Cognitive_Dissident

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Posts by Cognitive_Dissident

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  6

  "Are Jehovah's Witnesses a sect or a cult?"

  by Cognitive_Dissident in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the following is taken directly from the reasoning book, page 202, under the heading jehovah's witnesses.

  parentheses are mine .

  are jehovah's witnesses a sect or a cult?".

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  the following is taken directly from the Reasoning Book, page 202, under the heading Jehovah's Witnesses.
  
  parentheses are mine
  
  Are Jehovah's Witnesses a sect or a cult?"
  
  Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Other apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher (yeah, jdubs don't do that at all) . The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah's Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church (really? just 'cuz they say it doesn't make it so) but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human (right, except the group of old, senile f*@#ers in Brooklyn) , but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader. (who, in light of recent publications and articles, doesn't carry as much weight as he used to.)
  A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual (and five meetings a week and at least ten hours of service a month under threat of underhanded or overt consequences doesn't fit this definition somehow?) . Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God's word, and Jehovah's Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion (yes, absolutely. Those politically climbing elders and c.o.'s who mete out bullshit punishments in judicial committees are really practicing what they preach.) They neither follow a human (this is true, the follow humans, not a human.) , nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people (just because witnesses don't live on a compound in nevada and wear white robes, they isolate themselves through arrogance and the belief that everyone else is simply the walking dead. Which is worse?) .
  
  
  It's amazing to me that I was so completely blinded to the obvious hypocrisy of this supposed "answer" to the question of whether witnesses were a cult or not.
  
  CD
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  15

  "Are Jehovah's Witnesses a sect or a cult?"

  by Cognitive_Dissident in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the following is taken directly from the reasoning book, page 202, under the heading jehovah's witnesses.

  parentheses are mine .

  are jehovah's witnesses a sect or a cult?".

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  the following is taken directly from the Reasoning Book, page 202, under the heading Jehovah's Witnesses.
  
  parentheses are mine
  
  Are Jehovah's Witnesses a sect or a cult?"
  
  Some define sect to mean a group that has broken away from an established religion. Other apply the term to a group that follows a particular human leader or teacher(yeah, jdubs don't do that at all). The term is usually used in a derogatory way. Jehovah's Witnesses are not an offshoot of some church(really? just 'cuz they say it doesn't make it so) but include persons from all walks of life and from many religious backgrounds. They do not look to any human(right, except the group of old, senile f*@#ers in Brooklyn), but rather to Jesus Christ, as their leader.(who, in light of recent publications and articles, doesn't carry as much weight as he used to.)
  A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual(and five meetings a week and at least ten hours of service a month under threat of underhanded or overt consequences doesn't fit this definition somehow?). Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however, should be God's word, and Jehovah's Witnesses strictly adhere to the Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion(yes, absolutely. Those politically climbing elders and c.o.'s who mete out bullshit punishments in judicial committees are really practicing what they preach.) They neither follow a human(this is true, the follow humans, not a human.), nor isolate themselves from the rest of society. They live and work in the midst of other people(just because witnesses don't live on a compound in nevada and wear white robes, they isolate themselves through arrogance and the belief that everyone else is simply the walking dead. Which is worse?).
  
  
  It's amazing to me that I was so completely blinded to the obvious hypocrisy of this supposed "answer" to the question of whether witnesses were a cult or not.
  
  CD
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  13

  Swartzentruber Amish Ordnung

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes i wonder, is there a religion with worse doctrines.

  yes and no, while the rules about clothing and material possessions is more strict, much is very similar to the wts.. http://www.amishabuse.com/ordnung.htm.

  the ordnung is not about scripture out of the new testament or the salvation of your soul, but it is about control.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  That ordnung is absolutely maddening, and the story is absolutely heartbreaking.
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  13

  Swartzentruber Amish Ordnung

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes i wonder, is there a religion with worse doctrines.

  yes and no, while the rules about clothing and material possessions is more strict, much is very similar to the wts.. http://www.amishabuse.com/ordnung.htm.

  the ordnung is not about scripture out of the new testament or the salvation of your soul, but it is about control.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  Only slightly off topic, but has anyone seen or heard about this documentary? Doesn't sound like the Swartzentruber branch would have it. The practice that is, not the DVD.
  
  Devil's Playground
  
  This Sundance Festival sensation has attracted attention because of its jarring images of Amish kids immersed in debauchery: plain-dressed girls in white bonnets slugging back beers and flicking ashes from their cigarettes, boys passing out in the back of pickups after all-night parties, even Amish teens in bed together. But like a good drama, it's the characters themselves and their heartbreaking dilemma that linger in the mind. In the Amish vernacular, "Devil's Playground" refers to the "English" or outside world. The protected teens are suddenly thrust into this world upon their 16th birthday as they begin "Rumspringa," a period during which they decide whether to join the church as adults. Crystallizing this predicament is the 73-minute documentary's most compelling figure, 18-year-old Faron, a preacher's son fighting drug addiction. His earnest intent to return to the church and astonishing articulateness makes his misadventures in the drug underworld and penal system undeniably poignant.
  
  CD
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  57

  JW hypocrisy

  by rick1199 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am trying to build a list of hipocrisy with in the borg.

  i dont mean things like the un scandal as people in the hall wont have heard of that, but smaller stuff that goes on all the time with out the rank and file noticing.

  infant baptism.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  Superstitions are wrong, but if Witnesses have a run of bad luck they will burn any second hand goods.
  
  Sorry, never hear such a thing. Must be some local freeky metally ill witness proposing something like that.
  
  Danny
  
  I can think of three people off the top of my head that burned cds, clothes, and other items after not being able to sleep, having bad dreams, or feeling cold drafts in their houses/apartments.
  
  It's not one random witness with a freaky mental illness(although the definition of mental illness as it relates to witnesses in general is open to interpretation) that perpetuates this one. It's actually quite common. "Stuff going horribly wrong at home? Must be that new cd you bought with the celtic music on it. Burn it!"
  
  CD
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  22

  Michael Jackson to sell Neverland to the WT?

  by moshe in

  1. social
  2. humour

  rumors are flying that michael jackson will soon close the deal on the sale of his vacated neverland ranch to the watchtower society.

  they are selling their ny city bethel properties and moving to a nicer climate due to the poor health of the aging bethel staff.

  the ranch seems to be an ideal fit for for them.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  Yep, its true.
  
  And Bubbles will head the Awake editorial staff.
  
  steve
  
  I'm pretty sure Bubbles has been on the payroll for some time now. I just read one of the recent awakes, the one on old age, and my exact thought was, "A monkey wrote this."
  
  CD
  edited to add: On second thought, I think if Bubbles were editing the Awake, it might actually get better.
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  88

  Seriously, they`re burning down our embassys now.

  by Hellrider in

  1. social
  2. current

  the cartoon-rage continues.

  in syria, protesters have now burned the norwegian and danish embassys to the ground.

  the latest news is that they are rioting in copenhagen, denmark, where 200 moslems have stormed the sentral station (the railwaystation), and throwing bricks and rocks.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  Wonderful quote Elsewhere, here's another one that seems appropriate -
  
  "With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion." -Steven Weinberg
  
  CD
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  38

  To all active JWs or double life JWs

  by NowImFree in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  one of the previous posts made me wonder how many active jws post on this site and how many of you are only in because not wanting to lose your family and you are leading a double life and also how many of you are still active but questioning.

  please, all of you, i would like to hear your stories (of course not enough info to give away your identity) and why you are still in.

  i think a lot of us that are out would be interested.. nowimfree.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  I've been fading now for about a year. The one and only reason reason that I'm not extremely vocal about my views is because I have family members who are still in, and I know that if I were to outspokenly criticize the Society, I know it would create lots of issues and difficulty for my family that is still in.
  
  As far as leading a double life, I don't consider it that at all. I'm leading my own life now, which doesn't happen to be the one that they want me to. I don't consider withholding certain details from those people who would maliciously use them against my family and myself to be lying.
  
  CD
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  45

  144,000 — A "theillogical" evaluation

  by AuldSoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  144,000 a "theillogical" evaluation

  revelationits grand climax at hand!.

  chap.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  Ah, how I love numerology. You can use it to "prove" anything and everything that you want. We should start coming up with numerological explanations for why the bible proves that 2006 is the year that all Witnesses should stop following the faithless and indiscreet slavedriver. Nice work Auld.
  
  and Dave, I laughed really hard at the mention of Tanya Harding, I haven't thought of her in years.
  
  CD
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  5

  What is enlightenment?

  by Cognitive_Dissident in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so i had to share a few passages from an essay that i just read, published in 1784 by immanuel kant, in response to the question "what is enlightenment?

  " also, what would your own response be to the question?

  the website for the full essay is here.

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  Cognitive_Dissident

  So I had to share a few passages from an essay that I just read, published in 1784 by Immanuel Kant, in response to the question "What is enlightenment?" Also, what would your own response be to the question?
  
  the website for the full essay is here.
  
  Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage is man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! "Have courage to use your own reason!"- that is the motto of enlightenment.
  
  ...
  
  After the guardians have first made their domestic cattle dumb and have made sure that these placid creatures will not dare take a single step without the harness of the cart to which they are tethered, the guardians then show them the danger which threatens if they try to go alone. Actually, however, this danger is not so great, for by falling a few times they would finally learn to walk alone. But an example of this failure makes them timid and ordinarily frightens them away from all further trials.
  
  ...
  
  I have placed the main point of enlightenment - the escape of men from their self-incurred tutelage - chiefly in matters of religion because our rulers have no interest in playing guardian with respect to the arts and sciences and also because religious incompetence is not only the most harmful but also the most degrading of all.
  
  The whole essay is fantastic, but these are the passages that really stood out to me with regards to the Witnesses specifically.
  
  CD