There are four main theories behind deja vu.
One is to do with the brain recognizes something as familiar before recognizing why it is familiar, giving the perception that they have encountered it before.
Many epileptics report a sensation of deja vu just before a seizure, which leads to another theory that suggests that a brief seizure (not necessarily epilepsy) may trigger activity in the part of the brain that relates to recognition, just as rogue activity in other parts of the brain can cause other problems such as hallucinations etc.
A very common cause of deja vu is simply that elements of a situation may seem familiar and the person fills in the gaps to convince themself that the entire scenario is familiar.
The fourth involves having not properly perceived something the first time it is encountered, but subconsciously recalling it on the next encounter.
Some would argue that none of these situations explains their experiences, and maybe they don't. However it is more likely that there is a rational explanation than the devil, time-travelling pixies, or some other spooky phenomenon implanting ideas in people's minds about events that are usually completely inconsequential.
Posts by Jeffro
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121i need some skeptic input... dreams that come true
by googlemagoogle inlisten to this: the other day my wife was talking in her sleep and she said "sister xyz died".
i just thought, well she's dreaming.
the next day one of my friends told me "sister xyz died yesterday".
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Jeffro
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15
Is there a pre-printed schedule for the Daniel bookstudy?
by M.J. ini'd like to know which pages will be covered on which week.
where can one find such a thing?.
thanks if you have any info on this.
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Jeffro
On the week of October 3rd, straight after they read paragraph 24, someone should start reading Jeremiah 25:12: ("And it must occur that when seventy years have been fulfilled I shall call to account against the king of Babylon and against that nation,’ is the utterance of Jehovah") and then say, "so the 70 years had to end in 539," then watch their eyes glaze over.
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121
i need some skeptic input... dreams that come true
by googlemagoogle inlisten to this: the other day my wife was talking in her sleep and she said "sister xyz died".
i just thought, well she's dreaming.
the next day one of my friends told me "sister xyz died yesterday".
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Jeffro
Dreams are complex, and their content can range from completely outlandish scenarios and physical impossibilities, to mundane everyday occurances.
There are a number of factors which sometimes lead people to believe that their dreams have revealed something about the future.
Details in the present may seem similar to something we have dreamed, and we may convince ourselves that our destorted recollection of the dream is exactly the same.
The content of a dream may have been sparked by previous events that have a likely outcome that may appear in our dream, and then actually happen in the future.
Sometimes people want to experience the thrill of something supernatural having happened, so they convince themself that it has.
Situations of deja vu can often be explained as a predictable situation, or a situation similar to one that has already been experienced or seen on television etc.
Various pyschologocial abnormalities may also be a factor in believing that one can tell the future or has seen the future in a dream. -
763
Daniel's Prophecy, 605 BCE or 624 BCE?
by Little Bo Peep inhello all, i've been reading your site for a couple of years now, and have found, for the most part, it to be very helpful.
i must say, at first i was very "scared" at what i might find, but contrary to what i grew up learning, there is a "wealth" of information outside of the watchtower organization.
i haven't attended meetings for about two years now, and like many i've read about, have spent many hours researching, telling myself "i'm not wrong for searching", and doing more research.
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Jeffro
Jerusalem still desolated 92 years after 537 BC
Nehemiah used the Hebrew word chareb (Strong's 02720, 'ruined'). Jerusalem was populated at the time, indicating that the word does not mean completely uninhabited. The word is directly related to the Hebrew noun chorbah (Strong's 02723, 'a ruin') which is used at Daniel 9:2 and Jeremiah 25:11, indicating that it is not necessary that Jerusalem was completely uninhabited for the entire 70 years (which is of course not a problem since the 70 years refers to Babylon's supremacy, not Jerusalem's exile).
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41
ARE JW SISTERS ALLOWED TO CARRY COFFINS?
by steve2 inrecently i was amazed to read in another thread that jw females are not even allowed to walk up and down the aisles counting those in attendance.
the poster said jw women literally "don't count" - a brilliant play on words.
i guess i had never thought about it before, but it got me wondering about all the behind-the-scene work jw females do, but their invisibility in the public arena.
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Jeffro
the fear some NON dubs do about cremation hurting the body
Do the people that fear 'hurting the body' realise what all of those nasty worms and bacteria do once the coffin is in the ground???
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41
ARE JW SISTERS ALLOWED TO CARRY COFFINS?
by steve2 inrecently i was amazed to read in another thread that jw females are not even allowed to walk up and down the aisles counting those in attendance.
the poster said jw women literally "don't count" - a brilliant play on words.
i guess i had never thought about it before, but it got me wondering about all the behind-the-scene work jw females do, but their invisibility in the public arena.
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Jeffro
I think it comes down to the generalisation that men are usually stronger physically and emotionally, and are therefore usually selected as pallbearers (whether it's a Witness funeral or not).
I don't know of any official objection to it. I've never seen a female pallbearer at any non-JW funeral I've been to either. -
763
Daniel's Prophecy, 605 BCE or 624 BCE?
by Little Bo Peep inhello all, i've been reading your site for a couple of years now, and have found, for the most part, it to be very helpful.
i must say, at first i was very "scared" at what i might find, but contrary to what i grew up learning, there is a "wealth" of information outside of the watchtower organization.
i haven't attended meetings for about two years now, and like many i've read about, have spent many hours researching, telling myself "i'm not wrong for searching", and doing more research.
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Jeffro
if, of course, you're not afraid of the challenge
I don't think scholar is afraid.
He says that God was lying when he inspired Jeremiah to write that the king of Babylon would be "called to account" after the 70 years ended.
If he's not afraid of calling God a liar then he's not afraid of anything.
Scholar, you go to great lengths to assert interpretations of 'desolation' and so forth, for verses that on their own may be subject to more than one interpretation.
Why not start with the simple black-and-white statement made in Jeremiah 25:12? Starting with the very simplest facts of the scriptural account, the 70 years ended in 539, when the king was called to account - they can't end after that unless Jeremiah 25:12 is outright wrong. Any interpretation you give to the other passages that mention 70 years, as well as the significance attributed to those 70 years MUST be consistent with that.
And a word on Ezekiel 21:26 that is used by the Society as a proof text for the break in the royal lineage. It is addressed to Israel not Judah. Zedekiah was a Judean king, therefore the removal of the turban does not refer to him. That Israel and Judah were not used synonymously by Ezekiel is emphasized by Ezekiel 37:15-23, indicating that only after returning from Babylon they would later become reunited as one nation. -
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ARE JW SISTERS ALLOWED TO CARRY COFFINS?
by steve2 inrecently i was amazed to read in another thread that jw females are not even allowed to walk up and down the aisles counting those in attendance.
the poster said jw women literally "don't count" - a brilliant play on words.
i guess i had never thought about it before, but it got me wondering about all the behind-the-scene work jw females do, but their invisibility in the public arena.
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Jeffro
I've never seen a JW use a coffin, they all cremate.
This may be some localized thing, but I have been to a number of JW funerals that had coffins in the hall, and they certainly aren't all cremated.
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763
Daniel's Prophecy, 605 BCE or 624 BCE?
by Little Bo Peep inhello all, i've been reading your site for a couple of years now, and have found, for the most part, it to be very helpful.
i must say, at first i was very "scared" at what i might find, but contrary to what i grew up learning, there is a "wealth" of information outside of the watchtower organization.
i haven't attended meetings for about two years now, and like many i've read about, have spent many hours researching, telling myself "i'm not wrong for searching", and doing more research.
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Jeffro
Why does scholar ignore my posts?
It is not necessary that 2 Chronicles applies the Sabbaths to the fulfilling of the 70 years. To say that the paying off of the Sabbaths covered the 70 years is excessive. Specifically, the Sabbaths were to be repaid for those years that the Sabbath resting of the land had not taken place. (The land was supposed to be allowed to rest every 7 years. (Leviticus 25:1-7)) 490 years (70*7) dates back to before David was king and it is very unlikely that the Sabbath was not followed at all for the entire time.
Excuse my ignorance, but I am not familiar with the 'Jonsson hypothesis'. I did my own research on the 607 issue using a Strong's bible dictionary, the Insight volumes and the bible.
See my previous post for more information on the passage from 2 Chronicles.
Scholar, please indicate how Jeremiah 25:12 is consistent with the Society's views. -
763
Daniel's Prophecy, 605 BCE or 624 BCE?
by Little Bo Peep inhello all, i've been reading your site for a couple of years now, and have found, for the most part, it to be very helpful.
i must say, at first i was very "scared" at what i might find, but contrary to what i grew up learning, there is a "wealth" of information outside of the watchtower organization.
i haven't attended meetings for about two years now, and like many i've read about, have spent many hours researching, telling myself "i'm not wrong for searching", and doing more research.
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Jeffro
If an interpretation of the scriptures regarding the 70 years is to be viewed as correct, it has to be supported by ALL of the relevant scriptures.
The Society's interpretation contradicts Jeremiah 25:12 without doubt, and is therefore wrong. Unless they are saying the bible is wrong. Daniel's comments regarding the 70 years MUST be viewed in the context of Jeremiah's original words.
As for 2 Chronicles, the following suggested punctuation makes it wholly consistent with 587 (wording as per New World Translation): "Furthermore, he carried off those remaining from the sword captive to Babylon, (and they came to be servants to him and his sons until the royalty of Persia began to reign, to fulfil Jehovah’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah), until the land had paid off its Sabbaths; all the days of lying desolated it kept Sabbath. To fulfil seventy years, in the first year of Cyrus the king of Persia..."
They came to be servants to babylon (609) until the royalty of persia began to reign. (539) to fulfil Jehovah's word to Jeremiah (70 years)
They were carried away captive to Babylon (587) ... until the land had paid off it's Sabbaths. (possibly 537/6)
(Surely the Society would not object to adjusting punctuation to make a verse consistent with the rest of the scriptures. <grin>)
When viewed this way, no specific duration of time is allocated to the Sabbaths, and it is consistent with Jeremiah 25:12. Any other viewpoint contradicts Jeremiah and is therefore wrong.