DjDamnFool,
All you have just proven is that it possible to use several hundred words:
- when several dozen would have sufficed!
Bill.
the study edition of the watchtower says the elders are appointed by jehovah's holy spirit.
it's confounding the society does not realize that more and more elders, do not accept this claim.
i have racked my brain, wondering how many brothers and sisters actually believe this, fall hook and sinker.
DjDamnFool,
All you have just proven is that it possible to use several hundred words:
- when several dozen would have sufficed!
Bill.
which of the two is considered to be more of an intelectual?.
which of them has produced one of the most brilliant people?..
which of the two societies is considered more advanced than the other?.
Further to the discussion about the different codes of football , and the levels of security / law enforcement required:
- it has often been said that "Soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, whereas rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen." (who are admittedly not too gentle while out on the field!).
Bill.
will it put pressure on politicians to approve the keystone pipeline.. should the nation's refineries stop selling as much gasoline as exports.. how does +$4.00 gasoline affect your monthly budget, how do you adjust..
The majority of those who post here seem to be either totally unaware - or else totally uninterested - that there are two different "gallons" in use:
- The US gallon of 3.78 ltres
- and the Imperial gallon of 4.54 litres.
Having worked recently in a standards lab for four years, I at least am well aware of the difference.
In this part of the world, "gasoline (i.e. "petrol", "motor spirit" or whatever) retails for AUD $ 1.50 per litre = AUD$ 5.67 per US gallon = USD $6.01 per US gallon.
For those of you paying USD$ 4.00 per US gallon, my heart goes out to you (not!)
Bill.
after all that we had drummed into us about not the cross, and particularly about not venerating the symbol itself, i have been wondering about this issue.. so, what are your views about wearing a cross around your neck ?
is it just a fashion accessory, or does it mean something to you ?.
inquiring minds would like to know
I would have to admit to being something of a stirrer when it comes to matters such as this one!
Yes, I would wear a cross around my neck , just to antagonize the Witnesses.
Bill.
In the pale blue colored "Evolution" book of the mid-1960s, the WTS insisted that Neanderthal Man and Cro Magnon Man were not ancestors of Modern Man:
- rather, they strongly suggested that these were in fact just "degenerate" forms of Modern Man.
i.e. with limbs and vertebrae badly deformed from athritis, so as to give them an "Ape-Man" appearance.
I can even recall giving a speech while at high school, in which I cited these hitherto unknown gems of wisdom:
- unwittingly entering myself in the Damn Fool of the Year contest!
Bill.
i wonder how many witnesses actually believe their religion.
what do you think?.
Undercover,
An interesting thought.
We used to sneer at members of the "Churches of Christendom", who typically did not know what they believed in, and didn't seem to care too much about it, either! Now it would seem that exactly the same situation prevails amongst the JWs themselves.
This, then, begs the question - what actually attracts people to the JW religion?
They still claim an overall net increase in numbers most years, and "Born-Ins" / "Raised Ins" cannot account for all of that:
- given that at least two thirds of those born in or raised in "The Truth" end up giving it away.
Perhaps this is the subject of a seperate thread?
Bill.
PS: In saying this, I am trying hard not to sound like some disgruntled old veteran, complaining about "the new fellas" not being " as good as we was."
opportunities seemed to be advertised everywhere when i was a young man, it was hard to decide on one.
.
.
No Room For George,
I for one can identify with your rage:
- more than a few times, I have maintained that the WTS is "nothing a plug of gelignite wouldn't fix!"
Bill.
i wonder how many witnesses actually believe their religion.
what do you think?.
Going by my own experience , those who are "new in the truth" probably do believe it all - I know that did once, anyway.
However, the ones that manage to remain with the JWs would have to develop some sort of a coping mechanism in order to stick with:
eg. in public, giving lip service to WTS theology; while privately turning a blind eye to the more extreme requirements of their religion.
These would tend to be ones initially attracted to the JWs by reasons other than doctrinal purity (and there are those around who were first drawn to the dubs by their apparent purity of doctrine - I know, I was one!) . Such persons would likely rationalize the whole thing along the lines of "Whether right or wrong, Jehovah's Organization is a safe place to be in", or "Better to be wrong and in Jehovah's Organization, than right and outside it", and so on and so forth.
So, in answer to Minimus's question, most of those who are "many years in The Truth" probably don't believe it - not the more extreme parts of their religion, anyway (which, let's face it, actually constitutes the most of it!)
Bill.
opportunities seemed to be advertised everywhere when i was a young man, it was hard to decide on one.
.
.
In one word - yes.
To be more precise, I actually missed out on several career opportunities at different times. As Moshe has correctly observed, during that era, we were often spoiled for choice!
The Borg was at that time, though, even down on trades (after all, imagine the folly of tying up five years of your life!). As a result, they got me to abandon my apprenticeship after just 12 months. Fortunately, I was able to pick that up again later ; although by then I was married with a family.
This proved to be hard going, but the alternative (i.e. being without a skill) was even worse. Because of family commitments, I had to forgo continuing on and doing the Diploma course; but I did manage to complete a paper in Advanced Trade studies at the end of my apprenticeship. This did not sit too well with some of the more fanatical zealots in the congregation. However, I had learned enough about what was what by then to politely tell them where to go - and what to do with themselves once they got there!
This actually began the start of my fade.
Bill.
i know this has been dished over before, but when i was doing some research i discovered a couple of interesting points.
as far as i can find, there is only one wt article that implies that jw men should not have beards.
*** w75 8/15 pp.
Their stand on beards is yet further evidence that the JW religion contains man-made rules, just like any other religion does.
Their downer on beards is found even in countries where it is customary for all men to wear beards - such as Papua New Guinea (a country in which I recently lived for a total of eight years, and thus had ample opportunity in which to observe 1. what is local custom, and 2. what the WTS stand was.)
This beardless culture would have more to do with Rutherford's attempts to emphasize that he was now in charge - not C.T. Russell, than it had to do with any imagined "Student Revolt."
Bill.