So true. I used to have a great deal of respect for JW's years ago. I thought they adhered to, and knew the Bible well. That opinion changed when I decided to do some studying of the Bible, its history, history of Christianity, history of antiquity as related to Jews, comparative religion, ancient texts, bible scholarship. Then I realized that JW's may know the Bible better than Catholics, but they both are quite unaware of all the relevant context surrounding the Bible. Just two days ago, I asked my brother, a zealous, fairly intelligent and diligent JW with 30 years serving, if he knew who Arius was. He didn't. They have no clue as to the origins of their main doctrines. In fact, an elder tried to claim credit for exposing false beliefs such as the trinity and hellfire. I had to respond that those doctrines were considered false many, many centuries ago, way before C.T. Russell was born.
never a jw
JoinedPosts by never a jw
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24
Jehovah's Witnesses Are Believers But Know Not What They Teach
by minimus inthey simply belong to a religion.
they cannot explain why they follow all the dictates of the organization.
they live in blind faith.
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Just woke up
by Doctor Who innew to the site.
currently i am a ministerial servant and was told i was appointed to be an elder.
i told the brothers i was not ready for that assignment.
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never a jw
Welcome Doctor,
Forgive me for being curious, you are 44, you are in the U.S., you have a degree, not married, just woke up, never heard of C of C. Your story is rather puzzling. Is it possible to provide the missing pieces of information to complement the known information and create a coherent narrative.
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A coming out story to my mother.
by JennyBoo inso i actually came out to my mother a few days ago.
told her how i really felt about being a jw (jehovah's witness) and how i wasn't straight.
i wasn't surprised by the disapproving response i got because really, i wasn't expecting any more.
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never a jw
Welcome JB
I am glad that you found happiness and you are true to yourself.
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Ayn Rand - Opinions?
by cappytan infor those of you familiar with ayn rand and her ideas on morality, rationality and reason, what is your opinion of those ideas?.
i'm talking about her actual ideas, not the ideals that libertarianism has adopted and, in some cases, perverted.
do you think she's a charlatan?
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never a jw
Ayn Rand's philosophy can only work in an ideal world where everyone believes what she believed; ironically, that kills one of the main tenets of her philosophy, individualism. Same thing can be of any group, either religious or political, it works very smoothly when everyone follows and does as the leader expects. Unfortunately, those are worlds lacking heroes, deep emotions, extreme pain and joy. No thank you. I rather experience the full range of human personalities, so I can enjoy the full range of emotions that humans are capable of. I am not interested in paradisiacal perfect worlds. It's too boring, too robotic, even it is controlled by reason and objectivity.
Regarding AtlasShrugged, it's unnecessarily long. A. Rand could have made her points just using 25 % of the pages. She should have learned from Voltaire's Candide. Voltaire drives his points home more convincingly, more effectively and certainly more efficiently.
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Ayn Rand - Opinions?
by cappytan infor those of you familiar with ayn rand and her ideas on morality, rationality and reason, what is your opinion of those ideas?.
i'm talking about her actual ideas, not the ideals that libertarianism has adopted and, in some cases, perverted.
do you think she's a charlatan?
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never a jw
adjusted knowledge wrote: "I can see why conservatives would hold some of her ideology in high esteem."
It's rather libertarians who hold her ideology in high esteem. Conservatives are quite a diverse crowd that are hard to define as a homogeneous group. Many purport to hold the very Christian values that are rejected by Ayn Rand.
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Ayn Rand - Opinions?
by cappytan infor those of you familiar with ayn rand and her ideas on morality, rationality and reason, what is your opinion of those ideas?.
i'm talking about her actual ideas, not the ideals that libertarianism has adopted and, in some cases, perverted.
do you think she's a charlatan?
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never a jw
Ayn Rand ant the Watchtower are diametrically opposite. She takes selfishness and self reliance to the extreme; the Watchtower demands total devotion and a life of sacrifice from its members for the sake of the few parasites at the top. Both are cultic paradigms, both are wrong, both are extremes. As I get older I find myself agreeing more and more with classic Athenian values of moderation. -
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CO has been coming to my door. Would like 1 or 2 solid and easy arguments.
by The Laser Viking ini am 6th generation.
i have been out for a few years.. back story on the situation:.
i had a co come by while going door-to-door in the neighborhood.
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never a jw
The video has a lie. It shows in a time line the 2520 years from 607 bc to 1914 ad. In the same video you can see how in a section of the video where the video producers put the actual article written by Russell scrolling in the background; the actual year chosen by him as the beginning of the 2520 years was 606 bce.
It was until 1943 when, in a surreptitious and deceptive manner, Fred Franz changed the date (see page 239 of "The Truth shall make you Free").
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When did you realize evolution was true?
by Coded Logic in) which person/source first made you reconsider your position on creationism?.
) how long a period of time did it take to fully convince you?.
) what books and videos did you read and watch?.
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never a jw
I never doubted the scientific spirit. So I must have been exposed and accepted evolution when I was about 11 or 12. I rejected religion and God 2 or 3 years later.
My understanding of evolution is much better, but I have a long way to go.
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Four Blood Moons might be significant
by CharlieSmith1975 inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuqzhnx7xma.
the bible does say that the "day of jehovah" (armageddon) would be associated with the sun becoming dark followed by the moon turning to blood.
but the moon turning to blood is specific to a total lunar eclipse.
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never a jw
How about ignoring the loon. Wait...even threads like these can unexpectedly provide some gems:
"If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people", House
I am adding it to my favorite quotes
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Can I prove the hypocrisy of the Watchtower?
by never a jw ini just found the following quote that appears quite hypocritical.. .
*** w03 6/1 pp.
3-4 what is happening to charity?
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never a jw
I just found the following quote that appears quite hypocritical.
*** w03 6/1 pp. 3-4 What Is Happening to Charity? ***
AFTER the attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York City and Washington, D.C., public support for the victims of the tragedy was remarkable. Charities were overwhelmed by $2.7 billion in donations to help care for the victims’ families. Shocked by the extent of the devastation, people everywhere wanted to help.
The mood of some of the public quickly soured, however, when allegations surfaced that prominent charities were misappropriating funds. There was a flood of outrage at the report that one large charity planned to hold back nearly half of the $546 million it received and use it for other purposes. Although the organization later reversed its decision and apologized, one reporter observed: “Critics see this new turn of events as a day late and a dollar short to restore the trust” enjoyed before the attacks. How about you? Has your trust in charity been shaken lately?
WASN'T THE WATCHTOWER ASKING MEMBERS NOT TO MARK THE PURPOSE OF THE DONATIONS WHEN THEY WERE ASKING FOR HELP TO DISASTER AREAS WHRE JW'S WERE AFFECTED. IF SO, WHY?
I would appreciate if anyone can provide a quote where the Watchtower specifically asks members not to mark the purpose of the donation in cases where the money is intended to help for a specific disaster.