i got baptised about 25 years ago and was told the new system would be here by now.. along with a lot of other false promises.. so the answer for me would be no!!
!.
I was baptized at 12, and was put on the Circuit Assembly program the day after my baptism.
Later - disfellowshipped... reinstated... and now disassociated/apostatized.
It doesn't mean squat. Especially when considering it's AGAINST THE LAW TO ENTER INTO A BINDING CONTRACT WITH A PRE-TEEN. And that's how "The Organization" feels about it. You're in a contract with THEM, not a dedication to God only. And if you break the rules, they will administer their own view of justice.
if you're the kind of person who would rather convince yourself that someone isn't "deserving" of your help... which may include your money... even an amount as small as $3.00... the wtbts was the right group to be a part of.
because they have every excuse under the sun for not giving to the poor... not helping out someone in need... not even giving a hungry one a meal (because we know, don't we, that every one of them is an alcoholic and/or drug addict... and everyone knows... particularly the wtbts... that those folks... those sinners... don't deserve to eat at all...).
looks like some of have learned well from them.
Does religion really matter when caring for another human being?
I'm an atheist. Daily I give homeless people cigarettes, change, a bag of chips or whatever I have. Do they do drugs? I'm sure some do. But imagine that life: A lot have mental instability/"just plain crazy", physical challenges, etc. that prevent them from working; families have abandoned them (given up on them); no one will hire them because they don't have easy access to showers, etc. Is it my CHOICE for them to use it on drugs and alcohol? No. I would rather them get food. So I give food, or a smoke. But when I do give money, the second it touches their hand, it's off my conscience. Because here's the real TRUTH of it : If I had no one to turn to (family, friends, etc.), no place to protect me from the elements (no home, tent, etc.) I'd definitely see the appeal of being intoxicated, drugged up, etc.
And I don't do it for the attention. I do it because I'm a god damn human being and so are they.
Case in point: I helped a newly blinded man cross the street, because he was having difficulty navigating with his cane. When I continued on my way, I turned around to see him standing in the middle of the street, as a light was about to change. I ran over, offered my arm and said, "Let's get out of the road, bro. Where ya headed? You're facing East, 7 blocks from I-35 on 6th Street. The cross street is Brazos. And on this corner is Logan's Icehouse."
He thanked me and offered me money, which I graciously refused. When asked why I wouldn't take it, "I don't need a reward to act like a decent human. " He even asked my religion, and when hearing my response "Atheist", he laughed. "It's sad. I've been trying to cross for a while now, and an ATHEIST is the one who helped me. I can hear the church bells nearby, where are the Christians?" He then proceeded to his destination. (This isn't a dig a Christians, etc. it's a dig at the self-righteous attitude that is prevalent in society that the homeless, the indigent are "dogs" and "filth". If a little sip of booze, a hit of the pipe makes their day less horrible, who am I to judge in my nice apartment with my hot girlfriend on the couch?)
****This story was told to get a point across. Not to self-promote. Before the antagonists decide to blast me for relating an experience****
The moral is simple : Don't get so wrapped up in the "spiritual" you forget that you're human. You never know when YOU might need help, when the chips are down, when you've lost your way.
are there pretenders in our brotherhood- as in all religion- that do what is evil?.
yes.. have we made stupid guesses about some of the prophecies, as all churches do?.
yes.. does our "organization" make mistakes- as, you guessed it, all do?.
Ignorance became a point of view when you and Alice.in.wonderland post.
let's see... .the sumerians existed 10000 years ago.. archaeologists have found a settlement in china with evidence of tools and agriculture that is over 1.36 million years old.
.
hmmm.. that's a big difference between 6000 and 1.36 million.... .
Thank you ProdigalSon. i've only been here a couple weeks and yet, i refuse to answer anything fallaciousindunderland posts. Concise and accurate post. Thanks.
Regarding the Watchtower regurgitators I only can say what Paul Newman said in Cool Hand Luke. "What we have here is a failure to communicate. Some men just can't be reached."
are there pretenders in our brotherhood- as in all religion- that do what is evil?.
yes.. have we made stupid guesses about some of the prophecies, as all churches do?.
yes.. does our "organization" make mistakes- as, you guessed it, all do?.
Hmmm.. a little ego goes a long way. A lot creates a religion.
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Put THAT in your pipe and smoke it!
let's see... .the sumerians existed 10000 years ago.. archaeologists have found a settlement in china with evidence of tools and agriculture that is over 1.36 million years old.
.
hmmm.. that's a big difference between 6000 and 1.36 million.... .
Let's see... .the Sumerians existed 10000 years ago.
Archaeologists have found a settlement in China with evidence of tools and agriculture that is over 1.36 MILLION years old.
hmmm.. that's a big difference between 6000 and 1.36 million....
once again my wife and i were sent the " witness only " wt version by our lurking jw friend that they study at wt study meetings.
and once again wt society is showing very controlling tendencies towards it's jw members.. do any of you remember the " old days " in the 1970's or early 1980's when witnesses used to have goody night after book study ?
or you would have a " potluck picnic " with about 30 to 40 people getting to know one another to draw close as friends outside the confines of the kingdom hall ?
Worst dates in human history: 9/11/01, 7/16/45, 12/7/41 and of course January, 1876.
(Of course these are:
World Trade Center attacks
The first successful atomic weapons test
Pearl Harbor Day, which pushed the US into war, which sped up the development of nuclear weapons
When Barbour and Russell teamed up to make up a religion.)
Well, I can see their point. Two JWs didn't actually WITNESS him murdering all those people, so there was no evidence. And since he didn't get prosecuted for the murders at the time of the letter's writing, one can ONLY assume Jehovah was protecting him for a greater work.
Yes. That was sarcasm. The elders of that congregation should have been charged with accessory to murder. It's weird. If you were talking about cops, they would drop the pot charge and go for the murder charge. JW's elders do the opposite. Drop the murder, prosecute the pot charge.
How can ANYONE who calls themselves a Christian harbor a fugitive with MULTIPLE MURDERS on him? And where was DOG the Bounty Hunter? He woulda taken him down, bra.
my opinion is that atheism is not a belief.
it is a belief in no belief..
The main difference I've seen between atheists and deists is MOST atheists are open minded, scientific even. If you were to PROVE the existence of god, well, MOST would be willing to accept REASONABLE, LOGICAL E V I D E N C E. However, since Darwin's unveiling of evolution, it's been nearly 100 years and, if I'm correct in my research, 52% of the world still believe that god made man and dinosaurs and they played together. Despite empirical evidence to the contrary. These same people believe the world is less than 10000 years old.
my opinion is that atheism is not a belief.
it is a belief in no belief..
Read some Richard Dawkins if you want to know what an atheist is. The God Delusion for example.
regarding Atheism in Hinduism check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism_in_Hinduism . Really good stuff there.
Regarding my personal atheism, I do not believe in the existence of any deity, god, demon, or devil. All the accounts of gods and what-not in the ancient past - well... check out History.com's "Ancient Aliens" (Carl Sagan and Arthur C. Clarke have both concluded that any sufficiently advanced TECHNOLOGY would look like magic to a lesser advanced people. )
