Posts by THE GLADIATOR

5

Sooner or later ,hopefully sooner,the WTB&TS will be entrapped by their own deceit

by smiddy in

it`s a well known fact that liars sooner or later get caught up in their own deceit .initially you can get away with a few white lies,but if you keep on with these lies it`s very hard to keep track of them and you start to contradict yourself , and eventually you get caught out .jehovah`s witnesses have got away with it for a very long time,however with the advent of the internet it is very easy to find out what was published beforehand , and the watchtower society being a proficient publishing organization, their is much we can draw on.. by their own words they condemn themselves.

smiddy.

THE GLADIATOR

Perhaps the biggest threat to the JW movement is the increasing internet exposure from disgruntled members that have left. Internet web sites are awash with the personal experiences of disgruntled ex- members. Contradictions in the Society’s teachings are exposed and discussed at length online. Failed predictions and false claims are now well documented.

The Watchtower Society has taken steps to close down sites that infringe its copyright and expose the many changes in teachings that have now spanned more that a hundred years. The number of ex-members with a story to tell is rapidly growing. Concerned by the affect this is having on current members, steps have been taken to warn them about the dangers of listening to members who have left the organisation. From Kingdom hall rostrums and through theWatchtower magazine, strong warnings are given of the calamity that can befall members who listen to apostates, or read their words on the web. In 2011 the society stated:

Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects?

The Watchtower 15 July 2011

14

Which philosophy would you personally value the highest and why?

by Qcmbr in

thinking about the number of atheist v ag/tec/fhn/sab threads (hehe - i'm only yanking your chains!

) and i thought i should make an effort to look at and discuss the rest of the rainbow.

atheism does not define my influencing primary worldview though you'd be hard pressed to see that from my posts.. i'd be interested in what philosphy , idea, rule(s) most influence you and why - why do you feel they are superior, what do they make you value more or less , what would you be without your philosophy.

THE GLADIATOR

When it comes a philosophy that can be used as a guide to live for, a guide in what to focus in, I am drawn to the epicurean approach to life. It is often misunderstood and thought to be seeking pleasure in excess. True Epicurean philosophy is nothing like that.

“Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based upon the teachings of Epicurus , founded around 307 BC. Epicurus was an atomic materialist , following in the steps of Democritus . His materialism led him to a general attack on superstition and divine intervention.

Following Aristippus —about whom very little is known—Epicurus believed that pleasure is the greatest good. But the way to attain pleasure was to live modestly and to gain knowledge of the workings of the world and the limits of one's desires. This led one to attain a state of tranquility (ataraxia) and freedom from fear, as well as absence of bodily pain (aponia).

The combination of these two states is supposed to constitute happiness in its highest form. Although Epicureanism is a form of hedonism , insofar as it declares pleasure as the sole intrinsic good, its conception of absence of pain as the greatest pleasure and its advocacy of a simple life make it different from "hedonism" as it is commonly understood.”

7

What do you think that a Christian will occasionally buy a scratch ticket?

by wolfman85 in

...because i have done that a couple times and won $38!!!

.

THE GLADIATOR

Occasionally I’ve had Christians scratch my back.

In the nicest possible way.

91

Believers' Thread!!!

by snowbird in

jw
friends

peace, and love to you.

we are all in this together,to some, we're birds of a featherhowever, no matter what they say,we'll continue to watch, fight, and pray.

sylvia.

THE GLADIATOR

Nice to see you posting again snowbird

During this year and last year I have attended a few Shambhala meditation sessions, also been in some churches. I am not a believer but I do things like this to help keep a balanced view and explore different spiritual paths and philosophies.

Tolerance is necessary to be at peace in a world that holds many different views. Being with kind people is more important to me than the beliefs they presently hold.

18

dis-associated/disfellowshipped - are they the same?

by Caedes in

do you have to formally dis-associate to count as such?

there seems to be a lot who are hounded to make a formal declaration to a judicial committee.. so my questions are (i would be very interested in references from the wt cdrom) - what is the official stance on those who simply stop going to meetings, do they count as disassociated by their actions?

should they be treated the same as those who are dis-fellowshipped?

THE GLADIATOR

What is disturbing is the way in which the Watchtower Society, despite demanding rights to freedom of speech and freedom of worship from society at large, denies these rights to members that leave their society. It is true that members are free to leave the organization at any time. However, the penalty is to be shunned and ostracised by those nearest and dearest to them. The Watchtower Society's official policy is to disfellowship or shun members that dare to exercise freedom of speech. Even if they have left the organization voluntarily, they risk being shunned. Any members that do not obey the shunning order, risk being shunned themselves. More recently the Society has started using the term ‘disassociate.

Jehovah's Witnesses have proclaiming their controversial views around the world for more than a hundred years. They constantly warn that on ‘the day of vengeance,’ their ‘God of love’ will kill anyone who has ignored their warnings and refused to be in their religion. If challenged over this expectation, the average Witness will say that it is not for them to judge, Jehovah will decide. My experience is that this is not what they really think.

What if society at large were to take objection to their views and shun all Jehovah's Witnesses? Perhaps refusing to employ them, talk to them, or give them medical assistance, and demand that family members, who are not part of their religion, disassociate them. The Watchtower Society would see the treatment of their members as an attack on ‘Jehovah’s people,’ inspired by the devil and his demons. They would call on their God through earnest prayer, to defend their rights and give them the strength to endure being persecuted for being Jehovah’s chosen ones. In fact their literature predicts that this will happen during the run up to Armageddon.

Given their track record it is likely that the Watchtower Society would be straight back in court, demanding the civil rights of its members be upheld. They would say that such treatment is inhuman and quote pages of court rulings from previous cases they have fought. Cases, that set a precedent for civil behaviour, making such prejudice and discrimination against people due to their religious beliefs, illegal.

91

What's with all the abusive believers?

by NewChapter in

jw
friends

what's that about huh?

i mean, i have been cussed out, called terrible names, and evil intent applied to my motives.

what's with these abusive believers?.

THE GLADIATOR

Thank you mrsjones5 your comments are always well balanced and fair.

I guess that is not what people on this forum are looking for at the present time.

91

What's with all the abusive believers?

by NewChapter in

jw
friends

what's that about huh?

i mean, i have been cussed out, called terrible names, and evil intent applied to my motives.

what's with these abusive believers?.

THE GLADIATOR

There have recently been so many threads and arguments between atheists and believers. The idea that people are divided neatly into these two camps is absurd. There are many alternative positions but desire to divide people has overlooked so many other possibilities.

We are all born the same and we all die. What goes on in our head in between is of little consequence. We are not defined by our beliefs but by our deeds. This is the truth taught by Christ, Buddha, Ghandi, and moderate people who feel no need to latch on a guru.

Beneath this smoke screen of superiority in belief systems, an emotional battle is being played out. The need to be proved right, vindicated, validated, exonerated and exalted, shines through clearly. Anger and unexpressed emotion is being the driving force behind most threads.

The truth is that no one has a god-dam clue why we exist on this tiny planet in the middle of nowhere, which happens to be the middle of everywhere. We have come from nowhere and are going nowhere. We simply exist and there may be no point to our existence except the moment we are living. It has been thus for millions of years.

Peace, and may your gods or philosophy go with you and get you through the night. If you are lucky enough to wake up tomorrow and live through another day you will have discovered the truth of your existence. If you are fortunate enough to have someone who loves you and wants to share their life with you, you need nothing more.

187

What is with abusive atheists?

by Fernando in

jw
friends

sorry folks, i know the "candace conti case" is where all our time attention should be for now.

i just had this much less important issue on my heart and wanted to make a quick note of it, as i am struggling with remembering all the details as clearly afterward.. although i am a non-religious believer and simple follower of jesus, i have had some constructive interaction with atheists and agnostics on jwn.

i do enjoy learning more about their perspective.

THE GLADIATOR

Regarding the opening post, Christians believe they represent Christ, so they have to act in a way that proves they are moved by Christ’s spirit. On the other hand atheists only represent themselves and do not have beliefs that need to be defended. The only consideration is what others on the board may think of them personally, if they are rude and offensive.

Attacking a Christian’s faith strengthens it. Opposition is expected and becomes further proof that they have truth. It is the least effective way of encouraging Christians or Jehovah's Witnesses to consider non-believers views.

At the end of the day we all choose to be here. If we don’t like a person’s comments we can choose to ignore them, respond in a polite way, or tell them to go to hell. No one is pulling our strings, we all have a choice. Me-thinks that many here enjoy heated debates and mud slinging. I have done my share of that in my time.

I guess we calm down once we have vented our rage and discharged the strong emotions that are a necessary part of moving on. This board provides an invaluable service as a place to work out our emotion. We owe Simon a huge thank you.

28

Gen.3;24 places the cherubim, and A flaming sword to guard, why?

by jam in

ok , why was it necessary for god to places a arm cherubim.

to guard the way to the tree of life?

adam and eve had.

THE GLADIATOR

“OK , Why was it necessary for God to places A arm cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life?”

Like all good fairy stories there has to be surreal elements that encourage the reader to believe that anything is possible. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, War of the Worlds and so on. I enjoy a good magical fantasy as much as any cherubim. As long as it doesn’t diminish my ability to distinguish fiction from reality.

The General Who Became A Slave.The Slave Who Became A Gladiator. The Gladiator Who Defied An Empire.

33

why jesus never tempted with sex?

by criticalwitness in

i mean really whats the number one reason a dub gets kicked out the org?

one of stongest natural desires and he was supposed to be a full fledged human all desires and everything i mean satan tempted him with food but no sexual pleasure?

and was he attracted to women?

THE GLADIATOR

This is all rather bizarre. Sexual desire is the strongest desire humans have, next to eating. Humans depend upon sex to keep their race going. Every mammal on the planet shares the same template for survival. The guy who is supposed to have made every creature on earth, comes here to show us how we would be living our lives if we were perfect.

The big test he must pass, is can he act in a way that denies his strongest desire, which at the same time ensures that no perfect human can ever again be born through him. He must avoid all the beautiful women in the world that he created, that would not be here if people had not had sex. With all his faults, sinful Adam did at least sire some offspring. Instead, he smashes up some tables in the temple and roughs up a few traders. The Romans get wind of his unruly behaviour and have him tortured to death.

Big shot dies at age 33, without ever writing a single word that has been preserved for the benefit of mankind. Successful life or what?

The gladiator - telling it like it is.