Looking to learn

by kimmy 11 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Disillusioned JW
    Disillusioned JW

    Hi kimmy, besides reading the information sources that the others mentioned (and considering the other counsel they gave), I also recommend reading the very old literature of the WT. Doing so can help you see how extensively the WT has taught false teachings. Most of the very old books and other very old literature can be read at http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/ .

    I don't recommend letting a JW conduct a Bible study with you and I don't recommend attending meetings of the JWs. That is because WT led Bible studies would likely hinder you from thinking critically about the WT literature and its religion. (Some of the WT's literature even tells JWs to not think critically about what is taught in the WT literature; they discourage JWs from looking for possible flaws in the WT's teachings.) When reading quotes in the WT if you find yourself thinking the quote is accurate and not misleading (unless you already knew for certain the ideas were true before reading the WT literature), then I urge you to look up the sources of the quotes and to read the context in the sources. Very often the WT uses quotes in a very misleading and improper way, and very often their quotes leave out facts and theories (mentioned in the sources the quotes came from) which refute the claims the WT is making. I notice that a lot when the WT quotes scientists regarding the topic of evolution.

    I also encourage you to to consider the possibility that much of the Bible's claims (especially claims about God and the supernatural) are false. I also encourage you to consider the possibility that no personal God/god exists (even if a deistic creator god exists). In regards to these matters I encourage you to read books written by atheistic scientists and ex-Christian atheists which present evidence and arguments against belief in Christianity, the Bible, and God. The following are some specific book recommendations in this regard.

    - Thomas Paine's book (in three parts) called The Age of Reason (it is in the public domain and can be read online). His arguments for deism are outdated (at least from an atheistic scientific point of view), but most of his arguments against the Bible and Christianity are very good.

    - Ingersoll the Magnificent: To which Has Been Added a Special Arrangement of Some Gems from Ingersoll for Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage

    - Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity (Revised & Expanded), by John W. Loftus, and please read other books written and edited by him which promote atheism and which show problems with Christianity and the Bible.

    - God: The Failed Hypothesis: How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist "... is a 2007 New York Times bestseller by scientist Victor J. Stenger ..."

    - God and the Folly of Faith: The Incompatibility of Science and Religion by scientist Victor J. Stenger

    - Sense and Goodness Without God: A Defense of Metaphysical Naturalism, by Richard Carrier who "is a philosopher and historian with a Ph.D. in ancient history"

    - Humanism As A Philosophy (later called The Philosophy of Humanism). The Second Edition of that book, bearing the copyright date of 1949, can be read at https://archive.org/details/humanismasphilos00lamo .

    If you are not convinced that biological evolution is a fact, then I encourage you to read scientific books and scientific articles by scientists which provide evidence for evolution. They include books which which disprove the specific arguments of creationists and of proponents of intelligent design.

    The books are available at various public libraries. If your local library doesn't have the books, you can request library to obtain them from other libraries by interlibrary loan (such as through WorldCat.org).

  • punkofnice

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