Posts by schnell

50

If "the Truth" is the truth, why are witnesses so scared of research?

by stuckinarut2 in

it is an often asked question i know, but it perplexes me.. if witnesses are so convinced that they have "the truth", why is the act of researching information from external sources so taboo?

didn't the bible itself tell people to "use their powers of reason" and also praised ones like the boreans for researching things they were told??.

seriously, if there is no doubt about the organization being "god's channel" on earth, and it alone having the "truth", surely researching would only enhance such 'facts'?.

schnell

Because it might change your opinion.

144

2.16.2017 NJ Star-Ledger Ad: "Were you sexually abused by the Jehovahs Witnesses?"

by breakfast of champions in

my wife found this 1/4 page ad on page 2 of yesterday's nj star-ledger, probably the biggest newspaper in nj.

pretty telling.. .

schnell

I hope the lawsuits prevail, and I would love to see it made into a movie as well, as in A Civil Action and Erin Brokovich.

31

Young People Ask: I’m Attracted to the Same Sex—Does That Mean I’m Gay?

by pale.emperor in

eurgh!

more patronizing and uninformed reasoning from the "experts" at bethel.

this time tackling the sensitive subject of those attracted the the same sex.

Are baptized Witnesses that are no longer in the "truth", but were NEVER DF'D, now to be shunned and treated like disfellowshipped ones?

by Dunedain in

a relative of mine was telling me, that in his, and a few neighboring congregations, there is a little confusion amongst some of the jw's about this "issue".

some families are having a hard time about whether certain relatives will be attending certain family functions, because some family members that are no longer in the "truth", might be invited to these functions.

mind you, these persons were never disfellowshipped.

schnell

Wouldn't that just make the love bombing all the more fake and awkward?

34

Young People Ask... When Can I Start Dating?

by pale.emperor in

quite possibly the most annoying and patronizing thing i've read in years.

comments of mine are in yellow.. .

she doesn't trust herself to make her own decisions and she's going to wait years even after she thinks she's ready.

schnell

Heh, much the same thought occurred to me whenever I played a Jedi in Star Wars: the Old Republic. I remember thinking how familiar that mindset felt.

@Saethydd, hey since we're talking about singleness in a creepy cult-like environment that gets kids in when they're very young, as well as dating advice...

Here's Mr. Plinkett's Attack of the Clones Review. It's in 3 parts, has the best awful language and it is amazing.

https://youtu.be/KPt1am18lR4

8

The Syrian Dan-El

by schnell in

i started reading deceptions and myths of the bible by lloyd graham tonight, and graham mentions that the book of daniel, like the story of joseph, is ripped off from a syrian poem about another hero named daniel (or dan-el).. a cursory google search doesn't pull up anything.

is this accurate?

has this ancient poem survived?

schnell

I started reading Deceptions and Myths of the Bible by Lloyd Graham tonight, and Graham mentions that the book of Daniel, like the story of Joseph, is ripped off from a Syrian poem about another hero named Daniel (or Dan-El).

A cursory Google search doesn't pull up anything. Is this accurate? Has this ancient poem survived? Where can I find more information on it?

40

All About The Words We Used

by dubstepped in

in the time since i've left the borg behind i've had a few things hit me as to how words were used.

i'm wondering if anyone else has some similar examples, but here are some things that have made me think:.

watchtower - my whole life i saw this as a thing of protection from outside evil forces, and then when i left someone pointed out "isn't that what they used to keep people in prison".

schnell

@Rainbow_Troll, just show them Ezekiel 1:10 and 15-20, and then a picture of the zodiac.

144

2.16.2017 NJ Star-Ledger Ad: "Were you sexually abused by the Jehovahs Witnesses?"

by breakfast of champions in

my wife found this 1/4 page ad on page 2 of yesterday's nj star-ledger, probably the biggest newspaper in nj.

pretty telling.. .

schnell

If they are facing persecution, then another prediction is jeopardized as potentially false, since they are supposed to survive until after all religion is shut down.

And what a thing to be persecuted for.

44

Thoughts on African Americans and Slavery

by Simon in

let's start by saying that slavery is of course a terrible thing, one of the worst crimes imaginable, and that "slavery" rarely implies good treatment, anything noble or defensible.

nowadays, even god doesn't escape judgement from our enlightened views with passages about slavery in the bible usually glossed over because they are shameful.. but not all slavery was equal.. because of the media, movie industry, racial tensions in the us regularly shown on the news and our taught history, i think most people's knowledge and idea of slavery is that of the north atlantic slave trade where white people took africans to work in cotton fields.

this idea is probably also re-enforced because the largest group of descendents of slaves we see today are african americans (usually in the us or places they subsequently migrated to).. but it's incomplete.. it's only when you look into it more that you discover that there was much more to the slave trade than that, otherwise it would have been just called "the slave trade" and not "the north atlantic slave trade".. some 12.5 million slaves were taken from africa to the us with just under 11 million surviving the trip so it obviously took a terrible toll immediately, even before any maltreatment once they landed in the americas where conditions and treatment were truly awful.

schnell

As a white male with lineage in Alabama who is in an interracial marriage, I don't think I'll tell my lovely wife in so many words that she should be grateful for North American slavery. I appreciate the bittersweet thought, though. The fact is that so many of us owe our lives to such atrocious things.

34

Young People Ask... When Can I Start Dating?

by pale.emperor in

quite possibly the most annoying and patronizing thing i've read in years.

comments of mine are in yellow.. .

she doesn't trust herself to make her own decisions and she's going to wait years even after she thinks she's ready.

schnell

@Finklestein, the book was called "Singles", wasn't it? Amazing how the same basic message is still being repeated.

Why the JW cult must resemble the Jedi order in the prequels is beyond me.