Anji said:

Nope, it was a JW from his congregation... we are not, as a rule, liars. I probably shouldn't talk about it here; i just get fed up with Prince being portrayed as some kind of a pimp. It's unfair because he's made a lot of changes in recent years.

Heiress said:

Are you implying that JWs are less likely to lie than non-JWs?

Serious said:

Some of them lie, cheat, steal, fornicate, are gay just like the rest of us. I love them but the arrogance is just overwhelming.

i read that someone said that prince said that he had been celibate for like eight years. whether that was true or not, i don't know. but if so, she picked the right one to be with because he loves it.


http://i260.photobucket.c...anuela.jpg

mayebelle81 said:

so maybelle81 manuela's got a new guy.whats he do for a living?

misslilly said:

fuckin'

Stymie said:

I just wanted to clarify if that was indeed what she was saying because that was a quite offensive statement IMO.

Serious said:

Take offense if you like, it's your right. I find taking offense an exercise in futility and a form of self-righteousness... and that's my right.

As for lying, yes it is viewed as something quite serious by most of us; and yes it's something we avoid like fornication or stealing.

I would be more disappointed in the JW if he or she let me down, because I'd hold them to a higher standard... given the time we spend studying the Bible, that person should know better!

It's not always possible to live up to these standards, but I'll try my damndest and I'm proud of that.

"Before you accuse me... take a look at yourself."

Heiress said:

You really don't appear to have any idea how self-righteous you sound. Most everyone I meet considers honesty a best practice. They certainly do not need to be a JW, or to read the bible, to hold to that standard. It's about ethics and being mindfully conscious. But if your perception works for you, go for it.

To me, however, it just sounds like you are (as you point out) setting yourself up for disappointment by holding a particular group in society to a standard that you don't expect of everyone else. I have no doubt that JW's will achieve standards in honesty but just like everyone else in this world, they will also fail to achieve them. There is no moral high ground for JWs, or any particular group in any society; just your perception of it.

To hold oneself (and one's affiliations) to a perceived higher moral standard than others suggests escape from an unconscious core negative belief about oneself: "I am not trustworthy". This sounds like it's either stemmed from, or has been extended to, mankind in general: "Man is untrustworthy". To avoid the pain of such an interpretation, life strategies and rules are set up just like the ones you speak of e.g., "JWs, as a rule, don't lie". In other words, "We are above the rest of mankind that falters". As for you trying your "damndest" to live up to these standards, well, most everyone else does too.

Like I said, whatever perception works for you but you sound just as defensive and mistrusting of others as you claim others are of you. To me, the reality is that you are no different than anyone else. The longer you conintue to think otherwise the further you move away from our shared humanity. After all, humanity can't connect with that which considers itself separate.

And you wonder why people consider you arrogant and self-righteous? Of course, not that you take offense to that perception, right? Because that would be "an exercise in futility". Puh-lease. And before you suggest that I take a look at myself, I already do so as a matter of best practice, just like most everyone else I meet.

.
[Edited 4/4/08 5:29am]

Serious said:

Take offense if you like, it's your right. I find taking offense an exercise in futility and a form of self-righteousness... and that's my right.

As for lying, yes it is viewed as something quite serious by most of us; and yes it's something we avoid like fornication or stealing.

And yes, I would trust a random JW I don't know very well before I'd trust a random non-religious person... I'd otherwise have to know the person first. I would be more disappointed in the JW if he or she let me down, because I'd hold them to a higher standard... given the time we spend studying the Bible, that person should know better!

So how do you decide whom to trust, on an individual basis?

What I find sad here is that that whenever someone chooses a high standard of morality, others have to pull one down and call that one "arrogant." It's a standard we individually choose for OURSELVES as JWs, and we support each other in upholding it.

It's not always possible to live up to these standards, but I'll try my damndest and I'm proud of that.

There's an awful lot of finger-pointing and criticism going on here... I'll take the advice of Mr. Clapton in this matter:

"Before you accuse me... take a look at yourself."

Heiress said:

I have taken a long hard look at myself many many times but you guys are the ones that hold yourselves out as God's chosen people and stating all other religions are false. How is that not arrogant? You speak of respect but ow is going around saying that not disrespectful?

People who are religious are supposed to be a beacon to the world. Where is the positivity in spreading rumor or even Prince's truth, his personal business on the internet? Why would you believe something you don't know as fact, i.e., seeing it with your own eyes like this guy couldnt lie to you?

It has nothing to do with choosing a higher standard: that is commendable. It's the we're better than everyone else thing that's a turn off.

Smug and sanctimonious protestations aside, gossip is gossip and presenting gossip as fact is foul, especially when the affected party isn't present to answer the accusations.

babynoz said:

it's one reason why prince would love to see prince.org shut down

XxAxX said:

Reading the escalating nonsense around here lately I don't blame him.

babynoz said:

nor i.

which is why i hope he stays away from the ORG while he is recovering from his hip replacement surgery. this kind of upsetting gossip can only disturb the healing process and as we all know, that bone transplant from the rib he had removed never did graft completely

babynoz said:

nor i.

which is why i hope he stays away from the ORG while he is recovering from his hip replacement surgery. this kind of upsetting gossip can only disturb the healing process and as we all know, that bone transplant from the rib he had removed never did graft completely

Heiress said:

Now that's interesting, or whether an interesting way of putting it. Seems to clear up a lot, at least for me.

morningsong said:

So let me get this straight.. Mayte cheated on Prince during their marriage... and now so did Mani. and during this time, these women have never been photographed with any strange men... and you know how the media catches everythign... Mayte crying in the club, Mani at the mall with Eric in Cleveland... yet there are NO pics of these women with other men.
At the same time, Prince is very seldom photographed WITHOUT strange/new women.

But both wives are the ones that cheated....

Pass me another one!

XxAxX said:

Reading the escalating nonsense around here lately I don't blame him.

morningsong said:

So let me get this straight.. Mayte cheated on Prince during their marriage... and now so did Mani. and during this time, these women have never been photographed with any strange men... and you know how the media catches everythign... Mayte crying in the club, Mani at the mall with Eric in Cleveland... yet there are NO pics of these women with other men.
At the same time, Prince is very seldom photographed WITHOUT strange/new women.

But both wives are the ones that cheated....

Pass me another one!

Prince hasn't been getting any since 2000? Oh hell, I almost hope that's true! Cuz that would explain ALOT!!!

Evvy said:

right, that's biblical; adultery as justification for remarriage. i divorced rather than just legally separating, for reasons of abuse. but i did not plan to remarrying anyone until i had some evidence of adultery on his part (just had a suspicion). i did get the evidence of adultery later... but frankly, just getting away and severing legal ties was quite enough.

suffice to say, mani cheated on prince, so their marriage was broken biblically.

Stymie said:

Well, the video showed more than one interpretation of the woman in question... quite long to explain.

Suffice to say, as far as the congregation goes, we know if a divorce is happening that some kind of adultery has gone on... that's no mystery to us. Unless it's an example of blatant abuse like I explained above.

Nobody has to know anything about what went on unless it was already known; get my drift? If it's a public scandal, the innocent party must be vindicated in some way. It's not like their name & sin are announced from the platform, you know? But a person might lose public privileges & the like.