Posts by AllTimeJeff

116

Would Witnesses REALLY drink the "Kool-aid" if the faithful slave told them to? Yes or no?

by Witness 007 in

a "spiritual leader" tells his followers the must put on rebok running shoes and "drink the cool-aid" to join a ufo in the tail of a comet and "go to a better world" so, afew dozen young people do just that to get "beamed up" to the mothership.

heavens gate cult 1990's.. my mother says "she is faithful to the organisation till her death" which makes me wonder if they ordered a mass suicide like the reverend jim jones did to escape a "great tribulation"....how many witnesses would really drink the cool-aid?...

without a gun pointed at their head of course!.

AllTimeJeff

Agonus, JW's are a cult, and I respect the discussion and your opinion. I disagree on that aspect of JW's being a suicide cult.

There are Catholics who would kill themselves for their church, and soldiers do the same thing in offering their lives for what they think is a greater cause. It's all a measure of degrees and devotedness.

But suicide cults are as they are not because of their flock, but because of the leadership. JW's do not have the leadership to do this, simply because since 1976, they are ruled by committee.

The best shot JW's ever had of being a suicide cult was when Rutherford was around. Since then, there isn't the circumstances, and there won't be, for this to happen.

116

Would Witnesses REALLY drink the "Kool-aid" if the faithful slave told them to? Yes or no?

by Witness 007 in

a "spiritual leader" tells his followers the must put on rebok running shoes and "drink the cool-aid" to join a ufo in the tail of a comet and "go to a better world" so, afew dozen young people do just that to get "beamed up" to the mothership.

heavens gate cult 1990's.. my mother says "she is faithful to the organisation till her death" which makes me wonder if they ordered a mass suicide like the reverend jim jones did to escape a "great tribulation"....how many witnesses would really drink the cool-aid?...

without a gun pointed at their head of course!.

AllTimeJeff

The GB doesn't need to do a Jonestown when they are essentially grandfathered in as an American religion. With the amount of control they have won from the Supreme Court, there is no need, no rational, foreseeable reason that they will ever turn into a suicide cult.

That isn't to minimize all the damage they have done, nor does it forgive those that have died due to their weird idiotic doctrine. But, (as cold as this sounds) the deaths that have resulted doesn't indicate a suicide cult. There is a difference.

They are still reprehensible. (The GB that is...)

116

Would Witnesses REALLY drink the "Kool-aid" if the faithful slave told them to? Yes or no?

by Witness 007 in

a "spiritual leader" tells his followers the must put on rebok running shoes and "drink the cool-aid" to join a ufo in the tail of a comet and "go to a better world" so, afew dozen young people do just that to get "beamed up" to the mothership.

heavens gate cult 1990's.. my mother says "she is faithful to the organisation till her death" which makes me wonder if they ordered a mass suicide like the reverend jim jones did to escape a "great tribulation"....how many witnesses would really drink the cool-aid?...

without a gun pointed at their head of course!.

AllTimeJeff

Mad Sweeny, I don't think the scenarios that have been brought up that could allow JW's to turn into a suicide cult are at all reasonable. And I think that discussions like this, while understandable and legitimate to a point, are also pure fiction,

116

Would Witnesses REALLY drink the "Kool-aid" if the faithful slave told them to? Yes or no?

by Witness 007 in

a "spiritual leader" tells his followers the must put on rebok running shoes and "drink the cool-aid" to join a ufo in the tail of a comet and "go to a better world" so, afew dozen young people do just that to get "beamed up" to the mothership.

heavens gate cult 1990's.. my mother says "she is faithful to the organisation till her death" which makes me wonder if they ordered a mass suicide like the reverend jim jones did to escape a "great tribulation"....how many witnesses would really drink the cool-aid?...

without a gun pointed at their head of course!.

AllTimeJeff

Thats true leavingWT, but at the same time, while believers in cults WILL do most anything, it is my very strong assertion that JW's aren't that kind of cult and that the GB won't ever come to a point where this will ever happen.

There are better ways to discredit cults then comparing every cult to Jonestown. Most cults don't kill their members. Practically all cults isolate and control in their own way, but most are not suicide cults.

For the purposes of this board, Jehovah's Witnesses are indeed a cult, and some of their dogma does indeed result in needless suffering and death. However, they are by definition not a suicide cult, and as currently constituted, that will not change.

116

Would Witnesses REALLY drink the "Kool-aid" if the faithful slave told them to? Yes or no?

by Witness 007 in

a "spiritual leader" tells his followers the must put on rebok running shoes and "drink the cool-aid" to join a ufo in the tail of a comet and "go to a better world" so, afew dozen young people do just that to get "beamed up" to the mothership.

heavens gate cult 1990's.. my mother says "she is faithful to the organisation till her death" which makes me wonder if they ordered a mass suicide like the reverend jim jones did to escape a "great tribulation"....how many witnesses would really drink the cool-aid?...

without a gun pointed at their head of course!.

AllTimeJeff

As currently constituted, most in Western countries would NOT.

Most in 3rd world countries, isolated from information, would be more likely.

I get that Jonestown is the touchstone for all discussions on cults, but let me just say that this will never happen with JW's. Yes, there is always the potential I guess. But the precise reason that Jonestown was so shocking was that it was so large and unprecedented, and largely unrepeated by a group that large.

7 million people aren't going to kill themselves at the behest of the GB. The GB is not ever going to ask or demand this. So while I appreciate the bottom line sentiment that JW's are a controlling cult, they aren't THAT kind of cult.

14

GROUP PROJECT!(any programmers?) - lets find ALL possibilites for 666, with computer technology

by EndofMysteries in

back in the 1st century, when iraneus said that many words can equal 666, including latinos and titan, that spending much time to get them is pointless until it's actually taking place, and it will just serve as a 'confirmation'.

they also didn't have computers and could spend forever trying to come up with every possible scenario.

we can easily, with the right resources do that fairly easily.

AllTimeJeff

Huh?

140

I HAVE JUST BEEN APPOINTED AS A MINISTERIAL SERVANT.

by african GB Member in

after being reinstated in 2008, i was finally appointed ms last night.. i am so excited now that i have a certain measure of 'power'.. ex-ms's/elders, what types of challenges come with this priviledge?.

what will be expected from me?.

AllTimeJeff

Ok, so you are a ministerial servant for JW's, which is akin to being an assistant manager for a cult. So what?

Wait, a Ministerial Servant would not be appointed with Jehovah in charge who comes and posts here. So, (sorry,) you are

1) A liar

2) Your appointment shows that Jehovah is as powerless as Brittney Spears chastity belt.

3) A troll, a bored troll, one who only takes the time to type here after all other activities involving your hand have been exhausted.

So, anyway. Whatever.

36

Question for ALL ex JW's or those who don't believe everything - (the answers here may help you and your answers may help others)

by EndofMysteries in

please answer the question(s) which corresponds to your current belief, if you believe in a. the bible and god.

b. just god, but no bible c. neither (atheist).

i'm asking for mutual benefit, in my quest for the truth (still a work in progress), some of the things i've run into you may want to think about, and in your answers will show if anything i haven't thought of or checked into yet, as well as all readying this.... (all the hours you've spent, vs just my own, having many combined may bring up a few good things for us all from everyones answers ).

AllTimeJeff

Hey EOM.

The fact that you have your own take on god and the bible is fine with me. Believe me. And I wish you the best in that.

You haven't even touched on why believing is superior to not believing. And for all your faith (which again, I am cool with) that is hardly evidence for anything.

It's really as simple as that.

If YOU are looking for answers to questions YOU have, and find answers to YOUR questions, they are merely YOURS. It's one thing to discuss them and talk about the utility the serve in your life.

But when it comes to your expressions on faith and god, rarely do I read about how your beliefs give you peace. More often then not, your implication isn't one of love and peace, but of superiority and a division between believers and non believers.

Again, sorry to say for you, been there and done that, about tens of thousands of times with people of various religions. There is nothing that you have said that is particularly interesting or noteworthy about the bible, the last days, etc.

I mean, do you really think you discovered the wheel here? You do realize that you are one of hundreds of millions of people, Christians, who talk and say the things you do. You all come and go. Your god hasn't shown.

Please don't think I am trying to either debate you or otherwise win an arguement. But I do have a point to make. You talk/type a lot, but say very little. You address neither a sympathetic audience (aka believers) with words of faith, nor a skeptical audience (aka non believers) with compelling arguements.

For as many words you have typed, all you have basically said is "Hey non believers, whats your problem? Why don't you believe? Surely what you have replaced your old belief with isn't as good."

If you haven't meant that, it sure comes across that way to me. And that is why I challenge you, not to change your beliefs, but to instead examine your motives as to why you bring up these inane topics with nothing more to say or do then to incite a discussion that is ultimately self serving for your own belief system.

140

I HAVE JUST BEEN APPOINTED AS A MINISTERIAL SERVANT.

by african GB Member in

after being reinstated in 2008, i was finally appointed ms last night.. i am so excited now that i have a certain measure of 'power'.. ex-ms's/elders, what types of challenges come with this priviledge?.

what will be expected from me?.

AllTimeJeff

I think they will put me in the sound room because of my technical abilities.

I think they should put you in the bathroom, because you are full of crap!

49

Something Mary Wrote

by snowbird in

has been bugging me since i read it.. she mentioned how a classmate took special delight in tormenting her due to mary's being a jw.. mary mentioned that this girl pointed to and mocked her when she couldn't share in a birthday?

celebration.. are some kids really that cruel?

where were the teachers?.

AllTimeJeff

Hey there.

Born in the South. I can tell you that Southerners take great pride in being mannerly. That is a big difference from being nice, which varies from person to person and has nothing to do with their location relative to the Mason/Dixon line.

Go VOLS!