Everything they do in my opinion, is to set up a straw man false religion to knock down and fly their magical doctrinal formulaic truth flag.
Christmas was a supplatation of a holiday that fell around Winter Solstice, when the sun disappears three days and rises I believe. It's ridiculous to say it was Christianity morphing with paganism.
That's like saying that a worship service that is distinctly Christian but is performed in a former pagan temple (as has been done) is a combining of Christianity and paganism. It is a replacing, a supplanting of the former. Besides, what could be more poetic, the sun rising after three days....the Son rising after three days...I think that's how they would've seen it.
The WT loves to say so many things about Christendom are pagan. They are lying to suit their own purposes. For God's sake, burning incense and altars was something that happened in pagan worship. It also happened in Jewish worship. Does the fact that something is similar mean automatically that it was borrowed? There are many historical examples that we can say definitely no. They don't scratch out the incense burning in the OT because pagans did it too. Morons.
smellsgood
JoinedPosts by smellsgood
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why dont witnesses celebrate xmas, etc
by aussie ini have asked this question but it hasnt really been answered for me, so why do they not celebrate xmas, birthdays, etc.
sorry if its been asked but still curious, dont really understand.. .
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smellsgood
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Never a JW, what makes you post here?
by Mrs Smith inin some of the post i read, people say that they have never been a jw.
what makes them post on this forum?
my only guess would be because they have family or friends that are.. .
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smellsgood
I would add that I love the people on the board, I get all teary at alot of things, and feel a great need for justice in Witdom. There are very important things to learn from a doctrinal standpoint, but since I am operating 'a priori' the fact that I can come on here, and see all the madness played out in real peoples lives is like another piece of the puzzle. It's confirmation, it's touching and gripping, and entertaining (weird door to door stories) and this board is one of the most lively I've ever encountered...so why not? I feel like I've majored in WTism for the last 5 years...I want an honorary degree!
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Never a JW, what makes you post here?
by Mrs Smith inin some of the post i read, people say that they have never been a jw.
what makes them post on this forum?
my only guess would be because they have family or friends that are.. .
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smellsgood
Hello Mrs. Smith,
Yeah, I'm a never been a JW.
Well, in my case your guess would be wrong...I have absolutely ZERO family, immediate, extended, or ancestors that have been Jehovah's Witnesses. I've been reading this board for years, and been quite fascinated with everything Watch Tower. I think it strikes a chord with me. I had a close friend in highschool who is a JW, but she never brought it up, she was just a great very cool girl. I also met someone who was a JW, and since I had the internet, I googled JW, and I was taken aback. So, when I tried to talk about it to this person, they told me "no more contact." Anyways, it's a fascinating religion really, I'm interested in all cults, particularly in the Christian vein, but most especially JW's. -
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The Underbelly is exposed...........
by AK - Jeff inwhat proactive things have you done [or intend to do] to warn others about the cult you have escaped?
the unfortunate fact of life is that we tend to look only at our own personal benefits from leaving the cult if not careful.
or we give up after a failed attempt.
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smellsgood
I'm always thinking of things to do....but the logistics sort of run a muck.
I was thinking it would be fantastic for former witnesses to put their door to door experience to REALLY good use and do an anti-witness from door to door. Imagine, householders not being asked "are you worried about world conditions" but "how many times have JW's annoyed you over the years?" and then whatevah. I dunno, I make my own freeminds.org shirt around. I get asked about it, and talk about witnesses, though the common person does not usually share my type of interest/passion for it. :) -
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"But he wasn't a REAL Christian!"
by FireNBandits injimmy swaggert (a "swaggert" is a swaggering braggart btw), jim and tammy fakker, or any well-known christian that "blows it" big-time in a public way is sure to elicit that response from the fundagelicals around you.
"but he wasn't a real christian!
" what a convenient psychological device to keep ones fantasy image of ones religion intact!
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smellsgood
Martin, You're older than my Dad !! :) But, unlike him, at least you still HAVE some hair to bleach! It's ok, I bleach mine too. And I swear I'm not trying to stroke your ego (I am vehemently opposed to doing it with guys...it always seems they think the world of themself already) but, honestly I thought by looking at your teensy avatar photo that you were 24-25. I'm shocked! You must have been a hottie! You're welcome.
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The GB is a cloaking device for the FDS
by cultswatter ini spent my first 25 years in the jws and could never figure out who the fds was.
today it was bugging me - why can't i relate to the fds even though i now know it is nonsense, but even more important, why can't jws understand who the fds really is?.
let's look at some facts.
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smellsgood
The FDS, as was in former times embodied in one man (Charles Taze Russell) with the slightly different moniker, faithful and wise servant (of course before the bizarre and strange wording of the NWT came to be.) I always thought they used it for the 144k, the GB especially. It does have a life of its own, it creates this picture in the mind of a special relationship to God, his faithful slave. It's using Jesus' parable (there isn't a man walking around claiming to be the Prodigal Son, now is there? Because its an illustration. Of course there can be manifestations characterizing this illustration in a practical way) as a power tool! It doesn't even make sense.
Just because Charles Manson thought he was Jesus, and preached about "helter skelter" didn't make it so. It just made him a lunatic. And a murderer.
It's absurd, when Jesus says to "become like sheep" he doesn't mean you actually sprout hooves and develop a fluffy wooly coat and become startled about everything. Its an ILLUSTRATION! -
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"But he wasn't a REAL Christian!"
by FireNBandits injimmy swaggert (a "swaggert" is a swaggering braggart btw), jim and tammy fakker, or any well-known christian that "blows it" big-time in a public way is sure to elicit that response from the fundagelicals around you.
"but he wasn't a real christian!
" what a convenient psychological device to keep ones fantasy image of ones religion intact!
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smellsgood
er, can't edit my damn post, so I'll just need to admit to being a nincompoop
Sorry, I'm terrible with anograms (GMC=Gorgeous manly cosmetics?) so, when I see COG I automatically go 'Church of God' as I refer to the "Children of God" as 'The Family.' Ok, I swear I'm smart. Really! I know the names of all 5 continents!! I can convert Farenheit into it's liquid form! I read Fran Dreschers autobiography,,,in under a MONTH!
soooo, forgive that teensy weensy ickle bitty slip of the keyboard. I'm so busy furiously working out complex quantum physics calculations in my head that I don't pay close enough attention sometimes.
Annnnd *exits, voooom* -
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CULT LEADERS & 'APOSTATES'
by DannyHaszard incult leaders, in religion and politics, demand fealty.
san francisco chronicle - san francisco,ca,usa.
it seems that nearly all cults follow a predictable program: there is the charismatic leader, who is dynamic and promises love and paradise for his adepts.
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smellsgood
"Last week, Fox News interviewed some man who said he is the 'reincarnated' Jesus Christ. The commentator didn't make a big issue because he knew it was ALL bull. It was however interesting, especially when he questioned him about the amount of money and property he owns."
Was it Donald Trump? "I'm a ratings Messiah,,oh, and,,,Rosie's fat!!" er, j/k
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess for real that it was::::Sun Myung Moon (da True Father)
Owns the Washington Post,,,,gets a little intimate with the Bushes, from S. Korea. I didn't see it, but he's one who thinks he's doing what Jesus couldn't (er, own a media conglomerate?) and is just cute as a button. Scratch that, he's like gangrene. -
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Christ controls GB by his "right hand of applied power " - bollox
by yaddayadda inspotted this weird statement in the april 1 2007 wt, pg 24: .
(revelation 1:16, 20)" .
this whole statement is almost word for word the same as the last sentence of the following paragraph: .
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smellsgood
"As in early Christian times, a small group of spirit-anointed Overseers make up the Governing Body of Christ's followers on earth today. By means of his "right hand" of applied power, Christ, the Head of the congregation, directs these faithful men as they supervise the Kingdom work. (Revelation 1:16, 20)"
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Going to speak to my parents about the 'Truth"
by ThomasCovenant ini am going to approach my parents (dad an elder) later this summer with my true feelings about the wt society.
i have the cd rom and a lot of society books (plus of course the off limits wonders of google) but i happen to have just one bound volume of the watchtower 1953. it's a real gem!.
i intend to bring this book to my meeting with them as they won't be able to say it's apostate.
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smellsgood
3 Strange as it seems, we are living in a similar condition today. Many people do not use their minds, but rather let others think for them. When sound reasoning is presented that disproves a popular conception or what someone has taught them, they refuse it. They live and die, still clinging to what is false ."
Awesome quotes Thomas, I don't think I've seen that many about the dreaded thinking for yourself!
It'd be good to juxtapose those with their contrary counterpart...no independent thinking!