soft+gentle

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Posts by soft+gentle

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  269

  The Hubble, Yahweh, the Bible, and faith.

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been several threads in which the views of the universe provided by the hubble space telescope have been discussed.

  i guess this will be another one.

  there's a new series being broadcast here in canada on the oasis hd nature channel entitled hubble's canvas.

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  soft+gentle

  I love the stars too jgnat and would like to whilst staring at them fall sleep every night!!!! reminds me of camping trips and clear nights

  the video raised some exciting issues about non carbon based life from inorganic matter and grappled with the question of what is life.

  what I am taking away from this interesting thread "the hubbble, Yahweh, the bible and faith" is that atheistic scientists are all fired up by the mysteries of the universe and this impels them to search for how it works together and what the mysterious possibilites are that it opens up.

  In contrast Yahweh, the bible and faith tends towards denying mystery and possibility suggesting that there will always be more of the same - (to me a kind of annihilation). Jgnat's video crystallised it for me - the scientist taking a chemical approach was prepared to experiment with different ways of looking at an old problem. The clincher for me was that he is enthusiastic and protean and whilst acknowling the gaps in our knowledge about evolution was still prepared to go on trying to understand how replication, containment and an energy source can be demonstrated in the lab and that if we call this life then it is possible to look for other life forms and habitats in the universe. watch the video and you will see what I mean.

  at the same time I have a great deal of respect for believers. I was especially following Awen's reasoning regarding how some parts of the bible are thinly disguised descriptions of phenomena that we now study as science (post 297).

  I also find that I can admit personal experience as proof in faith for oneself but only up to a point and that is to say that faith must admit the courage to engage with mystery - God would then be dark, mysterious and challenging.
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  269

  The Hubble, Yahweh, the Bible, and faith.

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been several threads in which the views of the universe provided by the hubble space telescope have been discussed.

  i guess this will be another one.

  there's a new series being broadcast here in canada on the oasis hd nature channel entitled hubble's canvas.

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  soft+gentle

  the quiet one

  (I'm leaving for an indefinite period, just saying in case anyone worries. Hope I've been of some use.)

  shame you've left as I learned a lot from our conversations. I hope your indefinite period of absence from JWN is productive for you.

  great thread nickolas

  bohm - I recognise the brainstem - great avatar
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  41

  Was today's WT study an indictment of us who still attend the KH?

  by compound complex in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  given the interest shown in today's wt study, i got to thinking that the society knows many of us still attend meetings.

  the wording of today's lesson doesn't allude only to outsider's breaking in with their filthy apostate literature and tv interviews but also to satanic insider's working the faithful sheep in the pen.. we've discussed on other threads how jwn and like sites appear to be monitored.

  of course, the society's literature never clues the reader in on what exactly apostates teach nor how we infiltrators do our clandestine work of sabotaging the sheep's faith.. any thoughts?.

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  soft+gentle

  I did not stay for the watchtower as my son was unwell after the public talk so I took him home via the coffee shop and a short visit to Gap. I did discuss with a jw relative that facebook seems to be saying that inactive ones are mentally diseased. I was assured that the study article does not say that inactive ones are mentally diseased but that apostates are!!!! reassured I also lost interest in preparing the WT. In hindsight I ought to have been there to say something...I think I would have said that such polemic was used ardently by christendom during the inquisition but that nowadays we have to be careful as religious polemic can often be interpreted as hate speech and is not tolerated very well.

  glad I wasn't there to comment as my ambivalence towards wt teachings tends to make me say more than I ought and would have confirmed budding mentally disease.

  I agree compound complex that this wt is an indictment of those of us who still attend KH.
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  269

  The Hubble, Yahweh, the Bible, and faith.

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been several threads in which the views of the universe provided by the hubble space telescope have been discussed.

  i guess this will be another one.

  there's a new series being broadcast here in canada on the oasis hd nature channel entitled hubble's canvas.

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  soft+gentle

  nice avatar bohm - is it an exploding star - it is beautiful like something angelic
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  17

  Teach your Children

  by The Quiet One in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  please take a look at pages 24,25 of the october 1, 2011 public watchtower, including the illustrations.

  what do you think about it?

  i have a couple of rather strong thoughts regarding it, but i want to hear others views, as i might just be a paranoid lunatic :).

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  soft+gentle

  good catch the quiet one.

  I think this is a disturbing and distorting article...there is so much wrong with it.

  Acts 20:7-12 tells us that Eutychus was a young man not a boy. Watchtower writers have always said that Eutychus was a teenager of about 16 and I have accepted this unquestioningly. But I think Acts 20:7-12 isn't talking about boys or teenagers as it uses the word neanias (young man) and not pais (boy)... so meaning someone over 18 and possibly in the range of 20-25.

  In the article Eutychus sitting in the window looks to be about 14 but lying dead on the ground he looks to be about 20, when he is resurrected he looks 14 once again. Mixed messages from the artwork regarding age but very graphic and the write up is unmistakably linked to young children and very pointedly associates a child falling asleep in class (and at inappropriate times) with dying ... in the WT article the young boy shown in class is not even a teenager and JW parents are encouraged to teach this article to children.

  I would not use it to teach children as it is sick and shamefully irresponsible. The individual who has written it knows nothing about children and is out of touch with what is appropriate to teach them. jehovahs witnesses ought to write in and complain.

  eidt: the luke8: 49-56 scripture (the read scriptue at the end of the article) does use the word pais meaning child and jesus does resurrect a child. So this reinforces that when the christian greek scriptures want to convey that a child is being suggested they will use the appropriate word and when it wants to say young man and not child it will use the appropriate word. If Watchtower writers cared about children and were hearfelt about teaching children about love and obedience they would do their research ... they cannot plead well intentioned ignorance here.
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  138

  My Father passed away during the night

  by jwfacts in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  dad was a great man, great, despite the religion.

  he was powerful, tall and intelligent, yet humble and kind.

  he was an introvert, and a circuit overseer.

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  soft+gentle

  I'm so sorry Jwfacts.
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  18

  Reaching a Significant Milestone

  by Quendi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello friends,.

  sunday, 4 september 2011 will go down as an important day in my spiritual journey.

  i had an extraordinary experience today that i feel compelled to share with all of you.

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  soft+gentle

  wonderful Quendi, I'm so happy
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  18

  Would you rather live under Islam or WT?

  by shakyground in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been reading alot of info about islam and people living under the yoke of islam lately...omg.

  people being put on death row for speaking against muhammad, people being killed for blasphemy even after being found innocent in court.

  an unarmed man in pakistan shot over 20 times by his own bodyguard because he spoke against the blasphemy law they have.

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  soft+gentle

  Islam has diversity and encourages education Jehovahs witnesses do not ... so I would rather have lived under Islam.
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  98

  JW Women Self-0Loathing - Get a Back Bone

  by Band on the Run in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an earlier thread about pants suits for women led me on this tangent.

  women make up the majorty of witnesses.

  they cannot be suppressed without their acquiescene.

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  soft+gentle

  well I have just re-read this topic and my conclusion is that women have it much much worse than guys amongst Jehovah witnesses. Yes there are women who can get up and walk out but these women would have been CEOs, managers, highflyers if they hadn't become Jehovahs witnesses. Applause for xjw women who have left on their own or have left before their husbands as this journey out would have been very tough.

  this from meangirl also stand out to me.

  Injustice will continue until those who are not affected by it are just as enraged as those who are.
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  98

  JW Women Self-0Loathing - Get a Back Bone

  by Band on the Run in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  an earlier thread about pants suits for women led me on this tangent.

  women make up the majorty of witnesses.

  they cannot be suppressed without their acquiescene.

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  soft+gentle

  I agree with the silence.

  In most matters now I take the lead and my husband respects me more. I realise now that he has always been submissive and that he won't change. As a witness I had to change from being a dominant type to a submissive type. And then all through our marriage both of us were completely submissive to the Watchtower. When I started to leave I tried to encourage my spouse to become more dominant whilst remaining moderately submissive myself. this did not work. Now that I play the leadership dominant role more we are both happier. we get things done, we make mature decisions, we go on holiday, we have fulfilling hobbies (well I have more fulfilling hobbies at least). If there are urgent things to be done around the house, repairs etc I say "lets spend the weekend doing this and he agrees taking time off from field ministry and meetings". I initiate holidays and he agrees. When we were both submissive Jehovahs witnesses we rarely went on holiday, household repairs piled up or were botched up by me.

  However he will always earn much more than I. this I cannot change.

  I respect and value his beliefs and committments and I absolutely do not despise his submissive nature or his submissiveness to the Watchtower. This is who he is and what he enjoys being.