slimboyfat

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Posts by slimboyfat

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  8

  What would be the Watchtower organizations response to "GB-Fact-checkers"

  by Esse quam videri in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  much is being said during the usa election run-up and trump-clinton debates about checking the facts of statements made by each candidate.

  this is, of course, serious stuff as the direction of the countries future depends on just who is elected into office of the president of the united states of america.

  not president of the local 'glee club' or the 'southside knitting society' , but, the president of the united states of america.

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  slimboyfat

  Likely no response.

  After all there are no facts really, only interpretations.
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  34

  Nicolas King: JW celebrity and example of hypocrisy

  by neat blue dog in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  nicolas king frequently sings with the watchtower chorus and had a supporting role in the dvd released at the 2014 convention.

  (he's on the bottom row, second from the right.).

  but he also is a jazz singer, traveling constantly performing at concerts, casinos, charity events, even a brief appearance on the tonight show.

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  slimboyfat

  How can he get away with it? He probably won't long term. The WT will use him for a while, but at some point some senior WT official will take exception to something about him and he'll be out of favour. Then they'll use someone else for a while, and so on. Unless you are very rich and famous like Prince or the Williams sisters, or have a very valuable skill such as a lawyer, as a JW you are always going to be replaceable and the organisation treats you as such.
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  583

  What is the purpose of life?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

  because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

  i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

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  slimboyfat

  I'm just sticking to the script.

  That was my plan. Ask the question, leave it dangling for a while, quote some poetry, say something about exitentialism, but ultimately that it's not the answer, then a few days later the big reveal: Marxism is the answer to the meaning of life. Then my work here is done.

  Have other things been happening on the thread? I guess I'm just focused. You could say I'm in the zone.
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  583

  What is the purpose of life?

  by slimboyfat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  while reading the magazines the other day it occurred to me that jws never really had a very good answer to that question.

  because it was aimed at young people and it said something along the lines, "if you believe in god you have a purpose, but if you don't believe in god your life has no purpose or meaning".

  i think that is a faulty analysis of the situation.

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  slimboyfat

  Have others considered that Marxism might offer an answer to the meaning of life?
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  • She took the book home and read the first pages, got scared , wrapped it up in gift paper and hid it under her bed, strange behavior ?

  Isn't it the calm, normal reactions to any sort of criticism that let you know JWs are simply well adjusted folks who happen to have figured out God and the meaning of life?
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  The prices Hassan charges a few wealthy clients for his exclusive services is really the least interesting thing. How about discussing the actual content of his book? To which there are upsides and downsides as I wrote above.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Weak answer. It's like saying no medical student should ever be interested in how much a doctor gets paid. People, complex beings as we are, are perfectly capable of being motivated by more than one thing at once.

  Hassan clearly is interested in helping people. He's also interested in making money. Good luck to him.

  If there was any suggestion that he pressures people to buy services they can't afford or he has hidden charges that would clearly be wrong. I haven't seen anyone suggest that. He appears to be charging wealthy people a high price for an exclusive service. Such is the capitalist world all over. That's the system we operate under. If you don't like it attack the system, not the person playing by the rules.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  It is not unreasonable to suggest that his main motivation might be wealth

  So what? And can't it be both wealth and helping people? If he can charge $400 and people are willing to pay it, then why on earth should he charge $200 or $100?

  What self-employed person tells a customer to pay less that they are prepared to pay? What employee tells his boss to cut his pay?

  Are we going to go after lawyers and doctors next?
  
  
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Yes Ruby as a fully paid up poststructuralist I have problems with the idea of an "authentic" personality. We are multifaceted, complex and contradictory, at least I am (no I'm not).

  To be fair to Hassan he heavily qualifies the idea of authentic personality opposed to cult personality. He spends a lot of time talking about looking for good aspects of cult experience, drawing upon it.

  I think you hit upon the major problem of JWs looking to Hassan for advice or guidance. He is set up to help families rescue children who get messed up with cults as inexperienced young adulls. This may apply to a few young people who become JWs but it is not the typical scenario. Many JWs are trapped as JWs because of family not despite them.
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  98

  Steve Hassan. Can some one verify if this is true.

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  https://culteducation.com/group/1289-general-information/8227-disclaimer-regarding-steve-hassan.html.

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  slimboyfat

  Maybe, maybe not but they certainly need to be dissuaded from spreading the lies that tear families apart. So yes, even the happy, functional JWs need to be, if not rescued, made aware.
  We mustn't give them a free pass.

  You make a great point. The people who live happy lives as JWs do so, to some extent, at the expense of those who are discarded and shunned. So I can see an argument for confronting even happy JWs because their practices harm a minority who are mistreated.

  But still I have a bias toward just letting happy JWs get on with being happy JWs. These are difficlt issues to weigh up. I don't think there are easy answers either way.