Posts by wizzstick

56

Generation expiry date?

by pleaseresearch in

how long will it take for a jw to see that even the overlapping generation is wrong?.

the org waited and waited to see if their interpretation of it came true.

those alive in 1914 would still be alive obviously it didn't and jws have to believe in an overlapping generation.

wizzstick

something must give by 2017 latest

So on Jan 1st 2018...then what?

You renounce the WT as a false prophet?

4

Online article, ex JW

by Lostandfound in

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jehovahs-witnesses-religion-christianity-religious-group-what-is-it-like-a7214966.html?cmpid=facebook-post.

not sure if this already posted, article from uk independent online newspaper.

wizzstick

I think it's great to see.

It seems to have had quite a reaction:

UPDATE: Wow, this just exploded. Please bear with me as I try to keep up with all the questions!
UPDATE 2: Thanks for all the questions people, there were so many that unfortunately I couldn't answer them all, but my fellow Ex-JWs managed to answer a few. I will return here tomorrow and try to answer ones that were left unanswered. And even after the AMA ends I urge you to visit r/exjw, you will get even more answers there.
UPDATE 3: R.I.P. Inbox. 1100 unread messages. It will probably take a while to take it down to 0 :).

For us it's nothing new, but the more people start to realise what a high control group the JW's are, the better.

It certainly doesn't hurt to see more Elders (in this case from Poland) waking up.

61

Did the flood happen?

by BlackWolf in

so we were talking about noah for our family worship tonight and it ended with a little debate between me and my parents about how the flood was possible.

you know, where did the water come from, how did all the animals fit, etc.

of course it led nowhere and my parents came up with some strange theories like that there was "an expanse of water in the sky" and that's where all the water came from.

wizzstick

Scientific evidence is subject to interpretation. Jesus confirmed that it did by referring to it same as he confirmed the creation of Adam and Eve by referring to them.

The passages in the Bible are copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies of copies etc.

If there is anything that is of questionable interpretation then it's the Bible!

I'll trust the overwhelming evidence that there wasn't a global flood as opposed to bronze age scribes.

56

Generation expiry date?

by pleaseresearch in

how long will it take for a jw to see that even the overlapping generation is wrong?.

the org waited and waited to see if their interpretation of it came true.

those alive in 1914 would still be alive obviously it didn't and jws have to believe in an overlapping generation.

wizzstick

something must give by 2017 latest

So on Jan 1st 2018...then what?

You renounce the WT as a false prophet?

11

Benefits to Faith over Reason

by cobweb in

i wrote this earlier for my own benefit in order to get some thoughts straight in my head.

it is just my own personal pondering on what i think might be the motivating force behind having a faith.

it is not intended to attack, provoke or patronize anyone who has a belief and i hope it is not taken in that way.

wizzstick

You are absolutely correct in that people who do not have faith do not have happiness or overall good feelings inside of them.

That's simply not true. If you believe that then you don't know those people at all.

Personally, I feel most people who choose to disbelieve do so because it's basically the norm nowadays and everyone is doing it. This is just a classic case of conformity within the human race.

Atheists are still in the minority - so how do you come to that conclusion?

52

People hate God?

by looter in

jw
friends

it is a pain that certain individuals pride themselves on hating god, who created everything.

like it's understandable that you choose to not believe in him because of your selfishness or thinking skills but to hate him is forcing it a bit.

i'm very thankful that those such as myself have the courage to believe in the lord.

wizzstick

Looter - 7 months ago, on another thread, you wrote this:

Hello, all. I'm in a crazy situation. About a year ago, I was going to get baptized. It was all planned and arranged until TTATT was learned. We all were about to study the Inspired publication for me to get baptized and since I learned the TTATT I blatantly refused. When my father found out, he became furious and said that if I wasn't baptized by the time I was 18, then he'd kick me out of the house.
We didn't talk about it for like 6 months after that but lately he has been very short tempered in the way he was when he first learned I refused. Will be 18 in 4 months and his attitude right now is making me nervous. I don't know what to do. My mother is homeless and an alcoholic and I really don't want anything to do with her because the people who she hangs out with are part of a bad gang.
So should I just get baptized even knowing TTATT or be homeless? I'm doing pretty well in school right now and have an afterschool job but the way he is acting right now just makes everything unnecessarily intense. I love my father and want him to be happy but don't want to do the wrong thing by getting baptized even though he knows I'm not really into it anymore. What shall I do?

Learning TTATT is one thing but you've hit the hurdle that so many others have hit before you.

Is there a loving God? Shouldn't I believe in something?

Please keep an open mind and keep researching. There is a reason why so many on here are atheists. It's because the evidence and logic leans that way.

Read Bart Ehrman, Dan Barker, Christopher Hitchins, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins etc.

Learning the truth about faith is liberating in so many ways.

It may look scary but in years to come you'll be so grateful.

61

Did the flood happen?

by BlackWolf in

so we were talking about noah for our family worship tonight and it ended with a little debate between me and my parents about how the flood was possible.

you know, where did the water come from, how did all the animals fit, etc.

of course it led nowhere and my parents came up with some strange theories like that there was "an expanse of water in the sky" and that's where all the water came from.

wizzstick

If anything, the fall of the alleged upper water would have generated a lot of heat. think re-entry

Er - it depends how this water was 'miraculously' held up there. Plus the waters covered the surface of the earth for best part of a year. How long would they have held their 're-entry heat'?

And what about the waters that came from below? How much of the water covering the mountains came from the water canopy and how much came from under the earth?

Genesis 7:11 In the 600th year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month, on that day all the springs of the vast watery deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened

(As I type this I wonder how I ever managed to stop thinking for so long.)

475

What is the alternative to JW?

by Formerbrother in

i mean this with all due respect, i would like to hear from genuine people who think jw have it wrong and then what is the truth?.

im not talking about silly little quibbles here and there.. is jehovah real?

the the bible is word?

wizzstick

Yeah.

Add logic and reason and stop believing in sky fairies.

You need to do much more reading of outside sources.

But will you?

61

Did the flood happen?

by BlackWolf in

so we were talking about noah for our family worship tonight and it ended with a little debate between me and my parents about how the flood was possible.

you know, where did the water come from, how did all the animals fit, etc.

of course it led nowhere and my parents came up with some strange theories like that there was "an expanse of water in the sky" and that's where all the water came from.

wizzstick

This link might be very useful to you:

Letters to and From the Watchtower Society Concerning Noah's Flood

They show how a (now former) JW outlines the scientific issues about the flood and shows the WT responses.

Also this link: The Vapor Canopy Hypothesis Holds No Water might be useful.

Classic questions to ask:

How did animals that only live in one part of the earth, like kangaroos, get to Turkey? Even more importantly, given the 'new' oceans the flood created, how did they get back to Australia?
If the ark was above the tops of mountains then they were above Everest. And you'd need warm clothes as it is so cold and an air tank to breathe. How did Noah, likely dressed for a middle eastern climate and his family and the animals survive in those conditions? How come their water didn't freeze?
If there was a water canopy then the temperature around the earth would have been warmer. How could you have the polar regions in that warmer environment? Ice core samples go back long before 2,370 BC (when the WT claims the flood happened).

And so on and so on.

I think the WT are pretty much the last large group to believe in the water canopy idea.

218

Debating With Evolution Deniers is Just Like This

by cofty in

arguing with those who reject scientific evidence can be like arguing about football; just as angry and passionate, but the goalposts keep moving, and one team doesn't exist.. read more here....

wizzstick

I started this as a bit of amusing satire about irrational creationists.

Tish and pish you did.

You knew this would bring out the crazy theists.

And boy have we got a doozy here.