proplog2

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Posts by proplog2

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  93

  Christianity did NOT borrow from pagan "Dying-Rising" God motifs

  by yaddayadda in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  it is a fallacy that the early christians weaved the tale of a dying and rising god-man on the loom of mystery religions.

  the idea of the dying-rising god as a parallel to the christian concept of the death and resurrection of christ was popularized by james frazer in the golden bough, first published in 1906. scholar edwin yamauchi (1974; easter: myth, hallucination, or history?

  ) has observed that, although frazer marshaled many parallels, the foundation was very fragile and has been discredited by a host of scholars since frazers ideas were at the height of their popularity in the 1960s.

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  proplog2

  All of this back and forth. Wasted.

  None of us were there. And if there really is a living God he ought to be able to come up with something a little better than a few words in 2,000 years.

  It's similar to the Watchtower claim that all false religion came from Babylon.

  There are only a few good plots. Ask any writer. There are archetypes - images that emerge from the human experience - all human experience. I think Joseph Campbell has made a living out of this simple idea.

  Mother, Father, Birth, Death, Children, Murder, Sacrifice, Resurrection, War, God's, Spirits/Angels, Quests, Heros - all are variations of the same themes.

  One man's religion is another mans myth.

  The myth makers of today design intricate video games.

  We all like a good story.
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  77

  Why Can You See Through the Watchtower While Others Cannot?

  by The wanderer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  <!-- .style1 { font-family: verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; } .style2 { font-family: georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: #663366; } .style3 { font-family: georgia, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 17px; color: #663366; } --> why can you see through the watchtower while others cannot?

  compared with the six million jehovahs witnesses worldwide the .

  so-called apostates are comparatively much smaller.

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  proplog2

  Many are called few are chosen.

  Chance and unforseen circumsances.

  You were luck or un-lucky enough to get booted out of your comfort zone.

  It's the same reason why people on the inside can't figure out why people don't become JW's
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  31

  What have you "Learned from JWD""??,

  by OUTLAW in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  was it,math?..was it,a new way of looking at things?..was it,you were not alone?..was it,patience?..was it,a way to deal with pain?..what have you "learned from jwd"?...outlaw

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  proplog2

  99% of what I read here is useless to me.

  99% of what I write here is useless to anyone else.

  Now I think I have been fair.

  People that leave the Watchtower are not necessarily going to think any straighter. For example You Know = E-Watchman
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  8

  commenting at meetings

  by darth frosty in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many of you found that the 'deeper' your comments at the wt or bookstudy, the less the conductor called on you?

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  proplog2

  This kind of thread bugs me. It just serves as an excuse to pick on people with a Watchtower theme.

  No one has any records of the number of times they raised their hands and how many times they were called on. It's all very intuitive and therefore influenced by paranoid (they won't call on me because they hate me for - being poor, too smart, too dumb, ugly, too good looking) or narcisistic (they wouldn't call on moi) attitudes.

  I think you will find whatever you're looking for on this one.
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  44

  Faith in God and the Church - Part 1 of 2

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  palmer: i don't know.

  i mean, for me... i need proof.. palmer: proof.

  ellie: yes, very much.. palmer: prove it.. [source: http://www.turning-pages.com/contact/machine.htm].

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  proplog2

  Jim:

  I'm not arguing with you. I just keep hoping for something extraordinary. Atheists would love to see their parents again. Atheists would like to have the tears wiped from their eyes. Atheists would like to have a conversation with God.
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  44

  Faith in God and the Church - Part 1 of 2

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  palmer: i don't know.

  i mean, for me... i need proof.. palmer: proof.

  ellie: yes, very much.. palmer: prove it.. [source: http://www.turning-pages.com/contact/machine.htm].

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  proplog2

  Atheism makes sense to me. Everytime I read the deep heartfelt expressions of belief in God I am shaken by the realization that there is NO hope for humans.

  So many good minds can't seem to escape the gravitational pull of their own imaginations.

  If you can't find absolute proof of god's existence you settle for ambiguous proof of his existence. If ambiguous proof is unsatisfying you try to explain away the need of proof. Finally, refuge is taken in "faith". Faith is only valued because of convention. It is the surrender of intellect. It is a decision to dissociate intellect from ones soul. Faith is just another word for ignor-ance.

  Knowledge is the enemy of "faith". It destroys "faith".

  I will take knowledge over faith. Faith is just another part of the dungeon mankind needs to escape.

  There is no need for the theist to prove anything. They are in charge of this lousy world. They have to tolerate the insanity of dangerous religions because they are all in the "faith" business.
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  31

  What the **** is this???

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  strange video.

  .

  don't know if i'm late to this thing, but it is just has me totally confused!

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  proplog2

  So many here are so jaded that they can't appreciate this little claymation.

  This board should applaud this kind of effort. It is such talent that eventually leaves for fuller expression.
• 
  55

  My time on this board has now come to an end

  by IronGland in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'll miss some of you.

  i curse others.

  it's been an interesting 3 years.

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  proplog2

  Hey! Start resurrecting all the good-bye threads next time someone makes the Grand Exit

  I've had a few of those departing moments myself. I figure if you announce your leave you will probably be back.

  If you say nothing and just quit posting you have a better chance of being gone for good.
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  62

  Floyd Kite's "Enduring the Tests Within God's Organization" (1980)

  by Leolaia in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  thats a big test.

  can you think of the test that that would put on gods people?

  its a big test, its a big test.

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  proplog2

  The presumption is that "this is God's organization - no matter what".

  My problem is that we are supposed to look to God for a higher guidance. But all you see is the usual trial and error groping for ideas and explanations.

  If God can put things in the minds of the "ten kings" to give their authority to the wild beast why can't he insert the "right" thoughts into the brains of the JW leaders - the Holy Governing Body.

  The best argument against the idea of ESP is that NONE of these people are right ALL of the time. You have to use the same statistical methods you use to investigate all of the soft sciences. The fact that JW's survive just says they did enough of the right things and they were exploiting a niche that was especially hot during the immediate post WWII period.

  The JW organization doesn't even show evidence of ordinary creativity. Russell was very creative. Even Rutheford had a sense of public relations and knew how to create buzz. But the organization got swallowed up in production issues - hours, magazines, books, new branches. The elder arrangement was a belated attempt at participative management. They have resorted to Multilevel marketing type of motivation - if you show you are productive you get special recognition through invitations to seminars etc.

  The same thing is seen in the trial and error/success process that is called "natural" selection. All sorts of vestigial organs, left over spare parts that are crudely adapted to whatever situation was advantageous for a period of time.

  The organization of JW's (actually all organizations) is proof of evolution.

  They always reply "well it's an organization of imperfect men". BUT - isn't God able to guide these imperfect men so they don't keep walking into their own poop?
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  26

  Creator Book - Periodic Table - Part 1

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i believe in god ... but not because of any watchtower teaching.

  it is actually fun to look back and see how they applied very poor logic and nonsense to try and prove their point.

  today, the (c) 1998 watchtower book, "is there a creator who cares about you" was placed with me at the door.

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  proplog2

  Fatfreek:

  I have a lot of respect for Amazing (Jim). I don't believe in an omnipotent, omiscient (and all the other omnis) God. But, I AM interested in how smart people arrive at "faith".

  I can also understand his Catholicism. JW's have changed as they have gotten bigger. What would JW's be like if they had a billion members and 2,000 years of history? Probably quite a bit like the Catholic Church. Of course that will never happen.

  I can also understand why Amazing (Jim) might think his faith is too personal.