But, but...
I thought JWs weren't supposed to watch football?
Wasn't there an Awake mag that was published a few years back that lambasted competitive sports? The same Awake that had the article about the boy that died refusing blood...can't remember which one now - it had basketball players on the front
one of the recent threads on the talk about the hailstone message got me to thinking.
the problem with putting out a message like that is what to do when nothing happens.
i have to think that somebody will be asking that question.
A bit of context:
242 Dates for the End of the World
Out of all those date setters in the above list, the JWs hold the record for the most failed prophecies about the end of the world
The Jehovah's Witnesses made sure in 1984 that no one else would be able to top their record of most wrong doomsday predictions. The Witnesses record is currently holding at nine. The years are: 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984. Lately, the JW's are claiming they're out of the prediction business, but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. They'll be back.
And we must not forget this prophetic figure:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_Little
my elder brother-in-law has always led his life the best possible way.
his talents make others' talents look piddly.
his kids are the brightest high-achievers within a hundred mile radius.
Stillin: we'll see how this goes. I may be getting off cheap.
Lol!
I have used that tactic for years. The easiest way to get rid of unwanted "friends" is to lend them money. They will avoid you like the plague
Effective, simple and cheap
a circuit overseer or a member of the gibbering body is giving a talk about demonism and he says the following, "there was an elder in a congregation in california who let his 8-year-old daughter watch disney movies that involved witches, gremlins, magic, and sorcery.
many may feel that they are harmless movies and are just entertainment.
well, the 8-year-old daughter actually brought a blue smurf doll to the public talk and watchtower study.
In 1986, Phil Phillips published a book called Turmoil in the Toybox
Phil Phillips is the author of Turmoil in the Toybox (1986), Halloween and Satanism (1987), Saturday Morning Mind Control (1991), and Dinosaurs: The Bible, Barney, and Beyond (1994), among others. Turmoil in the Toybox is about how the Smurfs, Care Bears, My Little Pony, He-Man, Mighty Mouse, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Rainbow Bright are all wicked devil toys straight from the pits of Hell itself leading our precious children into ruin. The other three book titles speak for themselves. Halloween and Satanism includes some, perhaps unwitting, but still overt anti-Semitism on display in the author's choice of images and captions.
Practically his entire repertoire of works fall under the "80s/early 90s Christian paranoia/sensationalism" market. They're also unmentionably bad.[citation NOT needed] His books were sold in every Christian bookstore, on prominent display right next to those of Texe Marrs.
You can view 10 youtube episodes of the book here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jrMoVWl5KA
In the following youtube video, "Deception of a Generation (demonic toys)", Phillips discusses the Smurfs at 1:12:30. The Smurfs are, according to Phillips, representative of dead creatures (blue with black lips), homosexual (because the only female is Smurfette who magically changes to male in one episode) and Papa Smurf casts spells:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnjdq32u-MU
I don't think that the Smurf legend originated with the JWs - they just picked up on Phil Phillip's insanity and ran with it. The 80s were rife with Christian paranoia - most of the occult legends originated with right wing born-agains in the States
a careful reader of the bible can see depiction of two gods in the bible—one that of a loving father figure, and the other an impulsive sort of who has been copied thoughtlessly from other cultures.. 1) god of love (as seen in genesis chapter 1) who creates humans (men and woman simultaneously) “in his image” (which means he gave the best he can to his children, the potential to become like him) as a crown of creation with a command to take care of all species, and goes into silence unconcerned of mankind’s response [gratitude or worship] to him, yet with a presupposition to “renew” in case humans deplete/destroy the resources (mathew 19:28; revelation 21:1-5).
thus god’s action defines him as “the servant of humanity.” (luke 22:26, 27) this is in contrast to the second god (as seen in genesis chapter 2 and 3 and throughout other books) who makes the planning for suffering and death for humans in co-operation with his adversary.. 2) god of impartiality (deut 10:17; mathew 5:44-48) who asks us to love/greet everyone.
this is in contrast to the second god who commands his worshippers not even to greet those who do not share their beliefs.
Of all the myths I find the scanty details about the first God found in the Bible makes more sense than second one elaborately depicted in the Bible.
That is because you like the first one better. You are having an emotional reaction, not a rational reaction
a careful reader of the bible can see depiction of two gods in the bible—one that of a loving father figure, and the other an impulsive sort of who has been copied thoughtlessly from other cultures.. 1) god of love (as seen in genesis chapter 1) who creates humans (men and woman simultaneously) “in his image” (which means he gave the best he can to his children, the potential to become like him) as a crown of creation with a command to take care of all species, and goes into silence unconcerned of mankind’s response [gratitude or worship] to him, yet with a presupposition to “renew” in case humans deplete/destroy the resources (mathew 19:28; revelation 21:1-5).
thus god’s action defines him as “the servant of humanity.” (luke 22:26, 27) this is in contrast to the second god (as seen in genesis chapter 2 and 3 and throughout other books) who makes the planning for suffering and death for humans in co-operation with his adversary.. 2) god of impartiality (deut 10:17; mathew 5:44-48) who asks us to love/greet everyone.
this is in contrast to the second god who commands his worshippers not even to greet those who do not share their beliefs.
OrphanCrow,
When nations start using weapons like Poseidon, your medical science can do nothing
"Your" medical science?
Uh...now you are just being silly.
I don't "own" medical science. It isn't "mine".
What you are doing is setting up a dichotomy (us versus them...or, "me' versus "you") to fit into your black and white world view
If "I" have medical science, then what is it that you have other than mythic thinking patterns?
a careful reader of the bible can see depiction of two gods in the bible—one that of a loving father figure, and the other an impulsive sort of who has been copied thoughtlessly from other cultures.. 1) god of love (as seen in genesis chapter 1) who creates humans (men and woman simultaneously) “in his image” (which means he gave the best he can to his children, the potential to become like him) as a crown of creation with a command to take care of all species, and goes into silence unconcerned of mankind’s response [gratitude or worship] to him, yet with a presupposition to “renew” in case humans deplete/destroy the resources (mathew 19:28; revelation 21:1-5).
thus god’s action defines him as “the servant of humanity.” (luke 22:26, 27) this is in contrast to the second god (as seen in genesis chapter 2 and 3 and throughout other books) who makes the planning for suffering and death for humans in co-operation with his adversary.. 2) god of impartiality (deut 10:17; mathew 5:44-48) who asks us to love/greet everyone.
this is in contrast to the second god who commands his worshippers not even to greet those who do not share their beliefs.
Ireneus: I used the phrase “fallen state” in the sense that humans could have been better in the past than us today.
"Could have been" is the basis of myth. "Could have" is a speculative position
We make improvement only in technology, not in our behavior pattern.
How do you know that? How do you know that "we do not make improvement in our behavior pattern?"
Even when we make improvements in technology, later we find it was not at all a progress.
Improvements in medical technology have increased our life spans greatly. That is progress. Improvements in communication technology is progress. Improvements in transportation technology is progress.
You are making sweeping generalizations that are not grounded in facts. You are grounded in mythological thinking.
how many people here can sincerely say those words to someone?
i take it most here do not say prayers, right?
?.
I find it sort of creepy when people say they are going to pray for me. Especially those "prayer circles". Weird.
It makes me uncomfortable to know that someone, especially a group of people, are sitting around talking to somebody(god) about my problems. The ultimate gossip circle jerk.
*And it's condencending
i was just browsing the russian jw site and saw this image that appears to represent christian persecution by showing handcuffs in front of prison bars that appear to form a cross.
which would be weird because they don't even believe in the cross, or maybe it was clip art from another source and they didn't notice.
or last and most likely i'm seeing things that aren't there 😜.
It's a stock photo
It shows up in several crime related stories
Just do a google image search. It's a popular image
figures from that latest 2-weekend convention in caridff (wales) reveal jw “growth” now in decline.
baptisms are discouragingly low (21, combined), and circuit overseers have been primed to deal with assemblies where there are no baptisms; see these leaked 2018 instructions:.
pdf summary: https://1drv.ms/b/s!arekzxkzlp8ybsl45pov7y6k26a.
Re-baptism was offered following WW2 to those who had been baptized at a young age prior to the war. It wasn't mandatory but many did get baptized again.
