Posts by OneEyedJoe

10

Will hurricane Harvey infuse the WTBT$ with more money? Or cost them more money?

by exjwlemming in

in the past, i have known many brothers that had trekked down to the southern us to perform relief work on behalf of the wtbt$.

they return as heros.

they shared the repairing and rebuilding of kh and the property of fellow believers.

OneEyedJoe

I can't see a plausible scenario in which they don't at least break even. They will, almost certainly make a profit. If they find themselves unable to defraud insurance companies in sufficient numbers (i.e. not enough JWs have insurance) then they'll just write letters and go on their tv show and tell everyone to donate money to be used for the victims and people will give.

As far as rebuilding their property (kingdom halls, etc) they'll just charge the locals for that too. I'm sure they're insured as well, so they'll do the usual insurance scam there and make a tidy profit.

14

X/LDS vs X/JW!!!Who is more twisted and bitter.

by joe134cd in

since leaving the jws i have become fascinated by the lds church, because of the similarities both organisations have.

in reading x-mo forums i get the impression that they tend to be not as bitter and as twisted as xjw.

this is surprising as i think the lds is a bigger con than the jws.

OneEyedJoe

I'm not sure I see what makes Joseph Smith a bigger con man than CTR/Russel. Sure he claimed to have received a revelation but I don't see how that's much different than claiming to be the FDS and spirit-directed, at least in practice.

I do think it's a little easier to fade from mormonism from what little I've read about it, and they're not discouraged from seeking education so ex-mormons are probably in a slightly better situation because of that. Both of those could probably lead to less bitterness. Mormonism seems a hair healthier to me due to the strong emphasis on family.

I'm certainly no expert, though.

8

Strange Week for The Left

by freemindfade in

it's been a strange week, maybe the left sent out a memo this week that there losing their minds... three things i've noticed.... 1. mainstream media and politicians start bashing antifa a year into their bs, kind of odd, better late than never.

2. diane feinstein melts the brains of libs at a thing in sf when she expresses hope in trump, very odd, they probably ran her out of town with pitch forks and torches.. 3. trevor noah tells everyone to chill on ridiculing melania on what she wore to houston, beyond strange!

and also hypocritical, it's like telling everyone to think a certain way, to overreact to every little thing, then saying how dare you over react to something so insignificant.

OneEyedJoe

The idea that ANTIFA is the same as groups in 1930's germany is approximately equivalent to someone pointing out that Lincoln was a republican and basing upon this the claim that republicans have black people's best interests at heart.

I'm not trying to get political, I'm just saying that the arguments being made are disingenuous. I hate to overuse the word, but it's really the best match for the situation. Casting the current climate as some battle between good and evil is a gross oversimplification and risks completely missing the point. Groups evolve and simply maintaining a similar name doesn't imply similar motives, structure, or merit.

In any event, if your argument is that ANTIFA is somehow helping us and you intend to make this case by connecting them to the anti-fascists in 1930's germany, I'd feel the need to point out that they didn't particularly help 1930's germany avoid fascism.

8

Strange Week for The Left

by freemindfade in

it's been a strange week, maybe the left sent out a memo this week that there losing their minds... three things i've noticed.... 1. mainstream media and politicians start bashing antifa a year into their bs, kind of odd, better late than never.

2. diane feinstein melts the brains of libs at a thing in sf when she expresses hope in trump, very odd, they probably ran her out of town with pitch forks and torches.. 3. trevor noah tells everyone to chill on ridiculing melania on what she wore to houston, beyond strange!

and also hypocritical, it's like telling everyone to think a certain way, to overreact to every little thing, then saying how dare you over react to something so insignificant.

OneEyedJoe

But to equate the fascist protestors with anti-fascists, is not so simple

I'm not equating them at all. I'm simply pointing out that ANTIFA has been allowed to name itself, and the name chosen is not particularly descriptive. Casting this rift as fascists vs anti-fascists is disingenuous at best.

3

Osteen: "the city didn't ask us to become a shelter"

by ShirleyW in

jw
friends

he's sounding more like a dub everyday, sounds like one of their lame excuses.. i don't think the city asked the furniture and the mosque that opened to shelter people, and a pastor, one who supposedly helps people was waiting for the city?

he's just lying, that's why that response reminds me of the borg.

just my religious rant for the day, can't stand religious people of stature who spew out false statements..

OneEyedJoe

In fairness, the only thing that his church was meant to be a shelter from is taxes.

8

Strange Week for The Left

by freemindfade in

it's been a strange week, maybe the left sent out a memo this week that there losing their minds... three things i've noticed.... 1. mainstream media and politicians start bashing antifa a year into their bs, kind of odd, better late than never.

2. diane feinstein melts the brains of libs at a thing in sf when she expresses hope in trump, very odd, they probably ran her out of town with pitch forks and torches.. 3. trevor noah tells everyone to chill on ridiculing melania on what she wore to houston, beyond strange!

and also hypocritical, it's like telling everyone to think a certain way, to overreact to every little thing, then saying how dare you over react to something so insignificant.

OneEyedJoe

in some form or another: anti-fascists vs fascists.

The problem is that this is not anti-fascists vs fascists in any way other than name. In what world can you be suppressing free speech with violence and be called an anti-fascist? The lines aren't so easily drawn between good and evil and the sides aren't so black and white.

For reference:

Fascism /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism, characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition, and control of industry and commerce, that came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe.

One side has the nationalism, the other the forcible suppression of opposition. Which one is fascist? Both sides can't be right, but they can both be wrong. All ANTIFA is doing is helping white nationalists, neo-nazis, and the KKK recruit new members..

20

Joel Osteen's Church is a Cult too ??

by ShirleyW in

jw
friends

it's being said all over social media that joel osteen hasn't opened his mega church for refuge during the storm, pictures are showing this area is not flooded.

i made a few comments myself saying that the jws only help their own in time of need but this god fearing man isn't helping anyone.. just what religion is he and his followers, i guess it's one of those non-denomination churches that collect a shitload of bucks to him and wife so he can afford the glamorous life, nothing new of course, i thought he was just a bit different than the others, fooled me..

OneEyedJoe

When I first left the cult I did a quick google search about this guy out of curiosity and came across a hilariously ironic article (I think written by some baptist organization) and basically every criticism made it sound less like a cult, because he preaches things that contradict a lot of the bible's more culty passages. He's a motivational speaker, so all the sowing self-doubt (the heart is wicked, who can know it) and exclusivity (one-and-only path to god stuff) gets left out.

Now that doesn't mean his church isn't a cult, but it's at least got different methods from most christian cults. Also, him not opening his church to refugees doesn't mean he's a cult, either...it just shows that he's in it for the money, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

13

"Secret Sins"... a catalyst for change both negative and positive

by silentbuddha in

i have been completely out for close to 5 years and i have spent alot of time with individuals who either left or are in the process of leaving.

whenever we get to talking about what made you leave or what was it that made the flip switch, the initial answer is some doctrinal teaching.

in other instances it was just sorrow or a variety of other things.. however, as you get closer to many of these individuals it was generally a secret sin they committed at the root of it all.

OneEyedJoe

The concept of a secret sin interfering with someone's prayers always baffled me. They beat it in to you that you're always sinning in sufficient degree to be deserving of death, so why would porn or drinking be so much worse than just your usual day-to-day stuff?

In any event, no secret sin here. It was purely my being disillusioned with the doctrine that lead to me to start researching stuff. Now, sins committed after I left is a while other story.

36

White supremacy is an ideology of peace

by OneEyedJoe in

i'm tired of hearing these constant attacks on white supremacists after the events in charlottesville.

why are moderate white supremacists being lumped in together and sharing the blame for the actions of one reprehensible man that misinterpreted the ideals of white supremacy and became violent?

clearly the motivation of such attacks on white supremacists is nothing other than racism.

OneEyedJoe

By the way, LoL! Can't believe you felt the need to explain it was a parody!

Apparently not only was this needed, but apparently I should've led with it and put it in bold.

46

"Smash The Old World"

by cofty in

during mao's cultural revolution images of the past were destroyed by the red guard.

temples and churches were looted and religious statues destroyed.. this image was taken by li zhengshen at the jile temple in august 1966. the sign on the wall translates as "smash the old world".. will the left never learn?.

.

OneEyedJoe

Studies abound to prove whatever you want Cofty

Terrific. Find a study that proves the opposite and it'll nullify cofty's point. Until then, your argument is nothing more than inflation of conflict and has the side effect of proving too much - that no studies are useful when discussing anything.