Jdubs have to go into a long drawn out arguement to try and justify their idea.
Aint that the truth! . . . but they come unstuck early in the piece . . .
Mankind invited Satan in, we unleashed him on ourselves.
I don't recall either Adam or Eve answering the door, offering a demon a snake suit, and asking him to sit down and tell them a story . . . or did I miss something?
i studied the paradise book, you may remember there was a whole chapter it in about the dream, the tree getting chopped down, time, time and half a time etc.
now i was very young ( but of course spirtualy mature (!
) when i studied this but i remember seeing the person explain this doctrine to me and it was like.... " ok now you see this scripture here?
sizemik, we were just hopefull and they took advantage of us and many others. lots of empty promises
Yeah . . . to be honest . . . I've stopped kicking myself.
Thing is . . . It's not that difficult to decieve the avereage person if you appear trustworthy . . . and who better to send than a little old lady?
I can't believe I stayed in it for nearly 30 years. . . . SNAP!
some here like to perpetuate the idea that there is a hidden group lurking in the shadows playing democrats and republicans against each other for their own benefit... or that a new world order is about to annihilate herds of common men to stay in power.. please name one specific living person who is a member of this elite group..
There are indeed some conspiracy theorists here who should know this . . . I wait with baited breath.
it seems that religion has always been considered the opium of the people.
or at least many tend to gravitate towards religion to have or solidify some sort of future with a supreme being overlooking them hoping to have a reward either in heaven or in the jehovah's witnesses case - living forever in a " paradise earth ".
it seems that people can't just live day to day and let each day come to them with whatever happens.
There has emerged a degree of pessimism here centered around the Global Economic situation.
In 1949 . . . Albert Einstein said . . . "A largely unregulated capatalist system will eventually result in the greatest tragedy for mankind"
We appear to be approaching that point. I don't see this necessarily as bad as it might seem. Even a "collapse" of the current economic system will not be as sudden as some might imagine IMO. Countries with weaker economies will undergo change first (as we are beginning to see) and usher in changes that will see Global Economics change for sure.
The increase in competition for resources will drive some populations to a more "subsistence" style economy with simpler life-styles and a more internalised "local" distribution of resources as international markets become more unstable.
For the individual . . . land ownership and working towards a higher degree of self-sufficiency would be a wise course to persue IMO. The greatest threat could come from lawlessness resulting from the austerity imposed by simpler life-styles. Humans collectively will find the changes painful in one way or another . . . but the human race will survive this change . . . and eventually be better for it . . . hows that for positive? . . . no?
See . . . nothing to worry about really.
hey all, i'm still embroiled in my ongoing debate w/a few jw's and now we're on this tangent where they are saying that jws are the most peaceful and law abiding people in comparison to other religious people.
i said that's not true, there's been many news articles that detail various crimes committed by jws.
i couldn't find anything right away when i did a google search, so can someone point me to some threads or links that contain recent and past articles of jw's in trouble w/the law or who have committed crimes?.
I see it's been posted already . . . but the list of criminals here is looooooong long . . . check out the list down the left hand side if you haven't already.
I was aware of 8 seperate cases of sexual criminal behavior that were never dealt with by the authorities over 27 years. Also I was "ripped off" by an Elder to the tune of $5000 and told I could not "scripturally" approach the authorities. I spoke to a detective anyway, who said "If you wish to make an official complaint . . . I'll get an arrest warrant" . . . of course I never did.
if i were to introduce you to the old jw style sister highdose, you would meet someone who was terrified of everything.
meeting new people, public speaking, driving, everything in the world especailly worldly people, swimming, drinking in bars, walking the streets, unauthorised banned books, "dodgy demonic films", music, apostates, getting lost and much else.
i lived in fear of the great and terrible unknown that might come and "get" me!.
There is nothing to fear but fear itself . . . a hackneyed phrase I admit . . . but with different levels of acceptance.
Bungy Jumping . . . skydiving . . . pilot . . . I've done them all . . . and it's still a statistical fact that I'm more likey to kill myself driving to the airport! . . . and that's not very likely.
Here's another hackneyed phrase "life . . . be in it" . . . for there is nothing to fear.
Congratulations on shedding the fear. Let the fun begin.
does upper management at the wtbs actually use this term, has it appeared in the literature?
have any good stories about elders/co's/do's talking about the little people that way?.
more writing research under way.
you are right, it's a military term.
And how appropriate! . . . the WT Org very closely resembles the military . . . with it's highly structured and tiered authority with multiple levels . . . each level being totally subservient to the one above. Interestingly, military organisations are often used as examples of cult-like behavior.
There seems little resemblance to the teachings or intentions of Christ in such Organisations . . .
Matt 23 (KJV)
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.
i studied the paradise book, you may remember there was a whole chapter it in about the dream, the tree getting chopped down, time, time and half a time etc.
now i was very young ( but of course spirtualy mature (!
) when i studied this but i remember seeing the person explain this doctrine to me and it was like.... " ok now you see this scripture here?
To be honest? . . . my knowledge of the Bible was zilch when I began studying with JW's all those years ago.
I was quickly absorbed by the indoctrination process and remember thinking at that point . . . fantastic! . . . the paradise IS just around the corner . . . Oh lucky me! . . . . IDIOT
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11presbyterian.html.
presbyterians approve ordination of gay people.
after 33 years of debate, the presbyterian church (u.s.a.) has voted to change its constitution and allow openly gay people in same-sex relationships to be ordained as ministers, elders and deacons.
There is nothing un-Biblical about this decision . . . except in the eyes of certain Fundamentalist Christian Extremist groups whose Bible interpretations are based on age-old prejudices and ill-informed bigotry. The same Fundamentalists Extremists who frequently find thier hypocrisy exposed as illustrated above.
I salute them.
hey everybody, i'm in the middle of an ongoing debate w/some jws and they are asserting that everyone knows what they're getting into when they are studying and getting baptized and that nobody forces anyone to become a jw and that you can leave anytime you want.
ok, we know that's not true.
how would you counter that argument?
Watchtower fails to point out to Witnesses that if and/or when they are accused for wrongdoing and invited to a judicial hearing they will be refused any request to have a third-party observe their hearing for fairness.
This got me at one time. When in the "world" representation and/or support is a basic human right in any judicial forum with the exception of a few corrupt dictatorships. There is absolutely no warning that this will not be the case in WT world until it is confronted
Imagine how many abusive practices could be stopped in thier tracks if this basic human right were not denied to the average JW.
