Syme

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Posts by Syme

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  Incredible Medical Advance: Baby born from ovary frozen from 13 year old girl once she turned 27

  by jwleaks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a woman in belgium is the first in the world to give birth to a baby using transplanted ovarian tissue frozen when she was still a child, doctors say.. the 27-year-old had an ovary removed at age 13, just before she began invasive treatment for sickle cell anaemia.. her remaining ovary failed following the treatment, meaning she would have been unlikely to conceive without the transplant.. experts hope that this procedure could eventually help other young patients.. the woman gave birth to a healthy boy in november 2014, and details of the case were published on wednesday in the journal human reproduction.. bone marrow transplant.

  the woman, who has asked to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia at the age of five.. she emigrated from the republic of congo to belgium where doctors decided her disease was so severe that she needed a bone marrow transplant using her brother's matching tissue.. but before they could begin the bone marrow transplant, they needed to give her chemotherapy to disable her immune system and stop it from rejecting the foreign tissue.. chemotherapy can destroy the ovarian function, so they removed her right ovary and froze tissue fragments.

  at that time, she was showing signs of puberty, but had not yet started her periods.

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  Syme

  Now, news like that are truly "happifying".
  
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  New Thought About Active J.W.'s

  by The Searcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  from my own observations & conversations with selected active j.w.

  's, here are my conclusions:.

  's are very rapidly falling into two distinct camps -.

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  Syme

  Searcher,

  I think that there's a small group that is a combination of the 2 groups you described: those that are 'heretical' in a way, have different views in a lot of topics, and maybe not believing a lot of things, doctrinal and/or organizational, but nevertheless resent those who leave, and stick to the shunning rule with all their heart.

  I know it because I have still-in active friends that fall exactly into that mixed category. The reason for resenting those who leave even though they themselves are not full believers, I cannot say for sure; but I think it is because they hate seeing someone having the courage to to something (leaving), that they cannot.
  
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  Genesis as a Parable

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  jesus always spoke to the crowds using parables.

  in fact, the bible says jesus would never speak to the crowds without using parables.. a parable is a fictional story that is used to teach deep moral and spiritual truths.. the scriptures say:.

  matthew 13:34-35 (niv):jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.

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  Syme

  No, the "Genesis parable" hypothesis does not make sense for this simple reason:

  If Adam was a parable, then what about the ransom and atonement doctrines? Did Jesus sacrifice his life for a story, for a parable? Did he die in place of a person that never existed (Adam)?
  

  The Genesis account, especially the creation of Adam, is a "take it or leave it" piece.

  Check this out: https://youtu.be/aMUG6qd98wc?t=30m8s
  
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  Best Argument for Atheism - In your view.

  by LAWHFol in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if crisis of conscience is one of the top watchtower doctrine killers, what is the coc of theism?.

  i'd like to read a book, or other material that does the best job logically arguing for atheism.. i've not read any darwin, however it is my assumption that his focus is primarily on evolution, is this correct?

  if you were to recommend one book or a few pieces of reading material, which do the best job of defending atheism, what would they be?.

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  Syme

  Richard Dawkins: "The God Delusion".

  Christopher Hitchens (editor): "The Portable Atheist".
  
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  What would happen if you drop a fake check or bill in the donation box?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what would happen if we started dropping fake check or bills inside the donation box of an assembly?

  i know, is a crime, but so is pushing someone to not accept blood and die.

  would it help skew the numbers enough if enough of us did it?.

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  Syme

  God will kill you at Armageddon, that's what's going to happen
  
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  24

  having a dark night of the soul

  by Miss Behaving in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm writing this here because i need someone to talk to, and you're the only folks i know who will understand.

  most of the time i think i'm a pretty happy and together person, but lately, i'll see something that reminds me of my family and i'll spontaneously start crying.

  i miss them so much and my heart keeps breaking, and even though i have kind people i work and volunteer with, i feel so incredibly lonely sometimes.

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  Syme

  I find meaning and joy in my life mostly by pursuing to *really* learn about the world around me and the way nature *really* works. Since everything that WTS teaches about the world and nature are completely false (from eschatology to creationism), it is most joyful when you grasp for the first time how everything around you moves.

  Read science, learn about evolution; read politics, history, literature, poetry; pursue a graduate program (if possible). Pursue those joys that WT has stripped its members off.

  Of course I also find joy in other aspects of life that WT had put a "forbidden" sign (of a more fleshly nature); however, I tread there with caution and moderation. We don't want to lose our health, nor give j-dubs reason to say "Look at that one: she/he left the Truth, and now is a failure/drunkard/addict/with STDs" etc.

  In short, the things you can now do are a lot more than before, and a lot more meaningful.
  
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  The "Final Push" before the GT!!! I think they REALLY believe it!

  by DATA-DOG in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i don't know if i have shared this with everyone, but there seems to be a new theocratic term, at least in my circuit.. the term is "final push.

  " wtf does it mean?

  well, an eldub said that the gb are "all in" with warwick and they might spend all their money on the project.

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  Syme

  This "final push" and "final final push" travesty reminds me of the Monty Python movies...
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  40

  Spiritual AMNESTY -- Return to Jehovah

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  basically, from what i can tell from the new return to jehovah brochure, is that the governing body is now offering amnesty to anyone who has been gone from the congregation but now wants to return.. it claims it doesn't matter what sins you've done, or what caused you to leave, if you repent to jehovah and ask the elders to help you, and return to the meetings, you'll be warmly welcomed with no disciplinary action or judgment against you..

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  Syme

  The booklet does not even address the "doubt" category. Just "anxiety", "guilt" and the like.

  Which means, they deliberately miss the point entirely.

  Another piece of insulting literature, that addresses the reader as a "sheep" and even portrays them as such, quite literally.

  That Org is not going to change by reading our posts, don't be naive. It's as naive as saying that a dictatorial regime is going to change because some folks tell them some "suggestions". It's a regime, it is not a gentleman's club. It has purpose, not a discussion board.
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  Watchtower Society now PROMOTES using Social Media / Networks?

  by FusionTheism in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  have you seen this?.

  http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/teenagers/whiteboard-animations/social-network-smart/#?insight.

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  Syme

  Who doesn't remember that demonstration in a circuit assembly back in 2010-11, when a teenage girl would be counseled by her father for engaging with a social network that was given the stage name "Mold". Oh my god, how hilarious...
  

  And some may remember the letter to BOEs that actually prohibited MSs and elders having facebook; and the "local needs" talk that followed in effect.

  "Jehovah's chariot" moves fast indeed. Must have a satellite connection!
  
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  Rumor about the Imitate Jesus Convention

  by FusionTheism in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i saw a rumor a few weeks ago on reddit that the new imitate jesus convention is supposed to present new light and clarified understandings on the disfellowshipping/disassociation practices.. supposedly, if this rumor has any truth to it, there will be a talk given at the convention about how we should not be strict like the pharisees in how we shun people, loosening up some of the jw rules about this practice.. has anyone here heard anything about this or have more info on it?.

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  Syme

  Regarding the thought that shunning could be restricted to some offenses (e.g. apostasy), but not others (e.g. smoking): no, I don't think this is going to happen. That would require the R&F to know which "offense" has taken place, so the policy of non-revealing the cause of DF would have to be reversed as well. But this cannot happen for obvious reasons (it could, and will have legal consequences, if the org makes the personal deeds of a DFed public).

  Now, as for the general abolition of shunning: highly unlikely, IMO, unless the WTS decides to make a shift from high-control cult to mainstream Catholic-like religion. This could theoretically happen, but it would need a minimum "critical mass" of members: Let's assume the WTS decides to abolish the shunning rule. What follows is a mass exodus of members that don't believe anymore, leaving behind in the religion only the true, ardent believers. That will mean an instant decrease of membership, even by half.
  

  The fact that a church grows older and becomes more widely known does not automatically mean loosening of shunning rules: The religion of Islam 1,400 years old, and is spread all over the world with more than a billion followers. Still, their shunning policy has not been loosened a bit; and the equivalent of "DFing" there is death, not plain shunning. So, abolition of shunning needs not only time and population, but also influence from secular, humanist, ideas. When that happens in JW-land, let me know