Posts by Paralipomenon

69

Why has the WT not tried to shut down this board?

by hamsterbait in

jw
friends

we all know that beth hell monitors this site.. they have repeatedly had sites shut down for quoting large portions of their litterature.

not this one.. do you think this board enables them to keep a finger on the pulse of what is going on in ex and aposto land?

hb.

Paralipomenon

Forums are ridiculously difficult to get shut down. Since they are made up entirely of individuals whose opinion are protected by free speech laws, law enforcement agencies would need to prove that the forum is set up with the intent of illegal actions.

You will notice at the bottom of each page is a link to "Dmca Takedowns" where if someone as a complaint about material they can file a notice. If the site owner ignores these requests, it can be shut down but so long as the purpose of the sites isn't based on posting copywritten content and they react in a timely fashion, the site could not be legally shut down.

That said, in other areas, companies have filed complaints then used law enforcement to seize a website at the source, ie. hosting. Without the site owner's immediate knowledge and consent. There they would have access to all the information.

I have wondered if the switch from JWD to JWN was motivated due to legal pressure. Most people don't know, but .com stands for "company" or "commercial" or business/websites focused on selling or marketing a product. Since there is revenue generated from advertisements, there could be a slight legal argument that Simon is not just providing a forum for discussion, but runs a company that benefits financially on the discussion and opposition of the Watchtower. Slight, but still present. Changing to .net (network) classifies it as a network for discussion. You may note that www.watchtower.com redirects to jw.org.

In the end, I have seen some websites set up fight certian causes or on shady legal standing where large corporations have stepped in and hit the owners with massive legal suits. In each of these cases the site owners have complied and handed over private information. I would not fault Simon for doing the same either. It is great to have a place to discuss and share ideas, but I would not ask Simon to spend tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees or be ruined financially with a judgement in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to protect my account details.

This site doesn't really request much personal information, so it is unlikely to be a target. If you are concerned over your privacy or feel you may be a target, don't use your real name, have a thowaway email address to sign up. Sign up for an internet proxy so that your IP cannot be traced back to your internet hosting provider.

As to the point asking if the WT monitors this site, I recall seeing a webmaster from either here or another similar forum posting an IP from Bethel confirming they do check these sites out. When I was in my late teens and visited bethel I actually asked the guide about apostate books and he said that they did have a department of 2-3 brothers that "skimmed" apostate litterature (this was before the internet was popular) He said that they would select spiritually strong brothers and also rotate them out. I asked a couple follow up questions but he got abrupt with me and said that wasn't the focus of the tour and wanted to highlight the blessings of Jehovah's work instead. My mom hauled me off and scolded me for asking questions, I think moreso to show that she was a fine Witness rather than concern for me.

46

If you had the audience of the GB, what is your #1 question you would ask them?

by Darth Fader The Sequel in

there are a million of them and mine is by no means the most important question to ask them if i only had one shot at it.

but, i have always wondered what kind of bs excuse they would give as an answer to this question: "brother goober bum, given that there are both male and female partakers here on earth who claim to be of the 'anointed' and plan on being of the 144,000 ruling with christ in heaven for eternity........ why are the female 'anointed' treated as submissive, second class citizens and why is their opinion on doctrinal matters, matters of teaching and reproving, anything at all.... why are they not recognized while here on earth even though you claim that jesus has selected them to become angels to rule with him?

".

Paralipomenon

"I am wearing tight pants, does that excite any of you?"

37

What words has the WT redefined?

by Splash in

these days, virtually every public talk speaker thinks it's interesting and intellectual to include a dictionary definition of some word.

often the word is in common use and needs no explanation, such as 'exercise', or 'knowledge', or whatever.. now contrast that to all of the words that the wt has it's own meaning for, and referencing a dictionary for the common understanding of it would be viewed unfavourably.. words like 'generation' or 'men' (as in jesus is mediator between god and 'men' - 1tim 2:5-6).. what words have the wt redefined that you know about?

- i'd like to compile a list if possible.. splash.

Paralipomenon

Truth

Service

Publisher

Elder

Field

Christendom

7

What is the Matrix

by seekchristonly in

not the movie with keanne reeves.

.

is our perception of reality an illusion of the reality we cannot perceive.

Paralipomenon

Technically our perception of the world is slightly delayed.

Events happen and it takes a fraction of a second for our senses to process it. Some people can process it faster and that is where atheletes usually excel. Everything we see and do is a reaction to events that happened in the past.

54

IS Science Absolute Truth

by seekchristonly in

if we have faith in science and scientific claims about the universe, origins of life etc.

is that absolute truth.

if so then if they declare that god exists with evidence then do all those who believe in science then believe in god or a creator.

Paralipomenon

Science is the pursuit of truth.

Everything, even things classified as fact are subject to challenge and revision, but for that to happen you need proof of claim.

Faith is the opposite. Faith states facts and denies challenge until proof is provided from an outside source. Even then, the proof may be rejected.

If the scientific community was to state that God existed, it would provide proof.

It hasn't.

52

400 Million Atoms Know What to do at the same time

by seekchristonly in

it's claimed it takes 400 million atoms to become a single strand of dna.

how do the atoms know.

3. what order.

Paralipomenon

Technically our solar system, being even more massive should be impossible.

An incalculable number of atoms swirl around and then just decide to become a star with various planets with a set orbit, planetoids, moons, astroids, comets all ending up in a balanced orbit system. Each planet with a complex makeup and environment of it's own.

Following your logic, how did all these atoms just decide to make our solar system?

Unfortunately we know the answer and it is largely related to gravity as we have observed it happening in the night sky. If we gave up every time we didn't understand something, we would still be thinking that the earth was carried on the back of a giant turtle.

To date, religion hasn't accurately solved any scientific mystery. With a track record of exactly zero, I don't see a good reason to turn off my brain and attribute the unknown to a modern day Thor.

As a species we are learning exponentially. Take a look at the thousands of years previous to 1900 and what we have accomplished in the past century. Once we unlock the means to prolong our lives through science, Jesus and all the other remaining dieties will fade from the minds of humanity just as gods of old faded away as we started to understand the world around us.

52

Who knows when Native Americans was granted citizenship?? Very strange.

by jam in

jw
friends

how can one not be a citizen of their own land??.

yes the act of 1924 granted u.s citizenship to those native .

americans who were not already u.s. citizens.. prior to the passage of the indian citizens act of 1924, nearly .

Paralipomenon

You say it's the fault of corrupt native government, the entire chief and council system is a product of the paternalistic Indian Act.

Actually that is not what I said at all, but you have shown a pattern of misquoting and twisting the words of others to fit your own narative.

This is an interesting topic, one that really should be discussed, but unfortunately you are not interested in a dialogue. I think it is telling that when an injustice was pointed out for those of Irish descent, you immediately belittled it.

Both are tragedies, and you bristle when you feel people belittle the history of your culture, but have no problem doing to others.

You want empathy and support? Try showing it for others, though I suspect you will perpetuate a cycle of hate instead.

52

Who knows when Native Americans was granted citizenship?? Very strange.

by jam in

jw
friends

how can one not be a citizen of their own land??.

yes the act of 1924 granted u.s citizenship to those native .

americans who were not already u.s. citizens.. prior to the passage of the indian citizens act of 1924, nearly .

Paralipomenon

This does annoy me.

I grew up with many Micmac friends. They lived off of the reservation and didn't "relinquish all rights". In fact they faced more backlash from members on reservations who saw their leaving as traitorous. Some took advantage of the programs offered to better the life of First Nation members and others I lost contact with.

Marmot, you fail to even acknowledge that a large part of the social economic hardships faced is a direct result of corrupt and ineffective band and council handling. In the whole thread here you have not provided a single positive thing about your culture, just complaining about the government. I really don't know what you do to preserve this culture you are so proud of? I do know some that volunteer to visit schools to teach kids, not only about the injustices, but about the pride they have in their culture.

I see no pride in your comments, only bitterness.

Why not promote your culture, expain the language, how it is different and educate people of a history that needs to be saved? If you are not working towards that goal yourself, why does it fall on my shoulders to do it for you?

52

Who knows when Native Americans was granted citizenship?? Very strange.

by jam in

jw
friends

how can one not be a citizen of their own land??.

yes the act of 1924 granted u.s citizenship to those native .

americans who were not already u.s. citizens.. prior to the passage of the indian citizens act of 1924, nearly .

Paralipomenon

Like I said initially, it is a grey issue. marmot you have shown articles only highlighting government abuses.

On the other side of the coin you will find chiefs and councils abusing their own people on reserves. Many child abuse scandals of their own and looking into the historical record you will find attacks on settlers where entire familes were tortured, gang raped and burned.

I could very easily post links to massacres in the 1800's as well as survivor stories of abuse occuring on modern reserves.

Neither side is innocent.

I have never been one to favor political correctness. I really see little culture of native tribes surviving. Rather than continuing to grow as a culture, the trend is to adopt modern customs to the point that being "native american" is just a novelty title.

Is there legitimate anger towards the Government's handling of legislation? Sure. Is there any anger towards the elders and ancestors for abandoning their way? Usually not.

My personal thought is that the biggest injustice of the whole issue is keeping the status quo. It isn't working and the proposed solution seems to be more of the same. Give more land over and more money. To do what? Most cases existing land is leased out for mineral rights or residential community building. The money rarely being used to better life for the tribe, usually enriching a select few.

There are good examples out there, but by far they are the minority.

I just grow weary of being told I should be ashamed for being Canadian for something that neither I, nor any of my ancestors were a part of.

52

Who knows when Native Americans was granted citizenship?? Very strange.

by jam in

jw
friends

how can one not be a citizen of their own land??.

yes the act of 1924 granted u.s citizenship to those native .

americans who were not already u.s. citizens.. prior to the passage of the indian citizens act of 1924, nearly .

Paralipomenon

"Given a long enough time line, the native population living on reserves will dwindle and be absorbed into the US and Canada."

Your link said exactly what I did. More natives are leaving reserves and moving to urban areas.