RodentBoy

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Posts by RodentBoy

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  60

  got my stopwatch.............

  by BlackSwan of Memphis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  let's say you have 20 seconds (give or take) to make an impression on a jw.

  to say something that will stick in their head and make them really think.

  because you know, that once they realize you are an apostate, they will shut down anything else that you have to say.. what do you say?.

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  RodentBoy

  At what cubic capacity is a hominid specimen an ape and at what cubic capacity is a specimen a human?
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  25

  A real Russell conspir? Not Illuminati bull corn.

  by IP_SEC in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i've got a little fuzz growing right now, and it got me to thinking about the wts inane animosity toward beards.

  abram, noah, and moses had beards... within a reasonable doubt.

  russell had a bea... holy crap, russell had a beard.. the war on whiskers went so far as to shave jesus for a time.. was this scrimmage against man face an attempt by rutherford and co to remove the influence of russell?

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  RodentBoy

  greendawn wrote:

  I wonder why the WTS claims Russell as its founder since 80% of what they believe came from Rutherford, and they have rejected Russell's writings almost entirely. They really started in 1931 not 1880.

  Because Russell is in many ways a more dignified and sympathetic figure. Rutherford really does come off as a bit of a madman, so I think it's much better from a propagandist point of view to fixate on Russell. I'm pretty sure that's why Catholics like to yack on a lot about St. Peter, when it was really Paul that's responsible for the underlying theology of almost every branch of modern Christianity. Peter really seems like a nice guy, but Paul comes off as a cranky, miserable sod.
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  14

  Why do the JW's demonize the Wise Men?

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  from the chance comments from my husband and what i've read, the wise men were bad because they went off and told herod about the birh of the new king, jesus.

  that description really doesn't jive with the tone of the bible accounts.

  i mean, when the angel warned them off, they prudently went home without returning to herod.

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  RodentBoy

  gumby wrote:
  

  If you would have done the same throughout the whole bible ( NT ) your study would have been closer to arriving at christendoms MAIN MESSAGE than the message the dubs deliver to people. People who read the bible with no pre-concieved notions doctrinally will NOT arrive at a dubs main message. Doctrinally in some areas the dubs may win, but 'doctrine' wasn't the message of Jesus.

  I'm going to go out on a limb here and state that, left to themselves, most people would come to many different conclusions if they read the Bible without any "aid" from any Christian group. What happens with most religious groups is that individuals don't read the Bible for themselves, rather, they are first given a good many filters to assure appropriate "interpretation". These filters are usually essays and sound bites, that quote a few scriptures. Once the filter is in place, an individual is usually has compartmentalized everything, so that unorthodox readings are rejected out of hand.
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  49

  do you think that JW are brainwashed?

  by notmyself in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i'm d/f for about 2 years and my dad ( an elder ) hasn't spoke with me since, my mom sometimes talk to me , but i always have to call her , just to see how's she's doing, and guess what, when she answer her phone is : oh, i was preeching!!!.

  they're always preeching, but my brother contact me today telling me that we can speak again due to the fact that i'm d/f , what do you guys think?

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  RodentBoy

  I think Promise Keepers comes pretty darn close. As to Catholic Mass, well, if any religious celebration is brainwashing, then I suppose so. Catholicism does not erect the emotional and social barriers to the outside world that JWs submit themselves to. While I'm certain you'll find some lock-step Catholics who resemble JWs in behavior, generally speaking you do not see Catholics who so thoroughly surrender themselves. In fact, some Catholics take views that are outright wrong in the Vatican's view, but very rarely do you hear of any excommunications. Catholicism is a grown up religion that doesn't fear independent thought.
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  49

  do you think that JW are brainwashed?

  by notmyself in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i'm d/f for about 2 years and my dad ( an elder ) hasn't spoke with me since, my mom sometimes talk to me , but i always have to call her , just to see how's she's doing, and guess what, when she answer her phone is : oh, i was preeching!!!.

  they're always preeching, but my brother contact me today telling me that we can speak again due to the fact that i'm d/f , what do you guys think?

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  RodentBoy

  I don't think that's any different than people in any cohersive organization. JWs are skilled drones, constantly having their obedience reinforced. For those coming in from the outside, I suspect in most cases there is some unmet need, and they'll latch on. For those that were born into it, it is simply what they've known their entire lives. But there will always be those that never take to it perfectly, or that have some experience that shakes their faith and makes them question. But even for many of those, the threats of DFing are so great that they'll keep the mask on. In a way, it really is a form of group hypnosis.
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  28

  Is Dawkins the answer?

  by Peppermint in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i watched the second part of richard dawkins program yesterday evening -the root of all evil?- i really have enjoyed this program and have found dawkins to come across as genuine and humane.

  the problem i have with the program is that i do not want to believe his point of view, but i am feeling more and more drawn towards it.

  the point i notice most about his stance is that he feels religion and science just cannot sit side by side, you have to believe one or the other.

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  RodentBoy

  In Dawkins' case, I think you ought to understand that he has been pretty heavily abused. Just imagine how they guy must feel when some JW anti-evolution pseudo-science book takes a quote of his out of context. Would you feel all that friendly towards the religious community?
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  55

  birthdays

  by cr1234 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  does anyone know where the article is in the awake that says birthdays are a conscience matter?

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  RodentBoy

  Ah yes, the old bait and switch. "You can't celebrate birthdays, but we'll look the other way if you pick some other day." Even if your doctrinal position is correct, which it so clearly isn't (as your argument amounts to the most absurd handwaving and hair splitting), then picking other days is simply violating the spirit of your doctrine.
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  55

  birthdays

  by cr1234 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  does anyone know where the article is in the awake that says birthdays are a conscience matter?

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  RodentBoy

  WEddings are "of the world". Anniversaries are "of the world". Baby showers are "of the world". Sneakers are "of the world". Toyotas are "of the world". Dollars are "of the world". The list of things that are "of the world" that JWs participate in are rather enormous, so to pick birthdays out as being wrong when, say, baby showers are not is both hypocritical and completely illogical. It simply makes no sense. It has no justification in the Bible. It is a pure invention, and a demonstration of why any church whose theological system boils down to "we're the boss, do what we say or God will get you" is ludicrous and dangerous to its adherents. At least a Catholic or Anglican position is based upon centuries of regularized and scholarly theological study, and not unfounded proclamations from afar.
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  55

  birthdays

  by cr1234 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  does anyone know where the article is in the awake that says birthdays are a conscience matter?

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  RodentBoy

  The birthday position is possibly one of the few JW doctrinal claims that's on even shakier ground than their blood policy. No where in the Bible will you find "Thou shalt not celebrate your birthday". NOt one place. This JW rule is not based on the Bible at all. It is simply an invention, yet another attempt to keep JWs apart from outsiders by erecting a wall. There's no meaningful justification at all, other than as a group separation and control device.
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  15

  Addition too the birthday thread. Not a DF'ING OFFENSE

  by skyman in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  w98 10/15 p. 31 questions from readers ***

  "consequently, while it is entirely a private matter if christians choose to take note of their wedding anniversary, there are good reasons why mature christians abstain from celebrating birthdays.

  notice it say's mature christians.

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  RodentBoy

  And just how many Christians do you know celebrate anything to do with any sun gods? How many Christians, in say, the last 1,500 years? Yes, the day's origin is in Roman religious rites, but it lost that connotation within a few generations of Constantine's conversion to Christianity, save perhaps for a few communities determined to keep the old Roman religion alive (and none of them, so far as I'm aware, ever made it past the 5th or 6th century AD).
  
  As to the objection to birthdays in general, the "theological" (I hesitate to use that term) backing that JWs use is so goofy that it makes no damn sense at all, but it sure does make JW kids miserable when they have to explain why they can't go to their new best friend's birthday because "we don't celebrate it". I realize that all the good folks in the Organization think that this is a cue for a bit of proselytizing, but other than the do-gooders that get trotted onstage at assemblies to make the mere mortals feel bad, most JW kids would like to crawl under a rock.