You can download the issue here thanks to Dan-p
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/117876/1.ashx
I was reading this at home and had to stop when I came across this sentence on page 3:
"You can let others tell you what you are allowed to think and believe. Or you may wish to investigate some of the evidence yourself and reach your own conclusion."
!!
I had to stop reading the magazine at that point and put it down before continuing. I actually laughed out loud when I read that as my eyes have been opened to what they are really saying...as shown in the next sentence.
"As you read about discoveries of science presented on the following pages..."
In other words, please restrict your investigation to our literature.
Thoughts?
September Special Issue Awake - Creation
by mavie 19 Replies latest jw friends
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mavie
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blondie
The WTS directs such statements to non-JWs. But when you become a JW, you are not suppose to question the WTS.
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earthtone
I'm actually a little confused as to why you are still reading the literature. Since I new here( only a few days), I don't know everyone very well. Are you in between leaving and staying?
But back to what you were asking... Yeah it pretty much makes sense to me. The make you feel like you've done all the research because your reading from the sources they quote. I remember when I was younger doing a report using the Watchtower and Awakes, and the other publications as sources. I felt so much smarter than the other kids because my religion not only taught from the bible but had various facts from other historian to back up there arguements. They know most people are not going to actually double check the references anyway, because the quote like a million of them for one freaking article.
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mavie
I still read them occasionally because my wife is still in and I am fading. This topic intrigued me.
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earthtone
oh
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daniel-p
Notice how the strongest points made in the article were along the lines of "look how wonderful everything is! surely it was designed by a God who loves us!" - the same reasoning you might use with a 4-year old. earthtone:
I'm actually a little confused as to why you are still reading the literature. Since I new here( only a few days), I don't know everyone very well. Are you in between leaving and staying
A lot of us are still "in" as undercover apostates. This is all part of our grand scheme as the anti-christ in order to destroy the world empire of false religion.
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VM44
"Or you may wish to investigate some of the evidence yourself and reach your own conclusion."
But what about the next step...testing one's conclusions?
That is an essential part of the scientific method.
Without testing them, one will never know if one's beliefs will hold up.
--VM44
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24k
I just don't understand the creationism/evolution debate. It is obvious that the creation account in the bible is allegorical. Who's to say that God didn't use the process we call "evolution" to create the world we see around us. Why limit God to some sort of hands on, cell by cell, construction of every organism. It's as though the creationists feel that learning science will produce godless children. I was raised a j-dub, out now thank God, and I always loved science. Most of my teachers and professors were hard core evolutionists, and quite a few were atheists, but I never saw a conflict between God and evolution. It took the watchtower to cause me to consider the possibility that God may not exist.
Peace Out
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undercover
Notice also this quote on page 3 in the box "Are Jehovah's Witnesses Creationists?":
"In their public ministry, they offer people the chance to learn the benefits of living by God's standards. But they do not violate their Christian neutrality by supporting the efforts of Fundamentalist groups that try to establish civil laws that would force others to adopt Bible standards."
No, they just force their own members to adopt WT standards and do not give them the freedom to reach their own conclusion through research outside of WT publications.
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Tuesday
If someone comes up to me with this article I'm probably just going to have to say "Pass, how's that for an answer, I'm going to pass because if I don't I might talk forever and by the time I'm halfway done you'd have me arrested for verbal abuse".
I think the big issue from what I can see is that they don't "associate" themselves with any fundy creationists, which they really should use the fundy literature. Darwin on Trial would be a good start, but instead they'd rather use arguments that may be able to keep a fourth grader occupied.
Evolution of the human species is somewhat a pet hobby of mine where I read alot about the subject since it fascinates me so much, I can't help but be annoyed by their stance on this.