Question should be any non-mainstream beliefs that have stayed the same because obviously belief in the Bible and dozens of generally undisputed beliefs among christians found within have not changed. Tons of literal interpretations have not changed, like literal interpretation of adam and even, noah's flood, etc etc.
simon17
JoinedPosts by simon17
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42
Is there ANY JW belief/doctrine that has remained the same from start to now?
by journey-on ini was trying to think of one teaching or doctrine that has remained consistent from the society's inception to now, and couldn't.
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can you give me one?.
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My first experience as a Householder.
by Flat_Accent inand it wasnt even on the platform!.
i got a knock on the door this morning from a jw in another local congregation.
it's the first time this has happened since i left in october.
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simon17
All I can suggest for this, is to invite her inside and ask her to use Google to find statistics to back up her 'feelings'.
No don't do that. You can verify any ridiculous assertion via a google search and you'll just be bickering back and forth about source validity.
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140
Blame the designer and not the product: God and the lame Free Will argument
by Terry inthis is the one thing nobody is ever able to explain to me!.
if a genius designs something to operate in a specific way in order to obtain a precise outcome and it doesn't work---tell me again why we don't blame the genius designer/manufacturer??.
oh--that free will maguffin!.
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simon17
Put this in another context.
Would you prefer a Stepford wife who is programmed to be whatever you want to a wife with her own will and emotions who may let you down?
Supposing you want the latter, thats fine, but you can't say you want a wife who will love you and stay with you by choice while threatening to kill her if she were to ever leave you. That's abusive.
If God said that he wants humans to serve him out of love and things will be better that way, but if you want, go out and live with Satan and whatever life that ends up being, then that is an ACTUAL choice. Obey me or die is free will in a technical sense, but it is also the height of emotional and/or physical abuse.
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Blame the designer and not the product: God and the lame Free Will argument
by Terry inthis is the one thing nobody is ever able to explain to me!.
if a genius designs something to operate in a specific way in order to obtain a precise outcome and it doesn't work---tell me again why we don't blame the genius designer/manufacturer??.
oh--that free will maguffin!.
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simon17
There is meaning in the second, but not in the first. The second one is free. The first one is a slave.
Yeah but... freedom is not "You are free to do what you want; but if you don't do what I want, I will kill you"
In that sense all slaves have been "free". They can choose to leave the plantation if they want at any time. But if they don't want to be hunted down and killed they will freely choose to stay on the plantation and follow their master's will.
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Without God, Do Humans Have More Intrinsic Value Than Animals?
by leavingwt in.
if there is no god (however defined), do humans have more intrinsic value than animals?
feel free to offer brief or complex responses.
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simon17
Yes, humans have more intrinsic value because of intelligence and ability to use that intelligence. Ultimately existnence of life is of more use, and only humans have the capability to allow life to persevere past things like the end of the solar system. Therefore I conclude they have more intrinsic value. Perhaps that isn't "intrinsic" but it is value.
Also we should probably say humans have more potential intrinsic value, because their abilities could also be used for harm in a way that no other animal or organism could achieve.
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New Video - Jehovah's Witnesses and Higher Education
by sabastious insome musings about higher education, hope you enjoy.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk_r11t3otw.
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simon17
Great post. The university issue is a bit regional, as in more wealthy areas its silently tolerated or even slightly encouraged by locals, though derided by travelling brothers, etc. But I know the further out you go into rural or middle-class areas, the more this starts to turn.
But the point at the end is a great one. THings like pant suits and beards and social networking and R-rated movies and on and on and on are all things that are not specifically banned. But the culture of negativity has changed our very perception of these things so that we naturally avoid them.
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evolution
by inbetween insince my awakening from the mind control of the wts, it has been an exciting also frigthening journey of exploration and free thinking.. i would say, today i try to be open to anything, i ll go whatever direction facts show.
while i`m no scientist, i think i have a glue about the scientific method.
i also agree with the statemant, that some extraordinary claim needs extraordinary proof.. so far, it is a difficult question whether god exists or not, and probably in my lifetime i will not get a conclusive answer.. however, my concerns are about evolution, since even a confirmation of evolution does not necessarily exclude the existence of a god, it just proivdes an alternative explanation, in case there is no god.. even though i did not really read a book yet about evolution, i read other books of people, whose reasoning i can agree to, and they believe in evolution.. .
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simon17
Regarding your question on evolution and missing links.
Most times if A+ is better than A, then A dies out and A+ takes over. Then when improvement A++ comes along, it takes over and A+ is slowly eliminated from the population. Also when populations are separated by some barrier into "islands" they diverge along different lines. So suppose population A is split into A1 and A2. Well as A1+++++++ and A2++++++++ evolve, and then you look back and compare the two results, there will be huge differences AND no middle ground between the two new divergent species.
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Which do you think is the most pernicious teaching of the JW's?
by Chariklo inas i turn things over in my mind, one jw lie stands out.. that god doesn't listen to all prayers.
unless i have it wrong, and i don't think i do, jw's believe, and have been endlessly, ruthlessly taught, that only those living by "jehovah's righteous standards"...that awful glib phrase again...will get their prayers listened to.
in other words, god looks at the number the person is calling from, so to speak, checks who it is, looks him up in his book of misdeeds, and angrily slams the phone down.. the jehovah god of the wt is petty and mean-minded.
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simon17
That God doesn't listen to all prayers. Unless I have it wrong, and I don't think I do, JW's believe, and have been endlessly, ruthlessly taught, that only those living by "Jehovah's righteous standards"...that awful glib phrase again...will get their prayers listened to. In other words, God looks at the number the person is calling from, so to speak, checks who it is, looks him up in his book of misdeeds, and angrily slams the phone down.
Actually I don't think this is really true. God doesn't "listen" to all prayers in that he doesn't take any action if they are not in accord with his will, not in that he refuses to literally hear what is being said. So if Sinner X prayed for the 49ers to win Sunday morning, God would hear and ignore. If Sinner X then prayed for a Bible Study Sunday afternoon, he'd send Gabriel a-runnin' to direct pioneer Y to his house. I believe thats how it works.
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Will there be a SECOND Armageddon in the year 2914?
by Alfred inok... i know the answer... absolutely not..... but where does the watchtower get this idea that satan will be released in the year 2914 (1914 + 1,000) to test the faith of jws who have been cleaning up the planet for a thousand years?
which bible texts have they taken out of context to arrive at this bizarre and exclusive jw teaching?.
also, what are they saying will happen to the those who fail this "final test"?
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simon17
Read the account in Revelation: the end of 1000 years test is going to be just as bloody a bloodbath as Armagehddon according to that. It says the number of opposers will become "as numerous as the grains of sand" and that the opposers led by Satan will "completely encircle the few holy ones left" before being exterminated for all time.
It makes one wonder about the challenge of Universal Sovreignty, right? After Manking is given his chance to rule for several thousand years, 99.9% of the population rejects god. And after GOD gets his chance to rule for a thousand years, it appears most people STILL don't chose his way of rulership!! How in the world does that = Win for God????? Who DECIDES the challenge of who is the best ruler for mankind? If its the ruled (humans) then the choice is clear. If its the ruler (God), well, then he should have made that decision a long ass time ago.
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"Awake" 1973 says Witnesses should not play CHESS it's EVIL!!!
by Witness 007 inawake 73 march 22 p.12 "the spirit of competition between players can lead to unplesant circumstances...in some homes tensions linger long past checkmate...chess has been a game of war since it originated...the games conection to war is obvious....a play substitue for the art of war...there is a danger of stirring uo competition with one another even developing hostility with one another something the bible warns against....what effect does playing chess have on one?
is it a wholesome effect?
....there are questions regarding it that each one who plays chess should consider.".
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simon17
Elders have made the case for "Monopoly" instead of "Chess", anyone detect the insanity of this argument, I can tell a story about a nasty argument, two elders came close to "blows" over this subject. What is the goal of "Monopoly? What is the goal of Chess?
That IS ridiculous. If there is any game I've ever actually gotten pissed with someone over, its Monopoly! The Awake magazine railing against the dangers of Chess is laughable.