Half banana

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Posts by Half banana

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  21

  Watchtower Philosophy Debates

  by Wild_Thing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was wondering how many of you still enjoy (or maybe you just feel the need) to discuss and debate jw doctrine and scripture.

  i find myself scrolling right past those topics i see online.

  i could care less.

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  Half banana

  I would question the use of the word philosophy in connection with JWs. Philosophy in the strict sense is a permanent enquiry into the truthful nature of things whereas JWs smugly think they have already arrived at the only conclusion possible.

  With 43,000 other religions also claiming that their way is the shortcut to paradise, the only path God intended, philosophically speaking it makes you consider that solid foundations for religious "truth" must be missing.

  Doctrines are a defining collection of the chosen beliefs of a sect, you pays your money and you takes your choice! If on the other hand you want to find clarity and get to the bottom of a matter, you must research and question everything, especially the authority and validity of source material.

  So in answer to your question Wild Thing another question; what is the point in arguing about unprovable things?
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  27

  Why the move to Warwick?

  by optimisticskeptic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've seen a lot of posts around and about warwick and the goings on there but was curious as to people's theories on why the move to warwick?

  granted there's the obvious point about all of the money from the sale of properties in brooklyn but for as massive as warwick is, the purchase of an apartment complex there, multiple sites and buildings i would be surprised if they had much left from all of the profits.

  so beyond a financial incentive why move?

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  Half banana

  @Nowwhat and Cha ching, I think at a subliminal level this really is the motivation.

  The present indulgent lords of the Watchtower are the only beneficiaries of their delusional cult. They hold the reins and they hold the purse strings. The paradise carrot has withered, JC is no longer the world's hero and JW membership numbers are stagnating. . . light bulb moment! Why not use the billions to fund a better environment for the governing body?

  Note how perfectly sited the Warwick building is for a midsummer sunset! Knowing that Big A is merely the bait to keep the faithful dangling and with no chance of the world actually ending, then a comfy retirement across golden pond is just the ticket.
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  19

  Satan in Heaven

  by pleaseresearch in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this has always baffled me.

  that is why was satan and his demons allowed to be in heaven for so long after they split from god?.

  if we did that then we are out of the congregation, members are shunned and also kicked out of families homes.

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  Half banana

  I'm with you Scratch, like the rest of the Bible, the Satan story is just a fable, borrowed from a foreign culture then elaborated to tell a yarn. It has no literal meaning.

  Just to add, the Jews did not have a devil to do the devil's work since that was Jehovah's function as well. Isa 45;7

  Primitive Gods were good at multi tasking!
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  102

  If mathematics teacher made a mistake, would it mean mathematics itself is wrong!

  by venus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  many people point to the irrationality in the depiction of god by the religions and their scriptures, hence jump into the bottomless pit of atheism.

  in either camp, god is not a factor because religion is only a means that misrepresents god, hence religionists themselves are atheists (literally, those who live without god).

  it is like saying there exists no earth because you found out your friend who taught earth is flat is wrong; or it is like saying mathematics itself is wrong because you found out your mathematics teacher made a mistake.

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  Half banana

  Does anyone know if BK embrace the equivalent of "theocratic warfare"?
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  93

  Higher Education

  by Brian J in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  just spent 8 hours in a 1 day elders school last weekend.

  clarification given: "moving forward any elder, ms, or pioneer who themselves or someone under their roof enrolls in higher education, may no longer qualify for privileges in the congregation.

  their qualifications will have to be reviewed by their boe.".

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  Half banana

  The more Jehovah's Witnesses look like the Taliban the sooner their downfall.
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  2

  Jesus Christ The Founding source of Christianity [ Peace, Love,Family ,forgiveness and turn the other Cheek teaching ]

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  that is the popular view of jesus christ as the prince of peace and the protector of children.. you don`t hear very much about the flip side of jesus teachings that contradict those teachings do you.. matt.10:34-37 .

  "34 .do not think i came to put peace upon the earth,i came to put not peace but a sword 35..for i came to cause division with a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a young wife against her mother in law 36.,indeed a man`s enemies will be persons of his own household.

  37. he that has greater affection for father or mother than for me is not worthy of me and he that has greater affection for son or daughter than me is not worthy of me.".

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  Half banana

  There is no incontrovertible evidence that the Jesus of the Bible ever existed as one living breathing individual. No one ever recorded knowing Jesus or was able to write down verbatim or even in paraphrase what he was supposed to have said.

  There were other Jesuses and the role attributed to him: a saviour god-man, born of a virgin with twelve disciples etc, had existed for millennia before christianity did. Therefore what the Greek scriptures reflect are the pleadings of cult overseers (episcopoi) to get their flocks to conform to their will on the basis of the made up dialogue attributed to Jesus. Call him Prince of Peace but give them the fear of God and say that Jesus came to make hell with your family and friends.

  The power of blind "belief"!
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  28

  Should I stay or should I go?

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello everyone, i haven't posted anything on here for a while and today i just really felt like i needed to get my thoughts together.

  (if you don't know me please read some of my previous posts).

  so pretty much not much has changed in my life, i'm still living with my parents and going to all the meetings and service.

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  Half banana

  It’s tough being the offspring of JW parents. The religion demands conformity, it cannot demand that everyone believes what it teaches. You have had the great sense to see the errors of JW beliefs but your parents are encouraging you to conform to the Org by being normal parents i.e. helpful.

  You however feel trapped in doing things you do not believe like publicly teaching Armageddon. On the one hand you don’t want to upset your family but on the other they are forcing you to go against your conscience.

  Could you talk to your parents and explain that it is a "matter of conscience" that you can no longer do things which you do not believe in? You might preface the discussion by asking them, how would you feel if you were asked to do something contrary to your beliefs, would you do it for the sake of appearances?
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  8

  Jehovah`s Witnesses / Governing Body Claim To Abhor Child Sexual Abuse Within Their Congregations /Members who are victims.?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  so my question to them is why have they continually failed to report incidents of child sexual abuse of child members in their congregations to the appropriate authorities ,either police or child protection agency`s, when they are holding judicial committees into these allegations in their congregations when they occur or even some time after ?.

  they have consistently failed to do so.. and this failure to do so is not confined to one country ,it is a pattern that is repeated worldwide ,in one country after another country .

  (worldwide where they operate in ).

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  Half banana

  why have they continually failed to report incidents of child sexual abuse of child members in their congregations to the appropriate authorities?

  In essence I would suggest that they must have something to hide.

  At the second level I would say that to compensate for the fact that they are selling something dishonourable, namely a false promise of everlasting life, they want to project an image of a divinely blessed church.

  Underneath this public facade there is the reality that JWs are just like the rest of the population and subject to crime greed and lust although usually they are kept under control by strict congregational monitoring. However as the ARC found the JW system is an ideal place for paedophiles to operate and the reason is because they operate under the radar in a culture which is infinitely more concerned for public image than helping those who are abused. "Two witnesses" is a heartless excuse to justify their stance-- but knowingly it speaks to the faithful.

  I would go deeper and say that JW culture is predicated on two psychologically fixed ideas both of which are devoid of factual evidence. The first is, with only tradition to support it, that the Bible is the inerrant word of God and secondly that from the Bible it is possible to support an idea of paradise and a time when world destruction will come to make way for it.

  JWs are constitutionally bound to these flimsy propositions and require constant propaganda to maintain them, the only evidence the JW org have for being right is the smiling faces of a community enjoying a "spiritual paradise".

  If JW Org had admitted there was paedophilia in their ranks their public image would be sullied and the evidence for their dream would evaporate. Perhaps this is happening now?
  
  
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  78

  Work Christmas functions: Being a Bible Student (unbaptized)

  by rulehayl in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi all,i have been studying with the witnesses for more than 6 months and regularly attend both midweek & weekend meetings, and i am nearly at the end of the "bible teach" book.

  my boss is adamant i attend team christmas functions.

  she knows about my studying and potential baptism next year, and has suggested that i attend and just not participate in activities like kris kringle.

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  Half banana

  Rulehayl, I'm very sorry that you have decided to ditch reason in favour of descending into the grip of a religious cult.

  A couple of years down the line you will realize that you were actually warned off JWs and you will remember that you ignored the warnings.

  You cannot leave the JW org without punishment!

  Nevertheless I hope you find a happy life.
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  34

  Bringing reproach on Jehovah's name.

  by ScottyRex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have thought long and hard about this, you know in those midnight hours.. you will probably string me alive in what i say, but here you go-.

  i feel that the jw's do have the truth.

  i do agree with the doctrines and biblical exgenesis they propound.i do feel that they have the 'truth' i do understand they are imperfect, and i think they have had to 'refine' their teachings as time has gone on-and change accordingly- i see nothing wrong with this.

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  Half banana

  Scotty, I think you have fallen into a trap, JWs are normally decent people but their religion is not truthful at all, it is a dire cult. To “get it” you must make this distinction.

  Take note that nothing the JW Org says is evidence based. Because of this they never get anything right.

  
  

  Their “new light” doctrines have to change because they cannot remain viable over time, for example “the generation of 1914” which was to see the end of the system of things -- it fell flat on its face like all the rest of their predictions.

  Ok if you were the creator of life would you design it so that the food your creatures were to eat was to eat each other?

  If you are sentimental about David Attenborough’s awesome portrayals of life, (previous post) consider the female Sand tiger shark. Her dozen or so offspring, whilst still in the womb, devour each other until only one is left; the victorious cannibal to be born and swim out into a godless ocean.

  Now if you had the power to create the universe and Sand tiger sharks, would you be the slightest bit worried about being reproached by insignificant ant-like earthlings? (It is so obvious that the Bible is written from a distinctly human perspective!) No of course you wouldn’t so why not start thinking clearly and only believe things which have evidence for them?

  Allow me please to start you off; the JW org never uses sceptical argument which is a necessary ingredient to determine fact from fiction.