This is an intelligent (for the most part), diverse group.
The refreshing thing is the full continuum of perspectives.
I am very thankful for this board and the contacts I've made with kindred spirits who also post here.
Cheers to all,
Alex
Alpaca
JoinedPosts by Alpaca
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49
State A Simple Opinion About JWD Members
by nicolaou inwe share a common past but have travelled many different roads to find each other here.
our outlooks and perceptions of reality are varied and often fascinating.
most of us are encouraging, funny, helpful and kind while others are still wrapped in bitterness and hatred or suffering from despair and privation.
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Ancient Sodomites get resurrected?
by Fatfreek inthe last position about a resurrection (or not) for those in ancient sodom and gomorrah, in watchtower literature, is from the following 1989 publication.
there, they are clear in their spirit-directed teaching that there will be none.
newly revised you can live forever in paradise on earth (1989), chap.
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Alpaca
So, it looks like the paedophiles both past and present get a free pass!!!
Beautiful.....why not, the organization 'perfectly reflects Jehovah's standards'....
Horseshit is right, JWexelder!!!
Who cares anyway, it's pointless speculation about something that is never going to happen one way or the other.
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2008 Convention Preview
by cinnamon1642 inguided by gods spirit district convention of jehovahs witnesses.
friday.
the spirit will guide you into all the truth john 16:13. am.
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Alpaca
EyesOpen,
That is funny!!! You should do it. Just think what a perfect way that would be to make the transition from "publisher" to editor.
Cheers,
Alex
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What To Say When Someone Says "If U Can Find A Religion That's Better......
by minimus in"if you can find a religion that's better than jehovah's witnesses, let me know where i can find it".....i've heard jws say this in defense of "the truth" that they know is not 100% right.. what would you say to a witness that suggests that jehovah's witnesses are still better than all the others???
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Alpaca
Minimus, thanks for starting this thread.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
religion
c.1200, "state of life bound by monastic vows," also "conduct indicating a belief in a divine power," from Anglo-Fr. religiun (11c.), from O.Fr. religion "religious community," from L. religionem (nom. religio ) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods," in L.L. "monastic life" (5c.); according to Cicero, derived from relegare "go through again, read again," from re- "again" + legere "read" (see lecture). However, popular etymology among the later ancients (and many modern writers) connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. Meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c.1300.The question itself limits the argument. The real question should be, "If you can show me a belief system that is better......"
It's no coincidence that the word religion is derived from the Latin verb, religare, meaning "to bind fast." And that is exactly what all religions seek... to bind their adherents to a framework of thought that is externally imposed on them.
There is absolutely no empirical way to prove either the proposition that God(s) exists or that she/he doesn't and hence the very relevance of religion is likewise called into question. On the one hand it is a logical fallicy to assert that the non-existence of something can be proved. It cannot. One can merely, within the rules of logic, assess what the probabilities are based on what is observed. On the other hand, if there is a God(s) and a religion that is connected with the diety/dieties then one would expect at least some modicum of empirical proof for the diety's/dieties' existence somewhere on the planet. There is none. Occam's razor says (to paraphrase) that the most probable explanation for any given phenomena is the simplest, which rules out most religious explanations of what is going on.
As far as I am concerned, the belief system that offers the most satisfying and intellectually honest framework for explaining the world and us, is agnosticism and secular humanism. We don't need to have our minds "bound" by some artificial construct of reality to To the contrary, when the human mind is freed of the fear to think without bounds it results in a highly pragmatic and efficient approach to life, social problems, politics, the environment, and the multitude of other things we, as humans, must deal with.
Cheers to all,
Alex
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Charleton Heston died!
by TweetieBird injust saw where charleton heston died from unspecified causes!
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Alpaca
Probably some symian virus.
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Bottom Line: What's Going To Happen To The Jehovah's Witness Religion?
by minimus inis it going to become mainstream?.
will it become more cultish?.
will it splinter off and re-create itself?.
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Alpaca
The Borg has sown the seeds of its own destruction in multiple ways. I agree with the other posters who think that they will disintigrate over time.
First, the education ban means that any young ones who decide to stay in the Borg, will have to work many hours at low salaries just to maintain a poverty line standard of living. That means they won't be able to substantially contribute to the Borg either financially or with their time. That will lead to negative growth. Also, generally speaking, less educated people are not likely to attract more educated people to the Borg, which means that converts are not likely to be any better contributors than the home-grown variety.
Second (I have brought this up on a few other threads), there was a time (in the run up to 1975, during the 50s, 60s, and even the early 70s) when the writing in the Borg's publications actually bordered on scholarly. They encouraged the R&F to do outside research to confirm what the publications were saying. They encouraged studying the original Greek text of the Bible and also encouraged comparing other Bible translations with the NWT of the Bible. I believe the Borg's writers, having the appearance of being serious scholars of the Bible, were responsible for attracting educated, smart people to the Borg. When I was a kid (1960s) almost all of the elders were educated, dynamic speakers and leaders. That is all gone now. There are still a few smart, eloquent speakers, but by and large the quality has precipitously declined. There has been a significant brain drain as many talented and smart servants have 'seen through' the dumbing down of the message and left the Borg.
Third, those old timers and their children (from the 50s, 60s, & 70s), who are still in, are the backbone of the Borg. Prior to my exit in 1997, I had heard many old timers lament that they never expected to see the the end of the 20th Century in the old system. I suspect that the Borg's burial of the once-significant 1914 and their convoluted new teaching about the "generation," has many of those old timers harboring secret doubts about this being the last days. The "abundant proof" that the Borg offers for this time being the last days is nothing more than wishful thinking. The arguments they put forth are circular and full of logical fallacies. Even marginally thinking people intuitively sense this, although they may not admit it. The year 2014 may make many of them sit up say WTF and that may lead to a wholesale exodus.
Fourth, the R&F old timers may already be starting to doubt the GB's authority and its self-proclaimed role as channel for God's new light. Just below the facade of a happy organization there is probably a critical mass of simmering malcontents who just have not identified themselves to one another. IMHO, there may be some catalyst that starts people talking and that may trigger a mass exodus.
Fifth, the Borg's policies and tactics are taking them in the "Kool-Aid" (and I mean that literally) direction. This is something I never thought I would see (call me naive). Some of the members are bound to come to their senses and bail.
In any event, it will be interesting to see how things unfold over the next several years.
Cheers,
Alex
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Governing Body as Jehovah God revealed in latest WT study
by hamilcarr inthe watchtower study of this week (15/2) is entitled 'jesus christ - the greatest missionary'.
compare the following phrases on the modern-day identity of jehovah and jesus:.
as one of jehovah's witnesses, however, you likely think of the missionaries sent out by the governing body to preach the food news in various lands around the earth.. concerning his heavenly father, though, jesus christ said: "i am a representative from him, and that one sent me forth.
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Alpaca
HC, thanks for posting this thread.
The comments you've highlighted, along with the comments in CoC, are just further proof that the GB are a bunch of deluded, self-aggrandizing charlatans.
I used to think that the Borg and the Dubs would never go "Kool-Aid," but it is stuff like this (coupled with all of the other recent changes and developments in the Borg) that makes me think that have started down that path.
It should be interesting to see things unfold over the next few years.
Cheers,
Alex
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2008 Convention Preview
by cinnamon1642 inguided by gods spirit district convention of jehovahs witnesses.
friday.
the spirit will guide you into all the truth john 16:13. am.
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Alpaca
Meet the new shit, same as the old shit.... I used to think that way....that is...
Same shit, different year.
I am not so sure anymore, it seems like the new shit is even shittier than the old shit. So, help me out here guys, with where to put this stuff on a shittiness scale.
Is the new shittier shit better shit, or does the fact that it is shittier make worse shit? It could be a matter of perspective. I can just imagine the GB sitting around planning the DC for this year:
GB1: So, do you think they'll buy this lame shit?
GB2: Absolutely, this is the same shit we've been feeding them for years.
GB3: Not so fast there guys, if the R&F see that this shit is no better than the old shit they may stray from the flock to look for better shit, so it's up to us create the absolute shittiest shit we can.
GB(all): Harrumph!!!! Here, here....that's what we'll do.... the shittiest shit to date .... that's what we'll give them.....blah, blah, blah.... the light is getting so much brighter......
Sorry for the shitty rant, reading the program topics just put me into a really shitty mood,
In spite of that, cheers to all,
Alex
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No Global Warming as Temperatures Drop
by What-A-Coincidence inhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7329799.stm.
short version: global temperatures will drop slightly this year as a result of the cooling effect of the la nina current in the pacific, un meteorologists have said.
the world meteorological organizations secretary-general, michel jarraud, told the bbc it was likely that la nina would continue into the summer.. this would mean global temperatures have not risen since 1998, prompting some to question climate change theory.. but experts say we are still clearly in a long-term warming trend - and they forecast a new record high temperature within five years.. the wmo points out that the decade from 1998 to 2007 was the warmest on record.
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Alpaca
Hi to everyone interested in this subject,
The important thing to recoginize about global climate change is the time scale. Weather is what happens on a daily, monthly, annual, or even multi-annual time scale. Climate change is what happens on scales of decades to centuries or millenia. Within the time scales of climate change there is a natural variation in global temperature as it rises and falls, but what is important is the long-term trend. That is precisely what climatologists are pointing out (see the highlighted text below).
Another important fact, that is generally overlooked in the popular press, is that rapid global climate change (which we are experiencing even as we speak) displaces climate patterns that have been entrenched for centuries or millenia. This causes chaotic (from the human temporal view), difficult to predict, erratic changes in weather patterns. Rapid global climate change also means that there will greater extremes of cold, heat, aridity, and rain that will not be evenly distributed throughout the world. Some areas will suffer from extremes and other areas will suffer little or no change in their climate.
One thing that is certain, is that global sea level is rising, and it won't take much of a rise to displace hundreds of millions of coastal dwellers around the world ( 75% of the earth's population lives within 60 kilometers of a coast). Any way you slice it, the human family is in for one hell of a rough ride in the near foreseeable future. Anyone who is under the age of 50 is going to see unbelievable climate induced changes to the world in their lifetimes.
When you guys read reports that tend to downplay the seriousness of the issue, try to look critically at the reports and understand the nuances of the language.
Gopher's comments (thanks, great post) are also well taken into consideration.
Cheers to all,
Alex (I am a geologist)
Researchers say the uncertainty in the observed value for any particular year is larger than these small temperature differences. What matters, they say, is the long-term upward trend.
Rises 'stalled'
La Nina and El Nino are two great natural Pacific currents whose effects are so huge they resonate round the world.
El Nino warms the planet when it happens; La Nina cools it. This year, the Pacific is in the grip of a powerful La Nina.
It has contributed to torrential rains in Australia and to some of the coldest temperatures in memory in snow-bound parts of China.
Mr Jarraud told the BBC that the effect was likely to continue into the summer, depressing temperatures globally by a fraction of a degree.
This would mean that temperatures have not risen globally since 1998 when El Nino warmed the world.
Watching trends
A minority of scientists question whether this means global warming has peaked and argue the Earth has proved more resilient to greenhouse gases than predicted.
Animation of El Nino and La Nina effects
But Mr Jarraud insisted this was not the case and noted that 2008 temperatures would still be well above average for the century.
"When you look at climate change you should not look at any particular year," he said. "You should look at trends over a pretty long period and the trend of temperature globally is still very much indicative of warming.
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Another proof that these are the end times...
by Nathan Natas incheck this out!
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=l02zaoylwu4
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Alpaca
Good stuff!!!
It had me going for a few minutes. Just in case you guys didn't pursue the story a little further, it turns out that the story was an elaborate April Fools Day joke that was a collaboration of the BBC and the two top British newspapers.
Here's a link to the story:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=4564489&page=1
Still very funny.
Alex
