Posts by sparky1

62

Trump Urges Ukraine and China To Investigate Joe Biden and His Son

by minimus in

jw
friends

lol, president trump is clearly putting it out that he’s not too scared of impeachment..

sparky1

"What's really nuts is you think that passes for "fair and balanced"." - Simon

What I said was "for a fair and balanced exchange of ideas, I offer a link to an interesting article..."

I called the article "interesting" and wanted to point it out in order to make the conversation here 'fair and balanced' by offering an alternative viewpoint on President Trump and balancing out the conversation here with an opposing idea. You have mischaracterized my posts before and I really don't care. This is your sandbox and we must play by your rules or leave. Interestingly enough, my business partner is a full on Evangelical Trump supporter as is my carpenter. We get along fine and agree to disagree. Many of the President Trump supporters here could learn that it is OK to disagree and remain respectful of one another with differing ideas.

62

Trump Urges Ukraine and China To Investigate Joe Biden and His Son

by minimus in

jw
friends

lol, president trump is clearly putting it out that he’s not too scared of impeachment..

sparky1

For a fair and balance exchange of ideas, I offer a link to an interesting article in The Atlantic magazine written by George Conway about President Trump.

https://theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/?

6

Another comment from an Advanced Reader for S. Identity vol. 2

by vienne in

i'm almost done reading it myself.

i'm impressed but since my mom was one of the writers, i am prejudiced.

here is the latest comment.

sparky1

When will volume 2 be available for purchase? Will it be made available on Amazon?

62

Trump Urges Ukraine and China To Investigate Joe Biden and His Son

by minimus in

jw
friends

lol, president trump is clearly putting it out that he’s not too scared of impeachment..

sparky1

"On top of that polls indicate, Trump's numbers are going up." - minimus

Rasmussen Reports, which is usually favorable to President Trump is showing the opposite polling results:

On September 18, 37% of those polled strongly disapproved of his performance.

On October 3 (today), 44% of those polled strongly disapproved of his performance.

On September 23, in a high point for President Trump, he had a 52% approval rating.

On October 3 (today), he had a 47% approval rating.

I believe that the opposite is true right now. President Trump's approval numbers seem to be declining.

His approval index has declined 10 points since September 18 when it was at -1. It is now at -11.

4

Separate Identity vol. 2 - Outline of Contents

by vienne in

i'm still not ready to write a review of my advance copy, but for those who have waited for the second volume of this history of the watch tower's earliest years, here is an outline of contents.. intro and first five chapters.

introductory essay – b. w. schulz.

historical idealism.

sparky1

When will volume 2 be ready for purchase? Will it be available on Amazon?

20

Satan is abyssed for 1000 years and when released, immediately asks...

by The Fall Guy in

... "has brexit been sorted out yet?

".

sparky1

"Where's the toilet? I haven't taken a good sh*t for 1,000 years!

13

Self Limiting Beliefs

by abishephard in

left the jw’s as a teenager; as with most exjws i have struggled throughout the years with being a successful adult.

i have recently starting addressing some of the psychological trauma of my childhood, and i wonder if anyone else here can identify with any of these self limiting beliefs:.

- pursuit of wealth is bad (i.e.

sparky1

Welcome, abishephard. I hope your stay here is productive and that what you have to say will add to the collective wisdom of fellow posters.

I certainly can identify with some of your concerns. When I was a Bethelite in the middle 70's I got some advice from an older gentleman that I took on tour at Watchtower Farm concerning money and wealth. He told me NOT to believe everything that the Governing Body and Watchtower Society says about money. In conversation he told me that he too was a Bethelite back in the late 30's and early 40's. Over and over they were told that Armageddon was coming any day and not to be concerned about money or material things. 'Make sure that you take care of your financial future', he told me, 'since nobody else will.' That was great advice. I semi retired at 47 years old, I will receive 85% of the highest amount of Social Security at 66 years old and I have a very healthy retirement portfolio. I am very grateful for his advice. Over time, your concern for pleasing men in this regard will fade into the recesses of your memory. Get to work on your own financial future and GOOD LUCK to you!

Education and the pursuit of knowledge is bad. Don't get me started on this one! I was blessed with a high IQ and was never able to formally put it to a 'higher' use. When I was in grade school, I had the opportunity to skip 2 grades and advance forward. Unknown to me, my religiously deluded god intoxicated mother would not have any of this! Also, my maternal grandfather was going to pay my way through law school but he died unexpectedly at a young age and that dream perished with him. So what happened to me on the education front? I quit high school in the 70's , pioneered and then became a Bethelite. I too like to read and so after I left Bethel I continued the tradition of being an autodidact. Don't give up on improving yourself in this manner. Life itself is a free education if you let it teach you what it has to offer. GOOD LUCK to you and never stop learning!

I'm sure others here can offer advice better than mine. Pay attention to what the many good and intelligent people here have to offer you and I hope your future continues to get better and better.

43

Did Russell come up with the no hell fire and no Trinity doctrine or did steal that belief from another religion as well?

by nowwhat? in

just wondering hate to give the devil his due.

sparky1

"We consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world...will be accomplished near the end of AD1915" - Pastor Russell quote from THE TIME IS AT HAND 1889 edition

truth noun

1 a (1) : the body of real things, events, and facts. (ACTUALITY) - Merriam_Webster online dictionary

What is the opposite or an antonym of the word TRUTH? It is the word LIE!

I would have given Pastor Russell a pass on this if he had said 'it is my opinion that such and such will happen by 1915'. Then I could 'swallow' the claim that he was 'just wrong' in what he believed. But he did not and rather claimed that his theological pontifications were truth. The events and facts of history proved this teaching to be a lie as nothing even close to what he claimed came true. His motivations, beliefs or sincerity do not enter into this. I am not claiming, nor have I ever claimed that Pastor Russell lied on purpose in order to deceive his followers. I am making the claim that the strictest meaning of the word lie that I have posted above applies to many of his teachings. And in the strictest sense of the word as I have pointed out above, he technically was a charlatan.

43

Did Russell come up with the no hell fire and no Trinity doctrine or did steal that belief from another religion as well?

by nowwhat? in

just wondering hate to give the devil his due.

sparky1

I NEVER said that Pastor Russell consciously lied or made a false representation on purpose. In fact, I never called him a liar. I stated that he propagated lies. You may want to reread my post on the word lie. I quoted Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as follows:

lie noun (2)

1 b : an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker or writer.

Pastor Russell sincerely believed the religious phantasies that he taught. Many of his theological pontifications turned out to be lies. History has proven that the charlatan Pastor Russell was teaching lies because the statements that he made about 1915 and earthly governments never came true.

43

Did Russell come up with the no hell fire and no Trinity doctrine or did steal that belief from another religion as well?

by nowwhat? in

just wondering hate to give the devil his due.

sparky1

Anastasia, since you are interested in the legal ramifications of calling someone a charlatan, I thought that I might provide for you the legal definition of such:

Charlatan. One who pretends to more knowledge or skill than he possesses; a quack; a faker. - BLACKS LAW DICTIONARY page 213 edition of 1979

"True, it is expecting great things to claim, as we do, that within the coming twenty-six years all present governments will be overthrown and dissolved." "In view of this strong Bible evidence concerning the Times of the Gentiles, we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God will be accomplished near the end of AD1915." - Study IV The Times Of The Gentiles in the publication THE TIME IS AT HAND 1889 edition written by Pastor Russell

Since these direct statement never came true and the governments of the earth have not been dissolved, in the legal sense it would seem that Pastor Russell was indeed a CHARLATAN.

Since what he prophesied did not come true, he was also propagating LIES; albeit not in the strictest legal sense.