Posts by Coded Logic

I too usually just scroll past any biblical or theological debates. It's a bit like listening to two nerds discussing if Gandalf the Gray had gray hair or white hair - each citing different passages from Tolkiens work to support their positions - in the end who cares? It's a fictional character!!!

But there are still a few topics I've found interesting. Like how there's lots of historical evidence for people being crucified on cross' in the first and second centuries. Or that the doctrine of hell fire really is a biblical message that doesn't require any mental gymnastics. And that the teaching of a Trinity - from a Biblical sense - is on a lot more solid footing than I ever imagined. Etc.

But my interest in these topics only exists as far as my JW ignorance. That is to say - how surprising it is how little I knew about a book I supposedly studied every single week.

20

Is it really possible to disprove the Watchtower?

by Coded Logic in

dear brothers and sisters,.

considering the end is so near at hand we thought it important for to reiterate that it's absolutely impossible to prove god's "one true organisation" wrong.

there is nothing on heaven or earth that could ever be shown to be false or incorrect in our entire .

Coded Logic

Dear brothers and sisters,

Considering the end is so near at hand we thought it important for to reiterate that it's absolutely impossible to prove God's "one true organisation" wrong. There is nothing on heaven or earth that could ever be shown to be false or incorrect in our entire . . .

. . . oh, don't mind that. And if that was ever stated than clearly that's not what they meant by "generation"

. . .

. . .ooops

.. .

. . . oops again . . . Cut the feed. Someone cut the feed!

35

Is All The Bad Publicity About The Watchtower Pedophile Lawsuits Causing Contributions To Nose Dive Worldwide?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i think with all the child molestation lawsuits the watchtower corporation is and has been hit with is the main reason for all the prime property sell off recently.

the silent lambs protest back in 2001, and the dateline prime time expose probably was the death knell for the watchtower's hey day in brooklyn.. their membership is drying up, young people are leaving in droves, the situation is no doubt far worse than the annually published yearbook figures show and so they ceased it's publication permanently.

and those left remaining are experiencing a huge grab of money from their congregations accounts and now are required to make pledges about how much they can contribute which i think is a last ditch effort by the governing body to squeeze more money out of the rank and file watchtower indoctrinated drones.. i think all this is happening because even those still loyally attending are hearing reports of these tremendous pay out that the watchtower is making to the victims of their self serving policies that put young ones at great risks so that even the rank and file don't want to contribute to pay court costs and so are withholding giving contributions to a very great extent.

Coded Logic

the situation is no doubt far worse than the annually published yearbook figures show and so they ceased it's publication permanently.

I wasn't aware the Yearbook was no longer going to be produced. Can anyone confirm this?

4

NASA - then & now

by Coded Logic in

on january 10, 1962 nasa began developing the saturn v rocket (still the most powerful rocket to have ever flown).

just five years later, on november 9, 1967, it flew its maiden flight.

the total cost to develop and build the first rocket (apollo 4) was 185 million dollars (adjusted about 2 billion dollars today).. .

Coded Logic

Ttdtt,

The first block of the SLS will not be more powerful. The article you linked unfortunately has a very misleading headline. But here are the actual numbers the article gives: We have a payload mass to LEO of about 122.4 metric tons [135 tons] for Saturn V . . . Block 1 (SLS), will have a LEO payload capacity of 77 tons (70 metric tons).

It's not until later variants of the SLS (expected to fly in the late 2020s) that we see a more powerful rocket: Block 2 will max out at 143 tons (130 metric tons) to LEO.

4

NASA - then & now

by Coded Logic in

on january 10, 1962 nasa began developing the saturn v rocket (still the most powerful rocket to have ever flown).

just five years later, on november 9, 1967, it flew its maiden flight.

the total cost to develop and build the first rocket (apollo 4) was 185 million dollars (adjusted about 2 billion dollars today).. .

Coded Logic

On January 10, 1962 NASA began developing the Saturn V rocket (still the most powerful rocket to have ever flown). Just five years later, on November 9, 1967, it flew its maiden flight. The total cost to develop and build the first rocket (Apollo 4) was 185 million dollars (adjusted about 2 billion dollars today).

In November of 2005, NASA began developing the Ares rockets (later on becoming the Space Launch System). Having spent over 18 billion dollars on the program it's still not expected to fly until summer of 2020.

Let's recap -

Apollo V: 5 years - 2 billion dollars spent
SLS: 15 years - over 18 billion dollars spent

Oh yeah, one thing I forgot to mention, after the SLS flies it's first mission the Saturn V will STILL be the most powerful rocket to have ever flown. How in our modern technological age is this possible?

9

Who is "the faithfully and discreet slave"?

by Counter-Watchtower in

ive asked my jw friends that 3 times and never got an answer.. and can someone explain the jw class system?

and or point me to info on it..

Coded Logic

At the top are the "Governing Body" which are a group of a dozen men or less who are responsible for crafting the theology of the religion. They also write, dictate, or otherwise influence much of what appears in the WT literature and talk outlines.

Next are Branch Overseers that are responsible for running a Branch and managing the Organisation in their country or countries.

Below them are the Circuit Overseers who manage two or three dozen congregations by actually traveling to visit each one several times a year.

In each congregation there is a senior elder whom all the other elders in the congregation report to.

Then there are the elders who manage the congregation and do most of the talks.

Under them are the Ministerial Servants who do a lot of the busy work and fill in for Elders when one isn't available.

Next are the baptized males. Generally the one's pioneering are considered in the higher standing.

Under them are the baptized females.

Lowest on the totem poll are the Publishers.

I hope this is somewhat helpful to you. But it is by no means an exhaustive explanation of the intricacies of the JWs Organisation.

22

How smart were the ancients?

by Coded Logic in

growing up as a jw, i always thought the ancients were scientific morons who knew next to nothing.

ashamedly, i used to run around citing isaiah 40:22 as proof of the bible's 'divine authorship' because it talked about "the circle of the earth".

as though this were somehow an unknowable before spaceflight.

Coded Logic

So sad. Damn Pope Theophilus for his short sightedness!

:(

22

How smart were the ancients?

by Coded Logic in

growing up as a jw, i always thought the ancients were scientific morons who knew next to nothing.

ashamedly, i used to run around citing isaiah 40:22 as proof of the bible's 'divine authorship' because it talked about "the circle of the earth".

as though this were somehow an unknowable before spaceflight.

Coded Logic

Growing up as a JW, I always thought the ancients were scientific morons who knew next to nothing. Ashamedly, I used to run around citing Isaiah 40:22 as proof of the Bible's 'divine authorship' because it talked about "the circle of the earth". As though this were somehow an unknowable before spaceflight.

But the more I learn about history, the more I realize just how advanced some of the Ancients were. Eratosthenes calculating the diameter of the earth has been referenced in several threads on this site. But someone you may never of heard of is Aristarchus.

Not a whole lot is know about him but in the year 200 BC Aristarchus' contemporary, Archimedes, wrote a fascinating book called The Sand Reckoner in which Archimedes attempted to calculate how many grains of sand could fit inside the universe. Using parallax and a few assumptions, Archimedes figured the universe was about 2 light years across (pretty astounding for a man of antiquity).

But even more interesting than Archimedes estimations, is his reference to a man who was putting forth the heliocentric model some 1,800 years before Copernicus formalized and popularized the idea. Here's a passage from Archimedes book:

You are now aware that the "universe" is the name given by most astronomers to the sphere the center of which is the center of the earth, while its radius is equal to the straight line between the center of the sun and the center of the earth. This is the common account as you have heard from astronomers. But Aristarchus has brought out a book consisting of certain hypotheses, wherein it appears, as a consequence of the assumptions made, that the universe is many times greater than the "universe" just mentioned. His hypotheses are that the fixed stars and the sun remain unmoved, that the earth revolves about the sun on the circumference of a circle, the sun lying in the middle of the orbit, and that the sphere of the fixed stars, situated about the same center as the sun, is so great that the circle in which he supposes the earth to revolve bears such a proportion to the distance of the fixed stars as the center of the sphere bears to its surface.

Sadly, Aristarchus own writings were lost when the Christians burned down and raised the Library of Alexandria. It kinda makes me wonder what else the ancients knew.

44

A WTF Moment While In the WTS

by Searching in

has anyone else had a moment, while still within the organization (and before learning ttatt) that caused them to stop and go, "this is kind of messed up.".

for instance, back i believe in the early 2000's, i was attending a dc with my family.

it was announced at the beginning of the convention that there was going to be a special announcement at the end, so for everyone to please try to remain until the very end of the meeting.

Coded Logic

There are two that I remember clearly. The first was when the "What does the Bible Teach" book came out and we started studying it for the bookstudy. It was so mind numbingly dumbed down I found myself getting frustrated thinking to myself "How are we going to become experts on the Bible if we're reading at a first grade level?"

Grown men and women we're raising their hands and answering "Jehovah" and "Jesus". It was so bizarre.

The second one came when they had the big announcement at the upcoming convention about "new light" in regards to the statue with a gold face, silver chest, etc. Everyone was a buzz about how big this was and the invitations we passed out even brought this up.

They really went all out in selling the "new light".

Well, low and behold, when we got to the third day of the convention - everything leading up to this and dancing around the "upcoming big announcement" what did we get? Why, a big nothing burger of course. The new light was that the iron and clay feet of the statue - which had always represented the US and the UK - actually might represent the US, the UK, and maybe some unidentified "other countries".

Ughh. So disappointing. And also the last convention I ever attended.