"do jws use toilet paper?
"are witnesses allowed to swim in the ocean?".
"can sisters wear the color red since it signifies harlotry?
All right, all right, all right..........I've thought about it and I'm being too cold and cutting in this thread (and a couple others). Although I just can't understand certain things that go on in the noodle of some people I am being a little too polemical. Excuse my bad mannerlyness while I go take a walk.
My apologies.
Bradley
"do jws use toilet paper?
"are witnesses allowed to swim in the ocean?".
"can sisters wear the color red since it signifies harlotry?
Gumpy,
do you think you weren't intelligent BEFORE you turned 24?
Yes, I think I was intelligent before. When I turned 17 I got baptised and soon absorbed myself in personal study. For the next four years I learned the in's and out's of the Society (as much as a faithful JW could at that age) as well as the Bible. I felt I needed to know the reasons for my faith. Questions like "are the 2,520 years of Daniel solar years (365 days) or prophetic years (360 days)?" were things I tackled. I couldn't understand how my peers -- and practically everyone else in the congregation -- could just "go with the flow" when it came to what we were learning and preaching. It was inconceivable to me at the time, and I still feel this way.
I guess everyone is different. That doesn't mean one way isn't better than the next, though.
Bradley (hiding under the table just waiting for the storm to pass)
"do jws use toilet paper?
"are witnesses allowed to swim in the ocean?".
"can sisters wear the color red since it signifies harlotry?
Outnfree,
I'm glad you found your way out.
Bradley
"do jws use toilet paper?
"are witnesses allowed to swim in the ocean?".
"can sisters wear the color red since it signifies harlotry?
Little Toe,
Woman, I just do not understand you.No, you don't do you. Hmm maybe there's a pattern developing...
No, not really. I addressed my comments to Xena and that says nothing of my relations with anyone else.
Most people that start "stupid question" threads are not hurting emotionally.And your evidence for that statement, beyond your own self-determined opinion?...
It's just an observation, one I still feel is true. You feel I am wrong?
If I were someone who claimed to believe and practice such a system -- a religion that claimed the stakes were so high! -- then I would want to be as informed as I possibly could. That's what I did.Now we're getting there!
That's what you did, hence everyone else must think and reason like you do.
So, you believe that someone who goes through such a system and dedicates their life to it and does not try and understand it -- is that the mark of intelligence? Think about it; that's what you are implying. I'm not making a moral judgement on people like that -- hell, it's a system of worship I no longer agree with. Plus, people can change and/or enhance their thinking ability. I'm not sure if you read all the threads leading up to this statement or noticed the context in which it was made. Really, we're arguing a moot point.
Bradley, to be frank (not Frank), you have proved yourself a reet antagonistic wee meppan!
Is there something wrong with being an antagonist? Some great people throughout history have been antagonists. There is something to be said for such a quality, imho.
I don't like seeing lassies feelings getting hurt, at the best of times, far less good friend's.
I would seriously suggest (and it is only a suggestion, for your own good and that of others) that you adjust your manners.
Lassies Anyway -- my comment at Xena was made in partial jest. Was she overly "whiney" at the moment? I think so. A little rough humor is what people need sometimes (myself included).
Bradley
how long can a forum last before every topic has been discussed at least once?
new people come to the forum with new opinions, changing the forums dynamic, but there is a point when everything has been discussed and some members have seen all there is to see.
i suspect this happens faster on a forum with a focus like the jw experience (versus a general forum) because there is only so much to discuss about jws and the wtbts.
This forum lasted a long time, but eventually...
Bradley
i keep saying i am going to start a thread on this topic so here goes.... what, if anything, is always morally wrong?
murder, rape, incest?
how much do you think your belief, or lack thereof, in a higher power influences your opinion?.
Orbiting the Sun,
Not to many people listen to "God" when God says to do something against their personal nature. So if the person is a monogamous person, he/she will probably ignore God unless he/she is a devout Christian. Just like most people fornicate--against God's mandate--unless they are devout Christians. So my hypothesis is that nothing would change.
That reminds me: if you are ever open to fornicating just let me know, okay? Bradley
let me start out by saying that i would like nothing better than to see the society totally disappear one day and lose its controlling grip upon its members.
this forum is probably one of the most frequented sites for doubting jws and lurkers so i think it is important to be as skilled at combating the witnesses as is possible.
not every argument made against someone or something is a good one.
Euphemism,
Thanks. You said:
As a side note, I can't help noting that Logan felt obligated to justify pointing out logical fallacies, by showing that it actually works to improve our efforts against the WTS in the long run. As if truth needed any justification. Not that I'm blaming Logan... but if he hadn't included the disclaimer, and hadbeen attacked as a pro-WTS apologist, that would have been a pretty sad demonstration of groupthink.
Very true. And, indeed it is my intention to try and refine our arguments against the Society as much as possible for the purpose of trying to battle against it. Is it any wonder that one of the reasons why everyone feels Ray Franz's Crisis of Conscience was so valuable to them is it's honesty and lack of personal attacks? Rarely does Franz engage in emotionalism or ad hominems in his book -- something many of us can learn from.
Bradley
i keep saying i am going to start a thread on this topic so here goes.... what, if anything, is always morally wrong?
murder, rape, incest?
how much do you think your belief, or lack thereof, in a higher power influences your opinion?.
Yerusalim
When God said, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, etc, those were moral absolutes.
Let's tackle a hypothetical question. What if God said that, from now on, murder and adultury were not sins-- that He commanded that you do these things to as many people that you can find. Is that wrong? Why or why not?
Bradley
"do jws use toilet paper?
"are witnesses allowed to swim in the ocean?".
"can sisters wear the color red since it signifies harlotry?
Gumpy,
So you think an inteligent person would always know Organisational and doctrinal teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Well, I don't like to take an absolutistic stand on much of anything. But, let me say this: First, we are talking about someone who was going along with the JW belief system; being baptised, believing it and all. If I were someone who claimed to believe and practice such a system -- a religion that claimed the stakes were so high! -- then I would want to be as informed as I possibly could. That's what I did.
Bradley
i keep saying i am going to start a thread on this topic so here goes.... what, if anything, is always morally wrong?
murder, rape, incest?
how much do you think your belief, or lack thereof, in a higher power influences your opinion?.
dr wtson (from now on I'm just calling you Dr. Watson, kay?),
you said:
But weren't you still forced to do something immoral? Even though that something was less immoral than the destruction of an entire planet?
In a way. But, then we we have to redefine the word "immoral." Is causing a child pain immoral? Well, if so then giving him or her vaccinations is immoral since the needle will doubtless make them cry. My definition of what is ethical/moral and what is not is on the lines of John Stewart Mill and his brand of utilitiarianism: whatever causes the greatest good for the greatest number of people while causing the least harm is the correct thing to do.
Bradley
