simon17

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Posts by simon17

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  30

  Would you have left if b-days and blood were okay, and DF-ing was rare?

  by respectful_observer in

  1. jw
  2. friends
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  simon17

  Yes, those were all non-issues
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  28

  But, isn't it a "Wicked System of Things?"

  by PenelopePaige in

  1. social
  2. current

  i am not a jw but one thing that they really get me on is when they call the outside world a "wicked system of things" and say it is run by the devil.

  i know the world can be great and people can be wonderful but on the flip side, the bad seems to be getting worse and morals seem to be flying out the window.

  i don't know, what do you guys think?

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  simon17

  Would you say slavery is getting worse from, say, 200 years ago? How about gladiatorial games and the absolute brutality of life in the majority of places for the majority of world history? How about the rights of women? The thing is, you just focus on a few bad things and say, "wow, this is truly horrible" while ignoring all the progress.

  Jeff Tweedy of Wilco: "Every generation believes its the worst, believes it's the end of the world"

  How true that is...
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  91

  Awake! November 2011 - correct cover

  by processor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  there was an error on the latest awake!

  cover.

  here is the correct version.. .

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  simon17

  This quote is funny from this:

  Regrettably, many of the world’s religions
  have added to the confusion by teaching
  things that contradict well-established scientific
  knowledge. A notable example is the unbiblical
  notion that God created the world in
  six 24-hour days a few thousand years ago.

  The creation of the earth a few thousand years ago WAS a biblical teaching until science said it was nonsensical. Now all of a sudden, its unbiblical.
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  91

  Awake! November 2011 - correct cover

  by processor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  there was an error on the latest awake!

  cover.

  here is the correct version.. .

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  simon17

  "The Greatest Show on Earth - The Evidence for Evolution"

  How are you liking that? I was a little disappointed. It definitely had some very good portions, but compared to other, more direct books, it had a lot of "if you don't believe in and accept evolution, you're an idiot" type stuff.
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  26

  Top 10 JW Beliefs

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i will post a serious list of the beliefs that make jw's unique.

  but i want your thoughts, including anything weird like "beards are evil" or that "smurfs are from the devil.".

  the top 10 jw beliefs:.

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  simon17

  You'd have to put something about the requirement of door-to-door preaching work for ALL of the members. Its JW's most distinctive quality.

  Believing Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 607 BCE is something literally unique to JWs. No other group in the world believes that.

  Their bizarre in between status on creation is also pretty unique. Garden of Eden, Noah = real. Creative days = symbols. The mess of theology and science is so twisted. Probably not deserving of the list but most religions go one way or the other.
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  140

  Why So Many Young People Are Leaving The Watchtower

  by Jeremy C in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the watchtower organization in recent years.

  last night, i was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the watchtower.

  one factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization.

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  simon17

  It’s not hard to figure out why so many JW children are conditioned from an early age to associate drudgery with the meetings and assemblies. There simply isn’t anything designed or built into the programs that work with the attention spans of young children. Many churches offer separate classes, services, or groups for children that are compatible with their maturity level and that get them acclimated to going to church. However, the Watchtower stubbornly sticks to a “one size fits all” program for everyone. How many schools do you know of, that stick preschoolers, high school students, and graduate students all into the same classroom together?

  Although one might argue that meetings are aimed at the intelligence level of a child, but the attention span of an adult. Too boring for the average child and too idiotic for the average adult.
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  20

  Attention Governor Perry: Evolution is a fact - R. Dawkins

  by unshackled in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the washington post published this richard dawkins response to perry's evolution is "just a theory" comment.

  refers to him as an "uneducated ignoramus" and doesn't spare the republican party much either.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/on-faith/post/attention-governor-perry-evolution-is-a-fact/2011/08/23/giqauifuyj_blog.html.

  q. texas governor and gop candidate rick perry, at a campaign event this week, told a boy that evolution is just a theory with gaps and that in texas they teach both creationism and evolution.

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  simon17

  It would have been nice if his artile did a little less of explaining why evolution was a "good theory" and giving some of the ample evidence that supports the theory. You can have very good hypothesis that are very simple but also that are wrong. Evolution is not good because it is simple. It is good because it is backed by all the evidence. Gravitation would probably be simpler under Newtonian theorization. But facts suggest Einstein has the correct theory of it afterall, as an example.
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  28

  Typical earthquake comment

  by MrFreeze in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my mom texted me after i texted her letting her know i felt the quake today.

  her only response was "'matthew 24:7".

  it really annoyed the hell out of me..

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  simon17

  So just ask:

  "So do you believe God physically CAUSED the earthquake?" Yes will give them a lot of problems. Lets assume they answer "No."

  "Then what physically caused the earthquake?"

  Etc...
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  22

  Marking?? WTH is that?

  by Free!! in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was a baptized jw for about 6 years in a spanish congregation.. and i never ever ever heard anything about "marking"... what is that??

  i knew someone can be disfellowshipped, publicly/privately reproved or dissasociated themselves.. but i never heard of marking.. can someone please care to explain that term to me?.

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  simon17

  It's harsher than a reproval because reprovals are usually short restrictions applied to repentant wrongdoers. Marking is just one step away from disfellowshipping.

  I'm not sure about that. Basically:

  Reproving: You did something DF worthy but were repentant

  Marking: You did not do something DF worthy, but were unrepentant about it.
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  97

  Another question, if I may...

  by AGuest in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  and may you all have peace!

  this is another general question for the board and i ask your indulgence because i am trying to understand how others think.

  if there truly is no god/god... what is wrong with the existence of religion?

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  simon17

  Religion isn't wrong. Intolerance is the problem. Unfortunately the two are quiet married together.

  Also, religion is not treated like other industries when it pays no taxes. Treat it the same.