Posts by Liberty

43

Did our ancestors really live for hundreds of years?

by pennycandy in

jw
friends

for all you scientific brains out there .

.. the bible claims lifespans of over 900 years.

what does science say about this?.

Liberty

Hi Pennycandy,

Like most of the Bible it's accounts of people living to almost 1000 years old is pure fantasy from all the available evidence I've seen. These stories are contemporary with other known cultures who left us written records from these times and none of them report humans living to such extreme ages. Even if other cultures did claim that people lived this long it would not be provable either but it is interesting that since no such claims are made it is very unlikely that people were even living to be 200 years old or someone would have noted it somewhere even as a folk tale or exaggeration. Most of the Archeological evidence leads us to believe people in these times lived about as long as we do today if they were lucky, healthy, and had enough food. If the Watch Tower's theory about people in ancient times being closer to perfection and hence having longer life spans was true then there should have been a lot of evidence of many people gradually dying at a younger and younger ages counting down from the upper 100's regardless of their cultures. The recorded reigns of Egyptian Kings for instance all show lifespans exactly in line with what one would expect from normal modern humans living under the conditions prevailent then in ancient Egypt.

Think of the unique familial relationships which would have been noted by someone in talking about living alongside their own GreatGreatGreatGreat Grandparents/Grandchildren yet there is no mention of such. Why would Noah have only taken his children and their wifes on the Ark when clearly there should have been his Parents, Grandparents, Great Grandparents, etc. to include, not to mention his numerous generations of Grandchildren, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins etc. Surely they were not all evil since Noah got his righteousness from somewhere? Noah does not even mourn the loss of all these close relatives who would surely have been alive if everybody was living past 500 years or more. The Bible is illogical even within it's own context in this regard. People living to nearly 1000 years old is clearly sheer nonsense.

31

No longer innocent

by fairchild in

jw
friends

we are now approaching the year 2005, i am again going to all the meetings and most of my friends are jw's.

however, i don't feel that 'love' for god, and i certainly don't feel that he listens when i pray, which i do every day.

after talking about this with an elder, he suggested i study some more, and i am currently studying the book 'worship the true god'.

Liberty

Hi Fairchild,

Immerse yourself in the study of why you believe what you believe. Take University classes if possible on the real history of religion and the Bible. If classes are too expensive do more research yourself in the many great books available on these subjects. If you have the guilt to beat yourself up over your lack of belief then do something about it and find out if God is real and if the Bible is really His word. Ultimately, only you can convince yourself of what is "true" so make sure you can make an infomed choice.

30

I hate feet

by rebel8 in

here in the "arctic" northeast, people are beginning to wear their sandals again.

i hate sandal season.. there are a few people with good hygeine and ok looking feet that can pull off the sandal look.

the rest should not be allowed into public without socks and shoes.. i am sick of seeing callouses, dry skin with foot flakes falling off, dirty feet, even worse--dirty toenails, toenails that have not been trimmed (i do not want to see anything but nails trimmed all the way down), corns, fungus, bunions, deformations, etc.

Liberty

Hi Brooke,

Those are hottie feet! I want to pinch all your little piggies.

55

Did You Ever Think The "End" Was Going To Happen In Your Lifetime"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

although i was considered an exemplary jw, i never really could see it happening.

still don't.

Liberty

It was my pleasure Crumpet. Never forget what an interesting life you have lived because of your "odd" background. Despite the fear and pain you have a wealth of experience that not many "Worldly" folks will be able to tap into. Use those hard won experiences to your advantage. I am a better father and a better person because of all that has happened and because I got started late I think I appreciate everything more. It may not have been the best path to take but it was MY path after I flushed Watchtowerism.

I am not a natural skeptic but after being duped so badly by the Society I am now very cautious and skeptism is my new religion and I try hard to apply my "bull shit meter" to everything I hear, read, or want to believe. I do not want to be fooled again and thinking clearly for me takes alot of effort. I am now free to study and question anything I want and I make better use of this right because I know how it feels to be restricted. Nothing is off limits now to critical thinking and I love that there is no limit to knowledge seeking and that what we think we know or believe is always subject to change. You will be able to adapt to change more quickly now that you have lived through having the rug pulled out from under you. This " Wicked Old System of Things" is really kind to ex-kooks like us. You will do fine.

55

Did You Ever Think The "End" Was Going To Happen In Your Lifetime"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

although i was considered an exemplary jw, i never really could see it happening.

still don't.

Liberty

Hi Hondo,

In answer to your question, I think alot of it has to do with "magical thinking" a concept which skeptics fight on many fronts such as Astrology, witchcraft, UFOlogy, religion, etc.. Alot of the appeal of being a JW is convincing yourself that you are so special that you have been chosen to know and "understand deeply" in your heart a secret that the majority are not capable of "seeing" and it is up to you to convince them that you have a special knowledge which can help them. The powerless feel impowered by such knowledge and as an added bonus all of their problems will be solved with the fulfillment of this special knowledge. If you just believe hard enough (magical thinking) you will never grow old or die and all your dreams will come true. This is a very powerful "drugfree induced euphoria" especially in the newly converted. Doing God's will also means being in constant contact with His energy so you are now associated with and tapped into the greatest power in the Universe. JWs are not the only folks seduced by this faulty mode of thinking since fanatics and kooks abound in every wierd belief system, JWs are bit different in that they don't have a clue that they are really "out there" whereas many of the other "magical thinking" kooks are a bit more self aware.

21

Who is this 'Pistol-Packing Cutie' on the cover of the Watchtower?

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

a nice guy named robert de vrije has put a link to his site - http://websitemaker.kennisnet.nl/jehoshuafellowship/index.htm - over at thewatchtower.org.

i can't read dutch so the site is useless to me except for the fact that i am drawn to this wondrful mock-up!.

i don't know why clint eastwood is there or what the significance of the gunslinging girlie is but i love it!.

Liberty

IT IS Joan Blondell!

55

Did You Ever Think The "End" Was Going To Happen In Your Lifetime"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

although i was considered an exemplary jw, i never really could see it happening.

still don't.

Liberty

Sorry Minimus, but any JW back in the late 1960's or early 70's who claimed they didn't believe the big "A" would in fact be all over by 1975 was not a "true believer" and to be considered "spiritually sick" or "weak" or even worse... an Apostate. I remember that at an Assembly in 1973 the buzz was that this would be the last Assembly in this "Old System" since the "Thousand Year Reign of Christ" had to commence in '75 in order to fit the WT Society's own time tables so in those next few years it would all be over. When nothing clearly was happening the dates kept getting modified until it was right down to 1975. The concept that '75 would be a "Marked Date" was then floated as a last hope by the Watch Tower that something could happen to keep them from looking like complete asses. This happened for them in 1914 when WWI started but no such luck in '75. There was absolutely nothing to point to as even a "Marked Date" and 1975 was a complete bust for all us JWs and we and the WT Society ended up looking like the complete asses we were. I think that is why many JWs have conned themselves into thinking they never believed in '75 because of the immense shame involved in being so stupid and in admitting that the Society could have been SO wrong.. It is obvious that most JWs did in fact believe it since this was the period of the most rapid growth and intense field service fueled by fear coupled with enthusiasm over the big "A" created this growth, a Fact, plain and simple.

Crumpet made some great points. When you think everything will be destroyed and you will never have a future you make different choices in your life than "Worldly" folks who plan for their futures. I hope Crumpet will have time to recover and live her life to its fullest now. She is a beautiful young woman who deserves her true love and children. I have made great strides in overcoming the mess the Watch Tower cult made of my early life. I am way behind my "Worldly" peers but now have a Universty education, a job, a retirement plan, a house, a partner who can put up with my JW past, and my first child but I had to wait until my mid 40's to get here. So much wasted time. So many wasted lives all for a few old men's fevered pipe dreams. All that the Watch Tower has taught is complete nonsense fact proven by time itself ! We may have believed it once but you can get your life back.

81

The Second Amendment

by Englishman in

jw
friends

i like guns.

i like the feel of them.

i like the fine engineering too.

Liberty

Hi Englishman,

Love your posts. In answer to your concerns, the problem comes when it is a government making the judgements about who exactly "meets the requirements" for firearms ownership. The whole point of the 2nd Amend. from our revolutionary founder's view would be to not trust the government to make this call since they then would still hold all the cards anyway. The 1st Amend. doesn't require any government approval of what should qualify as fit to print or say for this very same reason. Freedom means not having the government regulate these vital means of protecting all the other freedoms.

Crime is always cited as an excuse for taking away all freedoms by big government supporters, yet what is forgotten is that governments throughout history have always been the worst criminals by far surpassing any brutalities that individuals could possibly commit. I trust my friends, co-workers, and nieghbors with weapons far more than a bunch of 18 year olds given just 9 weeks of basic training and brain washing by professional killers. The general population made up of experianced professionals of varius ages and life lessons who know what it is to love deeply, feel loss, raise children, take care of elderly parents, and have felt the weight of real responability are far more trust worthy with weapons than a bunch of brainwashed kids who are still thinking in black in white terms (hence the military's use of such young recruits). The mass murders, tortures, rapes, and thefts commited by governments is staggeringly huge when compared to the few deviants who commit such crimes as individuals in a society. Historically, your chances of being killed by a government is much greater than the off chance you will run into a murderous thug.

The militia as defined by our revolutionary fathers was the whole armed civilian populace which could come together to use their individually controlled weapons in an emergency, not a paid mercenary force armed and controlled soley by the government as in the National Guard which is just another reserve arm of the Federal Government. The 2nd Amend. is a right reserved for individual citizens just like religion, press, etc. and not for the establishment of another government agency like the National Guard.

16

The 1000 Year Stupid Doctrine

by Nosferatu in

to me, the 1000 years that jws promise after armageddon is a really dumb doctrine.

basically, everyone who cacked before armageddon is going to be resurrected, and everyone on earth is going to grow perfect during these 1000 years.

then, bastard jehovah is going to let satan loose for "a little while" to basically clean out any evil that is on the earth.. so, what's the point of paradise erf?

Liberty

When reason and logic are applied to these idiotic Watchtower interpretations their reality evaporates like alcohol on a hot day. Jehoover's ability to "read hearts" or generally to be omniscient is apparently greatly flawed since so many potential naughty folk make it through His screening process. This applies to the 144,000 as well... why do so many who were hand picked by the big "J" go bad and have to be replaced?

I have always found it interesting that super beings like angels who would be smarter than humans and actually have direct contact with and first hand knowledge of Ol' Jehoover Himself, had so many of their numbers risk a rebellion against Him. Obviously there was some chance of winning, otherwise it would have been stupid for them to attempt a rebellion, hence Jehoover is not omnipotent either. It is also great evidence that Jehoover must not be such a nice guy since those who know Him best decided that they didn't like Him pushing them around anymore. How can humans stand a chance of loving such a god since we aren't even sure He exists because there is no direct evidence or knowledge about Him? If the super smart spirit beings He worked with and saw on a dailey basis can't stand Him how are we humans supposed to subject ourselves to His authority?

The whole Devil/demon concept really shows how illogical the Watchtower Universe would be if it were true. If there were any reality to the Watchtower view the Universe would be so irrational and crazy that it would be a waking nightmare and not a Paradise at all. Please destroy me so I wouldn't have to live in this insanity for all eternity.

30

Headaches?????

by whyamihere in

jw
friends

i have been getting headaches for the past year or so.

i have never had this problem in my life with bad headaches.

now it is not huge pain but a 5 out of 10. it is everyday and hits me at 2 pm.. my neck is stiff and it hurts.

Liberty

Many foods contain the flavor enhancer MSG, Mono Sodium Glutimate. This stuff is not good for anyone but in some people, myself included, even small amounts can cause severe migrane-like headaches, and larger amounts cause headaches with nausia, vomiting, hot flashes, skin flushing, and diarrhea. Check your meals & snacks for MSG and ask restaurants if they use it then try eliminating it from your diet to see if this is causing your headaches.