TonusOH

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Posts by TonusOH

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  68

  Are Atheists Hypocritical in Celebrating Christmas?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  richard dawkins revealed that he celebrates christmas on radio four's today programme.. here is is quoted as saying: .

  'i am perfectly happy on christmas day to say merry christmas to everybody,' dawkins said.

  'i might sing christmas carols - once i was privileged to be invited to kings college, cambridge, for their christmas carols and loved it.

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  TonusOH

  Christmas? That's the least of it: I don't work on Labor Day!
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  12

  Theory on the GB "new light" pushing back the final judgment.

  by Jofi_Wofo in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know there are several threads already on this "new light", but i didn't see one that covered this particular angle.. since the gb seem to have an ulterior motive for everything they do, well beyond their publicly stated reasons, i began to wonder why they would be concerned with pushing back the closing of the window of jesus' judgement.

  this is especially puzzling because the doctrine of the start of great tribulation being the final cutoff was one that the gb seemed to especially revel in for so long.

  they could hang it over everyone's heads as a looming threat.

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  TonusOH

  It would be funny if they suddenly announced that the great tribulation had already started and we simply hadn't realized it.
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  3083

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

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  TonusOH

  I think it's funny that he spends any time at all on the comments. He is so vain that he worries about winning slap fights in the YouTube comment section. Not only is that mentally draining, it is utterly useless. And worse, it just invites people to antagonize him.

  Doom-scrolling sites like this and reddit would be depressing enough for him. Doom-scrolling YT comments? No wonder he needs to take so many breaks.
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  26

  New Study: Mars Once Was Completely Covered in Oceans

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "the new study indicates that the oceans that covered the entire planet in water were at least 300 metres deep.

  they may have been up to one kilometre deep.".

  yet, some secularists say they are sure that the earth was never completely flooded with water above the tops of mountains as described in genesis.

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  TonusOH

  SeaBreeze: Really? How did you come to realize that?

  Ultimately, it was these steps:

  1. The 'evidence/argument' for god's existence amounts to a bunch of flawed concepts that only serve to get us as far as 'god has to exist.' If we ignore the flaws in those ideas and accept them at face value, we get as far as recognizing that a god is necessary. WHO that god is, we cannot determine through this approach.

  2. The way gods are described, it's entirely possible that they are undetectable if they choose to be so. Thus, we cannot disprove god. However, we can reasonably dismiss certain gods if they do not make sense. Everyone does this, even theists. No one worships every god, after all.

  3. A being of immeasurable power and knowledge, of perfect wisdom, who personifies love and kindness, who is the epitome of justice and mercy, who declares his desire for all of humanity to be saved and serve in heaven... and who then explains that the road to salvation is long and narrow and that few will ever achieve it... he cannot exist. The notion that such a being would arbitrarily place obstacles for himself that would lead to an outcome in which his creation would suffer eternally makes absolutely no sense. It is the kind of action we would expect from someone suffering from self-loathing, or who is an idiot. Neither of those are how god is described.

  This cannot be reconciled. Men have tried for centuries and there is yet to be an explanation for it that makes any sense. Yahweh --as defined by those who believe in him-- is impossible. Perhaps the above problem could be explained in some way, though that would just leave myriad other problems with the Bible, which itself is another reason to dismiss it as being true.
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  11

  Were we really meant to live forever?

  by Leathercrop in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  our capacity for adaptation (there's an official term somewhere) is apparently very vast.

  meaning that whatever is a novelty always becomes old news and apparently it happens very quickly.

  human beings in fact have to put a lot of effort into not discarding valuable things and relationships because of our overwhelming tendency to become incredibly used to it and just plain bored with them.

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  TonusOH

  I suppose I would find life tedious if I was to spend an eternity in the world as it exists today. But if there were always new worlds to explore, and new things to discover and learn? I could enjoy life quite a long time under those circumstances. I have no idea when I might grow tired of it.

  It's boredom (and the energy drain of old age) that makes eternal life seem unpalatable. Could we avoid running out of excitement over a long enough timeline? I guess not. I could stand to do with more than the 70, 80, or 90 years I am likely to exist when all is said and done. But, as pete said, once it's over you won't be around to worry about it. So I'd rather enjoy the time that I have and not worry about the eternity to follow without me.
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  26

  New Study: Mars Once Was Completely Covered in Oceans

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "the new study indicates that the oceans that covered the entire planet in water were at least 300 metres deep.

  they may have been up to one kilometre deep.".

  yet, some secularists say they are sure that the earth was never completely flooded with water above the tops of mountains as described in genesis.

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  TonusOH

  SeaBreeze: Why would any XJW invest heavily in another institution of man that is increasingly known for its bias and lying studies?

  There are no institutions that are not of man, is what I've come to realize. The scientific method is meant to deal with the various ways in which people distort the learning process. It doesn't stop people from lying, or from being driven by bias and other failings, but it does help to weed those out over time, which is the best we can hope for. The most important feature of science is that it recognizes that we can be wrong. This gives us the opportunity to make progress, even when it is painfully slow.

  It is, IMO, unique in this. Other human institutions --including religion-- practically codify human bias and bad intellectual approaches, making them extremely difficult to update when they are found to be wrong or misguided. It's adherents are forced to work around those obstacles and shape the truth to fit them, because honest inquiry might lead to censure, oppression, or even death. In spite of this, I think we've come remarkably far when we consider the mental roadblocks we have had to overcome, time and again.
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  3083

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

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  TonusOH

  By making several accusations (liar, invasive attitude, repeating myths) he distracts from the point the user was making (make the video available so people can judge for themselves). Any attempt to respond will be derailed towards those points instead of the relevant one. This isn't anything new, he always deflects.
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  26

  New Study: Mars Once Was Completely Covered in Oceans

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  "the new study indicates that the oceans that covered the entire planet in water were at least 300 metres deep.

  they may have been up to one kilometre deep.".

  yet, some secularists say they are sure that the earth was never completely flooded with water above the tops of mountains as described in genesis.

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  TonusOH

  SeaBreeze: So, what can be done to combat the documented bias, lying and stealing that goes on in the scientific community? How is the average person supposed to know which scientific studies are false, and which ones are true?

  Such will always be a problem plaguing any efforts at learning. The scientific method works over the long term, as more people do research and experimentation. It is a system that has worked quite well, as the current states of scientific and technological understanding demonstrate. We can have confidence in those studies which produce the world we live in, and must allow time for those that will shape the future.

  Cutting edge science will always be inexact and subject to bias and incorrect info, since it requires time and more research and testing to get a better understanding of what is just being discovered. There will always be 'recent studies' that challenge our knowledge. And some of them might even have found something that changes what we know or understand. That's just how learning works, especially where people are pushing the current limits.

  It seems as if, everytime some new discovery is made or knowledge is gained, people will use it to promote all kinds of ideas. Some of those will pan out. Most don't. This is also a part of learning. We will be wrong as often (if not more so) than we are right. And that's fine- the stuff that is right will eventually rise to the top, and the stuff that is wrong will eventually be discarded.
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  65

  Just had a thought…

  by Vidiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i been reading quite a few experiences on reddit lately, and their seems to be a common theme coming up….

  …dialed-up-to-eleven shunning of xjws by their witness relatives.. it reminds me of back in the day, listening to some of the over-the-top vitriol displayed by hard-core loyalists when the topic of evolution or apostates came up….

  …i was gobsmacked when i finally realized these guys weren’t offended and indignant because they thought it was lies….

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  TonusOH

  It only works if you refuse to look for other information. I was a good little JW while I was in, so my beliefs on evolution were informed by the WTS books, filled with quote mines and flagrant misinformation. When you know so little, it's pretty easy to 'refute' anything.
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  3083

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

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  TonusOH

  LMsA: His argument that he needs to be compensated enough to live on is hanging by a thread if not completely severed already.

  I think this is the big dilemma for him. His best option for recovering from the mess that The Silvio Mafia he created is to simplify his work flow. That means that his videos won't be as polished and 'professional looking.' But it would require far less work and the content would be fine for his viewers; most people prefer substance over flash. But it would wound his pride to make videos that were of the same quality as the rest of the exJW content creators. His bitterness at the community and his narcissistic pride would not accept that. He rose above the dregs of the exJW community, and to return to that level would crush him.