Posts by schnell

36

An interesting reasoning for the existence of God (from JW public talk)

by anointed1 in

i was on an official tour last week to another part of my country.

on my way to the hotel, i noticed sign-board of jw kingdom hall.

i thought i would attend sunday meeting as i knew no one would recognize me.. seeing “a new-comer” in the audience, public speaker adapted his material making it especially appealing to me.

schnell

If evolution were a fact, the whole universe would have filled with life-forms (just like a field becomes filled with weeds as the passes by) in view of the (virtually) infinite time that has already passed!

Not every place in the universe is hospitable or conducive to life. Might I add that you are made of the most common elements in the universe, with the exception of helium, because it is inert.

yet we were unable to prevent extinction of many species that have already happened and how are we going to prevent extinction that is now under way?

That's usually because we killed them directly or indirectly, and usually with our technology. There is a reason we don't have as many such large land mammals anymore.

23

Marking Talks are back!?!?! - New Name!

by thedepressedsoul in

when i was younger i used to hear about "marking talks" given in the past.

i believe they stopped in the 80's or 90's.

basically, if someone wasn't baptized or doing something unrepentant, they would get a "marking talk" and be treated the same as a df person.

"Gossiping is bad, everybody. Don't do that, it's not Christian... Now, here's a talk about something awful one of you is doing, so if anyone knows who it is, mark them as bad association and report them."

20

Is this a new practice?

by Visitor1984 in

my husband and i recently moved back to our hometown so we are back on the radar for the elders.

we have been happily inactive the last few years.

the other day a brother, who was once friends with my husband, and a substitute circuit overseer stopped in my husband's work for a shepherding visit if they still call it that.

schnell

Your husband will have to make that call, but I agree with scratchme1010. We have to make the line clear. Maybe your husband didn't feel like being rude to his old friend and the CO, but sometimes that is necessary too.

I work with dubs. I haven't been preached to yet, though I have been asked if I'm alright and invited to "talk". Ya know, because I have a beard so I must be discouraged. >_>

8

Beelzebub the forefather of JW.org.

by James Mixon in

no other individual has been responsible for creating such a large number of none believers.

people may change faith but they still believe in god but when "most" leave jw's, oh boy they become down right disrespectful of jehovah...so a great game plan by satan, he's a tricky devil.

to be known as the number one religion that turn folks away from god, that is saying something about your faith.....lol.

schnell

That was pretty unreal. Apparently, evolution by natural selection isn't sufficient to account for human complexity and consciousness, and thus directed evolution was necessary, and thus we were basically created by aliens... Which may have been evolved.

And what's more, human activity and natural processes aren't sufficient for climate change, so the aliens are behind that too. (God? Or Ming the Merciless?)

The important question, of course, was why this one young woman believes this. And she talked about a near death experience where her car should have flipped but didn't, etc. This experience opened her up to this aliens nonsense, which she asserted without really thinking it through. But that near death experience is the important thing. She just wanted an explanation, a higher reason.

(Edit: Pushed Submit prematurely. Meh.)

39

Is the year 2020 the new prediction for Armageddon?

by Disassociated Lady 2 in

i have had a conversation this evening with a jw friend i have known since childhood.

he is of the opinion that armageddon will have come and gone within the next 5 years.

are the jws now pinpointing 2020 as the supposed year?

schnell

I consider "within the twentieth century" such a prediction as well, though it was edited in later additions to hide that.

8

Beelzebub the forefather of JW.org.

by James Mixon in

no other individual has been responsible for creating such a large number of none believers.

people may change faith but they still believe in god but when "most" leave jw's, oh boy they become down right disrespectful of jehovah...so a great game plan by satan, he's a tricky devil.

to be known as the number one religion that turn folks away from god, that is saying something about your faith.....lol.

schnell

Ah. Yeah, I've had that observation myself. Sometimes it's actually "nice", if you'll allow me, like after I've been in a days-long Twitter debate with Ancient Aliens believers.

8

Beelzebub the forefather of JW.org.

by James Mixon in

no other individual has been responsible for creating such a large number of none believers.

people may change faith but they still believe in god but when "most" leave jw's, oh boy they become down right disrespectful of jehovah...so a great game plan by satan, he's a tricky devil.

to be known as the number one religion that turn folks away from god, that is saying something about your faith.....lol.

schnell

By the way, the name Beelzebub is a result of political manipulation of the text. The king of Ugarit some 3500 years ago was named Ba'al-Zebul, "The Lord On High". In the text, it was changed to Beelzebub, "The Lord of the flies."

8

Beelzebub the forefather of JW.org.

by James Mixon in

no other individual has been responsible for creating such a large number of none believers.

people may change faith but they still believe in god but when "most" leave jw's, oh boy they become down right disrespectful of jehovah...so a great game plan by satan, he's a tricky devil.

to be known as the number one religion that turn folks away from god, that is saying something about your faith.....lol.

schnell

#1? Really?

I can't speak for everyone else, and it's clear that not every ex-JW becomes an atheist. It certainly doesn't help to have had the Bible rubbed in my face all my life, but some see through it regardless. In point of fact, I did try to observe the meetings with a loose, liberal, metaphorical understanding of Christian doctrine. I found it impossible in that setting, though the Unitarian Universalists seem to accept atheism and metaphorical understanding just fine.

I'm atheist because I have looked at where these beliefs come from, how we evolved, and how they evolved right along with us. It's theology and anthropology. So, humanism, really.

I respect another person's right to fantastical beliefs, and I acknowledge the role of religion in politics. It's not going away anytime soon. This is why I have come to prefer street epistemology and the Socratic method rather than blunt, aggressive assertion.

But I am curious. Who says that Jehovah's witnesses produce more atheists than any other religion or sect?

10

Disfellowshipping - Quid Pro Quo - Satan's Accusation

by doublespeak in

.

if under jw doctrine, satan's accusation is that a human serves god for the purpose of what he can get out of it, does the disfellowshipping arrangement, exercised to the degree that the governing body deem to be appropriate, support this charge?.

taking for granted the jehovah’s witnesses are god’s chosen organization; on the assumption that the angels (who apparently cannot read heart conditions) looking upon humanity who are making a stand for the issue of sovereignty , are unable to discern those who are in the religion because of their family and friends.

schnell

And wouldn't they all see through it? How do you fake it with an omniscient god?

10

Disfellowshipping - Quid Pro Quo - Satan's Accusation

by doublespeak in

.

if under jw doctrine, satan's accusation is that a human serves god for the purpose of what he can get out of it, does the disfellowshipping arrangement, exercised to the degree that the governing body deem to be appropriate, support this charge?.

taking for granted the jehovah’s witnesses are god’s chosen organization; on the assumption that the angels (who apparently cannot read heart conditions) looking upon humanity who are making a stand for the issue of sovereignty , are unable to discern those who are in the religion because of their family and friends.

schnell

Yes.