It would seem that those later changes toward banning Christmas and birthdays, dogmatically insisting on a stake/pole as opposed to the standard cross (which was, in fact, used in Rome at the time), as well as the ban on transfusing whole blood or the four major components thereof, including autologous transfusion (can’t store your own blood to transfuse back into yourself because it would be “stored,” but blood tests are allowed) – all those and many other changes weren’t so much to do with any supposed scriptural validity but, rather, as a mechanism to foster a black-and-white, “us-verses-them” view pertaining to the “world” in general. And that, of course, is quite an instrumental means used by the WTS in securing control over its ignorant and bewildered membership.
Posts by SAHS
-
24CAN WE SOLVE THE MYSTERY of why Watchtower doctrines changed when they changed?
by Terry inif a person gives a police report of a traumatic event, but later changes their facts during cross-examination, these changes are used to impeach the honesty of the witness.. this impeachment flows from a logical understanding facts must match reality without contradiction.. lets examine the history of the watchtower corporations leaders with a view to the harmony of.
true teaching over a period of years from 1879-1942.. "even though christmas is not the real anniversary of our lord's birth, but more properly the annunciation day or the date of his human begetting (luke 1:28), nevertheless, since the celebration of our lord's birth is not a matter of divine appointment or injunction, but merely a tribute of respect to him, it is not necessary for us to quibble particularly about the date.
we may as well join with the civilized world in celebrating the grand event on the day which the majority celebrate - "christmas day.
-
-
-
5
JW's and Ambient Abuse
by Jehovanomics inambient abuse is the stealth, subtle, underground currents of maltreatment that sometimes go unnoticed even by the victims themselves, until it is too late.
ambient abuse penetrates and permeates everything but is difficult to pinpoint and identify.
it is ambiguous, atmospheric, diffuse.
-
-
SAHS
“Jehovanomics”: “Her membership in the abuser's "kingdom" is cast as a privilege and a prize.”
That sure sounds familiar! The WTS keeps always saying what an inestimable “privilege” it is to serve God them.
-
12
What Is The Ideal Discussion Board For You?
by minimus ini think these boards are great!
it gives us the opportunity to express our feelings, our viewpoints, our concerns, etc.
when we were jws we could not freely do any of that.
-
-
SAHS
“Terry,” you beat me to it! My sentiments exactly: “THIS ONE.” This is the one and only discussion board I got into about eleven years ago when I really began questioning the JW religion, and I found it most informative and eye-opening. I came across a link somewhere on this site to a detailed chronological synopsis of the ever-changing doctrines and policies of the WTS called “Spiritual Food At the Proper Time” on the “http://www.freeminds.org” site, which really did if for me. But it was this particular site – “http://www.jehovahs-witness.net” – which began my journey to discover TTATT. This site seems to be the best one out there for in-depth inside information, insightful analysis, and a massive support community.
“Simon”: “The limit is now about 4 billion [posts] so we should be good way into the new system and beyond.”
LOL!
-
11
I hate religion
by Heartofaboy inhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852739/nepal-devotees-sacrifice-thousands-animals-hindu-ritual.html.
-
-
SAHS
“NAVYTOWN”: “ I say sacrifice HUMANS and leave the poor animals alone. ”
Actually, that is pricisely what the WTS has been doing ever since that disgusting and perverse blood transfusion policy they made up. All told, there were many thousands and thousands of men, women, and helpless CHILDREN who have ended up being sacrificed to that other mythological narcissist, Yahweh/Jehovah! They may not have been slaughtered by knives, but in the end, death is still death. As we’ve seen from the JWs, ignorance abounds, apparently even among the supposedly intelligent and civilized.
-
27
A picture of a WT dream
by Sour Grapes inpeople 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.
-
-
SAHS
“galaxie”: “ Not subliminal but just a cloud face ? ”
Depends how much pot you smoke.
-
11
I hate religion
by Heartofaboy inhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852739/nepal-devotees-sacrifice-thousands-animals-hindu-ritual.html.
-
-
SAHS
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!
-
27
A picture of a WT dream
by Sour Grapes inpeople 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.
-
-
SAHS
“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.
-
38
2 Faced JWs and Thanksgiving
by minimus inmany jws enjoy turkey on thanksgiving day and are often discreet about their indulgences.
why be two faced?
why try to excuse it?.
-
-
SAHS
“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.
-
8
How and why?
by snare&racket inonce 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.
-
-
SAHS
“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!
-
38
2 Faced JWs and Thanksgiving
by minimus inmany jws enjoy turkey on thanksgiving day and are often discreet about their indulgences.
why be two faced?
why try to excuse it?.
-
-
SAHS
“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.)