Posts by Island Man

96

This weeks #2 & #3 talk on homosexuality

by granada35 in

jw
friends

after a one year sucessful fade and no longer associated with any congreation, i was visiting my sister this week (who goes to the meeting to please her husband for now; i am slowly planting seeds though) and they decided to year this weeks midweek meeting via the telephone.

since i was a guest in her house, i sat with them in the living room to hear the meeting.

to my surprise (especially growing up as a gay jw with still alot of anger in my heart over how i was treated), the talks 2 and 3 where on, of course, homosexualiy.

Island Man

"the interlinear seems to say "soft men nor liers with males" wonder why the distinction if it both means homesexuals???"

Because "homosexual" is a modern terminology used in a broader way while in bible times the people distinguished between men who made themselves the recipient of acts of sodomy (without necessarily having homosexual lusts themselves) and men who did the actual penetrating in acts of sodomy. Perhaps, in bible times, there were male prostitutes who were not truly homosexual (not having the homosexual desire to sodomize others) but nonetheless served as paid recipients of acts of sodomy to satisy the desires of homosexual men. So because such a prostitute is not really a homosexual (although they would have been regarded as just as bad if not worse) the bible makes a distinction between them and those with the actual homosexual lusts. Because back then a 'soft man' may have been tempted to rationalize and justify himself by saying that because he's not doing any penetrating and does not have any homosexual desire, he's technically not as bad as a homosexual. 'Soft men' could also have been people who did not like being sodomized but did it anyway because they were desperately in need of money. And so they could have reasoned that they're not as bad as homosexuals who do the penetrating and have the lust. So it could be for this reason that the bible is careful to mention both so that 'soft men' don't think they're in the clear.

74

GB Doesnt Believe in 1914 Anymore My reasoning

by thedepressedsoul in

i have heard a lot of talk over the last year or so if the gb will eventually ditch 1914 and some have even made the claim that most, if not all of the gb do not believe in 1914. ive given this some thought and in the past i wasnt sure.

this annual meeting puts 100%, without a doubt in my mind that the gb do not believe in 1914. id even go as far to say that they talked about that date and have a game plan in mind.. here is why i feel this way:.

there were a lot of changes with the parables at this annual meeting.

Island Man

I think they'll eventually accept the 587 BCE date for the fall of Jerusalem and shift forward from 1914 to 1934.

Why do I say so? The 607 BCE start date is the most falsifiable aspect of the 1914 teaching since there's mountains of archaeological evidence pionting to 587 BCE. Everything else about the teaching is based on questionable, eisegetical interpretation of scripture, but cannot be definitively disproven (in the same way one cannot definitively disprove that there's an invisible pink elephant flying around a room).

1934 is actually better because, unlike October 1914, it leaves some time between Satan's being cast out and the start of WWII, which was far more destructive and worldwide in scope than WWI. The 1934 date will also buy them more time for their overlapping generation (but they would have to change to it soon, perhaps within the next 5 years). Also, changing it this way allows them to save some face because they can say that the biblically based method of determining the end of the gentile times still stands as being true - only Russel (who by the way is not a member of the Faithful and Discreet Slave) got the start date wrong.

65

Doctors and surgeons say no to blood transfusions

by Mr Negative in

my mum recently told me that even surgeons won't have blood transfusions, but the common people don't get told this.

i have also seen or heard others say that a bunch of doctors/health officials/surgeons were asked, at some point, if they would accept a blood transfusion and they all said no.

is this true?

Island Man

I think JWs who say this are taking the doctors and surgeons statements out of context.

These doctors and surgeons were speaking of situations where there are effective alternatives to blood. Blood transfusions do carry risks and so given a choice between a blood transfusion and a less risky alternative it makes sense to go with the alternative.

But these same doctors and surgeons would not fanatically refuse a blood transfusion in a life or death situation where there are no other alternatives.

JWs make fools of themselves when they speak of the risks associated with transfusions in life and death situations where there are no alternatives. Which patient in his right mind, facing almost certain imminent death, is going to refuse a life saving blood transfusion on the grounds that blood transfusions have some risks?

In life threatening situations requiring blood, the risk of dying without blood far outweighs the risks associated with blood transfusions. JWs make fools of themselves by denying this fact or being seemingly oblivious to it.

16

Chlostridium difficile infectiion...

by titch in

i suppose that this question falls under the topic of "personal experiences.

" so, i have a question for the members of the site: has anyone had any experience with a malady called "chlostridium dificille infection"?

either yourself personally, or a relative or a friend?

Island Man

Faecal transplant? Is that what it sounds like?

24

Recent WatchTower article about Witch Hunting

by EverApostate in

jw
friends

this is about an article in may 2014 awake that was published about witch hunting.

it is a 2 page article on how evil the catholic and protestant inquision was, how wickedly they killed the witches and so on.. .

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102014166.

Island Man

"...forbid us to kill apostates , even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship."

What! Am I seeing correctly, or was that Watchtower acticle not insinuating that those related to apostates would have greater justification/right to kill them?

What a sick, perverted cult!!

128

900 Top Scientists Sign Statement Skeptical of Macro-Evolution

by Perry in

we are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural .

selection to account for the complexity of life.

careful examination of the .

Island Man

cofty:

Serious questions Perry.

How many books writen by pro-evolution scientists have you read? Which ones?

Could you explain natural selection in your own words?

What examples of genetic evidence for evolution can you explain? What are ERVs and how do they provide evidence of common ancestry?

How does human chromosome 2 prove that we share a common ancestor with primates?

Please explain about ALU elements and how they can be used to confirm our species' descent.

What do you know about ubiquitous molecules like Cytochrome C? Can you explain how a comparison of amino acid sequences confirms common descent and realtionships betwene species? Now can you do the same by comparing nucleotide sequences?

Can you name some of the major fossils that demonstrate transitions between major animal groups? What fossils show the development of limbs for example?

Where were the fossil sequences found that display the entire transistion from land mammal to whale?

If you could answer the above succinctly in your own words that would demonstrate you are at least qualified to hold an opinion about evolution.

Ha ha ha! Cofty your questions to Perry are reminiscent of Jehovah's questions to Job at Job 38 and 39! There's a lovely irony to it - an "evolutionist" emulating Jehovah's style of questioning ignorant Job, to show a creationist that he is unqualified to discredit evolution given that he is ignorant of much of the critical information on the subject. Was that deliberate, cofty? It certainly is genious!

Don't feel to badly Perry. I was once like you, ignorant, believing that evolution is "just a theory" for which there is no evidence. I believed that because I listened only to what creationist sources had to say on the subject of evolution - particularly Watchtower. It was only when I made the decision to objectively examine what scientific sources say on the subject of evolution that I came to realize how misled and ignorant I was. I came to see the false reasoning and dishonesty in the arguments of creationist sources. There truly is a lot of evidence in support of evolution. Creationist claims to the contrary are simply false. Most if not all creationist arguments are old and long debunked - but you wouldn't know that if you limit your reading to just creationist sources. Here's some wise advice from the bible that you need to apply to the subject of evolution:

"When anyone is replying to a matter before he hears [it], that is foolishness on his part and a humiliation." - Proverbs 18:13, NWT

When creationists criticize evolution before they hear all the important facts and evidence for it from scientific sources, they show themselves up as being ignorant buffoons criticizing something they know little about.

" The first to plead his case seems right, Until another comes and examines him." - Proverbs 18:17, NASB

To religious people who are first exposed only to the creationist side of the argument, the creationists' anti-evolution position seems legit . . . until someone decides to research the subject of evolution from the evolutionists' standpoint. Then he comes to see that the creationists' position is actually fraught with error and deception - quote mining, fallacious arguments and outright lies.

66

Walking Dead, evidently a hit show

by nonjwspouse in

not my cup o tea for sure, but i found out my nephew is a regular zombie on the show.. anyone here like the show?

i'm kinda afraid to even watch it ...my imagination is a bit to active.. .

.

Island Man

"I Am Legend" with Will Smith is great! It was the first modern Zombie movie I watched while waking up from JW propaganda about demonic movies. The most exciting/frightening part of the film, the first time I watched it, was when his dog ran into the dark building filled with zombies and he went in with his flashlight . . . man, that was an adrenaline high!

I think there is something about Zombies that touch the human psyche in a very deep visceral way. I think it has to do with a combination of the human fascination with death and dead bodies and the depiction of the human body as a gruesome, unthinking, uncaring, feral danger. It combines death with dehumanization to create a monster that challenges our notion of what is to be expected of a human form.

9

Why do I keep reading here about a new "10 Hour Pioneer" arrangement?

by RubaDub in

there seems to be several discussions about a new 10 hour pioneer arrangement that was susposedly announced at the 2014 annual meeting.. i even called a couple who usually get invited each year and they said that there was nothing like that mentioned.

they just mentioned the "new" stuff had to do with the jw tv thing, the language app, the changes regarding gog of magog, the talents, the virgins, etc.

but absolutely nothing about 10 hour pioneers.. rub a dub.

Island Man

I think it's possible that the 10-hour pioneer rumor was deliberately leaked by the governing body. Maybe they want to run the idea by JWs unofficially to see what the rank and file think about it before deciding if to implement it.

66

Walking Dead, evidently a hit show

by nonjwspouse in

not my cup o tea for sure, but i found out my nephew is a regular zombie on the show.. anyone here like the show?

i'm kinda afraid to even watch it ...my imagination is a bit to active.. .

.

Island Man

The Walking Dead is great! But you need to start from the beginning. Yes, it does have some gore but you do get used to it. I think the zombies on The Walking Dead are probably the best ever to grace the screen. Not only do they look dreadful, they also make a dreadful gasping gutteral sound. George Romero must be so jealous.

It might help if you watched another less gory zombie movie first, like the original 1968 version of 'Night of the living dead'. Then you can watch 'Dawn of the Dead' (2005 version). Then you can Watch '28 weeks later' which has unconventional running zombies.

But hey, I'm a fan of zombie movies - good ones. There's something about them that I find intriguing - the mindless, hideous look of the zombies; the suspenseful peril that the characters are in when a horde of zombies are surrounding them; the sudden, frightful introduction of a zombie in a scene with the character(s) having to desperately fight to survive; the threat of infection from a single zombie bite; the dark, post-apocalyptic atmosphere they're usually set in, etc. Other horror movies just can't compare.

4

Where and How HIV infections (Aids) spread to Humans

by fulltimestudent in

from the time that hiv infections came to the notice of the medical community, scientists have been attempting to trace its origins.. .

an electron microscope scan of a huv-1 virion budding from a cultured lymphocyte.

if the above process was occurring in your body, you would be in for a lot of problems.. the latest research conclusions are that the first cases occurred around the year 1920, in the african city of kinshasa, now captital of the democratic republic of congo.. scientists have been able to track at least 13 transmissions from apes to humans, but only one transmision involved the hiv-1 virus group that has resulted in some 75 million human infections to this time.. the team of scientists involved in this study see the following factors being involved in the development of the pandemic.

Island Man

Same place that gave us Ebola too?

Damn.

Yes. And also the same place that has given us the most evil scourge to wreak havoc on the face of the earth - Humans.

I suppose the very rich bio-diversity of the forests of Africa also means a rich bio-diversity of viruses meaning there are bound to be a number of deadly viruses lurking there as well.