Posts by Island Man

62

Noah's ark once again. I hate beating a dead horse, but.

by James Mixon in

the altitude problem.

mt.

everest today is 29042 feet high and i know some will say it.

Island Man

I'm not sure if there really is an issue with lack of oxygen and the flood. I believe that if you cover the globe with water covering the highest mountains, then the atmosphere gets displaced upward. So you will still be at sea level floating in the ark - the sea would just have risen and the atmosphere would have risen with it. The atmosphere would get a bit thinner though, because having been displaced upward on the global sphere means that the same amount of gas is now spread over a greater circumference. But the difference would not be so great as to make breathing very difficult or impossible.

There are lots of things wrong with the flood story and which disprove it. But I don't buy the argument about the elevated altitude making it impossible breathe.

36

But where else should we go? Can you answer this question?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

having watched many jc youtube videos one question that gets asked is "where else would you go?".

in other words if not jehovah's witnesses then what other religion or organisation would you go to?.

it's one that i have trouble answering, what would you say?.

Island Man

I would respond by saying:

"Is that a question you thought up yourself; or are you just parroting a self-serving platitude that Watchtower has fed you to make themselves seem relevant and to manipulate you to continue as their hapless dependent and slave?

Maybe we don't have to go anywhere. Maybe we're still in the midst of the apostasy and there is no true organization at present, just as the org. teaches there was no true org. for centuries after the apostles died. Maybe we're still in the midst of the apostasy and all organized religions are false. They certainly all give evidence of being corrupt - including Watchtower. Revelation says to get out of them - but it doesn't say where to go, because maybe there isn't anywhere to go.

Go read 2 Thessalonians 2. Paul wrote that the apostasy will come and the man of lawlessness will be revealed who will be destroyed at Christ's presence. Paul gave no hint that there will be a restoration of organized true worship before the end comes. The bible seems to indicate that the apostasy will continue right down to the very end when the angels are sent to separate the wheat from the weeds during the great tribulation.

Watchtower talk of a restoration of organized true worship before the end, is nothing but self-serving propaganda designed to make the organization seem relevant and indispensable - to hook and enslave people to the organization."

532

I conclude evolution is guided

by KateWild in

your qualifications are way above mine so i'd love to hear more about the specifics of what you have researched and how that supports the existence of a deity.

k99, i am not really convinced that you're interested in my conclusions.

in nature amino acids formed to then form dna.

Island Man

Well your conclusion doesn't seem to be based on any real evidence. I mean, It's not like there aren't any credible, logical, natural explanations for the LH amino acid issue. I get the sense that you just want to believe there is a god and so you're using bias to see the LH amino acid issue as evidence for a god when it really isn't.

To me the whole issue of an all-powerful, super-intelligent God using guided evolution to create his designs makes about as much sense as using a Rube Golberg Machine to flip a light switch.

23

1914.... current significance?

by NeverKnew in

it seems that when i ask witnesses questions about 1914, they really don't understand the relevance to their message today.

i am told that they preach about the coming kingdom and that they don't preach a message of 1914. if a person doesn't understand 1914 then i can clearly see how showing them the inaccuracies of the doctrine wouldn't matter.

can we compile a list of ties 1914 has to their current beliefs?.

Island Man

1914 is perhaps the most convoluted piece of rubbish to ever come from the printing presses of Watchtower. I'm still surprised that Trinity-bashing JWs can't smell just how stink with falsehood, 1914 is.

15

Russia's Supreme Court shuts down Church of Scientology

by OrphanCrow in

russian church welcomes shutdown of "moscow church of scientology".

moscow, july 1, interfax - the russian orthodox church has welcomed a ruling by the russian supreme court which yesterday upheld the legality of a shutdown of the "church of scientology of moscow".

"the upholding by the supreme court of the legality of the shutdown of the so-called church of scientology is seen as an important precedent demonstrating the state's determination not to recognize as religious those organizations that use people's religious feeling for malign purposes, " russian orthodox church spokesman vakhtang kipshidze told interfax-religion.the ruling in the scientologists' case is not a breach of the religious freedom since "it was proved in court that the very activity of this organization is an affront to human freedom as such," kipshidze said.the russian orthodox church regularly comes into contact with people whose membership in totalitarian sects left them deeply wounded spiritually and mentally, ruined their lives and happiness, the spokesman said.

Island Man

Yet here we are 2,000 years later. We have the internet. We're more literate. And yet people still believe those myths and superstitions from 2,000 years ago. And new ones like scientology are growing.

Actually, the non-religious worldwide are growing, in large measure due to the growing availability of information on the internet. It will take some time for religion to retreat to a small minority. After all we didn't get to this stage over night, but over the course of thousands of years. I highly doubt scientology is growing in developed countries where there is ready access to information about the religion through the internet.

43

At a regional convention today....

by Nobodyspecial in

jw
friends

it really stands out to me just how phoney the bonds of forced brotherhood are.

the smiles are paper thin when they see each other in hotels.

the laughs forced.

Island Man

"The smiles are paper thin when they see each other in hotels. The laughs forced."

Many JWs exhibit a scripted, put-on kind of love and warmth that originates from a prideful need to prove to themselves and the world that they are true followers of christ. Watchtower constantly tells them that JWs are true christians and that true christians have love for one another, this causes many JWs to feel obligated to perform plastic smiles and plastic hugs to boastfully support the claim that JWs are true christians.

12

unemployed bethel art dept. personell surface.

by aintenoughwiskey in

my jadar lit up.

.

Island Man

Yes it's brimming with Watchcraft!

47

Is the Bible God's word? Help please.....

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

so real quick, i know this comes up now and then and i've looked over some of the posts from the past but here's the thing.. when i was a jw i drank all the cool aid, i was 100% and so i have all my own arguments (from the jw's) for why the bible is inspired.

i no longer believe this but i'd really like to read something that is pretty much 100% academic on this subject.

i want to read what scholars have to say about the authenticity of the bible and it's claim at being the inspired word of god.

Island Man

"To be fair, the bible is suppose to be symbolic in parts. Problem is which parts?"

Which parts? The parts that explicitly contradict [insert name of denomination]'s religious teachings.

75

JWs anti gay video reaches over 1,000,000 views on youtube

by alanv in

the anti gay video that watchtower recently produced has now had over 1,000,000 views.

of those who selected to like or dislike the video, over 92% disliked it.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnk52bu92oe.

Island Man

cofty, do you think freedom of speech means that a person should be able to publicly teach that tea made with Oleander leaves (deadly poison!) is a good remedy for the common cold, without facing any criminal charges?

Don't governments have a responsibility to protect their gullible, ignorant citizens? If govts have a responsibility to protect the physically weak from being harmed by others then they also have a responsibility to protect the intellectually weak from being harmed by others.

Freedom of speech is good as long as the speech does not hamper the freedom of life and wellbeing of others. Tell me what harm results from criminalising the public dissemination of ideas which are not provably true and which, when followed, result in the harm of others.

25

Beard's Coming to the Borg!

by DwainBowman in

wt sept study edition, page 17, paragraph 17!

.

Island Man

I have an idea: Do a survey!

Do a survey in your area where you go around to businesses asking the managers their view on having a modest, neatly groomed beard. Do they think it's acceptable, or do they think it sends the wrong message or is unprofessional.

If the survey overwhelmingly shows that businessmen are accepting of modest, neatly trimmed beards, then you can use this survey as proof to your elders that modest neatly trimmed beards are not looked down on in your area and thus there is no basis for discouraging men in the congregation from having modest, neatly trimmed beards.

Or raise a shit-storm in the local press. Write an anonymous letter to the editor exposing this issue to the public. Get the public and the media involved. Get the public microscope focused on the congregation over this pharisaic issue. The elders will soon be growing their own beards to counteract the negative publicity!