“galaxie”: “ Not subliminal but just a cloud face ? ”
Depends how much pot you smoke.
people stay jehovah's witnesses for several reasons.
the foremost is because they are taught that they could cheat death and not have to die or even better yet not have to get old.
the second is they can see their dead relatives again , who have a direct pass to paradise, and that we must obey to get there to see them in the resurrection.
“galaxie”: “ Not subliminal but just a cloud face ? ”
Depends how much pot you smoke.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852739/nepal-devotees-sacrifice-thousands-animals-hindu-ritual.html.
It’s certainly quite disgusting on so many different levels. Aside from the obvious and cruel suffering of the animals, and aside from the needlessness and senselessness of it all, what also really gets me is: What about all the people who are STARVING in so many third-world countries, including their own! They’re just letting all those innumerable tons of meat rot, which really doesn’t do anybody any good, and is just apt to cause bacterial infections and diseases.
Oh, sure, maybe some pelts may be salvaged and sold at a good profit, and some of the horns or testicles may be chopped up and sold as aphrodisiacs in an ignorant attempt to make sure the willies of the rich folk will keep performing, but I don’t see anything about donating any meat to some of the multitudinous number of poor starving folks, in their own country and others, such as Africa. Nope. I guess this bitch goddess Gadhimai, the “goddess of power,” couldn’t give a shit about that.
One might wonder why, since this Gadhimai broad is supposedly the “goddess of power,” she doesn’t use some of that “power” to actually accomplish something useful and help people, instead of just further raping the country’s natural resources. I wonder if any of those folks in Nepal ever have a little light bulb go off in their head which would make them say, “Hmmm,” and actually think about what the point of that little destructive exercise is. Maybe they need to start waking up – just like we did at one point in our journey from the WTS.
Although, all that prolific animal sacrificing does remind me about all the same sort of thing which was apparently commanded by the so-called Almighty and All-wise Creator of the universe – the God of the Jews in the ancient Mosaic Law. At least some of the meat from those sacrifices practiced by the ancient Israelites was actually to be eaten, but it nevertheless still strikes me as being a rather needless and senseless destruction of their natural resources – especially for those tribes wandering in a rocky desert all those years, when you would think that their survival would necessitate wise practicality. Perhaps those ancient Jews weren’t quite so different from the modern folks in Nepal. Same sort of religious customs – just at a different time and under a different brand.
In acknowledgement of and due credit to the original poster’s thread title, “I hate religion,” I must say in all earnestness and honesty: Me too!
people stay jehovah's witnesses for several reasons.
the foremost is because they are taught that they could cheat death and not have to die or even better yet not have to get old.
the second is they can see their dead relatives again , who have a direct pass to paradise, and that we must obey to get there to see them in the resurrection.
“prologos”: “I see a < 400 squae feet cottage with two massive chimneys, wood, coal burning.”
Maybe that’s for making animal sacrifices – you know, just to make sure the old guy on the throne in the clouds is kept happy. Juuust in case.
many jws enjoy turkey on thanksgiving day and are often discreet about their indulgences.
why be two faced?
why try to excuse it?.
“Witness 007”: “They have nothing to be thankful for.”
Well, I wouldn’t say that. Every year JWs get to stare at a plate of dried-out crackers and a glass of cheap wine to remind them how unworthy they are of being called “God’s children” (at least not for another thousand years or so) or having Jesus as their mediator; that is, unlike the elite important class, the anointed remnant of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in New York. And they get to dress up in suits and ties and formal dresses yet one more night of the year. To quote a line by Chevy Chase playing Clark Griswold in the 1983 movie Vacation, “We’re all gonna have so much f^cking fun we’re gonna need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles! You’ll be whistling ‘Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah’ out of your assholes!”
“Quarterback”: “But, if the Jews start eating bacon, what is this world coming to?”
That’s true. After all, the JWs are much more Jewish than any Christians.
once upon a time, there was a world in flux, undergoing change and diversity at an imperceptible pace.
only with hindsight was it possible to catalogue the various paths being born that led to a word and humanity so very different one hundred years later than compared to any time in the homo sapiens past.. technology, warfare, the universe, the discovery of atoms... born in stars, all things forced upon the fragile minds of mortals in a short period of time.. these overwhelming changes led to the birth of many things, including comforts and hopes that were far to readily available to grasp ahold of.
as the founders of these comforts could not themselves grasp the world they found the self in, they sought the worlds they knew, the past, 4000 years in the past......the technicalities and truths were to be ironed out at another time, a time never reached.. some had no choice in the matter, the grasping was done by their parents, their grandparents, their great grandparents.....when the time came for personal analysis, not only had they inherited comfort but great, great fears.
“snare&racket”: “. . . when the time came for personal analysis, not only had they inherited comfort but great, great fears. They found they had lost not only freedom of thought and question but also autonomy itself, . . . But now we move toward a new era, . . . An age of information where all are free to seek knowledge and all knowledge is seek-able and free, not even requiring a voluntary donation. . . . Truth or comfort?”
An interesting analysis, for sure. I think that the ability to search for objective truth and accept wherever that leads, in a mindful and pragmatic way, does, in fact, bring comfort in itself. Trying to hang on to and maintain old delusions doesn’t really bring comfort in the long run because that only fosters dissonance – and frustration.
I think that “nice” little fables (“allegories”) can have some positive or comforting effect on people, especially the very young, such as Walt Disney classics (remember that song, “When you wish upon a star”?) or Santa Claus (What do you want for Christmas, Billy?), etc. However, if an intelligent adult were to keep waiting for star wishes to come true or expecting the drunken old Santa Claus from the local shopping mall to actually drive to his house in the wee hours of December 25th morning and drop off a new 80-inch flat screen TV while knowing full well deep in his subconscious that it is all simply untrue, then instead of any actual comfort he could only expect a good dose of dissonance and frustration. (Not that too many intelligent adults would go line up and sit on Santa’s lap to ask for a big TV – that would be rather delusional and cheeky, for sure . . . not to mention a possible free pass to the local psyche ward for some professional observation.) While little kids might possibly expect a flat screen TV or a PlayStation 4 or a pony or whatever, the big intelligent adults know what they must to do to actually attain the things they want by themselves; i.e., work their asses off and save (or at least build up a big credit line account – whatever does the trick).
So, to answer the original poster’s question “Truth or comfort?,” I would say that those two things do not have to be mutually exclusive. There is no reason they can’t properly and sincerely fit together – i.e., with a little mindfulness you can have both!
many jws enjoy turkey on thanksgiving day and are often discreet about their indulgences.
why be two faced?
why try to excuse it?.
“SafeAtHome”: “I know they would bring up pagan connections with Christmas and Easter, but what would be the argument about Thanksgiving or Mother's Day or Father's Day...days that don't have a religious celebration connected with them.”
The real truth is that the GB of the WTS doesn’t so much care about religious or pagan origins of things, but what they do have a problem with is anything – such as a person’s birthday or Mother’s/Father’s Day – that they see as elevating an individual on a pedestal, even for one day. No, the GB would rather everyone do that for themselves every day. (I’m just waiting till they come out with GB bobbleheads for their followers to put on their car dashboards.)
looking at all the doctrinal teachings over the last five years, it's almost impossible for any person of conscience who originated such doctrine to do a complete u-turn and change it when the passage of time has proved beyond doubt that doctrine is no longer credible.. i say this with reference to the generation of 1914. they were so sure.
it was part of the awake!
masthead for decades that those who saw the events of 1914 would also see the great tribulation.. .
“truthseeker”: “Either they are fooling themselves OR they are perpetuating a SCAM on the body of believers.”
I think that they are fooling and scamming themselves on a deeply subconscious level, but on another level they are operating in cognitive dissonance as they try to perpetuate and craftily sculpt the lies. It seems that, as a whole, the GB is struggling to keep up with itself. It is like a criminal who deep down knows he has committed a serious crime but keeps reinventing and reaffirming to others and himself a lie – a sort of hopeless “fake it ’till you make it” strategy; or, more like a “fake it ’till you believe it yourself (or at least try to believe it yourself)” strategy.
“truthseeker”: “. . . chronology has backed them in a corner, and they have no way out except to change the teaching, but in doing so they have lost credibility among themselves and the flock . . .”
Indeed!
“flipper”: “For the money and the power. And the control.”
Those defects of human character really come through, don’t they!
does anyone have a short list of inconsistencies or can write some out for me, from both the bible and wt doctrine.
things such as: jobs test and noah's ark not being enough for gods sovereignty, why not just let adam and eve die without having children, tower of babel after the flood, jws can die at armageddon yet even satan gets more time.
the ultimate stopper for me is when people say its about jehovahs kingdom and sovereignty and we preach to save the wicked.
To: “All for show”:
Aside from Biblical inconsistencies you mentioned regarding Adam and Eve, Noah, and Job, if you want a most excellent comprehensive list of all the inconsistencies of the Watchtower Society, I’ve found that you can’t do any better than the research work called “Spiritual Food At the Proper Time” at freeminds.org. It contains little excerpts directly from the Watchtower literature in chronological order, along with the occasional brief yet concise explanatory comments. You will find it extremely useful as a research tool. That was really the thing that did if for me around 15 years ago. It makes is so extremely obvious that we are dealing with a dishonest and arrogant cult! Below are the links to this fine information:
http://www.freeminds.org/history/key.htm
http://www.freeminds.org/history/part1.htm
http://www.freeminds.org/history/part2.htm
it's been 12 years since i first read ray franz's books and the scales came off my eyes.
by that time i was in my forties.. since 2002 i went back to school and have worked with 3 very professional organizations.
but my biological clock is ticking away and while my peers are looking forward to retirement, i am only beginning.
“wannaexit”: “While my peers are looking forward to retirement, I am only beginning.”
I can certainly relate to that. I thought that I would be married long ago, but according to the WTS I would have to be a ministerial servant in order to be worthy of marrying a woman. That’s why I say, retrain a lawyer and at least know what your legal options are regarding this most destructive cult.
1. it's not all about me.. each of us has to grow up our own way at our own pace.
when we regain our balance we can be of help to other people.
life doesn't.
“Terry”: “JW's think "accurate knowledge" is an excuse for lip-service kinds of love. But, it is an awfully empty and cold substitute.”
JWs really don’t know the meaning of “love.” Their idea of “love” is just tantamount to “towing the [party] line.”
“Terry”: “Intellectual honesty means you are WILLING to be WRONG if facts and evidence go against your cherished beliefs and opinions.”
What always strikes me is the fact that the WTS has never actually come out and apologized for its many careless blunders; i.e., 1925, 1975, as well as “alternative military service” (you may be familiar with that), organ transplants, etc.
“Terry”: “We are soooooo comfortable allowing the "other" to tell us what is "good" and bad.”
Good point. It’s interesting that according to Sigmund Freud, the religious idea of God is, in fact, just a manifestation of the innate and subconscious need for a father figure.
Unfortunately, religion is responsible for a lot of that “negativity,” which is really nothing more than a manifestation of the defects of character common to humanity; i.e., greed, power, and fear.