Saethydd

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Posts by Saethydd

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  18

  Is time moving faster?

  by Fisherman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you get the feeling that time is moving faster?

  what do you think?.

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  Saethydd

  As we get older each second, minute, hour, day, month, year, and decade becomes a smaller and smaller fraction of our entire experienced life, so yes, in a way, the speed of time relative to your personal perception is constantly getting faster.
  
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  10

  Writing a "Thesis on Doubting the Watchtower"

  by Saethydd in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i'm currently writing what i've decided to call a "thesis on doubting the watchtower," and was wondering if you guys could help me out a bit with the research.

  my plan is to use it as a sort of personal reference.

  if any of you could help me find the publications i'm looking for i would appreciate it.. as things stand i need:.

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  Saethydd

  I'm currently writing what I've decided to call a "Thesis on Doubting the Watchtower," and was wondering if you guys could help me out a bit with the research. My plan is to use it as a sort of personal reference. If any of you could help me find the publications I'm looking for I would appreciate it.
  

  As things stand I need:

  1. PDF of "Shepherd the Flock of God" 2010 (And if anyone has the knowledge necessary to vouch for the authenticity of the PDF I'd appreciate that too.)
  

  2. The Elder's letter that accompanied the above book.

  3. I have heard many stories of child abuse cases in which the victim was discouraged from reporting the crime to the authorities, is anyone aware any previously written instruction to this effect?

  4. An article in which Watchtower denounces another religion for its hierarchy. (Found it, "g76 9/8 27 Are Clergy-Laity Distinctions Scriptural?")

  5. An article in which they directly criticize another religion for mishandling child sex abuse cases.

  All right, those are the only ones I have come to at the moment. A shall continue to post anything that I'm having trouble finding as my thesis progresses.
  
  
  
  
  
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  15

  GETTING FIRED VS QUITTING

  by TerryWalstrom in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  getting fired vs quitting_________________________my specialties in life are great and many, but none more fabulous than the talent i've possessed for getting fired and/or quitting a job.how many jobs and careers i blazed through would spin your head!

  suffice it to say, more than you've time or patience to hear.. there is something in my psychology and verbal arsenal too prone toward candid criticism!

  i find myself blurting out what i really think before even i can stop myself.i worked for an art gallery owner once who had everything going for him except good sense.

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  Saethydd

  Fellow smart ass here, I found that to be a very entertaining read.
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes 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

  Miracles and personal paranormal experiences are sensory evidence.

  But you can't have a " God in a vial" evidence. Like Scientism preaches.

  This kind of thinking is against the very concept of God and against the very concept of "vial" (empirical) evidence.

  It's simply senseless.
  

  I never said I needed "God in a vial." I just need something that is not as erratic as supposed miracles. If a reliable God produces evidence, does it not make sense that evidence would be reliable? Miracles and all other supernatural events are not repeatable, therefore they are not reliable.
  
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes 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

  Physical world burden.
  

  What is the purpose of a miracle if not to provide physical proof of divinity?

  How do you know they're not reliable witnesses? What makes you cease your benefit of the doubt? This is very "jump of the cat", be very careful in this moment.
  

  A reliable witness is one that leaves themselves open to cross-examination. A reliable expert is one with necessary training that produces repeatable results and then allows other experts to check and confirm their findings.

  Do you really think these things are exactly the same Christian theology?
  

  With regards to verifiable evidence, yes. Christian theology is older but logically that is the only difference I can see in the quality of evidence (metaphysical and physical) for both of these topics.
  
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes 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

  Also, perhaps I missed it, but I don't think you addressed my first point. Why would sensory evidence of God's existence, effect whether not worship is done in "spirit and truth?"
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes 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

  @ Saerhydd

  Even though miracles take place in the physical world the nature of your consciousness is always metaphysical. And you still needs faith to accept reality. Doesn't matter if physical or metaphysical reality. You can't suspend reason and faith in the process of understanding the reality.

  True, which means that our reason must be used to temper faith. Reason tells me that each of the "miracles" you brought up have several warning indicators that they are probably fabrications.

  1. They happened a long time ago, or in a far-away land, thus removed from the scrutiny of the first world press. (In some cases both) Which means that they are left open to being wildly over-exaggerated. (Note: First world press coverage doesn't necessarily prevent this, but in my opinion, more coverage and thus more skeptical scrutiny helps reveal the truth.)

  2. The photographic and video evidence is either unclear or non-existent.

  3. First-hand accounts from reliable witnesses and experts are also non-existent.

  I'm sure I could go on if applied more thought to this but I think my point is clear. If I accepted these miracles as true based on the provided evidence, then to remain consistent I would also have to accept Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and Alien Abductions as true. Like miracles, however, I choose to simply view those events with skeptical disbelief until I find some evidence that the events in question couldn't easily be a fabrication or a false perception.
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  9

  Million Euro Scandal in Spain

  by Calebs Airplane in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  http://cronicaglobal.elespanol.com/vida/testigos-jehova-agujero-empresarial-galicia_69908_102.html.

  the jehovah’s witnesses leadership (in northern spain) requested that a local material supplier (owned by rank-and file jws) not divulge that a million euros are unaccounted for.

  the cult leadership requested peace from the congregation so as to put pressure on the material company’s owners (who are jws) and thereby avoid any possible litigation.. this case affects a well-known construction supply company with its headquarters in a large northern city.

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  Saethydd

  Saethydd tells about "A very good friend of mine"

  Now THAT is what I call solid documentation. Perhaps I should come up with "a very very good friend indeed of mine" and conjure up some FAKE NEWS too ..................
  

  I am vague in deference to my friend's privacy. Frankly, her privacy is more important to me than whether or not some random person online believes me. I know it is true, which is enough for me, and I simply shared what details I could.
  
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  496

  This is What I Would Need in Order to Believe

  by cofty in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  sometimes 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

  Obviously if you have sensorial proof you can't have faith anymore. Is that hard to understand?

  Using an analogy from quantum mechanics:

  Faith: wave function .

  Sensorial evidence: wave collapse or a particle.

  Faith and sensorial evidence is just like velocity and position. You simply can't have both.

  You can't accept a premise (axiom) using sensorial evidence. You accept a premise through faith.

  You're conflating worship and belief. Even if his existence and power could be confirmed by sensory evidence, faith would still be required. Faith that the God you worship truly wants the best for you, etc.

  So I would argue that even if God could be confirmed with sensory evidence one could still show devotion to him (or worship) with "spirit and truth." All the evidence would do is allow us to determine that our worship is being directed at the correct entity, and isn't simply a myth that another human is using to control us. (The more probable conclusion.)
  

  Here's some of them that have convincing evidence:

  - Our Lady of Fatima (miracle of the sun)

  - Our Lady of Zeitoun

  Both of these happened decades ago and could easily have been blown out of proportion.

  In the first example, the "vision" was only seen by three people, meaning the others present may simply have been gullible and desperate.

  The second example happened in a highly religious area. I looked at the photograph and it isn't clearly a female figure. However, I can see why it might be close enough to give a person who is desperate to have their faith confirmed something at which to grasp.
  

  

  - Eucharist miracles of Lanciano and Buenos Aires.

  This story I would actually accept as providing some actual proof... if it could be confirmed.

  However, I have discovered no first-hand accounts confirming these events and certainly no first-hand accounts that corroborate these events. No video interviews with the experts that supposedly ran all these tests, or interviews with the people that supposedly discovered this piece of flesh. Unsurprisingly it also lacks the most important part of confirmation, the ability for multiple independent tests to be performed on the sample. Thus, the most probable conclusion I can draw is that this is nothing more than a sensational tabloid-level story which was invented sell magazines.
  
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  2

  "Approaching Adulthood"

  by Coded Logic in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  nailed it!.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciffoxewoww.

  .. also, didn't the jws say before the commission that if an adult had sex with a minor who was "approaching adulthood" than it wouldn't be considered sexual child abuse and wouldn't be reported?.

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  Saethydd

  Well, I suppose technically, 10 years old is "approaching adulthood." You know, in the same way the number 3 is "approaching" 1000.