Posts by cognisonance

39

Assembly experiences that strech the truth

by karter in

jw
friends

elder and his wife build a flash house.. they go on the stage at an assembly and give an experiences of how they sold the flash house to simplify their life so they can go pioneering.. the real story.. elder and wife can't afford the flash house and have to sell it he never goes pioneering she does until they are declared bankrupt.. why were they bankrupt?.

the money leaft over from the flash house they invested in a yet to be build apartment and the developer goes bankrupt takeing their money.. just one of many.. karter..

cognisonance

needed $XX.XX to pay his ----- bill for the month. He only had the $ .XX and needed the $XX.00. He prayed and lo and behold ... in his hand and there was the exact $XX.00 to make up the difference!

I remember hearing similar experiences from the District Convention years ago. In fact, I also remember my Elder Dad (who to this day still shuns me thinking it's the moral thing to do) admitting he has a hard time with experiences like this using the same logic you did (why did god give him money but lets brothers and sisters live in abject poverty in Africa or lets brother X's wife die from cancer, especially when they are likely praying for better outcomes too!). So he views these kinds of things as specious but somehow still believes this is the truth. To him these are just imperfections of the most prefect, imperfect organization known on earth. So strong is his belief this is the truth that he maintains "integrity to Jehovah" and shuns me for leaving.

39

Assembly experiences that strech the truth

by karter in

jw
friends

elder and his wife build a flash house.. they go on the stage at an assembly and give an experiences of how they sold the flash house to simplify their life so they can go pioneering.. the real story.. elder and wife can't afford the flash house and have to sell it he never goes pioneering she does until they are declared bankrupt.. why were they bankrupt?.

the money leaft over from the flash house they invested in a yet to be build apartment and the developer goes bankrupt takeing their money.. just one of many.. karter..

cognisonance

I think the OP means "flashy house"

39

Assembly experiences that strech the truth

by karter in

jw
friends

elder and his wife build a flash house.. they go on the stage at an assembly and give an experiences of how they sold the flash house to simplify their life so they can go pioneering.. the real story.. elder and wife can't afford the flash house and have to sell it he never goes pioneering she does until they are declared bankrupt.. why were they bankrupt?.

the money leaft over from the flash house they invested in a yet to be build apartment and the developer goes bankrupt takeing their money.. just one of many.. karter..

cognisonance

I'd be surprised a JW couple would admit to building a "flash house" :

a house frequented by flash people, as thieves and whores; hence, a brothel.

39

JWs Among the Least Educated in the US

by jp1692 in

september 6th, 2017: a just released research survey shows once again that jehovah's witnesses are among the least educated people in the united states: .

america’s changing religious identity.

it is also interesting to note how jws rank in the categories of: income, insurance coverage and homeownership.

cognisonance

"Some College" could also mean associate Degree as "College Graduate" usually only means completing an undergraduate study (which a 2-year degree is not considered to be -- I would know as I'm trying to finish my undergraduate education after having earned an associate degree as a JW many years ago).

25

Watchtower Ironically Warns It's Memeber About "Propaganda" - Watchtower July 2017

by pale.emperor in

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-july-2017/propaganda-winning-battle-for-your-mind/.

in what is just the height of irony, watchtower warns us about propaganda, and accepting everything we hear/read.

yes, we should ignore those that try to stop us thinking critically as this watchtower article will now teach us.

cognisonance

@ ttdtt: Regarding:

propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if people . . . are discouraged from thinking critically.

Hmm... doesn't the governing body explicitly discourage critical thinking? Yeah the ellipse is intellectually dishonest, but really, JWs being advised to use critical thinking? Huh? Contrast that with these quotes:

The word philosophy is derived from Greek roots that mean “love of wisdom.” As used here, philosophy is not built on acceptance of belief in God, but it tries to give people a unified view of the universe and endeavors to make them critical thinkers. It employs chiefly speculative means rather than observation in a search for truth. - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989253#h=2

In modern times, a very small number among God’s people have become disgruntled with some aspect of Christian teaching and have murmured against the earthly part of Jehovah’s organization. Why does this happen? Such murmuring is often caused by a lack of understanding of God’s way of doing things. The Creator progressively reveals the truth to his people. Hence, our understanding of the Scriptures is bound to be refined from time to time. The vast majority of Jehovah’s people rejoice over such refinements. A few become “righteous overmuch” and resent the changes. (Ecclesiastes 7:16) Pride may play a role, and some fall into the trap of independent thinking. Whatever the reason, such murmuring is hazardous, since it can draw us back into the world and its ways. - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2006525

*** km 9/07 p. 3 Question Box ***
Does "the faithful and discreet slave" endorse independent groups of Witnesses who meet together to engage in Scriptural research or debate? -- Matt. 24:45, 47.
No, it does not. And yet, in various parts of the world, a few associates of our organization have formed groups to do independent research on Bible-related subjects. Some have pursued an independent group study of Biblical Hebrew and Greek so as to analyze the accuracy of the New World Translation. Others explore scientific subjects related to the Bible. They have created Web sites and chat rooms for the purpose of exchanging and debating their views. They have also held conferences and produced publications to present their findings and to supplement what is provided at our Christian meetings and through our literature.

34

"The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction." -- Feb 2017 Watchtower

by cognisonance in

full stop.

(paragraph 12 -- feburary 2017 watchtower -- who is leading god's people today?

)so why then would any jw abide by harmful doctrines setup by the governing body (blood, shunning, the two-witness rule, etc)?

cognisonance

How can you if you're being directed by God's spirit?

Yep, spirit directed somehow doesn't mean inspired to them. Very confusing indeed!

Dictionary.com: verb (used with object), inspired, inspiring.

6. to communicate or suggest by a divine or supernatural influence:

writings inspired by God.

7. to guide or control by divine influence.

34

"The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction." -- Feb 2017 Watchtower

by cognisonance in

full stop.

(paragraph 12 -- feburary 2017 watchtower -- who is leading god's people today?

)so why then would any jw abide by harmful doctrines setup by the governing body (blood, shunning, the two-witness rule, etc)?

cognisonance

Morpheus, in my case being born in, I recall my preparation for getting baptized as just a normal thing to do, and I didn't really care when going through the motions. That green book of questions I had to answer was more like a quiz than an evaluation of my beliefs. I was told what to believe and sadly didn't question or care about it until much later in my mid 20s when my brain finally finished developing. So the kind of critical thinking required to see through this bullshit isn't really what a 12-year old brain cares about. I cared more about getting home from the assembly I was being baptized at so I could play video games, watch tv, play out side, ride my bike, anything other than JW stuff. I viewed being a JW much like going to school. It felt like something I had to do and supposedly for my good. School indeed is, but not the JW shit.

Rearing children in any kind of harmful indoctrination should be considered child abuse!

What perplexes me is how grown adults get recruited into this cult? My parents were aged 34 and 24 when they became JWs (from my Mom's sister, who also came in as an adult). How exactly does THAT happen?

34

"The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction." -- Feb 2017 Watchtower

by cognisonance in

full stop.

(paragraph 12 -- feburary 2017 watchtower -- who is leading god's people today?

)so why then would any jw abide by harmful doctrines setup by the governing body (blood, shunning, the two-witness rule, etc)?

cognisonance

Full stop. What? (paragraph 12 -- Feburary 2017 Watchtower -- Who is Leading God's People Today?)

So why then would any JW abide by harmful doctrines setup by the Governing body (blood, shunning, the two-witness rule, etc)? Why would they not just say, hmm I think they are wrong about those and just ignore these silly rules?

Also oddly in that article they go on to say how the holy spirt and angels are directing them and their organization. I also recall them stating they are "spirit-led" and somehow this, to them anyway, is not the fallacy of a distinction without a difference compared to being "inspired"? Seems to me they are pulling Orwellian "peace is war" style doublespeak here and an easy proof by contradiction could throw out all of what they say as erroneous.

If the answer is because ignoring these rules means getting disfellowshipped, then why isn't it obvious to them that they are being told: "Yes we are likely to be wrong about things that have a major impact on your life, could end up killing you, harming your children, or ruining your family relationships -- all for no good reason since it could just be a mistake. But, this is the price you must pay to follow us if you want to live forever in paradise... but that too could likely be a mistake. Just trust us, we've constantly been changing our beliefs over the years (or what the bible teaches) so you shouldn't be concerned . But now that you are baptized, stop following us and we'll take your family away from you! You're trapped. See how loving we are?"

32

What masters degree would a Jw university offer?

by Chook in

masters degree in panda marketing..

cognisonance

Masters of Captivity

9

"Is There a Creator Who Cares About You?" -- New Light Edition

by cognisonance in

after studying hubble space telescope images of the night's sky and attending classes under disguise at wor-wic community college (air travel and tuition funded by your donations no less), gerrit losch managed to secure a two-thirds majority vote among the governing body to release a second updated edition of the creator book.

this new edition replaces the "pillars of creation" (eagle nebula) cover photo with "god's birdie" (carina nebula):.

they've also had a change of heart with regards the concept of intellectual honesty and have updated the quote on page 9 that said:.

cognisonance

@smiddy...
I think you will find that was the point (no pun intended) of the OP's alternative cover.
Or did I miss read it....

You read it right. The dust pillar is known as "God's Birdie" or "God's [middle] finger." This is a fun example of pareidolia.