All this just confirms a topic I started a while ago. Quite frankly, it's just sad that this can repeat itself over and over again, and there is not a batting of the eye to the contrary.
Knowsnothing
JoinedPosts by Knowsnothing
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45
Opening the bible at random - once spoken of approvingly, now superstitious!
by cedars inthe latest december 15th study edition of the watchtower opens with an intriguing article entitled "beware of superstitious use of the bible".. as an example of what constitutes "superstitious use" of the bible, it has this to say.... .
"perhaps a more common misuse of the bible is the practice of bibliomancy.
it refers to opening at random a book, often the bible, and reading the text that first meets the eye in the belief that those words will provide needed guidance.
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76
Atheist Book of Bible Stories
by crystlew123 inok so i dl'd this book.
and i immediatly began reading it.
i am about 50 pdf pages into it.
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Knowsnothing
Perhaps I have missed the part where you've explained why I should be distressed to discover that there are a pair of traditions recorded about who, exactly, whacked Goliath. - Sulla
You're not distressed about the Bible being fallible, yet you still somehow reconcile the Biblical message to your Catholic liking. That's fine, but that's on you to rationalize your particular belief.
Perhaps you shouldn't be distressed, but certainly any fundamentalist interpretation should. I hope the scope of criticism is clear.
Now, if you'd like to give some input as to why you choose to adhere to your faith, yet reject Biblical infallibilty, by all means, that sounds interesting.
Editted to add: If you like the Atheist Book of Bible Stories, perhaps you will like the parrodies posted on reddit.
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Question on In Vitro fertilization - quote from 12/15/12 WT
by sd-7 in12/15/12 wt p. 15:.
"in a variation that some term 'embryo adoption,' the embryos placed in a wife's womb involve neither her eggs nor her husband's sperm.
in yet another variation, a married couple's eggs and sperm are fertilized outside the womb by ivf.
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21
I'm lost
by Dyfii innot at all.. i tried to kill myself 3 times.
i was 14, nobody likes me at school, my weight was a problem, i tought that god wasn't there for me, my life had no sense.
at 15-16 i decided it was enough.
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Knowsnothing
Welcome. I'm sorry you've been through such a hard time. I agree with what others have said, be yourself. As a JW, I used to look down on homosexuality. It's really not fair that you should be alienated because of your sexual orientation. Homosexuals growing up in any fundamentalist religion generally have a hard time, and this is certainly no exception.
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YouTube video: Five Stupid Things About Jehovah's Witnesses
by cedars ingreat video.
this is how we are viewed by outsiders.
there's no fooling some people!.
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Knowsnothing
That was great, Cedars. Thanks!
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King David an example in morality?
by hoser infrom november study wt page 7 par 17. .
"consider too how davids example of earnestly seeking god's guidance can help us to resist the temptation to view pornographic images".
"meditating on his elevated standards equips us to keep free from the snare of pornography".
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Knowsnothing
who writes this stuff?
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Even after reading Crisis of Conscience, one thing (at least) still puzzled me
by kepler init was several years back and from time to time i will look something up in the index.
all manner of things about jw life are revealed - as well as discussions within the leadership, plus historical and contemporary controversies - but there is still something i missed.. please excuse me if this is not a detailed summary.
when the drum roll starts for the purge, it appears that the friends and associates of ray franz are targeted first.
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Knowsnothing
but I don't recall seeing anywhere where the author says "that's why the majority came after me".
I haven't read the book completely, and In Search of Cristian Freedom deals with other aspects the first book doesn't explain. My question is, did Franz speak to the GB about his position on 607 along with other doctrines/policies he disagreed with?
Another thing is to note is that his associates were targeted first, perhaps because they were more vocal about it or got caught. Now, given that situation, the Purge in Bethel, why would Franz need to spell out "that's why the majority came after me"?
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Quoting out of context - ever justified?
by cognisonance injw literature on subjects such as creation vs. evolution often quote out of context, with the most recent material (the newest brochures) acknowledging that often those quoted to support the jw viewpoint do believe in evolution nonetheless.
sometimes indeed quotes in jw literature are just outright misquotes, leaving off preceding or succeeding words (or sentences) that would completely alter the meaning of the source sited (i.e.
carl sagans quote, the fossil evidence could be consistent with the idea of a great designer is indeed a flat out misquote).. .
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Knowsnothing
Are there situations where this third possibility holds true, that it would be rational, factual, and contextually sound to quote someone who does not agree with the point one is making?
Here is what I think. As long as there is a disclaimer, as long as sources are given, then even if the conclusion the one using the quote/s arrives at is incorrect, there really shouldn't be an issue. It is an individual's duty to examine for theirself the evidence and arrive at their own conclusion.
What Creationists (of whatever camp) try to do is use all the negatives or unknowns in the theory of evolution and try to sum it up to arrive at the conclusion that therefore, evolution is impossible. As an example, if one scientist believes in punctuated equilibrium and another believes in gradualism, the WT will happily quote what the first scientist perceives as a flaw in gradualism along with what the second believes is a flaw in punctuated equilibrium, thereby canceling out any possibility for evolution for the lay reader. As a more informed person would surmise, evolution doesn't rest soley on this two seemingly competing theories. There are many more options, and that might include the possibility that even both have occurred at different times in different species.
Aside from your question, the consensus of biology, geology, anthropology, etc. converge at evolution, and so even though we have gaps in understanding does not mean that therefore, evolution is not true. The WT and Creationists alike try to pick out the unknowns or seeming inconsistencies without looking at the big picture, simply trying to confirm not only Special Creation, but along with it their peculiar flavor of it (WT sides with science on the Earth's age, yet deny evidence for humans existing long before A&E; YEC take the Genesis account literal word-for-word and arrive at the Earth only being a few thousand years old).
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Is there one Bible Prophecy.....
by Phizzy inin the form of a prediction, that can be proven to truly be a prediction,i.e written before the event, and it came true ?.
it would be good not to have time wasters on this thread in the form of the common ones that are brought up to demonstrate the bible's prophetic prowess, like cyrus being named , these have been debunked already.. but does there seem to be a genuine prophecy in there somewhere ?.
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Knowsnothing
I had to sit through the Walk by faith, not by sight DVD today. Did Christians have foreknowledge of Jerusalem's destruction? Vidqun's quotes from Eusebius are interesting, but alas they are subject to bias.
Are there any other sources?
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Are YOU a Thinker?
by alamb inthe recovering thinker.
hi, my name is bob, and i am a recovering thinker..... it started out innocently enough: i began thinking at meetings now and then to loosen up.
inevitably though, one thought led to another and soon i was more than just a theocratic thinker.
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Knowsnothing
Lulz, hilarious! Thank you!
