Oubliette

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Posts by Oubliette

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  137

  Something interesting!

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.

  we both served as elders for years.

  he is in his late 70s.

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  Oubliette

  John Aquila: These guys are not apostates

  Could you please explain what you mean?

  If you mean they're not like Lloyd Evans (John Cedars) in being openly confrontational, I get that.

  But certainly the WT leadership would consider them apostates.
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  137

  Something interesting!

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i was invited to a small get-together by a long time friend.

  we both served as elders for years.

  he is in his late 70s.

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  Oubliette

  John, that is really interesting.
  

  It looks like a schism of sorts is in the works.

  I'm not surprised; actually I've wondered why this hasn't happened before. Well, apparently it has.

  The problem with something like this is the lack of a central doctrine or belief to keep any splinter group going.

  I'm reminded too of a statement by Ray Franz (I'm paraphrasing) that so often people that are disillusioned with the corruption and loss of direction by their own religion start a new one, unfortunately with "disturbing regularity" it generally turns into the very thing they tried to get away from.

  Please keep us posted.
  
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  80

  ANNOUNCEMENT CLIP ...2015 Annual meeting Sam Herd confirming what we knew a month ago about slow down and halt of worldwide construction

  by Watchtower-Free in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_h68ktwpim&feature=youtu.be.

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  Oubliette

  Classic propaganda. Orwell couldn't have done better.
  
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  30

  Pledge for Global Assistance Arrangement - $15 per publisher!

  by nmthinker in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  last night our congregation read a letter for the global assistance arrangement combined with the traveling overseer assistance arrangement.

  the "recommended" amount was $15 per publisher, which was well over $1000 for our hall.. it seemed steep.

  our congregation does not have this type of money.

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  Oubliette

  nmthinker: Pathetic, really. I will never give WTBS another dime of my money. I'll be giving it to orphans and widows, the needy of my family and the congregation.
  

  Good for you!

  nmthinker: Something doesn't add up.

  Yes it does: It's a cult!
  
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  16

  Another Scientist Misquoted - October 2015 Awake - Scientist Response

  by FadingTruth in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  october 2015 awake article writes:.

  this experiment led jeffrey h. schwartz, a professor of anthropology, to conclude that while adaptation may help a species survive under changing circumstances, it is not creating anything new.. email response from scientist to reddit user myxomatosis_.

  reddit user u/opinionmill pointed out in another thread that they've used the quote before:.

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  Oubliette

  Interesting. There is just so many things wrong with this religion, it's really mind-blowing!
  
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  41

  Talking with a young elder

  by biblexaminer in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  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.

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  Oubliette

  PS: Since you finally decided to respond directly to one of my posts from the first page of this thread, I gotta ask: Why did you choose to quote my response to Morpheus and not my first post which was directed to you?

  What exactly was the point you were trying to make? It's not very clear.

  Responding nicely to that could have avoided a lot of trouble.

  I'm just sayin' is all!
  
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  41

  Talking with a young elder

  by biblexaminer in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  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.

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  Oubliette

  You're funny, BE!

  I didn't make this about me; you did that.

  Your hypothetical situation about a rocket scientist is ironically interesting. Curious you should have chosen that.
  

  The summer before last, I spent two weeks at a teacher's institute at JPL-NASA in Pasadena. Each day's agenda included a number of different activities, often featuring lectures by scientists from any of the a wide range of fields related to robotic space exploration at NASA. Many of those scientists were what most would loosely call "rocket scientists."

  Although some of the lecturers were perhaps more engaging than others, all were very articulate and clear in discussing highly technical projects ranging from the Mars Rover missions to the Cassini flyby of Saturn. At the end of each session was an open Q&A. No matter what questions were asked (and keep in mind this was a room full of science teachers), all of the lecturers were always very gracious and forthcoming in offering additional explanations and clarification. It was apparent they loved what they did and were eager to share that enthusiasm with other.
  

  It was very informative and a lot of fun.
  
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  27

  Full 2015 Annual Meeting Program

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=plrw9u-n1z2m8peenfmbdxmvbdkum0ce1n.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uppgsfl6o5k.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9j8ivkmkvk.

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  Oubliette

  Ugh.

  Still, it's important that these things are leaked.

  Thanks for posting WiFi!!!
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  41

  Talking with a young elder

  by biblexaminer in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  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.

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  Oubliette

  BE, you could have simply clarified your point. But no, you chose to respond in a condescending, pedantic manner.

  You might think you were clear, but you were not. I find your writing abstruse and your prose opaque. For example:

  It was a general statement giving credit to the reader for the collective ability to discern the relativity of said point with respect of the foregone conclusions reached with the line of reasoning introduced.

  I suppose you think that is an example of good writing. It is not. I'm reminded of a well-known song by Carly Simon .... but I digress.
  

  Thankfully, Morpheus graciously clarified for you. Had you read my response to his post you would have known that I inferred the same message as he, but prefer not to make assumptions when something is not explicit.

  It's interesting that you choose to respond with an arrogant, snarky attitude rather than simply clarifying.

  I was considering apologizing for calling you an "asshole" since said you found that offensive, but will refrain as your response and continued pettiness provide abundant evidence that my initial assessment was accurate.
  

  Btw, there is an "e" on the end of my username. Spelling counts.
  
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  10

  I'm not religious I'm spiritual?

  by Joliette in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how do you guys feel when you hear people say this?

  whenever i tell people that i'm not religious, a humanist, they said i'm not religious either, i'm spiritual.

  i consider myself to be a humanist, and i can't tell you guys how happy i am being a humanist.

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  Oubliette

  The trouble is that the word "spiritual" means different things to different people.

  I'm an atheist, but consider myself spiritual. Although I am hesitant to use that word with most people because they usually mean all kinds of woo.

  You might enjoy Sam Harris' recent book:
  

  Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion