Posts by done4good

6

REFUGEES: when the LAMB lies down with the LION

by Terry in

jw
friends

refugees: the lamb lies down with the lions.___________________________________________.

on this continent, the native peoples welcomed the early european settlers and nursed them through the winter.

they shared and they traded.

done4good

I simply don't understand how rational citizens can be made again and again to BELIEVE politics solves more problems than it creates.

Terry, this point in of itself really is another grayscale issue. Politics in of itself certainly solves nothing. Politics are an unfortunate side effect of power and leadership. I don't think one needs to go to the extreme of being a non-voter or completely politically neutral, (these things really bring their own problems to society), just as I don't think being partisan in ideology is good for society.

Government is a framework for a certain level of social order. It is necessary, or else you are simply left with anarchy. Not everyone can be a volunteer, not everyone can be a philanthropist. No one is a hero because they refuse to participate in the processes we have to work with, either. We need government, and the inherent politics that come with it to have any semblance of stability in society.

d4g

6

REFUGEES: when the LAMB lies down with the LION

by Terry in

jw
friends

refugees: the lamb lies down with the lions.___________________________________________.

on this continent, the native peoples welcomed the early european settlers and nursed them through the winter.

they shared and they traded.

done4good

Nature is survival. Religion is not natural. Belief is immune from rational discourse. Absolute certainty that YOUR GOD is the only true god--well friends--that is the most potentially disruptive force within nature.

There could not be a more spot on statement. It bears repeating.

d4g

20

We were shown how to google jw-org last night

by StarTrekAngel in

so last night i went to the meeting with my family.

had not gone in 2 weeks.

as usual i sat down reading the bible.

done4good

Exactly why they will lose the information war in the end.

d4g

46

Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

the lett effect?

done4good

Spot on OEJ. Good post.

d4g

46

Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

the lett effect?

done4good

"We love this teaching"

WTF???

How about...

"We love this coffee cup"

"We love this requisition process"

"We love this new instant replay rule change in baseball"

How silly and petty.

That statement speaks volumes. I would like to know specifically where/when it was said.

d4g

20

Gas prices today & the book study

by LevelThePlayingField in

we all remember, one of the main reasons for removing the bookstudy was the high gas prices, well, have you looked at the gas prices today?

nationwide, the lowest is about $1.65, the highest is about $2.67.

isn't that right about the same gas prices as when they cancelled the bookstudy in the first place?

done4good

The announcement to eliminate the book study was made in 2008. At the time, gas prices were a convenient excuse since gas was $4/Gal./US.

Of course that was bullshit, since prices quickly receded to about $2/Gal./US by the time the book study was actually discontinued.

I have stated consistently that the elimination of the book study was a turning point for the organization, and was done for one reason and one reason only, money. Less meetings per week = less need for KHs and allows for their sale and subsequent cash flow upstream. It is that simple.

d4g

46

Correlation decline JW numbers and JW broadcasting?

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

i read some impressive figures here about the decline of the jw numbers in 2015.. could there be a correlation between this decline and the start of jw broadcasting?.

hence, that there would be an negative impact because the gb is standing so nearby, you can experience the idiot reasoning of their doctrines sitting in your own living room?.

the lett effect?

done4good

It's called a positive feedback loop. Positive feedback loops destabilize any entity they exist in.

1. Initial apathy of membership, (largely due to the organization being very out of touch), leading to less funding, and subsequent changes, (such as wacky things like JW broadcasting).

2. Those changes to varying degrees cause more apathy and malaise, and = less funding still.

3. Start begging for money regularly, and people close their wallets completely, exacerbating the money problem even further.

4. Goto step 1.

d4g

36

Do you need Art and Music in your life?

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

music and art have been a big part of my life since i was a little boy, and although i was never able to play a decent guitar, i can paint.

my art teacher from college said " i was the most imaginative and constructive pupil she had ever had.

" i loved that comment, because in translation i realised it meant i had to work harder than other more naturally talented students, but the effort was always worth it.

done4good

Yes, both. Music and other types of art are a healthy way of rebooting the mind...I don't play any instrument, (I wish I did), but do write poetry, and draw a level of inspiration through listening and appreciating others' work.

d4g

47

Since you left, have you become more moral?

by Coded Logic in

respect.

sympathy.

gossip.

done4good

In terms of the narrow-minded, (and incorrect), definition of "morality" according to the WT...No...thankfully!

In terms of being an intellectually honest person that makes every attempt to not cause harm to others, (actual morality)...Yes.

d4g

43

Why Rational People Buy Into Conspiracy Theories?

by adjusted knowledge in

jw
friends

my wife is taking a literature course at a local college.

this was her final topic of the semester: why rational people buy into conspiracy theories?i automatically thought of this site and of jws.

the jws i knew, were the kind of people that would believe in conspiracy theories, and i noticed a small following on this site.. the article that was referenced for this course was: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/magazine/why-rational-people-buy-into-conspiracy-theories.html?_r=0.

done4good

It takes a certain level of intelligence and an ability to realize that more than one element is involved in producing any outcome. It also takes a certain level of patience and willingness to realize we do not understand everything, much less directly control everything, and that a certain degree of stochastic processes assist in determining any outcome. Conspiracy theorists tend to look for overly simplistic, causative reasons for particular outcomes. This type of thinking is almost always wrong, as the universe is not that simple.

Unfortunately, our culture enables, encourages and rewards this type of thinking. We often hear about the merits of the KISS principle, for example. What we almost never hear, is the other side of what is required for "keeping it simple", to actually work. Answers need to be complete enough to explain all possible observed aspects of any outcome. If they are too simple, facts either get ignored or purposely left out due to cognitive biases. Conspiracy theories always lack explanation for at least some parts of any outcome.

d4g