reproducible results: multiple instances of direct communication, witnessed by multiple people. Creation of new organisms where it can be observed and documented, in multiple instances. Nothing less.
Posts by Odrade
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35What kind of positive proof would you need....
by journey-on into accept the existence of god?
(i'm not talking about "a big man in the sky" kind of deity.
) what would it take to convince you that mankind was intentionally created by a powerful and intelligent creative force?
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31
I GIVE UP!
by Stealth453 ini just came home from picking up my baby from school, and i see a brand new sign posted 4 doors from my house.. "building permit.
issued for the construction of a new kingdom hall of jehovah's witnesses".. i just can't seem to get away from them..
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Odrade
The last KH we attended was in a residential neighborhood... 4 congregations meeting there, the neighbors HATED the JWs. Hundreds of cars coming and going on Sundays, and hundreds more every single day the rest of the week. The JWs do NOT drive slowly through the neighborhood either. On one of the streets there is lettering painted in the road "JWs SLOW DOWN."
People stand around in the parking lot at 10pm, "talking." Yeah, talking LOUDLY, and laughing/cackling, idling their cars and leaning out windows to chat, loud "goodbye! see ya!!! meet me for SERVICE!!!" Then there is the problem with the congregations starting their time on the neighborhood houses. Some of these people get called on once a month or more. And gawd forbid you should be an inactive or irregular publisher living in the neighborhood, they will be at your home, using your bathroom, asking for a "snack" and saying that they are there to "encourage" you.
Do you have children? Good because now everytime someone sees them on the street they will attempt to give them a tract and start a "bible study." What a great arrangement that will be to have a "study" only a block or so away.
But they are such good neighbors. Yeah, ask about property values next door to the Kingdom Hall, nobody wants to live there. Sure they might be "clean" and "polite," HA! but who wants to buy a place that they know will be disturbed by church comings and goings, EVERY DAMN DAY! I swear, if a KH even hinted at moving into my neighborhood, I would sell and move so fast, my real estate agent would probably name her next kid after me.
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5
letting go of god
by dogon ini just watched a fifteen min, video on youtube of julia sweeney's letting go of god.
i usualy just down load movie's off of the net.
but i may buy this one.
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Odrade
Got it from audible.com. VERY entertaining.
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37
so I told her that I'm in love with her....
by jaredg inbut she didn't reciprocate.
she held me tight and kissed me softly.
her body language says that she loves me and she's told me she cares for me very much, but she didn't say those magic words.
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Odrade
Nah, if you love her, you love her. So tell her, just don't bombard her with it. :)
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71
TO BARBARA ANDERSON: MY FOURTEEN YEAR OLD SON
by deborahs_song inhello barbara,.
i commend your effort to correct the watchtower society.
god knows they need it!
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Odrade
You might try Unitarians. They hold very little formal doctrine, yet provide a very nice sense of community and a good mix of bible study. That being said, I agree with the above posters, and I am not personally a Christian.
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27
COLLEGE IS EVIL!!!!!
by why??? inhi everyone...this year i had to go to the district convention and with my newly opened mind...i sat there rolling my eyes the whole time...i was however very distrubed by a talk on higher education...im sure you all know of it...basically telling all of us outright that it was no good and we shouldnt be going...now i know they have done it in the past...but it seemed so blatant this year in your face...college is evil.....here's a related link .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7vxnzoeeys&mode=related&search= .
hopefully the links work ..im not really sure how to do it .......
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Odrade
Yep, no college here either, and I never had a job (except waitressing,) that paid more than $15k/year until I was 32. Then I (finally) went to vocational school. Last year I made 2x that $15k job. This year I will easily make 3-4x that 15k job if I keep working 4-5 days a week. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had gone to school at 19 instead of at 32. I almost certainly would have made a LOT more money and poured a LOT less water...
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Comments You Will not Hear will be taking a brief hiatus for the next 2 wks
by blondie inor so due to health, availability of articles, and personal priorities.
after that, the format will be briefer consisting mostly of the article with fewer comments by me allowing more comments by readers/posters.. love, blondie.
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Odrade
Thanks Blondie, enjoy your break, and I'll be glad to see your reviews even if brief. I read them nearly every week though I don't often comment.
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51
My hubby just laid down some rules to my elder dad
by Es inrecently an elder called mike's mob phone wanting to speak to me, the only person who could have passed on that info was my elder dad.
mike has been waiting for my dad to call him to arrange to see the kids, as he wont deal with me at all.
so mike said to him i dont appreciate you giving our number out to the elders, we want nothing to do with them or your religion etc... mike than called me and said there was so much more i wanted to tell him.. i get a phone call about 30 mins later, mike had rang my dad and said if you want to see your grandkids then there are a few rules you will need to follow, 1. dont ever give out our personal details (which my dad apologised for and acknowldeged that he shouldnt have done that ) and 2. if you want to see your grandkids you need to speak to your daughter, you can msg her phone or even speak to her.
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Odrade
Good for him! He sounds like a peach!
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Sept KM - how those "still in" can comment
by still_in74 inwell all, we know this is a big deal.
i for one will sit there during the discussion of this ariticle wanting to scream yet i will say nothing if i am not prepared, and of course i have to "comment" with an angle that doesnt arouse suspicion.. so here it is folks, we need to put together brief, very well worded comments to use during these meetings.
any takers?
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Odrade
Thanks, I was amused that the '95 and '99 editions were identical for that one paragraph, more confirmation that most of the new publications are just regurgitated old publications...
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21
Sept KM - how those "still in" can comment
by still_in74 inwell all, we know this is a big deal.
i for one will sit there during the discussion of this ariticle wanting to scream yet i will say nothing if i am not prepared, and of course i have to "comment" with an angle that doesnt arouse suspicion.. so here it is folks, we need to put together brief, very well worded comments to use during these meetings.
any takers?
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Odrade
WT 10/15/99
Millions of readers have done just that and have discovered the NewWorldTranslation to be not only readable but scrupulously accurate. Its translators worked from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, using the best texts available. Unusual care was also exercised to render the ancient text as literally as possible but in language that would readily be understood. Accordingly, some scholars praised this translation for its integrity and accuracy. For example, the AndoverNewtonQuarterly of January 1963 said: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation."
WT 9/15/95
The major concern of the Masoretes was the accurate transmission of each word, even each letter, of the Bible text. To ensure accuracy, the Masoretes utilized the side margins of each page to record information that would indicate any possible change of text made either inadvertently or deliberately by past copyists. In these marginal notes, the Masoretes also noted unusual word forms and combinations, marking how frequently these occurred within a book or within the entire Hebrew Scriptures. These comments were recorded in a highly abbreviated code, since space was limited. As an additional cross-checking tool, they marked the middle word and letter of certain books. They went so far as to count every letter of the Bible in order to ensure accurate copying.
In the top and bottom margins of the page, the Masoretes recorded more extensive comments regarding some of the abbreviated notes in the side margins. These were helpful in cross-checking their work. Since the verses were not then numbered and there were no Bible concordances, how did the Masoretes refer to other parts of the Bible to make this cross-check? In the top and bottom margins, they listed part of a parallel verse to remind them of where the word or words indicated were found elsewhere in the Bible. Because of space limitations, often they would write just one key word to remind them of each parallel verse. For these marginal notes to be useful, these copyists would virtually have to know the entire Hebrew Bible by heart.
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Millions of readers have done just that and have discovered the NewWorldTranslation to be not only readable but scrupulously accurate. Its translators worked from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages, using the best texts available. Unusual care was also exercised to render the ancient text as literally as possible but in language that would readily be understood. Accordingly, some scholars praised this translation for its integrity and accuracy. For example, the AndoverNewtonQuarterly of January 1963 said: "The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation."
WT 6/15/85
Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are recognized even by their critics as excellent Bible students, have found that the NewWorldTranslationoftheHolyScriptures admirably meets the requirements of clarity and accuracy. It renders that passage from the Sermon on the Mount: "Happy are those consciousoftheirspiritualneed."
WT 12/1/62
By making a distinction between anástasis and exanástasis the NewWorldTranslation again gives proof of its exactness and accuracy.
WT 10/15/61
Taking advantage of the oldest Bible manuscripts that have been found as well as the improved understanding of koine Greek, the translators of this version have produced a copy of the Bible in English that is extremely accurate. It carefully expresses the fine shades of meaning in the Hebrew and Greek words. Its literalness, however, is not carried to the point where reading is made difficult. At all times an easy, expressive flow of thought is maintained. Its accuracy makes it more desirable than a free translation, that is, one in which the translator takes the general thought and expresses it freely in his own words. The extreme care taken to make the NewWorldTranslationoftheHolyScriptures accurate is an assurance to readers that what they read is as near to the original thoughts as is possible to express them at this time.
WT 7/15/62
The word "sanctified" is to be preferred to the word "hallowed" since it is used far more commonly. Not only that but, except for its use in our Lord’s prayer, hagiazo is always translated "sanctified" by the KingJames translators as well as the many others that use "hallowed" in this one instance; there are some twenty-five instances of such translation all told. So the NewWorldTranslation is only different in this instance because it alone is consistent.
WT 12/15/63
Among other ways in which the NewWorldTranslation shows itself to be an outstanding translation is in its consistency and accuracy. For one thing, it distinguishes between gnosis (knowledge) and epignosis (accurate [full] knowledge); between makários, which means "supremely blest, . . . fortunate, well off," and eulogetós, which means "blessed."