Nickolas

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Posts by Nickolas

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  19

  Another child molestation case made the news

  by coffee_black in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  this is pretty sick.... http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2010/11/former_jehovahs_witness_preach.php.

  coffee .

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  Nickolas

  What is that brown stuff on his skin? (skeeter1)

  ..turd.. (Yizuman)
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  50

  What Would Bring The Watchtower Down?

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  randy/dogpatch has posted some interesting material about troubles in the organization.

  this info generated a lot of skepticism about the possibility of watchtower fragmentation.

  frankly, it is very easy to be skeptical considering everything that ordinary witnesses are willing to believe or put up with.. i think it would be useful to realistically consider what sort of event(s) would bring the watchtower down or cause its fragmentation?

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  Nickolas

  writing that one down, AGuest.
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  17

  The Governing Body - Invisible and Impersonal

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there used to be a time when one knew who the president of the watchtower society was, and with that in mind, one could sense some kind of leadership.

  perhaps witnesses then, felt that "the society" was keeping up with jehovah's celestial chariot.

  maybe you felt in the 80s and 90s that you had to keep "in step with jehovah's organization" because it was making bigger steps each year - and with each new release, maybe you felt "privileged" to be a part of the "spiritual paradise.".

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  Nickolas

  Absolutely. Congratulations.
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  17

  The Governing Body - Invisible and Impersonal

  by truthseeker in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there used to be a time when one knew who the president of the watchtower society was, and with that in mind, one could sense some kind of leadership.

  perhaps witnesses then, felt that "the society" was keeping up with jehovah's celestial chariot.

  maybe you felt in the 80s and 90s that you had to keep "in step with jehovah's organization" because it was making bigger steps each year - and with each new release, maybe you felt "privileged" to be a part of the "spiritual paradise.".

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  Nickolas

  Whoa. You dug deep to find that one, jook.
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  14

  Are the numbers accurate?

  by Joshinaz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  they claim they are 7 million and growing.

  is this true?

  i haven't been to a meeting in 12 years but i know of at least 100 people i grew up with that have left the congregation.

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  Nickolas

  On the whole I think the numbers are fairly accurate. However they have made it a bit easier to be counted as a publisher by allowing old and sick Witnesses to report as little as 15 minutes (I think that was introduced in 2002 or thereabouts) plus a lot of the "ministry" these days is simply handing out one page tracts.

  If this observation is accurate, it means that the Society is doing what every other corporation does in order to manage its numbers, and that is to modulate them to the extent that it is legal. A secular example: when a listed corporation needs to change its numbers at fiscal yearend so they are neither too optimistic nor pessimistic, thus inappropriately impacting the value of their stock, it will manage it's working capital allocation accordingly, like selling off a bloated inventory at bargain basement prices or negotiating new terms with customers with receivables liability, all legitimate and legal. The parallel with the Society is that it can manage its numbers (in this case reclining) by modifying the accounting terms.

  Great observation, slimboyfat
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  32

  How long until the WT Society gives "new light" about the Internet?

  by DagothUr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the watchtower and awake have given some warnings in the past concerning materials available via the internet.

  apostate and porn sites, violent games, useless and frivolous entertainment, and so on.

  for now, they are contended with just giving friendly warnings.

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  Nickolas

  Google "apostate" (1,800,200 results in .24 seconds).

  WaToogle "apostate" (3 results in 2.4 seconds, password protected).

  Progress.
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  56

  If You Had To Have A Religion Which Would You Not Mind Belonging To?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you were even born into a religion, would you feel that you had to get out?

  ( the only religion that i know of where people get out and often never go to any other religion is the jw religion)..

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  Nickolas

  Christianity isn't big on this thread.

  That's because the basic tenet of Christianity seems to be, if it feels good, don't do it.
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  56

  If You Had To Have A Religion Which Would You Not Mind Belonging To?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you were even born into a religion, would you feel that you had to get out?

  ( the only religion that i know of where people get out and often never go to any other religion is the jw religion)..

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  Nickolas

  shit, that's funny, Outlaw.
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  32

  How long until the WT Society gives "new light" about the Internet?

  by DagothUr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the watchtower and awake have given some warnings in the past concerning materials available via the internet.

  apostate and porn sites, violent games, useless and frivolous entertainment, and so on.

  for now, they are contended with just giving friendly warnings.

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  Nickolas

  The internet for doubting cult members is like boys are to Catholic school girls. The more you try to seperate the two, the more the latter will seek out what they think they're missing, often with much satisfaction.

  You could have no idea how much that made me smile, MLE. Fond memories of my RC youth.

  They will more than likely branch out into a 'Witness Friendly' search site.... (YKnot)

  This is what will happen, of course. Not much of a stretch at all. The scene plays out like this:

  "Brothers and Sisters, the Internet is the Wild West (nods of agreement everywhere) and is the gateway to the broadest spectrum of information in the history of Man (more nods, some appreciative murmurs). It is a Pandora's Box, and now that the lid has been lifted it cannot be closed again. It has precipitated an unprecedented and exponential increase in sexual crimes ranging from child pornography to prostitution to adultery, in drug trafficking and heartrending fraud and all manner of vile corruption (nervous shuffles and staring straight ahead). Google a biblical passage and you are inunadated with links to porographic and apostate sites. It is an inevitable and inescapable reality of the Internet that it is both good and evil. It is also a fact of modern life and has become a basic need for many, but it is also a grave spiritual danger to Jehovah God's chosen people, perhaps the most grave since the serpent in the garden. But we have a solution. We have developed a search engine that will protect you and your children from inadvertant exposure to the works of Satan, and it is called WaToogle. Once installed on your computer, accidentally accessing dark, demonic places in the World Wide Web will be absolutely prevented and you will be shielded from harm. (glazed looks all around.)"
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  111

  When God breaks his own laws

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if one assumes that god made the universe it follows that he made it according to a very complex set of physical laws that determine how things work.

  the quest to identify and understand those physical laws is at the very forefront of science and great strides have been made over the past few centuries, in particular during the last century.

  we have known for only a few centuries that the earth rotates on its axis and orbits around the sun along with a number of other planets, more recently that the solar system is located in a radial arm of a spiral galaxy swirling around some enormous black hole.

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  Nickolas

  No, you're right. That's just silly. I mean, we can state (with no disclaimers) that if man can think of it, God can do it. But if we conceive something perplexing, well, then I need to justify WHY he would ever want to do that.

  But only to oneself, SBC, since God is unknowable and ostensibly requires no justification for anything he does or does not do. Above all he is omnipresent and omnipotent, infinitely knowing and infinitely powerful by definition, so he can do absolutely anything without qualification. He can make black white and white black if he wants to and his lie could be truth if he wants it to be. He can defy all his laws at will with complete impunity, whether they be the physcial laws of the universe he created or the laws he bestowed upon mankind. He is by all logical accounts a complete contradiction and staunch defence of a belief in his existence is the ultimate example of reductive reasoning taken to the absurd.

  The initial intent of this thread was to illustrate an example of biblical fallacy. The original author of Joshua 10:13 believed the earth was the center of the universe and that is why he wrote the account as he did. If, as an earlier poster to this thread maintained, the WTBTS's interpretation of Joshua 10:13 is that God only made it appear that the sun stood still in the sky, then that is a transparent and anaemic rationalisation of an obvious fallacy which casts into doubt the notion that the literal word of the bible is inspired by God and represents absolute truth. The only completely rational explanation for Joshua 10:13 is it never happened.