i think that for many people, and i've noticed particularly for those coming out of religion, logic is held up as the ultimate tool for understanding the world, and non-logic-based methods are derided.
but even for those who accept a certain amount of intuition, emotion or other non-logical elements in their decision making processes, there is still a pervasive norm priviligeing logical over illogical thinking.. .
i question that, though.
Logic is SO over-rated and blinds us to alternate dimensions and realities that are all around us.
I used to use logic, and my life was dull and boring.
Then I decided to "vitalize" a Magic-8 Ball by reading the Necronomicon to it in a special circumstance.
Once vitalized, my M8B has become my sole source of guidance.
Believe me, you haven't LIVED until you've made pancakes according to the directions of an M8B!
link.
the book is about basicly how to protect yourself online with identity fraud.
this chapter had quoted good old theocratic warfare in how to not give people your ssn or any other information.
The author of that book is a fellow named J. J. LUNA, who (in the earlier editions of his book, if not in the most recent) freely discusses his adventures as a JW missionary in the Canary Islands, where he had to practice evasion and escape from the local Catholic authorities.
He has a website here where you can download the earlier version of his book: http://blog.invisible-privacy.com/
or you can buy his book on Amazon.
He's an interesting character, and unique in that he freely discusses what he learned about keeping secrets.
I don't know if he's still an active JW. If he's not, I'll bet he'd be EVEN MORE interesting.
what if the watchtower stuck to their guns and didn't change the "generation" understanding?
when they came up with this totally ridiculous "overlapping generation" concept, i knew something was wrong.
there are people still alive who lived in 1914 today, they could have stuck to their guns or went with genesis 6:3, "after that jehovah said: my spirit shall not act toward man indefinitely in that he is also flesh.
It's a sign of intelligence that you occasionally challenge your own beliefs.
The important thing is that, at the end of the day, you agree with me.
if the reports about eliminating city overseers are true, then i consider it more evidence that the watchtower's legal dept.
is concerned about what may be their most dangerous weakness, namely circuit overseers.. they have a solid "chain of command" structure, no different from the catholic church.
they have church authorities with defined rank leading directly to the governing body.
Metatron,
If you check Farkel's phone records you'll see that he was actually speaking to ME today when he thought he was talking to Ghod.
But don't let that deter you; Farkel is a good fellow and I'm sure you would enjoy any conversation you have with him.
For what it is worth, I vouch for him completely. As you know, I gaze down upon earth from the UADNA orbiting space platform, and therefore could not possibly be a crackpot.
"Semper Ubi Sub Ubi"
i know... how cool would that be??!.
having just commented on the post by trailerfitter about the situation with his wife, and how i have personally found the book crisis of conscience by ray franz to be the perfect antidote to the society's perception of itself as being god's earthly organisation, the thought occurred to me: what if there was a movie about ray franz and his life?
obviously the society would be in uproar, and letters would be read out to all congregations all over the world not to go and see it, but just imagine!
Jaffacake, Ray died on 2 June 2010. see:http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/194140/1/Ray-Franz-Passed-Away-Today
and: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/194277/1/Ray-Franz-Tribute-Video
i have long had an idea that i think is a very powerful tool in reaching even hard-nosed jw's.. .
it would consist only of actual photographic scans of various documents, articles, photographs such as these from marvin shilmer's blog: (see next panel).
there would be no extraneous non-official text whatsoever.. it would be published the size of an old life magazine and sent anonymously to jw's at their homes.. the cover would clearly contain the words: "all contents originally published by watchtower bible &tract society".
i thought i would never get my college degree from a university in this century at the age of 48 but i did it and graduated with an "a-" average.
i did this all the while working a full time job and going to school full time.
it can be done and now i love school to death.
Congratulations! You have proved that you are a SURVIVOR and not a VICTIM!
May I ask what field your degrees will be in?
i thought this was so insanely stupid that it made it funny, so i had to share.
living in "the bible belt", i meet people with this sort of mentality all the time but this guy takes the cake!
let's all applaud this guy for reaching new lows in his preachy narrow-mindedness that it was barely interesting enough that a reporter was desperate enough for a story wrote about it.. http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/08/florida_pastor_asks_why_atheis.html.
This is really a GREAT idea: by elimination we would know who all the "believers" are.
If their name is not "written in the book," ROUND 'EM UP!
elder?.
pioneer?.
publisher?.
During the Pastor Russell days, there were men who served as "Pilgrims" that were like today's Circuit Servants, and a bit later on (probably during rutherford's reign, given his fondness for military terminology), there were people who were called "sharpshooters", but I'm not real clear on what their function was.
"Elder" is a direct english equivalent of the Greek word presbys (old man), and "ministerial servant" is the Watchtower's version of the Greek word diakonos (servant) which other churches call "deacons."
it's abhorrent to the average human .
but what motivates this sort of behaviour?.
i'm interested in what others think.. .
It's cultural diversity, who are we to judge? /sarcasm off/
