Posts by slimboyfat

14

Watchtower back to criticising the United Nations

by AverageJoe1 in

the outline number 44 from this year’s regional assembly states:.

la organización de las naciones unidas es en realidad una falsificación del reino mesiánico, y es una ofensa para dios.. .

translation: “the united nations organisation is actually a counterfeit of the messianic kingdom, and it is offensive to god.”.

slimboyfat

I was not aware Watchtower ever stopped condemning the United Nations.

39

Clearly, undeniably, without doubt ... is there a term for introducing a thought in such a way.

by jwfacts in

watchtower article often introduce a point that has no merit with words such a "undeniably.".

for instance the watchtower 2014 august 15 page 10 says:.

"jehovah undeniably blesses the preaching work of christian women and supports them in times of trial.

Incidentally, it was one such word, so the story goes, that made my father in law leave JWs. He was reading the section "chronology" in the old Aid book, which used the word "evidently" in relation to 607 BCE, with no actual justification before or after. He concluded he couldn't believe in the teachings on the basis of an "evidently".

39

Clearly, undeniably, without doubt ... is there a term for introducing a thought in such a way.

by jwfacts in

watchtower article often introduce a point that has no merit with words such a "undeniably.".

for instance the watchtower 2014 august 15 page 10 says:.

"jehovah undeniably blesses the preaching work of christian women and supports them in times of trial.

slimboyfat

Adverbs of certainty, apparently. I mean, definitely.

39

Clearly, undeniably, without doubt ... is there a term for introducing a thought in such a way.

by jwfacts in

watchtower article often introduce a point that has no merit with words such a "undeniably.".

for instance the watchtower 2014 august 15 page 10 says:.

"jehovah undeniably blesses the preaching work of christian women and supports them in times of trial.

slimboyfat

Undeniably there should be a technical term for this kind of usesage. Evidently there are other words that could be added to the list. Clearly Watchtower frequently use such words in place of arguments. No doubt there will be someone on the forum who knows the term.

86

Do You Know Any “Gay” Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

of course the religion condemns homosexuality but did you know any gay witnesses?

i knew some bethelites that were very effeminate and i remember 4 women who were suspected of being lesbians by many in the congregation.

they eventually moved away and were very vocal against males, especially elders..

slimboyfat

Yes, I knew a couple. Well, not a couple. Two individuals, to be precise.

67

Russia Uses Nerve Agent to Assassinate Spy

by cofty in

what started as news of a man and woman being found unconscious on a park bench 12 days ago is escalating into an international incident.. sergei skripal had worked as a double agent for british intelligence mi6 before he was discovered and imprisoned in russia in 2006. he was later flown to england as part of a spy-swap in 2010. on sunday 4th march he was discovered along with his 33 year old daughter yulia close to a shopping centre in salisbury.. since then the story has become increasingly bizarre.

a policeman who was first to attend the scene also became critically ill and remains in hospital.

government scientists at porton down have confirmed that the cause is a russian military-grade nerve agent novichok.

slimboyfat

I don't believe it. Why would Russia do this against their own interest? The British state is one of the biggest and most notorious liars in history.

19

Watchtower History Gem: I Found When Maria Got Her Teaching Certificate

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

i consider myself an amateur watchtower history buff.

i have always read that maria frances ackley russell, charles taze russell's first and only wife, went to a teacher training college and was a teacher for a number of years before marrying russell.

but, i have never seen proof that she truly did finish college and became a certified teacher.

slimboyfat

If volume 4 consists primarily of a compilation of articles previously published in the Watchtower. And if Maria Russell often wrote articles for the Watchtower. Then perhaps that's fhe basis of her claim (if such she made) that she deserved royalties for her part in authoring Studies in the Scriptures.

131

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?

by jukief in

by evolution or by creation?

"the bible is a myth" and "evolution is true".

slimboyfat

That's what Raymond Tallis says, and I can understand that view. But when he says he's not interested in a God he can't make sense of that's an ethical choice on his part. It doesn't mean it holds for everyone or is the objective truth. Other people may be comfortable with the idea that God is beyond comprehension.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/73/Why_I_Am_An_Atheist

And I don't think the scenario is all that unrealistic. Suppose a loved one was killed in a car accident last week and God said he would make it not happen. Not merely that you would forget about it but that it would not happen at all and life will be at it is without the accident happening. Is the damage still done, even if, more than simply not remembering it, God actually changed reality so it never happened at all?

131

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?

by jukief in

by evolution or by creation?

"the bible is a myth" and "evolution is true".

slimboyfat

Who said it wasn't real?

What I am saying is, as humans we can stop something happening tomorrow, if it is within our power to stop it.

Similarly, can God stop something happening yesterday? I don't know the answer, but it seems a reasonable question to ask, if God is outside time and all powerful.

131

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Accept Evolution?

by jukief in

by evolution or by creation?

"the bible is a myth" and "evolution is true".

slimboyfat

I think it was clear I was talking about God's perspective, because I went on to say:

Does that make God a monster? Maybe, like we are monsters to ants or flies.

I didn't respond to your accusation that I am indifferent to the victims of the tsunami because it is beneath contempt, not because I agreed with the words you put in my mouth.

I don't know if you remember, but I have written before that the tsunami of 2004 is what made me disbelieve in God in the first place. So the words you put in my mouth are particularly misdirected.

I find your persistent use of the images of vulnerable and dead people to make ideological points ethically problematic, but that is your choice. How do you know they would agree with you about God or how they would feel about being used to make this point? Does that matter?

A rapist can't undo a rape yesterday, but he can choose not to rape tomorrow.

So a key question, which you have still not engaged with is, if God can undo suffering today, can he also undo suffering yesterday? Humans can't do this of course, but can God do it?

I don't mean simply that God will make people forget about the suffering yesterday, I mean make it not happen at all. If God is outside time maybe he can do this. I don't know whether you don't understand the distinction between not remembering something and it not happening at all, or you are just avoiding it.