Posts by Inquisitor

125

?Please explain Evolution to me in simple terms

by Guest with Questions in

and please dont give me links to read.

i dont want a complicated version; just a very simple explanation on the theory of evolution, and if possible, in your own words.

many of us are very ignorant on this subject and it seems that a few here are very knowledgeable so i hope you can help me and others also.. also if you believe in the theory of common descent, could you explain that to me also?

Inquisitor

Evolution is the gradualprocess by which living things have been produced in such a wide variety ever since the Origin of life.

INQ

p.s. Mariusuk, your response to an ingratiating post made me LMAO!

19

On fading

by lola28 in

jw
friends

so i was thinking about this today and wanted to see what you guys think about fading?

for a long time i thought that this was the way to go especially if you wanted to maintain certain relationships be it with family or friends but lately i'm not so sure that fading is the best way to go and here is why.. the stress of having to go to meetings is some times overwhelmingthe amount of time you waste going to meetings when you no longer believe is time you will never get back, time that could have been spent doing something that you really do love, life is short why waste it in the hall?

the end results are the same if you are dfed, daed or fade.

Inquisitor

Let me just add that I only attend JW meetings when I'm home with my folks. I am a very successful fader otherwise (yes I noticed the spitting and crossing of yourselves when you heard me say I attended meetings).

INQ

19

On fading

by lola28 in

jw
friends

so i was thinking about this today and wanted to see what you guys think about fading?

for a long time i thought that this was the way to go especially if you wanted to maintain certain relationships be it with family or friends but lately i'm not so sure that fading is the best way to go and here is why.. the stress of having to go to meetings is some times overwhelmingthe amount of time you waste going to meetings when you no longer believe is time you will never get back, time that could have been spent doing something that you really do love, life is short why waste it in the hall?

the end results are the same if you are dfed, daed or fade.

Inquisitor

Speaking from my situation here:

That my family should expect me to come back to the "Truth" or maybe be a more "spiritual" JW, indicates that they are still eager to see how I feel about my "Christian heritage". This gives me a platform, which I otherwise would not have, to disseminate ideas about the validity of JW beliefs and practices. If they already ignore me (and I understand that for some faders that may well be the case), I do not have the opportunity to make my folks think about their religion.

Of course you are spot-on with those observations, lola. Spending those gruelling hours sitting in the KHall twidling my thumbs (I got into enough trouble making unconventional comments) is not fun.

INQ

23

Kudos to the Christians/Believers on JWD. (seriously)

by Open mind in

first off i'd like to say that the title of this thread is not tongue-in-cheek.

i remember a thread from ak-jeff a couple months ago where he observed how some posters develop a condescending attitude towards christians and how that made him feel like he didn't really fit in here.

i'm sure that may have come across (unintentionally) in some of my recent threads where i've related my arrival at agnosticism/atheism.

Inquisitor

Dear open mind,

How you build my expectations, then let me down! lol

Look, perhaps it is my choice of words that grates against you. The message is simply this: some Christians deserve a bit of a wake-up call. Some Christians need to eat humble pie. They need to be put back in their place. Not all deserve a bit of a pat on the back. Not all Christians are alike. If you have read my post then you would know what type of Christians I am referring to.

You might say that it is the right of these Christians to define what is lacking in the JWs according to the standards with which they are currently familiar : Christian orthodoxy. And that is correct. They have a right to express their opinion. But they don't have a right to deny being challenged to validate that opinion. Being challenged is not an example of humiliation.

If a Christian should arrogantly proclaim that "all JWs are heartless scum unlike people in the church I now attend". I have every right to ask if their Protestant philanthropy extends to gays, sex workers, women pastors etc.

If a Christian should denounce the WTS as the "AntiChrist", I would love to know by what scriptural interpretation do they see the WTS SOLELY fulfilling that role. I would love to know how does the current allegation compare with previous fits of prophetic denoucement against the Vatican, the Roman emperors etc. Is the WTS merely a convenient scapegoat for our times?

But the type of Christian who raises these issues (aka groundless anti-JW accusations) more often than not wants consensus from the JWD board, not facts. And it is this type of non-thinking approach that I staunchly oppose and criticise.

When a Christian fails to use his/her thinking faculties, is it condescending on my part to draw attention to that simple fact?

INQ

23

Kudos to the Christians/Believers on JWD. (seriously)

by Open mind in

first off i'd like to say that the title of this thread is not tongue-in-cheek.

i remember a thread from ak-jeff a couple months ago where he observed how some posters develop a condescending attitude towards christians and how that made him feel like he didn't really fit in here.

i'm sure that may have come across (unintentionally) in some of my recent threads where i've related my arrival at agnosticism/atheism.

Inquisitor

I think what gets me riled up (and yes I know I should know better), is when I hear an ex-JW attack the WTS or JWs in general using their version of Christianity. You cannot expect to sound credible by saying things like "JWs are all devoid of love, unlike the churches", or that the "WTS IS the AntiChrist and anyone who doesn't think so is full of bullsh*t".

Judging JWs and their org by cherry-picking at the Scriptures is as bad as being a self-righteous JW. I did not wake up from my JW delusion only to embrace another kind of mental numbness. That is why I find it so hard to stand back and watch a whole bunch of posters indulge in their self-assuring, biased condemnation of the JWs. If you have a point to make, back it up with facts. Don't publicly masturbate to your self-assured salvation.

Having said that, I acknowledge that not all Christians on JWD are as ludicrous as those I have just described. And yes, I respect these latter individuals for who they are, even if I may disagree with their persuasions.

INQ

56

Do you know how strong you all are?

by jgnat in

jw
friends

i'm thinking this morning at the enormous effort required to leave the witnesses.

that you all found your way here is amazing.

you are a select group of strong people, who will not allow life or any organization to knock you down.

Inquisitor

It's nice to be reminded of the right perspective, jgnat. Though I have yet to personally experience (4), (5) and (6), I trust that time will come.

INQ

24

Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society an Anti-Christ Organization?

by OUTLAW in

the wbt$ certainly puts themselves as mediator between god and mankind..very unchristian.....in many cases the wbt$ would have us ignore the words of jesus and have us rely on them,for any meaning the bible may have..as in the case of the september 15th 1968 watchtower artical "why are you looking foreward to 1975??

?..the writer tells us "this is no time to be toying with the words of jesus!

"..the end is very near..this was on a thread by another poster a few days ago.....we all know that armageddon did not arrive as predicted by the wbt$ in 1975..but..to work up the 1975 frenzy,jw`s were told to ignore the words of jesus.....is telling people to ignore the words of jesus,anti-christ behavior?.....outlaw

Inquisitor

OUTLAW,

I'm fully aware who started the thread, but I don't give a hoot. If we call people names simply because we cannot comprehend why they do not agree with us, then we are not ready for a discussion, hence the playground, thread-starter or not.

Snowbird,

Anyone else who sees a need to add to or subtract from plain Scriptural teaching is, imo, an anti-Christ.

There are "plain" scriptural teachings? If so, there are few who are not the Anti-Christ in your worldview. Masses of liberal Christians are guilty of theological tweaking esp with the "not-so-plain" scriptures. Little wonder that JWs would escape that labelling then. Not saying that the latter are "liberal Christians". Not at all.

VW,

I never said that the JWs were pro-Christ. But that doesn't make them anti-Christ by default. I am fully aware that, compared to the mainstream churches, their Jesus occupies a very tamed role. But he still has a role nonetheless.

If it is true what you say about the goal of the JW ministry: to actively "destroy/demolish whatever relationship one has with Jesus", or in the case of non-Christians to see that "a personal relationship with Jesus is NOT formed", then the WTS must be the Anti-Christ. But how is this achieved? Please elaborate.

Throughout my years as a JW, I have never seen an active and deliberate attempt to sever the householder from Jesus. If Jesus takes a secondary role to Jehovah, it is because of their theology about the nature of Christ. And if you were ever a JW, you should already know this. The same goes for their failure to focus on developing a relationship with Jesus, it is because Jesus is merely Son of God, the focus is on Jehovah. But JWs do not remove the Gospel from their Bibles. They've published a book about Jesus. You may disagree greatly with what they have to say about him, but I don't see how their teachings are hostile towards the Son of God.

If what the JWs teach about Christ makes them anti-Christ, are the Churches then haters of God the Father? Can I justly conclude that most mainstream Christians are "anti-Jehovah" since there is such little emphasis on Him? Can I say that they have replaced Jehovah's face with that of Jesus Christ? I could. But it wouldn't bother mainstream Christians very much. Because I suspect most of them are proudly addicted toJesus. "Fair enough", I say. "Whatever catches your fancy", I say. But it is based upon that kind devotion to Jesus, I'm guessing, that we are calling JWs/WTS the anti-Christ. Because they approach Jesus differently. And that I feel is the most pathetic reason to convict them.

There is no way that the Jesus-fever found in Christendom can be found in JW circles. No way. But that doesn't make the JWs the Anti-Christ. They're just a different breed. They are entitled to their version of Christ as much as you are entitled to yours.

You are welcome to convince me otherwise, though.

INQ

24

Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society an Anti-Christ Organization?

by OUTLAW in

the wbt$ certainly puts themselves as mediator between god and mankind..very unchristian.....in many cases the wbt$ would have us ignore the words of jesus and have us rely on them,for any meaning the bible may have..as in the case of the september 15th 1968 watchtower artical "why are you looking foreward to 1975??

?..the writer tells us "this is no time to be toying with the words of jesus!

"..the end is very near..this was on a thread by another poster a few days ago.....we all know that armageddon did not arrive as predicted by the wbt$ in 1975..but..to work up the 1975 frenzy,jw`s were told to ignore the words of jesus.....is telling people to ignore the words of jesus,anti-christ behavior?.....outlaw

Inquisitor

What does George Bush,Peter the Great or Nero have to do with the WBT$?

I said these been called Anti-Christs by "Christians" in the past for a whole range of reasons. Are these events absent from your history readings? So how do you justify calling the WTS the new Anti-Christ? Were previous accusations (ie. the Catholic Church, Nero etc) mistaken?

WBT$ will dismiss the words of Jesus from the Bible

And Christians who accept women in the pulpit, who accept the union of people of the same sex, who rally for separation of Church and State, who accept the theory of evolution, do these "dismiss the words of Jesus as well"? Shall we call them the anti-Christ too? Where do you draw the line on who is "accepting the words of Jesus"?

I suggest you read my response again before you decide to call me names. Otherwise, go find yourself a playground and let the adults handle this discussion.

INQ

5

Critical Times Hard to deal with??

by BluesBrother in

for many decades the watchtower has hammered home the message of 2 timothy 3.1 - 7 .

but know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.

2 for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up [with pride], lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of god, 5 having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power; and from these turn away.

Inquisitor

"Critical times hard to deal with" befalls a JW when:

1) You fail to attend meetings, prepare for meetings, give *upbuilding* comments (without looking at the paragraphs! oooo) at meetings and fail to go from door to door every weekend.

2) You disrespect the FDS with a pointed comment at the meetings

3) Your wife discovers you with some online adult entertainment and only one of your hands is visible above the desk.

4) Your JW mother-in-law leaks to the BOE that you and her daughter have started enacting scenes from the Kama Sutra.

5) You tell the college-educated elder that he should shove his hypocritical college-bashing spiel up where the sun don't shine.

6) That same elder discovers you and his daughter in a compromising position in the backseat of your car.

7) Instead of delivering your TMS talk, you decide to spice things up by "coming out" to the congregation.

8) You tell an elder's wife that if she keeps being so bitchy she might get leprosy or turn into a pillar of salt.

9) When a JW youth is on the assembly/DC stage doing his bit for the anti-university propaganda, you walk up to that stage, turn around to face the audience, bend over and let the loudest fart rip till the PA system catches it.

10) At the Memorial, you take the cup of wine and refuse to pass it along. You hiss at the attendants when they try to take it from you.

Yes, when any of the above happens, you can bet your ass there will be critical times in store for you.

silly INQ

24

Is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society an Anti-Christ Organization?

by OUTLAW in

the wbt$ certainly puts themselves as mediator between god and mankind..very unchristian.....in many cases the wbt$ would have us ignore the words of jesus and have us rely on them,for any meaning the bible may have..as in the case of the september 15th 1968 watchtower artical "why are you looking foreward to 1975??

?..the writer tells us "this is no time to be toying with the words of jesus!

"..the end is very near..this was on a thread by another poster a few days ago.....we all know that armageddon did not arrive as predicted by the wbt$ in 1975..but..to work up the 1975 frenzy,jw`s were told to ignore the words of jesus.....is telling people to ignore the words of jesus,anti-christ behavior?.....outlaw

Inquisitor

To those who have said they would leave the judgement to Christ, may I ask: Which Christ?

People readily assume that the Christ they are thinking of readily agrees with their personal convictions. In their image they created Him.

I mean, will it be the all-forgiving, ever gracious, died-for-all-your-sins Christ? Or the sword-swinging, slayer of homosexuals and violent criminals Christ? A capitalist-friendly Christ or a beggar's Christ? Which of these "Christs" will be accusing the WTS of being the anti-Christ?

Does He even understand what is this "anti-Christ" since He never referred to it explicitly in the Gospels? Or will this be a name-calling game that only the Apostle John (only 4 times in the Bible) indulges in, which our Lord would have nothing to do with?

INQ