there was a documentary about jehovahs witnesses (in austria) on the austrian tv channel orf2.
http://tvthek.orf.at/programs/4204899-kreuz---quer/episodes/5322965-kreuz-und-quer.
for some reason i can't hear the sound, just read the subtitles.. i am watching it at the moment, so i cannot say much yet, but might post something later or tomorrow..
There was a documentary about Jehovahs Witnesses (in Austria) on the Austrian TV channel ORF2. It can be seen here:
http://tvthek.orf.at/programs/4204899-Kreuz---Quer/episodes/5322965-kreuz-und-quer
For some reason I can't hear the sound, just read the subtitles.
I am watching it at the moment, so I cannot say much yet, but might post something later or tomorrow.
writing and speaking is all about communication.. if we are casually engaged the level of precision vanishes.
simple ideas=simplified language.. but, as we attempt to convey accuracy, specificity and numerical precision--what then?
without a clear standard is proper communication headed for extinction?.
Communication in general is a difficult thing, as one only knos one's own perspective. I think grammatical and orthographic rules provide a certain frame to this, and help to make communication as precise as possible. Even if the sules are observed, misunderstandings occure, this is just human. But misunderstandings are even more likely, if the rules are not observed.
I also think, it can add to the aesthetics of a text if it is written correctly. It makes it smoother to read. In particular for non-native speakers as myself - I noted that it throws me alays a little of, if grammatical/orthographic rules are broken, sometimes not quite trusting my on judgement. But also in my native language - German - or my second language - French, I appreciate the correct use of language.
Also, I have a hard time with punctuation in foreign languages. The punctuation rules in German make sense to me, and in my opinion add to the readability of a text. But I have no clue about the punctuation in English.
i am interested in the answers for a new poll.
also, feel free to suggest other options, wording etc.agreed in full with the watchtower guidelinesagreed with shunning in general, but not for familywas stumbled by this practice but shunned as instructeddid not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people .
for me personally, i did not agree with the practice and secretly associated with disfellowshipped people, even whilst at bethel.
I mostly tried not to think about it.
As a child I remember one incident, when someone was df'ed. I was about 6 years old, and asked my mother why this person was df'ed. She was very angry with me, if she hadn't been driving at this moment, she probably would have slapped me. She said I should never even think about asking something liek this.
As a teen I had one true friend in our congrefation. We were about 16/17 years old, both very shy didn't talk much, but played music together - she piano and I violin. When she da'ed I didn't care and called her anyway. But they found out and got councelled, I retreated even more. One sister said, we were just friend because we were lonely, we didn#t fit together anyway. I was so angry, what did she know about friendship and how we feel? But I didn't say anything, I was too scared to speak up.
i was sitting there in the dark and thinking what shadow looked like what, and what that noise was outside and you know what came to mind.
what a wonderful time to think about demons!.
maybe i am some evil person, but i just can not help but laugh when i read the bible or hear anything from it.
I totally agree. I had the first (conscious) thought in this direction, when three years ago I came accidentally across a "Book of Mormon" that someone forgot in the tram.
I read a few pages in it and thought, that's a little crazy, how coule someone believe this? And then: wait a minute, are the bible accounts so much different from this?
i'm curious about human intelligence and beliefs as a natural phenomenon.. i've long suspected that even the most "normal" and well-educated person harbors "fringe" beliefs.. the purpose of this thread is not to mock beliefs of any kind.
rather it is for all of us to toss in to a pile our own unprovables so .
we can, as a group, evaluate how natural and non-neurotic such thinking might well be.. .
Interesting question. I am just throwing out some of my thoughts, I don't know how coherent my post will be.
It seems to me, that the points mentioned in the OP can be classified in two parts: human-related (that would be the conspirary theories) and "super-natural", this would probably need a defintion.
As far as the conspiracy theories go, I believe that there are more things going on below the surface than "ordinary" non-involved people realise. It's probably rather complicated, but I rather doubt that this would classify as "conspiracy theory" as it is commonly understood.
Concerning the supernatural phenomena, I believe that there are things that we cannot (yet) scientifically explain, but mostly due to the fact that our theories are not developed enough or due to the fact, that our measuring tools are not appropriate. As human beeings we have a certain perception of reality, and this doesn't mean that there is not more to it. For example, just because we can only "see" three (or four including time) dimensions, doesn't mean that there are not more. Such things could explain phenomena that we to this day classify as "supernatural" but in reality just escape our perception.
Doing research in pure math, I am aware of the fact that every day new things are discovered in the "mathematical universe". I am certaine that with time sciences (such as physics and chemistry) will pick up these theories, as they have in the past (for example quantum mechanics is built on representation theory, or general relativity is built on differential geometry). They will use them to develope ever more precise models of the universe which might one day explain phenomena that we at the moment classify as supernatural.
It will probably ake a long time. My hope is that in about 200 years physicists will use the theories that we develope today :-)
comments you will not hear at the 01-13-2013 wt study (november 15, 2012, pages 15-19)(lesser one).
http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/?contentlanguagefilter=en&pubfilter=w&yearfilter=2012.
review comments will be headed by comments.
Thank so much Blondie. Your taking the time to write this is really appreciated.
I hope things get quieter for you.
My last two weeks have also been kind of crazy, seems to be the time of the year.
dear god, if you are a god as your followers claim you to be, why do you have to operate in the constraints of spacetime?
dear god, why did you have to sacrifice yourself to yourself to save your creation that you made with flaws?.
dear god, why do you not do anything about your old men in robes raping little boys?
Dear God... why did you as a "loving father" leave your "children" a crypted message without letting them know the key to decipher it? And btw. which of all the "holy texts" is the right message?
Dear God... if you are not responsable for the bad things that happen, why do you let yourself be praised for the good things that happen?
i have had to make some very difficult decisions in recent days.
in one way i feel good about takeing care of myself and my mother who is on her dead bed in the room next to me.
mom has live with me since 2005 and started to make her journey to the other side on christmas day.
Just thinking of you.
Be strong in this difficult time. Don't let people overstep boundaries. I hope this difficult time will go by peacefully for both of you.
let's say there is a new law.. once each year the leader(s) of any religious group have to answer 20 questions in public on tv posed by their critics.. twenty questions are allowed for a one hour presentation.. of course, we would expect softball answers.
except for one thing: the questioner can press a "bullshit" button!.
that would mean the question is repeated and another answer was called for.
Taking the bible as god's word and obeying the commandments therein especially direct commandments that can be found in the greek scriptures, consider the text in 1 Corinthiens 14: 33-35:
33. For God is [a God], not of disorder, but of peace. As in all the congregations of the holy ones,
34. let the women keep silent in the congregations, for it is not permitted for them to speak, but let them be in subjection, even as the Law says.
35. If, then, they want to learn something, let them question their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in a congregation.
Question: Why are women allowed to give comments and presentations in meetings - is this not unscriptural?
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for me it has to be radio-dating, the age of everything.
it contradicts so many belief systems and also gives the universe's chemistry set the means to do so many 'experiments' with varying results.. with so much time, so much is possible....
I am not sure how to define "world view".
For me it depends how far I "zoom in": on the most universal level, it would be mathematics and its derivatives such as general relativity or cosmology (although I am not sure if this counts as evidence). It puts us humans in perspective, there is nothing special about our little planet.
On a more zoomed in level, anthropology. In connection with this personal experiences with people from other countries. I agree with blondie on this. working and living with people from different cultures puts your own worl view into perspective. As an "international student" in France and later the US I had room mates from almost all Central European countries as well as from Russia, Korea and China. My fellow students are from every continent.
