Posts by AuldSoul

104

Why do I feel like I'm losing my wife to this website?

by sarabi in

jw
friends

i'm a jw in good standing and she is too.

she has had a lot of questions.

now, i feel like there is a division between us.

AuldSoul

I feel hurt, I feel like she has been talking behind my back and hiding things. I have asked her to stop coming to this site and she keeps on coming back. I am not posting this behind her back, she is right here with me. Her username is Cognac if you would like to verify this. I have spoken to somebody else on this website also due to my investigation. My wife tells me his name is Flipper.

Is that what this site promotes? I have read that this website accuses the society of being a secret society. Like the society "sweeps things under the rug." But, realistically, peoples mates are hiding behind this website from there own mates. Is that not secrecy?

I understand why you feel this way. Secrecy is what the organization promotes. People who wish to openly investigate such things in other religions may do so without any fear from their religion and without dread that their spouse may abandon them (on the grounds of "Spiritual Endangerment") should their decisions be affected by what they choose to study out.

Since that is not the case among Jehovah's Witnesses, those who wish to exercise their Christian freedom to study out things they are taught to see whether they originate with God must do so very carefully or risk the wrath of a petty and vengeful organization. Such morbid fear of losing the affection of loved ones is a very strong fear, a fear deeply and intentionally ingrained in Jehovah's Witnesses. But you know this already. This fear, intentionally created by the organization, forces any who would honestly investigate accusations against the organization to do so secretively, even keeping their honest inquiry secret from their most dearly loved ones.

In my case, I did not hide my investigations from my wife and got the joyous pleasure of multiple elder's visits that ultimately resulted in my submitting a disassociation letter prior to being hauled into a Judicial Committee meeting on the charges of apostasy. I later experienced the congregation's love by discovering that my father and mother were often encouraging my wife to separate from me on the grounds of Spiritual Endangerment. My father was her congregation's Presiding Overseer and a man she deeply respected long before she and I got married. My marriage of eight years nearly ended as a direct result of my lack of secrecy, my unabashed candor almost cost me my wife and did cost me my extensive family.

So, I freely recommend that people keep their search secret until they are confident they have cause to outrightly reject what the organization teaches as doctrines of a false religion. Can you think of a good reason to recommend otherwise, given what you personally KNOW of the organization?

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

12

Hanging on the words of the WBTS.

by Caedes in

it seems that we haven't changed much, we are all as excited by the latest announcements as when we were sat in that kh.

AuldSoul

The excitement might not have abated but surely the reasons have changed, Caedes. I no longer become eager in expectation that this might be a signal of the nearness of the end.

When the CBS conductors became CBS Overseers I thought that portended readiness for the Great Tribulation, preparing for a need to have small, autonomous groups (patterned after something similar to 'cells' of certain nefarious organizations we know of today) in the days ahead. Now, with news such as this, I see more pressure and control applied from the top downward and expectantly await the fine silt that will no doubt join us out here in freedom.

JWs have complained for a few years that their opportunities for comfortable fellowship have been greatly curtailed by official policies of the organization. Goodie Night was something even hangers-on seemed to look forward to, mostly because of the relaxed atmosphere of camaraderie (the food wasn't usually good enough to be a real draw), and now even that has been snatched away. Apparently, the last thing the organization wants is an opportunity for humans to behave like humans toward one another.

I am very excited. This is great news. I expectantly await the fallout of my predictions coming true. There is no loosening of the reins, the bits are being drawn ever more tightly into the mouths of those the Governing Body drives before them. The paranoia of the leadership along with their utter lack of discretion and insight is becoming steadily more apparent with each shortsighted decision they spring on the herd.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

31

Next big announcement: All Circuirt Overseers Sacked!

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

so what is the ending of the congregation book study really all about?

surely the biggest winner in this new arrangement is the circuit overseer.

now he only has to take two meetings during his visit and will only "work" from thursday to sunday.

AuldSoul

slimboyfat: Hell they might do away with Conventions altogether: do they make any money?

Conventions (District and International) and Assemblies are the biggest moneymaker the WTS has.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

63

Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness?

by nicolaou in

religious believers clearly have tendencies to make-up "facts" and "evidence" rather than accept true research and admit even the simplest of belief failures.

they have strange ceremonies that are virtually pointless but are said to have special significance or power.. we all know certain 'christians' alive today who are fully prepared to argue that they might never die!

couldn't it be argued that such a reversion into childlike fantasy is a telltale sign of mental illness?

AuldSoul

Terry: We are stuck in a real world in a real universe with a mind that can "create" non-real worlds and non-real characters.

Remarkable. We agree.

Do any other species demonstrate this ability, or are humans unique in this?

What survival need was fulfilled by this trait such that we have done so well?

Is it really likely that a survival trait needed to get us here should be expected to be safely shed within a very short period of time, let's say, within 10 generations? Is that really a reasonable expectation? Should we attempt to forcibly expel this trait of worshipping the unseen from ourselves as an undesirable trait despite our ignorance of how it has apparently aided us to succeed, specially speaking?

Would you really call it stuck? If so, what utile purpose does such capacity of mind serve us in the arena of survival? If, as you and others suggest, there is actually a detrimental effect on the species produced by religion then it is a disease. However, how can you show that such a detriment to the species exists without knowing the potential outcomes both with and without religious beliefs so that an accurate cost to benefit analysis can be made?

Once again, you assert purely subjective conjectures as fact. What if we aren't "stuck" in such a world at all? What if we are liberated into such a world; distinctly differentiated from all other animals in this peculiar aspect of ability? In that case, would it be a disease or a boon to the species?

Again, we would have to have a means of prescience to fairly judge the merits of religious beliefs.

I believe I have personally experienced such a prescient source of foreknowledge. Many millions of others believe they have experienced such a source, as well. That is not evidence which can be tendered to a scientific rigor for verification. I admit I have no evidence beyond my person, but why should I need such? In order to convince you? I am not compelled to do so. I only feel compelled to inform others, not to convince them.

I do not believe science claims to be a prescient source of knowledge and I think history has proved them to be incredibly inept at their best attempts along those lines. Therefore, I do not credit science as such a source and cannot think why I should heavily weight my judgments about cost and benefit to the species according to what science merely believes to be true or likely about the future for our species.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

63

Could religious belief be considered a sign of mental illness?

by nicolaou in

religious believers clearly have tendencies to make-up "facts" and "evidence" rather than accept true research and admit even the simplest of belief failures.

they have strange ceremonies that are virtually pointless but are said to have special significance or power.. we all know certain 'christians' alive today who are fully prepared to argue that they might never die!

couldn't it be argued that such a reversion into childlike fantasy is a telltale sign of mental illness?

AuldSoul

nic,

Religious belief could be considered a sign of mental illness, of course. There is no reason why it should be, there is no basis for considering it such, but surely, it could be.

But then, there could be a teapot orbiting Uranus, too. There is equally no reason why there should be, no basis for considering that one would be, but surely, there could be.

An actual illness which is contagious and pandemic? Proofs, please.

If some went so far as to characterize religion as a contagious disease they will have proved to me that they are themselves delusive and will have given me an actual basis for severely discounting their opinions and exercising some caution in their company since they will have deemed me to be an ill person bearing a contagious disease. I would resist to the death any attempts to quarantine such an "illness" whether the attempt was leveled against my particular 'strain' or against someone else's.

Would you go so far as to characterize religious beliefs as a mental illness or as a contagious disease?

Curiously,
AuldSoul

365

Richard Dawkins Gets "Expelled" by Ben Stein!

by Perry in

i just got back from seeing the new movie release "expelled" which is a documentary exposing the militant culture of supression regarding intelligent design in the scientific community.

in a "million years", i never would have imagined that ben stein could get the author of "the god delusion", richard dawkins to speak favorably about i.d.

(intellignet design).

AuldSoul

Caedes: Auld-soul, there is a reason that we assume that life would be carbon based, carbon makes bonds with other molecules more readily than anything else. Silicon also readily bonds but not to the same degree as carbon. Thus it is not unreasonable to assume that carbon is a common building block of life throughout the universe due to the fact that it is so common.

I was not suggesting that all life had to be molecular. Why is it reasonable to assume that all life must be, exactly?

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

Looking for a family: Parham

by AuldSoul in

they used to live in southwest georgia .

bob, sherry, tim, and eric.

last i heard they were all (or mostly all) df'd or da'd.. if anyone knows them/how to get in touch with them, please pm me.

AuldSoul

They used to live in Southwest Georgia . . . Bob, Sherry, Tim, and Eric

Last I heard they were all (or mostly all) DF'd or DA'd.

If anyone knows them/how to get in touch with them, please PM me. Thanks.

365

Richard Dawkins Gets "Expelled" by Ben Stein!

by Perry in

i just got back from seeing the new movie release "expelled" which is a documentary exposing the militant culture of supression regarding intelligent design in the scientific community.

in a "million years", i never would have imagined that ben stein could get the author of "the god delusion", richard dawkins to speak favorably about i.d.

(intellignet design).

AuldSoul

SPAZnik: Sorry haven't had time to read the whole thread, just the initial post. Scientologists are also rumoured to believe in alien theory.

Everyone who subscribes to what the Bible teaches is a believer in life originating from extraterrestrial sources. Such believers also believe that there are forms of intelligent life which are not carbon-based and that these life forms have interacted with humans in the past, sometimes with centuries intervening, and that these life forms will do so again. Most of them believe these life forms are currently interacting with a large number of humans right now.

"Alien theory" is, by far, the prevailing theory of how life arose on earth. This theory is heartily endorsed by the doctrine of all Christendom, Judaism, Hinduism (with the exception of Samkhya), and Islam.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

365

Richard Dawkins Gets "Expelled" by Ben Stein!

by Perry in

i just got back from seeing the new movie release "expelled" which is a documentary exposing the militant culture of supression regarding intelligent design in the scientific community.

in a "million years", i never would have imagined that ben stein could get the author of "the god delusion", richard dawkins to speak favorably about i.d.

(intellignet design).

AuldSoul

The only forms of life that we scientifically acknowledge to be life are carbon-based. We know many of the rules and limitations pertaining to carbon-based life. This form of life cannot spontaneously arise from nothing.

We attempt to assert this rule for carbon-based life onto all other potential kinds of life when we suggest that God must have come from somewhere in order to be alive. To impose such constraint on other kinds of life would be an example of extreme bias, and is unreasonable in the extreme.

We further complicate matters by suggesting that carbon-based life must have come from nothing, because we are here; assuming that abiogenesis (1) must have occurred on earth or (2) might as well have occurred on earth, because it either occurred on our planet with its environmental contraints or on some other planet with different constraints.

Why can science not admit that there may well be intelligent life that is not carbon-based; i.e. life that is not limited to the rules governing carbon-based life?

Respectfully,
AuldSoul

65

Could it happen here?

by BurnTheShips in

jw
friends

this thread, and others like it, got me thinking that, if this board is representative of society, there is definitely an anti-theist wind blowing in western nations, much more so in europe than here in the united states.

could it happen here as it happened there?.

from edward j. derwinski "religious persecution in the soviet union - transcript".

AuldSoul

Almost all the Christians I know are athorist, azeusist, aquetzalcoatlists, ajanusists, araists, and lots of other adeists as well. There are thousands of instances of adeism among the Christians I know.

I do not preach against Thor or Quetzalcoatl, however. Most of the atheists I encounter seem to advocate for a disbelief in God, which goes far beyond a personal lack of evidence or a personal lack of belief.

But believers are in no short supply and belief won't be outlawed.

Respectfully,
AuldSoul