Posts by Xanthippe

91

Is the Watchtower organisation facing the biggest crisis of its history?

by slimboyfat in

recent developments make me think they might be.

the problems they are facing are not just lack of funds but also draining authority, and the two could be a heady and explosive mix.

one of the best analyses ever written of the watchtower was a book called "trumpet of prophecy" by sociologist james beckford in the 1970s.

Xanthippe

If 75% left now, they would still have 2 million followers with billions of dollars in equity. The next charismatic figurehead would have the perfect springboard to launch the religion from, put his own stamp upon, and if he desired a huge cash resource to live off. - JWFacts

Yes but if that 75% included all of our families we would be overjoyed. I've always thought this religion will carry on in some form with hardcore crazies adhering to it no matter what happens. But if our families get free then to hell with the GB and all who sail in her.

With all the bad press they are getting about child abuse and money grubbing while claiming charity status no sane person will join. All that will be left will be a tiny loony group. The world has plenty of those.

75

Have we become what we despise so much?

by Tenacious in

the majority of members who tend to join this forum have been hurt possibly even traumatized sometimes to the point of wanting to end their lives.

upon joining the forum, new members are welcomed with open arms, welcome messages start pouring in, "likes" are freely given, a false sense of security is promoted where a member is free to speak his mind without having to worry about the wt gestapo.

again, similar to how potential converts are welcomed and "love bombed" upon entering a kh for the first time.

Xanthippe

Have we become what we despise so much?

I don't know about you Tenacious but I don't despise anyone. I'm a very sensitive person and I'm easily hurt but I have to say I've become stronger by having to defend my ideas on this forum. You know what, sometimes now it's fun!

168

Where to draw the line: how Platonism haunts our discourse and the search for exorcism

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

in the discussion about race i adopted a position i am not entirely comfortable with.

i think there is a sense in which it is useful to distinguish categories of description that can be fruitfully defended (apples and bananas) and those that cannot (caucasian or other racial descriptions for example).

but there is a more fundamental sense in which i believe that everything is socially constructed, every single line you can think of.

Xanthippe

No it doesn't need explaining Nic, I get it but if you've done a history of science course at uni and seen phlogiston give way to oxygen, the ether replaced by electromagnetic waves, sulphur treatment get the boot by Penicillin ...... I'm not saying science got it 'wrong' by the way. Progress is fantastic, of course it is. I'm saying if you read the academic papers of the time as I have you would know how right they thought their facts were at the time.

168

Where to draw the line: how Platonism haunts our discourse and the search for exorcism

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

in the discussion about race i adopted a position i am not entirely comfortable with.

i think there is a sense in which it is useful to distinguish categories of description that can be fruitfully defended (apples and bananas) and those that cannot (caucasian or other racial descriptions for example).

but there is a more fundamental sense in which i believe that everything is socially constructed, every single line you can think of.

Xanthippe

Cofty you say SBF is trying to say something about our inability to know things not just about how we describe reality. I don't think so because he said this :-

We don't know what it is about how society is currently structured that will be subject to revision. Everything is tentative. That doesn't mean we can't believe in things or hold to certain perspectives we find useful. It just means we should be open to the possibility of revision.

I think he's saying something about our ability to be sure of things. I agree it doesn't seem to be important how we categorise a planet (although it might be if it was a question on 'millionaire' and you hadn't kept up). However if we take his example of mental illness, it certainly mattered to people who were mentally ill if they were treated as evil and chained in dungeon-like conditions or treated as ill and cared for in hospitals.

Changing human knowledge matters, so being dogmatic about what we know now seems inappropriate. This I believe is what this thread is about. If not, I'm sure Slim will tell me.

168

Where to draw the line: how Platonism haunts our discourse and the search for exorcism

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

in the discussion about race i adopted a position i am not entirely comfortable with.

i think there is a sense in which it is useful to distinguish categories of description that can be fruitfully defended (apples and bananas) and those that cannot (caucasian or other racial descriptions for example).

but there is a more fundamental sense in which i believe that everything is socially constructed, every single line you can think of.

Xanthippe

(1) The ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter is pi. The value of pi has been calculated to more than 13 trillion digits but is commonly approximated to 3.14159
(2) In Euclidean space, the sum of the angles in any triangle is 180°
(3) The city of London is older than the New City of Milton Keynes.
(4) Hydrogen is the lightest element on the Periodic Table.
(5) Combining yellow and blue paints will never produce red paint.
(6) Ronald Reagan was President before Barack Obama.
(7) Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.
(8) My wife's sticky toffee pudding with caramel sauce beats any other - hands down!

(9) Pluto is the ninth planet of the solar system. oops no!! wrong! not anymore.

Nic I was just reminded of this when I saw your point 7. Do you watch the egg heads quiz? I remember the day Dermot Murnaghan said 'Pluto is no longer the ninth planet, when did that happen?'

Pluto was the ninth planet of the solar system from 1930 to 2005. It is no longer. Now it's a Dwarf planet, the largest of the Kuiper Belt Objects. Perhaps this is the kind of thing Slim is getting at?

21

10 Years On...

by done4good in

jw
friends

just a note that 10 years ago, (christmas day, 2005), was my last time inside a kh.

a lot has taken place for the better in those 10 years:.

1. met the love of my life and happily married for 9 years, two days ago.. 2. completed a master's degree.. 3. work at senior management level in the it field.. 4. have a savings and retirement, and no debt outside of a mortgage and 1 car loan.. 5. lots of travel to several places that i never would have done as a jw.. 6. contribute to what i believe are meaningful causes.. 7. read, think, and meditate for myself.. 8. have a great extended family i inherited from my wife.. 9. lots of other great stuff, too much to list.. none of this is intended to be boastful.

Xanthippe

I will miss you too Jason but I hope you and your wife have a wonderful 2016.

13

Has Watchtower financial strategy taken a very dark turn?

by slimboyfat in

as shepherdless pointed out on another thread, the watchtower business model of using free labour to produce and sell books and magazines for profit started to break down when charging for the literature ended in 1990, and has now begun disintegrating completely in the face of the internet and declining donations.

over this same period there has been a noted increase in hardline rhetoric on disfellowshipping and pushing early baptism.

might these hardline trends actually be related to their money woes?

Xanthippe

Wouldn't it mean the death of the religion if recruiting has practically died and been replaced by standing at those trolleys? They are down to increase by childbirth now. If those kids are all pushed out so the Borg gets their inheritance the cult will quickly die from no increase in membership in one generation.

28

Predictions for 2016

by LevelThePlayingField in

so, it's that time of year again.

here's a few of my predictions.

) no armageddon.

Xanthippe

The UK branch will make some bullshit promises to the Charities Commission to hold on to charitable status along the lines of :-

1. All child abuse reported to elders will be referred to the authorities.

2. People who report the abuse or who leave because of it will not be shunned.

Theocratic warfare, otherwise known as lying, will be used here and the promises will not be followed through.

79

The really cool feeling of community within JWs

by Phaedra in

i remember going out with other jws after the memorial.. small gatherings.. picnics at some local landmark.. the feeling of closeness, camaraderie, friendship with like minded people you could trust.. haven't experienced it since i left.. really miss that..

Xanthippe

The feeling of closeness, camaraderie, friendship with like minded people you could trust.
Haven't experienced it since I left.

Well I don't know what exactly you mean by people you can trust. Trust not to steal? Trust not to molest your kids? My brother in law stole from his employer and got removed as an elder. He moved away so he could get reinstated, which happened in no time of course. Child abuse, no further need to enlarge on that problem.

I think we all let people down sometimes by not being what they want us to be, I know I have. But in times of great need I have found people who care and who have helped me. They have kept me sane, no exaggeration. Some are atheists, some are religious.

As for friendship and social needs two Hindu ladies at work gave me lovely small presents at Xmas. We all went out for a colleague's sixtieth birthday a few weeks ago. It was spontaneous and informal and I had a great time. I've joined a pub quiz group through meetup and it's fascinating getting used to all the new personalities. I still have a friend I worked with thirteen years ago and a lady l met when volunteering four years ago.

I trust people as a group to help and support me when at work because my experience has taught me that as a team they usually do although individuals sometimes can get on my nerves. The key thing is they don't care what I believe or whether I attend a church or not. Just don't look for perfection anywhere. Perfect people are a myth as are tame lions on your lawn.

27

New Years Resolutions

by cognac in

jw
friends

mine are:.

1. move.

2. lose a little weight .

Xanthippe

More sex, less chocolate.