cofty

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Posts by cofty

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  84

  Do you have any evidence that the GB had bad intent?

  by AlainAlam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  do you have any evidence that the gb had bad intent?

  as opposed to blind faith/cognitive dissonance and honest mistakes.. i'm inclined to think they have the best of intentions and are just wrong (primarily because the bible is wrong), but i'm willing to consider the evidence otherwise..

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  cofty

  I think their motives are nuanced.

  Their raison d'etre is to protect 'Jehovah's organisation'. That justifies anything that needs to be done for the greater good. In the process of course they protect themselves personally from public shame but the fiction of the 'F&DS' allows them to detach themselves from their own liability.

  In the process they have behaved appallingly and are responsible for thousands of wasted and broken lives.

  Individual JWs are not admirable IMO. Anybody who prays daily for the immediate annihilation of 99.99% of the world's population so that they can inherit a dystopian New World is not a moral person. Anybody who can let their child die for want of a blood transfusion is not moral. Anybody who can shun their former friends and family for a thought crime is not a great person.
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  84

  Do you have any evidence that the GB had bad intent?

  by AlainAlam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  do you have any evidence that the gb had bad intent?

  as opposed to blind faith/cognitive dissonance and honest mistakes.. i'm inclined to think they have the best of intentions and are just wrong (primarily because the bible is wrong), but i'm willing to consider the evidence otherwise..

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  cofty

  Let me ask a couple of questions: "I have not the slightest doubt that they know they have misunderstood the blood issue". From what I read on your other post, I agree they're wrong, even from a scriptural point of view. But what makes you think they know they're wrong?

  The position used to be simple. No blood - no compromise. If you die you will get resurrected. Simple. If they still believed it nothing would have changed. Instead they are doing everything in their power to compromise with bullshit about factions - even hemoglobin THE definitive faction. HLCs main job is to persuade JWs to accept every treatment that can possibly be justified. It is a damage limitation exercise. They would only do that if they had lost faith in their own dogma but would rather let people die than admit their error.

  What makes you think they know that Jerusalem was not destroyed in 607 B.C?

  The historical evidence is 100% against it and literally 0% in favour. We know that they understand the issue because of Carl Johanson's work and Ray Franz's revelations.

  Regarding the UN, what were the real reasons, in your opinion? I've read about the subject, but I haven't read anything claiming they had hidden reasons.

  Their motives are opaque but it is possible that they cosied up to the UN to gain political capital in countries where they are restricted. They even praised the UN in WT articles in direct contradiction to previous attacks on the UN. They allowed elders in Mexico to join the military reserve because if they admitted to being a religion rather than an educational charity they would lose real estate.
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  75

  Coronavirus Positive

  by snare&racket in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey all,.

  i'm day six of isolation, confirmed to have coronavirus.

  i have been seeing very sick cv positive patients over the last month in my a&e role (emergency physician) it was inevitable i would contract it.. just wanted to give some symptom and treatment advice, it's anecdotal but may help.. started as sore throat and headache, then croaky voice, then dry cough, then episodic transient fevers, all this over the first few days.

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  cofty

  That's great news, thanks for the update.
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  cofty

  The experts are not yet certain but received wisdom is that once you have antibodies you are safe.
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  84

  Do you have any evidence that the GB had bad intent?

  by AlainAlam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  do you have any evidence that the gb had bad intent?

  as opposed to blind faith/cognitive dissonance and honest mistakes.. i'm inclined to think they have the best of intentions and are just wrong (primarily because the bible is wrong), but i'm willing to consider the evidence otherwise..

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  cofty

  Everyone, any evidence? - AA

  Their response to the child abuse scandal is conclusive evidence of malice - no doubt motivated by misguided attempts at self-preservation.

  I have not the slightest doubt that they know they have misunderstood the blood issue and continue to expose members to lethal risk.

  They lied in a study article about the Greek words naos and hieron in an attempt to support their doctrine that the Great Crowd are not in heaven.

  They know that Jerusalem was not destroyed in 607 B.C. and disfellowship anybody who asks awkward questions about it.

  They lied about their focus on 1975

  They knowingly lied about the reasons for their membership of the UN

  They allowed members in Malawi to suffer appalling persecution for a legal technicality while turning a blind eye to elders and circuit overseers in Mexico joining the military reserve.

  They lie to the media by telling them that nobody is compelled to shun family members

  They lie to the media by telling them that members freely make their own decision whether or not refuse a life-saving blood transfusion.

  They have lied again and again by misquoting prominent scientists and knowingly ripping their words out of context so as to make them say the exact opposite of their intention in order to support their moronic creationism.

  I'm just getting started!
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  1

  A side-effect of Covid 19?

  by The Fall Guy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  after the conclusion of our "house-arrest", (whenever that may be) will we feel like we're julian assange's love-child?.

  how the hell did he remain sane?.

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  cofty

  He didn't...
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  656

  Covid-19 (Coronavirus) - Status Update Thread

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this topic is to focus on status updates & advice (no opinion or politics please).. status.

  latest status is that it's serious, probably isn't going to be contained and most large companies are making contingency plans, cancelling large events etc... which i don't think would happen if it was just people being alarmist.

  the incubation period means it may have already spread further and infected many more people than are currently known, so expect jumps in the numbers over the coming days and weeks.. tracking.

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  cofty

  In the UK people are allowed to walk in their local park as long as they stay at least 2m from people from other households.
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  30

  A chance for the unrighteous?

  by AlainAlam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the witnesses teach that the "unrighteous" are brought back to life in order to learn about god during the 1000-year reign.

  i don't think that's a bible teaching, for the following reason:.

  1) no verse says that.

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  cofty

  How about Matt 25 and the separation of the sheep and goats?

  It takes a lot of mental gymnastics to conclude that their fate is decided by their future actions rather than their past actions.
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  49

  I'm interested in discussing basic JW doctrines that you believe are unscriptural

  by AlainAlam in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  background info: although i'm an apostate, i don't hate jehovah's witnesses, or the organization itself.

  actually i find that many derogatory comments here are extremely biased.

  i think most of them are amazing people, and i wish more non-witnesses were like them.

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  cofty

  The watchtower's prohibition against blood transfusions are also based on a misunderstanding of the bible.

  Short version - The Watchtower are Right About Blood...

  Longer version - My Explanation of Why They Got it Wrong About Blood Using Only the NWT..
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  11

  How much will Life Change after its all over?

  by Slidin Fast in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this period of crisis seems endless and absolutely weird but end it will.. in the mean-time people are working successfully from home, the skies have cleared, international meetings are held on line.

  lots of frustrating commuter journeys are just not necessary.

  the world is cleaning itself almost visibly in days, the skies are clearing.

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  cofty

  No I'm not sure anything will change much in the long term. We are social animals.