cofty

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Posts by cofty

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  25

  Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you answer yes to that question ,may i ask which bible are you referring to ?

  and why would god have a different number of bible books for different parts of the world.?.

  is he partial to different ethnic groups ?.

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  cofty

  Where do they teach you to talk like this?
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  28

  Mental Illness among JW's

  by Victor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  disclaimer: this article has some broad generalizations that will have exceptions to what is stated.

  this is the only way i can even attempt to address the topic.

  i've looked for scholarly articles published on peer reviewed journals for years.

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  cofty

  All religion is a form of mental illness!

  I'm an atheist but I strongly disagree with your assessment of the cause of religious belief.

  See Jonathan Haidt - The Righteous Mind
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  25

  Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you answer yes to that question ,may i ask which bible are you referring to ?

  and why would god have a different number of bible books for different parts of the world.?.

  is he partial to different ethnic groups ?.

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  2. 
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  cofty

  Personal conviction is all we need. The carnal mind is unable to determine the baboonish concept of truth - Joan

  That may well be true of your mind.
• 
  46

  Believers: How do you know your view of your chosen holy book is the correct one?

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  don't start fighting, darlings.

  i am genuinely curious.

  after all i was a jobo 50 years and thought the wbt$ was 100% correct.. i ask this because i see that, for example, christian denominations (or whatever), likely have differing interpretations of the same writing.

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  cofty

  who would love th Bible without Jesus doing something in their lifes - Joan

  Does it never occur to you how narcissistic this is? Reflect for a moment on the desperate anxiety of millions of people in physical or psychological need. But god decided to do something for you in your relatively over-privileged life and ignore the more needy.

  There is much in the bible that is interesting, thought-provoking and even beautiful but there is not one word that even hints at a supernatural origin.
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  25

  Do you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  if you answer yes to that question ,may i ask which bible are you referring to ?

  and why would god have a different number of bible books for different parts of the world.?.

  is he partial to different ethnic groups ?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  cofty

  Without the Holy Spirit revelation and conviction, there is no basis for faith in anything - Joan

  Faith is the enemy of knowledge.

  Personal conviction is irrelevant to the search for what is true.
  
  
• 
  7

  'Phone call from Ex JW,

  by Phizzy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  a guy i was great friend with in my teens 'phoned me out of the blue today, and brought back a lot of fond memories, he was df'd, because he was a very naughty boy lol, but as he said, as is common with a lot of us exes, he took a long time to grow up.

  he spoke of my parents, who despite being jw's, were lovely people, they took him in to our home when his mum was in hospital for some weeks, he also spoke of the good times we had as kids, and how his parents were good to him, and made him what he is today despite being jw's.. we sometimes do not give credit where it is due, my parents made me a lover of truth, but it is real truth i espouse now of course.. perhaps this kind of view of our upbringing is more positive than concentrating on all the downsides of what is basically an evil cult ?

  looking at the (very few) positives can perhaps help us heal ?.

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  cofty

  I have a different perspective.

  It's not an emotional thing as much as a settled disgust and contempt for the cult and absolutely everything it stands for.

  I really hope for its total destruction.
• 
  8

  Help please

  by PhillipThomas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello...been baptized for about a year and a half...just aware now...they are watching me...possibly even now...help me!!

  !i'm too afraid to say too much here...they could even be here disguised as ex-jw's to watch for people like me...how do i get help??

  who do i trust?

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  cofty

  They have no power that you do not grant them.
• 
  7

  Why does the Borg never use the terms Grace or Ezer

  by HiddenPimo in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  let me start with: this is not a discussion of the validity of the bible or whether it is inspired of god.. my question is why do you think they don't use grace in their teachings when this is such paramount teaching in the rest of the christian world.

  and why do they not reference the hebrew word for helper in genesis 'ezer'.

  this word as applied to a woman seems more dignified as it carries the connotation of strength where the man is weak.

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  cofty

  It's a really good question.

  Grace disappears when Jesus' sacrifice is transformed from vicarious punishment to a legal transaction.

  For most Christians - and for Russell - Jesus died for our sins. For Rutherford he died in order to purchase the value of Adam's perfect life.

  There is no room for grace when all a JW has is a clean slate at baptism and then has to begin earning their own salvation by obedience to an organisation.
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  7

  Incest, Rape and Abuse in the Amish World

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  so familiar and for all the same reasons.. the amish keep to themselves.

  and they’re hiding a horrifying secret....

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  cofty

  'Virtually every Amish victim I spoke to—mostly women but also several men—told me they were dissuaded by their family or church leaders from reporting their abuse to police or had been conditioned not to seek outside help (as Sadie put it, she knew she’d just be “mocked or blamed”). Some victims said they were intimidated and threatened with excommunication. Their stories describe a widespread, decentralized cover-up of child sexual abuse by Amish clergy.'

  This is also the reality in the Watchtower. They now state that victims have the right to go to the police but every JW is 'conditioned' not to do so. Especially if the perpetrator is in good standing in the cult.
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  7

  Incest, Rape and Abuse in the Amish World

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  so familiar and for all the same reasons.. the amish keep to themselves.

  and they’re hiding a horrifying secret....

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  cofty

  So familiar and for all the same reasons.

  The Amish Keep to Themselves. And They’re Hiding a Horrifying Secret...