As a born-in of good standing, I was already accepted as a part of the congregation, so I didn't experience what Julia did. I think my answer agrees with Kool Jo and prologos; perhaps it felt special for a day or two, but I didn't get the extra helping of holy spirit that I was counting on to help me to avoid living a double life.
Apognophos
JoinedPosts by Apognophos
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Feelings after baptism
by Kool Jo inso for those who got baptized....a question for you:.
did you feel any different?
in the talk prior to taking the plunge, we were told that baptism would would show that we're in subjection to jehovah, so that we could do his will...personally, i felt that somehow i'd have a greater urge to do more spiritually, but i didn't..the feeling wore off in a couple days, and i still had the desire to do college ect...my attitude about life didn't change.... how did ya'll feel after your baptism in the borg?.
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Not all believers in a creator are dumb, may be deaf, so accomplished atheist explain this:--
by prologos in -
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Apognophos
Of course it could be considered evidence of a creator that the universe is so fine-tuned that life was able to evolve, except for a couple big problems:
1. We don't know how hard it is for life to evolve. There's life on this planet which doesn't require oxygen. There are plants that don't need soil. There are bacteria that grow in kerosene. With all this incredible variety, and not having properly explored even one planet yet (the Mars Rover is nice, but doesn't count for much), we simply can't say whether life is a natural result of chemical processes of all sorts or whether it needs really specific conditions to develop.
2. We don't know how many tries the universe has taken to develop life. If the universe continually undergoes a big crunch and big bang, its values could be getting altered each time until finally conditions are just right for life. Of course such a process of continual rebirth would be rather miraculous itself, but because we still know so little about the universe, it could just be as natural as ripples in a pond. Another possibility is that there are basically an infinite number of parallel universes coexisting (as suggested by some quantum physicists).
In either case, we could be talking about a situation where, even if the odds of life developing are one in a trillion, if there's a trillion universes that exist or have existed, one of them is going to develop life. Since we don't know how many universes there are or have been, we can't state what the odds are that life is here, so we have no basis for saying that it's incredible. It's not a very satisfying answer, but there you have it.
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Pyschology reveals the comforts of the apocalypse
by fresh prince of ohio inhttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2012/12/18/psychology-reveals-the-comforts-of-the-apocalypse/.
don't know if this was posted here when this article was current (2012).. .
although i have left jwism far behind me, i still live with very strong, sometimes almost unbearable, fears of catastrophic events leading to complete societal breakdown..
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Apognophos
I don't accept the suggestion that some people are fatalistic as a reason for anticipating an apocalypse. However, there are no doubt people who look forward to anything that would free them from their mortgage and car payments. The stresses of modern-day living are manifold and it's natural to wish for someone to hit a big Reset button once in a while.
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Memorial attendance in the USA a DROP of 59,404 from two years ago
by Watchtower-Free inaccording to the september 2013 kingdom ministry, the memorial attendance in the usa this year was 2,504,114. this is a drop of 59,404 from two years ago!
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Apognophos
Thanks for your attempt at analysis, steve2. I wouldn't even try to follow the Society's "formula" -- it's probably easier and safer to just research when the Memorial was in each of those years. Probably even a search here on JWN would turn up a record of each year's date.
Another possible factor I just thought of: How good the Memorial invitation is that year Weird-looking invitation = lower attendance. Nice painting on the front = better attendance. Many students may leave it out on their table as a reminder, so if it looks appealing, it's probably a better motivator.
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Kickstarter: Help Start WW3
by metatron inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-sdo6pwvhq.
c'mon, it's for a good cause!.
metatron.
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Apognophos
Why do Englishmen utterly lack a sense of humor when they invented Monty Python?
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question on resurrection
by Skbj ina bit of background first: my mom's sister died 2 years ago.
she wasn't a jw.
she was far too smart to be one to be honest.
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Apognophos
Heh, I suppose. Of course, applying "the first shall the last" to the order of the resurrection is preposterous, but I've heard it said by many JWs over the years. Probably because it would be the most logical way to go about things.
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AGM 5 OCTOBER 2013 (UNOFFICIAL RUMORS)
by WatchTower87 in- 23 day to go .. annual meeting unofficial rumors.
- new bible.
- new nwt (revision).
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Apognophos
I'm not going to take the time to read everyone's predictions. If you get your prediction right, then for the convenience of people like me, be sure to make a thread afterward pointing to your prediction and saying "I told you so".
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Create ten laws
by enigma1863 ina new country is being formed and you are given the task to make only ten official rules or laws the people of this country have to follow.
what are the ten laws?.
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Apognophos
Also, which 10 commandments?
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question on resurrection
by Skbj ina bit of background first: my mom's sister died 2 years ago.
she wasn't a jw.
she was far too smart to be one to be honest.
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Apognophos
Haha, wow, your mother sounds more spiritistic than you if she's buying into chakra and third eye stuff :-p
Although the Society doesn't tend to write anything detailed about what the resurrection is supposed to be like, there's certain "folkloric wisdom" among the JWs, based on speculation made on the platform at conventions and such. For instance, "the last shall be first" indicates that the last to die will be resurrected first. This will allow each generation to be ready to teach the generation before them when it is resurrected after them, since they will be most familiar with the language and culture of that previous generation. Perfection will be reached gradually, not immediately, so we can recognize loved ones who come back in their "old" form.
But I've never heard any speculation about what will happen if someone wants to commit crimes in the new system. I think most JWs refuse to believe that could happen. I do vaguely recall some speculation that, when Satan is let loose at the end of the 1000 years, certain humans who were once distinguished commanders with a lust for power will join him in attacking God's people, like Napoleon or Alexander the Great. Does anyone else remember this, in text or in some illustrations in the literature, or am I imagining it?
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Questions from Readers ... In light of the new understanding of the Faithful and Discreet Slave, is it appropriate to refer to C.T. Russell as Brother Russell?
by mindnumbed inin light of the new understanding of the faithful and discreet slave, is it appropriate to refer to c.t.
russell as brother russell?.
in the past, some well meaning ones took it upon themselves to refer to c.t.
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Apognophos
Yes, and "unrighteous riches". The devil is in the details Otherwise it's a very plausible article.