Stumbled across a fictional service call that gives a more honest view of the mentality of that Jehovah’s Witness at your door. A little sample: Witness: Well, God’s going to kill you. And … well, I can see from the toys in your yard that you have children. Am I right? Householder: Yes. Witness: Well, God’s going to kill them, too. And it’ll be your fault. There. You’ve been warned. I’ve just discharged my own responsibility, so the bloodguilt is…
Each fall, the Emory Emeritus College holds a formal reception to honor the year’s recipients of the Alfred B. Heilbrun Jr. Distinguished Emeritus Fellowship. After an independent committee review of applications, two fellowships are awarded to emeritus faculty in the Arts and Sciences. The reception provides the opportunity to honor the recipients’ continuing research and scholarship beyond retirement. I was very pleased to represent Emeritus Professor Robert Detweiler at the Emory Heilbrun Awards Reception on Thursday. Professor Detweiler (my original…
I am becoming a bit concerned about the safety of former Jehovah’s Witnesses. When I received this latest email, I asked permission to post it. Reports of various annoyance activities toward vocal former Jehovah’s Witnesses seems to be increasing. I will try to do a post very soon about how things are heating up in the public sphere for JWs. Already Ex-JWs are demonized – at any sign of escalation, please never hesitate to contact the police. Barb and I…
My friend Amanda innocently suggested that I join her in adding the visual bookshelf application to my Facebook page. Little did she know that it’s just the sort of thing I would latch onto when I’m bummed out. I guess it’s better than some of the alternatives. I’ve already listed well over a thousand books that I’ve already read, and more than a hundred that I want to read. It’s ridiculous, because that doesn’t even begin to really address the…
Enjoy this night of liminality and carnivale – but be safe! My view of Halloween Our Halloween traditions are just a snapshot image taken from a long history of blended beliefs, rituals and perspectives from diverse sources; some bits competed or converged with one another, while other aspects were forgotten or overwritten. I enjoy the mix of all the folkloric and religious traces as part of an appreciation of a celebratory imagination, one that nourishes the human spirit (soul /…
Rick Ross has been working on destructive cults and movements for some time now. I check his site on a regular basis. Rick has put together a very pointed list of warning signs that you might be dealing with an unsafe group and/or leader. Compare it to the list of signs of a safe group and/or leader. I’m not sure that the unsafe/safe dichotomy is the best way to describe the difference, but other than that, I think this is…