Posts by Chris Hannover

75

Having Faith in the Bible

by william draper in

i know many on here have lost faith in the bible , is it possible that is because ones do not have the right perspective regarding it .

we have usually been taught by bad teachers , or ignorant .

i believe if we take an honest look at the bible , we will see that it gives us the best answers to crucial matters , it gives us some amount of bearings ( understanding ) , which without having such knowledge we would all be more like walking zombies in amanner of speaking , we would be lacking hope in something better , for surely something better is to come , how can we be sure , .

Chris Hannover

william draper: women and male children were taken captive and later killed under the order of Moses , in the previous chapter it speaks of these people as having acted wickedly against the Israelites

Ok, so your personal morality says killing children is ethical under certain conditions. For example, if their parents don't agree with you.

I consider that a morally vulgar position. My personal morality says killing children is wrong under all circumstances.

the worship of Baal involved child sacrifice I believe

So your religion killing children is justified as long as their religion killed children first.

Wouldn't a good, loving god simply not kill the children? Wouldn't a decent person not kill the children?

75

Having Faith in the Bible

by william draper in

i know many on here have lost faith in the bible , is it possible that is because ones do not have the right perspective regarding it .

we have usually been taught by bad teachers , or ignorant .

i believe if we take an honest look at the bible , we will see that it gives us the best answers to crucial matters , it gives us some amount of bearings ( understanding ) , which without having such knowledge we would all be more like walking zombies in amanner of speaking , we would be lacking hope in something better , for surely something better is to come , how can we be sure , .

Chris Hannover

Decent people are horrified at what the Bible calls ethics.

Narcissist use the Bible as imaginary authority.

75

Having Faith in the Bible

by william draper in

i know many on here have lost faith in the bible , is it possible that is because ones do not have the right perspective regarding it .

we have usually been taught by bad teachers , or ignorant .

i believe if we take an honest look at the bible , we will see that it gives us the best answers to crucial matters , it gives us some amount of bearings ( understanding ) , which without having such knowledge we would all be more like walking zombies in amanner of speaking , we would be lacking hope in something better , for surely something better is to come , how can we be sure , .

Chris Hannover

Draper's point is not about the legitimacy or virtue of the Bible. Draper's point is that we were fooled by false teachers.

In the first sentences of the OP, he states that "ones do not have the right perspective" and "We have usually been taught by bad teachers , or ignorant."

He is discussing the quality of the teachers, not the validity of the Bible.

This thread is just Draper claiming to be the true teacher and that we should listen to Draper. He made the point (intentionally or unintentionally) that we were fooled by false teachers and that he can lead us to the truth about the Bible.

It all seems too familiar.

105

LATEST NEWS: CANDANCE CONTI VERIDICT READY - WT LOST!!!!!!!

by Viva la Vida in

jw
friends

i'm not an expert but that is my understanding of this: .

opinion filed.. (signed published) the judgment against defendants on the negligence count is affirmed.

the judgment against watchtower on the cause of action for punitive damages is reversed with directions to enter judgment for watchtower on punitive damages.

Chris Hannover

"Jehovah directed his organization to not protect our children from pedophiles"

They're all are rapists.

233

What is BELIEF ?

by EdenOne in

stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.

what exactly is "belief"?.

is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?

Chris Hannover

"The plural of anecdote is not data, the plural of opinion is not fact." - Susan Fiske

205

Hi Everyone. Answer to prayer countdown...

by Stumpy in

jw
friends

i've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.

you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!

what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.

Chris Hannover

Ding: The elders I know personally seem to have been selected based on their willingness to swallow whatever the organization tells them and on their ability to forget all about teachings and practices they used to push

There is only one virtue to JWs: doing what you're told.

If you do what you're told, you're called spiritual.

All good personal traits are considered symptoms of doing what you're told. The individual is never given credit for their own actions, the credit is always given to following the rules.

16

Last chance to make an impact! Help me please....

by Anon_SA1 in

jw
friends

so tomorrow is going to be my last encounter with a jw friend of mine for various reasons on her side.

(long story).

i have spent a lot of time discussing various concerns about the jw teachings, but havent been able to make any progress in helping her to question or doubt the teachings.

Chris Hannover

Show her you are happy without the her religion. Show her you are not obsessed with her religion.

She will take great pride in not hearing whatever you are saying. You trying to prove her religion wrong will be received by her as your jealousy and your mental instability.

Just be a friend who is happy and needs nothing from her, no matter how you feel inside. She will either respect you or she will go away because you are not falling for her mind games.

9

Toss a smart bomb

by Giordano in

i meet regularly for a bro lunch with a couple of friends of mine.

the conversation is usually first rate and free flowing.

one day we were talking about education and i mentioned that having been raised in a cult i had passed on college...... to pioneer.. .

Chris Hannover

For how you handled the conversation.

To how your friends responded.

to JWs.

19

World becoming more religious not less

by Stealth in

this is bad news for the evolution of humankind.

even worse, islam is the fastest growing religion.

http://www.livescience.com/50370-worlds-religious-population-will-grow.html?cmpid=nl_ls_weekly_2015-04-03 .

Chris Hannover

The world is full of stupid people.

13

Talking with JW Elders possibly..

by bradford in

as i wrote in a previous post i have recently written a da letter to the elders and haven't heard anything in the way of an announcement, phone call, or visit since.

i called the elder the letter was personally written to yesterday and left a vm to call me back which he did this morning.

he said they did get it but were meaning to call me and possibly meet with me to try and see if there was anything they could do to encourage me because they of course find this very sad.

Chris Hannover

I would like to tell them I at least tried to reason with the elders and have open honest communication so they can see that I am not being unreasonable.

Ok, so you are wanting validation for your actions. You want them to know you aren't the bad guy, that you at least tried to keep a relationship. That's fair.

However, it never works with JWs. That was my point, no matter how hard you try to be reasonable, you are dealing with unreasonable rules and beliefs.

Is it reasonable to assume that clearly explaining your apostasy to JWs is going to make you the "good guy"?

Also, you have seriously limited your friend's options by DAing yourself. No matter how great they are as people, you have tied their hands as JWs.

If you wished to discuss your doubts over bourbon, does sending a DA letter first help accomplish that goal?

You want to be completely out of the religion and also completely accepted by JW friends and family. While I can completely sympathize with your desire, it is unreasonable considering the circumstances.

This thread isnt about me. My actions and my motives are very different from yours.