Even if it didn't end up that way, isn't it likely he was initially motivated by a concern for the truth, the same way many are drawn to the Witnesses even today?
smellsgood: If he was "concerned for the truth" he wouldn't have gone on a campaign of identifying a false prophet who led people to believe for forty years that Armageddon was to come in 1914, as the "faithful and wise servant" or the "mouthpiece of God." Who then went on himself to promulgate and advertise more and more false prophecies, who solely and arbitrarily dictated and seeded more and more lies and deceit, whilst being disingenuous to the facts of the WT from its inception. He was a big ole cover upper, and an instigator of lies.
:But isn't all religion fundamentally self-serving?"
smellsgood: Not nearly to the degree that a cult like the WT is. They set themselves up as the bridge to men and God...Other Christian religions defer that spot to Jesus. Attempting to at least glorify him rather than themselves. Most Christians don't believe you need to belong to an organization, and the WT demands it as if God himself had come down and said as much on a Worldwide broadcast on Larry King Live.
I would say that many religions are not self serving in the way of plunking themselves down as the swami to God. That is a specialty of cults.
"Is God sending mixed messages, or doesn't it simply reflect the changing concerns of different interest groups?"
smellsgood: Clearly the WT is a soveriegn unto its own, not bothering about anything besides its own agenda. Of course its just reflecting change (you're stepping dangerously close into "new light" bunkery) but the fact is they do it in a way that has the faithful believing they are this infallible entity, specifically and uniquely chosen by an infallible God to reveal the newer, better truthier truth. Thereby not only making fools of themselves, but unavoidably making a mockery of the God they espouse to fear, worship and believe this word that reads that God "cannot lie." Nor did he send a prophet whose prophecies fail.
C.T. Russell was just as much or more a villian in my eyes, he was the original fake maker. Knorr was a piece of work too, all the leaders of WT dom have been instrumental in creating and promulgating their falsehoods, their lies, and are responsible for the consequences of the WT policies.
"compare for instance with a man who forbids the use of condoms in Africa"
smellsgood: That is the most stupid thing and it pisses me off. I was just going off on this to my Mum the other day. It's ridiculous, how many women, who are faithful to their husbands, were virgins, etc...have contracted the virus through a monogamous relationship with a soldier or whatever husband who went away and got busy with other women or prostitutes. This realllly needs to change, the worst policy I can think of in the Catholic church presently, is the no condom/ birth control.
smellsgood
JoinedPosts by smellsgood
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Rutherford: was he all that bad? (And how can we understand him if he was?)
by slimboyfat inis there no one else who finds the rather one-dimensional character of apostate discourse on the society's third president a bit empty?
even if it didn't end up that way, isn't it likely he was initially motivated by a concern for the truth, the same way many are drawn to the witnesses even today?
to paint someone as a villain is to invite incomprehension as to how they could have acted as they did.
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smellsgood
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Human Nature
by nvrgnbk inare we essentially moral beings, corrupted by society?.
or are we in fact amoral, socialized by cultural pressures and religious beliefs?.
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smellsgood
I think we all have a flawed nature, and can make moral or amoral choices. I think men, man is easily corruptable, that we are susceptible to immoral actions. I think it is a matter of the will, like Kierkegaard says.
Just look at history or the present, and see how much suffering and ill-will and terror caused by men. Clearly it's not really confined, rare, or sporadic. Just look at how many ordinary Germans became tools of Hitlers slaughtering machine. I don't think that that many people could have been considered psycopaths or sociopaths before they became murderous villians. I think they were just like you and me, but there is something inside where its almost like we have our conscience overtaken through insidious means, and I think that they believed they were doing the right thing under the hypnosis almost of their Fuhrer, while they were performing the most wicked and violent of atrocities imaginable.
It's interesting to see how entire societies, this is easily seen in history, can be party and unified in doing immoral things. Such as the Incan, Aztec or Mayan human sacrifice. The younger, the more pure, the more pleasing to the gods. This means that seven year olds were taken up the mountain and blugeoned.
There is something sick, and it seems that human nature can find itself lacking immunity. -
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So non-Euclidian Physicists what do you think of believers in 4 dim space?
by IP_SEC inno firestorms please.
but be honest.
do you think that we are of a higher level of intelligence than those who accept euclidian geometry theories?.
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smellsgood
I think there's at least 10 dimensions. You need that mathematically to make a theory like string theory work. You can't test it of course. Thing is you can't see, touch, smell, or sense those dimensions, so does that mean they're not really there? I love quantum physics/mechanics even though I understand them at about the level that Paris Hilton understands complex literature such as "Horton hears a Who" ,,,but I listen to those who are smarter than I am.
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Music!! Who's your Favorite Top Ten Rock Groups or Solo Artists All Time?
by flipper inmr. flipper here again gang!
so who do ya like all time?mr.
flippers list is as follows, almost in this way.
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smellsgood
1. Radiohead
2. Manic Street Preachers
3. Garbage
4. Nirvana
5. Metallica
6. The Beatles
7. Smashing Pumpkins
8. The Smith's
9. Stone Temple Pilots
10. The Flaming Lips -
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pray for my uncle--blood issue
by Junction-Guy inmy great uncle found out last week that he has to have triple bypass surgery.
he was raised a jw back in the 1930's and 1940's, but left and joined the navy.
approximately 8 years ago he started studying again.
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smellsgood
Will do Dave.
In the meantime, is there any way his relatives can reason with him on this, the taking of blood in Bulgaria? Jesus healing on the Sabbath? Anything? -
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A spin off topic.. Favourite Pianist!
by smellsgood inflipper did the favourite guitar players, but i love me a prodigal piano player as well... .
mine would be .
rufus wainwright- i love him, he's so camp, and puts together some really great melodies.
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smellsgood
I'll fourth or fifth or sixth Tori Amos, I love the album Little Earthquake.
I like to sing that really dramatic one that goes "Mother the car is here..."
I dearly love piano, so thanks for the links to more pianists I'll check them out when I can. :) -
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A spin off topic.. Favourite Pianist!
by smellsgood inflipper did the favourite guitar players, but i love me a prodigal piano player as well... .
mine would be .
rufus wainwright- i love him, he's so camp, and puts together some really great melodies.
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smellsgood
-Rachmaninoff
the only one I've heard of, and I think he was a crazy good Russian Pianist.
Look at how uncultured I am, I only know the contemporary artists, I need to start listening to more music. I listen to pretty much the same thing everyday, Madonna COADF, Radiohead, Gwen, Air, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, and the Manics.
I'm like the Peanut Butter and Jelly of diversity. -
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Ooo-oo-ooO! Picture!!! Tucson Apostafest!!! :-O
by Kudra inhere is the picture of (left to right) confession, misanthropic, kudra, specte and menemene:.
tada!.
i see a red x!.
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smellsgood
Ok smellsgood, it's on!
*grabs Spectre around the neck and musses up his tresses with an atomic noogie* infuriating Spectre!! *runs away thinking how good she is at bringing it on in such an original and mature way*
If you don't find this threatening enough, the six year old I consulted on how to get at you has more where that came from!
Nahh, I was just teasing you Spectre, you're like a manly man with shiny tresses. What do you use, Pantene Ice shine?
OMG, Spectre has a huuuuuge crush on misanthropic!! Heard it here first folks, misanthropic you better watch out, Spectre is totally hot for you! -
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A spin off topic.. Favourite Pianist!
by smellsgood inflipper did the favourite guitar players, but i love me a prodigal piano player as well... .
mine would be .
rufus wainwright- i love him, he's so camp, and puts together some really great melodies.
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smellsgood
flipper did the favourite guitar players, but I love me a prodigal piano player as well...
mine would be
Rufus Wainwright- I love him, he's so camp, and puts together some really great melodies.
Matt Bellamy of Muse- I don't listen to them very often, but the little bit I've seen/heard him play blows my mind.
Elton John- classic, so many good songs.
Alicia Keys- could that girl BE any more talented??
hmmm, and to add compositions of piano I'd say I love Chopin and Mozart. -
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Music buffs.Here we go again. List you're all-time favorite Guitarists
by flipper inhello ya'll.
was just listening to great guitar music from some of my favorites.
who are your all time favorites?
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smellsgood
I need to add to my Jonny Greenwood and Kirk Hammit
Thom Yorke, he's pretty freakin good. Particularly I saw him doing this acoustic rendition of "The Clock" on youtube, incredible he can do that and sing!
Also James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers. His voice is soooo perfect to me, and he's awesome singing and playing sole guitar in the three piece band. Formerly fourtet....