Posts by EdenOne

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

EdenOne

I can't remember when I last observed this sort of behaviour on this forum.

I certainly do, Cofty. Remember that many times the insult and personal attack take subtle forms, or are delivered under the guise of a humourous derrogative remark.

Eden

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

I have been involved in a few discussions here about beliefs and opinions. And while I agree that people, not beliefs, warrant respect, and robust arguments (to use Cofty's term) may be brought forward to deconstruct beliefs of others and that is absolutely legit, there's a line that is often crossed, which I find unacceptable, which is to question or attack the person's integrity or intelligence because of some belief or opinion that is held. To say, in any form, "if you believe in Creationism you must be stupid" or "if you don't think the Bible is inspired of God, you're working for Satan", or "if you don't think I'm right in my argument, you're retarded", or something similar, is unacceptable. I stopped taking part in certain discussions in this forum because some people think they're entitled to insult others just because they feel they have reason on their side. I've decided that I have no time for such people nor do I want to become such person.

Eden

4

Truth light and Truth Express could just lead back to Truth v1.0

by Saintbertholdt in

truth light and truth express could just lead back to truth v1.0.

the following is just shooting the breeze, so take the following with a tablespoon of salt:.

i've been thinking about the "something interesting!

EdenOne

Real truth 1.0 status was to reset things to pre-1931 status: Bible Students, One-Class heavenly Hope, no disfellowshipping, no "Governing Body", no ban on birthdays and blood transfusions, no "generation" speculation.

Eden

27

Hey everybody! Just droppin' in :)

by macys in

jw
friends

it feels so good to be free from the jdub cult!

.

EdenOne

Welcome to the forum, macys! :)

Eden

44

Need advice

by Darkknight757 in

hi.i've been pouring over this site for the past few days looking for some advice and i hope there is someone here that can help a guy out.

i'm desperate.....short bio: i came into the organization after high school and shortly after married a wonderful girl who was born-in.we have been happily married now for nearly 20 years and things were well until 2015 hit.

by the way, i currently serve as an elder and have the ""privilege"" of being the "watchtower overseer".. either here nor there, we were told we would never have children but late last year my wife became prego!!

EdenOne

DK, welcome to the forum.

I'm very sorry for your losses. I don't think I'm able to grasp the pain and loss you and your wife may be going through, but as the father of an awesome 18-year old child, I certanly know the kind of nightmares the mere thought of it brings up. Hang in there, your wife needs you.

You're not really in a position to drop out suddenly, but your wife is certainly a good excuse for you to start relinquishing some organizational "privileges" that are burdening you - you need to support her and focus on her needs. And take it VERY slowly. Be considerative of your wife's feelings about you slowing down your activity in the congregation, as she may take it as a double loss, and even feel guilty about it. You need to make sure she doesn't get that feeling. Spend a lot of time with her, maybe plant a few seeds of TTATT here and there, but, above all, let her see that the congregation isn't the spiritual paradise that the GB wants the JWs to believe they live in is nothing but vaporware, that when problems arise and you appear to be weakening, they turn against you.

All my words couldn't really persuade my wife, but it was the unloving, unchristian tratment that I got from the congregation and JW friends when I began to express doubts and dissent that caused her to finally join me in leaving this disgusting cult.

In any case, now it's the time to read read read, strenghten your ideas, and take your time to think about an exit strategy that will leave your marriage intact.

Eden

166

Mobile Hotspot - JWFACTS.COM - Assembly & Conventions

by thedepressedsoul in

here is an idea i tested.

works at both assemblies and conventions.

i have noticed at the last convention and at my last assembly that when i opened up my wifi setting, tons of hotspots came up for people tethering their tablets to their smart phones.

EdenOne

One idea I had: In conventions held in stadiums, there is permanent advertising, right? Advertising beverages, snacks, local businesses, etc. I never saw the Witnesses covering up those ads. So, why not pay the owners of the stadium a temporary advertisement of JWFACTS.COM, just for the days of the convention, with a contractual clause that explicitly prevents this ad to be covered/hidden from view?

Eden

20

Peshitta, Aramaic New Testament

by Connie in

has anyone come across this line of research on the new testament?

i stumbled upon it today researching the divine name, and textual criticism of the nt.

it seems that the peshitta is an aramaic translation that has been handed down through the centuries without the controversies of the greek translation.

EdenOne

The so-called "miracle of the sun" has been the subject of brazen hype of the highest degree from the Catholic authorities that were interested in promoting the supernatural nature of what might have happened in Fátima.

"there are many factors that prevent us drawing the simple conclusion that a divinely-inspired miracle took place. Firstly, there were many representatives of the press present at the Cova, both journalists and photographers. There are many photographs of the crowd witnessing the vision; but in spite of the presence of cameras there is no photograph of the event that is even vaguely authentic... What were the photographers doing? How could anyone miss a scoop like that? Secondly, it is clear that only a proportion of the crowd, probably less than half, actually witnessed the miracle... Thirdly, the accounts of the miracle, of the 'dance of the sun,' are simply not consistent... these contradictions must raise some doubts as to the objective nature of what was seen." (Pg. 78-79, The Evidence for Visions of the Virgin Mary, Kevin McClure, Aquarian Press, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, 1985).

Also the Catholic church claims there were 70.000 people present, but even the contemporary pro-Catholic newspaper "O Sèculo" from the following day mentions only 30.000.

Also, the Catholic church LIES when it claims that the miracle was witnessed and attested by a portuguese scientist. In fact it was witnessed by the son of a portuguese scientist, who was an attorney, not a scientist.

Besides, less than half of the present people actually saw anything, and those who claim they saw "something" cannot agree on what exactly they were seeing. Distortion, momentarily blindness can be caused by staring straight at the sun; peculiar athmospheric conditions may cause strange momentary effects of the sunlight; all these combined with credulity, religious fervour and hysteria (people wanted to validate what the children claimed to have seen and they have been prepped to expect a great miracle) did the rest.

A close look at the crowd from the pictures taken during the "miracle" shows many completely oblivious to anything happening in the sky, while the faces of the others who look up reveal not awe, shock, or religious ecstasy, but an intrigued expression, consistent with what you would do when you attempt to stare directly at the sun. Also, pictures taken of the sky during the "miracle" reveal nothing special going on.

The Church report was only written post WW2, therefore 4 decades after the events took place. Hardly the most objective and well-documented account, especially given the fact that there was only one living witness of the original visions (Lucia) who was known for having delusional inarticulate ramblings that are more consistent with schizophrenia than a genuine revelation.

Eden

20

Peshitta, Aramaic New Testament

by Connie in

has anyone come across this line of research on the new testament?

i stumbled upon it today researching the divine name, and textual criticism of the nt.

it seems that the peshitta is an aramaic translation that has been handed down through the centuries without the controversies of the greek translation.

EdenOne

Fatima? Are you kidding me? It's an hoax from 1917 that can be exposed by reading the Catholic Church's own documentation. Read "Fátima nunca mais" and the recent "Fátima S.A." ( in portuguese ) by catholic priest Mário de Oliveira and you will be thoroughly convinced of the abhorrent fraud that was perpetrated in 1917 and continues to be perpetuated.

Eden

40

Last Days? Are you serious ....?

by Aleph in

believing we live in the last days?.

EdenOne

Magnum - the fact that humans now have the ability to virtually wipe out their (and many other) species. That, to me, is the best argument for those who believe these are the last days.

Planet Earth and the universe have had the ability to virtually wipe out all life and they have done it a few times already - at least five times already. Those are called "extinction events". It's not a credible argument, I'd say.

Remember that End Times theologies in the linear time predate Christianity (Zoroastrism), and are also found in Judaism, Islam, Ba'hai and Rastafarianism. Plus, "End Times" of cycles of time are also part of faiths such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Mayan and Norse mythologies.

Eden

41

Talking with a young elder

by biblexaminer in

i had a discussion with an elder recently.

it was interesting in a macabre sense.

we were outside the kingdom hall on a nice sunny day recently.

EdenOne

Paul took a jewish sect of deluded followers of a dead rabbi and, with considerable mixing of greek philosophy, transformed it into "christianity".

Read James D. Tabor's "Paul and Jesus - How the apostle transformed christianity", and it'll become crystal clear.

Eden