In short, no you can't vote and remain a Witness. While they don't technically disfellowship (excommunicate) someone for that, they say that by such action one has "disassociated themselves." Which basically amounts to the same thing, perpetual shunning. (Interestingly, this is also how they handle someone who voluntarily receives a blood transfusion.)
Saethydd
JoinedPosts by Saethydd
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496
This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe
by cofty insometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.
various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.
i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.
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Saethydd
God will remains a mystery because we are in a kind of test.
In this time we need free will. Free will needs total privacy. That's why nobody can read our thoughts.
Now in heaven nobody has free will because they saw God directly. At the time you see God there's a transformation and you can't be a human anymore.
There's no free will if you can see God. Like if you have to choose between a marble palace or a piece of chalk.
Jews say that the existence of God in this universe it's like the subtle flavor of wine left in a glass. That's enough for the game of life.
God can be reached through philosophy or/and intuition.
God is not a scientific experiment.
Search your intuition and you will know.
Try to develop your intuition doing some art.
Do you have an objective basis for any of this, or are pulling all of this out of your own... head?
Especially the part about what happens in heaven. Have you been there? Have you spoken to somebody from heaven? Have you read about from a reliable source? What makes your views on heaven any more insightful than a random person on the street?
The problem with basing something on pure intuition is that it can not be verified or examined outside your own head. It cannot possibly be objective, therefore it cannot be rational.
I can also make a logical argument about the following part of your statement.
Now in heaven nobody has free will because they saw God directly. At the time you see God there's a transformation and you can't be a human anymore.
There's no free will if you can see God. Like if you have to choose between a marble palace or a piece of chalk.
This makes no sense at all, even in your own illustration. There may be a reason to choose chalk over marble, for example, if you desire a writing tool, chalk would be the superior choice.
Additionally, why would you ever want to worship a being that will strip you of your free will?
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Went to the assembly..some.personal thoughts on it.
by integ ini've been as honest as i can on this forum throughout my time bouncing in and out..and been jumped on for saying anything positive about the "truth" or my experiences at the hall, but it's been a few years now since i have been attending meetings.
i go to the memorial for family reasons and went to the assembly today for the same reason...but one observation i have to make is most of us have all dealt with years of hearing how gawd awful "the world" is and how the only happiness is going to meetings and out in service.
now that is total bs.
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Saethydd
You might enjoy an occasional session of quiet reflective meditation because that, at least, wouldn't have all the BS you have to ignore.
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Looking for my little sister.
by DeadmanWalking ini have a little sister havnt seen or heard from in 20 years she was da for attending a church she was 17 at the time she moved out and lived with a family not jw's in fact they are very a posed to jw's the past 20 years i've tried to make contact she won't respond all i know is she's got kids 2 or 3 of them she lives outside charlotte nc and works for a insurance company as an underwriter.
i think her husband is a police officer ?
being back in her life having a niece or nephew to watch grow up would be nice.
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Saethydd
Have you already tried finding her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? I was able to get back in touch with my non-JW cousin through Facebook. I just sent him a message explaining how sorry I was for the years I had spent not talking to him, then I told him how much I missed him and wanted him back in my life. Maybe that could help here too.
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Any atheists here? Have you come to terms with your new reality?
by kpop inalone, without my safety net of "god" being there to remember me when i die.
after much consideration, examining science, history and using logic, i have come to the conclusion that there is no "god" at least certainly no loving, personal "god.
" shortly before my final conclusion was reached, i read an excerpt from an expression attributed to marcus aurelius, .
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Saethydd
How can someone be lucid when their brain is all eaten up with cancer, Alzheimer etc? This is powerful evidence of the existence of the soul (mind) that survives the demise of the body.
Not really, it's evidence that when something as complex as the brain breaks it may still work occasionally. Unless you would also make the argument that a kitchen appliance with a defective control board that works inconsistently has a "soul."
There is actually an interesting debate in the field of Psychology as to whether the "mind" really exists. Behaviorists say that everything traditionally attributed to the "mind" can be explained by the brain. Freudian students of psychoanalysis, however, are firm believers in the mind. Of course, as with God, it is hard to provide empirical evidence for something that cannot be physically perceived.
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Most Widely Circulated Magazine In The World
by Calebs Airplane inwhich magazine is now the most widely circulated in the world?.
before responding, keep in mind that certain parameters (such as content and page count) ought to be met before any printed material intended for mass distribution can be categorized as a “magazine”.
for example, the absolute minimum range for any publication to be considered a magazine is typically around 32 to 48 pages while the highest page counts are usually around 128 to 160, with some popular women’s fashion magazines coming in quite a bit higher than that.. so with that said, which is now the world’s most widely circulated magazine?.
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Saethydd
The point i was making is that WT rag is actually a pamphlet (NOT A MAGAZINE).... geez
Oh, I don't think any of us here would argue with that, especially now that it is down to 16 pages a month in two different publications. We were (or I was anyway) just reinforcing your point and highlighting the fact that it doesn't deserve the title "most widely distributed" either.
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496
This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe
by cofty insometimes theists challenge atheists about what evidence would be required before they would believe.
various unlikely scenarios are offered in reply.
i have taken the bait myself in the past.. i think the correct answer is much more ordinary.
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Saethydd
I agree with pretty much all of that, and it's one thing that helped me leave Creationism behind. All of the little details of the world just don't fit with special creation, whereas I can see many examples of small details that fit with evolution.
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The "Paradise" as promised by the Watchtower
by Saethydd ini was thinking today about the descriptions of the future "paradise" presented by the watchtower, and i was struck by something about it.
most of us are aware that the watchtower promotes an interpretation of the apocalypse that would result in the immediate execution of 99.9% of the population with no hope for resurrection.
additionally, we have been told about the large group of people that are supposed to side with satan at the end of the thousand year reign of christ.
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Saethydd
The very second that anyone has/voices a doubt about Jehovah they become a member of Team Satan immediately.
Well, Satan would already be destroyed at that point, according to their theology. So anyone who differed from God after the conclusion of the thousand year reign would only have their own "perfect" minds to blame.
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The "Paradise" as promised by the Watchtower
by Saethydd ini was thinking today about the descriptions of the future "paradise" presented by the watchtower, and i was struck by something about it.
most of us are aware that the watchtower promotes an interpretation of the apocalypse that would result in the immediate execution of 99.9% of the population with no hope for resurrection.
additionally, we have been told about the large group of people that are supposed to side with satan at the end of the thousand year reign of christ.
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Saethydd
I was thinking today about the descriptions of the future "Paradise" presented by the Watchtower, and I was struck by something about it. Most of us are aware that the Watchtower promotes an interpretation of the apocalypse that would result in the immediate execution of 99.9% of the population with no hope for resurrection. Additionally, we have been told about the large group of people that are supposed to side with Satan at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ. Today, however, I thought of another group that would face destruction. Namely, any individual who has a difference of opinion with God after the thousand year reign of Christ was over.
The example of Satan show's us that even a supposedly perfect being without any outside influence could come to hold a viewpoint that differs from God's on certain matters. According to the Watchtower, God is allowing the suffering today in the name of justice, so that he is able to give an answer to "Satan's challenge." The Watchtower has also said that this whole experiment in self-rule will allow God to swiftly execute any future "rebels." So, how many "perfect" beings over the course of an eternity may independently come to hold a different viewpoint from God on certain matters? Because, according to the Watchtower, all of those individuals will face a quick execution at the hands of our "loving" Creator.
Anyway, that concludes my initial thoughts on today's episode of "Messed Up Watchtower Teachings."
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Most Widely Circulated Magazine In The World
by Calebs Airplane inwhich magazine is now the most widely circulated in the world?.
before responding, keep in mind that certain parameters (such as content and page count) ought to be met before any printed material intended for mass distribution can be categorized as a “magazine”.
for example, the absolute minimum range for any publication to be considered a magazine is typically around 32 to 48 pages while the highest page counts are usually around 128 to 160, with some popular women’s fashion magazines coming in quite a bit higher than that.. so with that said, which is now the world’s most widely circulated magazine?.
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Saethydd
most widely read magazine in the world... It is The Watchtower.
Eh, not necessarily. Well, it may possibly be the most widely distributed, but I'm not sure how they get that number. If it is based on how many are printed, then I'm pretty sure quite a few of those never get placed and instead end up in a box in some JW's attic. If it based on publisher time cards, then those numbers could easily be falsified, therefore they can't be considered as accurate. Furthermore, even if it is "the most widely distributed magazine in the world," that is no guarantee that it is the most widely read. After all, how many people may simply throw it away without reading it? Hell, I was a JW myself and there were some magazines I never read.