Posts by Boredposter

12

JW.org Featured Artical: When Your Adolescent Questions Your Faith

by pale.emperor in

this is one of the featured articals on jw.borg at the moment.

could it be because the young ones are googling their parents religion?, seeing the bullshit?, and calling their parents out on it?

i hope so.. https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20120201/adolescent-questions-faith/.

Boredposter

My dad never had a personal study with me. He never had in depth talks about the religion with me ( or anything else). He did yell at me to get out of bed and get ready to go to the hall. He did yell at me if I didn't want to physically go out in service. When I eventually left he yelled at me again. Never once has he had a logical, intelligent discussion with me about any of it. He only knew threats.

52

Are Beards becoming more acceptable due to decline in membership?

by UnshackleTheChains in

i noticed a young brother with a beard being given more privelages within our hall.

when he first grew his beard, he lost his privelages.

but more and more recently he has been helping out a lot more.. the cobe is old school and a stickler for rules, but with the hall becoming more empty these days, and the need for young brothers, he seems to have relaxed on this particular watchtower/man made rule.

Boredposter

I believe all these rules came about because Fred Franz was in the business of creating a new religion. The rules stay because without them how different would JW's be from other Christians? The rules make the group stand out as different and make the followers feel that they are different.

93

Higher Education

by Brian J in

just spent 8 hours in a 1 day elders school last weekend.

clarification given: "moving forward any elder, ms, or pioneer who themselves or someone under their roof enrolls in higher education, may no longer qualify for privileges in the congregation.

their qualifications will have to be reviewed by their boe.".

Boredposter

Brian J,

Did they "clarify" what they mean by "higher education"? Is it four years of college? Two years? Is there a difference between going to a technical college or a liberal arts college? Will this be applied evenly across all states and countries? I have seen much back and forth on this issue and much talking out of both sides of there mouth.

102

If mathematics teacher made a mistake, would it mean mathematics itself is wrong!

by venus in

many people point to the irrationality in the depiction of god by the religions and their scriptures, hence jump into the bottomless pit of atheism.

in either camp, god is not a factor because religion is only a means that misrepresents god, hence religionists themselves are atheists (literally, those who live without god).

it is like saying there exists no earth because you found out your friend who taught earth is flat is wrong; or it is like saying mathematics itself is wrong because you found out your mathematics teacher made a mistake.

Boredposter

Venus,

I like that you pose questions like this. I think it makes people think.

Personally, I like the way Joseph Campbell talks about how different views of God are like "masks". We have many, many religions and doctrines. Also, many personal views about what/who God is. Obviously they cannot all be right. (People make their biggest mistakes fighting over their views on this). They are simply man's attempt to describe "the ground of being". They point to which is greater than ourselves. The reality of God is much grander than whatever we can imagine. Can we prove God exists in a tangible way? In a way that involves touching and feeling? No, of course not. Does that mean an immaterial God does not exist? I don't think so. Can we experience God? I believe we can.

Can math be a pointer to a "great mind"? I believe it can and does.

8

Watchtower Writings vs Christian Philosophers

by Boredposter in

watchtower writings used to have some meat to them.

they have been increasingly watered down and simplified.

i think we all recognize that.

Boredposter

Watchtower writings used to have some meat to them. They have been increasingly watered down and simplified. I think we all recognize that. So much so that the writings of the Watchtower are not much help at all because they are simply superficial and mostly concerned with outside appearances.

I have been 'out of the Watchtower' for several years now and therefore have had the chance to read and study different religions and writings in Christianity itself. I am increasingly amazed at how much better material there is out there. There really has been well thought out and well written material on Christian belief and living over the centuries.

As far as modern Christian writers who would you recommend? I myself will list several writers I have found helpful. Not to preach to anyone but to let those who may be searching know there are alternatives available that can be helpful. Several of these were in fact recommended to me from a former JW who frequented this site years ago.

Keith Ward

Dallas Willard

John Polkinghorne

Francis Collins

Marcus Borg

N.T. Wright

Alvin Platinga

J.P. Moreland

Adam Hamilton

I probably have forgotten some. In addition I highly recommend a book by Jeffrey Swartz entitled 'You Are Not Your Brain'.

48

Adam and the Dinosaurs

by The Real Edward Gentry in

jw
friends

here is a fascinating subject.

according to the bible , one of adam's first assignments was to name all the animals including the sea creatures and dinosaurs of course.

we don't know how long this took but, as all witnesses know, the time period is crucial in working out the timing of armageddon).

Boredposter

Yeah.... I saw 'The Land of the Lost'. Not so harmonious.

20

Is it really possible to disprove the Watchtower?

by Coded Logic in

dear brothers and sisters,.

considering the end is so near at hand we thought it important for to reiterate that it's absolutely impossible to prove god's "one true organisation" wrong.

there is nothing on heaven or earth that could ever be shown to be false or incorrect in our entire .

Boredposter

I completely agree. It doesn't matter what anyone says to the 'true believers'. They will believe what they believe because they choose to believe. We can support and supply information to those who are searching for true answers. That is all.

22

Did Being a JW Make You a Better Person?

by Boredposter in

i heard many times when i was a witness how much "learning the truth" helped people.

many have been said to have become much better people.

addictions were given up.

Boredposter

A few quotes from one person I knew who was Disfellowshipped three times but still went back to the organization because he felt "Jehovah was still in charge" (somehow) told me 'anyone can read you a scripture'. 'when has an elder ever given you a straight answer?', and 'Jehovah gets rid of these elders'.

22

Did Being a JW Make You a Better Person?

by Boredposter in

i heard many times when i was a witness how much "learning the truth" helped people.

many have been said to have become much better people.

addictions were given up.

Boredposter

Thanks for the comments. I have to say, on the flip side I knew several people for whom I learned were basically unchanged by "learning the truth". They were already good people before they joined.

I also knew several who went back to their addictions or developed addictions while JW's. This includes myself. I knew of several who were disfellowshipped at least three times. In private conversations with them I realized they were not helped one iota by the elders. They simply didn't have any answers. This is when I realized I wouldn't get any help myself from the elders either. In fact, the elders pretty much told me it was up to me to figure it out. So I did, without their help.

Some of the basics of JW life were helpful of course but other positive pursuits including less controlling religion could have done that. The biggest help to me was Pscychology, learning how the brain works. Spiritual work, meditation and prayer.

212

Why Do You No Longer Believe in God?

by Tenacious in

i know this question has popped up from time to time but i really would like to know how you guys, those that no longer believe, came to that conclusion?

was it the wts and all its crap?

was it something you read?

Boredposter

I was about to reply to this thread until I saw what a chaotic bunch of lunacy it became. Oh well.