Nickolas

Joined

• started 76 topics
• posted 2,304 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Nickolas

• 
  53

  What do you really know about "Millions Now Living Will Never Die"?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  pay attention to what you are told and how you are told it.. what is the actual message being communicated?

  what is the intention behind it?.

  this 128-page book millions now living will never die, was placed with the people on a contribution of 25c a copy.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Your inveterate gambler analogy is actually very interesting, Terry. One really has to wonder what drives the prophets of the Watchtower to put their dicks on the line so often and so foolishly. I think I'll ponder on it awhile.
• 
  59

  WATCHTOWER WRONGFULL DEATH LAWSUIT - UPDATE

  by Lawrence Hughes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dear friends,.

  i would like to thank those who have helped me.

  as a result, important legal precedents have been made and a lot of media coverage has been made which has exposed the watchtower society.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Go Lawrence!

  Edit: What recent information I can find indicates that the appeal was rejected http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2010/01/28/12654226.html

  any more recent urls?
• 
  53

  What do you really know about "Millions Now Living Will Never Die"?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  pay attention to what you are told and how you are told it.. what is the actual message being communicated?

  what is the intention behind it?.

  this 128-page book millions now living will never die, was placed with the people on a contribution of 25c a copy.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  It was pure, unadulterated crockery, Terry. Hence the exodus of 1926. To quote Raymond Franz:

  "Although the Society has occasionally employed the catchy slogan “Millions now living will never die,” and called attention to the fact that Witness membership has reached the multimillion range, they gloss over an obvious misrepresentation. The claim that “Millions now living will never die” was not made to people living in the 1990s or the 2000s. It was made to people in the first half of the 1920s. Only a fraction of the approximately 5.9 million members of Jehovah’s Witnesses were living then. Only if there were today more than two million Witnesses around 75 years of age or older could there be any pretense that the prediction was in any way substantiated. This is clearly not the case.

  1925, on which the prediction and slogan were based, proved empty of all the things foretold. The teaching was without substance, mere fluff, prophetic fantasy. Yet all of this material, appearing in the Watch Tower magazine and other publications, was supposedly “food in due season” being provided through God’s channel of communication, a channel claiming the special approval and direction of Christ Jesus as the now reigning King. As they themselves say, they spoke as God’s “genuine prophet.”

  The passing of 1925 and the failure of these latest predictions, however, proved that the predictors had not acted as a “faithful and discreet slave.” They had not held faithfully and humbly to the inspired Word of God, which alone merits such terms as “indisputable,” “absolutely and unqualifiedly correct,” “incontestably established.” Nor had they been discreet during all the years they published such dogmatic claims earthwide, that indiscretion being, in effect, acknowledged by Judge Rutherford’s recognition that he had made an “ass” of himself.

  The intimidating language used in the proclaimed “channel” of God, the Watch Tower, the insinuations of ambition, pride, and disloyalty to Christ it directed at any who did not want to take the same presumptuous course, doubtless influenced the majority to ‘follow the leader’ as he made admittedly asinine claims. Many, however, found they could not continue to support such an irresponsible course and the organization experienced a major loss in adherents after 1925. (footnote) Among these was Alvin Franz, my father’s brother and the youngest of the four Franz brothers."
• 
  4

  You say it best when you say nothing at all !!

  by caliber in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gpxykp7_qw.

  you can tell how someone is feeling by their body language signs.

  its useful to be able to read peoples body language because what people say and what they feel are often not the same.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  and that, caliber, is why there is so much misunderstanding in text communication.
• 
  85

  How many gods are there?

  by jgnat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  christianity was birthed in a polytheistic world, inheriting from jewish roots the concept of one g-d. now, instead of one god for israel, we are offered one god for the whole world.

  caesar (mortal men) was declared a god.

  gods had powers beyond ordinary men, could grant requests, and demanded sacrifice and worship.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  godrulz, consider these words:

  "The other thing I cannot help remarking upon is the overweening confidence with which the religious assert minute details for which they neither have, nor could have, any evidence. Perhaps it is the very fact that there is no evidence to support theological opinions, either way, that fosters the characteristic draconian hostility towards those of slightly different opinion, especially, as it happens, in this very field of Trinitarianism.

  Jefferson heaped ridicule on the doctrine that, as he put it, 'There are three Gods', in his critique of Calvinism. But it is especially the Roman Catholic branch of Christianity that pushes its recurrent flirtation with polytheism towards runaway inflation. The Trinity is (are?) joined by Mary, 'Queen of Heaven', a goddess in all but name, who surely runs God himself a close second as a target of prayers. The pantheon is further swollen by an army of saints, whose intercessory power makes them, if not demigods, well worth approaching on their own specialist subjects. The Catholic Community Forum helpfully lists 5,120 saints, together with their areas of expertise, which include abdominal pains, abuse victims, anorexia, arms dealers, blacksmiths, broken bones, bomb technicians and bowel disorders, to venture no further than the Bs. And we mustn't forget the four Choirs of Angelic Hosts, arrayed in nine orders: Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels (heads of all hosts), and just plain old Angels, including our closest friends, the ever-watchful Guardian Angels. What impresses me about Catholic mythology is partly its tasteless kitsch but mostly the airy nonchalance with which these people make up the details as they go along. It is just shamelessly invented." (Richard Dawkins).

  Christianity in all its forms masquerades as monotheistic religion. There's only one uberGod, but a lot of lesser gods, too. Conspicuous by its absense is the god of common sense.
• 
  17

  DFing and Dying

  by IMHO in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for those that still believe.. what hope is there is you die whilst you're disfellowshipped?.

  .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  The truth is that everyone will be resurrected, some to eternal life and some to eternal condemnation.

  You need to replace the words "The truth" with the words "My assertion", then your statement will not be debatable.
• 
  35

  How might one convince a Jehovah's Witness to read "Crisis of Conscience?"

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm well into the book, can't put it down, it is just so fascinating and so utterly devastating to the credibility of the wtbts.

  i suspect that any jehovah's witness who has a modicum of self respect and intelligence could not but finish the book a step or more on the path to emancipation from this awful, people destroying religion.. i really want my wife to read this book but i anticipate that she will refuse on the basis of it having been banned by the society as the worst kind of apostate literature.

  i am genuinely saddened that she will not grant me the same kind of trust and respect she gives so lovingly to her watchtower masters and i will doubtless say this to her when she turns down my invitation.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Are you saying you have been trying to get your wife to leave the tower for 33 years?

  Yes. It has not been a constant, uninterrupted effort. It has been relatively long periods of peace and harmony (when we just ignored the elephant in the room) punctuated by periods of grief, sometimes prolonged. A focus on climbing the corporate ladder kept me otherwise occupied for most of those 33 years. I retired a few years ago at age 56. Now I have a lot more time on my hands.

  Oh yeah, if I'm not mistaken, you dont believe in God

  Relevant and irrelevant at the same time. My atheism is a relatively recent thing. But, yes, it does constrain my ability to convince my wife to discuss matters of spirituality.

  After 33 years, if your wife were to leave the tower, it might kill you.

  Actually, my fear is that it might kill her.
• 
  33

  Do the Harold Campings of the world make witnesses question their own beliefs?

  by dgp in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  now that harold camping has been proven wrong again, er, the rapture is taking place at another date because he is an imperfect man, one question that comes to my mind is whether this kind of fiascos ever make active jehovah's witness connect the dots and realize they have been deceived as well.. also, i wonder if active witnesses ever get to think that if unbelievers were right about not believing camping, maybe they are also right about something else?

  perhaps relying on reason is not that misguided after all?.

  i would love to see your opinions on this.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  IT'S COMPLEX! This is complex. It is very difficult for non-believers to follow this.

  The ability to understand complexity has nothing to do with one's beliefs, or lack thereof. It is more evident, in fact, that the greater one's ability to understand complexity, the more inclined he or she will be to dismiss superstitious numerology.
• 
  35

  How might one convince a Jehovah's Witness to read "Crisis of Conscience?"

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm well into the book, can't put it down, it is just so fascinating and so utterly devastating to the credibility of the wtbts.

  i suspect that any jehovah's witness who has a modicum of self respect and intelligence could not but finish the book a step or more on the path to emancipation from this awful, people destroying religion.. i really want my wife to read this book but i anticipate that she will refuse on the basis of it having been banned by the society as the worst kind of apostate literature.

  i am genuinely saddened that she will not grant me the same kind of trust and respect she gives so lovingly to her watchtower masters and i will doubtless say this to her when she turns down my invitation.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Under other circumstances, moshe, I'd be laughing myself sore.
• 
  33

  Do the Harold Campings of the world make witnesses question their own beliefs?

  by dgp in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  now that harold camping has been proven wrong again, er, the rapture is taking place at another date because he is an imperfect man, one question that comes to my mind is whether this kind of fiascos ever make active jehovah's witness connect the dots and realize they have been deceived as well.. also, i wonder if active witnesses ever get to think that if unbelievers were right about not believing camping, maybe they are also right about something else?

  perhaps relying on reason is not that misguided after all?.

  i would love to see your opinions on this.. .

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  love it, wontleave.