Raf

Long Gone, Thanks for posting that. I see what you're saying. I disagree, but explaining why would require the extension of an argument I'm no longer interested in having. I'll leave it this way: I appreciate your point, but stand by my comment.

Why I Reject Feline Sports Networks

Terrific flick. Those fights were excellent, and despite the fact that you can see it coming a mile away, that scene where MJ first sees Spidey AFTER the climactic fight was still stunning.

The church I attend, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, is HUGE. It has its own cafeteria. When you go into that church cafeteria, it makes sense to assume that everyone else there is a Christian. You cannot make the same assumption at IHOP. Or the Greasespot Cafe. But you can still order some good coffee here. And have some good conversation with some wonderful people.

A tiny little cult.

My site does seem to have benefitted somewhat. But I don't encourage anyone to leave GS. It's like this: I go to a bar. And I go to church. I don't expect people who attend the same church as me to show up at the same bar, too. And I don't expect everyone at the bar to show up at church. But anyone's free to do both. I guess this is a coffee bar. :)-->

Of course I don't mind you looking at the articles or reading the threads. That's why they're posted. I'll relay your message to Dot, with your permission.

Sorry. I have a large monitor. Didn't occur to me that it would bug other people. Of course, it didn't occur to me that a thread whose reason for existence was a computer burp would still be running four years later!

Actually, I think Herbert Armstrong taught the British-Israel thing. Ever read The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy? Makes the 13th Tribe look like the Torah.

It's apples and oranges. There's followers of the Jewish religion. There's descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Being a member of one group does not necessarily make you a member of the other. Koestler's thesis is that those claiming to be in the second group are not. And he was wrong about it. The article you refer to is talking about the first group. Yes, it is interesting.

Koestler debunked. Do a search for the word "Koestler" in this article. One more for good measure. Koestler's theory is crapola, and those who seized on it draw conclusions that are not based on accurate information. It was an interesting thesis, but as it turns out, it was simply wrong.

Diaspora. Koestler's thesis has been discredited by DNA evidence linking the Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews. At least, I think that's how it works. I'll look for the links.

My Web Site's main page is back up!

Oh, I'll give a quick summary as to why your name came up: This is an ex-Way site. A new poster who has never been associated with The Way started a thread called "Why I Reject Christ." This bothered some people, not just because of the name of the thread, but also because the person who started the thread is not an ex-TWI. So does a poster who has never been involved in TWI have the same "standing" (as it were) to discuss their beliefs? In passing, I compared this new poster to you and your often eloquent defenses of the Trinity. I wasn't sure if you had ever been involved in TWI. The new poster is a former Jehovah's Witness familiar with the writings of David Reed. He thought it was you. So do I. Someone else said it's not. So I wrote to you. Anyway, that's how the discussion got started. I don't expect you to resolve any of the central issues. But if you want to have a crack at it, go ahead. FYI: It's my belief that both you and the new poster (Refiner) should be perfectly welcome to stop in and say what you want.

Dr. Reed, Your impression is mistaken. The question we have is whether you are the same David Reed who has authored a number of books addressing Jehovah's Witness doctrine. We don't know for sure if you are that author. Thanks for checking in. Did you get my e-mail?

Are you sure? This forum's DA Reed has an email address that might indicate otherwise. It suggests a connection with Fordham University in New York. Fordham is a Jesuit university. Of course, working at Fordham does not make one a Jesuit, but excy doesn't sound like she's certain he is a Jesuit. She says "Jesuit OR Professor at Fordham..." Do we know if the author DA Reed is a Jesuit or Professor at Fordham? I haven't been able to tell.

Dubs are people who say one thing while their mouths say something else. They are also former Jehovah's Witnesses. J-W's J-Dubs.

What the longsuffering did you just say?

On DA Reed: really? I'd still be surprised, but he hasn't chimed in yet, so I'll wait to hear from him. I promise not to lose any sleep over it.

They're here. They're rejection threads. Get used to them.

Tom, My statement in that post was not in answer to your question. It was a direct answer to excy's question, which was something along the lines of "how do you know he's posting to get a reaction?" Your question was... I wish you could explain it a little... if you can... personally, I don't see any difference in whether or not there's an "outsider" involved (except they don't carry our baggage)... To me it's just two ex-Christians, one that was TWI one that wasn't. I placed the relevant part of my original post in bold. I don't know how to answer that question. I feel the answer, but can't articulate it. That's why I haven't answered it. It's a lot easier to be academic about it and say Refiner has a right to post here on any topic he chooses, within the same bounds as any other poster. But feelings, emotions, reactions: those are more difficult for me to put into words. I don't like it when Sudo or George attack or insult a faith I hold dear, but they're ex-TWI and this is an ex-TWI board. I don't like it when Refiner attacks or insults a faith I hold dear, but he's... well, he's not ex-TWI. My heart has to jump through another hoop to help me deal with it. He's not ex-TWI but people who are ex-TWI may agree with him or at least be interested in his comments on the subject. He has the right to post. I should add that I have no problem with George or Sudo. I wish their beliefs were different, but they probably wish my beliefs were different, so we're even. I don't know if that does enough to clarify it, but my bottom line on this is that this is not a Christian forum and Refiner has the right to post on subjects he thinks are of interest to people who are ex-TWI. Refiner, You said you wanted my opinion on the following: Let's put it this way: if GSCafe became overrun with people who never had anything to do with TWI, then what would its point be? It would be just another Web community, like Yahoo or something. We have a common experience that binds us, and this board allows us to expand on that. But you and Priscilla are just two people. I don't see the harm, and wouldn't see the harm unless the non-TWI element became so pervasive that it threatened the purpose of this site. Who gets to decide? Well, I don't know. The only thing I know with certainty is that it's not my call. I welcome your presence here, as I welcome Priscilla's. I'm sorry that this happened, because I consider Dot a friend. I don't know if this answers your question, even partially. I appreciate your respect for my opinion, but I really have to repeat, it's not my call.

That was DeNiro

Hey! People! The Godfather died. Show some respect!

DUDE! Happy Birthday!

BRANDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Sorry I never called you Godfather. RIP