Posts by B_Deserter

66

So non-creationist - what do you think of those who still accept creation?

by AK - Jeff in

no firestorms please.

but be honest.

do you think that we are of a lower level of intelligence than those who accept evolutionist' theories?.

B_Deserter

"No firestorms please. But be honest. Do you think that we are of a lower level of intelligence than those who accept evolutionist' theories?"

I don't think creationists have a lower level of intelligence for the same reason I don't believe the great religious greek and roman scholars were unintelligent. I think a lot of the people that identify themselves as creationists really haven't thought about it that much. I think religion in general gets undue respect. It's taboo in many public circles to criticize or debate someone's religion. I don't really understand why that is. Creationism I've found is based on ignorance, the "I don't understand how it could have happened without God, so therefore God did it" mentality is confusing. One day Christianity will go to the mass grave of obsolete Gods and it will merely be viewed as another amusing mythology.

What I do think is that Creationists are intellectually dishonest with themselves. It is the same cognitive dissonance that kept me in the Witnesses for most of my life. I think that deep down, we all know there probably is no God out there, that it's all just an invention to explain the (as yet) unexplainable. The reasons for believing so are incredibly flawed. Many feel that agnosticism is the only proper way to think about the subject. I've found however that since most agnostics don't live their life praying and practicing the rituals of a certain religion or even thinking about God all that much, they're really just Atheists in a practical sense. They don't believe in any certain God but accept the possibility. Atheists are on the same boat really, its just that we think about God in the same manner we think about faeries or Santa Claus. Atheism is not the belief that there is no God, it is merely the lack of a belief in God. We don't believe in God because we see no good reason to. Very few if any will say emphatically that there is absolutely, positively, no possibility of God existing. I think a lot of people think we do say that, and that's a problem.

15

Someone did the math of the 1000 years = one day equation

by loosie in

i got three emails today here is the first of three.

get ready to be sick.. .

someone did the math of the 1000 years = one day equation.

B_Deserter

"They used to say a creative day was 7 thousand years long too, but have dropped that, although many old timers in the ORG don't realize it has been dropped." Lol, my mother is one of those people.

11

JW Atttitude toward Illegal Immigrants

by B_Deserter in

i have a jw friend that is letting an illegal immigrant live with him.

the brothers in his hall know his status (i wouldn't be surprised if half of them were illegal as well) but mention nothing about "obeying caesar's laws.

anybody else ever notice this?

B_Deserter

I have a JW friend that is letting an illegal immigrant live with him. The brothers in his hall know his status (I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were illegal as well) but mention nothing about "obeying Caesar's laws." Anybody else ever notice this? It seems that the elders like to turn a blind eye toward breaking the law in this instance.

2

So who is at the Saginaw, MI convention this weekend?

by B_Deserter in

jw
friends

i'm going to be there with my family.

B_Deserter

Ugh. I'm talking about my parents and brothers. I didn't make anyone go.

45

Is the Watchtower Crumbling???

by R.F. in

i'll start with my congregation....... there have been about 7 disfellowshippings in my congregation alone within the last year.

over half the congo is inactive and many more are irregular pubs.

young people in the congo are dropping like flies.

B_Deserter

I doubt it. What you're experiencing in your area is not happening everywhere. Success seems very localized. Where I live, the congregations are expanding by leaps and bounds. One hall has at least 150 people there every Sunday.

13

Do they DA people who quit going?

by White Dove in

do the elders da people who quit going?

i quit going two years ago and when sisters came to my door one time and asked why, i told them that the elders are no different from the pharisees and that i don't want anymore to do with it.

no elders have ever visited me concerning this or any other matter.

B_Deserter

They don't actually go from the OM book anymore. They use a new book called "Organized To Do Jehovah's Will" The official policy of faders is that the elders will not pursue the matter as long as you do not attempt to associate with any witnesses.

2

So who is at the Saginaw, MI convention this weekend?

by B_Deserter in

jw
friends

i'm going to be there with my family.

B_Deserter

I'm going to be there with my family.

43

Just Witnessed at my Door to an Elder and his Wife About Child Molestation

by flipper in

hello all, just had an interesting conversation with a p.o.

elder and his wife who were leaving me a incognito invitation to the "follow the christ" convention.i declined the invitation, but told them i had an associated press article i'd like to leave with them about molestation settlements jw's made outside of court.

i asked if they were aware of this settlement.

B_Deserter

Anyone have a link to that Dateline special? It came on when I was a witness so we avoided watching it in my family. I'd really like to see it now.

31

Ridiculous JW superstitions

by B_Deserter in

i'm not talking about the stuff you hear at the kingdom hall, i'm talking about the "experiences" you were told of by people you knew.

the big one for me was demons.

so many people i know had experiences with them.

B_Deserter

I'm not talking about the stuff you hear at the Kingdom Hall, I'm talking about the "experiences" you were told of by people you knew.

The big one for me was demons. So many people I know had experiences with them. I've never personally had any, but there have been many nights where I lay awake in a cold sweat, praying for my safety. The JW paranoia machine is quite effective on children ("don't by that KISS record or the demons will beat you in your sleep!").

Another one I always laughed at: My mother believes, honest to God, that people think with their literal, physical hearts. It's okay, read it again if you have to. According to her, emotions don't come from the brain, all of our thought processes are controlled by the heart and the brain has no function.

38

Something I noticed in the famous "1975" Watchtower article...

by B_Deserter in

i decided to read for myself the articles my father and mother were reading during this interesting time in witness history.

i stumbled upon the following paragraph that scared the bejeezus out of me: .

"one thing is absolutely certain, bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of mans existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation!

B_Deserter

I decided to read for myself the articles my father and mother were reading during this interesting time in Witness history. I stumbled upon the following paragraph that scared the bejeezus out of me:

"One thing is absolutely certain, Bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled Bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of man’s existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation! (Matt. 24:34) This is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent. This is not the time to be toying with the words of Jesus that “concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36) To the contrary, it is a time when one should be keenly aware that the end of this system of things is rapidly coming to its violent end. Make no mistake, it is sufficient that the Father himself knows both the “day and hour”!" - The Watchtower, "Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975?", August 15, 1968

So basically, the society in not-so-many-words is saying "ignore what Jesus said and listen to us." I am shocked at how blatant this decree is against the Bible itself.