Posts by Cygnus

52

Need new drink!!!

by tattoogrl333 in

jw
friends

ok this has nothing to do with being a jw or anything of that nature but it is important to me and i need some help:.

here goes i have been drinking rum and coke (bacardi) since i can remember and finally realized that maybe it is contributing to my severly harsh hangovers.

so i went on a quest in search of a new drink.

Cygnus

Drunk Irisk Monk

1/3 Bailey's, 1/3 Franjelico, 1/3 Brandy

tastes like chocolate milk

11

TR's Baptism Pic

by TR in

jw
friends

i'm the one with the glazed look and the hairy chest.. check out the dude in front of me.

looks rather dubious, don't he?.

anyone on this board in there?.

Cygnus

Yeah, I'm with patio. Where are the t-shirts? I had to wear one (in 1989).

36

Does Genesis Teach a Local Flood?

by JanH in

jw
friends

i went to the homepage for ray franz' commentary press, and i found an article there promoting the idea that genesis teaches a local flood.

the author believes the genesis flood actually happened, as a local event, and that an ark actually were floating on top of local flood waters in the mesopotamia area some thousand years ago.

i recognized many arguments from a talk carl olof jonsson gave at a "christian freedom" seminar in sweden in, i think, 1996, so i guess that this article, too, is written by coj.

Cygnus

anew,

do you believe the ark looked like the 1960s movie ark, or as the ark was described in the Bible (and as portrayed by Watchtower artists)?

18

Last Thursdayism

by Cygnus in

jw
friends

this is a chat i had a few months ago on yahoo (you people who chat on this stupid board, get yer asses over to yahoo, now!)..

jag1lisa: what religion are you.

cygnustsp: last thursdayist.

i had a very positive experience today which maybe not-so-coincidentally coincided with my recent comments on matthew 25.. it was only my second personal experience with babylon the grape in my entire life.

my first was when one of my daughters got married in a catholic church over three years ago.

i actually sat inside the catholic chapel and watched her priest perform the ceremony.

Cygnus

I'm big not on charity or altruism. My earning a living takes a lot out of me, physically and mentally.

However, I'm glad that charity does exist. And, BTW, in my opinion, it has nothing to do with Christianity. People are that way in spite of their so-called 'religious' inclination.

18

Last Thursdayism

by Cygnus in

jw
friends

this is a chat i had a few months ago on yahoo (you people who chat on this stupid board, get yer asses over to yahoo, now!)..

jag1lisa: what religion are you.

cygnustsp: last thursdayist.

Cygnus

This is a chat I had a few months ago on Yahoo (you people who chat on this stupid board, get yer asses over to Yahoo, NOW!).

-------------------------------------------------------------

jag1lisa: what religion are you

cygnustsp: Last Thursdayist

jag1lisa: i have never heard of that

jag1lisa: lol

cygnustsp: you should

jag1lisa: well what is it

jag1lisa: i mean what religion

cygnustsp: We believe that the universe was created Last Thursday

jag1lisa: what?

jag1lisa: i dont get it

jag1lisa: that is the wierdest thing i have heard yet

cygnustsp: I know, it's hard to comprehend

jag1lisa: im not saying anything about what you believe...its just
odd i have never heard of it

cygnustsp: Essentially, we believe that everything was created Last Thursday, and we are endowed with memories, appearance of age, and so forth

cygnustsp: the cycle continues every Thursday

jag1lisa: wow....and why do you believe this...i mean do get it out of the holy bible

cygnustsp: no, it is not in the Bible

jag1lisa: then why do you believe it

cygnustsp: No one has yet to disprove our doctrine, so we accept it by faith

jag1lisa: wow thats strange

jag1lisa: did someone just make it up or what?

cygnustsp: Nobody knows the exact origins

jag1lisa: wow that blows my mind

cygnustsp: Well, think about it. Isn't it fascinating that every Thursday you wake up a different person in a different life in a different universe?

jag1lisa: no i dont

jag1lisa: what makes thursday different than any othr day

cygnustsp: well, it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I mean, Last Mondayism sounds dumb

jag1lisa: yeah but then you are saying its just the name then

jag1lisa: see thursday is no differnt than any other day of the week

cygnustsp: you sound like you have doubts

jag1lisa: doubts about what?

cygnustsp: doubts about the truth of Last Thursdayism. if you're really interested in understanding the truth of the matter, I can arrange for someone in a local congregation to drop by and assist you

jag1lisa: yeah i have doubts cause there is no proof i mean nothing to go by

cygnustsp: that's why you need faith

jag1lisa: i mean it doesnt even go by Gods holy word

jag1lisa: so any blow joe walking down the street says ok lets make a religion about thursdays and people start following him i dont get it

cygnustsp: well, that is usually how religions get started

jag1lisa: no it isnt..most religions started with a book...the holy bible, the book of mormonisn....etc

jag1lisa: do you guys have a book or bible you go by

cygnustsp: but a person has to write the book first

jag1lisa: so what else do you beliebve in your religiong

cygnustsp: I guess you are also unfamiliar with the Last Thursdayism newsletters that get circulated once a week

cygnustsp: no, we have no official textbook or written dogma

jag1lisa: lol a newsletter is something that someone makes up...the bible has been around for ages

cygnustsp: actually, the Bible has only been around since Last Thursday

jag1lisa: haha i gotta go dude......this is the funniest thing i have ever heard

cygnustsp: okay, be careful what you mock, next Thursday you might come back as a porcupine

jag1lisa: right....maybe if you would wake up from your dream

cygnustsp: I will, tomorrow of course

jag1lisa: hahahahahaha

45

Ray Franz and setting up a fund $ assistance &a...

by MrMoe in

jw
friends

one final thing before i go on vacation:.

a while back a few of us discussed setting up a fund for ray franz, which i think is an excellent idea.

he has done so much for so many people and deserves financial help.

Cygnus

Well, I'll say one thing. The service at Commentary Press is excellent (way better than Amazon).

Okay, I'll say another thing. I've read books written by other men and women that have changed my life, or made me think differently, and I'm not about to start giving them my money. Think about it.

48

Coming to Toronto this month? Sign in here!

by peterstride in

jw
friends

hey all,.

just to get an idea as to how many people are coming to toronto for the next apostofest, in case i need to make reservations at various places...all because the toronto international film festival will be taking place on the same weekend!

when you let me know if you're coming, also state on which day you'll be arriving and which day you'll be departing.. thanks, .

Cygnus

Count me in. Most likely just for Sunday, unless I can shack up with somebody Sat. night. ;)

119

Validity of 607 BCE date

by stevieb1 in

jw
friends

has anyone on here ever come across the tiniest shred of evidence supporting this date for the fall of jerusalem.

i understand rolf furuli is about to but something out on this subject (see elihubooks.com), however even a table of contents has been a long time in coming from this site.

if no evidence exists what can he possibly be writing about?

Cygnus

Scholar wrote,

: If you do not believe the Bible then you wasting everybodys time.

Actually, the Bible supports the established secular chronology of 586/7 BCE. There are several problems with 607 and the Bible that haven't even been mentioned here yet.

What I wanted to comment on, however, is the mindset of the JW when discussing matters of the Bible and historical science. How does a JW know that the Bible is true in regards to events such as the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem? Or, for that matter, the Flood, or the existence of Jesus Christ? The Society very often appeals to some sort of historical evidence to support the Bible story. Sometimes, however, very unsuccesfully. When, for example, the evidence mounts against their position (say, the Flood, or evolution), they have very arguments FOR their position, but rather they either appeal to miracles, or find problems with the other position. Ultimately, they claim that it is the BIBLE which is to be trusted over fallible humans, since it is God's Word. The Appendix of the _Kingdom Come_ book says as much.

I think that if you're going to believe in the Bible, forget about trying to reconcile it with anything else. Why bother? All you're going to end up doing is say, "The Bible is always 100% accurate, so where there are disagreements with the Bible and science, I will trust the Bible." Under operation of that mindset, a person cannot and will not be convinced of anything contrary to his position -- his position being arrived at by _interpretation_ of said Bible, I might add.

Scholar will no doubt testify to the historicity of the man Jesus Christ, or the legitimacy of Cyrus having overtaken Babylon in 539 BCE, because he has some secular evidence which supports his position. The conundrum he faces is that he has zero evidence for 607 being significant to the destruction of Jerusalem, but he wishes everyone to believe there is some, or that the problems for his position are not insurmountable.

Well, let's hear it, dude. I'm all ears. Don't be bashful.

20

Disfellowshipping- Pros and Cons

by Vitameatavegamin in

jw
friends

hello friends,.

since i have been a member of this forum since july, i have seen alot of posts by df'd or posts about disfellowshipping.

i just thought i would add my thoughts on the matter, for whatever it is worth.

Cygnus

The main reason common folks are DF'd is not because of the sin. It is based upon two things: how well they perform when masquerading their repentance, and whether or not the elders consider them to be a threat to the congregation's stability. The sin itself is generally irrelevant (unless it is extremely gross and decidedly preconceived).

I might have been able to avoid getting DF'd. I know that two of the brothers on my JC did not want to DF me. I know that the chairman of the appeal committee did not want to DF me. However, I was not repentant and told them so (I was DF'd for associating with a DF'd person and being a "sharer in his wicked works"). I even brought my DF'd friend with me to the Kingdom Hall for the first hearing. :) Getting DF'd was going to make absolutely zero difference in my life, so I participated for an amusing experience. I can't recommend that for everyone, however. You see, my family does not shun me, my JW wife supported me, and while I felt bad about losing certain friends, 3 other JW friends have since then quit the religion themselves, and I have lots of worldly friends, as it were. When the one elder told me that it would be a real "test" for my family to have to shun me, I laughed in his face. He didn't like that much, in fact, none of the elders liked it. Two elders in particular were complete tools and I could feel the righteous hatred they felt when I replied to an elder who compared my independent thinking with Satan the Devil's: "Alleged invisible events in the realm of the supernatural have very little bearing on my case."

Like I said, I had fun with the whole thing. When people hear about my story, they shake their heads and can't believe that a religon that calls itself Christian, or any group of people for that matter, would treat someone as they treated me. Then I tell them that I was one of the LUCKY ones.

DF'ing will, I think, eventually become what is practiced today as 'marking.' Not officially, in fact, the WT might still come out with a heavy article defending the scriptural practice of shunning, but contemporary JWs just aren't going to follow along any more.