Posts by slimboyfat

98

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

by joe134cd in

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

slimboyfat

BTW, it was only recently that Hassan identified the WTS as a cult and discussed much at all.

Yeah that's right. At first Hassan never included JWs as a cult, but he said he got so many people contacting him asking why he didn't mention them. Including Randy Watters, there's an interesting interview here.

https://youtu.be/5ywcTe79nXQ

I've got mixed feelings about classing JWs as a cult. On one level they are nothing like the cults who kidnap people, sleep deprive, starve, humiliate, and so on as some groups do. On the other hand their information control and shunning practices are pretty severe. So they are not just a regular church either. They lie somewhere in between a strict church and a cult

Plus I think it's fair to say Hassan probably realised that JWs are potentially a huge market for his books and that influenced his decision to include them latterly. Most of the groups he discusses are tiny, whereas there are millions of Americans with some sort of JW connection, lots of potential for book sales.

I don't think we have enough "facts" to make a judgment. Reminds me of how jws would sit in judgment on people in the congregation, as we were out in field service demonstrating our Christian personalities.

I agree completely. Moralism gets old.

98

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

by joe134cd in

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

slimboyfat

You could charge $40 an hour and be doing it for the "wrong" motives.

The relevant questions are: does he pressure people to pay for what they can't afford? Does he add hidden charges after? Is his service any good?

Those would be grounds for complaint. That he charges a price we wouldn't personally pay is grounds for complaint only from sour grapes.

Prices are context dependent. It's not difficult to imagine that counsellors for famous, wealthy or powerful people charge a lot more than the prices being discussed here.

If we lived in California and provided a service for rich people who need help we can provide, it's no surprise that we would charge a lot. And in some countries you could probably eat for a month what we might spend on one meal out. Some people lack ability to view from different perspectives.

To be clear $400 is too expensive from my point of view and I would never be interested. But that doesn't compel me to lambast the motives of others involved in a voluntary transaction. If both parties think it's a good deal, who are we to tell them they are wrong?

The important questions are whether the charges are clear, not pressured, and the service is good.

70

2016 annual meeting

by obarac in

just a few minutes till the start ..... we hope for a news from absalom and wifibandit very soon.. wifibandit, any tread on reddit for am?.

also there were some info about live stream.

any news about that..

slimboyfat

The Mormons had their conference this weekend too. Maybe they could get together and save costs by running a joint show next year.

8

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

by Esse quam videri in

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.

slimboyfat

Likely no response.

After all there are no facts really, only interpretations.

34

Nicolas King: JW celebrity and example of hypocrisy

by neat blue dog in

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.

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.

583

What is the purpose of life?

by slimboyfat in

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.

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.

583

What is the purpose of life?

by slimboyfat in

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.

slimboyfat

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

98

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

by joe134cd in

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

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?

98

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

by joe134cd in

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

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.

98

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

by joe134cd in

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

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.