Posts by Half banana

24

If they go bankrupt, so what?

by maksutov in

it seems likely that the watchtower is worried about its finances, given the downsizing, property schemes, and money-grabs we have been seeing over the last few years.

perhaps they suffered badly from the financial crisis.

for sure, there will be more expenses to come from child abuse payouts.

If they went bankrupt they will have been very foolish with their funds...but if they did, they may not even tell the bros. They have vast assets which they can use as collateral to borrow money and if that does not work out they can sell off property to reduce or pay off debts. The key thing for them is to keep the faithful in the fold and paying money into the coffers but even here many will suspect what would be going on and pull away.

The trend in religious membership is to be “spiritual”. This late 20th century phenomenon is part of the personal and self regarding approach to faith which disregards authoritarian dogma. It is in evidence here on this site where believers report that they go along to the meetings but do not accept the Borg mentality and regulations... and it probably is part of the reason why WTBTS funds are dropping.

The beliefs could well remain if the org collapses. Already the doctrines of JWs are evident outside of the WTBTS, especially in Africa, (BK is JWism on steroids) they will splinter more rapidly if the money fails and the centre does not hold so the fear and threats from the anxious GB would increase, losing many believers in the process and the remaining flock would have to adopt a siege mentality... very unhealthy!

Well that’s one scenario!

24

If they go bankrupt, so what?

by maksutov in

it seems likely that the watchtower is worried about its finances, given the downsizing, property schemes, and money-grabs we have been seeing over the last few years.

perhaps they suffered badly from the financial crisis.

for sure, there will be more expenses to come from child abuse payouts.

Half banana

Mak, they have ab initio equated their income with divine blessing. This notion is built into the governing body DNA.

Due to the world market decline from 2008, possibly by bad investments, bad publicity and potentially crippling court cases; the income has dropped. It is probably significant that the regular contributions from the rank and file have diminished greatly due not only to the aforementioned troubles but also from a new wave of scepticism from within the congregations. I see this as an automatic response to doubting the authority of the leadership...withholding contributions to an already very rich religious organisation with Armageddon after all “just around the corner”...why would they need so much money? Rank and file drop in contributions must signal alarm to the GB.

Nevertheless after a very cursory investigation on this site, it looks like the JW org annual income is around 1.5 to 2 billion Dollars. Such an amount would give a lot of creditworthiness with any bank and therefore flexibility in difficult times.

Let’s hope the punters keep reducing the contributions and the expenditures rapidly increase! The scenario will be played out as a sign of the imminence of the end as encouraged by Brooklyn... but where can they go when this stunt is also proved to be false? Only if they have squillions of Dollars in property and in the bank, and with an effective propaganda machine, can they live to fool the flock again...and hence I think the reason for their ruthless money grabbing.

9

Knowing good and bad and being judged for it...

by purrpurr in

the belief is that god created the tree of the knowledge of good and bad right?

but then forbid adam and eve to eat from it because if they did they would understand good and bad.... the belief also is that either at death or armageddon we will be judged as to whether we have been good or bad.... so it seems that god did not want humans to have the knowledge of how to be good or bad in the first place but still wants to judge them on it?!?.

i always thought when reading that part of the bible " what would have been so wrong for humans to have that knowledge in the beginning?

Half banana

Iconoclastic, Adam and Eve could never had existed, they are a creation myth, a tale of "explanation" for the illiterate.

Are you recently out of the JW org or do you just enjoy meaningless assertions?

27

Who am I to screw up their happiness?

by Crazyguy in

that was the question to me tonight.

because of their beliefs they have a moral compass, a net work of friends and a support group.

they have what they believe is a loving god.

Half banana

OP Crazyguy, perhaps firstly because their happiness is delusional i.e. their hopes will never be realised... and secondly they practise their delusions at the cost of the happiness of others.

...and good on you Clarity!

39

The only way to know God exists!

by iconoclastic in

do everything as god would do if he were present here.

this will attract his attention, and you will experience his invisible hands blessing everything you do, giving you results more than what you sowed.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

hence put to the test the above, and then you can make really authentic comments!.

Half banana

Iconoclast, try a bit of intellectual iconoclasm for a change...it is the only way to determine what is not true. To be sceptical and tear down entrenched belief and know what is not true is the best knowledge we can have. This is how philosophy works. Let me suggest: there is no evidence for god; belief in helpful spirit beings is a traditional human conceit and comfort, it is unsupported by evidence, therefore nothing; no ideas, no principle, no rules or consequences can be can be built upon the premise that a god exists.

I say this because you genuinely seem to be trying to draw logical conclusions from information you have but it is failing to make sense. Perhaps you have a hidden agenda such as BK?

7

Oliver Sacks on Humans and Myth-making

by Brokeback Watchtower in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4anuxddg2ii

Half banana

Thanks Brokeback, I have read many of his books including Uncle Tungsten, The Island of the Colour-blind and more recently a terrific one on Hallucinations. They are never judgemental, always full of compassion and have a profound understanding of what it is to be human. Oliver Sacks embodied a clear humanist voice and shows how a serious study of neuroscience is revelatory, fascinating and useful.

17

Photosynthesis and the problem with the creation story

by purrpurr in

i just noticed in the bible that on day three, god created the plants and trees on the earth.... day four, god created the sun, moon and stars!

so that means that the vegetation that is by its very nature dependant upon light to grow and photosynthesise was created a day before the sun that it needs to live!???.

this gets even more strange when you factor in the jw exhuse that a day to god is like a thousand years.

Half banana

Thanks for that George, it just goes to show that the JW religion produces information by idiots and for idiots.

16

Why bother creating all the other galaxies?

by purrpurr in

i'm still reading and researching the bible.

a thought occurred to me... the universe is so huge and full yet most of it cannot be seen by the naked human eye.. while jw's could claim that god created the stars to look pretty/ for navigation... what about the rest that cannot be seen?

the huge never ending mass of universe that the bronze age writers of the bible had no idea about?.

Half banana

Purrpurr, there is only one thing now that is important, forget the stars and galaxies which are so vast and far distant that we don’t have the imagination to comprehend them. Forget what the Bible says, or God or Jesus...these are now relegated to minor players in the religion business. What really counts are the words which come from the true centre of the universe; the seven ancient gnomes, the self appointed holy protectors of the sacred doctrines. On bended knee and in holy worship let us all praise the Holy Brothers of Brooklyn.......

Seriously for a moment, you do make a good point about the purpose of the unfathomable size of the universe if it was "created".

21

Two JWs visited

by Listener in

i just had two female jws visit, one in their 30s and the other about 20. .

they invited me to their convention to learn about jesus, they said it is three days long but i don't need to attend every day and she highlighted one session at 11.15am where i could learn about jesus.. i said to her that i wouldn't be interested in attending the convention because i believed what a man called rutherford said about religion being a snare and a racket.

they wanted to know who this rutherford guy was and after explaining knew who i was talking about.

Half banana

Listener, I really loved the way you were able to teach the JW zombies the doctrines demanded by their own cult!

It really looks like the easiest mode of control for the GB, is to get the flock to simply obey... and not to think too deeply about the teachings. It used to be a religion of well informed Bible students.

23

Is this a subtle clue that the leaders really see the "great tribulation" of the WT coming soon?

by never a jw in

similarly, we cannotexpect that the future interruption inthe great tribulation will result in aninflux of new believers.

rather, it willbe an opportunity for all true believersto prove their love for jehovah andgive their support to christs brothers.. (par.

7, page 16, wt july 2015).

Half banana

Coasting down to Armageddon hey? Psychosis takes on many forms!