Either that or a Diploma in Idiocy from Tasmania's University of Lower Crackpot.
Rivergang
JoinedPosts by Rivergang
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17
Reading the Watchtower publications will give you an university education.
by Overrated inthe watchtower said that reading their stuff would get you a college education.
can anyone recall that gem?
my parents sure bought into that crap.
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43
Dumb Elders
by minimus ini knew a few pretty intelligent elders .
sometimes i would wonder why they remained as elders or even witnesses because they were successful men who made a good living and were highly respected because of their qualities.. that is a rather small group.
most elders that i know of aren’t the brightest bulbs in the sky.
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Rivergang
who walk around with a self entitled air of importance.
That reminds me of one whippersnapper who, after appointment as an elder, acted like he was the final authority on every possible subject there is. While admittedly a person of above average intelligence, his knowledge of many of the things he held forth about could have in fact been written on the back of a postage stamp.
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12
Who owns the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
by pistolpete inactually no one does.. i know this is a concept that can be hard for some to grasp, considering all other forms of organizations like sole proprietorship, general partnership, an llc, or a for profit corporation.
these organizations are created legally for the simple purpose of making a profit.. but unlike a for profit corporation,---- a nonprofit corporation is formed to carry out-.
whether that be religious, educational, charitable, scientific or other qualifying purpose.
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Rivergang
When I first starting reading WTS literature in the late 1960s, I can recall notices being issued in the Watchtower, which advised of an upcoming shareholders meeting. This meeting was for all those who held shares in the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. (I seem to remember a figure of 500 shareholders being mentioned).
In a non-profit organisation, where would such shareholders fit into the scheme of things, then?
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16
The Mysterious Missing Islam.....
by snare&racket ini've discussed this before but not in this context alone.. i remember being about 14 years old, 1994 and starting a study in the uk with a charming muslim from the congo.
he was a very pleasant middle aged guy with a big family, two wives, always the most hospitable.
at the time the watchtower had a book on many religions, a thick red book called 'mankind's search for god' so i would read and discuss the section on islam with him.. interestingly, but not surprising, many details they had were wrong about islam and he would explain how and correct me.
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Rivergang
Just like the Chinese, they will take over the world one way or the other - either economically, by force of arms, or by reproductive means!
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5
Australian JW murdered outside New Guinea Bethel years ago?
by wozza indoes anyone remember this ,i just recalled this morning , i knew the family and my daughter was friends with his brother.. i have left years ago and wondered if his murder was resolved and the story behind it as he worked at the bethel there..
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Rivergang
I wouldn't read too much into this murder having been committed right outside the Bethel complex in Papua New Guinea.
The country's capital city, Port Moresby, has a very high rate of violent crime, together with an under-strength and totally ineffective police force. It is also surrounded by countless, sprawling illegal squatter settlements - in which criminals can easily shelter, and into which the police dare not pursue them.
Having just returned from a business trip to Port Moresby, the place is now even more heavily fortified than it was when I first visited it 30 years ago. All its major building, and almost all its private residences, are surrounded by high concrete walls and / or security fences made from sharpened tubular palings. (Gone are the barbed wire-topped chain mesh fences of yesteryear. It took the crims no time at all to learn how easily a pair of sidecutters can defeat chain mesh!)
This also applies to PNG's Bethel Complex. It is as heavily fortified as any other building in the city - and for good reason. Given the general state of lawlessness in Port Moresby, that murder could well have been committed by one of the many groups of street criminals (known in the Pidgin English as "rascals"). Many of those types are unbelievably vicious, and human life means very little to them. As an example, a payment of as little as 500 Kina (approx. USD $150) to the right people is sufficient to have somebody murdered. Typically, too, a person is most vulnerable when entering or leaving a fortified complex, such as PNG's Bethel.
What is perhaps remarkable is that murders of JWs in PNG are not more common. During my time there, JW missionaries and "pioneers" used to go into the squatter settlements, which the police wouldn't dare venture into. (Although I am told that this is no longer the case).
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Goodbye yhwh-Goodbye jesus
by fulltimestudent ininteresting report in a oxford university blog - the world is becoming less religious, (hurray!!!).
quote: "an analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more religious (norris and inglehart, 2011).
but since 2007, things have changed with surprising speed.
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Rivergang
This is the argument that the Watchtower uses on their view of military involvement. They reason that if everyone were like them and refused to join the military, there would be no wars
I do think you have somewhat gone off at a tangent there.
JWs maintain non-involvement with the military on the grounds of what they like to describe as "Christian" neutrality, not pacifism (how could you anyway, when the bible is full of blood and guts talk). Furthermore, they maintain all wars will be ended by "Christ's Kingdom Rule", not pacifism.
As to the role of any imagined "Hereafter", the Canadian poet Robert Service summed it up perfectly in his poem The Wage Slave - part of which reads:
"When the long, long shift is over, and the Big Boss gives me my pay,
I hope it's not to hellfire, as I heard the preacher say,
And I hope it's not to heaven, not with some of the preachers I've met."
If even half the twerps that reckon they are going to heaven end up there, then I certainly don't want to be among them!
(Read so much for religion promoting good behaviour!)
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Goodbye yhwh-Goodbye jesus
by fulltimestudent ininteresting report in a oxford university blog - the world is becoming less religious, (hurray!!!).
quote: "an analysis of religious trends from 1981 to 2007 in 49 countries containing 60% of the world’s population did not find a global resurgence of religion—most high-income countries were becoming less religious—however, it did show that in 33 of the 49 countries studied, people had become more religious (norris and inglehart, 2011).
but since 2007, things have changed with surprising speed.
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Rivergang
Religion might contribute something towards the field of ethics if religious people were to practice what they preach. All too often, though, that simply does not happen - and it matters not what the religion is, either (despite widespread claims that "our church don't do that sort of thing"!)
This fact was not lost on the newly-converted Maori people of 19th Century New Zealand. They were quick to observe how the Ten Commandments got relegated to second place between Monday morning and midnight Saturday - then sent on an indefinite Leave of Absence whenever there was a war on.
In his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey noted that to determine which principles are correct, you only have to visualise the results if everyone did the opposite. It doesn't take either the threat of hellfire or the reward of heaven (or the ravings of some half-mad religious leader!)
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Is it possible for any Country to have “Reasonable” Gun Laws? What would they be?
by pistolpete inso the new biden/harris gun policies are starting to appear.
it’s not clear yet, what they will be.. some suggestions; confiscate all guns.------buyback programs in each state.. there is much talk on social media that if this happens, the pandemic, + all the riots, + all the damaged property, + all the annual murders in america, - put together-will be like a sunday afternoon picnic, compared to all the deaths and property damage that will result because of “civil uprising” by millions of 2nd amendments advocates and just plain gun lovers.
americans love guns!.
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Rivergang
joey jojo
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'Never forget Trump enablers' tweets Zach Braff
by LoveUniHateExams insome democrat voters are nuts.
either that, or they're just bitter.. here's a video about zach braff and chris evans, two actors who want lists of 'trump enablers', apparently.. what the hell is wrong with these people?
their man, biden, won the election and they just can't let it go that some people voted trump.
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Rivergang
Yes, “Two for The Valley” and all!
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'Never forget Trump enablers' tweets Zach Braff
by LoveUniHateExams insome democrat voters are nuts.
either that, or they're just bitter.. here's a video about zach braff and chris evans, two actors who want lists of 'trump enablers', apparently.. what the hell is wrong with these people?
their man, biden, won the election and they just can't let it go that some people voted trump.
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Rivergang
Sigh!
A bit like sore losers in a football game
”We didn’t lose, the other side just scored more points than we did”