Posts by redvip2000

17

Detroit - once 4th largest city in America now bust

by Simon in

the city has lost more than half of its population over the last 60 years.

in 1950, the city was the fourth-largest city in the country with a population of nearly 2 million.

today its population is estimated at just under 700,000.. once the industrial powerhouse of america it's now declared bancruptcy.

redvip2000

Truly sad!! And what happens is that at some point, it spirals out of control into a miserable vicious circle.

Once companies leave, most qualified workers leave along with it. Then the perception that white people are mass-exiting the city, creates true max exodus. Very few jobs left = increased crime. Increase crimes rates make the city even less desirable for investors and workers. As people turn to crime to survive and build up criminal records, they become unemployable and further socially excluded.

I don't completely buy the concept that "black areas" are poor because the government doesn't care about these areas. This country despite all the racism that still exists, is still the country in the world that offers the most opportunity if you try hard. But this require effort.

I've seen people imigrating to this country from various places around the world (middle east, africa, asia) with barely nothing and within a few months/years are leading integrated and progressive lives - kids going to school, opening businesses, improving their communities.

Sitting around with your hand out waiting for someone to come give you something accomplishes nothing.

31

"UFO Coverup Must End"

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-16/ufo-cover-ups-must-end-moonwalker-edgar-mitchell-says.html.

edgar mitchell is the 6th man to walk on the moon and he believes in ets, roswell, etc.

this news is a bit dated.

redvip2000

I cannot see any valid reason why the universe wouldn't be teaming with life. Just because we aren't advanced enough to find it, doesn't mean it doesnt exist.

Yes. And logically it does exist somewhere else. If you believe in evolution (which i do) then it only makes sense that life exists in many other planets.

There are 2 to 3 trillion planets in our galaxy alone. Yes that is twelve zerosss. Now, there are millions of galaxies out there. Do the math!!

A percentage (even if small) of these planets will have similar athmosphere as ours, which means that there is every reason to believe that the processes that created life here, sure can and should create life there as well. We just have no way of reaching them.

What i found interesting on that news piece is something that we often don't think much about " Our sun is going to burn out eventually, and we are not in a sustainable situation." Yes it might take millions of years, but all living things in this planet will die unless we find a way to pick up and go somewhere else.

21

I Need an Email Mediator to Send TTATT

by Emery in

jw
friends

this may be a weird request but it helps keep my identity, and ip address anonymous.

i need someone to help me email a copy of cofc pdf to a few jdubs i know.

i plan on sending it to people i feel are on the fence and need a little shove to get them started.

redvip2000

I'm sure anybody here can help you, but an IP address is not a lot of information for the average Joe. It will just give a general location at best.

The only entity that knows the exact location where it came from is the internet service provider, since they know which customer was holding that IP address at that time, but they only reveal that under a court order. Just send it. I'm pretty sure most of your friends don't even know what an IP address is anyway.

20

In Case You Had Any Doubts About Dinosaurs

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/07/15/tyrannosaurus-rex-really-was-a-ferocious-hunter-new-finding-confirms/.

nature red in tooth and claw.

if jehovah is the creator of all, he made some very vicious, nasty stuff.

redvip2000

there is no morality in creation.

I remember this always bothering me even at a young age. I recall during my bible study asking the study conductor why God created Lions and Tigers with teeth, claws and bodies adapted to eat meat if they were supposed to eat straw.

He looked at me and said in a stern way that i just had to have faith.

30

700 JWs imprisoned in Korea

by NeverKnew in

jw
friends

"you have no idea!

yes, people hate jws!".

this statement was made to me by a jw who had just left a meeting to present the notion that they were the persecuted christians.

redvip2000

I actually think that JWs refusal to get involved in War or any military service is the JWs best argument in favour of their religion. Not that it's completely foolproof or makes them the true religion, or even 'most christian' but it's a very difficult discussion to have with a JW and the last thing I'd want to debate them on.

I'ved debated plenty on this, since it's one of the points they make along with "we are the only ones preaching". The point i usually make is that armies have a function to protect at a national level in the manner that police do it at a local level.

If a village of JWs gets attacked, don't have the right (and duty) to protect themselves in an organized way even if it means killing to preserve their lives? What if the people attacking, also call themselves Jehovah Witnesses ? Wouldn't you agree that despite calling themselves JWs, they clearly aren't? And shouldn't you still defend yourselves?

They usually get the point of why perhaps in wars there are people of the same religion on opposite sides.

35

what i have realized studying JWs,the bitter truth

by spirituk in

jw
friends

well, i have been studying jws religion ,my cousin is a jw and i have visited him a lot of times.i have watched his way of living and things like that.i have been at the district convention last week.i read so many things from both sides.i came to the conclusion that if someone believes god exists then it is so easy and he should be a jehovah's witness.sadly its true and that is why so many people are and every year they baptised even more.. stories about jws reducing?wrong.. facing problems?

false.. everybody in the convention had an ipad ,iphones etc with the bible in it.

+ wifi .

redvip2000

You live your fairy tale and then you die :) You pretty much summed it up with that phrase!! You know what else is funny? If you go to any other relgious convention, you'll see the same cars, same Ipads and same stories about progress and expansion. It just happens to be a different fairy tale.

87

Arguments in favor of the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 BCE

by TJ Curioso in

i received the following explanation in favor of the date of 607 bce.

accepted comments on the points at issue.. .

conclusion.

redvip2000

How anybody can use Josephus as basis for any of type of chronological scholarship is beyond me.

his writings and especially Antinquities is riddled with inconsistencies and errors. The man clearly didn't have a grasp on time and dates. Using Josephus to support anything biblical is especially bad since nothing of what he says actually agrees with the bible.

For example:

Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "For indeed Seth was born when Adam was in his two hundred and thirtieth year,…" Genesis 5:3 says, " And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "Seth begat Enos in his two hundred and fifth year;" Genesis 5:6 says, " And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "Seth begat Enos in his two hundred and fifth year; who, when he had lived nine hundred and twelve years, delivered the government to Cainan his son, whom he had in his hundred and ninetieth year." "He" is not clearly defined but the context would suggest that "he" means Enos not Seth. This being the case, Antiquities is saying Enos had Cainan when Enos was 190 years old. Genesis 5:9 says, " And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "Cainan, when he had lived nine hundred and ten years, had his son Malaleel, who was born in his hundred and seventieth year." Genesis 5:12 says, " And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "This Malaleel, having lived eight hundred and ninety-five years, died, leaving his son Jared, whom he begat when he was in his hundred and sixty-fifth year". Genesis 5:15 says, " And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "Now Mathusela, the son of Enoch, who was born to him when he was one hundred and sixty-five years old". Genesis 5:21 says, " And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: "
Antiquities 1.3.4 says, "Now Mathusela, the son of Enoch, who was born to him when he was one hundred and sixty-five years old, had Lamech for his son when he was one hundred and eighty-seven years of age; to whom he delivered the government, when he had retained it nine hundred and sixty-nine years." Genesis 5:25 says, " And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: " Genesis 5:31 says, " And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. " When Methuselah was 969 years old, Lamech had already died five years earlier. Methuselah could not have passed the government to somebody who was already dead.
Antiquities 1.6.5 says, "Arphaxad was the son of Shem, and born twelve years after the deluge." Genesis says 11:10, " These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: "
Antiquities 1.6.5 says Serug was 132 years old when Nahor was born. Genesis 11:22 tells us it was 30.
Antiquities 1.6.5 says Ragau had Serug we he was "one hundred the thirty". Genesis 11:20 tells us he was 32 years old.
Antiquities 1.6.5 says Pheleg was the same age, one hundred the thirty, when he had Ragau. Genesis 11:18 tells us Peleg was 30 years old when this happened.
Antiquities 1.6.5 Heber begat Pheleg in his one hundred thirty fourth year. Genesis 11:16 tells us Eber was 34 when Peleg was born.
Antiquities 1.6.5 says Salah was 130 years old when Heber was born. Genesis 11:14 tells us it was 30 years old.
Antiquities 1.6.5 says Arphaxad was 135 when Salah was born. Genesis 11:12 tells us Arphaxad was 35 years old when Salah was born.

153

The antidote to the myth that JWs are declining

by slimboyfat in

one of the most persistent myths on this website is that jws are already in decline, the rot has set in, and the descent of the watchtower is inevitable from here on in.

unfortunately the facts do not bear this out.

jws are still increasing even in most developing countries, and they are still growing worldwide at a faster rate than the general population.

redvip2000

Both are given in the detailed chart. Not a grand difference, but some. For example, in the 2013 Yearbook (2012's figures) you had: 7,782,346 PEAK publishers (which is the number they use for the summary). However, the AVERAGE was: 7,538,994 - a difference of 243,352

It's a difference of over 3%!!. Certainly very significant. However if they provide both values in a chart, they can't be accused of dishonesty there

43

Fading ... and Feeling Lost

by What Now? in

prior to that we had been in a new congregation for about 9 months, and we were just irregular.

my husband rarely went, and i would go occasionally with our toddler son just enough to show our faces and keep the elders off our backs, and for the sake of some friendships in our old hall.

all of the reasons i had for going were just no longer important.

redvip2000

Growing up in a JW congregation, you never really need to learn how to make friends. The organization does that for you. What is interesting is that even two JWs who share no interests will still be friends or at the very minimum friendly simply because they are both in a JW congregation and share that bond.

In the outside world, where that bond does not exist, is much harder. Nobody has an "obligation" to like you.

Leaving friendships that were nurtured all of your life in an instant is traumatic. Most people's circle of friends are made of people who've been there over the years, and it takes time to break into that circle. It's hard work and it take dedication, and tons of initiative but it can be done and you can slowly build a support group outside of the bOrg. Stay strong and persist

153

The antidote to the myth that JWs are declining

by slimboyfat in

one of the most persistent myths on this website is that jws are already in decline, the rot has set in, and the descent of the watchtower is inevitable from here on in.

unfortunately the facts do not bear this out.

jws are still increasing even in most developing countries, and they are still growing worldwide at a faster rate than the general population.

redvip2000

Well obviously the smaller religions are the ones who seemingly grow the most percentage-wise. Jehovah Witnesses are small by comparison to other religious groups and so any increase will show a higher percentage when compared to the mormons for example.

I do agree that this decline does not really exist and if it does, it's not apparent for now. However there was some signs of downsizing which seem to indicate some trouble. Also, numbers of JWs are kept by the organization itself, and to be fair, i've seen evidence that they shuffle the numbers in order to make compensations ( bundling Hawaii and US and i think they did the same with some of the UK)

Don't they also pick the month out of the year with most field reports handed in, as basis for their count? Hardly a good measure. It should be the average count when all 12 months are used.