Posts by Geronimo

31

All Those Creepy Files

by choosing life in

jw
friends

have you ever thought of all those creepy files that the elders keep on wrongdoing?

how strange to have your sins written down and kept in a file somewhere.

do they ever dispose of them?

Can you imagine what Jesus would think of the Totalitarian, Orwellian, Gestapo bOrg? I know my file is as thick as a dinosaur steak. It never occured to me until now to give a rats behind about my files. Now I'm creeped out completely. LOL. G

8

Looking for article "Why Men Shun Religion"

by VM44 in

i am trying to find out where and when an certain article was published by the society.

it was called, if i remember right, "why men shun religion", or something similar to that ("why many men shun religion" perhaps?

), and was published either in the later part of the 1960's or early 1970's.

Geronimo

Hey VM. The WTS is now so rich they can afford to pay news media to give them good PR. Yeah, it's aleays been about money and the power money brings. I agree. G

14

What's your favorite Watchtower Quotes?

by drew sagan in

i'm building up a collection of watchtower quotes that i'm going to be printing out in order to talk with my wifes family (sometime in the future but i don't know when).

just want to be prepared.

so what are some of you favorite jw quotes?

Geronimo

"I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."

"The craft ones, those with clearly evil intent,shall be crushed by Jehovah God with his totally awesom size one trillion shoes as he trips the light fantastic on their tiny little heads. His way bent out of shape demeanor will bring goosebumps and chills and other unpleasant sensations. Not to mention his complete lack of civilized manners when he scoops up the rebellious ones and has them for a tasty snack. This will be your untimely fate unless you kiss our hiney."

"Follow us. We know the way."

"What, me worry?"

"Try new and improved JEHOVAH JIREH today! Offer void where prohibited, taxed, or otherwise restricted by law and good manners."

"Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. Jehovah will kill them too, wouldnt you?"

20

Wedding Day Turns Sour

by Kenneson in

jw
friends

the wedding at the kingdom hall was over and went off without a hitch.

the park was nearby and a nice place for wedding photos, a traditional place for these.

about 100 congregants went over to watch the couple being photographed.

Geronimo

Get used to it. It will become progressively more restrictive as a not-very-bright American public acquiecses to an ever nore oppressive, restrictive, and controlling police state. The childhish need for the illusion of "safety" (which can never be had) will overrule liberty and rights. The American sheep will be peacefully corralled and made to suffer the indignities of a totalitarian government. It can already clearly be seen by the older ones in our midst who remember a very different America before the dawning of The Age of Hysteria. 9-11 was orchestrated by a corrupt federal government that needed a reason to clamp down even harder on the American sheep and cows. You can expect, in the next decade, to be working seven months of the year to pay your various teaxes and government fees. Currenly you're working a bit over five months out of the year to pay off the protection racket called the American government. G

91

Evolution still bugs me

by Geronimo in

i know there are a lot of threads on evolution and creation and i've read a few here and there.

how can complex systems arise of themselves in the face of entropy?

one evolutionist book i read used snowflakes to show this is possible.

Geronimo

Hey Kid A! I thought maybe, you know, that I'd offer a few words about what's going on here, you know? If that's cool with you. Okay, here goes:
I find the polarization on this board quite intriguing and sometimes even fascinating. To have leapt from theism to atheism in such a rapid manner as many of you have done elicits a variety of symptoms, symptoms that are on display here to varying degrees. I personally find absolutist claims of any sort more than slightly eccentric. Most of the members of this cyber-community were once absolutists in their theism and in their choice of religious affiliation. After the disconfirmation of their religious beliefs, religion was utterly rejected and an absolutist atheistic materialism took it's place. Can you not detect a behavioral pattern? There is obviously a predisposition, even perhaps an imperative, toward absolutism among most former Jehovah's Witnesses and all cultists and former cultists. A desperate need for absolute ontological, epistemological, and even teleological "answers" whether religious or atheistic. My advice is to keep that healthy, questioning skepticism, but to lose the strident triumphalism so endemic to the hardened debunker. This marvelous cosmos still holds far more mysteries than certainties. As a former JW I too was tempted to jettison all religion and spirituality and embrace a purely materialistic world view. Relativity theory soon disabused me of my quaint Newtonian/Aristotlean presuppositions and I have since embraced a genuinely skeptical--though open minded--world view.

No, I'm not advocating embracing a religious world view, let alone a specific religion. I am advocating an openness, a skeptical openness. Skepticism is healthy and a very positive trait this world desperately needs more of. What it doesn't need is a closed-minded fundamentalism-whether theist or atheist--that is strident and triumphal--and worst of all warlike. The world is on the brink of another war because of absolutists and their strident triumphalism.

To be an absolutist of any sort is to be utterly committed to an ism. As "Ferris Buehler" said, "One should not believe in an ism, one should believe in oneself." I for one choose to remain skeptical but open. I reject the closed minded debunker mentality of the Amazing Randi, Joe Nickell, and their ilk. Parading themselves as "skeptics" when they're really only debunkers. It's very needful to debunk, but to have a debunker mentality and not simply a debunking methodology is to go too far. It's to close yourself to any further development in the area you've already made up your mind about. So, hey, you know? It's like, check this out: Be cool and take it slow. G

8

Looking for article "Why Men Shun Religion"

by VM44 in

i am trying to find out where and when an certain article was published by the society.

it was called, if i remember right, "why men shun religion", or something similar to that ("why many men shun religion" perhaps?

), and was published either in the later part of the 1960's or early 1970's.

Geronimo

Hey VM44 this is a good article! I'm repelled by organized religion for all those reasons INCLUDING JEHOVAHS WITNESSES. Okay, so they dont wear robes n stuff. G

HOW GREAT THOU ART
hymn number 666

Oh Lord my God
when I in awestruck wonder
Consider all
the jerks they hands have made

I see the bars
and hookers there aplenty
I salivate
and wish that I was rich

Then sings my soul
my slaver-God to thee

"How weird thou art
how weird thou art"

Then sings my soul
my slaver-God to theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
"How weird thou art
HOW WEIRD thou AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!"

3

VERY COOL LYRICS !!

by Geronimo in

hey, this is a song by johnny cash.

i just heard it today.

the song is the highwayman.

Geronimo

Hey Tazmaniac and tikjmo thanks for the heads up. Oh, and I thought this was a Johnny Cash song. Too bad he didnt write it after all. G

Origins of the Male and Female Gods, Soul, and Reincarnation

by Geronimo in

hey, this is from my sis jacquie.

i think she's hit on some really important insights.

the sky is swirling, greenish black amorphous gobs of angry clouds bring a noonday gloom.

Geronimo

Hey, this is from my sis Jacquie. I think she's hit on some really important insights. See what you think.
The sky is swirling, greenish black amorphous gobs of angry clouds bring a noonday gloom. The air feels almost wet and is difficult to breathe, so full of moisture it is. A bright flash, far too close to ignore, is quickly followed by a thunderclap so loud the ground shakes. In response, a huge male stands straight and tall, his penis erect as he beats his chest in defiance and roars his challenge to the mighty Male in the Sky.

Thunder shakes the now-enraged male again, and in response he grabs a small young tree and uproots it, shaking it menacingly at the Sky-Challenger, the mighty ape just beyond the clouds. Flash after flash and thunderclap after thunderclap finally sends the huge male into frightened hiding until the wrath of the Sky-Male passes. Our huge male, a gorilla, has been vanquished by the Sky-Challenger who is clearly far more powerful and must be submitted to.

Is this a fantasy scene? No. It happens often, and has been happening for as long as there have been primates. Primates, especially gorillas and chimps--distant cousins to humans--challenge one another in this fashion. Standing tall, penis erect, roaring as loudly as possible, beating their chest, and thrashing about with the shrubberies and trees. Usually the less dominant ape backs down, but occasionally both males are evenly matched and an actual battle ensues. Gorillas and chimps also engage in this behavior when challenged by the Giant Ape In The Sky. I've watched films of a number of enraged apes react to the Sky Challenger in this way, finally submitting in fear and in hiding.

Could this be the origin of our belief in a Deity? An angry male Deity that is so overwhelmingly powerful that it must be submitted to? I have zero doubts about it, though it's impossible to empirically prove, because our prehistoric ancestors are dead and cannot be interrogated or observed. Yet, it makes profound sense. It's so very simple, yet devastating in it's evident logic and reasonableness. I bears the ring of truth. Using Occam's Razor, this simple yet elegant theory is the best explanation of the origin of the Angry Male God In The Sky that I have ever considered.

In the womb, the first person we hear is our mother. Her voice sooths us and comforts us and brings us joy in our tranquil idyllic existence. Hence when we're born we automatically seek out her breasts to feed upon. The dear mother who brought us forth and nurtured us. As we grow older we observe female animals giving birth, and our love and reverence for Motherhood is increased thereby.

Could it be that the voice of our mother as we floated in the warmth and comfort of the womb is the origin of the belief in a Mother Goddess? Again, this idea is so positively devastating in it's self-evident truthfulness, it's elegant and profound simplicity, that it makes a lasting impact on our minds.

When primitive humans slept, they "went" to wonderful, mysterious, and sometimes horrible places. Flying just like the birds, free of the constraints and restraints of the body. Dead family members would be encountered and a joyful reunion would ensue. Omens and portents were observed this way. Is this the origin of the belief in a "soul" that leaves the body at death? Could it be as simple (and profound) as this? Indeed it can, for most societies at one time pointed to dreams as evidence of the existence of the soul, and many societies (and even countless individuals in developed societies) still do believe this. The belief in life after death and rebirth is strengthened by observing the death and rebirth of nature as it cycles through the seasons.

As for reincarnation, I point to the cycles of death and rebirth which the earth goes through every year. In fact, people still use the illustration of the earth-cycles to "prove" reincarnation, or at least the reasonableness of it.

These ideas remain undeveloped in my mind, but I'll work on them.

Love,
Jacquie

7

Can Warren Jeffs Safely Hide Behind Religious Freedom? Watchtower?

by skeeter1 in

i heard on the news that warren jeffs defense is "religious freedom" which precludes the government from persecuting him.

he, apparently, strongly believes he is gaining god's glory by having multiple wives & marrying young girls.

he thinks these actions are ordained by god.

Geronimo

I heard on the news that Warren Jeffs defense is "religious freedom" which precludes the government from persecuting him. He, apparently, strongly believes he is gaining God's glory by having multiple wives & marrying young girls. He thinks these actions are ordained by God.Religious freedom is not a defense to crimes. One is not allowed to hide behind the veil of religious freedom as a defense for crimes, incluing child rape. Do you think he'll get away with his crimes by citing "religious freedom"? If he does get away with his crimes, do you think that other pedophiles will start their own religion in order to create a defense What implications do you see for the Watchtower's hideous lies?

Polygamy has a long history and is still practised in other parts of the world. It shouldn't be illegal. A woman should be able to have as many husbands as are willing to marry her, and vice versa. At least people can do this with purely religious ceremonies, not legal ceremonies. I am only against polygamy if it involves kids under eighteen. Which this guy is guilty of. He's also a megalomaniac. I agree with his freedom of religion stance, and he does have religious freedom to marry as many women as are stupid enough to marry him, they just arent marriages recognized by the gummint. Yes, this guy is a pedophile, sort of. In the time of Jesus girls got married at about 14 and boys at around 16. I'm fairly sure. It's a cultural thing, this whole age of consent. I agree with our age of consent laws, but I also know that's my cultural upbringing not some law written by the finger of God. I don't see any implications here for WTS "bs." G

27

Da Vinci Code, what did you think?

by gaiagirl in

i had recently read the book, "the da vinci code", and just saw the movie this weekend.

essentially, the plot revolves around a 2000 year old "cover-up", in which it is claimed that jesus was married to mary magdelene and had children.

this knowledge was suppressed by the early church, but kept alive by a secret society of which leonardo da vinci was a member.

Geronimo

I had recently read the book, "The Da Vinci Code", and just saw the movie this weekend. Essentially, the plot revolves around a 2000 year old "cover-up", in which it is claimed that Jesus was married to Mary Magdelene and had children. This knowledge was suppressed by the early Church, but kept alive by a secret society of which Leonardo da Vinci was a member. He is supposed to have painted clues into "The Last Supper" indicating Mary M's special relationship to Jesus. My take is: "The Last Supper" painting aside, there IS plenty of other textual evidence from as long ago as the first century which suggests that Jesus was married, and may have left a bloodline. Whether or not a given viewer believes that Jesus was married is irrelevant, as it makes a wonderful basis upon which to build an absorbing story. I would venture to guess that anyone who liked "National Treasure" would also enjoy "The Da Vinci Code". The performances by the lead actors was very good, IMHO, especially that of Audrey Tautou.

I have some writings my sister sent me on this subject that proves Jesus was married. I can't post for another day or so because I used up my quota of new topics. The stuff my sistr sent me will make you sit up and take notice. G