it seems to me that the borg has no right to criticize apparent wrongs in the world because their members are not allowed to take part in politics.for instance how can they call something in the worldly system wrong if they do not vote against it or do something constructive to change the status quo.. it's no use them complaining about something they disagree with and at the same time opt out of the system .in other words, it's nothing to with them so tell them to clear off and mind their own business and leave the worlds wrongs to people who are trying to do something constructive about it.. words in the waktower will not cure anything, positive action gets things done .. for heavens sake how much more ink are they going to waste and how many more trees are they going to destroy before they realise actions speak louder than words?.
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you can tell this old system of things is about to crumble
...and yet here we are. My dad says this all the time - all I can tell is that we're still struggling along. I think his view that it's about to come crashing down is much more tied in with his family of origin, how they treated him, and how it instilled a sense of impending doom within his psyche.
he uses terms like: .
~ its okay if you dont recognize gods sovergnty .
~ its okay , you dont know better, if you knew what i knew then you wouldnt (celebrate xmas) lol .. i told him i knew what he knew, and its irrelevant, havent gotten to the fact they can play with pinatas because they dont mean the same thing they used to.
I was wondering...now that he will have an unbelieving mate, what are the consequences for him?
it seems to me that the borg has no right to criticize apparent wrongs in the world because their members are not allowed to take part in politics.for instance how can they call something in the worldly system wrong if they do not vote against it or do something constructive to change the status quo.. it's no use them complaining about something they disagree with and at the same time opt out of the system .in other words, it's nothing to with them so tell them to clear off and mind their own business and leave the worlds wrongs to people who are trying to do something constructive about it.. words in the waktower will not cure anything, positive action gets things done .. for heavens sake how much more ink are they going to waste and how many more trees are they going to destroy before they realise actions speak louder than words?.
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That struck me in the early 70's - if you're gonna decry the state of the world, and demonize those that try to help it, why aren't you in the fray holding a brighter light and a better banner? It's like a doctor seeing a wound that walking past, saying that God will take care of it when he's good and ready, but it has nothing to do with me!
I wonder how much the WTS tried to influence the process in Mexico that led to religious organizations having the ability to own property again? Or did they just take advantage of that change when it happily occurred?
please read.
it mentions the watchtower and has some interesting things to say about it.. thoughts in captivity.
faith versus reason in religion.
Hi Burn: Not meaning to pester, but:
Pray, teach us how to do that! Subjectivities cannot be shed.
Seems a bit dogmatic. As I pointed out, two such paths to observing your own subjectivities are therapy and meditation. A skilled psychotherapist can help you to see your beliefs more clearly, help you to challenge your own preconceptions, become more an observer than merely be at the whim of your thoughts. Another mechanism for you may be Zen Buddhism. Neither path is a quick fix, but both have been helpful to people trying to shed some of the subjectiveness.
Of specific help, you might try working with a Certified Hakomi Therapist, which blends a meditative posture with therapy. Or any of a number of self-realization or self-actualization workshops. I'm not sure what will work for you, but I have known many people very well who have come to a balanced place, aware of but not at the mercy of their subjectivities.
Some of them choose to continue a belief in the divine - but are aware that this is a choice that they make because it serves them well in their lives.
Not that I'm suggesting anyone in particular needs or wants therapy. There are broadening paths available to blunt the hold that subjectivity has on us. Will it go away completely? Not in my experience - but it can be moderated.
Whichever theories confer the best advantages to their hosts propagate preferentially over those that are flawed in relation.
Since preferred theories do propogate (and they are preferred usually because they have verifiable results in the lab), I wouldn't have a problem with that. The major difference between religious memes and what you call scientific ones is that scientific ones are always open to continued testing and (sometimes with the difficulty of religious mems) are withdrawn when found wanting.
Unlike JW memes. Which hare not propogating all that well, considering that less than .1% of the human population have been successfully infected.
I need a meme inoculation...
in the jw's teaching that there will not be endless punishment of the wicked, but that the unrighteous people will be annihilated and cease to exist.
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what bible verses to they use to support this teachings?.
On the "positive" side of proof, Ecclesiastes saying the dead are conscious of nothing; on the "negative" side (e.g., there is no proof FOR it), they teach there are no scriptures that reference a metaphysical Hell.
a couple of topics recently have made me think about exactly how cynical are the wts when it comes to their higher education policy for the rank and file.. first one was mavie's about her forthcoming jc which prompted me to flick through richard dawkins the god delusion.
dawkins quotes from a study published in mensa magazine 2002; .
"of 43 studies carried out since 1927 on the relationship between religious belief and one's intelligence and/or educational level, all but four found an inverse connection.
What Gopher said. The synthesis of everything they say on the matter boils down to "keep 'em dumb so they'll stay on the farm".
The scary thing is, some of them may actually believe that stupid uneducated is better for them.
for the encouraging wt article you printed for me.
it also referenced an article about getting help from the elders in your congregation.
this is the very first thing it says: .
Oomp - we don't DF here, as far as I can see...
I can't tolerate much alcohol myself - comes from being force fed whiskey to make the molestations easier. The smell of whiskey (scotch, bourbon, etc.) makes me gag.
That doesn't stop me from understanding your pain and the response to that pain - I too will help you up from the curb and welcome you back...
on this board it is stated matter-of-factly that theodore jaracz is the gb member holding.
the real power over doctrinal direction and such, i was just wondering how we know this.
to be the case.. [inkling].
bluesteel: My one rude comment for the year 2007, and I've been waiting for the opportunity to use it:
Learn to read. Learn to like to read. The alternative is to always be in a herd of cattle, to be used and led by evil people.
how do you guys know for sure that its reached by a 2/3's vote?
If by no other way, the ex-Governing Body member Ray Franz details this at great length (with its consequences) in his book Crisis of Conscience.
Now go read something. Please. Even if it's just this board.
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every year i have something printed up for my exjw family to give out as a christmas present, this year i had these t-shirts made, let me know what you think..
OMG, Andre = brilliant
i am very curious, since i am myself trying to figure out where to turn to, if anywhwere.
(i am still debating if i am truly an atheist at heart and religion in general turns me off at least as of now) where have you turned to since you left the wt?
i would imagine that many people who became witnesses had spiritual needs (which is ironic why i am feeling atheist, lol) but have you gone to other churches, stopped going to church, become atheist, etc?
I've turned toward a life of participation and engaging with the world instead of leaving it for "God to figure out sometime".
Rather than telling people what the Watch Tower says, I ask them what they need or want.
I turn to my cat, my partner, my family, my fellow man (though not necessarily in that order).
