Posts by fulltimestudent

20

Fraud

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

if someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.

of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.

all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.

fulltimestudent

pbrow,

There is some distance between personal belief and organised religion. You illustrated your argument with your mother's decision to shun you because of her (somewhat selfish) hope of a reward in the paradise (an unverifiable and likely false hope). Your mother's allegiance is to an organisation that keeps encouraging her to continue to shun you. If there was no such organisation, your mother would have to work out a balance between her personal belief and her natural love for you, and her natural (innate) love would likely win out over an imagined reward of life in a paradise.

Why do you think the JW organisation (as did early Christianity and similar Jewish cults of the era, like the Essenes) try to isolate members from general society? Why do you imagine the WTS discourages people from seeking tertiary studies?

There is some evidence that the WTS uses this dogma (shunning) as a means to emotionally blackmail members who may be thinking of leaving. (Many years ago an exjw who had access to the leadership clique in Australia, was told when he said he discussed leaving (by someone close to the branch committee), "Don't forget we still have your children." (These children were in their early 20s).

There is no need to prosecute anyone for personal belief, unless that personal belief impinges on someone else's rights.

1

The Aussie governments $284,962 lunch next Thursday and the book of Revelation

by fulltimestudent in

next thursday, 1800 people will sit down to a gala lunch in shanghai's grand hyatt hotel.

the guests comprising members of australia's largest ever overseas trade delegation (1000 strong) and selected chinese guests will be hosted by australia's prime minister, malcolm turnbull.. the trade delegation hopes to capitalise on the very favourable opportunities opened to australian businesses by a recently concluded free trade agreement,between china and australia.. the expense the aussie government is prepared to spend, highlights the key place that modern china has come to occupy in modern globalised commerce.

its a pity that freddy f is not still alive to find a prophetic fulfillment of revelation in the current rise of china.

fulltimestudent

Next thursday, 1800 people will sit down to a gala lunch in Shanghai's Grand Hyatt hotel. The guests comprising members of Australia's largest ever overseas trade delegation (1000 strong) and selected Chinese guests will be hosted by Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull.

The trade delegation hopes to capitalise on the very favourable opportunities opened to Australian businesses by a recently concluded Free Trade Agreement,between China and Australia.

The expense the Aussie government is prepared to spend, highlights the key place that modern China has come to occupy in modern globalised commerce

Its a pity that Freddy F is not still alive to find a prophetic fulfillment of Revelation in the current rise of China. (grin)

Few realise that when the author of Revelation speaks of the wealth made by 'travelling merchants' in their sale of luxury products to the Roman elite, (Revelation 18) the author was referring to the trade between Rome and west Asia and east Asia/south Asia (China and India), commonly called the 'Silk Road Trade.'

Just how the mind of Freddy F. could've tied the Revelation texts to modern trade is a bit beyond my imaginative powers, but I have a lot confidence that Freddy could've found a way to do it.

For anyone with a studious bent, and an interest in the historical reality behind the religious imaginings expressed in the Revelation, may I recommend J.Nelson Kraybill's, Imperial Cult and Commerce in John's Apocalypse, (Sheffield Academic Press, 1996). Kraybill attributes the hatred expressed by the Revelation's author for that trade to the fact that the Roman Imperial Cult was a patron of the Silk Road Trade.

Of course, Freddy F's imaginings about Revelation may have missed the point. The early Christian church, disappointed by the failure of promises by Jesus to his immediately 'coming in power and great glory,' and the seeming undefeatable power of the Roman Empire when it destroyed the Jerusalem Temple (and turned Jerusalem into a Roman city), turned to imagining the 'Church' as the city of God. Perhaps the rise of China in modern commerce, and the great prosperity of Chinese people is a fulfillment of the reign of Jesus Christ. (slight giggle)

25

Very Weird Experience During Recent Special Talk After Memorial

by Tenacious in

hesitantly i attended this talk with my family and sat through it without batting an eye.. mentally i take myself out during the entire meeting some would describe this as daydreaming or zoning out.

whatever the case may be, for some reason this particular speaker, whom i know of but not personally, got my attention the way he would say certain phrases.

he cited some texts that directly advised the audience that faith in christ was the only way to salvation.

fulltimestudent

Witness dogma does not refuse any role to Jesus, but is a bit cloudy on the issue being discussed.

In any case early Christianity was also a bit cloudy on correct prayer formats. According to Geza Vermes, one of the best of modern scholars, Paul NEVER prayed directly to Jesus. (Some claim one exception to that, but the actual text is subject to some dispute).

See, Geza Vermes, Christian Beginnings: From Nazareth to Nicaea, AD30-325. Allen Lane 2012 pp 112-113

20

Fraud

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

if someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.

of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.

all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.

fulltimestudent

pbrow : At the end of the day, jdubs do not steal peoples lives. Individuals choose to follow a set of beliefs. Individuals choose to shun family members. Individuals choose to withhold blood related medical treatment. Very painful i know but this is where personal accountability comes in...

Would you really argue that someone perpetrating a financial fraud is NOT guilty, because his victim voluntarily invested his money in the fraud? Does personal accountability become a factor in financial fraud?

pbrow: ... Religeous freedome is extremely important.

Why so?

And - If religions (organised religion) were banned, individual thought would not be banned. Only the organised propagating of religious dogma would vanish.

4

The YHWH/JESUS INTELLIGENT DESIGN STUDIO's Penis Designs

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

there are many things to question about the intelligence of the designs emanating from the yhwh/jesus intelligent design studio.. lauren reid, a phd candidate at durham university, writing in 'the conversation,' takes a look at why humans and spider monkeys are the only primates without a bone in their penises.

most mammals have such a bone, which is called a baculum .

humans don't, in spite of the term 'boner,' being in common usage, though whales, horses, rhinos, rabbits, elephants, marsupials and hyenas, were also designed without such a bone.. how does a baculum work?

fulltimestudent

The original 'd*ckhead.'

You've heard the kids at school use that expression.

But dear children you must remember that, YHWH/JESUS thought of it first, when they designed this fish.

The fish with a penis on its head
Most animals have their reproductive organs located close to their tail-ends. But that's not the case for a newly discovered species of river fish identified in Vietnam's Mekong Delta. Phallostethus culling's penis sprouts, oddly enough, out of its head. More specifically, the reproductive organ shoots out from just under the fish's throat, giving the fish the unique ability to grab onto a female with its mouth while fertilizing her eggs at the same time.

11

Attention Governing Body, What does nature tell you about a male having long hair?

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

i was raised my entire life to believe it is a shame for a man to have long hair because of this bible scripture 1 corinthians 11:14, “does not nature itself teach you that long hair is a dishonor to a man?” nwt however the international standard version reads, “nature itself teaches you neither that it is disgraceful for a man to have long hair.” so what does nature really teach us?

jesus was called, “the lion of judah” and the king of the jungle has long hair.

thank you nature for clearing this twisted scripture up for me.

fulltimestudent

disposable hero of hypocrisy : Samson. Dedicated to Yahweh. Long hair. Need I say more?

Right! Good point.

1. He was a nazirite, and was only allowed a once-a-year haircut.

So YHWH/JESUS can make laws and then break their own laws.

Illogical buggers, arn't they?

2. The woman he spent the night with was a prostitute.

So I wonder if I could use that for an excuse with a judicial committee?

20

Fraud

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

if someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.

of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.

all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.

fulltimestudent

prologos : Everyone here would have been richer if religions were banned. except the religious fraudsters.

Ummm? Aha! Yeah, there are only ex-religious fraudsters here. (grin)

11

Attention Governing Body, What does nature tell you about a male having long hair?

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

i was raised my entire life to believe it is a shame for a man to have long hair because of this bible scripture 1 corinthians 11:14, “does not nature itself teach you that long hair is a dishonor to a man?” nwt however the international standard version reads, “nature itself teaches you neither that it is disgraceful for a man to have long hair.” so what does nature really teach us?

jesus was called, “the lion of judah” and the king of the jungle has long hair.

thank you nature for clearing this twisted scripture up for me.

fulltimestudent

In many ancient cultures men had long hair. Hair length is relative anyway.

Just more evidence that so-called 'sacred texts' are bullshit.

32

After 50 years Zealous Service, My Elder Friends goes Inactive

by James Jack in

i asked him what happened.

he said "him and his wife lived a full theocratic life for jehovah.

doing everything the organization and the traveling brothers told them to do, like work part time, regular pioneer, serve where the need is great.

fulltimestudent

Wasted lives.

20

Fraud

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

if someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).. but if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.. on another thread, a poster pointed out that the jws, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage.

of course, the jws are not the only religion to practise religious fraud.

all sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does.

fulltimestudent

If someone commits financial fraud, they commit a crime, and can be punished (jailed).

But if someone commits a religious fraud, western society does not see that as a crime.

On another thread, a poster pointed out that the JWs, "literally steals peoples lives and causes horrendous damage."

Of course, the JWs are not the only religion to practise religious fraud. All sorts of large and small religions make unverifiable promises and ask for financial support on the basis of their promises, which is precisely what financial defrauder does. The financial defrauder promises "give me your money and you will get x% back." The spiritual defrauder promises, support me financially and you will get enormous spiritual benefits (not to mention everlasting life).

Western societies are wrong to allow spiritual fraud under the guise of freedom of religion.

Everyone here would have been richer if religions were banned.