"Secular Evidence" is a slippery term. We have a much lower standard of evidence for things that happened thousands of years ago than we have for things that happened 200 years ago. There is better historical evidence (outside of the Bible) for the existence of Jesus than there is for the existence of Alexander the Great--yet nobody doubts Alexander's existence. I'm not promoting belief in Jesus with these statements, just trying to add some perspective.
I suggest you review this Wikipedia article for a fairly balanced discussion of this issue.
under_believer
JoinedPosts by under_believer
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23
No secular evidence for Jesus. What does this imply?
by Spectrum ina man that performed miracles including raising the dead has left no secular evidence.
but as i write this the question has come to mind of what ancient evidence constitutes verifiable, believable evidence that we can take to the bank?
we have the nt and the apocrypha, ancient texts that tell a story of the early christians.
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under_believer
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Calling your partner/spouse your "mate"
by Fe2O3Girl inis this an american thing, or a wt thing?.
i'm sure normal people in the uk don't refer to their spouse or partner as their "mate", or talk about seeking a mate.
animals have mates.
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under_believer
*** w05 3/1 p. 12 par. 10 Marriage Can Succeed in Today’s World ***
Problems in marriage may arise when a couple enter into that relationship prematurely. They may be too young and inexperienced. Or perhaps they do not take the time to get to know each other—their likes and dislikes, their goals in life, their family background. It is wise to exercise patience, taking the time to get to know the prospective mate. Think of Jacob, the son of Isaac. He had to work for his prospective father-in-law for seven years before he was allowed to marry Rachel. He was willing to do that because his feelings were based on real love, not merely physical attraction.
Seriously, it's weird. I realize it's technically correct but... not common usage at all.
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What was the "last drop" which made you to leave JW organization?
by Lehtiveli inthis is a littlebit of quiz but still worth of talking.
so, what was the last thing which made you think that jw's are not "the truth"?
i'm trying to collect things, which are crucial points for jw beliefs so i can write something about all of those things.
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under_believer
Like minimus, it wasn't one single thing. It was the confluence of ideas and practices and traditions that seemed overwhelmingly false. However if there is a single thing that bugs more more than anything else, it's the blood ban.
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New Study: People With Hard Lives Are More Gullible. Applies to JW's?
by under_believer ina new study (available here) run at the university of leicester seems to indicate that people who have lived hard lives, been knocked around, or otherwise had things go south on them are more likely to be gullible and easily misled or even brainwashed.
you should read the entire article, because it's full of things i can identify with as a jw.
so what kind of people are typically affected?
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under_believer
A new study (available here) run at the University of Leicester seems to indicate that people who have lived hard lives, been knocked around, or otherwise had things go south on them are more likely to be gullible and easily misled or even brainwashed. You should read the entire article, because it's full of things I can identify with as a JW. So what kind of people are typically affected?
"People who have experienced an adverse childhood and adolescence are more likely to come to believe information that isn't true- in short they are more suggestible, and easily mislead which may in turn impact upon their future life choices; they might succumb to peer pressure more readily."
And
'Adverse life experiences' examined included major personal illnesses/injuries, miscarriage (from the male and female perspective), difficulties at work (being fired/laid off), bullying at school, being a victim of crime (robbery, sexual violence), parental divorce, death of family member and others.
This study seeminly offers an explanation for why the Witnesses meet a measure of success. It explains why the Witnesses always say they're looking for people who are "sighing and crying." These are exactly the kind of people who are likely to be misled by and believe in the Witnesses and their message of hope, and who will be more accepting of the bizzare concept of a human organization. Also, it helps us to understand why the Society is so adamantly against opposing viewpoints--because Witnesses are often highly impressionable and susceptible to being misled, it's just good common sense on the Society's part to ask them to avoid any contrasting viewpoints. Here's why, again from the study:
“The majority of people may learn through repeated exposure to adversity to distrust their own judgment; a person might believe something to be true, but when they, for example, read something in a newspaper that contradicts their opinion, or they talk to someone with a different view-point, that individual is more likely to take on that other person's view.
Anyways, does this study ring true for anybody else in relation to Witnesses?
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What Things Do You Find Interesting About Jehovah's Witnesses?
by minimus inthere's a lot that i find intriguing about the witnesses.
i'm amazed that a jw can ignore what is obvious regarding their own hypocrisy.
they know that only jws are supposed to make it into the great tribulation yet if they are asked, "what about the babies or the billions that never heard the truth?
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under_believer
I think it's interesting how many Witnesses I know are deeply stupid. Not all of course, but I think the average intelligence in a Kingdom Hall is lower than almost any other cross section of humanity.
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Did any JW's think that Disneyland or Disneyworld "Magic" Kingdom was wrong
by tan injust wondering...i know a lot of jw's that went...but did anyone ever say anything about it that you know of?
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under_believer
It seems to be a "conscience matter." We were never allowed to watch Disney movies growing up. Other Witnesses we knew did. As a parent today, most Witnesses I know are okay with letting their kids watch it.
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Other 'superstitions' of JWs (other than fortune cookies)
by Jim_TX inwell... the 'fortune cookie' thread got me to thinking about all of the silly things that my mom (and the jws) did when i was growing up.. it has been a while, and so i know that i won't be able to remember all of them.. my mom refused to buy a soft drink named 'sprite' - as its' logo included a small impish-looking fella (a sprite) that wore a bottlecap for a hat.
she claimed it was deemunz.. my mom hesitated to buy fried chicken at a place named 'church's fried chicken', as she wasn't sure if the name meant 'religion', or was a person's last name.. my mom refused to shop at salvation army - cause it would be supporting another religion.. the folks at the local kingdom hall came down hard on my mom cause one of my sisters wore a cute little 'sailor's dress'... it had boat anchors, and other 'sailor' emblems on the buttons, that were considered 'militaristic' by the powers-that-be at the local kh.
(i'm not sure if my mom put on different buttons, or scrapped the dress entirely.
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under_believer
su·per·sti·tion (su ' p?r-stish'?n)
n.- An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
- They believed that if I watched G.I. Joe on TV, I would become violent.
- He-Man, the Smurfs, D&D, et. al. would invite demons into our house
- Star Wars would invite demons into our house
- Parking in a church parking lot for the night would invite demons into our camper
- Saying "JehovahJehovahJehovah" would banish demons
There were more, that's just skimming off the top.
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Confession or Interrogation?
by zack inthe wts style of confession to three men, what's your view?
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under_believer
My view: It's totally unscriptural.
From the Watchtower's own NWT:
(Romans 14:10-12) 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written: “‘As I live,’ says Jehovah, ‘to me every knee will bend down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.’” 12 So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God. -
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Should you apologize????
by jw inyes, a person should never be too proud to swallow his pride, apologize, and seek forgiveness.
abigail, a wise woman in ancient israel, provides an example of the power of an apology, although her apology was for a wrong that her husband had committed.
while dwelling in the wilderness, david, who later became king of israel, together with his men protected the flock that belonged to abigail's husband, nabal.
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under_believer
In your cutting and pasting, you even left in the footnote link which directs people to that page, which is how I found it.
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Origins of Jehovahs Witnesses.
by vomit inquite a weird basic question but does jwism originate from protestantism or catholicism.
i know they came esentialy from the aventists but they themselves hide their original leanings.
as far as i can tell, especaily with looking for loopholes they do lean towards protestantism.
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under_believer
So it's strange that they are trying to deny their rather obvious roots.
I don't really think they're trying to deny them. Such considerations would be considered below them. I think they just don't call out attention to it or anything.
