I think Mad Sweeney is right about the brain drain. So much of the increase is foreign language groups where the level of education is really, really low--I mean, I've talked to some who still believe that if you cut your hair it grows even faster and other silly superstitions. That's not to imply that immigrants are less intelligent--not at all--but that the degree of education which would help in critical analysis and investigation of some of the WT claims, is often not there. Plus, no much of the info onthe internet is primarily in English.
Cadellin
JoinedPosts by Cadellin
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55
Is The Internet The Worst Thing That Could Happen To The Organization?
by minimus inthe witnesses try to demonize the internet.
in your opinion is the internet the biggest problem for the watchtower organization?.
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41
I just feel like crying... I'm so fed up of the hypocrisy!
by cattails ini was very disgusted with the wt study for today.. towards the end of the article it refers to matthew 15 (see quoted scripture below).
this is a beautiful passage where jesus says his followers need to be hospitable, care for sick, hungry and imprisoned brothers.. they turn it around and say that for jw's this means they need to support the "faithful and discreet slave" by going in door-to-door witnessing, making monetary contributions to support the worldwide witnessing work, and following the directions and counsel of congregation elders.. and the worst part of it all is that there were several commenters giving almost word for word answers to that effect, they didn't even seem to listen to previous comments, they just repeated mindlessly what the paragraph said... i was ready to burst.
mom knew i was about to have a fit right there and then.
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Cadellin
Cat--Can you make a plan for a fade? If you are dependent on JW family members, that might be difficult but you could make a start. At any rate, don't let it get you down. Even if your body is not free, your mind is that and that's the most important part. Come here and rant on our collective shoulders: we are on your side.
Funny thing about Matt 25 re sheep and goats and "Christ's brothers": When I was a Zealous Pioneer, I lived in fear (well, not fear exactly--maybe "anxiety") that a householder would ask me who Christ's brothers were, and I'd have to show him/her that they were the FDS. I knew my Bible inside and out, yet I had NO IDEA how I'd make the connection b/w the FDS/GB and "Christ's brothers" in any way that a (non JW) householder would be able to make sense of.
Even back then, when I was a very young mermaid, I knew deep down that the connection was unsupportable scripturally.
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update on my life
by quietlyleaving ini'm so happy today and thought i'd review how far i've come.. but first let me say how much i appreciate the topics and discussions that you guys raise.
i apologise for going too far sometimes very often.
i'm pressing on with my studies.
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Cadellin
First of all, quietlyleaving, you sound plenty intelligent to me!! Second of all, I have come to appreciate that nothing, and I do mean NOTHING trumps hard work. You rock!
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10
Why did God wage war against the Canaanites?
by hamilcarr infrom the watchtower, january 1, 2010 (p. 13):.
why were the canaanites displaced?.
the canaanites were, in a sense, squatters in a land that did not belong to them.
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Cadellin
I agree with hamilcarr that the Society's record of scholarship is dismal. As Leo points out, Israelite and Canaanite cultures overlap; in fact, Mark Smith, in The Early History of God, notes that Israelite culture was largely Canaanite in nature, as is particularly evident from looking at artifacts from the early Iron period. The rise of Israelite Yahwistic monolatry was more a case of them breaking with their own (Canaanite) history rather than the kind of divine innovation that a literal reading of the OT might indicate.
But in the JW world, any kind of real live reputable scholarly research, NOT taken out of context, is unwelcome and "worldly thinking"--no, worse--"worldly philosophies."
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A@G is baaaaack!!!! Plus a new video about the GB!
by Awakened at Gilead intoo busy with skool... i've been out of commission for a few months... did my last bits of homework today, and i am freeeeee!!!!
(for a few weeks at least... but my master's is getting close!).
anyway, worked on a video today.
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Cadellin
A@G--Finally got a chance to see your latest video--you have such a great "theocratic" voice. The only problem I had with it was that around the 3:00 mark, this weird robot voice suddenly interjects "AFFIRMATIVE!!!" and I just about jumped out of my skin. That's just my two cents. Otherwise, it was fascinating.
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Why Would Someone Like me Leave the "Truth"? Part 3 Continued
by cantleave inmike and i decided that we would find out where he lived and visit him.
he had moved to completely different area but we were new elders and determined to get our man.
we confronted bro smith on his doorstep after establishing where his house was and waiting outside long enough to ensure that he was in.
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Cadellin
Looking forward to the next installment, Cantleave. Take 2 aspirin and come back soon! Happy New Year, everybody!!!
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Why Would Someone Like me Leave the "Truth"? Part 3 Continued
by cantleave inmike and i decided that we would find out where he lived and visit him.
he had moved to completely different area but we were new elders and determined to get our man.
we confronted bro smith on his doorstep after establishing where his house was and waiting outside long enough to ensure that he was in.
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Cadellin
Cantleave, thank you for your fascinating account. Where do elders get the ideas for what constitutes proof of repentance, ie returning to a husband? What is the scriptural basis for saying that one specific action is proof of repentance and not some other action? It seems arbitrary.
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Will the Society Ever Print Another Evolution Verse Creation Book?
by frankiespeakin ini think if they do they will have to make many revisions now that information is so prevalent on the internet.
and with all that is known about dna and how it proves darwin was right i don't see how they could.
but i guess you can never put nothing past the wt and it's crack smoking writers to dig up something ridiculous to blur the lines of reality for the friends, for sure its got to be way harder to write such a book today and keep a straight face..
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Cadellin
The "Creation" book is a "theocratic" embarassment that is still, to my amazement, being published. They just put a new paperback cover on it. Discovering the many botched quotations was what initially opened my eyes--and caused enormous pain, because I couldn't believe the Society would be so dishonest or stupid or both.
I agree that it's unlikely they will publish anything like it--I think the Writing Dept. knows it can't take on evolution science-wise. The most recent stuff ("Was it Designed" in the Awake, and the new DVD) relies on incredulity to promote Intelligent Design ("How could anything so amazing/complex/intricate happen by chance?")and emotional persuasion ("Such a wonderful/caring/loving God..."). It makes me fume to see them play the "chance" card--anyone with even a small amount of knowledge about evolution knows that natural selection is NOT chance. And the irony is that they will feature, for instance, the smoothness of shark skin as evidence of design without every discussing exactly WHY God would NEED to design sharks to skim through the water so fast and undetected...or WHY owls are designed to fly at night without making a sound. Remember, all animals were given "vegetation" to eat, according to Genesis!!!
The last attempt to treat evolution in any kind of scientific way was the special September 2006 Awake on the subject where they drew liberally from Jonathon Wells' "Icons of Evolution," a book that has been roundly debunked by the scientific community for its ill presentation of factual information.
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Are the Dubbers still preaching the end is very close?
by dogon inwe use to joke around and use the line from danny deveto on romancing the stone where he is asking michael dougless when he is coming back, soon very soon as a way to make fun of the believers who would keep telling us on stage the end was soon very soon.
they started this after the 75 and 2000 failure.
what are they saying now?.
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Cadellin
One more thought: While EOM complains about the increasing tolerance toward gays as being a sign of worsening times, one might not think that way if one happens to be gay. One of the greatest improvements in modern human society is the acceleration of human rights, particularly for minorities, women and gay/lesbian and transgender folks. Yep, they're all folks and deserve the compassion and civil rights that have traditionally been reserved only for certain strata.
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Are the Dubbers still preaching the end is very close?
by dogon inwe use to joke around and use the line from danny deveto on romancing the stone where he is asking michael dougless when he is coming back, soon very soon as a way to make fun of the believers who would keep telling us on stage the end was soon very soon.
they started this after the 75 and 2000 failure.
what are they saying now?.
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Cadellin
The fact of the matter is that human history ebbs and flows--crops flourish and peace prevails, then famine strikes and the plague breaks out, wars start and stop and start again. Nevertheless, a close examination of the past century reveals it to be one of the most peaceful and prosperous in human history.
Yes, millions are in poverty and millions of children die each year of preventable causes--there's no getting around that tragedies exist. But there are 7 billion people on the planet, more than ever before, which is why you need to look at percentages of total population instead of straight numbers. The very fact that the human population has skyrocketed over the past century attests to the prevalence of food, medicine and general safety in comparison to past ages. It took humans tens of thousands of years to hit a billion--why? Because war, disease and famine tended to kill almost as many people as were born in any given year. Not anymore.
Further, there's never been as much motivation to alleviate human suffering than in the past several decades, which is why when famine strikes, for instance, in Africa, the numbers that die are nowhere near as staggering as in past centuries, even though the number of people affected might be very great. A very interesting place to visit is the UN website, where the Millenium Goals report can be found. While there are still staggering problems facing our species, over the last 20 years, more than a billion MORE people have improved water and sewage, poverty has decreased dramatically, and many communicable diseases, including malaria and AIDS, are moving downward. Ironically, there are more obese people on the planet right now than hungry--about a billion vs. 900 million hungry.