Posts by slimboyfat

22

How smart were the ancients?

by Coded Logic in

growing up as a jw, i always thought the ancients were scientific morons who knew next to nothing.

ashamedly, i used to run around citing isaiah 40:22 as proof of the bible's 'divine authorship' because it talked about "the circle of the earth".

as though this were somehow an unknowable before spaceflight.

The tract "The Bible vs. The Evolution Theory" (1898) argued that, while the modern age benefits from accumulated knowledge, humans of earlier centuries had greater abilities, and that human intellect has degraded over the centuries. It points to superior examples of art, poetry and even science in previous eras:

"In the Sciences. Of present day art and sciences special boast is made; and we are ready to admit generally the claim, accounting for it as before explained. Nevertheless, it behooves us to remember that the people of the past accomplished wonders without our modern appliances... We are not to forget, either, that some of the valuable arts of the past were so thoroughly lost that even with all our present-day enlightenment they have not yet been re-discovered: for instance, the process of manufacturing flexible glass; and the process of tempering steel which gave the swords of Damascus a world-wide fame for flexibility; and the process of tempering copper so as to render it useful for tools. And while considering these matters we are to remember that the Scriptures indicate not only that the Children of Israel became much degraded through their several centuries of bondage in Egypt, but also that among all the gentiles there was a retrogression."

da-ip.getmyip.com:8080/PDF/Old%20Publications/1898%20-%20The%20Bible%20versus%20The%20Evolution%20Theory%20-%20text.pdf

22

How smart were the ancients?

by Coded Logic in

growing up as a jw, i always thought the ancients were scientific morons who knew next to nothing.

ashamedly, i used to run around citing isaiah 40:22 as proof of the bible's 'divine authorship' because it talked about "the circle of the earth".

as though this were somehow an unknowable before spaceflight.

slimboyfat

Actually, growing up around old-time JWs, who liked to speculate a lot, and read the old literature, I was exposed to the opposite idea. It is an early Bible Student teaching that the closer to Adam humans were, the nearer perfection, and hence more intelligent. In their early tracts against evolution, one of the key arguments Russell made was that humans are getting less intelligent over the centuries, therefore evolution can't be true. This betrayed a superficial understanding of evolution, but it also showed that Bible Students regarded ancient humans as superior to modern humans.

In particlar I remember the idea being floated that there were advanced civilisations before the flood of Noah, and part of the reason for the flood and the destruction of the Tower of Babel was to stall human progress which had advanced far too quickly because humans were still near perfection.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

ThomasCovenant technically of course JWs disavow the term "pacifist", preferring conscientious objector. And they would agree for the reasons you point out, that God and his servants have used violence in the past, and Jesus will wage war in the future. The fact remains that JWs refuse to kill each other, or kill for the state here and now, which in practical everyday terms is what many people understand pacifism to involve.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

I must have been off that day when you used an actual argument. "That's ridiculous" has been pretty standard all along.

Now with the even more persuasive variation: "do I really need to tell you how ridiculous you are?"

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

Vanderhoven7 you are right that shunning does not show love. At the same time refusing to kill each other is very good. I can see both sides, and don't feel the need to use a bad to negate a good or vice vera. Each is what it is.

There was a handful of people from other groups who also refused to fight in Nazi Germnay: a few Adventists, Baptists and other pacifists from other groups. These were small in number and generally categorised along with JWs in the camp system.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

Asserting something does not make it so.

Laika, welcome to Coftyworld, where Cofty saying makes it so, and "that's ridiculous" (argumentum ad lapidem) is the favourite response.

I'd like to be able to "like" your recent posts on this thread about war, but it seems my "like" button has been disabled. I hear it's the same for a number of others too.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

If Argentinians were pascificts there wouldn't have been a war. It's funny how those who argue against pascifism always insist on a scenario where the aggressors can't possibly be pascifist in order to get their example off the ground. And then insist it's perfectly plausible that all the defending nation could turn into pascifists and invite disaster, in order to make their point. In any scenario that allows for everyone to become pascifist then wars wouldn't get off the ground. And if you don't allow for the scenario that everyone could become pascifist, then why invoke the scenario of a whole defending nation turning pascifist? If it's unrealistic on one side it's unrealistic on the other.

In reality it is healthy in democracies to have some people who refuse to fight. The alternative is not a free society. And in the long run elimination of war and universal pascifism should be the goal. Unrealistic? Maybe, but it's the only real chance humanity has got to survive.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

In terms of resources and distribution probably not because a worldwide theocracy would probably be quite efficient. In terms of freedom of thought and action then yes.

19

I think it's possible for a change of trend in JW growth

by Chook in

just like after decades of memorial partakers declining and now reversed.

this information age might reverse the trend of jw membership.

.

slimboyfat

I agree. I expect to see zero growth or an overall decrease in JWs this year or next. If they still publish the numbers.

332

The most successful teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses and an amazing new book on the divine name

by slimboyfat in

jehovah's witnesses have had to revise their chronology and various doctrinal interpretations due to events and scholarly corrections.

but the one teaching where they have been consistently ahead of the curve is the importance of jehovah's name.. .

i'm going to run through a (necessarily selective) timeline of jw events and scholarly publications that demonstrate the phenomenal success of this teaching in the last days.

slimboyfat

Cofty I accept it is your opinion that pascifism is wrong.

If everyone acted as JWs there would be no war. And unless humanity copies JWs soon and abandons war it's hard to see how it can avoid complete annihilation because of modern weapons.