Posts by DJS

141

Schoolyard bully mentality

by FusionTheism in

i'm not naming names, but i just want to encourage people on here or on reddit or twitter, and tell you that you do not have to tolerate people who act like schoolyard bullies in the way they speak to you online.

i think anonymity is a big part of it.

they feel like there is zero accountability so they can be a bully all they want.. i recommend just ignoring or blocking anyone who is verbally abusive or treats you like schoolyard bullies treated you.. life is way too short to spend any time dealing with those kinds of people..

DJS

FT,

Of course I'm not saying that. No one should be bullied. But there are times, as others have pointed out, that what you and other theists view as bullying is hurtful only because you can't respond in a rational manner with evidence. And FT, the bible isn't rational nor is it evidence - other than for the atheists' views.

Sometimes you and other theists are bullied and some comments are un-called for; I agree. Of course there are intelligent theists and theists who have done great things and stupid, immoral atheists. But these types of debates about atheist/theist morality and intelligence began by theists routinely posting that atheists were baby killing, god hating, soul-less, unethical, lying, cheating whores. We pushed back. Hard. And we have the evidence to prove otherwise.

I use sarcasm at times (talking about slow moving zombie theists, for example), but everyone on this site knows I am using sarcasm and humor to make points. As a newbie you may not have understood that. That's how I'm drawn.

I have lots of theist friends I would die for; they are smart and decent and educated.

141

Schoolyard bully mentality

by FusionTheism in

i'm not naming names, but i just want to encourage people on here or on reddit or twitter, and tell you that you do not have to tolerate people who act like schoolyard bullies in the way they speak to you online.

i think anonymity is a big part of it.

they feel like there is zero accountability so they can be a bully all they want.. i recommend just ignoring or blocking anyone who is verbally abusive or treats you like schoolyard bullies treated you.. life is way too short to spend any time dealing with those kinds of people..

DJS

FusionTheism,

Other than one of your first OPs, where you friend chastising us, your OPs have consistently been moderate, for an x-tian. You typically use the word 'suggestion' and try to avoid dogmatic preaching. Thank you for that. However, the sheer volume of your OPs about jesus/god/bible and at times appearing to be a JW apologist, for a newbie, is obviously going to catch a lot of unwanted attention.

You should have known that. In addition, although your tone is moderate, you cite scripture and other x-tian teachings in a manner that these are edict, confirmed, truth. That's gonna get you in a lot of hot water on this site, as it should.

I have avoided almost all of your OPs out of respect and based on your moderate tone. Again, thank you. But those who came before you and are still in your midst - illustrated by today's news and historical accounts presented for your enjoyment - are really the rest of the story. You can't hide behind bully/victim as if your beliefs and how they have been practiced occur in a vacuum. Lurkers are smart enough to understand that.

141

Schoolyard bully mentality

by FusionTheism in

i'm not naming names, but i just want to encourage people on here or on reddit or twitter, and tell you that you do not have to tolerate people who act like schoolyard bullies in the way they speak to you online.

i think anonymity is a big part of it.

they feel like there is zero accountability so they can be a bully all they want.. i recommend just ignoring or blocking anyone who is verbally abusive or treats you like schoolyard bullies treated you.. life is way too short to spend any time dealing with those kinds of people..

DJS

Yes, that schoolyard bullying mentality makes me want to vomit too:

June 10, 2015: Christian Evangelist Franklin Graham has sparked an angry Facebook debate about gay rights when he announced he is pulling all of his organization's millions out of Wells Fargo accounts in response to the bank's recent ad campaign featuring a lesbian couple.

"Have you ever asked yourself--how can we fight the tide of moral decay that is being crammed down our throats by big business, the media, and the gay & lesbian community?" Graham wrote in a Facebook post on June 5. "At the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, we are moving our accounts from Wells Fargo to another bank."

Apparently Mr. Graham is A-OK with lesbians and gays being treated as second or third class citizens; after all, his death god that he loves so much is going to destroy these people. Moral decay? Graham has the morals of a monster - his god and his god's son. Crammed down throats? Really? 99.9999999999999999% of every ad ever made includes heteros. Not lesbians or gays.

42

I need help with this one. What do you think I should do?

by Quarterback in

jw
friends

my wife is pleasant and easy to get along with.

she is also helpful to many.

lately, however, there is a jw sister who some are curious about has befreinded my wife.

DJS

Rebel8: "Have your wife slip some fake bugs onto her shoulder where the other sista's hand usually lands.

Have your wife place some dried milk flakes on her scalp. When the sista touches her, she should shake her head vigorously. It will rain "dandruff"."

Now that's just wrong. Not JUST wrong. That's wrongety wrong.

65

Now Even JW Men Are Going To Die At The Big A

by OneFingerSalute in

so this weekend there was a part about not following jesus at a distance.

the speaker made a big point of stating that any baptized jw male who was not either appointed ms/elder, or at the very least "reaching out" actively, was in fact following jesus at a distance.

he said that the only way to live through the big a was to follow jesus closely.

DJS

Cults eat their own. They also circle the wagons when stressed. This smacks of both. The Dark Lords are having to juggle presenting a 'balanced' non-cultish view to the general public while doubling down on its members at the same time.

Any male that is successful enough to afford his own Internet account (or smart enough to use Starbucks') is going to avoid the Dark Tower; that isn't going to change in like, forever. The Dark Lords have to know this. The only option is to shame, emasculate and humiliate its male members into performing. And that's a time honored method to ensure none of them will be able to get it up. I suppose the next step from the Dark Lords is pointing and laughing.

26

Does Bruce Jenner (Caitlyn) qualify for Baptism?

by John Aquila in

im not sure if bruce had a sex operation but lets say someone did have a sex operation and then studied with the witnesses and wanted to get baptized, would he qualify in todays jw world?

could he have privileges?

the bible says the past cant be held against you, once you accept the truth.

DJS

Nicolau,

"I'm so happy not to be giving a sh*t about that sort of nasty, judgemental nonsense anymore."

The best statement today. Thank you. Exactly how I feel.

14

Are they banning college again?

by thedepressedsoul in

i wasn't alive for this but my parents and many old timers told me that at one point it was pretty much a rule that you couldn't go to college.

some of you may remember that from that time.

over time they relaxed that rule to that you did what you had to do in order to provide for yourself.

DJS

Since it is ultimately a conscience matter, they can't really 'ban' it. But as we all know, they are the masters of making rules out of conscience matters. Of course they want to ban college; if these evil men got wind that high school educated people are leaving or avoiding their nasty little cult they would start banning high school.

I've said this many times. The only thing required to Believe is to Feel. Thinking, acquiring Knowledge and additionally requiring Evidence often leads one to leaving religion and god behind, as another current OP suggests. It certainly leads to leaving this nasty, vile cult behind. And they know it.

It isn't rocket science. Everything that comes into existence fights for its survival, from a human to an ant to an organization. Their survival depends on keeping the rank and file dumb, stupid, un or under-educated and relying on their bias confirming nonsense spewed forth on a regular basis at strictly controlled meetings and in pathetically written articles.

And appealing to Emotions and Feelings.

11

Top Five Things...

by FusionTheism in

jw
friends

what are the top 5 things you hate most about the jw organization and top 5 things you like most?

DJS

Things I hate:

1 - 5: The Dark Lords' evil, oppressive control of the sheep that includes destroying individual ambition, achievement and conscience, pits brother against brother in a never-ending pharisaical stream of worthless and damaging rules and near-rules for no reason other than to use peer pressure to maintain control (and at the same time knowing full well of the carnage they are causing in the process), destroying the individual by creating an environment where not going along routinely leads to depression, suicide and other dysfunctions, and the destruction of families by their evil shunning policies.

Things I Like:

1 - 5: Nothing

28

Education makes you leave God

by FusionTheism in

quote from the watchtower, simplified edition, september 2015, "how can we show that we love jehovah?".

higher education often makes them lose their love for god..

DJS

FT,

What we feel, think or believe doesn't really matter. Empirical evidence suggests that smart people tend to be less religious and less likely to believe in god. Educated people tend to be less religious and less likely to believe in god. And smart, educated people? Duh.

Most of the recent scientific studies have found a negative correlation between I.Q. and religiosity. On the individual level, the education level is positively correlated with a belief in a God in African countries (for now, at least), and negatively correlated in Western countries.

It's called evolution.

15

Do we have a "spiritual need"?

by LexIsFree in

so this is only my second post but its about something that has been on my mind for awhile now.

have any of you ever felt the need to pray or speak to a higher power?

do any of you beleive that we were created or have evolved with a "spiritual need"?

DJS

No and No. Other OPs have stressed the non-religious/god aspects of 'spirituality', such as enjoying the beauty of nature, the warmth of family and friends, or appreciation for great art, music, etc.

I definitely would classify myself as 'spiritual' in the secular definition of the meaning. Having said that, spirit and spiritual are nothing more than a self induced emotional state based on internal and external stimuli. Contributing factors include memories, thoughts, experiences, nurture (how we were raised and our culture), nature (DNA) and our current mental, physical and emotional state.

Externalities contribute as well, such as being caught up in the moment at a sporting event or during a church service, for example, or the aforementioned nature, art, movie, music, etc.

That's all it is. Until someone presents evidence to the contrary (and really, people, after 100,000 years of human existence don't you think that would have already occurred if there was something unseen/supernatural?), that's all it is.