times you would be teaching, leading or tag-team teaching with someone and what your topic would be. Teaching topics were already assigned by HQ and they consisted of either a STS or Way Rag article. There was absolutely no option for teaching on something you felt the fellowship would enjoy, needed to hear or that you had been working in your personal life. Well....you weren't supposed to be working anything in your personal life that wasn't already approved (see STS & Way Rag topics).

Give the guy a break, y'all! He's working two jobs and probably doesn't have the money nor the time and surely not the intelligence to figure out how to use a computer. Remember that this is the guy who is afraid of microwave ovens and suggested that we get rid of the things or at least unplug them until we knew for sure they weren't going to blow up during Y2K.

Nato, was probably 1997 or 1998 that we had wanted to go and were told that visitors were no longer welcome at Gunnison. I always wondered why my money was good enough to go to Gunnison, but I wasn't. It wasn't permissible to bring it up to my ex more than once, though.

Why? Who says? Isn't that a subjective viewpoint? It precludes that one must believe that the Bible is the God-breated word, inerrant and not entirely put together by men with political agendas. It also precludes the notion that perhaps there might be scrolls and information that should have been included in the Bible. ;)

What a beautiful day this turned out to be! I have the windows open, sweatpants and a t-shirt on. It's the PERFECT temperature and the breeze is blowing so nice, but not too much. I have all the windows open and it smells so clean outside! I've also been working on reports at my computer all day. Pity I couldn't be out enjoying the beautiful day.... Oh well, I was supposed to be cooped up in an office with no windows all day - so it could be worse. B) Shellon, Rascal explained it as well as I could. I should never have put the trash out. If the wind had gotten really ugly, my garbage would have been dangerous projectiles.....dangerous projectiles I had already spent time trying to protect my house from.... but if you have to explain it, then it loses the humor... Sorry I'm so weird. Maybe I should just be dork of the year for that reason alone. :huh: I hope Raf, Moony and our Southern buddies are alright!

Why wouldn't they start by offering to rent the cabins to their very own people? I don't understand why you would advertise it in "the world" and NOT advertise within your own organization. Doesn't make sense to me at all.....unless they know that they don't have any people left who could afford to take a vacation, much less pay whatever rates they may be asking.

We had wanted to go to Gunnison for our anniversary one year and were told that they didn't allow visitors anymore. I don't remember ever hearing an announcement that TWIts were now allowed again. Looks like the innies weren't made aware of the change, if there was one, either. So....it's okay for paying non-believers to come stay at Gunnison, but not their very own TWIts? :ph34r: <_<

Who's the candidate for Dork of the Year? Why me, of course! :D After putting the wood on my windows last night, I followed my normal Sunday night schedule, which included taking the recycle bin and the garbage out to the curb. Good thing I had put the boards up in case my garbage had tried to fly through my windows! LOL! This morning, I had to rescue my garbage from the curb and, thank goodness, it must have been heavy, because it hadn't budged one inch from where I so diligently left it last night. *grin*