i just dont get it.
the gb moved to patterson and are conducting business from there, right?
they are not printing as much literature as they once were and they are still operating walkill for the magazines...er a ....pamphlets.
Brooklyn Heights is prime real estate, on a worldwide scale even. Most of those properties they are selling for dollars on the penny, considering what they paid for them decades ago.
Warwick is barely suburbia in the greater NYC area. Its cheap, and will be worth at least 10x as much in 30 or 40 years. Its all about long term financial planning.
d4g
so this weekend there was a part about not following jesus at a distance.
the speaker made a big point of stating that any baptized jw male who was not either appointed ms/elder, or at the very least "reaching out" actively, was in fact following jesus at a distance.
he said that the only way to live through the big a was to follow jesus closely.
so this weekend there was a part about not following jesus at a distance.
the speaker made a big point of stating that any baptized jw male who was not either appointed ms/elder, or at the very least "reaching out" actively, was in fact following jesus at a distance.
he said that the only way to live through the big a was to follow jesus closely.
Is not the proportion of men to women in the org something like 3.5 to 6.5? With this policy, it seems in the new world this might be something like 1 to 10...Hell, with that ratio, maybe I'll go back!
Just kidding.
d4g
i was thinking that maybe the monthly broadcasts are a occasion for some jw's to wake up.
before those broadcasts they probably imagined that the gobgoverning y members are some very special peopleand that you see in their behavior and words that they are "chosen".
but now all jw's can see them for who they really are: average men, some full of themselves, some ridiculous, some just normal men with nothing special.
FMF - We are far more aware of content with the JW's, the Bible, the Broadcasts than in R&F. They just check out, do their time, look at the pretty lights, then rave about how wonderful the koolaid tastes. You have to pay attention to wake up.
there are a lot of people on this site and others who even though they don't believe anymore still fill the seats at the meetings.. i was just wondering, if they all decided to leave at the same time, how many do you think would leave?
would the numbers drop dramatically?
i would love to see that..
Shunning, (and fear of it), keeps people in. Humans are social creatures and shunning is unnatural treatment that people are instinctively fearful of. Many believers that don't fit into the category of "needing" the religion would stop believing if this threat did not exist.
I count those that "need" the religion as those that are dependent on it for career or existential needs.
d4g
if crisis of conscience is one of the top watchtower doctrine killers, what is the coc of theism?.
i'd like to read a book, or other material that does the best job logically arguing for atheism.. i've not read any darwin, however it is my assumption that his focus is primarily on evolution, is this correct?
if you were to recommend one book or a few pieces of reading material, which do the best job of defending atheism, what would they be?.
Doltologist-
I agree at a practical level, any sky daddy wizard concept falls outside of what we call common sense. My point was, common sense is relative. Until someone learns to think critically, what might be common to us, is not so much to a theist.
In case I was not clear, I understand atheism is not a belief system. I am an atheist myself. I kind of thought that was clear. That said, prior to reading Dawkins' book in 2006, my understanding then was incorrect, just as it was for almost everyone else here at one time. By framing the definition of atheism correctly, this gave me something to build upon over the next 5 years.
I am not here to pat myself on the back. I offer this information as someone with 10 years experience out of the cult to help others who are not as far along.Take what you need, and leave the rest.
d4g
found this.
http://jwalumni.org/2015/06/08/who-are-jehovahs-witnesses-september-watchtower/.
by misha anouk on 8. june 2015 in news
How can any thinking person possibly accept such hubris??? The tone and content of the September 2007 KM has become the norm. Unbelievable!
d4g
if crisis of conscience is one of the top watchtower doctrine killers, what is the coc of theism?.
i'd like to read a book, or other material that does the best job logically arguing for atheism.. i've not read any darwin, however it is my assumption that his focus is primarily on evolution, is this correct?
if you were to recommend one book or a few pieces of reading material, which do the best job of defending atheism, what would they be?.
Doltologist - Try common bleedin' sense. Much underrated IMHO.
The problem with that is common sense is a heuristic, or rule of thumb. It varies from person to person relative to what part of the world they live in, their upbringing, etc. No sense is truly "common".
There are no short cuts. There are no three sentence or three volume reads a person could read or recite that would convince them in of itself, because of the preconditioned ideas one may already hold to. While it is true that no one is born with theistic belief, the problem is that such belief is usually taught very young in a person's life, and as such, becomes very foundational to the way a person thinks, and filters all other information through. Until they first learn to think critically, trying to undo that belief is likely a wasted effort. You can tell a theist that the burden of proof is on them all you want, (and be right), and still get nowhere. Ever wonder why? Re-read what I just wrote.
My best recommendation would be to take a class in logic or critical thinking first, if someone really wanted to speed up the process. As a non-linear thinker, I tend to learn a bit differently than some, so through considering a lot of information about many subjects, I was able to draw an atheistic conclusion. Your mileage may vary, and who knows, you may come to the conclusion sooner.
d4g
i wasn't alive for this but my parents and many old timers told me that at one point it was pretty much a rule that you couldn't go to college.
some of you may remember that from that time.
over time they relaxed that rule to that you did what you had to do in order to provide for yourself.
I think it started back that way with respect to higher ed around 2001. I left in late 2005, but things appear to have gone bat sh*t crazy since then.
Could not imagine being JW today.
d4g
if crisis of conscience is one of the top watchtower doctrine killers, what is the coc of theism?.
i'd like to read a book, or other material that does the best job logically arguing for atheism.. i've not read any darwin, however it is my assumption that his focus is primarily on evolution, is this correct?
if you were to recommend one book or a few pieces of reading material, which do the best job of defending atheism, what would they be?.
...the thing that gives me pause in the can/cant prove God does exist argument, is that atheists are no happier than everyone else.
That points to a false dichotomy. Happiness is independent of belief.
d4g
