I remember that old booklet you mentioned Freddo. The great thing about that title is that if you put a comma in it, the meaning changes completely:
Is there a God, WHO CARES? ha ha
AverageJoe1
JoinedPosts by AverageJoe1
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54
Explain why you are happy if you believe there is no afterlife vs when you joined JW's
by Bad_Wolf inone thing that has intrigued me are so many who have left, who are wholly convinced everything in existence is merely by chance now, also claim they wouldn't want to live forever, and perfectly fine if this is the only life.
now, i would understand that if you were raised into the religion.
i was raised into it.
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7
My Convention Experience and Thoughts !
by jdash inso during the week of july 6-8th i went to the convention.
i had a funny experience.. to start off, i'm usually with my close friends that i know and who basically have the same mindset as i do.
but during saturday, during lunch, me and my buddies were walking outside and we noticed someone was singing real loud and kinda in a deep voice.
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AverageJoe1
Attended ours recently and can't really say anything more than has already been said by those other unfortunate individuals who were pressured to attend.
The only thing I will add is how many speakers were repeated: we had 6 elders give two talks as well as being involved in interviews. This did not go unnoticed by the Dubs and there were a few "again?"s said out loud within my earshot. I know there are lots of good speakers in the area but maybe they are not "yes men" like me.
Most of the ones on the program were butt-kissers, self-righteous pharisees who love prominence as could be seen by announcing "who serves as an elder in the such-and-such congregation (plus any other spiritual curriculum)" even though the outline states they should just announce the name.
Only good feedback I heard from PIMI Dubs was how they enjoyed the videos... nothing about the talks!!
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Jehovah`s Witnesses Do Not Have a Clergy Class.
by smiddy3 inno , they have the governing body { some would say the popes of the religion }.
and you do not under any circumstance go against what they say./ .
they also have branch overseers , district overseers .circuit overseers , and elders in a congregation .. they are all up and above the rank and file of the average ordinary jehovah`s witness and they are looked upon as such by the rank and file member as equivalent to a clergy class.. oh and lets not forget the legal department that has a lot to say in how the jehovah`s witness organization responds to allegations of child sexual abuse around the world.. and when an allegation arises about child sexual abuse the w.t.
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AverageJoe1
If that was true, then you wouldn't have elders or servants. Everyone would be just called a publisher and have equal decision making rights.
That will never happen. They love the prominence too much.
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Beards and Circumcision: turning their argument around
by neat blue dog inone argument against beards i've heard multiple times, both from individual jws and from the platform is roughly:.
'timothy got circumcised so as not to stumble others!
shouldn't you be thankful you don't have to do that?
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AverageJoe1
JWs are the only idiots on the planet who view beards as a sign of being a bad Christian!
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2018 Convention videos leaked by brave insiders
by Room 215 inanopther coup for cedars: http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/leaked-2018-convention-videos-celebrate-anti-lgbtq-bigotry-unquestioning-obedience-doomsday-fear-mongering
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AverageJoe1
By the way, most JWs with JW Stream access can get hold of the entire convention in different languages and make the videos available. It’s a double edged sword for WT.
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48
2018 Convention videos leaked by brave insiders
by Room 215 inanopther coup for cedars: http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/leaked-2018-convention-videos-celebrate-anti-lgbtq-bigotry-unquestioning-obedience-doomsday-fear-mongering
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AverageJoe1
Lloyd Evans isn’t the one who leaks the videos but he takes the credit. Thanks go to the PIMOs who risk getting found out by leaking them.
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Have you ever considered how bizarre the idea of "War in Heaven" really is?
by TerryWalstrom inwhen you grow up and look back on childhood belief you have to laugh at how.
easter bunnies and santa were all too plausible for children because trusted adults who were otherwise unimpeachable sources of truth and reality assured and reassured kids.
why wouldn't they accept it?jehovah's witness kids didn't have santa, we had armageddon.only this morning i suddenly asked myself why i ever accepted the idea of a war in heaven as even remotely sane.
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AverageJoe1
I see what you did there Terry! Love it!
Some of our ancestors worshipped trees. Poor saps.
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31
Beards and Circumcision: turning their argument around
by neat blue dog inone argument against beards i've heard multiple times, both from individual jws and from the platform is roughly:.
'timothy got circumcised so as not to stumble others!
shouldn't you be thankful you don't have to do that?
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AverageJoe1
Here here. Totally agree. Once again the Governing Body show themselves to be the self-righteous hypocrites that they are and also liars: there is NO culture in the world who would be offended by a Jehovah’s Witness having a beard (except for American JWs themselves).
For those JWs in Bethel tasked with reading forums like these, pass this along to your double-faced bosses: their lack of balls to come out and ban it directly shows them up to be the Pharisees that they really are.
I would so love a reporter to ask a branch rep why they aren’t allowed to have beards and have privileges in the congregation. Then when they dismiss that as apostate lies, ask them to show ONE brother, yes just ONE JW with a beard appearing on the JW Broadcasting! Case closed. It’s a cult!
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News from Court in Europe
by asp59 in.
basically the same as prohibiting house to house preaching?.
https://europe.easybranches.com/finland/european-court-of-justice-rules-jehovah’s-witnesses-illegally-gather-personal-data-455622.
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AverageJoe1
No, because the ruling makes both the individual witness and the organisation data controllers.
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Blade Runner mentioned in the Watchtower
by ThomasCovenant incan anyone remember or point me to a quote in either the watchtower or awake where they spoke adversely about some of the violent scenes in the original blade runner film.
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thanks.
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AverageJoe1
Here it is. All date formats are publication symbol, year, day, month.
G84 08/04 p.13 & 14
BLADERUNNER, STAR TREK 2
“THE movie also contains scenes of grisly sadism that are perhaps unequalled in recent popular entertainment.” One “artificial human slowly crushes the skull of his human creator.” Another character is shot in the torso. “We see her violently writhing and dying.” Then one of the principal characters “is shown putting his finger in the wound and licking her blood.”
These descriptions are taken from a New York Times article that asked whether this type of film violence is a socially destructive element. Regarding the film Blade Runner, it stated: “The vivid depiction of gore, and the plot emphasis on aggressive behavior, seems to raise to a new level a trend evident in many recent mass-audience science-fiction or fantasy movies that attract large youthful followings.” Herein lies the danger —the younger generation is being brainwashed with gratuitous, or unnecessary, violence.
The article went on to state: “Psychologists interviewed emphasized the harmful effects of vividly depicted aggression. ‘Gratuitous bloodshed and violence is dangerous,’ said the Blade Runner’s director. ‘I think it does inspire violence. Children must be affected by it. It’s inevitable.’”
Another director, Nicholas Meyer, “agrees that many movies are too gory. ‘Lots of movies are gratuitously violent. They pander to audiences —certainly, it’s a form of pornography.’” Then he was asked if he was concerned that children might be disturbed by the scorpion scene or by the sight of the bloody corpses in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. His answer? “It’s a PG [Parental Guidance] movie. I never thought that either ‘Star Trek’ or ‘Time after Time’ should be seen by young children. . . . You can’t blame the film maker for the parents who don’t heed the rating system.”
G92 08/11 p.6
BASIC INSTINCT
Financially, one of the year’s biggest hits was a movie called Basic Instinct. Judging by the reviews, this title puts it mildly. The film opens with an explicit sex scene during which the woman stabs her tied- up lover repeatedly with an ice pick, spattering gore all over herself.
G90 22/12 p.28
DIE HARD 2
“If you have the impression that movies today are bloodier and more brutal than ever in the past, and that their body counts are skyrocketing,” noted The New York Times, “you are absolutely right.” Modern technology and new plastic substances enable movie producers to add shocking realism to violent scenes. Some of the more popular films include hundreds of violent deaths. As an example, the newspaper mentioned the film Die Hard 2 in which over 260 people were violently put to death, including one man who was stabbed in the brain through his eye socket and another who was sucked into a jet engine. According to the same article, a good number of these films are “the sort of action-adventure movies that have come to dominate today’s market.”
G85 08/12 p.8
STAR TREK
Many in today’s world have clearly gone overboard in their devotion to science- fiction books and movies. Science- fiction clubs and conventions have proliferated. According to Time magazine, Star Trek fans on five continents have devoted themselves to learning the fictitious language Klingon, which was featured in Star Trek TV shows and movies. Such extreme behavior does not harmonize with the Bible’s counsel at 1 Peter 1:13: “Keep your senses completely [“keep balanced,” footnote].”
G93 08/03 p.29
JAWS, INDIANA JONES
Effect of Violent Movies
In an interview by the Brazilian magazine Veja, film director Steven Spielberg was asked about the effect that violence in entertainment may have on viewers. Said Spielberg: “Watching violence in movies or in TV programs stimulates the spectators to imitate what they see much more than if seen live or on TV news. In movies, violence is filmed with perfect illumination, spectacular scenery, and in slow motion, making it even romantic. However, in the news, the public has a much better perception of how horrible violence can be, and it is used with objectives that do not exist in the movies.” Spielberg adds that so far he has not permitted his young son to watch some of his well-known movies (Jaws, the Indiana Jones series) because of the amount of blood and violence shown.
G83 08/07 p.27
ET
Interestingly, many have noted parallels in the story to that of the life of Jesus Christ. Said Professor Albert E. Millar, Jr.: “I think the thing that struck me most was the idea of the capacity to heal, and then when E.T. died and was resurrected.” We have in E.T., then, an enchanting Messiahlike figure that gives momentary emotional release to our need for a true friend with powers greater than ours. Therein lies the movie’s great appeal.
Despite its seemingly Christian message, however, the movie subtly condones youthful misbehavior. In an early scene we find youths playing “Dungeons and Dragons” in a smoke-filled room with a lighted cigarette on the table. Later on, when E.T. gets drunk sampling beer, and Elliott in telepathic sympathy feels the effects, it is all portrayed as something cute. Further, some of the language used by these children is gross profanity. This, along with the supernatural aspects of the movie, has bothered many Christians.
Whether parents or their children see this movie is, of course, a matter of personal choice. But because of the movie’s great popularity, let us not forget that it becomes an effective vehicle for sugarcoating youthful conduct that is definitely wrong.
E.T. may be a skillfully constructed and highly entertaining movie. But it provides no substitute for our True Friend, Jesus Christ, who saves us from this dying, wicked world. After all, E.T. is make-believe. Christ is reality.
W83 15/07 p.31
THE EXORCIST
Some years ago Roxanne went to see the movie The Exorcist, which spawned a host of imitations. She says: “The movie had a terrifying effect on me. I had to leave before it was over because I was afraid I would be sick to my stomach and felt like fainting. For about two months after seeing the movie, I continued to be terrified and would have nightmares. I wouldn’t go anywhere alone, would watch over my shoulder all the time and was even afraid to wash my hair for fear something would be hovering over me.” Another woman, who saw the same movie on television, later cut out her four-year-old daughter’s heart because she believed the girl was demonized.