done4good

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Posts by done4good

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  9

  "Christians are leaving the faith in droves" - Pew Research

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  according to this article, a recent pew research concluded that until 2050, an estimated cumulative net number of 65.050.000 will opt out of the christian faith, and the trend is accelerating.

  on the other hand, the "unaffiliated" will have a net growth of 61.490.000.. eden.

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  done4good

  What Phizzy said is basically about right, even in the US, (at least on either coast, maybe not the Midwest or deep south, as much).
  

  Religious people have been in the minority for quite some time, and for the most part, the particularly religious are considered misfits. Many claim a religion, but pretty much interpret their "religion" they way they want to, and this has been this way at least as long as I have been around, (since the '70s). It is likely that fewer people today "identify" with a religion, because they have a greater degree of honesty about it.

  Despite how the USA may appear to the rest of the world, most people are not religious fanatics by any stretch. The main issue here is the minority on the religious right have a disproportionately large voice in our political system, due to the way our state representation works. When this is fueled by a plutocracy that preys on the uneducated for its own gain, you have what you see from abroad looking at the USA. (Obviously, this should be its own thread, didn't mean to hijack).

  d4g
  
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  13

  New Watchtower and Awake 11 pages of shallow articles...what happened!!!

  by Witness 007 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  found the latest copies next to the toilet {witnesses must have visited my wife} and had a look after not reading anything for a year.

  its a pamphlet not a magazine!

  only a few pages long with shallow articles.it felt like my "spiritual food" was now those cheap home delivered diet t.v meals!!

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  done4good

  Witness007 - What happened to the solid and deep material?

  Was there ever any?
  

  d4g
  
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  184

  Why are people burning their city to the ground in Baltimore? How doe Looting and Mob Violence Help?

  by PokerPlayerPhil in

  1. social
  2. current

  it's hard enough for businesses to enter these areas the government once had to offer up tax breaks to service them.

  in watts, california it took decades for city residents to get a grocery store after the thugs burned their businesses to the ground.

  you can see the insanity taking place, when you allow mobs and fools to burn building down nothing good comes from it.

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  done4good

  Simon-That's because I didn't claim that. The riots are a reaction to perceived bias and shootings. Shootings are a consequence of having so many guns. If cops are expecting guns to be drawn then some are going to be quicker to draw theirs. The chances of accidental / over-reactive shooting incidents is an inevitability.\

  This is a good point, but requires people to take a step back and understand the containing system, (the environment within the USA and its gun policies and how they relate to violence overall), and the contained system, (the actual immediate system that is causing the violence). Most people will probably not take this "big picture" view into consideration.

  Hint: The big picture matters
  

  d4g
  
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  18

  Excellent article: Inherited Religiosity: What it means for how nost 'Believers' believe

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  inherited religiosity: what it means for how most believers believe.

  by yoginder sikand.

  03 april, 2012countercurrents.org.

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  done4good

  Good article.
  

  It has a lot to do with personality types, also. Guardian types, (a broad MBTI category that includes ISTJs, ESFJs, etc.), make up about 40% of the population, (the largest broad category). These types have a natural tendency, (more than most), to uphold traditions, including the religion of their parents. They tend not to be the best independent thinkers by nature, and are likely the least negatively affected by cognitive dissonance, (so they don't really feel the pressure to fix any mental conflict). These are the types it typically takes a personal event to rock their world hard enough to make them "think"...
  

  Not sure if this is good or bad news, but likely is reality.

  d4g
  
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  59

  2015 Convention Reminders Video!

  by Atlantis in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  credit goes to mike & kim.. .. https://youtu.be/yj3x6wjrsaq .

  .. .. atlantis!.

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  done4good

  Did the couple eating lunch together @3:31 have a chaperone?
  
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  14

  Talked to a couple from the Hall that I haven't seen in a while

  by Captain Schmideo2 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we were waiting for my mother in law to come out of surgery.not much was talked about on "spiritual" matters (since i haven't been to a meeting in years).however, i got to hear about :government conspiracies to shut down alternative energy.. gmos are bad.

  gmos are bad.

  gmo's are bad!!!

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  done4good

  Brokeback Watchtower - "Government conspiracies to shut down alternative energy. GMOs are bad. GMOs are BAD. GMO'S ARE BAD!!!! Poor Dr. Oz is being persecuted for speaking the truth about the food we eat."

  Vidiot:JWs (particularly older ones) seem to be especially susceptible to right-wing conspiracy theories, mostly because the "everything is bad everywhere"-style fear-mongering affirms and reinforces the WT worldview.

  In other words, pretty much all fundies are susceptible to the same amygdala triggering nonsense. Big surprise.

  d4g
  
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  18

  Endure! Life is hard! Lost? We are Miserable ? Don't think so

  by ducatijoe in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  its a rainy day and have been reading posts.. i would like to respond to the comments of those still in, post to those who have decided to leave.. what ever you have been told or may think about what will happen without "the truth" , is not true.

  my life without the wbts is fantastic.

  no stress, live in a beautiful place, great new friends and total peace of mind.

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  done4good

  I know people who have left the Witnesses and they're lives are in shambles. They needed structure and without it they are lost. I know people who have left and they are fine. Strictly speaking from my own extended family: all the ones that have left are all screwed up.

  It's called self-fulfilling prophesy. Of course, if someone is browbeat their whole life, told they are sinful, imperfect scum deserving of death, (especially if they leave), in addition to being unprepared for real life, with no education, no prospects for improvement, and also believe it is wrong to want to improve their life... Isn't it kind of obvious someone in this situation would be set up to fail? Duh...

  d4g
  
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  48

  Evidence based folks: what is your stance on GMO's and why?

  by cappytan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so, the anti-gmo movement scored another victory today.

  chipotle has opted to only use non-gmo food items.. hooray for them.

  i'm pretty neutral on the subject, mostly because, other than questionable treatment of farmers, i have seen no evidence to avoid gmo's for health reasons.. basically, my neutrality boils down to the stance that i'll buy non-gmo, so long as the price is reasonable.

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  done4good

  What Viviane said, at least from a health perspective.

  However, also because of evolution, any direct modification to the genetic makeup of an organism, could change evolutionary patterns that have long term effects on the ecosystem overall. Not that this is by necessity an issue, just part of what happens with evolution. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes no known immediate effect.
  

  Think Africanized bees. When African honeybees were introduced to Europe and North America in the 1950s to improve honey production, it was not expected these bees would take over European bee populations, and produce so-called "killer" bees. By the 1970s, these relatively aggressive bees were overpowering European bee populations, and replacing them, earning the name "killer". At that time it was thought these would potentially become a serious threat to humans. That threat was unsubstantiated.
  

  Longer term, beekeepers have adapted, and found ways to keep these bees in their farms, and use them for productive honey producing purposes. Likely, any evolutionary change forced by GMO will force some adaptation in the future, at the worst.
  

  d4g
  
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  16

  Do you think you should have the right to decline business on Personal or Religious grounds?

  by PokerPlayerPhil in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  should individual businesses have the right to pick and chose who they serve?

  if a muslim decides he won't bake the cake of a radical zionist that says "reclaim the temple in jerusalem" should the government be allowed to punish the muslim baker?

  maybe you can help me understand the issues more clearly because were becoming hyper-sensitive and soon your going to need a handbook what's the proper thing to say.

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  done4good

  The law aside, (which is quite clear, btw...), I even knew many JWs that owned businesses and performed work for churches, performed wedding services, such as photography in churches, etc., years ago. Even hardcore JWs understood the law, and complied.

  This should be a non-issue at the state legislation level. The1993 Freedom of Religion Act, has been highjacked and twisted for a use that it was never intended for, by right wing nutjobs, who know nothing of history or the Constitution.

  d4g
  
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  11

  The Custom of having Congregation Meetings

  by Quarterback in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the wt study (feb study edition) for today stated "the jews had established a pattern.

  of worship.

  they regularly met together.

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  done4good

  I am not sure if the pre-Christian era Jews met regularly or not, and equally sure the WT does not know either. However, that has never stopped them from cherry picking bible verses to make their point.

  The WT at best tries to present itself outwardly as "Christian", but would much rather use the OT to enforce their rhetoric. Too many conflicting messages in the NT for them. The "friendlier" parts of the NT just do not sit well with the JW leadership.

  It's all crap anyway.
  

  d4g