Posts by Syme

26

ALIENS!! (and the downfall of religion)

let me clarify, when i say aliens, i don't mean shiny helmeted spaceship dwelling anal probers.

(although i could be proved wrong).

if any alien lifeform was found on mars or another planet or even a comet, be it tiny bacteria or even some form of non carbon based life form, would that not destroy religions grip on mankind?

Syme

I agree with those who said that discovery of alien life is not going to spell the end for religion. Religion is far too deeply rooted in human nature in order to be wiped out by a single incident, however extraordinary that may be.

The ONLY way to bring religion to oblivion is through secular, scientific, religion-free, superstition-free education; this a long process that will take a lot more decades, and possibly centuries.

Even if we discover a million alien species, even if we shake hands with ET himself, religion & superstition will NOT fall, except if the former happens.

Expecting something like "First contact" to wipe out religion, tells that you're still under religion's spell, in the sense that you expect for a 'miracle' to happen, and make your wish come true, just like that.

STOP believing in miracles!

27

I put the kingdom first! Now look what happened...

by Julia Orwell in

i put the kingdom first - by sheree stokell.

so they dunked me in a pool.

armageddon would be here soon.

Syme

Julia, excellent poem! Well done :)

4

" Existential angst, closed-mindedness, and American Jihadists". -Why Watchtower and Jehovah's Witnesses may exist for another century.

by Balaamsass2 in

from mother jones:here are the psychological reasons why an american might join isispsychologist arie kruglanski explains how closed-mindedness and existential angst create the modern american jihadist.by chris mooney.

| fri aug. 29, 2014 6:00 am edt.

isis militants in syria, holding a flag reading "islamic state of iraq and the levant" medyan dairieh/zuma"its islam over everything.".

Syme

Band on the Run, what do you mean by "far left cult"? Don't tell me necessarily the name of the group, just tell me what do you mean by this phrase, what kind of group it is. Because to me, it sounds a bit strange.

5

How many Isaiah's prophecies of chapter 19 were fulfilled?

by opusdei1972 in

i have read the chapter 19 of isaiah, which scholars of high criticism believe to be authentic, of isaiah himself.

in this chapter there are more than one prophecy for egypt.

my question is, how many of them you found fullfilled and unfulfilled?....

Syme

NONE.

22

Did You Believe That You Were Going To Live Forever?

by minimus in

jw
friends

in either heaven or earth?.

Syme

Of course I believed it; I'm sure the vast majority of JWs utterly and sincerely believe it.

I stopped believing it when I learned via science that we are not any special kind of species, and we are bound to die like the rest of everything around us, from our close cousin species to the Sun and the Universe itself (eventually).

That change took place when I was 28. So, for 28 years of my life I was basically asleep.

"We all have two lives; the second one begins when we learn that we only have one".

42

Today's WT study! So hypocritical!

by stuckinarut2 in

so today's study is all about being kindly, and not judgemental to those in the congregation....we don't know their circumstances etc.... i can't believe the hypocrisy being spewed out...both in the article and by means of the answers from the audience!.

we know the reality is so different!

unless a witness does everything exactly as the gb directs...in every aspects of life, they are effectively no longer a good person, but are viewed as spiritually lacking or weak..... they are going directly beyond the biblical directives, and being ones who condemn, rather than ones who commend!.

Syme

I believe this article was a 'buffer' between the usual fear-and-gulit-inspring articles that WTS is used to publishing lately.

You can't always use the lash; you must use a 'soothing' article from time to time, if only to make the uncomfortable ones feel relaxed again, in order to remain in the sheep pen.

7

Where Do Visions,Dreams and Prophecy Come From

by givemejustalittlemoretime in

if these things come true and many people have them whether believers or non beleivers, where do they come from.

Syme

They mainly come from psychotropic drugs and/or heavy neurological or psychosomatic disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Most of the so-called prophets had heavy issues. That's why they became prophets in the first place. Had they no issues, they'd do something healthy and productive with their lives.

78

Why do JWs have this* on their FB pages now?

by Kudra in

.

Syme

All right, they're beyond redemption.

I think most of them are beyond repair, guys. No chance of change. Zero.

They've crossed the border of "hope".

So let them be weirder and weirder, until the whole thing collapses.

6

Does anyone live by any Bible stuff?

by punkofnice in

this is not meant to be a slag off the bible thread.. i had a question asked me the other day and it was: 'do you live by anything from the bible?'.

i had to think about that one because i was force grown in the filthy, disgusting cult of the paedophile loving watchtower(r).. you know what?

i really don't know if i just naturally am a great bloke or if any 'nice' bits in the bible influenced me......or has western culture been influenced by the bible for good and bad?.

Syme

Like ADCMS implied, the people who live literally by the Bible rules are the worst of all. This includes the Quran, which is a spin-off of the Old Testament.

People like Boco Haram, ISIS and Taliban, who slaughter others on the basis of faith, who treat women like domestic cattle (or worse), all those people are people who live literally by their holy book. It is misleading to call them religious extremists: They just DO literally what their Book says. As a matter of fact, the moderate religious people are more hypocrites, since they cherry-pick whichever passages of the Holy Book make them feel comfortable (or are allowed by the law) to follow.

Not to leave Christians outside of this: The Amish and the JWs are examples of people who follow lots of their Bible instructions literally, and genarally are worse than the average secular person. Worse in an ethical sense (shunning, forbidding of normal sexual activity, blood etc.)

The only reason Christians like JW and Amish don't do 100% literally what their Bible says, e.g. killing apostates instead of shunning them, is because the Law of their countries forbids it. When the secular law allowed it (from 400 AD to to almost 1800) they did it, and they did it plentifully (remember the witch trials, not of the Dark Ages, but of the New World in 1600 and 1700s). The Islamists still do it (the killing) because their theocratic states still allow them to.

15

Not willing to meet with Elders? DF?

by thedepressedsoul in

if a person says that they are not willing to meet with the elders or does not meet with them, will that get them df'ed?

there is a rumor about a person who has left the truth (went inactive) about being imoral.

they do not have the 2 person witness so they can't take actions because of this.

Syme

They won't DF you if they don't have 2 witnesses.

However, read the following postrscripts:

1. The 2 witnesses don't have to be witnesses of the same act necessarily, but of the same KIND of act. If, e.g., the act is apostasy, if you spoke like an apostate with 2 different individuals, on different ocassions, a JC can be formed.

2. If you refuse to meet with elders, especially if you do it with an "I don't want to'' attitute, you may be marked.