i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.
i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.
it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.
IMHO ...the best way to frame the OP's argument is to avoid, if humanly possible, debating like Donald Trump and instead debate like Ronald Reagan.
....of course I could be wrong.
@ poopsiecakes - thanks for inserting that emoticon. I truly got a good laugh from it.
i know we are all anonymous for our own personal reasons, so i understand if you would rather not say.
but if you don't mind sharing that would be cool.
i currently live in georgia, usa.
Here we are grown mature people from all walks of life, myself included, and yet such a simple question cannot be answered by some members in detail due to our former, current, and soon to be current, stringent religious man-made rules.
What an uncompromising position to be in. And yet I feel liberated knowing the TTATT. Life is good.
i know we are all anonymous for our own personal reasons, so i understand if you would rather not say.
but if you don't mind sharing that would be cool.
i currently live in georgia, usa.
"sometimes i think the only thing i could do that wouldn't upset someone would be to kill myself.".
those were the frustrated words of my friend as we stood out in his large yard in the country, just about to enjoy a nice bonfire on a beautiful night.
what was it that could have been a lesser evil than killing himself?
Marked
i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.
i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.
it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.
@ LisaRose - following are some gems I found, author will remain anonymous although they will likely recognize their handiwork:
It's somehow comforting to see that stupid posters are still proud of their ignorance and still posting away, proving stupid is something we can't fix, like a mental disorder
Perhaps you heard it in your head when you made it up. People often hear voices when they're confused.
Define god, calling yourself that is in no way a definition, no more than sticking feathers up your butt makes you a chicken.
We're still very SHORT on people making smart comments. Anyone?
Protip: Adding "evidently" to your own mistake doesn't make me look bad. You screwed up. It happens. You let your feelings for me get the best of you.
I've asked that several times. Stuff won't even response. Apparently his devotion to epistimiology extends to and embraces "Run away! Run away!"
Well, we're stil SHORT on people with actual contribution to the thread than people SHORT on knowledge that think they contribute to the thread. Who will step up and stop this SHORTage?/also, tiny penises and brains
So get off the internet, stop driving, taking medicine, using the internet, taking a plane, a train, eating, turning on your lights, drinking water, etc., because all of that comes to you courtesy of the same science you deride.
What you just wrote has nothing to do with knowing the case of an ulcer. Fact. Thank you for yet again showing your lack of qualifications and errors in thinking in voicing your opinion. Your fallacious derision is noted and dismissed.
I always make sure that I can back up what I post. You're lack of ability to do the same is not my problem.
To be fair, whether not I want something is irrelevant. It's about what you want. If you want to be taken seriously, the back up your claims. That you're obfuscating and prevaricating and attempting to blame me for you failure in the equivalent of a childish tantrum doesn't harm me, it simply shows you're not yet ready for a rational, evidence and fact based discussion.
That is absolutely untrue. Once again you show an uninformed and uneducated opinion on the topic.
Your derision is apparent and misplaced and simply shows how little know of science or how it works. Basically, you're showing that you've an opinion not worth anything.
You're free to stop using anything that is a result of science if you truly think it has so little value. Before you do, however, understand that a theory in science is supported by evidence, experiment, observation and has been shown to have predictive powers.
All you've shown is that you fundamentally have no knowledge of the very thing you use to tell us how lacking it is.
Religion is a horrible influence and requires the denial of reality to pretend it's not.
I often let men pretend they're winning. It's a small thing that means a lot to them and nothing to me. Much like other things they think are more important than they are.
That misogynistic attempt to dismiss women has always struck me as coming from a man that was either to lazy or dumb to bother learning how to interact with women, either from fear or from deep seated insecurity around them, feelings of inadequacy, concerns about his manhood (size and/or performance are usually the most common there), perhaps a sneaking suspicion that most women are smarter than him, therefore the best course to be safe is derision.
This is often seen in men who are part of the "Going Their Own Way" movement, claim to be pick up artists or to have "taken the red pill".Somehow, they've reached the point in their life where they quantify a human by their genitals. It's very sad to see because, were it not for the deep seated fear and anger issues causing comments like the one above, they may well possibly find a good relationship with a woman. Of course, that's assuming they aren't non-heterosexual and using the misogyny as a cover to hide that.
Well, actually, you've that exactly backwards, which in no way surprises me. The atheists here are point out facts and asking questions and refusing to believe something just because someone says so, the opposite of how elders work and how those promoting prophecy are acting.
I think you are just indiscriminately throwing around the pejorative "just like JW elders" because facts and reason don't support your particular evidence free assertion and you've no recourse other than insults to support your side. I mean, if you had actual evidence and an actual prophecy that matched, it should be easy to show, and you've not done that.
i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.
i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.
it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.
Are people on this forum free to express themselves as they see fit?
Yes.
So long as this same member respects the boundaries of others and remains respectful and considerate toward his/her fellow collaborators on the board.
With all due respect to the members of this forum and Simon, how hard can it possibly be to express yourself with all sincerity and remain respectful and courteous? Is that asking for too much? By doing this; wouldn't this lead to further constructive commentary and discussion?
On a personal note, I no longer am willing to engage anyone who clearly demonstrates being argumentative and desires not to add something of substance but rather to prove themselves correct in a very condescending manner.
grew up in east la in a bad neighborhood to a black mother and white father.
i never knew my father because he died in a car accident when i was a few weeks old.
my mother converted as a jw soon after when two sisters came to her door and offered her comfort, which was something she needed.
To say I'm sorry would be an understatement.
The pressure to bend can be incredible so I can't blame you.
Just maintain your sanity by staying busy with hobbies or new found friends that don't have the same cult mentality.
i was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.
we both served as elders for years.
he is in his late 70s.
This isn't interesting. It's a bombshell!!
For friends to meet all together under one roof and believe that WTS is bullcrap is mind bending.
I've always repeated this to my spouse. How there are thousands of witnesses who still attend for different reasons but no longer subscribe to the crap the WTS peddles.
She never believed it would come to this.
Thanks John. Please keep us updated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_h68ktwpim&feature=youtu.be.
@ 2:23 to 2:33
i know this question has popped up from time to time but i really would like to know how you guys, those that no longer believe, came to that conclusion?
was it the wts and all its crap?
was it something you read?
The relevance of dust and bananas was explained well by The Rebel. Does it go on to prove definitively that we evolved over millions of years? Perhaps, yes. But the fact stands that both evolved or originated from dust.
Then again, some in history have alluded to a Christ having walked the Earth. Then I remember reading the Apollos account by Terry which made me reflect the writings of Paul and the Bible in general.
There are arguments for both sides and I'll be the first to admit that science is starting to crack the "why are we here and where did we come from" shell that has existed for many centuries now. Yet again, scientists opinion that life originated from space. If it did, who or what placed sparked it? Scientist agree that the Big Bang started it all, yet, who initiated the Big Bang? And why has there not been another Big Bang since or has there?
