Posts by rebel8

114

Why do religious people make claims and then refuse to back them up?

by Viviane in

several times over the past few months i have had conversations, both here and in real life, with religious people making all sorts of interesting and conflicting claims.

i like to know how things work, so generally i will ask questions to net out what i am being told and see if it can be explained and make sense.. for instance, if someone said 2+2=4 and i asked how, there are a variety of ways that could be shown to me, a number line, physical objects being put together, counting on fingers and toes, etc.

indeed, in my personal life, i often have to explain how certain technologies work, sometimes planned, sometimes off the cuff, from a variety of group sizes to a varying degree of technical expertise.

rebel8

It is not just religion, but all forms of woo, that suffers from the avoidance of logic and evidence.

It all seems to consist of a few observable things + conclusions based on illogical extrapolation and embellishment.

I see exhaust and steam from airplanes in the sky; that is bad. Some people have diseases; that is bad. Governments and other organizations have power and sometimes do things I don't know about; that is bad. Therefore, chemtrails are a massive conspiracy to make people ill.
Poo is gross waste matter; I don't like poo. Some people have diseases; I don't like diseases. Disease must be caused by having poo in your colon. Everyone should have enemas to eliminate disease.

11

Telling Parents About TTATT

by ivanatahan in

jw
friends

my parents are zealous jecultah's blindnesses, but my sister and i are not.

because of this, we are limited in our abilities/opportunities in life.

mu parents hate my sister because she went to college and started a full time job and thus isn't able to go to meetings or service.

rebel8

Jecultah's Blindnesses

That's going in the next edition of the Apostate Dictionary.

61

KH 1st timer, could use some advice

by rathernotsay in

jw
friends

hey people, .

i am soon going into a kh for the first time and i could use some advice around etiquette etc.

i know next to nothing besides the fundamental beliefs of jws, i personally dont believe in any religion, and that stance isnt ever going to change, however i don't want to come across as rude or disrespectful.

rebel8

Attending a meeting for a believing friend or relative gives them:

Hope you're open to conversion, which means increased likelihood they will stay in the cult
Increased social status within the cult, which means increased likelihood they will stay in the cult
Activities they can report towards their monthly preaching quota, which means increased likelihood they will stay in the cult

76

Anthony Morris III... Did he really serve in Vietnam? Something doesn't quite add up...

by Calebs Airplane in

born in 1950, he apparently became a regular pioneer in 1971.. but wait.... let's just say that he enlisted (or was drafted) in 1968 at age 18.... depending on the branch of service, he would have to complete anywhere from 2 to 4 years of service.

yes, duty in hot combat zones was usually limited to 6-months at a time but you still had to serve a total of 2 to 4 years depending on the branch of service.

assuming he only served 2 years, he would have been 20 years old and discharged by 1970.... how did he get witnessed to, complete a book study, become an unbaptized publisher, get baptized and then become a regular pioneer in less than year???.

rebel8

Anyone know his (alleged) branch of service?

Estimated dates of military service?

76

Anthony Morris III... Did he really serve in Vietnam? Something doesn't quite add up...

by Calebs Airplane in

born in 1950, he apparently became a regular pioneer in 1971.. but wait.... let's just say that he enlisted (or was drafted) in 1968 at age 18.... depending on the branch of service, he would have to complete anywhere from 2 to 4 years of service.

yes, duty in hot combat zones was usually limited to 6-months at a time but you still had to serve a total of 2 to 4 years depending on the branch of service.

assuming he only served 2 years, he would have been 20 years old and discharged by 1970.... how did he get witnessed to, complete a book study, become an unbaptized publisher, get baptized and then become a regular pioneer in less than year???.

rebel8

I'm willing to submit a request for records if anyone can provide any of the following. Right now I do not have enough info.

The veteran's complete name used while in service
Service number or social security number
Branch of service
Dates of service
Date and place of birth
- Place of discharge
- Last unit of assignment
- Place of entry into the service, if known.

Even if he went by another name in the military, I think it would be useful to find out no one by that name was in the military on the dates in question. It begs the question, why change your name?

61

KH 1st timer, could use some advice

by rathernotsay in

jw
friends

hey people, .

i am soon going into a kh for the first time and i could use some advice around etiquette etc.

i know next to nothing besides the fundamental beliefs of jws, i personally dont believe in any religion, and that stance isnt ever going to change, however i don't want to come across as rude or disrespectful.

rebel8

My bet is, if you're trying to develop more respect for your wife and her beliefs, going to the hall is going to make it worse. In fact, anything you do to learn more about it will make you have less respect. That is because you are intelligent.

You are going to be seriously shocked that people who appear to have their basic wits about them have lost their common sense and critical thinking.

You are going to be disgusted at the control techniques being used--social stigma, doublethink, cognitive dissonance, love bombing, thought stopping.

To you, it will be blatantly obvious and you will not understand why anyone could be taken in by it.

You are going to be alarmed for your wife's wellbeing.

40

WT is trying to scare off memorial partakers

by cookiemaster in

i don't know how many of you still participate in the sunday wt study, but i unfortunately still do.

even though i was asleep half of the time, i did notice something i thought i should share with the rest, in case you haven't noticed.

a lot of the paragraphs were worded strongly against partaking and used clear language of intimidation and discouragement toward anyone thinking of partaking.

rebel8

What is the penalty for partaking if you're not eligible?

18

Brother so and so doesn't accept counsel

by hoser in

i am not sure if anyone else here heard this phrase.

i did from a circuit overseer when i was a servant many moons ago.

with my newly enlightened mind i finally understand what this means.

rebel8

They should feel no need to gossip and ruin the person's social standing. That's a sign of emotional immaturity, bullying, poor self-esteem, small penises and douchebaggery.

9

Measles, Cults and Vaccinations

by OrphanCrow in

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-rushes-to-vaccinate-against-measles-in-joliette-1.2991904.

a member of the esprit-saint mission told cbc news reporter thomas daigle that vaccinations are against the community's beliefs and that their prophet warns them vaccines result in illness.

the member confirmed the first cases of measles in the region originated with the community.the esprit-saint eugenics group was founded by eugene richer dit lafleche in 1913. the community purports to live by and work toward spreading the message of the third member of the trinity, the holy spirit.a former member of the community said it believes vaccines compromise people's immune systems, and that they feel protected by the spirit of dit la fleche, who died in 1925.public health officials said wednesday they believe the number of infections will continue to climb.. this article sounded interesting - i was reminded of how similar this cult's views on vaccinations are to the jws view, especially back in the 1920s to the 1950s.

rebel8

And they were still peddling this message decades later.

The Watchtower 1st November 1961 p.670:

Since the Bible forbids the eating of blood, how are Christians to view the use of serums and vaccines? Has the Society changed its viewpoint on this? - J. D., U.S.A.

The Bible is very clear that blood could properly be used only on the altar; otherwise it was to be poured out on the ground. (Lev. 17:11 - 13) The entire modern medical practice involving the use of blood is objectionable from the Christian standpoint. Therefore the taking of a blood transfusion, or, in lieu of that, the infusing of some blood fraction to sustain one's life is wrong. As to the use of vaccines and other substances that may in some way involve the use of blood in their preparation, it should not be concluded that the Watch Tower Society endorses these and says that the practice is right and proper...it is a contamination of the human system."

22

Gifts from my old hall..

by Garrett in

jw
friends

hey guys,.

so, it seems the hall i used to attend before my latest one got to hearing that i "disappeared".

so today, i went to the post office to pick up a package.... i decided to try to face reality and open it... what i found were multiple letters and wrapped gifts.

rebel8

It's scary how certain things can make the memories and dread come flooding back in an instant.