Yours Truly has probably posted something similiar to this before, but Yours Truly also happens to be too lazy to wade through 9 pages of previous threads to go & look for it.
This is one of my more serious posts , and is sort of a combined rant about Dubs and weak sci-fi, the type so beloved of conspiracy theorists.
Now, while I do definitely take interest in the writings and rantings of the conspiracy theorists out there, that is all they are, theories. I have yet to see any of these theories being vindicated. Then again, most of the theories dwell on topics that could never possibly be vindicated either way, e.g. Roswell or Area 51 conspiracies.
To get back to my main point, and this topic has been mentioned before, Dubs appear to be living in a sort of dream world. This is quite clear.
The only problem with their dream world, and that of a lot of highly religious people (no slagging - one of the most religious people I know, my own grandmother, is also one of the best, nicest, kindest people I know ) reside in, is that they live in this world created from ideas, ideas which are entirely manufactured by other people. Bear me out here, and you'll see what I mean. Let's take Christianity as an example, since that is the dominant religion on this board (or some flavour of it, at least):
1. The Bible was written by men. In fact, the writers of the Bible admit this themselves, although saying they were "inspired" etc.
2. It is a demonstratable fact that there are inconsistencies and fallacies in the Bible.
3. All of the events in the Bible happened thousands of years ago.
4. All of the miraculous events are non-reproducable. For instance, walking on water, and Jesus' miracles. As the books of the Bible get older, so the miracles become less reproducible, e.g. crossing the Red Sea.
5. All of the chief characters in the Bible (God, Jesus, the "Holy Spirit") are nowhere to be found and/or invisible.
Above is a small summary of what it is I've learnt about Christianity in my 20 or so years on this world. If I'm wrong about something, please correct me. I'm always seeking real TRUTH, and of course, I'm a believer in the scientific way of doing things.
Returning to my point about the Matrix, it would seem that the admittedly weak and watery story of the Matrix contains some striking parallels with the situation of many Jehovah's Witnesses. Remembering that our minds are entirely composed of input (be it ribonucleic or sensory), it turns out that it's very easy to see where the Dubs are going wrong. How many Witnesses, if asked, can site comprehensive references to all the Bible-related archeological digs ever made? How many Witnesses have deeply researched their own books? Worst of all, how many Witnesses have read most of the publications of the Watchtower Society?
Needless to say, very, very few have. Those that do, do not usually stay Witnesses for very long. The Society has a record for writing things that are at once entirely pompous and lethal, in some instances, a sort of 21st Century Hitler, albeit this time with far more power and control than Hitler could ever have dreamed of. The Blood Policy is a good example of the former. If it wasn't for the tragic loss of lives associated with the Blood Policy, it would actually be hilarious. In a nutshell, the Society has banned whole blood transfusions in the past, but during the last few decades blood portions have become permissable. It is becoming apparent that this policy is being run into the ground and will soon become a thing of the past, in a round-about sort of way. The Tower (or at least Tower Legal) is very well aware of the fact that if they dump this policy outright, it will cause a very large reaction from people who have lost loved ones because of it, and they will be in the crosshairs. So, devious as they are, the Legal Beagles are gently phasing it out, without making a splash.
Once again, this reflects back on the basis of Witness beliefs, the Bible. When the Bible was written, nobody knew that blood was not a single, homogenous liquid, as it appears to be to the naked eye. This knowledge was simply not possessed by anyone before the invention of the microscope. If you were someone living 2000 years ago, you'd most likely assume that blood was basically just water with a different colour and viscosity, because that is exactly what it appears to be. But, look deeper, use science, and you see that there is a more complex truth behind the true nature of the liquid that forms a vital part of all bodily processes. Those Biblical people knew that blood was very important for the functioning of the human body, so it found it's way into their beliefs and teachings. Unfortunately, their knowledge of blood was incomplete, and this fundamental ignorance has been carried forward to today by the Watchtower Society, as any half-way intelligent person can see immediately.
It's actually very surprising that more Witnesses don't realize the true import of the Blood Policy on their religion. This book, which they base everything on, including the much-maligned and completely atrocious Child Molestation Policy, is by definition the writings of people who did not know that blood was made of different types of cells. As such, they are using it to guide themselves through life. To my mind, this is a terrible mistake.The blind epileptic elephant on crack is leading the bull through the china shop.
Of course, I'm oversimplifying the Bible. It's more than just a bunch of books - some of the principles and things people say in it are very good things. For instance, the Sermon on the Mount was a great way to show how humans should treat each other. You cannot just take the Bible in one lump - it has to be dissected to be understood correctly.
But, that doesn't mean you can just go ahead and base your life on this book. The Bible is a read-only book. What this effectively means is that you cannot consult with the original authors and get them to edit and update it for the next edition. It's there, it's not changeable, not questionable, and it is the instrument of much human suffering, although this is lessening to an extent in modern times. And yet, people base all their beliefs and entire lives on this book! Witnesses are an excellent example of this practise.They are effectively enmeshed in a double-blind conspiracy, although I'm slowly beginning to understand today that the original people who created this conspiracy created one of the greatest conspiracies of all, a conspiracy that not even it's creators realize exists - truly a monstrous thing.
God pity their souls (wherever you are). As my mother would say, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Intrinsic to the Witness religion is the read-only nature of their teaching. You are not allowed to change what you are taught, there is absolutely no democratic process involved. Of course, a semblance of choice is given at the very top, where the Governing Body votes on things that will affect the lives of 6 million people. Here we have one of the most horrifying things I can possibly imagine, barring another Pet Shop Boys album, a group of men who vote on whether people will live or die, based on their own interpretations of the words of writers who, without exception, kicked the bucket thousands of years ago. One thing that still astounds me to this day is the Malawi/Mexico fracas, wherein a group of Publishers in Malawi were forced to die for their faith, while the GB allowed certain Mexican Publishers in very similiar conditions to purchase little "cartilas" that allowed them to continue unmolested. Looked at from an outside perspective, it's obvious that the GB really didn't give a flying **** about the Malawian brothers.
When will the Witnesses finally wise up? It's very hard to articulate and understand something you cannot see, or feel, only know. It is a little bit like a fish trying to prove that water does not exist. That would be the closest analogy I could think of for this situation for a Witness. As many Witnesses say when shown damning evidence of doctrinal cock-ups and lethal Tower policies, "Where else can you go?"
The question is answered by realizing that there is only one place to go, and that place is known as the World After The Governing Body.
Many here hold out hope that one day soon the Tower will make it's policies less dangerous and more kind to the average Publisher, and my heart yearns for this doping-down of laws and teachings which have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of lives already.
I hope that day will come soon.
[SYN], Tired Fingers Class.