Comment Archives
Re: “Separation anxiety”
Lord, what a piece. Chad, I'm so glad you were able to recover from this horrific event well enough to continue your remarkable photography career. Well done on all counts, sir.
Re: “Greek Gyros & Pastry Shop”
Love the GYROS!!! Love the Greek FRYS!!! I stop here to eat everytime I get to missoula.
Re: “Happiest Hour: Travel bottles at Grizzly Liquor”
Hmmm? Why not end the article with......"proud sponsor of drinking and driving"? Far be it for me to be critical of alcohol, I sure do enjoy partaking in my favorite adult beverages. This however is just poor marketing and borderline irresponsible.
Re: “Separation anxiety”
A couple years ago I sat next to Brad Hash at a dinner in Spokane, and he told me what had happened to you. I thought damn I hope they fix him up well enough so he can still click a shutter. Brad Tyer told me recently that this was indeed the happy outcome. After reading this, I think that if you did have to leave that hand for the birds, you'd still be a damn fine writer. Good luck up in Alaska. We've got good friends in Homer, so drop me a line if you want contacts.
Re: “Separation anxiety”
Damn, dude. Powerful & eloquent stuff. And a ton of grace, from you & Kara both.
Re: “Separation anxiety”
Wow, Chad. You are as good a writer as you are a photographer.
Carol Van Valkenburg
Re: “Separation anxiety”
What astounding courage by everyone involved. Can't wait for a chance to put another beer in your hand, Chad.
Re: “The door knockers”
JWs are a pseudo-Christian cult started by rationalist Charles Taze Russell. They are not biblical, historical, orthodox Christianity. They are sincere, but sincerity does not create truth. Many are leaving the organization and their growth is not great due to the facts on the internet, etc. Mind control, lost innocent lives due to blood transfusion false teaching, pedophilia in their midst, disfellowshipping/shunning is ruining lives. Until they see that Jesus is YHWH in the flesh, they are without hope.
Re: “The Stash - Montana Backcountry Skiing”
Sweet! But, god, it makes me miss the snow.
Re: “The door knockers”
"No matter what. Family is family. That will never change." What a nice polite way of side-stepping what really happens if a JW leaves their cult. They are treated as if they are dead or never existed (shunned they call it) by everyone in the cult, including their own family. My 78 year-old JW mother closed the door in my face two years ago when I flew from Colorado to Michigan to visit her because I heard through my non-JW family that she had been sick and in the hospital. This is very typical of how anyone who leaves is treated. They call their organization "the truth" among themselves. So much for truth. That man pretty much lied right to your face by omission. I would urge the writer to take a second look at the "door knockers;" only this time, do your homework. Talk to some of us who have left. Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT the Christian religion they tout themselves to be. They are a destructive and divisive cult. I should know. I was one for 40 years.
Re: “The door knockers”
@ Gwendolyn: Your experience of being disfellowshipped and the 'steps' you took on getting reinstated has no basis in scripture when you actually look a step beyond what the Organization teaches.
There were two kinds of association for religious worship amongst first century Jews:
1) The public meetings, such as those at the temple and in the synagogues which anyone was allowed to attend.
2) The intimate private gatherings of the different sects (in Judaism for example, there were the Pharisees, Sadducees, Zealots and Essenes). Christians and Jews participated in both. Since the Christians at that time did not have a public meeting place that they could call their own, they used both the Synagogues and also met in private homes, usually over a special meal with prayer.
Christians were instructed to "greet" one another with a kiss. (Rom.16:16; 1.Cor.16:20; 2Cor.13:12; Ti.3:15; 1Pet.5:14) When Paul sent his "greetings" in a letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, he asked that the brothers be greeted with a "holy kiss" on his behalf. (1Thess.5:26) This was a custom both amongst the Jews and Christians of the first century, it had a special significance of close companionship amongst those who were related either by blood or by their faith.
Paul did instruct Christians to expel from the congregation fellowship those who were purposely practicing willful sin. The expulsion would naturally exclude them from being greeted by the identifying "holy kiss," as well as not being allowed to share in meetings and the meals for Christian worship and prayer.
However, Paul's instruction did not prohibit normal conversation or barred from attending worship in the temple or the synagogues. It was from the private Christian fellowship for worship that sinners were excluded.
The scripture that says: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works” is not talking about those who had been expelled from the Christian congregation. If you read verse 10 it is clear that it is talking about someone who does not “acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
This included Jews that rejected Jesus as the Messiah and people of the nations worshipping other Gods. Yet the Watchtower stance is to apply this ONLY to Jehovah's Witnesses. The Organization claims that even saying “hello” to someone who had been disfellowshipped was prohibited:
“John here used khai´ro, which was a greeting like “good day” or “hello.” (Acts 15:23; Matthew 28:9) He did not use aspa´zo *mai (as in verse 13), which means “to enfold in the arms, thus to greet, to welcome” and may have implied a very warm greeting, even with an embrace. (Luke 10:4; 11:43; Acts 20:1, 37; 1 Thessalonians 5:26) So the direction at 2 John 11 could well mean not to say even “hello” to such ones.” --- Watchtower 1988 May 15 p.27
This article claims the word khai’ro is used to forbid a simple greeting, instead of aspa’zo mai which means a more affectionate embrace, enfolding in the arms, kiss, greeting or welcome. Of course, the average Witness is going to take this at face value, which is unfortunate because Strong’s Concordance defines the two words as just the opposite of what this Watchtower is claiming:
5463 chairo {khah'-ee-ro} 1) to rejoice, be glad 2) to rejoice exceedingly 3) to be well, thrive 4) in salutations, hail! 5) at the beginning of letters: to give one greeting, salute
783 aspasmos {as-pas-mos’} 1) a salutation, either oral or written
By applying the word khai’ro to the quote at 2 John 11, it is clear that the early Christian congregation did not completely ignore such ones. While they would not have ‘greeted them with a holy kiss’ or display an overly zealous greeting, it is obvious that they would have greeted the person in a courteous manner.
If the scripture at 2 John 10 were observed literally by Jehovah's Witnesses, they would be obliged to never to speak to anyone other than another Witness in good standing. Yet Witnesses work with people with various backgrounds including Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists.....none of whom believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Why are they allowed to speak with these people, yet are obliged to shun life long friends and even family members when they get disfellowshipped?
This is just ONE of the Watchtower's practices that has made so many people leave. Not is it a form of mental abuse but there is no basis in scripture for it either.
Re: “The door knockers”
The few comments on here from practising Jehovah's Witnesses demonstrate clearly why their bosses forbid them to engage with 'apostates'. Their cult is utterly indefensible when faced with reality. They are taught, at their Theocratic Ministry School, to prey only on the lost, lonely and vulnerable with their absurd and obscene message. This recruiting ground, coupled with the mentally and socially stifling atmosphere of a Jehovah's Witness lifestyle, accounts for the abnormally high incidence of mental illness amongst them. I hope the Missoula Independent will think very carefully in future before publishing anything that might make such a disgusting and damaging organisation at all appealing to its readers.
Re: “The door knockers”
JWs are quite proud of 'being no part of this world'. They separate themselves from any reality that might intrude on their fantasy and encourage them to think. They avoid higher education, most entertainment, and any serious questioning of their beliefs.
Being a JW is their entire world. All their friends, their family, and often their employer are JWs. Non-JW social events are virtually forbidden. Five meetings a week plus time spent "in service" (door knocking) keeps them locked in their echo chamber and too busy to peruse any outside interests.
Sound good to you? It gets better. You get to listen to some of the most vapid music ever written, study books and magazines written on a third-grade level, have the same conversations with the same people over and over and over again, gossip and be gossiped about, be extremely caution about anything you do, ever, that might "stumble" another JW (even if it's one of the few things otherwise allowed in the cult), self-censor everything, watch your children die for want of a simple medical procedure, and associate with pedophile elders. All the while knowing that if you ever do anything slightly out of line, even something as simple as seriously questioning some minor doctrine, you will be booted to the curb and everyone in your world will turn their backs on you – "friends", family, everyone.
Your reward for putting up with this nonsense? The fantasy that you'll be able to live forever on a paradise earth – populated *entirely with Jehovah's Witnesses!* Doesn't that sound exciting?
Re: “The door knockers”
"All the people that were not of our sort left. All the righteous ones that want everlasting life stay."
Debbie; you ought to check out what bifurcation of the mind is. The last time I checked you've got pedophiles wandering around in the Kingdom Halls too. If someone refuses to bring their children to the Kingdom Hall to avoid the pedophiles, are they unrighteous? Also, if a person serves God for what they can get, as you just admitted is JWs' reason for staying, wouldn't that be a fulfillment of Satan's accusation against Job - serving God for what you can get? Now compound that with the fact you are in actuality serving men who hide their identities you only know as "slave." How do you think God feels about that?
"Take heed, not any one you may deceive. Many for shall come in the name of me, saying: I am the Anointed; and many they shall deceive. " (Mt 24:4-5) . . . "Not therefore go you after them" (Lu 21:8). (Emphatic Diaglott).
"We hate what God hates and love what God loves" (Debbie and thousands of other JW parrots).
"Does that include smashing babies on rocks?
(Psalm 137:9) ". . .Happy will he be that grabs ahold and does dash to pieces Your children against the crag."
You really ought to do something about those thoughtless, kneejerk responses to anything you choose to suppress from your mind. In reality, there are righteous ones who no longer wish to serve Watchtower men, and there are cases of pedophilia being handled in secret where the pedophiles escape prosecution from law enforcement and remain in "good standing" because the small child raped could not furnish a second witness to the crime. So, it does not matter if a person loves God or not. If the pedophiles pretend they love God, Watchtower puppets embrace them. Things are kept secret in the secret elders meetings that nobody named "Debbie" is allowed to attend. Am I right? Are you allowed to attend an elder meeting, or a judicial committee meeting of which you are not an active part? Well, there you have it; you really do not know what goes on behind those closed doors; so, it may be best you stop pretending that you do.
JWs must be told not to molest their children, and not for the reasons you may think:
"Did you know, for example, that mothers and fathers who stroke the genitals of their fretful babies to keep them quiet are unwittingly encouraging them to become masturbators later on?" (Watchtower, Sept 15, 1973, p. 568, par. 6)
Re: “The door knockers”
Debbie - do you realise how disgusting and insulting your post is? You have equated those who choose to question any 'Truth', as invented by the Jehovah's Witness controllers in Brooklyn, with murderers. You appear to genuinely believe that failure to swallow, as absolute divinely issued Truth, the notion that the bulk of the world's population deserves the death penalty, is as terrible a crime as murder itself. If no other comment does so, your contribution, Debbie, should serve as a warning to anyone contemplating joining your depraved cult of mental imprisonment. Please do us all a service and repeat your heartfelt conviction. Tell people like me, a childhood Jehovah's Witness, who was told that Armageddon would definitely occur before the end of the 20th century, that my failure to believe this Jehovah's Witness issued 'Truth' is a capital crime and that I deserve a violent death. According to you, Debbie, for refusing to live my life according to the diktats of some self appointed old men in Brooklyn who claim, with zero evidence, to be speaking as Jehovah's unique channel of communication with earthlings, I am as wicked as a murderer.
Re: “The door knockers”
Jehovah's Witnesses encourage members to divorce anyone who leaves the organization and there is a secret elders book to help them lie their way to custody of innocent children. Jehovah's Witnesses raise their children with no Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays, extra-curricular activities at school. They strongly discourage higher education.
The government has to step in and force them to give life-saving blood transfusions when needed. Babies and small children are physically abused if they do not sit quietly through 5 long meetings each week. Children are dragged out in all kinds of weather to knock on stranger's doors. Children have been bitten by dogs in the door-to-door work, died of heat exhaustion at conventions and are not allowed to see any member of the family who leaves the organization.
It is truly a horrendously abusive religion that splits families, denies extended family any visitations with children, causes medical death because of their ban against blood transfusions, causes suicides and murders because of the crazy teachings that Armageddon is coming any minute.
It is a high-control organization that plucks Scriptures out of context and uses them as "proof texts" for some really crazy beliefs. God is watching. And with the internet, the whole world is waking up to the fact that The Watchtower, Bible and Tract Society has a written policy that discourages local leaders from reporting child molestations and rapes.
Candace Conti was the first woman to refuse a gag order in return for big money pay-outs in exchange for silence about the sexual abuse they suffered as children and young teens.
I congratulate Candace Conti and applaud her strength and resolve to stick it out and not be silenced. Her story is available for anyone who wants the real truth about this organization.
Re: “The door knockers”
And someone who is disfellowshipped because of sin is treated the same way as someone who decides to change their religion and no longer wants to follow the Jehovah's Witness faith. Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door telling people they should leave their church and become a Jehovah's Witness but if someone does the reverse and leaves Jehovah's Witnesses they are shunned and lose their family and friends and all they have known. That is speaking with a forked tongue.
Re: “The door knockers”
Family is family? Not if you leave. So sad.
Re: “The door knockers”
Being an active Witness myself since 1972 I have see many things. I want to tell you all it is a very good religion. With the world becoming more and more wicked it is hard to keep the organization clean. We don't allow fornicators and murderers or homosexuals, or thieves etc. to mix with the ones that want to be chaste and kind and meek. We hate what God hates and love what God loves. And once someone turns around and repents he is welcomed back with much love and hugs. All the people that were not of our sort left. All the righteous ones that want everlasting life stay. Praise Jah.
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Re: “Separation anxiety”
Glad I was able to get past the first mention of your dangling hand and finish this. OMGoodness. Awesome and inspiring story. Just so glad you can still grip a beer mug and a camera. Not much else matters. teehee