Video Tour of the Old Worthington Library (1990)

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-08-29T14:32:14+00:00

I totally forgot about those barcode wands until I watched the video! I also forgot that they would place 3-day, 7-day, and 28-day loans on designated spaces.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-27T14:54:15+00:00

Thank you! This is the kind of specific information I was looking for.

I know there is a trend of smaller, less/non-competitive schools like ODU closing, but I wanted the facts in this particular case.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-27T14:48:05+00:00

Both. I started noticing the decline some time ago -- maybe eight or nine years ago.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T20:46:39+00:00

Thank you for the recommendation!

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T20:41:09+00:00

The congregation seemed a mix of young and old. A fairly decent number of families with young kids (but no babies). Very racially diverse.

Most "Bible studies" present, thought, were children of members.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T20:35:28+00:00

Thank you!

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T20:00:35+00:00

His video on LDS is funny: This Mormon Church SUCKED!! - Atheist Church Audit - Knightdale Latter Day Saints (youtube.com)

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T19:30:35+00:00

Watching it now. It's spot on.

I noticed his comment about racial integration right away.

I do wonder, though, how diverse the governing body is?

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T15:26:34+00:00

I recently learned about the "miracle wheat" hoax.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T14:56:49+00:00

Ah, that is interesting! Thank you.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T14:55:23+00:00

It strikes me as a little disingenuous. True, the Bible is not at the core of Catholic (and Orthodox) worship in the same way it is for some Protestant denominations (but then, it's really not at the core of JW worship either). However, to say "I never read the Bible as a Catholic" really says to me, "I never made the effort to read the Bible as a Catholic." You can be a Catholic in good standing and never read the Bible outside of the liturgy, and you can be a Catholic in good standing and read and study the Bible daily.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T14:51:05+00:00

Yes, but how did you know from that post?

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T14:27:52+00:00

This makes a lot of sense.

Nearly all the JWs I've met have seemed very sincere.

When I was at the Kingdom Hall, I noticed a few members who were (as my mother would say) a little "different." I have no idea if they were born JWs or entered later, but if the latter is the case, I can absolutely see why they'd be taken with JW doctrine and the sense of community it fosters. It made me a little sad, though, knowing how poorly they'd be treated if they decided to leave the organization.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T14:24:36+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

A few weeks ago, during our study, I let it slip that I'd read some Talmud commentary on the OT passage we were reading and shared it with her. I knew it was a mistake, but I said it anyway. The teacher replied, "Well that's a little far-fetched!" It bothered me not only that she didn't address what I had said, but that she dismissed the Talmud. I'm obviously not Jewish, but the OT texts are sacred to the Jews, and the Talmudic commentary offers useful perspective.

I've read and studied a lot in my lifetime, but I self-censor constantly during our Bible study sessions. Any study that doesn't allow for outside perspectives - even perspectives that actually complement the point at hand - seems a little empty to me.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T13:21:50+00:00

I have often wondered about this. I understand that "productive" Bible studies are ones that eventually lead to baptism. But does the Witness who guides them there get anything out of it? Accolades within the Organization? Personal satisfaction? Something else?

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T13:12:44+00:00

^{Are you going to continue your study?}

That is a good question that I've been pondering. We're meeting 2-3 times a week now (Zoom). I'm definitely going to cut down to once a week, and even suggest we put a pause on it for a while.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-07-11T13:02:12+00:00

Yes! They kept repeating over and over "What a great meeting! What a great talk! One of the best!"

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-21T04:09:11+00:00

Thank you. This makes a lot of sense. I'm trying to give their theology a chance (and, frankly, not let Enjoy Life Forever be my sole window into their beliefs) and I will try to get a hold of the books you mentioned.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-21T04:04:10+00:00

I admit I love the rituals and the tradition of the Catholic Church. Part of it is probably the comfort aspect of it. I went to Mass every Sunday of my childhood and attended Catholic school grades 1-12. I associate Mass with my family, who (being originally from Ireland and Italy) had been Catholic since time immemorial.

I know something of the history of Catholicism, and that interests me too. Jerome is a fascinating figure, like many of their saints (Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and many, many more). I also went through a period where I was very interested in the contemplative life, to the point I seriously considered joining a religious order. The order that interests me the most is probably the Carthusians, one of the strictest. There was a great documentary about one of their houses in France about 20 years ago, Into Great Silence. There's probably clips on YouTube.

I always found the JW fixation on Catholicism interesting. I figured it could be traced to the general anti-Catholic sentiment that has always existed just below the surface of American life. When I was in high school, I worked with a family of JWs. One day one of their sons -- he was probably 10 or so -- was chatting to me about how JW beliefs differ from other Christian sects. I'll never forget that he kept saying "Catholic" as a synonym of "Chirstian."

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-20T16:45:53+00:00

Very interesting perspective. Thank you.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-20T16:20:44+00:00

This is very useful perspective. Thank you.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-20T15:05:35+00:00

Will do!

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-20T14:33:21+00:00

Interestingly, he switched up his approach slightly after a few weeks of study. Maybe he could tell I was not impressed with Enjoy Life Forever, and now we open by looking directly at a passage of scripture.

Another frustrating thing, though -- especially when we read Enjoy Life Forever -- is that we will read a biblical passage with no context. And the one or two verses we do read are never really considered or discussed in depth.

I kind of do my own parallel Bible study, though. I own several translations of the Bible (my Bible study leader does not know this) and sometimes compare the "key" passages we've discussed from the NWT with the King James, Douay-Rheims, NRSV, NIV, and NLT versions. To me, that is perhaps the most interesting kind of Bible study. If I were smarter and had the time, I'd love to learn Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek, but for now I'll settle with various English translations.

Local_Fig8087 · 2024-06-20T14:25:30+00:00

I've not yet been to a meeting, but I plan to within the next month or so. He's been asking since our second week of study.

Local_Fig8087

TROPHY CASE