Posts by Island Man

25

YPA change of picture

by dozy in

anybody got any idea why the cover picture on the young people ask book was changed?

they removed the picture of the boy bottom right & superimposed a different head.

maybe the guy got dfd or maybe it was to change it to an asian guy rather than 2 caucasians?

I think the most likely scenario is that he is now an ex-JW. Watchtower loves to stigmatize. They likely stigmatize as "spiritually unclean" any publication the production of which was contributed to by anyone that is now an ex-JW. Remember what happened to all the publications authored by Raymond Franz? When it's a photo appearance, they edit the person out of the photo.

There could also be legal concerns as well. A JW who disassociates might not want his picture to continue being featured in Watchtower literature, giving the impression that he is still affiliated with the organization. Some might threaten legal action if Watchtower does not remove their image from their literature.

50

The wonder of scientific research

by amicabl in

this has possibly been brought up before however here goes.. constant reference is made by many posters to scientific research as being the only way to prove something factual that would otherwise have to be taken on faith.

there actually seems to be "faith" in scientific findings.. my experience over many years is that most scientific research is fake.

nothing oftencomes of the big announcements made to raise more money.. money, prestige, pride, human error, suppositions etc., are rife amongst the scientific community.. i realise that there have been many advances over hundreds of years but humankind is in a mess, although very different to even a century ago.. the medical profession now has vaccinations for everything, antiviral drugs etc.

Island Man

"Most scientific research is fake".

You can't honestly believe that. You sound like Donald Trump. LOL.

14

which member of the GB would you like to see on here ?

by stan livedeath in

if any member of the gb were to turn apostate---and join this site-----who would you like it to be ?

and why ?.

and--least like--and why ?.

Island Man

Most like to see - David Splane. Why? Because he's the doctrinal guy and his defection and criticisim of Watchtower doctrine would do the most damage to Watchtower's claim of being The Truth.

Least like to see - Steven Lett. Why? Because he does far more damage to Watchtower as a member of the GB than he ever could as an apostate. He looks and speaks like a creepy, condescending cult leader. Let him stay with Watchtower to show them up as the creepy cult that they are. If he ever became apostate he would be a liability to the apostate community and could only stand to give credence to Watchtower's claim that apostates are "mentally diseased".

10

Excellent YouTube channel

by Are you serious in

a few days ago, thanks to someone's post on here (sorry i forgot who it was), i found an awesome youtube channel called theramintrees.

the videos this guy has made are amazing!

i'm sure others here have seen some of his videos.

Island Man

That's because the chap behind theramin trees is an exjw

No, he's not. I think you're confusing him with someone else.

27

''This good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth FULL STOP''- Matthew 24:14. JW ORG

by ThomasCovenant in

hi.

only just noticed on the jw borg home page that matt 24:14 is quoted with a full stop instead of a comma after the word earth then the closing quotation marks.. isn't that incorrect?.

Island Man

No, it's not incorrect. It's just a partial quote. Ideally, they should end it with ellipses (...) to indicate that it is just a partial quote. But it's not very unusual or unprecedented for famous sayings to be quoted partially with a full stop.

Partial quotes are made to highlight a particular phrase in support of a particular point, without the distraction of the rest of the text which is irrelevant to the point being made. The source of the quote is given so a reader can easily look it up and see the whole text.

My guess is that they quoted Matthew 24:14 partially just to make the point that [they believe] they're fulfilling the prophecy about the good news being preached. The rest of the text is irrelevant to that point. If the full quote were given then it would be less clear exactly which point they're making - that the end is coming; or that they're fulfilling the preaching of the good news of the kingdom; or both? Since they only wanted to make the clear point that they're preaching the good news they quoted only that part. IMHO it's a fair use of partial quotes.

Watchtower does engage in misleading partial quotes where inconvenient information directly related to the point they're making is omitted, but I don't think this is one of them.

43

How Many Witnesses Would Really Take Blood?

by minimus in

jw
friends

up until the very end, my mother refused blood.

it didn't matter if it was a blurred line or not, the bible says "no blood"!

i wonder if she was in the minority, in her thinking.

Island Man

The vast majority of JWs will take blood . . . the very day Watchtower comes out with new light saying that blood transfusions are ok.

10

Excellent YouTube channel

by Are you serious in

a few days ago, thanks to someone's post on here (sorry i forgot who it was), i found an awesome youtube channel called theramintrees.

the videos this guy has made are amazing!

i'm sure others here have seen some of his videos.

Island Man

Yes, his videos are among the best videos on the harmful psychology underpinning cults and religion in general.

I find the voice and graphics downright creepy.

Which I think is very fitting because religion is downright creepy.

22

Will they drink the Kool Aid?

by Hecce in

as you know the question regarding the “kool aid” is related to the tragic events at guyana and jim jones.

blind obedience and faith in this man resulted in a massive loss of lives.. sometimes we see the same pattern of blind obedience to the watchtower from the witnesses.

this could be on major items or small details.

Island Man

JWs have been drinking the kool aid for decades - ever since they started suicidally rejecting lifesaving organ transplants and blood transfusions in fanatical, unquestioning obedience to Watchtower.

18

Being Disfellowshipped + On-Going Cycle of Depression

by Cimarrona in

i've been disfellowshipped for six years, since i was 18. i struggle with depression and self-destructive habits (minor in comparison to the suicides, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior of others i've grown up with who have left or were too afraid to leave).

i'm fairly successful for my age - respected in my field, i have an extensive curriculum vitae of published writing, presentations, and other projects.

yet, i often feel worthless and unloveable.

Island Man

Hang in there, mountain woman, things will get better with time. Your parents telling you "this is what happens when one rejects Jehovah's organization" is an example of one of the symptoms of a cult. Cult leaders often implant in the minds of their followers the idea that they will face adverse circumstances and trials if they leave.

10

Random and unsafe conditions

by ironsnake656 in

one of the things that helped me in my awakening and fading process from jwland was something that i call "random failures".

let me explain it.

it happened like 4 years ago.

Island Man

You forgot something critical: human imperfection. JWs teach that perfection is only fully restored at the end of the thousand years. So people will be brought back from the dead in their imperfect state with their disabilities and weaknesses and they will be restored to perfection gradually as they continue to obey the new laws revealed in the new scrolls. But the physical building and restoring work will begin immediately after armageddon even while people are still imperfect so until the end of the thousand years there would still be the risk of accidents due to human imperfection that has not yet been eradicated completely. Thus safety equipment would still be needed.

I think the bigger problem is the teaching that human imperfection will be restored gradually after armageddon. This teaching paints Jehovah as an unfair god. The anointed, who proved faithful while enduring the same temptations and trials as those of the "other sheep", get their perfection restored immediately upon their resurrection to heaven, without having to endure a further probationary period to prove their faithfulness while in heaven. But the "other sheep" have to endure a long period of proving their faithfulness all over again in order to be restored gradually. This system is clearly not just. Why wouldn't the other sheep also be restored instantly upon resurrection? It makes no sense. Jehovah of the Jehovah's Witnesses is an unjust, irrational, pharisaic god.