Posts by Sic Semper Tyrannis

137

Fox News

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

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Sic Semper Tyrannis

I think that noted athiest Ricky Gervais said it best:

Just because you can be offended doesn't meant you're right.

Personally I think it's a mark of maturity to not automatically become offended when something blatantly offensive is said. I reflect my disbelief back unto the source and ignore any further comments as those that come from a madman. There are classes of people out there who make it a point of becoming offended and using that as an excuse to go on a rant themselves.

'Redneck' is one of those words that used to have a much more sinister meaning, but now is actually adopted by some. Any overtly racial undertones (after all, redneck almost always refers to a white person) have long since vanished. I can perfectly understand how a black or Hispanic person could be called a "redneck". Put on some Wrangler jeans, boots, and a cowboy hat, and you're there. It could be as simple as just chewing tobacco.

The 'N Word' is a bit of a different story. Though many victims of this word have embraced it in modern times, it's just a matter of politeness to not use it if you are not black. Someone calling someone that as a deragatory name rightly deserves to be shouted down. Someone mindlessly repeating the words of a rap song should be politely reminded.

Jesus, now I sound like Mrs. Manners.

118

So- Now that it's down to 4 teams- Who's your pick to win the Super Bowl ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

actually i'm happily surprised and elated that my san francisco 49ers are still alive !

what a game for the ages, jesus.

and i must send my condolences to all of you pittsburgh , new orleans, and green bay fans out there.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

7

Why do the JW's ignore north korea?

by highdose in

they watch the arabs like hawks, constantly analzying the us and uk for signs of armargeddon but what about the counrty that everyone else worrys about?

nothing.

its not mentioned in the mags or at the conventions, you don't hear about "experiances"tm in that country.. before i left i wasn't hardly aware that it exisisted not to mention what a terrible place it was.. theorys please?.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

North Korea is the only remaining Stalinist country in the world and only allows a couple thousand Western visitors in a year. Should you be lucky enough to get a visa, you have to pay thousands of dollars for two government guides and submit to a rigorous schedule of propaganda sightseeing tours. There's really not a whole lot to see and it's not worth the sacrifice. If you want Korea and the culture, go to the south. JWs don't mention it because it's impossible for them to maintain a presence there, and telling the story of a country with no Witnesses doesn't quite fit in with their glowing tales of worldwide growth.

137

Fox News

by StopTheTears in

jw
friends

.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Just a comment...

I wouldn't have included Susan Estrich on that montage if your purpose was to paint Fox as a right wing news outlet. Susan Estrich ran the Dukakis campaign in 1988, and still is a loyal Democrat and Obama supporter. If anything, the inclusion of Estrich gives the appearance more of a politically diverse crowd.

60

"Be Successful in Coping with Change" - Notes from a special talk given after Watchtower Study at Brooklyn Bethel December 5, 2011

by wannabefree in

jw
friends

these are notes passed on to me, i thought i would share.. .

be successful in coping with change.

special talk given after watchtower study at brooklyn bethel december 5, 2011. monday night - monday night we had a special lecture to attend after study of the watchtower entitled "be successful in coping with change".

Sic Semper Tyrannis

I can't see how anyone hearing that wouldn't see through the ruse. It's obviously tailored to explain past changes and justify more to come. Then when one of the flock is disturbed by the change, the BOE could just direct him/her to that article. Case closed.

10

Fallen humans are the MEDIATOR between God and man - WBT$ reaffirms

by Fernando in

some have been wondering if the watchtower might reinstate jesus after disfellowshipping him as the one mediator between god and man.. apparently not.. "future light" from march 2012 reaffirms that jesus has been indefinitely replaced by a ruling religious clergy class of mediators.. "those in the covenant are few, a mere 144,000. through them, millions from all nations will be blessed with everlasting life in an earthly paradise.

" (w2012 mar 01 p17, http://download.jw.org/files/media_magazines/wp_e_20120301.pdf).. "the anointed" in the nt/nc scriptures is always "ho kristos" or "the christ" - who the wbt$ has openly replaced (for several decades now) with a small group of fallen humans (11,824 false christs in 2011) who the blind sanhedrin (gb) lyingly claim to represent.. .

(thanks to "therevealer" for posting the above watchtower mar 2012 quote two days ago)..

Sic Semper Tyrannis

I'm so glad we have mediators now with Jesus Christ. Sounds like family court. Maybe Jesus can double as the guardian ad litem?

21

OVERLAPPING GENERATION Written Review

by blondie in

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/search?cx=partner-pub-4963413421914369%3ag5in7s-4bz3&cof=forid%3a10&ie=iso-8859-1&q=overlapping&siteurl=www.jehovahs-witness.net%2fsearch.

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many threads on the overlapping generation...how do you explain it briefly to a ex-jw or jw on the edge?.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

It's really a wonder that they extended Russell's original teaching as far as they did. 1914 was originally the date for Armageddon until Russell had to claim that it had started with 1914 and WWI would bring it's climax to an end. He died before he had to answer for that mistake, and then the Judge eventually switched everything to 1914, making it a starting date for Christ's enthronement, which led to the "generation" teaching in its original form. By the 1990's, even people born in 1914 were fast approaching 80. The GB had two choices, none of which had to be too appealing. 1 - They could keep to the same teaching and wait until 2014 where some people who have reached 100 were still around. 2 - They could extend the date yet again in order to not have to suddenly change it sometime around 2014 - 2020 when the last of this generation were dying off. They chose the safe route and quietly extended it well beforehand, and I believe it was done so as to not attract so much attention as a later date change would have. This will give them around another 100 years to make money, since someone born in 1914 today could still be alive at 98 years old, and they could then meet a newborn in 2012 who then proceeded to live another 100 years until 2114. They just kick the can down the road and another generation can then decide what to do with it in another 100 years. By that time we might even get a new date altogether which would correspond with a huge earth-shattering event. But 1914 as a date is going to become less and less important to Witness theology as time goes on if history tells us anything.

23

The WT, the Millerites and Orson Wells

by Aussie Oz in

it is well known of course that ct russell was a fan of william miller and the mans teachings.

indeed his colaboration with millerite nelson barbour cemented russells love of all that was millerism.. i recall some time ago a thread wherin it was mentioned that fred franz had a library stuffed full of millerite books and so on, and that he himself modeled his own style of address and writing after william miller himself.. with that sort of impact on the doctrines and teaching methods adopted by the society at that time, i am also wondering about orson wells book 1984.. could it be plausable that this book also has its place on the shelves of some locked away private library?

published in 1949, the wt leadership has had plenty of time to study the methods of the novel and try them out.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

The Millerite references I can buy, but I don't know about Orwell. It's simply amazing that virtually none of Jehovah's Witnesses know anything about William Miller, yet the man and his teachings have had such a huge effect on Russell, and by extension, all of the JW's end times predictions. I myself did not know a thing about it until the History channel ran a special on end of times religious movements, with which Miller was prominent. As much as the JWs insist they are not a sect of anything and that Russell was simply a man who wanted to study the Bible, they can never get rid of their Millerite origins. They try to reason that Russell never had any official involvement with any Millerite and Millenarian movements, which is true from a certain point of view. But Russell was directly influenced by Nelson H. Barbour, who was a disillusioned Millerite and reformed Millenarian. It's no surprise that neither William Miller or Nelson Barbour are mentioned in their publications. Such connections are dangerous to the faithful since Miller and Barbour were both proven frauds.

13

Kingdom Hall Libraries just for beating kids.....isn't this Child abuse?

by Witness 007 in

yeah no "sunday school" for our kids because it's too "christendom" for us, so our 5 year old's need to sit thru watchtowers on masturbation etc.. when they get bored or wriggle too much.....out to the library!!!!

is it child abuse to force kids to sit thru an adult meeting for 2 hours...and beat them when they can't?.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Having to sit through any JW meeting is abuse, regardless of age. In the unlikely event I'm feeling socially masochistic anytime soon, that's the first place I can think of sending myself.

My sister had a girl out of weklock when she was young, and after she got reinstated, she started bringing her girl along. Now it might have been because of the fact of how she came into the world, or maybe not, but the PO's wife made a point of telling my sister on how to keep the girl quiet. Once when she was acting up, she came over and just reached out for the girl without even asking. Later we found out that she flicked her lip whenever she peeped up. Now that's one way to make certain a child hates meetings.

In reading several books about JW history, I found that Russell took more of a passive approach to children. Rutherford changed all of that and actively encouraged children to be brought to the Hall. That's where it all started - from a man who abandoned his faithful but ill wife and his son who didn't want anything to do with his religion.

5

The Book of Mormon - Any Reviews from Members

by Band on the Run in

jw
friends

b'wy is expensive.

it is no longer a taxi ride away.

so i must pay for the tkt and transport.

Sic Semper Tyrannis

There are indeed several valid comparisons between Witnesses and Mormons. As M. James Penton said so eloqently in the scholarly "Apocalypse Delayed", Joseph Smith and Charles Taze Russell were both "capable leaders" but "naive visionaries", while Brigham Young and Joseph Rutherford both "brought a sense of permanence to the movements they inherited". I can't agree more. Smith and Russell almost needed to die early in orger to not be faced with their doctrinal delusions, while Young and Rutherford could safely refine the words of their predecessors from a distance.

Well, to be fair, Joseph Smith came from New York State's "Ontario Country", which is still to this day rural in outlook and provincial in nature. In the 1820's, this was about as provincial as could they came.

Another thing about Mormons and Witnesses is that they were essentially borne out of the same spiritual awakening of the early 19th century. While Mormons were centered around Smith and his "discoveries", the Witnesses eventually sprang out of the millennialist movement which centered around William Miller at around the same time. While the Mormons have somewhat modernized their movement in recent years, the Witnesses are still stuck with the rigid Rutherford doctrines and Knorr 50's style morality.