Posts by EdenOne

posted

556
The Watchtower are Right About Blood...
by cofty in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
... but, they fail to take note of one important detail.. i believe that if we are going to have any chance of reasoning with a jw about blood, this is the place we need to begin.. don't try to convince them that it was only a dietary law.

it wasn't, and they will never go along with it.. don't tell them that saving a life is more important than obeying a law, even a seemingly trivial one.

they take pride in obedience.
EdenOne

So, if there's such a distinction, what was the penalty for "uncleaness", not in the cerimonial sense?
Eden
284
I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it just dawned on me.

the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
EdenOne

Azor, it's more than just discussing semantics. There are several layers to this discussion, as I'm sure you can appreciate.
eden
284
I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it just dawned on me.

the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
EdenOne

Cofty,
I gave you the definition from the Merriam-Webster, which directly contradicts your thesis:
Absence: "A state or condition in which something expected, wanted or looked for is not present or doesn't exist".
Rather than being evidence of existence, "absence" is actually closer to non-existence. But fact is, absence is merely the condition of not being present. Tout court.
Just because A may include B, doesn't mean that A equals B.
Eden
556
The Watchtower are Right About Blood...
by cofty in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
... but, they fail to take note of one important detail.. i believe that if we are going to have any chance of reasoning with a jw about blood, this is the place we need to begin.. don't try to convince them that it was only a dietary law.

it wasn't, and they will never go along with it.. don't tell them that saving a life is more important than obeying a law, even a seemingly trivial one.

they take pride in obedience.
EdenOne

There is an obvious contradiction between Leviticus 17:15 and Exodus 22:31, don't you agree? After all, what kind of God would command something in such imperative terms (Exodus) and then later, and without recanting from the previous command, concedes that such command may be violated with just a minor defilement of the flesh (Leviticus). Is Yahweh uncertain about it? Or did Moses got it wrong from God in one of the books? Or could it be that there were in fact different scribes with different agendas writing these books in different times?
Eden
87
Why people don't believe in God
by pressman in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
do you want to know why i think people don't believe in god?

well i believe people don't want to believe in god because they are scared.

they know that if they finally do gorge the confidence to believe in him, he might discipline them for their skepticism.
EdenOne

So... Allah is the true Yahweh? How do you construct that from the holy book of Islam? Just curious. Your jewish co-believers must be interested in that and inquisitive minds want to know.
Eden
1
Exciting news for CHINA!
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
behold the newest effort of the new world society in china:.

.
EdenOne

Behold the newest effort of the New World Society in China:
68
Help needed: Written material regarding shunning of DF'd and DA'd individuals
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.

not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.

objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.
EdenOne

Very interesting, thank you. Although it relates primarily to American Law, not european.
Eden
284
I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it just dawned on me.

the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
EdenOne

Wizzstick,
The Dictionary.com defines "deity" as: "1. A god or goddess 2. divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being; divinity 3. the estate or rank of a god 4. a person or thing revered as a god or goddess 5. the Deity, God; Supreme Being."
I gave you one possible definition of deity, attested by a definition that can be found in a dictionary. I gave the example of Augustus in ancient Rome, and the cult of the emperor. And yet, you refuse to accept it as a valid example of a deity that empirically existed. You or I may not personally ascribe that deity any special power, but millions of people in the ancient roman empire did. It's therefore, a relevant example.
Eden
284
I'm an ABSENTHEIST. Are you also?
by EdenOne in
1. watchtower
2. beliefs
it just dawned on me.

the existence of god can't be proved, neither is there evidence of god's inexistence.

so, i'm neither theist neither atheist.
EdenOne
we should be abenteists with respect to santa living in the andromeda galaxy?
Not exactly, because one can accurately pinpoint the origin of that story:
1. "The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around 280 A.D. in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey. Much admired for his piety and kindness, St. Nicholas became the subject of many legends."
  
  Since there's sufficient evidence that Santa Claus' story has been developed and embellished from a real life character, and we know pretty accurately how it came to present form, there's no need to be 'absentheist' about it, and it can be dismissed as legendary stuff. The same cannot be said about the origins of human belief in deities, although it's tempting to conjecture about it. And yet, if someone decides to believe Santa Claus in a flying sledge driven by raiders is real, who am I to aggressively go after such person?
  Eden
201
These guys crash a Kingdom Hall on Memorial, video included
by Crazyguy in
1. jw
2. friends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7mars2mtaui.

to funny nice job....
EdenOne

Idiots. You may not agree with them but people have the right to worship without being harassed. They have just reinforced everything people are told about apostates.
Things like this are not helpful.
+1 my feelings exactly. It's idiotic beyond belief. If one must fight this cult, do it using civilized methods.
Eden