Posts by Scully

39

Is it normal to quote without naming the source like WT does?

by InterestedOne in

i am noticing here and there that the wt literature will say things like "one bible dictionary says ..." or "one scholar says ..." and then proceed with a quotation.

my immediate reaction is to ask myself why they didn't provide the specific source of the quote - author, publication, page #, etc.

so i am wondering, do other magazines do this?

Scully

Without naming or citing the source, the WTS retains control of the information. It's usually because quotes are taken out of context or the meaning altered entirely with the use of ellipses ( ... ). Fact checking becomes extremely difficult, though in the realm of the internet it is not impossible. But it was darn near impossible in the 60s and 70s when my family was being indoctrinated.

I believe it was AlanF who did an exposé of the Creation book, by looking up all the citations and references it contained and found that the vast majority of sources were quoted out of context and had their meanings altered by the careful manipulation of quotations.

Here's AlanF's thread regarding the Trinity brochure: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/3174/1/Confirming-WTS-Scholastic-Dishonesty

I've also checked some sources and in the past and found precisely the same kind of academic dishonesty in the WTS's writing.

10

Is it wrong to teach your kids how to think?

by garyneal in

jw
friends

okay, i know better than to ask this group that question.

critical thinking helps people to see propaganda as it is being presented and enables people to see through lies and other bs disguised as 'truth.'.

yet, my wife told me tonight that she did not want me to teach our child how to think.

Scully

Au contraire, it is wrong to NOT teach your children how to think.

We teach our kids so many things, like how to dress themselves, how to speak, how to be polite, how to eat, how to read and write, and as they get older, how to use money, how to save money, how to drive, how to cook, how to clean. We do those things because they are valuable skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Why should thinking for themselves be relegated to chance or left to the devices of the school board or teachers who may or may not have a personal agenda?

Children want to learn how to think. Just call to mind how many times your children ask you "WHY??" Those are perfect opportunities to ask them "Well, tell me why you think it's that way."

13

Is it possible for very religious unmarried folks to have regular sex before marriage?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

.

Scully

Why is it anyone's business - including the church's - what consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedrooms?

Personally, I don't care, as long as they aren't broadcasting it or giving play-by-plays.

18

I am frustrated!

by JRK in

jw
friends

i have been talking to my jw mother.

about all of my angst.. it totally flies over her head.. the un is no big deal.

the generation is no big deal.

Scully

The argument I've used with my parents is that when "other churches" have those kinds of scandals, the WTS and JWs make out as if it IS totally a big fat deal. After all, it "proves" that they are part of False Religion™.

Remind her that one of the things that Jehovah hates is a cheating set of scales (one that weighs in favor of the owner all the time).

18

I am frustrated!

by JRK in

jw
friends

i have been talking to my jw mother.

about all of my angst.. it totally flies over her head.. the un is no big deal.

the generation is no big deal.

Scully

Look at it from her perspective. At 87 years old, would you want to admit that you pissed your entire life away on a pile of lies??

8

Discrimination Against Atheists.

by whereami in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqau1up5sk .

Scully

The only "persecution" I have seen is self induced in that way. Not saying that is everyone's experience. But unlike a person's race, no one will KNOW you are an athiest unless you open your mouth.

Imagine the uproar if any other belief system was substituted for "atheist" in the above sentence. Talk about disrespecting an individual's fundamental, constitutionally protected rights and freedoms, eh??

84

Being honest with yourself, could you have reasonably adjusted your attitude and continued on as a JW?

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

i ask this question in harmony with deedub's swan song thread which i linked below.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/members/private/205902/1/time-to-say-good-bye.

to some degree, i think i understand where she's coming from.

just speaking from my own experiences since stepping into the world of anonymous apostacy, i went through a few different phases of personal outlooks.

Scully

There are some things you can't "unsee"... like walking in on your parents or grandparents doing the horizontal mambo.

There are some things you can't "unknow"... like that Santa Claus isn't real, or that your spouse cheated on you or that your best friend betrayed you.

That's how it was for me and the WTS. Once the information was known, I couldn't "unknow" it - I couldn't chalk it up to "imperfection" or "personality clashes" when it was perfectly clear that the WTS deliberately misrepresented facts with the sole purpose of keeping their membership and, more importantly, their cash flow intact.

Being fairly young when I discovered this, it was impossible to justify spending any more of my life devoted to this "snare and a racket", much less justify staying in and exposing my children to that falsehood.

76

What Do You Miss About Being An Active JW?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you miss the "friends"?.

do you miss the meetings?.

do you miss field service?.

Scully

Not having to think for myself and figure out how I really really felt about things... on the level of my conscience. That was actually tough to get used to for a while, not having pat answers to questions... but now that I've learned to think for myself, I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Being able to defer to Mr Scully on a lot of requests from other people and chalking it up to Headship™. I now use a variation on the theme, but it's now more along the lines of "Let me check with Mr Scully to make sure we're on the same page first".

I used to like wearing dresses. After culling the contents of my closet, I think I have only two dresses left and I'm probably going to throw them out in spring cleaning.

43

Jehovah'$ Witne$$e$ say center would have big impact

by betterdaze in

jehovah's witnesses say center would have big impact.

a planned 3,000-seat educational center will have a substantial economic impact on orangeburg county over the next five years, jehovah's witnesses officials say.. .

the center could generate $264 million in revenues over a five-year period, with the added benefit of more than $18.4 million in new sales tax revenues for the local area, church spokesman bill sims said.. .

Scully

Funny how they neglected to disclose the outright ban on people utilizing the services of restaurants etc in the community during their conventions.

It isn't going to generate that much income for the community, not even close.

I think they should have to show their financials for similar structures so the municipality knows what they're in for. Once you let the JWs build, you'll never get rid of them.

74

CO's putting the screws on elder bodies, and ministerial servants to auxilliary pioneer this April.

by miseryloveselders in

jw
friends

i have such a love/hate, 50/50 relationship with this organization any more, but a letter was read to the elders and ministerial servants that has pushed me to the 30/70 range in favor of hate, if even momentarily.

most of you if not all are aware of the auxilliary pioneering initiative for this upcoming april.

it's no secret that i'm not real fond of pioneering as its unscriptural for one thing.

Scully

You've missed one of the most obvious solutions: sign up for it and then report fake hours... like everyone else.