interesting idea by;.
fabian strategy warrior.
to many of you, this idea might seem absurd, but is it?.
Recording artists don't make money like they used to since music went online. The big money is apparently in concerts in sold out stadiums.
Maybe it's the same for the org. Do Kingdom halls make money, or is it a better play to sell off the bulk of them, go full online and count money from donations,then, a couple of times a year make windfalls with local conventions.
I've wondered if they will have more frequent international conventions for the really big bucks.
so a quick little note about a few things that i recently learned.
if you ever had the yellow book of bible stories, there was the story of enoch, also repeated in other watchtower publications, about the angels fathering giants and being a menace on earth.
now if you look at the nicean bible, which is the wtbts selection of the bible, it mentions enoch twice and only has a very brief passage about nephilim and ben elohim.
Until this thread, I hadnt realised - or taken notice of, how many books of the NT were written by Paul, who never met Jesus. If you include another 2 books, written by his companion Luke, who also didnt know Jesus and over whom Paul may have had some influence, thats over half the NT written by 1 guy and his best friend.
The 4 gospels almost certainly werent written by their alleged authors and appear to be second hand at best, written decades after the fact.
Thats an extremely shaky foundation that 30% of the world have put their faith in.
what will the world be like once this pandemic is over?
the world has been through this before, in the form of the bubonic plague and it left changes to life still felt today, especially in regards to the economic system.
so many people dying meant a smaller working class that meant their skills and labour was suddenly more valuable which in turn raised wages.
Reviving this post, not because I started it and like the sound of my voice, (I swear), but because some time has now passed.
The world is different.
Has it turned out how everyone thought it would be when the pandemic started 2 years ago?
A few things happened I didnt expect.
Im most surprised at how long the tail end of it seems to dragging on, in spite of having vaccines for the first time in history to fight a pandemic. Also, the anti-vax, anti-science rhetoric and subsequent political divisiveness was unexpected but perhaps it just took the lid off an issue that was already simmering. At the start, it felt like we were all in it together but it changed as time went on.
so a quick little note about a few things that i recently learned.
if you ever had the yellow book of bible stories, there was the story of enoch, also repeated in other watchtower publications, about the angels fathering giants and being a menace on earth.
now if you look at the nicean bible, which is the wtbts selection of the bible, it mentions enoch twice and only has a very brief passage about nephilim and ben elohim.
It is a fascinating part of bible history.
Ask a JW who compiled the bible and they will say 'Jehovah'. But the truth is far, far more complicated.
JW's often cite and mention the Septuagint, which is apparently the version of the OT that the early Christians, including , Jesus would have likely used, however it contains the apocryphal books.
It would be a nice, romantic idea for the JW's to think that the bible was completed , in full, with Gods backing and widely accepted by the end of the 1st century- but it wasnt. The earliest version of the complete bible that exists, the Codex Sinaiticus, written sometime in the 4th century, had the apocrypha, so , it wasnt complete, according to the JW's own standard, and by the time it was written, Jesus and the apostles were long gone.
You could argue that the bible, as it is used by JW's , was not completely established until after Martin Luther once again played with the contents of the bible, as others before him had done, in 1534, when he published his protestant version of the bible, although he still didnt view James, Jude, Revelation and Hebrews as deserving to be in the canon.
For a book that is supposedly inspired and directed by god, humans seem to have had a lot of influence on its contents.
how many of you missed playing sports in school?
the wt was merely trying to keep us from committing suicide.... how loving.take a look at this fear mongering :problems with sports today - g91 8/22 p. 5. .
"people used to argue that sports were of value because they built character.... such arguments sound hollow, even hypocritical.. .
Yep, no sport, no school dances, no school camps, no further education, no worldly friends around to the house after school. You give up everything, including your youth, and when you get older and start asking questions, you lose your jw friends and family too.
original reddit post (removed).
MeanMrMustard:
joeyjojo
'.... I've had a look at the defamation laws in the us and uk, aren't some of you a little concerned about making these accusations on a public forum?'
meanmrmustard:
'No.
It's possible he went there for hot fudge packing action with definitely-older-than-20-year-old gay Jewish black Thai dudes.
Was that an accusation?
Also, he's a public figure. Factual statements must be made with "actual malice", a standard nearly impossible to meet.'
MMM:
No, because 2 consenting adults having sex isnt a crime- in most countries.
From the web
Defamation:
'Defamation means causing serious harm to a person's reputation by publishing material about them that changes the way people feel about them. A person who claims to have been defamed can go to court to get compensation for the harm caused. ... Compensation could be money or a public apology.'
With that in mind, here are a few statements from this thread.
Reservations:
'May I also add, as Lloyd skirted over these issues in his video:
Prostitution is illegal in Croatia
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand
Prostitution funds organised crime, and the vast majority are not doing it by their free will. Organised crime that no doubt leads to the exploitation of children. Prostitution is abusive by nature.
Money sent to Lloyd through his YouTube “activism” has been used for illegal activities, and potentially funding organised crime.
Let that sink in.'
seabreeze:
'Thailand has the dubious distinction of being the world capitol of child sex tourism and child prostitution. These kids are kept in utter slavery through drugs and intimidation. It is a living hell for the most innocent among us - children. If this is his thing, then ANYONE ever watching his videos will be contributing to his VACATIONS and CRIMES against humanity.
...'In other words, why spend a fortune going to Thailand unless you are looking for a specific type of prostitute.'
stephanelaliberte:
'That argument works for small things such as being a heavy smoker, an alcoholic that curses and makes jokes in bad tastes, or even a porn addict! People tend to overcome those things with the rational you provided. But then, cheating your wife with prostitutes and going to Thailand which is known for child prostitution? '
FFghost:
'if WT monitors this site and/or reddit (which they almost certainly do, or pay someone to do), they will 110% use this incident to paint all "apostates" as child-raping deviants to their adherents.'
Diogenesister
'The fact he regularly goes to Thailand is the most egregious part. A place well known for its sex trafficking, especially if minors (he says girls in his response video and quickly corrects himself).'
Please dont think Im defending Lloyd, because Im not. I dont know what he did or didnt do, because I wasnt there. Obviously there are people on this forum he has burned. As a neutral observer, the amount of judgment on this thread is breathtaking.
original reddit post (removed).
Some on this thread have strongly implied/suggested that he has had sex with minors, without any proof. I'm not a lawyer, but I've had a look at the defamation laws in the us and uk, aren't some of you a little concerned about making these accusations on a public forum?
watchtower 1964 page 352 "....before god cursed it the snake had legs that elevated it off the ground.
god transformed its body so that it ceased to have legs and could move on its belly.".
book "gods eternal purpose"1974 - "god did not put a curse on the whole serpent family...it had only been victimised by satan...".
Some whales have vestigial legs.
original reddit post (removed).
JeffT,
Unless lloyd has a binding agreement to use his youtube funds in a particular way, he can do whatever he likes with them. Content providers are paid by advertisements and if subscribers donate a tip, then thats a bonus, it is a legitimate way to make a living.
It would be like all of us asking Simon for an audit of how he spends the money he makes from this site due to ad revenue.
I dont have a dog in this fight- Ive never met Lloyd.
original reddit post (removed).
He isnt holding himself up as a beacon of righteousness, or pretending to be gods channel. What he does in his personal life is his business- isnt it?
JeffT
"If he was doing this on his own dime sure, but when you solicit funding for your escapades it's wrong."
I dont watch his channel for moral guidance, I watch it for a dissection of whatever subject he happens to be talking about. If people want to give him money for his content, he can do whatever he wants with it, unless it is set up as a charity.
There seem to be some people here he has rubbed the wrong way, which is another issue.
