Posts by Rainbow

31

Why more highly educated people are less into conspiracy theories

by Mickey mouse in

jw
friends

i've seen discussions here about how jehovah's witnesses seem to be prone to believing conspiracy theories... https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/04/05/why-more-highly-educated-people-are-less-into-conspiracy-theories/.

this last paragraph seems particularly relevant:.

importantly, van prooijen said his findings help make sense of why education can contribute to “a less paranoid society” even when conspiracy theories are not explicitly challenged.

Rainbow_Troll

What bunk!

I personally have never been able to understand why more people aren't at least open to conspiracy theories.

Even in my own day-to-day experience, I have seen many conspiracies play out. Where I used to work employees would conspire against each other all the time. One falsely accused her supervisor of sexual harassment. Another committed vandalism in an effort to frame their coworker so they could get their position. The company's CPA tried to frame me for embezzlement in order to disguise her own habitual thefts. If common people of mediocre ambition would engage in conspiracies, what naive fool doubts that the rich and powerful are involved in much broader and more intricate schemes?

We must also take into account the conspiracy theories that have since been proven to be conspiracy facts. There are too many to list in a single post, but here is a short list in no particular order that anyone can google and verify for themselves:

The assassination of just about every rabble rouser in history from Julius Caesar to Martin Luther King Jr.
The Roman Catholic Church's massive conspiracy to conceal, aid and abbet child molestors within their ranks.
The Bolshevik/Communist conspiracy against the Czar (read 'Catechism of a Revolutionary')
The P2 banking scandal in Italy
President Eisenhower's foreknowledge of the Pearl Harbor attacks.
The US governments Prism spying program recently exposed by Eric Snowden.
The CIA's MKULTRA program.
The CIA instigated coup d'état against Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz over some fruit.
The CIA's plot to overthrow president Mossadegh of Iran for daring to nationalize the country's oil. Hell, virtually EVERYTHING the CIA has done in its 69 years of existence would qualify as a conspiracy!

I could go on and fill pages and pages of historically verifiable conspiracies, but I think any educated reader could come up with their own examples. The fact is, no truly educated person - unless history was deliberately omitted from their 'education' - would dismiss a conspiracy theory out of hand. To the contrary, the more educated you are, the more cynical and paranoid you are likely to be.

24

I finally get why people like to shun.

by poopie in

jw
friends

it finally hit me today.

why do religions enjoy shunning.

because many people feel like being close to god makes them special however just being special is not enough for many religious people that shun they must feel extra special how?

Rainbow_Troll

I've only ever shunned people if they have repeatedly made me feel uncomfortable, so it's very hard for me to understand the motives behind what the JWs do other than fear of getting caught and being shunned oneself.

One thing that has always puzzled me is why more JWs don't communicate to their DF'd friends and family in secret. In today's computer saturated environment of anonymous web-based email and PGP encryption, getting away with it would be trivially easy and yet not one of my friends has agreed to communicate with me this way. Are they afraid that Jehovah will tell on them to the elders? I would think that the very naughtiness of such an act would prove attractive and actually deepen friendships on the principle that the relationship has now become totally private instead of being mediated through the bOrg. Also, it would be a way of rebelling against the elders without taking on any real risk.

I guess I just have no grasp of human psychology.

16

JWs - Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation

by darkspilver in

fyi.

saturday 15 april 2017, 4pm to 6pm.

organ, tissue and eye donation.

Rainbow_Troll

Haven't organ transplants been kosher for quite some time now? Or did the GB ban them again? I'm confused.

70

Apologists saying that the JWs shouldn't be banned, what the hell!??

by Crazyguy in

it's been brought to my attention that there are xjw that say they support the witnesses and don't think russia should ban them.

i would just like to remind all of you that jws are guilty of murder, causing higher rates of suicide, covering up child molestation, and keeping members in prisoned because if they leave they loose family, financial support, possible employment etc.. sure their not strapping bombs to their chests but they easily get members to kill themselves with their blood policies.

they are an extremist group!

Rainbow_Troll

I'm not opposed to ridding Russia of the JW religion in principle, but history has born out again and again that banning a religious sect does not weaken it; persecution only fans the flames of fanaticism.

I think the world would be a much better place without drugs like heroin and meth, but I also acknowledge that the war on drugs only makes these substances even deadlier, not less.

Prohibiting beliefs, substances and practices has never succeeded in eliminating these things from society. Laws only succeed in making people into criminals and subsidizing a bloated system of police, courts and prisons.

The first step to eliminating crimes of any kind is to repeal laws. Then, instead of banning the practice outright, the government should instead regulate and tax it.

In relation to the JWs, this would mean that the Russian government would allow the JWs to continue practicing their religion, but their activities would be heavily curtailed . If they wanted to do street preaching they would need to purchase licenses and could only do it in certain places and at certain times. Door-to-door ministry would also require licensing and could only be done from noon until 5pm so as not to disturb residents who are sleeping or eating dinner; all violations would incur severe fines for the congregations involved.

Also, since the watchtower IS an American corporation and not a church proper, it would be subject to the same tax rate that all foreign corporations must pay for doing business in Russia.

Shunning would remain semi-legal (since it would be impossible to regulate), but if the Watchtower DF'd a member for simply speaking to a dissassociated or disfellowshipped individual, the congregation would be fined $1000 USD and might have the preaching licenses of individual members revoked until the DF'd person was reinstated.

Legalize, regulate, tax.

7

What every modern civilized western society needs: "9yo girls 'physically & spiritually' ready to marry" – Malaysian MP

by kpop in

i'm at a loss for words man.

will there be a "woman's march" over this?

will radical 3rd wave feminists come out and demand his resignation?.

Rainbow_Troll

It's nice to see that 9 year olds have finally won the right to marry. Another victory in humanity's march towards equality!

I think by 'rape' they meant 'statutory rape' so if, for example, a man were to have consensual sex with a 12 year old, he would have to marry her. In a culture where female virginity is a prerequisite for marriage, this actually makes a lot of sense. Of course, it would make more sense to have hymens surgically removed shortly after birth, but whatcha gonna do?

And yes, I am trolling you all.

56

"There is evidence of a Creator if you just look for it"

by unsure in

(for the record, i’m agnostic who is earnestly seeking an objective, honest and concrete hope for something greater).

“there is evidence of a creator if you just look for it”.

many of us have heard similar sentences from believers regarding proof of creator, proof that their religion is the correct one, proof that their particular sect is the right one, proof that their individual sects interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one, proof that their own personal interpretation of a certain religious text is the right one; the list goes on.. in one of my previous posts, i shared the following thought of mine:.

Rainbow_Troll

I don't think it's meant to be complicated. If there were a creator deity who wanted us to recognize Its existence and worship It, It would not expect us to search half of our lives or go through intellectual gymnastics to arrive at Its existence. Instead, this deity (if it were rational) would simply create us with an innate belief in a creator deity along with a need to worship It which, coincidentally or not, is exactly the way most people are. The vast majority of human beings on this planet believe in some sort of creator God, whether they are monotheists, polytheists or animists. Atheists may have always existed too, but they have been an extremely small minority until recently.

34

Have You Found Your Place in the World?

by Rainbow_Troll in

we were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.

we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.

obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.

Rainbow_Troll

PunkofNice, even if there is no life after death everything we do matters because the consequences of what we do today will ripple forth into eternity. If I hurt somebody and they carry that with them for the rest of their life, they will most likely take out their pain on others who will start the cycle anew ad infinitum. This is what Buddha meant when he said that there is the deed, but no doer; we die, but our deed (our karma) lives on for eternity, life after life. But, if I resist the urge to take out my pain on others then that bad karma ends with me and the future will be a little better than the past. BTW, our sun will not go nova for a few billion years yet, plenty of time for humans to get off the planet and find a new sun.

Giordana, that quote from 'The True Believer' really hit home; I see a lot of myself in it. I read that book years ago, but I guess I better read it again. There is definitely an inner fanatic, an imperious puritan in me that sees all pleasure as trivial at best and not worth indulging in. It doesn't help that most of things that normal people take pleasure in (drugs, music, sex, shopping) do little or nothing for me. Maybe I need to learn to enjoy myself in whatever way I can.

As if reality were responding to my last comment about women, I saw a cute girl today with a black bob who was neither overweight or, apparently, a tweaker.

7

The Modern Mind

by towerwatchman in

we believe in marx freud and darwin.

we believe everything is ok as long as you don’t hurt anyone to the best of your definition of hurt, and to the best of your knowledge.. we believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.. we believe in the therapy of sin.. we believe that adultery is fun.. we believe that sodomy’s ok.. we believe that taboos are taboo.. we believe that everything’s getting better despite evidence to the contrary.. the evidence must be investigated, and you can prove anything with evidence.. we believe there’s something in horoscopes, ufo’s and bent spoons.. jesus was a good man just like buddha, mohammed, and ourselves.. he was a good moral teacher though we think, his good morals were bad.. we believe that all religions are basically the same-at least the one that we read was.. they all believe in love and goodness.. they only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, god, and salvation.. we believe that after death comes the nothing, because when you ask the dead what happens.

they say nothing.. if death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its compulsory heaven for all excepting perhaps.

Rainbow_Troll

This is why I hate modern 'poetry'.

34

Have You Found Your Place in the World?

by Rainbow_Troll in

we were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.

we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.

obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.

Rainbow_Troll

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies.

Well, being in my early 30s I am not exactly young, but not old either. I tend to feel more rapport with those who are older than me: mostly people in their 50s and 60s. Yes, life definitely improves as you get older. I would not want to be 21 again; let alone a teenager!

I do know a few people near to my age that aren't drug addicts, but they are just as alienated from society as me. Both are virtual shut-ins who only leave the house to get groceries. They are fun to hang out with, but they aren't going anywhere in life: no jobs, no girlfriends, no ambition at all.

I really can't blame them, though. The jobs here are scarce, low-paying and terrible. Most of women are either overweight or they are tweakers (methamphetamine addicts) with missing teeth and lesions on their faces (they look a lot like zombies after a while).The only venues for socializing are sports bars and churches; but the bars aren't upscale pubs like Cheers, they are dank, dimly lit and so noisy you can't hear yourself speak.

I guess I'm living in the wrong place but, at the moment, I can't afford to leave unless I want to be a hobo.

34

Have You Found Your Place in the World?

by Rainbow_Troll in

we were all told when we were in the watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family.

we were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in.

obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today.

Rainbow_Troll

We were all told when we were in the Watchtower that we should be grateful to be part of such a loving family. We were told that just beyond the superficial glamour of the world was a quagmire of despair, emptiness and pain waiting to suck us in. Obviously, we took that part with a mountain of salt or we wouldn't be here today. My question is: have you found the Watchtower's warning to be an empty threat meant to keep you penned in or has it turned out to be prophetic?

Speaking for myself, I am in the latter category. While I still far prefer the cold indifference of the world to the stifling meddlesomeness of the bOrg, I've found the Watchtower's evaluation of worldly life to be largely accurate: Life IS meaningless. Most of the young people I know ARE drug addicts. I don't have a relationship with anyone, but those who do don't seem to derive any lasting happiness from them; it's just a lot of passionate sex in the beginning followed swiftly by fighting, cheating and bitterness. Most people I know, in one way or another, are simply hedonists with no goals, ethics or spirituality.

Personally, I hate BOTH lifestyles. I hate puritanical religions and their schizophrenic fantasies, but I also hate the nihilistic way of life that I see so many atheists leading. I've personally found my own alternative beyond that false dichotomy, but what I have yet to find is a community I could join that shares some of my values. Has anyone here had any luck in this regard? Do you have any suggestions?

Rainbow_Troll

Posts by Rainbow_Troll