Posts by slimboyfat

8

This is how to motivate inactive ones!

by stuckinarut2 in

interesting take on how to motivate inactive ones.... https://www.lds.org/youth/video/reaching-out-through-love?lang=eng.

it is interesting to compare and contrast witnesses and mormans....!.

slimboyfat

That is some slick propaganda right there. JW.org eat your heart out.

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

Yes it's definitely bound up with secularisation, which is now rapidly underway in the United States.

Homophobia looks set to become a socially unacceptable view (like racism) rather than simply an eccentric minority view (like belief in Bigfoot for example).

That's not to say there won't always be a minority who cling to their homophobia, despite the change in society, just as there are still racists who express racist views in private and sometimes in public.

The point is that such views will no longer be accepted as legitimate discourse in the public sphere, at which point JWs and others will need to face a hard choice, just as the Mormon church did with their racism in the 1970s.

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

At the moment it would cause more problems than it would solve. But if trends continue, and say 90% plus of the general population support gay marriage, and around half of JWs, will that calculation change?

Between 2007 and 2015 alone, support for gay marriage rose from 46% to 60% in the general population, and acceptance of homosexuality among JWs rose from 12% to 16% between 2007 and 2014. Support for gay marriage stood at 14% among JWs in 2014. They have a way to go but the trend is in motion. That's not to say trends are inevitable, but at this point this trend appears likely to continue.

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

Either way JWs face real problems. The trends are clear that gay marriage is increasingly accepted by all sections of society. It has followed a similar trajectory to views on mixed race marriages, which very few now oppose and opposition is socially unacceptable.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/163697/approve-marriage-blacks-whites.aspx

http://www.gallup.com/poll/117328/marriage.aspx

If current trends continue - and the overwhelming support for gay marriage among you people suggests that it will - then JWs will soon be very isolated. A very similar position to the one the Mormon church found itself in regarding race equality in the 1970s.

Evangelicals are already rapidly accepting gay marriage. In some ways they'll have an easier time of it than JWs. Evangelicals are very interested in politics, and as it becomes politically untenable to oppose gay marriage that will be a big incentive for them to change. Another thing is that power is more evenly distributed among the Evangelical community, so there is scope for pastors and individuals to draw their own conclusions and change at their own pace. JWs on the other hand need to wait for the GB to change any policy, and there is a strong incentive for GB members to stick by their previous statements on the issue as long as they are alive.

There are ways to interpret the NT that allow for gay relationships. Many Protestants already do this. JWs already interpret away many many scriptures. For example the scripture that says a sinner must present himself to the congregation. JWs, with no shame whatsoever, say this verse means the sinner must go to the elders, not the congregation. That is as flat a contradiction of the plain sense of scripture as you could hope for. They are more than capable of explaining away and adapting verses on homosexuality if they so wish.

Will they adapt or won't they? Who knows, really? But there are no easy choices for them either way.

I would argue that if attitudinal trends continue, then not adapting will become simply too difficult to maintain, as it did for the Mormon church refusing to admit black people into the priesthood. However painful the climb down may be.

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

Similar to JWs in the US at 76%. (I wonder what the equivalent JW and Evangelicla figures for those countries are, which would be a fair comparison)

Comparing like with like, only 47% of Muslims in the US say homosexuality should be rejected, lower than JWs (76%)' Evangelicals (55%) or Mormons (57%).

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

One very small sect in the Middle East has thrown some people from buildings. This hardly characterises Muslims as a whole or Muslims in the Middle East.

To claim this is somehow representative is about as accurate as saying that JWs are cereal murderers since the Yorkshire Ripper converted to JWs.

As I pointed out above the Pew survey showed Muslims are far more accepting of gay people than JWs. I thought that was interesting!

Many gay JWs and Christians are driven to suicide because of prejudice.

So who really is lacking sense of proportion here?

9

Children, you can go to Bethel when you grow up!

by stuckinarut2 in

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/children/become-jehovahs-friend/videos/caleb-sophia-visit-bethel/.

for those who haven't watched this, enjoy!.

hang in there for the very last comment from caleb!

slimboyfat

Sounds to me like "I don't want to go to bethel when I grow up" ???

Anthony Morris III posing with an animation looks particularly lame.

All I can say is they are setting expectations pretty high with this video. The best family day out ever? Are they really gearing up to make a fun experience for young children? Or are there going to be a lot of very disappointed kids out there?

34

The Big House Forced Exodus

by ttdtt in

long video i guess addressing the many hard feelings of people getting the axe at brooklyn and other facilities.. the gist is - thanks for your help, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

or scripturally saying - "keep warm and well fed"p.s.

they are admitting that the are letting older ones go.. http://tv.jw.org/#en/video/vodprogramsevents/pub-jwbrd_201605_5_video.

slimboyfat

That man is so smug it is unbearable. Only if he gets handed his own redundancy might it wipe the smirk off his face.

Also strange how he talks about "you older ones", he's no spring chicken himself. This is truly an aging organisation. The age profile of JW members is much older than the general population.

241

Another generation....

by joey jojo in

it has been 21 years since the 1995 article that pretty much buried the idea of the '1914 generation'.. remember those guys?

the ones born in 1914 that would still be alive when the end of the system arrived.. i'm glad i'm old enough to remember going from door to door, preaching this belief.

the reason i say that is because i have a lot of 'still in' jw friends and family.

slimboyfat

Yeah I worked out using the Yearbook figures a number of years ago that there are now more JWs who have joined since 1995 than are members from before the generation change was made. That's a whole new "generation" that don't feel sore about being fooled over the issue.

174

Awake #4/2016: Homosexuality

by Designer Stubble in

the new awake is up on jw.orgwith the legalization of gay marriage in many countries, they decided it was time to show: "what does thebible say about homosexuality?

"does the bible promote prejudice?still, some people would say that the bible promotes prejudice against homosexuals and that those who adhere to itsmoral code are intolerant.

‘the bible was written at a time when people were narrow-minded,’ they claim.

slimboyfat

As a discussion in its own right it would be fine. But why on this thread? Why in discussions about Western and Christian/JW attitudes to gay people? It often seems to serve the function: "stop talking and saying Christians in the West have a problem, look Muslims are even worse". Pretty cynical. As I mentioned above, Muslims in the US are more accepting of gay people than JWs or Evangelicals.