Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences 
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Dawn, I don’t quite see this trend in music. Certainly you have whites rewarded more in business, politics and even acting. However, if one looks back at some of the more celebrated or note-worthy musicians, minus classical music, one generally would have black musicians brought to mind: Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, The Pretenders, Ella, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Brandie (sp), Branford & Wynton Marsalis, Fresh Prince/Will Smith, etc. Just to name a VERY few. I don’t know if we can say for sure that there is an inequity in the music business. I have no idea if it’s more difficult for an aspiring Black musician but when a Black musician becomes ‘known’ there is plenty of rewarding. Perhaps though there is more scandal (be it with basis or not) around Black artists and maybe that results in shorter-lived fame, I don’t know. Something to watch though.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The Bible does not specifically mention dinosaurs but does mention various aspects of creation. If God had every step of creation written down for us, I imagine the volumes would be infinite. The fact that specifics are not included about which particular animals were created and when, does not prove that the Bible is just parables. Nor does it prove that there are glaring mistakes. While it’s true that the Bible is not a book of science, several things that modern science has revealed as fact (and not a bunch of incongruent theories) support references in the Bible. (In Isaiah 40:22 the earth is referred to as a circle. How long did it take us to figure out that the earth wasn’t flat?) What should or should not be mentioned in the Bible was really God’s decision and not ours. There are obviously things that different people find interesting yet God decided what was important to have recorded.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,What you’re talking about no doubt happens, and I know I’ve been apart of it myself. From what I know, most of it happens because of jealousy and ego. Women really observe other women, probably moreso than most men. Actually, I get very bothered with how much a female stranger will stare at my shoes or my pants, sometimes to the point of wanting to confront them and ask, ‘What in the world are you staring at?’ When it comes to physical appearance – both body shape and clothes, it seems women are very critical, while also being curious. We want to see what other women are wearing and compare it to our own wardrobe. On every side there’s a conflict – if you’re very attractive, other women will be extra picky (‘She thinks she can pull anything off’), and if you’re not so attractive and/or overweight, other women are very quick to criticize (‘Why do they sell stretch pants in that size?’). This probably doesn’t really answer your question as much as it might give insight. I think the bottom line is that we, women, can be very catty, especially when it comes to fashion/appearance. We might be jealous of someone who has a nice outfit, who gets a lot of attention, who looks better than us if we’re used to looking better than them, etc. It’s a shame that it happens, but it does.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,At 27 I don’t exactly qualify as the type of older person I think you are refering to, but I feel that I am qualified to answer. I spent six years working on a college campus after graduating from that same college. I noticed a marked difference in the overall quality of people who were going through the school. To give you a very real example, as a student I worked in an office that managed many offices staffed by students. After graduating, I worked in that same office. As the years went by, there was a very marked difference in the work ethic. There was a decline in how reliable the students were and how responsible they proved themselves to be. The actual number (not percentage) of ‘good eggs’ dropped remarkably, despite the number of hired students increasing. This bothers me and lends to my ‘bad opinion’ of teens.
Further, there is definitely a different attitude among teens/young adults than 10 years ago, when I was one. I was no peach myself, but seeing the amount of rebellion and disregard for others that is so prevalent throughout this age group is shocking. There are plenty of teens I have a good opinion of, but the majority of these teens have been raised by parents who follow Biblical principles. I know a lot of generations say things about the ones following them, like ‘we were never like that.’ I guess each generation has its own negative image, but it seems that with each passing year the negatives become larger than the positives. If I were to add 40 years to my age, I imagine I would be horrified by what I see teenagers doing, from acting like their own parents to smoking at the age of 14.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,You pose an excellent question. And the answers thus far are interesting. Of course not everyone worships Jesus. And not everyone who considers themselves Christian ‘worships’ Jesus. God clearly outlines in the Bible (it is common for someone to say ‘God says…’ and be referring to God’s Word, the Bible) to not worship any others and images, both in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures (Old and New Testament, respectively). Further, in Isaiah 42:8 God speaks of Him not even giving His glory to anyone or anything else. So, if God won’t even do that himself, one should ask ‘Why do I think I can worship something other than God if He’s not even saying he would allow that? Nowhere in the Bible is it indicated that we should worship Jesus, nor consider Jesus to be God. Scriptures throughout the Bible refer to Jesus as God’s son. Of the few times that God’s voice was actually heard, I believe two of them were situations in which God was stating Jesus to be God’s son – ‘This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.’ (Matthew 3:17) Jesus’ purpose on earth was also clear – not to be worshiped, but to give us an example to follow (1 Peter 2:21) and most importantly, to provide a ransom sacrifice for us to have a hope for everlasting life. (John 3:16)
Other aspects of Jesus existence are spelled out for us. Things such as we must offer our prayers on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice, Jesus is the appointed king of God’s Kingdom and so forth. Despite all these important roles Jesus played in our history and will play in our future, God never indicated that we should worship Jesus, that we should make images of him, that we should consider Jesus as the same person as God.
I know you’re supposed to answer these Y? Forum questions if you have firsthand experience of the answer. Mine isn’t firsthand because I don’t worship Jesus. I do give great consideration to his life, his sacrifice, and all that he means for our future. So I am writing to say that there are Christians who do not worship Jesus. Rather, I give whole-souled devotion to God, as is asked. (Matthew 22:37, Exodus 20:5)
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I would guess that the grease monkey opinion of mechanics is similar to the lower opinion that a lot of people have of certain types of manual labor. Maintenance people, factory workers, plumbers, etc. I don’t get it, either. It’s just a classist view some people take. My boss, who has worked in the same building for more than 10 years, was amazed that after six months of working there I knew the maintenance men’s names. She asked ‘How do you know their names?’ My response was simply: ‘I asked them.’ I could tell she thought it was below her to even bother with such trivial matters. It is upsetting that people feel this way. At any moment a person can find themselves working at a job that they’d never ‘stoop so low’ to before.
Also, every job, especially manual workers, is extremely important to the functioning of our world. I know it’s a yucky thing to have to just suck it up and deal with it. I even have to do it as a college-educated consultant working at a university. You have no idea how many professors treat me like I am some idiot and talk down to me when they call me for help. They don’t even see the irony in that – that they aren’t capable of solving their own problems. They simply don’t have those skills, much like the people who bring their cars to you don’t have those skills. (I’m sure you can work in some psychology about how a person, when feeling insecure, demeans the other person who holds the power in that situation.) I love my mechanic and would hope I’ve never given him the impression that you get. I’m sure there are other customers who do. It’s something you get in every customer-based job, probably more so in your profession than mine. It would be nice if more people did start to change their opinion of auto mechanics. Until it happens, you’ll just have to continue to show yourself as the more socially evolved person!
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Whether it’s true or not, as a heterosexual I would have to say that my belief of gay men’s promiscuity (I’ve never been led to believe that lesbians are the same) was formed by media and different information in classes in high school and college. I’m sure AIDS has a lot to do with it. After all, it would seem if gay men weren’t as promiscuous, AIDS wouldn’t have spread as quickly. Also, I can even remember stories about public baths and ‘meeting places.’ I think just a bigger deal is made out of such activities of gay men so it’s just more ‘out there’ in the media, giving us the perception that gay men are the only ones doing this kind of stuff. On a personal note, when I was in college and had gay, lesbian and heterosexual friends, I have to say that the gay men were indeed more promiscuous, having more partners, and more frequently.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don’t think it’s the “job” of religious leaders to help people open their hearts to other religions. At least not religions that use the Bible as the basis for their religion. The Bible does teach to have love for all, even our enemies. (Romans 12:20) Regardless of someone’s beliefs, each person should be respectful of that person’s choice. With that said, it seems to me that some religious leaders have become more tolerant of beliefs of other religions. I also feel religious leaders are tremendously missing the mark with their “worship” and beliefs, so I hope they don’t succeed in forcing people to believe their faith is the only truth. However, there is only one truth. At Ephesians 4:3-6, you can read about what is meant by “one faith.” It points to a unity of thought; not a brainwashing, but the uniformity of beliefs in relation to God and His Kingdom. In verse 13 of that chapter, it refers to the oneness of the faith, and accurate knowledge. Accurate signifies precise, or adhering closely to a standard. Something precise cannot have many different beliefs regarding the soul, death, mode of worship, etc. So, even though religious leaders are not following the Scriptures as intended, they are somewhat correct in believing there is only one faith, one truth.
As far as ethnic cleansing, let’s hope we see no more of that in the near future. What will happen if religious leaders continue in their steadfast beliefs? Sooner or later, we will face the end of this system of things and Jesus will judge people, including religious leaders, to determine who has worshiped God in truth and deed, who are sheeplike at heart and who have misled many, are wicked or too haughty to submit to God’s will (Matthew 24 & 25). Then, those religious leaders will find out if their faith was the one true faith or not.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The most important factor of Jesus’ existence is that it is because of his sacrifice that we are given the opportunity to have everlasting life. Here are some Scriptures that might help you understand: Colossians 1:13-20 where Jesus is said to be “the image of the invisible God.” In 1 Timothy 2:5 Jesus is referred to as the mediator between God and men. John 14:10-14 shows how Jesus shows us God. 1 Peter 2:21 says Christ left a model for “you to follow his steps closely.” Also, we are instructed to approach God through Jesus.(John 14:6)
Reading of Jesus’ ministry might help you understand this “phenomenon.” He is the greatest man who ever walked on our earth. While your relationship may be with God, it is important to know what kind of person God sent to us.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The Bible does not specifically mention masturbation. References to wasted sperm are referring to interrupted intercourse. Yet other principles in the Bible can lead someone to come to the conclusion that masturbation is not something of which God approves. It is a selfish activity by definition. You are focusing on pleasing yourself. Selfishness is something a Christian should try to overcome. Also, when someone masturbates, they probably think of things that might be inappropriate, such as someone to whom you aren’t married. In the Bible at Matthew 5:28 just looking at a woman with passion is trouble. Summary: All the information given in God’s word points to God wanting sexual activites to be kept within the marriage arrangement, and if someone is not married, he or she would want to do their best to not become overwhelmed with sexual feelings to the point of doing something possibly immoral. My take on it: Would I want God to watch me masturbate? If I think smoking or swearing would disappoint him, I’m sure the same is true about masturbation.
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Name : Stacey, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 28, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
