For a person committed to reason and rational thinking, I don't see how there's a choice about what to believe...
It may be a delightful notion to suppose that the moon is made of delicious candy, but since plenty of evidence says it's not, what good is a 'belief' that evidence refutes?
I simply can't believe that the moon is made of candy, I can't believe that 2 plus 2 is 5, and I can't believe the claims of the JW religion regarding their exclusive link to the Divine.
hybridous
JoinedPosts by hybridous
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8
Can you choose what you believe?
by noonehome ini hear it all the time.. people who decide it isn't the truth and leave are said to deep down know they're leaving the truth, choosing instead whatever ideology suits their imperfect desires.
in the new dvd the little kid asks why people believe in evolution and the dad basically says people believe whatever they want.
the actual issue is never actually addresed though: "did life evolve?
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hybridous
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one reason for the dumbing down of the org
by Magnum ina lot of us have said that theres been a dumbing down in jw land.
its just not like it used to be especially a few decades ago.
it seems to me that if jw are right and the end of the world is near, the spiritual food should get tastier and more nourishing as time goes on, but it's getting more and more bland and less nourishing.
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hybridous
Quote: 'There are very likely plenty of intelligent individuals in the organization who - for their own reasons - are selectively "lazy" in their neglect of reasoning.'
Good comment. What they're not accounting for is the fact that such selective 'laziness' carries its own weighty and formidable burden. And even if they percieve it, the hope is that the Kingdom arrives before they give out. Such an insufferable prison...
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Obama Speaks as The Great Whore
by scotoma inobama speaks at us war cemetery on d-day landings anniversary.
"united states of america is and will remain the greatest force for freedom the world has ever known.".
on may 28, obama delivered a commencement address to the us armys newest officers at west point, where he argued america would remain an empire forever.. .
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hybridous
Maybe these 'prophesies' are merely geopolitical extrapolations from ages past? Is that what you're getting at, scotoma?
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How old were you when you left the Watchtower - SURVEY
by usualusername ini believe that the older you are the harder it is to leave the watchtower.. .
i am attempting to get a list of ages people learnt the "truth" and what age they left.. .
uun.
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hybridous
Born in and quit at 17. Never baptised, but more-or-less, made an official and deliberate exit.
Spent a decade trying to just 'get over' the abusive childhood. Things didn't improve for me until I went to therapy/counseling. It made a world of difference for me, and I strongly recommend it for exiting JWs. -
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Supreme Court ruling- refusing to photo gay wedding is discrimination
by SadElder inaccording to bloomberg news:.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-07/wedding-photographer-rebuffed-by-top-court-on-same-sex-ceremony.
"the u.s. supreme court turned away an appeal from a new mexico wedding photographer found to have violated a state anti-discrimination law when she refused to take pictures of a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple.. the photographer, elaine huguenin, argued unsuccessfully that she was being unconstitutionally forced to convey a message conflicting with her religious beliefs.
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hybridous
No business is 'open to the public'. It is a private and case-by-case undertaking.
No violence? Just what do you think is the bottom line when the government is involved? That is what the government is - organized violence. -
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Supreme Court ruling- refusing to photo gay wedding is discrimination
by SadElder inaccording to bloomberg news:.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-07/wedding-photographer-rebuffed-by-top-court-on-same-sex-ceremony.
"the u.s. supreme court turned away an appeal from a new mexico wedding photographer found to have violated a state anti-discrimination law when she refused to take pictures of a commitment ceremony for a same-sex couple.. the photographer, elaine huguenin, argued unsuccessfully that she was being unconstitutionally forced to convey a message conflicting with her religious beliefs.
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hybridous
Meh...either a person has freedom of association to exersice as they choose, or they don't.
I don't agree with discriminating against gays, but I do rather like the right to exclude toxic cultists from my life.
I don't see that applying the violence of government against someone with a shitty opinion is the best way to change minds.
Not to mention the dangerous notion that your right to your property merely hinges on popular opinion... -
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First post
by EastCoastMindFree ini have been on this site lurking for over 2 years and this is my first post, i feel so bottled with emotion that i have to let it out somehow so i do not have an emotional breakdown!
i was raised in the organization and am married with 2 children ages 4 and 2. my wife and i have been inactive for about 2 years and i have always had hard questions that were never answered growing up, such as blood policy and how david and his men were allowed to eat from the bread reserved for the high priests without death penalty since it was life or death.
carbon dating on human remains/tools that date back 30-40k years, far surpassing the 6k year man creation date, the double standards and very real "human" aspect on the organization and its decisions and history.
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hybridous
Good on you for having the honesty to say what you really think. Of course, as a JW, such honesty is unwelcome.
The years spent in the hamster wheel as JW, doing someone else's bidding at great personal cost...those are lost years. A sunk cost. There is no getting it back.
But you can make something out of it and profit from the experience, if you are open to the possibility.
Get as far away from the cult as circumstances will allow. Raise your children, and be happy. Let the experience as a JW impart a sense of value for free-thinking, rationality, and honesty in your life. Because I've seen life minus those things, and frankly, it sucks.This 'virus' that has ruined my family for a few generations...it ends with me. It goes no further. Because I decided it to be so. I love my kids too much.
You can make the same decision for yours. Love them enough to protect them from the naked awfulness of a JW childhood. -
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What is your favorite bible scripture ...
by Freethinking76 inwhat is your favorite bible scripture that the jws have misinterpreted ?.
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hybridous
Ecclesiates 1:18
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
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Will the Watchtower Society benefit from the looming financial collapse?
by redvip2000 inif you have your eyes and ears open and can put 2 and 2 together, you have like many of us, have figured out that there is an impending financial collapse in the united states.
the type of financial collapse that likely has never been seen.. whether you believe this is being done intentionally by global power hungry groups bent on bringing us to our knees, in order to push their agenda, or whether it is being done out of carelessness and stupidity is hardly relevant at this point.. the writing is on the wall.
experts (and all who want to) can see it , high level officials expect it, and are already implementing the contingencies that are needed in order handle the civil unrest that will ensue.
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hybridous
In the event of economic calamity, I figure the WT will gain in one way and lose in another...
The fearful will see events as 'proof positive' that the WT as right about THE END, and the Organization will enjoy new & stronger devotion from its adherents...
But also, the necessities of life will dry up contributions even further. So while the zealots may run hotter than normal, their ability to sustain the Org. will be diminished. Their usefullness will be quite limited. -
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Differing views of education in the JW cult
by hybridous inwhile reading the thread about the jw elder clearing his conscience, i had the thought.... .
while taking everyone's experiences in the jw org at face value, we all certainly had different influences present around us concerning education.. .
it is clear to me that within the jw org, there is a spectrum running from hard-liners to very liberal, in this particular matter.
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hybridous
While reading the thread about the JW elder clearing his conscience, I had the thought...
While taking everyone's experiences in the JW ORG at face value, we all certainly had different influences present around us concerning education.
It is clear to me that within the JW ORG, there is a spectrum running from hard-liners to very liberal, in this particular matter.
My question is, what does this do to the JW ORG over time?
I can only guess that this dynamic would tend to stratify things. Liberal families who allow(encourage?) their children to get a college education might not retain their kids in the ORG, but the ones who stay would tend to have better careers; make more money, then the ones whose eschewed higher education.
Families who 'got the message' would tend to stagnate, and the ones who didn't would, more-or-less, drift upward. I could see this breeding some real resentment within congregations.