Bonsai

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Posts by Bonsai

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  11

  Is confrontational "New Atheism" undermining the cause of atheism?

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  interesting debate between lawrence krauss and greg epstein.. watch the debate on al-jazeera.. what do you think?.

  eden.

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  Bonsai

  Well worth the 15 minutes to listen to their discussion.

  We need to avoid labels that pin us into corners and breed distrust and even hostility from the religious moderates. I don't like being called an apostate or an atheist because they don't come close to defining who I am. Labels are bread from laziness and the desire to lump something into one large category for the sake of convenience.
  

  It is time to remove the myths and superstitions that divide mankind and hold us back from fulfilling our potential and advancing together as a human race.. Religions and beliefs that promote violence, division and mental abuse need to be removed. The best way to do this is not by violence or making religion illegal, but by educating and getting younger generations of people to think about the basis for what they believe and whether or not their beliefs are based on logic and facts. We need to expose and publicize the fundamental flaws and fallacies that riddle every theistic belief system that exists on this planet. The public education system needs a complete overhaul...
  
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  48

  Animals not meant to eat meat

  by Carl in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jw don't believe in evolution .

  how come animals teeth are designed to chew meat?

  sharks for instance have razor sharp pointy teeth these are not to eat vegetation .

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  Bonsai

  Every living thing on this planet lives off the life of some other living thing .And it always has. - Smiddy
  

  Ooh, we have a bingo! (Inglorious Bastards quote)
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  75

  I came here three years ago for support and to make friends

  by KateWild in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this site is such a great and valuable resource and simon is to be commended for running it for so long.

  when i first came i was in such a bad state and really needed support and friendship.

  so many posters commented on my threads and showed genuine care some are real life friends, some are facebook friends, some i talk to on the phone and some are forum friends.. i have just realised though that everyone online is not your friend.

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  Bonsai

  Hi Kate. I'll be your Huckleberry. It's hard to be friends with anyone when you live like 3,000 miles from anyone. For the most part, I enjoy your posts and many of your threads. You are a valuable member of this community!
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  21

  Is it me or were the experiences at the assemblies really contrived?

  by keyser soze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my favorite were the ones where they were reading a wt publication in the break room at work, and an inquisitive co-worker, thirsty for spiritual knowledge approaches them.

  this leads to an informal witness, which eventually leads to bible study and baptism.. in all my years of working, i've never had anyone show the slightest bit of interest in what i was reading while i was on my break at work.

  but as i said, maybe it's just me..

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  Bonsai

  All I can say is the experience I gave at a district convention was in no way contrived. They had to scrape the bottom of the barrel just to find me, though.
  
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  9

  the killings in Nice.

  by zeb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anyone detained of these hate crimes; immediate detention of their associates and family.

  conviction?

  guillotine the offenders immediate deportation of the rest.. march on mes ami!

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  Bonsai

  Cooler heads must prevail. We must bring swift justice, but in a civilized, lawful way. We are better than them and must not stoop to their level.
  
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  33

  Sixty People Murdered in Nice Terror Attack

  by cofty in

  1. social
  2. current

  crowds celebrating bastille day in nice, france have been targeted by a terrorist driving a truck.. initial reports of 60 dead and 100 injured.. i am losing track of how many similar attacks there have been in europe in recently..

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  Bonsai

  Words fail me.
  
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  33

  Sixty People Murdered in Nice Terror Attack

  by cofty in

  1. social
  2. current

  crowds celebrating bastille day in nice, france have been targeted by a terrorist driving a truck.. initial reports of 60 dead and 100 injured.. i am losing track of how many similar attacks there have been in europe in recently..

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  Bonsai

  This is just getting out of hand. Every day we inch closer to a religious war, which is exactly what the militant Islamists want.
  
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  21

  What is the real purpose of attending your JC?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was compelled to ask this question because i have seen several of the youtube videos on jcs.

  on striking similarity among all these videos is that most of the people bringing the arguments to the elders are pretty much atheists or have turned to another religion altogether.. i can easily see that the common concern in most of the people involved, is their ability to keep in touch with family and friends, which by all means would be my concern as well, when and if i ever end up in one.. however, i can't help but to notice something.

  it is difficult enough to think of the day that the wt would accept a loose canon in their ranks, let alone someone who openly claims to no longer believe in god.

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  Bonsai

  The only reason I would accept a JC and not DA is to record it for the world to see (albeit a very select audience). During the JC, I wouldn't allow them to put me on the hot seat as I would quickly turn the tables and make them spend the majority of their time trying to defend their policies. Then I would tell them that their religion has apostasized from what it was when i got baptized and leave the room after passing them my letter of intent to DA on the spot. Then, at the next meeting before they made the announcement, I would get up during the meeting and hand each elder my DA letter and tell everyone outloud one or two reasons why I DA'd.

  Seems like a good way to go out with a bang no?
  
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  5

  The "Fellowship of Sufferings"

  by Perry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i came across this title phrase while reading a daily devotional one morning and it reminded me of this discussion board.

  there really is a fellowship of sufferings here.

  never since adolph hitler has an organization done so much to destroy families as the watchtower has done.

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  Bonsai

  Yup, and some of those poor, gullible people who leave the Watchtower continue to believe in mystical resurrections for which there is no proof. They continue to believe in the Genesis myth which has been thoroughly debunked by archeology, anthropology, geology and common sense.

  Some leave the cult only to get sucked into another cult like the Bornagains. Then they preach to us under the guise of debunking the Watchtower all the while sprinkling in their own personal delusional slant on the gospel. It's a really clever way for them to remain on this site, preach their gibberish and somehow not get banned for 15 years of proselytizing for Jesus.
  

  Poor gullible old chaps. They love all that fear, guilt and obligation poured on their fries. Maybe they even think they can walk on water and not get wet.
  
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  43

  Kids continue to leave in droves - so what is the organization's grand plan? This

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jws have one of the worst, if not the worst, retention rates among their kids.

  i've seen numbers from 65% to 88% who leave, never to return.. you'd think this would be a priority amongst the leadership, right?

  where do tomorrow's leaders come from, if the vast majority of kids leave the organization?

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  Bonsai

  Stan the man! You're back from your self-imposed hiatus! Glad to hear from you and thankful for you continued presence!