Posts by Band on the Run

17

Science and the WT

by Giordano in

ive been reviewing the scientific claims that the society promoted through the golden age magazine (later replaced by the awake).

not since reading the laws of leviticus have i had so many wtfs as found in the list http://hourglass2.com/historical/the-list/list7_01.htm .

each statement comes from an official publication of the wtbts.

They are so wrong they are shocking. I read about smallpox vaccination in the colonies. Educated men, such as John Adams, went to great lengths to innoculate their families. It wasn't a quick injection. My father refused the Salk and Sabin vaccines. He would not b/c of Bethel. There was never a Soceity argument. Oh, I was taught that aluminim will kill you.

11

JEHOVAHS WITNESSES WHISK CHILDREN AWAY FROM THE LAW

by JHK in

http://njnnetwork.com/2009/09/wife-of-jw-lawyer-helped-move-children-from-the-law-and-medical-treatment/.

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http://life.nationalpost.com/2009/09/28/tom-blackwell-a-witness-account/.

Band on the Run

My parents had no rights over my body. NEVER. Not even when I was in utero. My parents have diffierent values than I do. Children are extremely precious -and annoying. If I could sue for all the times I was dragged against my will to KH, I would. I was only sixteen when I faced going into a foster home to finish high school. No judge was ever going to rule for them. All I had to do was look the judge in the eye and talk about school. Parents are more trustees.

Is it right for a middle age man to be so obessed with a daughter that he follows her all around.

My mom made it quite clear I might be facing death to finish school. It was not funny. Decades later I pinch myself when I am someplace that is academic in some way.

Govt has an interest in protecting children from bad parents.

I did not believe the father on the YouTube video. He only talked about a small portion of the problem. It was very scripted.

82

Is Faith Immoral?

by Coded Logic in

when people willfully believe something without evidence, or contrary to evidence, are they neglecting thier moral responsibility?

so many people say faith is a virtue but i just can't comprehend why anyone would think that.

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Band on the Run

Let us be honest. Most belief is based on social class and peer pressure. I have faith in Jesus, knowing that if I were born elsewhere on earth, I might be an atheist or Buddhist. Jesus is god for most of the Western world. He is not so popular in Asia or Africa. I never want to get involved in arguments about God. They are silly and accomplish nothing. My inner self is stunned by how many people have no realization that faith is determined by culture. Within a culture, elites will be selective in what they believe. Poorer people will totally fall apart if challenged.

I figure the Vulcans, angels, or Christ will enlighten these people. It is not my job. I have no legitimacy with them. If you politely mention reading materials, you are hated even more. If you mention Higher Criticism, they retreat to an even m ore primitive place. I read The Last Temptation of Christ in college. One day I am watching tV and I hear that Martin Scorcese has made a film. I could not wait to get in line. Sadly, Cardinal Cooke of NY ordered Catholics not to see it. He had no idea what it was. The subway was too slow so I splurged on a taxi. I brought along the day's New York Times to read during the wait. Cardinal Cooke brought out many informed people. We were all wearing Ralph Lauren and reading the Times, the New Yorker,or best selling novels. There was a picket line protesting the film of Southern Europeans. They were wearing the worst polyster I have ever seen. The contrast was too great. The film is extrordinary.

People may change over time. Those protestors were not irrational. They are as worthy as anyone else.

15

Is it a right or is it right?

by likeabird in

in light of the recent posts about the little boy taken out of hospital in southampton by his parents and is now somewhere between france and spain, i started reading up some of the newspaper article links posted.

i was especially interested by the comments posted.. note my surprise, and yes horror, to see a large number of people supporting the parents decision.

how the parents are fully in their rights to do such a thing, going as far as to imply they 'own' their child, so they can do what they want.. i know this is a very sensitive subject and i'm probably opening a can of worms, but i think it needs saying.

Band on the Run

Legislators and judges recall when they were that age. It is absolutely not right. I focused on the law b/c of flag salute and college. It distresses me when some judges allow teens to kill themselves b/c of the blood doctrine. I saw how I changed just living in Manhattan or going to a single course. Now I approve of the nuclear bombs over Hiroshima, etc. My father thought he had the rights of a Roman father to kill me. This is not Rome. What type of parent wants their child to die for the WTBTS? The ever evolving doctrine. They are not natural parents or even normal strangers.

This case may have unusual facts. Why was there not better security in the hospital? Maybe the civil libertarian in me wants families to make decisions and not the govt. Such parents should have all their parental rights stripped. I was ever aware as a minor that they could do anything with me.

52

JW's and home schooling?

by semelcred in

i don't wish to offend any that are teaching their kids at home, but today i was again confronted by a situation where a jw family were home schooling.

the kids had little structure to their routine and without putting the mum down, she was no teacher in an academic sense.. the subject is close to my heart because my parents who are witnesses, took my younger brothers out of school and home tutored them.

the were subjected to below standard education and limited in social skills, particularly as my parents are crap at these skills themselves.. i have grown to hate home schooling except in the situation of medical or logistical situations.. what are your comments good or bad and do you think the option to home school is abused by the witness community?.

Band on the Run

American public schools are not bad. The problem is the range is so wide. Schools are financed for the most part by local property taxes. More affluent towns have extraordinary schools. I had a private school picked for my future children. Education is so impt to me that I would not have children until I could afford the private school. Tuition is higher than college tuition. NYC has specialized high schools. These schools are more diverse, much better academically and socially, and free. The competition is brutal, however. The kids know their parents are Manhattanites. No one wants to move to NJ.

Inner city schools don't have enough funding and the teachers are basically out to lunch. Children fall further behind their peers with each grade they pass. My junior class was given a surprise 5th grade arithmetic test. I finished it in 3 minutes and returned. My classmates had tears. I knew these kids from the Witnesses and around town. They were bright. 75% of my class failed. They had to take a special course to graduate. The catch was that knowing the teachers, those kids would still not be able to pass a fifth grade arithmetic test. I begged for my test back to proof it.

In English class in the college track, if you knew the name of one character in a novel, you received an A. The teacher agreed I could do leadership tasks rather than sit in class and cry from boredom. Not much has changed. I learned many things until the racial demagraphics were too skewed for the times. They said at the time that parents make the difference.

25

AMATEURS using BAD METHODS: what possible expertise does the GB possess?

by Terry in

let's start with a very basic common sense question.. if you needed surgery would you go to a graduate of medical school who had been practicing for awhile,.

or would you go to an amateur who told you god would be telling him how to peform surgery?.

don't laugh.. it is a serious question!.

Band on the Run

I am seeing a change among Americans. It is a start. In my youth, Vatican II was just being called. If we went out in field service and carried a leather book, Roman Catholics would be so impressed. They are taught that scripture alone is not sufficient. Tradition within the church is also needed to understand God's message. My neighborhood had many immigrants with little education. They were decent and very hard working. The WT focused on those beliefs that were never officially sanctioned by the church. They were practices from before colonization. It was exciting for them to purchase a WT.

Protestants were furious when we came to the door. I felt ashamed. They knew far more about the Bible than the Witnesses did. The Witness arguments only held up in WT lit. If someone, a minister, read consecutive verses, they won the point.

People don't seem so afraid to ask questions today. Cities are melting pots. There is a glut of religious history on the New York Times Best Seller list. Jumping around is not studying the Bible.

8

Sunday's NA meeting

by Pistoff in

she begins:.

i have never spoken before in a meeting, and i am nervous.

i am one week away from having 6 months clean.. at sunday nights meeting, millie spoke for the first time, and it made me consider again the merits and pitfalls of belief.. me, i have been in recovery since the mid 80s and have recently begun attending na meetings again, just to feel more sane and to be there for newcomers; i know how great it was to have people at meetings with time when i started going.. halfway through her sharing, she said:.

Band on the Run

Twelve Step meetings are not innocent. AA can scream that it is not religious to the cows come home. It most certainly is religion. Federal judges rule so. The peer pressure in Twelve Step meetings is brutal. Talk about JW being a cult. AA, as practiced, is a cult! There are several versions of AA in Manhattan. A group formed a group to stop the peer pressure and having God shoved down their throats. AA was founded as a religious body. There may be a way for it to be neutral so zealots would welcome regular people. I've never seen it. They would rob me of my sobriety. Also, the literature and the folding chairs, the reading of the text, etc. are so Witness like.

28

When and where is the War in Heaven, supposedly?

by jam in

1)when did this war breakout or did i miss it.. many commentators conclude that the battle between michael.

and the dragon occurs roughly at the start of the church age.. some even argue that the battleground is the church itself.. others say this scene describes the dispute between michael.

and satan for the body of moses (jude 9) or the long-ago.

Band on the Run

God dwells is ridiculous. God is not a human or dog. Heaven is not a physical place. These are crazy scriptures written by a man so crazy the Church Fathers wanted the book suppressed. One bishop used the failed prophecy to damage a monk considered not obedient enough. Also, it has been a while but I don't recall Michael everywhere.

12

WARNING GRAPHIC, RAW PHOTOS -- ISIS on Christians Watchtower Needs To Speak Out!

by BucketShopBill in

syrian soliders surrendered to isis and soon were beaten, stripped naked and shot to death in the desert.

these following photos show the innocent victims isis has decided to kill.

how do you cut the heads off of four to eight year old kids?.

Band on the Run

The Wt is neutral. ISIS is the same as Methodists and Lutherans. Victims will be celebrated. See Rutherford Letter to Hitler. Who cares what the WT says? No one. It is a ditsy religion. It might be better for Witnesses affected if the WT keep its mouth shut. No, ISIS is as evil aa Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington. They love persecution. ISIS might slaughter billions. Witnesses will not know. If ISIS looks cross-eyed at a single Witness, Witnesses will know.

Would ISIS even find the Witnesses Christian? I don't.

17

Is there a list of JW contradictions / double standards anywhere?

by BenRichards in

as i mentioned in a recent thread, i've relatively new here.

have been lurking for a few weeks and just started posting.. one of the things i'm finding interesting about this site is how often someone posts a set of jw published material that contradicts each other.

for example the other day someone posted about lecithin.

Band on the Run

There are many threads where members here contribute their "favorite" double standard or reverses of doctrine. It is a regular feature. I would seearch for key words. I don't know the titles. Others might.