Posts by Alpaca

44

Whats wrong with obeying God?

by real one in

jw
friends

many who post here are always talking about they don't need god and that they don't believe in god and that he dosen't exist.

god does not ask us to do unreasonable things.

most of the things he ask us to do protects our lives.. why don't people get that?

Alpaca

If you are talking about the God of the Bible....

How's this for starters:

Slavery is okay, keeping women in a subservient relationship is required -- women are not equal to men, intolerance of free thought, slaughtering innocent women and children was fine, incest was no big deal for a servant of God, double standards for rich and powerful Bible characters who commit adultery and murder, and the list goes on.

The one that gets me the most though is the Bible's standards for the treatment of women. It's actually shocking!!!

Cheers,

Alex

78

Certain Expressions That Are Silly

by minimus in

jw
friends

what expressions get you going?.

i like "it's all good!!!

".

Alpaca

"I could care less" really annoys me.

Obviously, the person saying this means they "couldn't care less!"

Just another example of people not thinking before speaking.

Kind of reminds me of this:

Cheers to all,

Alex

28

Is the Bible REALLY the "Word of God"?

by nicolaou in

it can be picked apart scientifically and it's prophetic claims don't withstand scrutiny.

surely god could've come up with something more convincing?.

if the almighty had started genesis by establishing his credentials thoroughly i'd be more inclined to take the rest of the book seriously.

Alpaca

NO!!! It is a book that was written by men, some of whom were pretty beastly characters.

The Bible has so much meaning. You can read it over and over again and still be delighted by what you learn. how many of you have read a scripture and then later read it again and got more out of it? Thats because the word is alive.

Anything you reread is bound to have new meaning in the context of other things you have learned or experienced. The Bible is no more alive than the New York times. All great spiritual thought (no matter what the brand) focuses on similar themes. Actually, much of the value in the Bible is in the object lessons of how people lived their lives and how they behaved. However, the Bible merely expresses some of what the Greeks called axiomatic or eternal truths. Many of the same lessons found in the Bible are found in Greek mythology, which actually probes the human psyche much more thoroghly than the Bible does..

The human drama as played out in Greek mythology is vastly more instructive than the story of Adam and Eve.

Thanks for this thread.

Cheers to all,

Alex

35

Witty replies needed......

by loosie in

ok one of the only two peopel who don't know i haven't gone to meetings in 3 years sent me this remark: , i can't believe how all this time has gone by.

the one good thing about getting older like this is that it brings us that much closer to the new system.

i need a witty reply.

Alpaca

Hope, that was really funny about 1975. I know what you mean, there was an elder in our congregation who said, in 1974, that Armageddon was no longer around the corner, it was staring us in the face. Yawn, whatever!!!

Hmmmm, Loosie.......do you want to be witty and nice or witty and cutting or just witty?

i can't believe how all this time has gone by. the one good thing about getting older like this is that it brings us that much closer to the new system

Those really are boneheaded remarks.

How about, "My asymptote, we're closer!!!" Chances are they won't know what an asymptote is and when they find out it will give them a pretty good clue about how close you feel the "new system" is.

Sorry if this is a little obscure, it's the science geek in me.

Cheers,

Alex

35

DO JWS BELIEVE DINOSAURS WEERE KILLED BY ASTEROID IMPACT?

by badboy in

jw
friends

any ideas?

Alpaca

alamb,

AMAZING!!!

I fear for the future of the human species. (NOT JOKING)

Cheers,

Alex

39

I have a theory regarding Elders

by Peppermint in

jw
friends

there has been much talk about the reasons for the demise of the book study.

the society claim rising gas/petrol prices, which of course is not the real reason.

some here think its down to declining numbers of elders and those who are reaching out.

Alpaca

Hey Peppermint,

Interesting thought about consolidating and grooming higher quality servants.

However, I think at this point they are proverbially, "pissing into the wind." IMHO, I think anything they do now, to improve the quality of the servants or to attact better talent, is too little, too late. The old timers were on fire about the message back in the 50s, 60s and early 70s. The fire is gone, because there is such a wishy washy message, now. The BORG doesn't stand for anything exciting or provocative to keep the R & F motivated.

I left in 1997, and the changes that have been made in recent years with the generation explanation, one Awake per month, the Kool Aid version of the WT, the pedophile cover up and denial, and axing the Book Study says to me that they are scrambling and maneuvering to keep a lid on the discontent and dissatisfaction. About a month ago, there was a report in the U.S. press that the Dubs have the highest turnover rate of any religion in the U.S. Any way you slice it, they've got big problems.

Since were chatting, it has always amazed me that the Brits, being such rational people could have fallen so hard for such an All American religion--what's up with that?

Cheers,

Alex

9

ICR DENIED ACCREDATION BY TEXAS BOARD

by badboy in

jw
friends

they wanted to be able to give out science degrees, but were denied.

Alpaca

All I can say (as a geologist) is, "THANK DOG!!!"

The fundies are out to take over our country, if they can.

Thanks for the post!!!!

Alex

28

Hey all! New to JWD

by JezeBell in

hey everyone!

just joined this board, but not new to boards of this sort.. the board i favored most just changed and i haven't rejoined (mainly because it sux now).. i have heard about this board for awhile, but this is the first time i ventured in.

just kinda.

Alpaca

Hey Jez,

Welcome. Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers,

Alex

37

New Here

by LearningMore in

i have been lurking here for a couple of months.

i was born and raised as a witness, and am a little weirded out to even be posting on here (you know the paranoia).

anyway, i faded about 10 years ago, and after reading so many posts, i am so happy that it was a pretty uneventful experience.

Alpaca

Hey there Ms. LM,

Glad to see you here.

Alex

32

As A Former JW, Do You Feel You Should "Apologize" For Past Actions?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you believe that you should now apologize for whatever actions you made when you were a witness?.

do you think that if you were an elder that you should contact those that might've felt oppressed by you and your "theocratic" actions?.

if you were a zealous preacher, do you now feel you should go back to your former bible students and tell them the error of your ways?.

Alpaca

Like many things in life, experiences can have elements of benefit and detriment.

I studied with a guy who was a childhood diabetic who wasn't expected to live much past the age of 30. Not only did I study with him, but also taught him to read functionally. He got baptized and remained active until he died. He was on dialysis 3 times a week and eventually he started losing body parts to infection. The doctors wanted to give him transfusions to keep him alive for as long as possible (the dialysis damages the blood), but he refused (at the urging of me and other elders). His family was irate with us, as they just wanted their brother/son to live for as long as possible. I don't even know where to begin to look for them to apologize, but my role in that tragedy is something I will never get over.

On the other hand, I think that I was a good influence on young ones in the congregation, helping them to navigate the difficult teenage years. In any event, some of the Dub teachings about showing respect for others and being kind and considerate had a good effect on me and others.

The net experience, however, probably comes out as a deficit and I would apologize to lots of family and others if I could.

Minimus, thanks for the post...it's always good to think about stuff like this.

Cheers,

Alex