I think the recent changes to the concept of how the WBTS was appointed as the F&DS to focus on 1919 rather than the period between 1914 and 1919 to essentially remove Charles Haze Russell from the succession was designed to dilute the influence of Russell to deflect criticisms that he was a nutter with a fascination for pyramids, a point that is made well in Don's book. I think Don points out that if Russell was a JW today he would be df'd for all the beliefs he had that are contrary to current doctrine.
Frazzled UBM
JoinedPosts by Frazzled UBM
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24
From Captives of a Concept: Gods Prophet, Hypocrisy and Propaganda used to control.
by Jon Preston ini teresting info from caltives of a concept....i cannot express how fantastic this book has been and i highly recommend it.
the first thing i found to be huge.
(because the society trues to explain it away so well):.
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Bizarre exchange with witness after being away for a year..
by Dis-Member ini few moments ago i received a strange text message.
it read:.
russian government is opening a case on banning our jw.org website in russia.
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Frazzled UBM
I am also confused about how asking a series of questions is harrassment. Once she said she didn't want to hear from him again he didn't persist after sending a sign-off message reminding her that she had initiated the contact. It is a stretch to construe this as harrassment.
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Bizarre exchange with witness after being away for a year..
by Dis-Member ini few moments ago i received a strange text message.
it read:.
russian government is opening a case on banning our jw.org website in russia.
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Frazzled UBM
I see nothing wrong with Dis-member posing challenging questions particularly when she initiated teh contact. Maybe it would not result in a light-bulb moment but why should Witnesses be allowed to sit undisturbed in their comfortable bubble of delusion without challenge?
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From Captives of a Concept: Gods Prophet, Hypocrisy and Propaganda used to control.
by Jon Preston ini teresting info from caltives of a concept....i cannot express how fantastic this book has been and i highly recommend it.
the first thing i found to be huge.
(because the society trues to explain it away so well):.
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Frazzled UBM
you can buy it on Amazon as well
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From Captives of a Concept: Gods Prophet, Hypocrisy and Propaganda used to control.
by Jon Preston ini teresting info from caltives of a concept....i cannot express how fantastic this book has been and i highly recommend it.
the first thing i found to be huge.
(because the society trues to explain it away so well):.
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Frazzled UBM
I found Captives of a Concept interesting. I think some of the doctrinal changes the GB has made recently were an attempt to shore up some of the criticisms levelled at them in Captives of a Concept.
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UK Family Law re child custody where one parent is a JW and the other is not
by Frazzled UBM infor those who are interested i came across this case relating to a dispute about how much exposure a jw parent could give her child to the jw'religion'.
the case is interested because it shows how much weight the courts put on freedom of religion and the right for a parent to expose the child to their religion provided the religion is 'socially acceptable' while also being mindful of the impact on the child's welfare.
i think the judgement is quite naive in its assessment of the potential harm and spends to much time concentrating on blood issues and birthdays and christams and not enough on the wbts techniques for recruiting and manipulating members while they are vulnerable children.
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Frazzled UBM
I would argue that the WBTS is not a religion but an Orwellian publishing organisation perpetuating itself by selectively using quotes from the Bible to control and manipulate its members to distribute more of its propaganda. That may seem like an extremist view but I think I could argue thart case based on the evidence. Unfortunately the law is moving in the opposite direction with Scientology now recognised in the UK as a religion. BoE - I agree the judiciary is not well placed to express views in this area - they seem to exhibit a certain amount of naivety about so-called religions which are in fact cults. It is remarkable that here we are in the 21st century and cults can still operate with impunity despite it being well-known how harmful they are. The approach seems to be that people should be free to become victims of cults.
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Peace In The Middle East - It's a comin'
by scotoma infrom the un news centre (with breaking news from the un news service).
un officials hope observance of international year will lead to israeli-palestinian peace16 january 2014 the united nations today launched the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, with senior officials urging that the observance be used to redouble efforts to achieve a durable peace between israel and palestine.. the coming year will be crucial to achieving the two-state solution, deputy secretary-general jan eliasson said in his remarks to the un general assemblys committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the palestinian people.. mr. eliasson said israeli and palestinian negotiators are working hard towards a peaceful, comprehensive settlement of all permanent status issues.
that means a settlement that ends the occupation that started in 1967 and which would end the conflict.. it also means securing an independent, viable and sovereign state of palestine living alongside a secure state of israel, where each side recognizes the others legitimate rights, he added.. the secretary-general and i urge all in the international community to work together to translate the solidarity and desire for peace expressed on this occasion into positive action for security and for justice.. last november, the general assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2014 as the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, and requested the committee to organize activities around the observance.. general assembly president john ashe told todays meeting that he hoped the year leads to robust support for the people of palestine.
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Frazzled UBM
scotoma - I admire your optimism. I think characterising what I said as the past=the future is a gross over simplification. I was not saying the prospect of peace is absolutely doomed - just giving an indication of how difficult it will be. I live in the region during the first Intifadah and there was great hope that this would lead to real progress between the Isaraelis and Palestinians but the Israelis derailed the whole process by completing undermining the PLO's legitimacy to negoatiate on behalf of Palestinians which led inexorably to the rise of Hamas and the polarization of the two sides. Compared to then the parties are a lot further apart. It may happen but it won't happen in a year and there will be lots waxing and waning. If the US were not so supportive of Israel and had not turned a blind eye to Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories, much more progreess may have been made before. The Zionist lobby continues to exert too much influence in US politics.
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For Some People, The World Is Always Ending
by Bangalore infor some people, the world is always ending.
http://thoughtcatalog.com/jeff-dinnell/2013/01/for-some-people-the-world-is-always-ending/.
bangalore.
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Frazzled UBM
I think believing the world will end (or Armageddon will come) in one's own life time is the ultimate exercise in narcissism
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Peace In The Middle East - It's a comin'
by scotoma infrom the un news centre (with breaking news from the un news service).
un officials hope observance of international year will lead to israeli-palestinian peace16 january 2014 the united nations today launched the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, with senior officials urging that the observance be used to redouble efforts to achieve a durable peace between israel and palestine.. the coming year will be crucial to achieving the two-state solution, deputy secretary-general jan eliasson said in his remarks to the un general assemblys committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the palestinian people.. mr. eliasson said israeli and palestinian negotiators are working hard towards a peaceful, comprehensive settlement of all permanent status issues.
that means a settlement that ends the occupation that started in 1967 and which would end the conflict.. it also means securing an independent, viable and sovereign state of palestine living alongside a secure state of israel, where each side recognizes the others legitimate rights, he added.. the secretary-general and i urge all in the international community to work together to translate the solidarity and desire for peace expressed on this occasion into positive action for security and for justice.. last november, the general assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2014 as the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, and requested the committee to organize activities around the observance.. general assembly president john ashe told todays meeting that he hoped the year leads to robust support for the people of palestine.
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Frazzled UBM
At first I thought the OP was being facetious but then I saw you are taking this seriously...seriously?...there have been so many false dawns on Palestinian-Israeli peace it is very very hard to take a prediction that it will happen this year seriously. There are so many intractrable issues - the status of Jerusalem being the biggest - that it would be impossible to achieve in one year. The Palerstinians have been screwed so badly by the Israelis (in collarboration with the US) for so long, why would they trust any proposal the Israelis put forward now...
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Jesus did not take the 'two witness' rule literally. He was concerned with the overall evidence.
by yadda yadda 2 inat first glance, jesus appears to strictly support the two witness rule here:.
john 8:16-18 but if i do judge, my decisions are right, because i am not alone.
i stand with the father, who sent me.
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Frazzled UBM
Islamic law (Sharia) also has the two witness rule - I wonder if the WBTS knows it is a bedfellow of Islamic fundamentalism