Posts by OrphanCrow

110

If you're expecting a mass exodus anytime soon, FORGET ABOUT IT!

by nowwhat? in

i have to make a token appearance at the k.h.

once a month or so and this week went to a different hall.

and believe me they are all still totally oblivious to all the negative news about the pedophiles and shunning that have come under scrutiny by the media and other governments.

OrphanCrow

slim: And as a matter of fact the Catholic Apostolic Church collapsed despite being rich because of its end time doctrine. It still has assets but no members.

Ah. And here we have a clue.

So, Slim, your definition of "collapse" then, is simply "loss of all members"

Well, now don't I feel silly? Here I have been assuming that you have been using the vernacular definition of "collapse".

Is that a post-modern collapse that you are arguing for, then?

Can you share with us what this impeding (or maybe, already happened) "collapse" is going to look like?

If the WTS/org loses all members but still has assets, does that qualify as a postmodern collapse?

*pssst - the Catholic Apolstolic Church collapsed because they didn't build doctrine around the end times not coming. The WTS/org has done that. They do organizational planning for the future. There were no overlapping apostles in the CAC

110

If you're expecting a mass exodus anytime soon, FORGET ABOUT IT!

by nowwhat? in

i have to make a token appearance at the k.h.

once a month or so and this week went to a different hall.

and believe me they are all still totally oblivious to all the negative news about the pedophiles and shunning that have come under scrutiny by the media and other governments.

OrphanCrow

That’s a stupid argument, if I may say so

You may say so but that doesn't make you right

The evidence indicates that the org has experienced far worse growth/membership decline in the past, not once...not twice...but at least three times

I would say that is fairly good evidence that the org has resources that keeps them from collapsing

In order to use other religions that have collapsed as examples, you would have to show that those same religions had the same resources as the org does. You can't do that. So your examples are wasted. Your sense of extrapolation is skewed

110

If you're expecting a mass exodus anytime soon, FORGET ABOUT IT!

by nowwhat? in

i have to make a token appearance at the k.h.

once a month or so and this week went to a different hall.

and believe me they are all still totally oblivious to all the negative news about the pedophiles and shunning that have come under scrutiny by the media and other governments.

OrphanCrow

Morph: Try to keep up

Lol!

I am trying

I am of the opinion that even if the JW religion closed all their Kingdom Halls and just stuck to online content and broadcasts...that the Watch Tower Society would still exist

65

Lloyd Evans' New Book - Is It Really Necessary?

by pale.emperor in

jw
friends

so lloyd evans will shortly be releasing his new book how to leave the jehovah's witnesses.

i do enjoy his rebuttals and the stuff he manages to get hold of and leak.

but i'm struggling to understand what he could possibly write to merit a whole book.. all info on how to leave is right here on this forum.

OrphanCrow

pale emperor: But I still haven't read his first book The Reluctant Apostate due to it being £23.99.

I didn't read it because I can't imagine sitting through 802 (!!!) pages of material that has already been covered by other authors. I can't imagine what would be new and exciting about Lloyd's book

I like long books and I like reading but I think I can spend my time better reading other authors who can organize their material better, and who have better academic credentials and reputations

One of the most comprehensive books I have read exposing the org is James Pentons' Apocalypse Delayed and it is only 584 pages long

110

If you're expecting a mass exodus anytime soon, FORGET ABOUT IT!

by nowwhat? in

i have to make a token appearance at the k.h.

once a month or so and this week went to a different hall.

and believe me they are all still totally oblivious to all the negative news about the pedophiles and shunning that have come under scrutiny by the media and other governments.

OrphanCrow

Slim: ...outside of the prophetic failures in 1914, 1925 and 1975

And did the WTS collapse then?

No, it didn't

It changed it spots but it didn't collapse in spite of losing (in the late 20s) over 75% of its membership. And it didn't collapse when it showed a decline in members after 1975

A slow down in growth (not an actual decline in reported numbers) in reported membership numbers does not translate as collapse

23

Massive hints against alcohol

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

in the most recent assembly there were several heavy hints about not drinking alcohol at all.

saying that it doesn't give a good witness or would stumble others.. is this a new "unwritten directive?.

OrphanCrow

undercover: They've always preached the evils of alcohol.

Sort of. The org occasionally warns about over indulgence of alcohol but drinking alcohol is not a disfellowshipping offense like smoking is.

Which is odd when you consider the blood ban.

Long term use of alcohol can (and often does) lead to cirrhosis of the liver which in turn, can lead to internal hemorrhaging.

So smoking is banned but drinking alcohol isn't

You would think that if the org really had the JWs' best interests at heart (like they claim with the smoking ban) that they would have also have banned alcohol because it increases the risk of facing a blood transfusion

http://www.alcoholabuse.com/info/effects-of-alcohol-abuse/can-get-internal-bleeding-alcohol-abuse/

5

Prince had enough fentanyl in his system to kill a horse or two

by Wild_Thing in

how can someone purposely take that much fentanyl and it still be considered an "accidental overdose"?

i understand that they call it that because they don't think he was purposely trying to kill himself, but that would be like someone firing a fully loaded gun at their head and saying they were playing russian roulette.. his blood had 67.8 micrograms per liter.

deaths have been documented in people with blood levels ranging from three to 58 micrograms per liter.

OrphanCrow

dropoff: I'd like to see this reported from a more reputable source

Associated Press:

https://apnews.com/f80bf6952ecf4d02a675b9fac69d7dc6/Experts:-Prince-toxicology-report-shows-very-high-drug-level

31

Jehovah’s Witnesses threaten Irish blogger with damages (avoidjw.org)

by Not_Culty in

jason wynne: threatened with legal action by the jehovah’s witnesses .

sect claims publication of its secret policy documents is a copyright violation; website contents also include documents concerning child sex abuse allegations.

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/jehovahs-witnesses-granted-subpoena-irish-blogger-412638.

OrphanCrow

Heck, Steve, the org could make the avoidjw website into an assembly experience:

"This poor unfortunate person make a mistake and ended up downloading several org publications from *gasp* an apostate website!! But, fortunately Jehobah's spirit was at work, and the holy spirit guided this man to "get the correct understanding" from the literature he read. Isn't Jehobah miraculous? He used an apostate website to spread the "Truth"!!!"

*cue clapping

"And! he is getting baptized today!"

*cue clapping...wipe tears

31

Jehovah’s Witnesses threaten Irish blogger with damages (avoidjw.org)

by Not_Culty in

jason wynne: threatened with legal action by the jehovah’s witnesses .

sect claims publication of its secret policy documents is a copyright violation; website contents also include documents concerning child sex abuse allegations.

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/jehovahs-witnesses-granted-subpoena-irish-blogger-412638.

OrphanCrow

I like to look at the irony of the org claiming copyright protection on their religious literature.

On the one hand, they present their writings as "Truth" (capital "T"), and their followers accept whatever is written by the org as "fact".

"Facts" cannot be copyrighted

Fiction can be copyrighted. Creative works can be copyrighted. But I don't think that "God" is allowed to hold a copyright on this planet

If the org really wants people to accept that they have "Truth", then they need to drop their copyright blustering

31

Jehovah’s Witnesses threaten Irish blogger with damages (avoidjw.org)

by Not_Culty in

jason wynne: threatened with legal action by the jehovah’s witnesses .

sect claims publication of its secret policy documents is a copyright violation; website contents also include documents concerning child sex abuse allegations.

https://www.businesspost.ie/news/jehovahs-witnesses-granted-subpoena-irish-blogger-412638.

OrphanCrow

Yes, Steve, that is for courts to decide. And, from reading Cotter's article, it is apparent that there are issues in the circumstances surrounding religious texts as opposed to secular texts that makes this case especially interesting.

A broad brush doesn't work when applying copyright laws to texts that are of a religious nature. There are several arguments that Cotter proposes that are applicable to making the case that full, unaltered copies should be made available through a different venue than the copyright holder. For purposes of research and subsequent critique, the entire authenticated copies have to be made public. The website in question offers many publications that cannot be found elsewhere because they are no longer in print.

The org has a history, as well, of altering their own text at times and declaring publications "old light" and making them inaccessible to most people. And, there is also the issue of public access. In spite of the org offering their pared down and selective downloads, there are many people who don't and won't access the org site because of their personal beliefs that contradict the philosophy of supporting a belief system such as the org offers and also are wary of offering personal details to an org they no longer trust.

I, for one, have made great use of the avoidjw website. I just wish it was faster to download, that's all. I support them making copyrighted org material available to anyone who wants it. The org brags that their literature is widely distributed. They give it away for free.

What the org is doing is clearly censorship