Posts by PhilosophicalLogic

4

Two Quotes Jehovah’s Witnesses in Particular Need to Consider

by PhilosophicalLogic in

jw
friends

“he who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.

his reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.

but if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations.

PhilosophicalLogic

@BluesBrother

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it! Are you a former Jehovah's Witness? Also, how did you find out about JWs being strictly told never to accept literature from opposing groups? Thanks.

16

Can a righteous God be one-sided?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

a mother and her four young daughters — the oldest of whom was 6 — died in a residential fire wednesday morning in des plaines, il.

officials said.. four young children and one adult were killed in a house fire in the 700 block of west oakton street in des plaines, jan. 27, 2021.. .

after 45 years as a jehovah's witness, this tragic story really has me really questioning if there really is a god?

PhilosophicalLogic

So you're questioning the existence of God? Are you still a Jehovah's Witness, or are you a member of some other faith?

4

Two Quotes Jehovah’s Witnesses in Particular Need to Consider

by PhilosophicalLogic in

jw
friends

“he who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.

his reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.

but if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations.

PhilosophicalLogic

“He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”
― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

“In Chapter 77, you had people of totally different worldviews and ideas joined together,” says Patrik. “You had, for example, democratic socialists on the one side and fervent Catholics on the other side. It was totally normal for me that as a small child, I was being raised in a community of people with very different opinions. So it shattered the bubble around me.”

The lesson of valuing diversity within a broader unity of shared goals is something that Christians today need to embrace.

“When we look at what’s happening in America today, we see that you are building walls and creating gaps between people,” he says. “For us, we are always willing to speak, to talk with the other side to avoid building walls between people. You know, it is much easier to indoctrinate someone who is enclosed within a set of walls.”

― Rod Dreher, Live Not By Lies

19

Teachings "Unique to JW's" They Hide From You Before Baptism

by Sea Breeze in

jehovah can't be your father in this life.

'they [jw members] address him prospectively as "our father.

jesus is not your mediator:.

PhilosophicalLogic

Well said! That is a horrible deception. So are you a Christian now?

4

Buy a Bible

by joey jojo in

this is probably an oldie.

buy a bible, never read it- you're probably a catholic.

buy a bible, read only the parts you find interesting - you're probably an evangelist.

PhilosophicalLogic

Buy a bible, read it all, study it, research it, take the time to also learn the truth about philosophy, history, and science - you're probably a Christian apologist.

Here's a collection of debates you might find interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWTdFPTiMp8XOYfkpU0CDcFWGpk_FNkCa

22

What do you see?

by Simon in

jw
friends

do you see a man with a backpack running into the woods?.

do you see a dog running out of the woods?.

i saw the man running first .... .

PhilosophicalLogic

Cool! I saw the man, then looked at the backpack and quickly realized it was a dog. You said man first in your into, I wonder what I would have seen if you hadn’t said anything. Curious!

26

Wife told me a tale about a letter writing experience and my BS meter was like "uhhh ya rightttttt"

by goingthruthemotions in

so me and my pimi wife are driving today and normally we don't talk anything about her stupid cult.

because it will end up with me saying something and her getting p.o'ed.

well anyways i have been trying to just ignore the bs and keep my mouth shut.

PhilosophicalLogic

@greenhornet

Thanks for explaining that. Were you also a Jehovah’s Witness at one point?

26

Wife told me a tale about a letter writing experience and my BS meter was like "uhhh ya rightttttt"

by goingthruthemotions in

so me and my pimi wife are driving today and normally we don't talk anything about her stupid cult.

because it will end up with me saying something and her getting p.o'ed.

well anyways i have been trying to just ignore the bs and keep my mouth shut.

PhilosophicalLogic

That is a hilarious story! I can’t imagine that it’s true. So you are married to a Jehovah’s witness. Would you rather be married to a regular Christian instead? If so, you might want to share these articles with your wife:

https://www.str.org/w/talking-to-jehovah-s-witnesses-start-here

Also, what does PIMI mean?

4

Second Temple literature

by Doug Mason in

i have now prepared my study that deals with the literature of the second temple period.. this period runs from the return of exiles from babylon through to the gospels, so it includes most of the "books" that later became part of bibles.. the writings of the period include: the pentateuch, second isaiah, ezra/nehemiah/chronicles, 1 enoch, jubilees, maccabees, paul, and the gospels, and much more.. https://www.academia.edu/s/557a8dcee2?source=link or.

https://jwstudies.com/second-temple_period_literature.pdf .

in addition, i have listed all the resources i have located related to the second temple period.. second-temple period: resources:.

PhilosophicalLogic

Wow, thanks so much for posting those! I love critical study of the Bible. I’m a centrist, I think modern critical scholarship has a lot to teach us about the Christian faith, but I reject the conclusions of the more liberal schools of thought.

64

Havent gone to the kingdom hall in ten years but may have to go back...

by Joliette in

made a big mistake of talking about being raised as a jehovah's witness to some old friends and family.

people have told me that i am still a jws even though i've never been baptized.

i'm in school for social services, dealing with student loan debt, and a lot of other debt.

PhilosophicalLogic

I recommend joining an historic Christian Church and seeking support from them. Join a Baptist church and tell them your situation and your needs, they will help you. That way, you will have a religious community to be involved with, that is not a mind control cult. Check this website for a local Baptist church near you:

https://churches.sbc.net/