Posts by NeonMadman

9

hell fire

by carla in

what is with jw's and the use of the term 'hell fire'?

i know of no other people who use this term, even those who do not believe in hell.

try having a discussion with a jw on the concept (or lack thereof) of hell and they cannot bring themselves to refer to it as simply 'hell', why must it be 'hell fire'?.

It's also a way of evoking an emotional reaction. Many Christians today would agree with the JWs that the image of fire with reference to hell is not literal (though most Christians who believe in hell would also assert that hell is eternal and conscious, not simply annihilation as the JWs teach). Hell is eternal separation from God and the eternal wrath of God - whatever form that might take. Fire isn't the only image used in the Bible - hell is also described as "outer darkness," which seems incompatible with the image of fire, if taken literally.

Emphasizing the "fiery" aspect of hell raises an image in the mind of the householder that evokes primal fears, which they may have been taught as a child or which are part of their cultural heritage (or even of pop-culture), but that may not be what their current churches actually teach. It's a form of straw man argumentation, since they are setting themselves up to argue against the most extreme forms of the doctrine, while, in effect, claiming victory against all forms when the householder agrees with them.

6

Wait for it...........It's almost here

by donny in

the end is almost here.

wait for it.............wait for it............ it's almost here....wait for it.........1914, damn, we got that date wrong..........wait for it.................it's just around the corner...........1918, damn, we got that date wrong......but it's almost there.........wait for it.............wait for it...............1925, damn, we got that date wrong too............but it is still upon us...................wait for it .........wait for it..........1942, damn you rutherford........but still almost here.......wait for it........wait for it..........1975, damn, we got that date wrong...............but it is upon us..........it is a matter of weeks or months, not years.........wait for it..........almost there............wait for it..........the preaching work will be completed in our 20th century...........wait for it...............uh oh, it's 1995 and the generation thing is jacked up........wait for it........wait for it.............damn, 2001 just passed, we got that one wrong too...............wait for it....................wait for it................now we need to overlap a generation or two but do not worry the end is upon us..............wait for it..............wait for it........

NeonMadman

The end is almost here, and it's going to be legen - wait for it - dary!

44

New Pope will be named Peter

by Monsieur in

i remember reading somewhere in regards to a a 'prophet' of sorts who had predicted all the popes that have been chosen.. his 'prophecy' stated that the next pope (since benedict has resigned) would be the last before the 'end' would come.

his name would be pope peter.. let's see what happens.

we are suppose to know who the next pope will be before easter..

NeonMadman

This refers to the prophecy of St. Malachy, according to which the next pope will be the final one. The prophecy is not believed to be original with St. Malachy (who lived in the 12th century), but is regarded as a 16th century forgery. The final pope is supposed to be called "Peter the Roman." The apostle Peter is considered by Roman Catholics to be the first pope, and no subsequent pope has ever taken the name Peter. While I give no credence to St. Malachy's alleged prophecy, it would probably freak me out just a little if Benedict's successor were to call himself "Peter II."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes

16

Your Saturday Time Puke

by Kool Jo in

so i'm sure some of you have seen this already...but read this crap that was sent to me this morning, while i was sleeping in.

it was sent to me by an uber dub in my former congregation....i think it's a chain message:.

if someone asks about your educational background, proclaim boldly that:.

NeonMadman

There will probably be a JW somewhere who will put all that on his resume...

15

Who are considered as being wicked by JW's?

by Sour Grapes in

during the public talk last week the elder giving the talk.

mentioned the tragedy in newton, conn where an evil.

man killed 27 innocent people including 20 children.

NeonMadman

It's almost ironic that they use the Newtown shootings as an example of "wickedness," since according to their doctrine, if Armageddon had come that day, the shooter would have been killed, but so would practically all of the students and teachers in the school (not just limited to the ones who actually died). Everyone who's not a JW is "wicked."

24

Awake February 2013: Where do they find these people?

by bats in the belfry in

professor massimo tistarelli:.

"my sister gave me a copy of the book life - how did it get here?

by evolution or by creation?

NeonMadman

Prof. Tistarelli is a JW.

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201302/robot-designer-interview/

Obviously, this is the article that is being cited, but if he has embraced JW teachings, what would you expect him to say about the WT publications?

8

Double standards for elders?

by El_Guapo in

jw
friends

i read a post on this site that said that there is a double standard for elders as opposed to regular r&f publishers.

can't seem to find it now, but i believe it was in the elders manual stating this....... thinking back, i can vividly remember one instance: the po's (a superstar in the district) daughter was getting married.

she was marrying a "brother" who was only baptized but 3 months, yet the were able to use the hall for their wedding.. another brother in our hall (about 2 years later) was planning on getting married, he asked for permission to use the hall for his wedding and was told that his service hours were too low (he was averaging about 3-5 hours a month) i asked him later why he was so pissed at the elders and he said this was the reason.. has anyone else ever noticed this "double-standard"?.

NeonMadman

I remember one case back in the 1970s where an elder's daughter and a newly baptized young man both got reproved, presumably for some sexual hanky-panky. The elder's daughter had her restrictions lifted after a month; the guy's lasted nearly a year.

34

Do Witnesses really want to go to the meetings?

by BU2B in

jw
friends

do witnesses really want to go to the meetings?

or do they just go because they feel they must to get into the new world.

or is it just peer pressure or pressure of elders?

NeonMadman

I remember one time when we had a big snow storm, the meeting was cancelled and a lot of the Witnesses went out and had a sledding party. The elders went berserk and said they would never cancel another meeting, but let individuals decide whether it was safe to go if there was bad weather. It was many years before they cancelled another meeting, and of course, everyone felt pressure to go no matter how bad the weather was.

In a different congregation, a big snow storm was predicted for a Thursday evening, so the elders decided about 30 minutes before the meeting was to start that they would cancel. Of course, that wasn't enough time in advance, lots of people were already on the way to the KH, especially since it hadn't started snowing yet. So we all stood around the bone-dry parking lot looking at each other and wondering why the meeting had been cancelled. As it turned out, the storm veered out to sea and it never snowed at all that night.

14

The 2013 Special Talk "Does Death End It All"... Spanish version eliminates the word "Nanotechnology"

by Calebs Airplane in

remember this incredibly stupid sentence in the 2013 special talk (posted on this board in recent months)?:.

"despite nanotechnology, humans can neither create life nor restore it.".

well apparently, the english-to-spanish translator (who wrote the spanish version of the 2013 special talk outline) apparently realized that the use of the word "nanotechnology" in this outline was completely irrelevant and childish... so he simply substituted the word "nanotechnology" with the phrase "great scientific advancements".