Posts by gcc2k

61

What does your online handle mean?

by iiz2cool in

jw
friends

a few of us use our real names as our handles, but most of us use something else, such as a nickname or a variation of our real name.

iiz2cool - it was not my nickname (i really don't think i'm all that cool), but that of an old friend named mike prezelj.

i won't go into how he got the name, but it happened when we were all very high, and you had to be there to understand.

gcc2k

Absolutely nothing. I wanted a vague, meaningless handle so I couldn't be tracked down. :)

16

Hemopure

by Lee Elder in

biopure receives fda response to hemopure(r) marketing application .

cambridge, mass., aug. 1 /prnewswire-firstcall/ -- biopure corporation (nasdaq:.

bpur) announced today that the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) has.

gcc2k

gcc2k is referring to this page -- http://www.dirtclod.com/blood.html where it says that Hemoglobin-based blood substitutes are considered a "Personal Decision."

Correct, thanks for the link. Can you explain the origin and/or authoring of this document? Is it an official HLC document, identified with a special WT code like NB-411 or something like that? I've seen the media reports, but because they are from a secular source, many JWs will not accept them as authentic or authoritative.

16

Hemopure

by Lee Elder in

biopure receives fda response to hemopure(r) marketing application .

cambridge, mass., aug. 1 /prnewswire-firstcall/ -- biopure corporation (nasdaq:.

bpur) announced today that the u.s. food and drug administration (fda) has.

gcc2k

Thanks for the bump Blondie. Other than the document at dirtclod, I have not seen any official word from Brooklyn that this product is allowed (same for Polyheme). If anyone has additional information, please share.

47

Question to all JW

by JesusFreak88 in

.

what makes the watch tower organization the authority of the scriptures?

the bible does not say any thing about a watch tower.

gcc2k

Jesusfreak, they're goofing with you.

The word 'Watchtower' has been lost over the years through mis-translations, along with Blessed are the cheesemakers and other such insights.

Now look, I had a lovely supper, and all I said to my wife was, "that piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah."

Seriously, the WT claims authority (and is recognized as such by JWs) by virtue of its unique understanding of Bible principles, termed the "truth". Many JWs refuse to look elsewhere because they believe the WT uniquely holds the "truth" and will not even consider other organizations unless you can prove that they have the "truth".

12

The SOB Pedophile is out of Jail !!!

by Amazing in

jw
friends

you may recall the earlier accounts of my son-in-law's father, a lifelong jw, who was turned into the authorities for molesting a young girl.

nbc dateline was interested in the story and followed it for a time, but did not use it because the jw elders did not get involved.

the man's trial was postponed several times ... when caught he had lied to the police and then confessed to the police ... all admissible because the police dotted their "i's" and crossed their "t's" ... but, in a surprise move, he turned around and plead not guilty ... then in another turn around, he finally confessed in a plea bargain agreement.

gcc2k

BIRTHDAYS: You must read all three verses to see it but Job 1:3, 3:1 and 3:3 prove faithful Job's kids celebrated their days of birth, meaning birthdays.

I've read all three verses and still don't see it. Please explain your reasoning?

job 1:3: He had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.
job 3:1: After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth.
2: And Job said:
3: "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night which said, `A man-child is conceived.'

I applaud anyone who posts factual accounts, even if they prove the WT wrong, but I will call to task anyone who posts false or misleading information.

17

Pro UN Awake articles & NGO application forms

by Noumenon in

greetings - can anyone confirm for me whether these articles were officially submitted by the watchtower society to the un (to keep up their ngo membership), or did the un just use these articles and post them on their website without the society necessarily having officially submitted them?

i guess the wts had to have given their consent somehow, as a minimum.

what are the mechanics of proving one is upholding un ideals to renew their library card membership?

gcc2k

I personally wrote to the UN Librarian, Dana L. and received an email reply confirming that NGO status was not required for access to the UN library, and that policy had not changed since at least 1992. Since I'm not about to reveal my identity, that will not help any active witnesses, but feel free to repeat the effort. I have to say the UN is probably getting annoyed at all the extra work this issue has caused, in replying to witnesses worldwide. It would be simpler to release the WT's application for NGO status.

Again, I have to wonder, would that application be available under some freedom of information act? Or at least a blank copy of the application from the same year?

The link to the brazilian site has this blurb:

As it happens, it is not true. The WTS published a brochure in France which highlighted their work alongside the UN in Africa, pointing this out to try to add to their credibility. When an airplane crashed in Africa, owned by the UN and carrying JW missionaries, it was a matter of public record with the United States FAA. This was way more than a library card.

Does anyone know what brochure this is talking about, and/or the details of this plane crash?

22

UN/NGO issue quiz: How would you answer this JW apologist's comments?

by reporter in

gcc2k

The real proof is in the application itself. The UN, citing privacy reasons, will not release a copy of the paperwork on file, and the Society certainly won't. I wonder if those documents might be available under some kind of freedom of information act? I know that recently many cases which were thought to be sealed were ruled to be available, much to the dismay of the people mentioned therein :)

The other thing not mentioned is that the Society renounced NGO status ONLY after having been exposed in the media as being an NGO member. Also, the favorable articles written in recent Awake! magazines show that the Society was doing its best to prove that it was supporting the UN and maintain NGO status.

11

What if ... the Watchtower charged for books/magazines ???

by run dont walk in

i've been out of the borg for awhile, so help me out on this.. am i to assume that the watchtower went from charging for magazines to a donation system, simply because of paying taxes ???

didn't jesus say "return caesar's things to caesar".

so if the watchtower would of continued charging for magazines, so they would have had to pay a little tax, they still would have made a ton of money, and alot more then the donation system pulls in.

gcc2k

I was guessing you were referring to the Newsday piece, since no other hard numbers exist.

Where do you think Newsday is getting their figures from? Are they real? Estimated?

11

What if ... the Watchtower charged for books/magazines ???

by run dont walk in

i've been out of the borg for awhile, so help me out on this.. am i to assume that the watchtower went from charging for magazines to a donation system, simply because of paying taxes ???

didn't jesus say "return caesar's things to caesar".

so if the watchtower would of continued charging for magazines, so they would have had to pay a little tax, they still would have made a ton of money, and alot more then the donation system pulls in.

gcc2k

I've been told that the contributions/donations don't even come close to covering the cost of the literature, which is why the Society is trying to raise money in other ways.

Of course, it depends what "cost" is. If they are estimating the WT Library as being worth $75-100 as they did some years ago, they are grossly overinflating the cost.

There is nothing free about the literature and never will be. The word donation is merely a sales tax loophole used by the society. They're still one of the top 40 highest earning corporations in NYC and they're rivalled only by investment companies.

Can you substantiate that claim? I don't see how, since we have no insight into their real finances.

5

are JW's beliefs truly unique?

by gcc2k in

i'm sure someone has researched this, and if so perhaps you would save me some time.. a common jw reply when he/she is presented with problems that would seem to indicate that this cannot be "god's organization" is for him/her to say "but where else will i go?

who else has the truth?".

so, given a list of beliefs that are cornerstones of the "truth", what other religions share them?

gcc2k

I'm sure someone has researched this, and if so perhaps you would save me some time.

A common JW reply when he/she is presented with problems that would seem to indicate that this cannot be "God's organization" is for him/her to say "But where else will I go? Who else has the truth?"

So, given a list of beliefs that are cornerstones of the "truth", what other religions share them? I'll start a short list of beliefs that I would consider to be essential to "truth", taken mainly from the jw-media.org site. My guess is that many groups will have some of these beliefs, but no other religion will have all of them. I could be wrong.

God is not Jesus (no trinity)
Heavenly class vs earthly class (earth as a paradise)
Rejecting blood transfusions
Rejection of pagan holidays - Christmas, birthdays, etc
Actively preaching
Known for their love
Water baptism
Dead are conscious of nothing
Christians are no part of the world (reject politics, military roles)
Jesus had fleshly brothers

Thanks!