Let's see... from profiteering opportunist taking advantage of incredulous followers of religious charlatans to car salesman. In some ways, just a difference without a distinction.
Would you buy a used car from such a man?
under the radar
JoinedPosts by under the radar
-
15
Medical Tourism and Medi-Coin - investing in bloodless medicine
by OrphanCrow inmeet mr. michael columbus - a jehovah's witness who has a personal financial interest in keeping the watchtower's noblood doctrine alive and kicking.. .
michael j. columbus - jehovah's witness extraordinaire.. linkedin profile.. summary of columbus' accomplishments:.
for more than 30 years i have been involved in blood management.
-
-
-
8
It has always been a business: Miracle Wheat Investigation highlights WT Finances in 1911
by ILoveTTATT2 ini am still not done with the miracle wheat article... there's just so much information to process!
i already did the summary, and the new information that i have doesn't change my conclusion: the entire scandal happened because russell was very gullible and didn't check with government agencies to see if the wheat was legitimate or not.
he went into a business venture on which he knew nothing about.here's some interesting stats about the finances of the watchtower back in 1911:it received, from the sale of books and donations, $150,000.
-
-
under the radar
I appreciate your doing all this work and then sharing it with us. It's very interesting from a historical standpoint.
It's possible that Russell himself was entirely sincere and guileless in promoting Miracle Wheat, but it undermines the claim that his organization was somehow especially selected by God and being directed by Holy Spirit. Good intentions of kind-hearted people are no proof that what they teach is actually true, regardless of how strongly held their beliefs are. If God was really directing an organization, it simply wouldn't make silly mistakes like this.
-
31
Bloodless Medicine....not all its cracked up to be.
by Lee Elder inthis is a pretty good example of the limitations of "bloodless medicine", and why the informed choice should always be "blood conservation" medicine, which retains the safety net of blood transfusion when medically required.
sadly, the watchtower fails to inform jws regarding these important limitations, and their potentially disastrous consequences.. http://www.dailyreportonline.com/id=1202750028414/jury-awards-100k-to-family-of-jehovahs-witness-who-died-after-refusing-blood-transfusion?mcode=0&curindex=0&curpage=3&slreturn=20160118223352.
-
-
under the radar
I am very sorry this poor woman died, but her own decision to cling to her religious leaders' dubious interpretation of a few scriptures taken entirely out of context was the proximate cause of her death. It was no one's fault but her own, though the religious charlatans who put her in this predicament bear at least a moral responsibility.
As cold as it seems, her estate should not have received a dime. In fact, it should be required to reimburse the hospital and the doctor for their legal expenses. This kind of frivolous lawsuit is what clogs up the legal system and causes untold harm to people and organizations just trying to help people the best way they can.
I agree that everyone should be free to believe whatever they want, as long they don't impose it on others. But if you suffer harm because of your religious superstitions, don't go whining to the court.
-
41
Toasting is Pagan - How many contradictions can fit in 2 pages, I found 5?
by jwfacts inthe watchtower 2007 feb 15 pp.30-31 explains why jehovah's witnesses are not to toast.
what is astounding is that for each point they then go on an explain why the point is irrelevant, yet still conclude toasting is wrong.
what did people think when reading this?
-
-
under the radar
And don't forget the piñata conundrum. Every argument about "pagan origins" and "false worship" used to forbid toasting could also apply to piñatas. Heck, even luaus (Hawaiian cookouts). But the false GODs (Guardians of Doctrine) in Brooklyn (soon to be Warwick) have decreed that piñatas and luaus are okay today because they are no longer have religious connotations and are therefore harmless as part of "approved" celebrations.
That's actually a reasonable position to take, but why aren't they consistent when it comes to other things? It seems like they just arbitrarily pick which things still have "pagan stink" on them and which don't.
There are a widely read satirical articles about True Christians™ wearing makeup and keeping cats that emulate Watchtower reasoning and make a mockery of it at the same time. They're hilarious, but they make a valid point. Many Watchtower rules are capricious and downright silly, and the reasoning behind them specious and self-serving.
It's all about control, folks. Blind obedience in small things leads to unquestioning compliance in big things. Here is official Watchtower policy, as stated in the November 15, 2013 Watchtower, page 20, “At that time, the lifesaving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether these appear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not.”
That's scary! Unquestioning obedience is one thing that led many otherwise good and decent Germans to become merciless mass murderers... twice in one generation! In World War II, they put their faith and trust in the Führer and his Nazi Party and committed unspeakable horrors that affect us all to this day. "I was only following orders" was not an acceptable excuse then, and should not be today.
Don't let anyone else do your thinking for you. Blind obedience has never worked out well in the long term... for anyone.
-
86
Music Video: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on JW Broadcasting? - PARODY
by cappytan inthis took quite a while this evening.
so worth it though.
hope you enjoy!
-
-
under the radar
Sorry, folks. In my comment preview, the page I pasted in appears, but when the comment is actually posted it disappears. I'll keep working on it. If anybody wants it right away, PM me and I'll email you a PDF of that page.
Meanwhile, here is a dropbox link. Maybe it will work.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eal0kyg50fu6aat/Watchtower%201994%2008%20Aug%20pg%2011.pdf?dl=0
-
86
Music Video: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on JW Broadcasting? - PARODY
by cappytan inthis took quite a while this evening.
so worth it though.
hope you enjoy!
-
-
under the radar
Just in case anyone claims that Watchtower quote is fake, here is a scan of the original in context. It's from the Watchtower, August 15, 1994 issue, page 11. Many thanks to fastJehu and others who previously posted the link to http://avoidjw.org/watchtower-awake-magazines/. I plan to download everything I can from there and save it for future reference, just in case the owner is forced to take it down, like what happened to the original Quotes site.
-
86
Music Video: Would Jesus Wear a Rolex on JW Broadcasting? - PARODY
by cappytan inthis took quite a while this evening.
so worth it though.
hope you enjoy!
-
-
under the radar
Outstanding, mon cappytan!!! Excellent work, Sir! I will be forwarding links to everyone I know who might benefit from this fine spiritual food, provided at the proper time indeed. -
21
Last Day of Chemo
by azor intoday is the end of my son's 3 -1/2 year treatment for leukemia.
we had a small party at the hospital with nursing staff and a few friends.
it has been a great day with the exception of getting walking pnemonia from his sister.
-
-
under the radar
That's excellent news! Congratulations to you and your whole family! I am so happy for you all. -
17
Can You Feel The Love?
by OneFingerSalute injust heard of an experience that proves what i have thought all along about the unique type of love in the jdubya religion.. an elderly, handicapped jdubya acquaintance was traveling alone through the mid-west recently and found themselves stranded in denver, colorado due to dangerous road conditions.
not knowing anyone, and having no way to get from place to place on their own they made a number of phone calls.
finally they were able to get in contact with an oh so christian "sister" who had with her husband spent many decades in bethel.
-
-
under the radar
DOC hit the nail on the head. I think they were afraid the stranded guy might want something more than directions to the Kingdom Hall. Can't be too careful, ya know... -
29
EXJW's in Mensa?
by Luther bertrand inany exjw's or faders out there in mensa?
any online groups for this niche?
-
-
under the radar
Many years ago, when I was trying to get my first airline job, I took the test and joined Mensa because I thought it would differentiate my application and perhaps get me an interview. I'm no brainiac. I've just read books on various topics over the years and apparently have a fairly good memory and know how to take tests well. I only went to two or three meetings before I decided it wasn't my cup of tea. Most of the members in my area really were the nerdy absent-minded professor type and I found it hard to follow some of their conversations.
Pretty soon thereafter, a career counselor warned me that some airlines might view being in Mensa as a negative. That's because the stereotypical Mensa member often finds it hard to accept the monotony and routine that is the reality of most airline flying. They tend to develop personal shortcuts and develop "better ways" of doing things on their own. That may be fine in academia or research, but it can be disastrous in aviation. Since airline pilots are pretty much interchangeable with any other company pilot assigned the same seat in the same type aircraft, it is essential that each one follows the same procedure the same way every time. Each pilot must know what to expect from any other pilot in a given situation. Extremely highly intelligent people tend to have trouble adapting to the highly structured, thoroughly regimented and procedure-oriented aspects of the job and the long stretches of monotony that airline flying involves.
Anyway, I dropped any mention of Mensa in my airline applications and eventually got hired. I've been flying commercially now for over 30 years.
As for the ex-JW aspect, I never mentioned my flirtation with Mensa to anyone other than family, but I've been told several times that I'm "too smart for [my] own good." Whatever that means. I think it was just a way to avoid answering my questions that challenged the way they were told to think. I came to realize that I couldn't in good conscience teach others things I didn't believe myself, so I just quit, pretty much cold-turkey.