Posts by Syme

8

Did Jesus and Gautama Buddha preach a similar message?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

there are many similarities in the stories attached to both the buddha (the one born in lumbini, nepal) and jesus, even though buddha lived in the 6th c/bce and jesus in the 1st c/ce.

this video compares some aspects of their teachings.. the text attached to the video states:.

buddha searched for the truth.

Syme

Of course there are a lot similarities.

Mind as well the supernatural similarities with Mithras, Horus, Attis and other 'gods' of the time, such as the "Virgin birth", birth in the winter solistice and, of course, resurrection.

As for the moral teachings, a historical person with striking resemblance in their teachings is Socrates, who died 400 years before Jesus was born. It's worth a look.

I used to believe that the gospel of Matthew ALONE was a PROOF of the Bible's divinity! I thought that no other human EVER, could possibly think of the incredible teachings that were laid there. That was before I looked at the same (but OLDER, and maybe superior) teachings of men like Buddha and Socrates. And I'm sure there are other teachers as well with similar teachings that I'm not yet familiar with.

It's hard for a religious introctrinated person to look objectively at the life of his 'god' in a historical context, but it's more beneficial than ignorance.

20

Have you noticed the JW child who........?

by Phizzy in

have you seen the jw child who grows up to be the ideal product of the cult from its point of view, and presumably from its indoctrinated parent's point of view?.

that young person is a weirdo !!!.

i can think of a number like this, still a minority fortunately, in that most of the ones i watched grow up either left or did not embrace the thing anywhere near 100%.. but those one-hundred-percenter kids are something to behold !.

Syme

There may be a handful of those weirdo types, but as one psychologist put it: "Biology happens". No matter what the desperate (and hypocritical) attempts of religion to subdue nature are, biology is stronger.

There's no way a super-duper zealous perfect jw youth does not succumb to human nature, one way or the other, short or long-term.

The only difference between seculars and religious fanatics (as those overzealous jw kids), is that religious ones pretend and lie.

19

The Total Embracing Of The Internet - How Will It All End?

by baldeagle in

jw
friends

i havent been to a meeting in four years.

during that time i completed a successful fade from the organization after almost 40 years being baptized.

it seems nothing anymore will surprise or shock me with these latest bunch of brooklyn leaders.

Syme

baldeagle: Excellent article on this hot topic!

It may seem absurd that the .Org now embraces the Internet in such a sudden (and almost funny) turn of policy, but I suspect (as most do) that the reason is the simplest of all: MONEY. The world economic crisis couldn't but affect the WTS for good. All those things with the "dangers" of the Internet may be good (so to speak), but the economic is *the* greatest factor. It is the one which allows any company (and religion) to survive. First we see what we can to to overcome the economic crisis, and the moral dangers come second. If along the way some jws visit 'wrong' websites and fade/leave, well, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs!

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

Syme

Cofty, it is obvious that your pastor's tries would fall in vacuum, but your title reminded me of something important:

It is very sad indeed when a person who has just escaped from the WTS control later turns to other, equally false and illogical (if more) beleifs and cults. I just can't believe it when someone grows critical thinking (or does he?) and leaves the WTS, only to fall for a weird Evangelical church.

It reminds me of the emperor Julian, who was clever and sophisticated enough to see through the improbable christian dogma and free himself from his christian upbuilding, but then turned to the mystical worship of Mithras!

Religion always has a way of sneaking through the back door.

12

I just noticed this little change in the NEW New World Translation

by stillin in

it always made me think when i corinthians 11 was read at the memorial, when jesus said "as often as you keep doing this..." i would think"hmmm, once a year isn't really very often, the other churches are a lot more often than us.".

great to see that they fixed that to "keep doing this.

" wouldn't want any doubts, now, would we?.

Syme

Well, I'm surprised that they didn't revise it to "keep doing this once a year".

Or, even better, "Keep doing this once a year, on Nisan 14, after the sun goes down".

Or maybe, "Keep doing this once a year, on Nisan 14, after the sun goes down, and advertize the event with a well-coordinated campaign, for 3 weeks before that day. Oh, and make sure you degrade the event to a salesman-quality talk advertizing the WTBTS".

It's not that they wouldn't have the nerve for it.

(Darn, I hope I don't give them ideas.)

17

CO overruling elders on appointments

by toto555 in

if a brother wants to reach out to be elder, yet brothers are holding him back for dubious reasons, can/should a brother approach the co and ask him what he needs to be done to be appointed or perhaps having a discussion along the lines of why the elders are holding him unfairly back.

anybody have any experiences along these lines?

is this a good strategy?

Syme

First, my personal opinion: Why on earth would someone want to be appointed??? I mean, it is 2013 for god's sake, we live in the Age of Science and Reason, religion in general goes further down to oblivion, where it belongs. While humanity progresses in explaining the secrets of life and the universe, does this brother really want to be part of a medieval Inquisition with total lack of respect for human personal dignity? Does he really want to waste his adult life trying to convince others (by force, in cases) for an imaginary "End" which is always "round the corner"?

But everyone has the right to do with their life as they want: so, now, the politically correct opinion, from my experience as an elder. I'll use second person for convinience.

Don't ask the CO directly for the privileges thing. If you ask directly "What can I do to be appointed?" you'll sound "not humble", and it will probably cement your efforts to be appointed. Instead, arrange an appointment for field service with the CO, and ask him for advice with regards to your progress. Don't mention the privileges nor the BOE's stance. Your object is to become better as a person and a Kingdom worker; you don't care for offices. Ask for specific fields in which the he believes you have room for further progress. He is probably going to admire that straight (but humble at the same time) asking for specific advice. If the BOE's negative attitude is really showing, he may mention it on his own. All your speaking should have a positive, even happy, tone. Do NOT sound negative, or bitter, in ANY way. Better let the BOE sound negative, not yourself. Negative repels, positive attracts.

Now, about the CO overruling the BOE, it depends on the CO's character. If he is a strong character, he probably will be able to pass through his opinion on the matter, and even make the elders agree so that a unanimous suggestion is sent to the Branch. If he's not such a strong personality, the BOE will probably win. For instance, we had a CO who was very gifted, experienced, and VERY strong personality. Needless to say, when he wanted a specific individual appointed, he made the rest of us concur. On the other side, if he didn't see a specific person we suggested as ready, he would make us hold off the suggestion. But with others, not so strong, COs, the situation went the opposite way round.

186

Just out of curiosity, how many elders (current & ex) do we have here?

by mrquik in

jw
friends

me.

Syme

Ex-elder.

I'm surprised, though, to see some current elders here! I wouldn't allow myself to have the slightest amount of doubt while I was still serving. Only after a clean-cut deletion did I feel 'free' to do some research on Evolution, and that was all it took.

30

Kingdom Ministry Feb 2014 has a couple interesting statements

by RayPublisher in

i thought the kingdom ministry feb 2014 had a couple interesting things in it:.

1. a short talk encouraging the jw sales force to publicize the jw.org website at every opportunity.. 2. do not put out bibles on your table displays keep them hidden underneath.

i thought they were so p-p-p-p-proud of their new nwt??.

Syme

Man, I want to SWEAR so badly!!!

Once upon a time we tried so hard to learn ourselves and others to use the B I B L E every time on field service. The more you depended on the Bible in field, the better evangelizer you were.

I can't believe that "jw.org" mostrosity now! "Publisize the jw.org as much as you can"??? "Don't use the Bible in pubic ministry"??? WHAT?!?!

Who consientious witness can go now preaching like a bloody web page advertiser?

Not that the old way of preaching was perfect, but this is plain mockery. Mockery on all those you studied the friggin BIBLE, who used the bloody BIBLE on every step, and now they are being degraded to web page delivery boys.

The only good thing is, the degredation of the field service will be so dramatic, that it will sure wake many dubs up. And it sure won't have the same results that the emotional, personal way of Bible-based preaching had "in the old times".

142

Do you beleive in ghosts??

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

i was always told it was satan and his demons making people think they exist.

not sure.

i always thought the guy that excavated king tutenkahmun had a curse on him though.. .

Syme

No.

79

Why are there no black angels?

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

jw literature is racist as hell.

jesus looks like an american folk singer, the governing body look like a corrupt version of an enron luncheon.. the jw's literally print different magazines for africa with african pictures, black people instead of white, to make it 'more appealing' to them.... just to be clear that means they think the opposite is true too!.

....and then there is the lack of black angels..... .

Syme

Well, in this case, the WTS is exactly what you'd expect of a Protestant North American religion.

This very interesting aspect of our publications (no black angels) betrays the Protestant nature of JW: the claiming that we have nothing to do with protestants vanishes.

But you can't put all the blame on the WTS: as I said, it's just an offshoot of all those protestant conservative east-coast churches which have the white race as a reference race.

And this, by its turn, goes back to the foundations of christianity as a white race religion, even though its founders were Jews, and not-so-white. But the masses of the first converts were Gentiles of the Greek-Roman world. That was enough to make the religion white-dominated.

Of course, if there is truly a God that "made man in his image" he can only be black, since it is an established fact that the first humans were Africans.