Ha! In one of my relationships I visited their prysberterian church, it had about 400/500 members, their annual donations/funds were around $400,000 - $500,000. A kingdomhall w/ 400/500 divided over 3 congregations would would average $1000 a month per congregation for $36,000 a year.
EndofMysteries
JoinedPosts by EndofMysteries
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Jehovah's Witnesses the richest religion in the world..
by wwjdnwt ini don't post here too much..i am more of a lurker.
but, wanted to share recent conversation with jw family member.. one of my jw relatives recently went to visit another jw relative that is "serving where the need is great",.
when my jw relative returned home and i was talking with him, who is an older jw who has been in for over 50 years, was so excited to tell me about the special talk.
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Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?
by cantleave inone of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.
this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.
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EndofMysteries
It takes a lot of balls to admit that your belief is really just a desire to believe.
freemindfade - What peace of mind comes from believing in intelligent design vs not? If humans are the result of another biological lifeform that was on Earth millions of years ago, does that change anything? If made from a God who got bored and is gone and we merely live and die does that change anything?
There is a desire to continue life or able to continue it, but acknowledging or believing in intelligent design does NOT fill that need. Without knowing more, it doesn't offer if there is any afterlife or not.
My belief in intelligent design is because it's a lot more logical than spontaneous out of nothing.
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Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?
by cantleave inone of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.
this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.
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EndofMysteries
Any one of dozens of basic textbooks on evolution will explain that in detail.
I've only ever seen textbooks showing jumps. Cells, then aquatic life, etc. Jumps where the entire life form is changed.
List a SPECIFIC textbook that will list natural CHEMICALS ,etc, that any person or scientist can combine that will create the first block. Then step by step. What came first Cofty? In what order were brain, heart, kidney, liver, etc evolved? In each step how did the life form exist? Where is a picture or fossil record of the life form before, during, and after a heart was evolved, kidney, liver, etc? If many books existed on this and since you're such an expert, if you took the life form and stood it side by side, how many evolutions took place from the chemicals to what a human is now? Do you have a list and photos or illustrations of each of them? Details on how the body survived and operated before all parts were developed? I've never seen such a book.
At most I've seen a book that shows a single cell, then basic cells, many MAJOR jumps and steps that supposedly happened millions of years a part all based on guesses with no physical evidence.
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Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?
by cantleave inone of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.
this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.
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EndofMysteries
EndofMysteries - Does nobody ever feel the need to read a book anymore?
Cofty: Show me what the books reveal about a step by step process from the chemicals and catacalysm in creating the first cells and life, and the step by step process of those cells as they eventually become humans, fish, birds. Illustrations of each tiny change as a heart or liver, etc, was developed and how the life form lived without them. What book has the exact process that can be tested replicated in a controlled envirnment to then concur that is a FACT? What book??? In fact don't even just list a book, but make a nice post showing the formula from nothing to a human being. And when would you like to arrange to show us this process in a lab?
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This thread is for proof that God exists
by juandefiero inhowever, i haven't found any evidence to support that belief.. have you?
if so please, show me the evidence that god exists, and i will believe along with you.. criteria:.
(1) you must specify which god you are talking about;.
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EndofMysteries
The God is intelligent design. Whether a biological scientist, supreme cosmic being, or computer programmer in which we are AI stuck inside a simulation in a computer. Whether God in any form is still watching/monitoring us, dead/gone, from another dimension, etc.
The proof of intelligent design is evident in all life. Learn about computer programming and compare it to DNA and life in general. So many similarities. I even posted a topic about it maybe about a year ago if you want I'll relink it or look at my old topic posts. That is the 100% certainty. If this being has a future planned for us and what is it, without him talking to us directly, with the many translations and religions and books, impossible for a certain answer.
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Why Do Intelligent People Believe in God?
by cantleave inone of the most common thing thrown at atheists is - lots of intelligent people believe in god.
this darkmatter 2525's video is an excellent explanation as to why very logical people possess religious belief systems.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y201qzddzbg.
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EndofMysteries
That video is absolute crap. What do you consider intelligent? I have a 130 IQ (tested several times professionally throughout my life), honors degree that included religious studies and basic biology, genetics, astronomy, etc. An IQ can be quite broad, my highest scores aside from knowledge were on puzzle, problem solving, and critical thinking. I also used to be a programmer.
The video was NOT made by an intelligent person, nor one possessing good critical thinking skills. Why do I make that claim?
1. The basis for the reason being to fit in and emotional ties defies those who use thinking and intelligence. An 'intelligent' person, if considering one a 'thinker' vs a 'feeler' wouldn't still believe in God because of social pressure or emotional attachment.
2. The lack of critical thinking is very evident when they as many others claim that believe in God must mean acceptance or belief in ANY religion on this planet. Very narrow minded thinking. Even though God is a religious term, if you take the concept then there need not be any religious ties to it. God also is understand in many different ways throughout beliefs and religions, the only exact specific is our life is the result of 'intelligent design'.
Why do I believe in God? First, my only 100% certain belief is "intelligent design". I am not 100% certain what form this intelligent design is from, where they are, if still around, etc. Having been a programmer, researching into AI, genetics, etc., I see intelligent design in all life. I am even considering learning programming again to try to create AI since faster computer processors, memory steadily rising in capacity but shrinking in physical size, cloud computing, camera, audio devices, and the new industrial revolution all have the right conditions to begin to develop this technology.
What is my take on life? Like computer programs, we can see the code and see the programs. But without the platform and appropriate software, we cannot create our own programs from scratch. Some intelligent lifeforce designed life, using DNA as the language. Designed it to replicate, and to adapt to its environment. The adaptations are the evolution we see.
None of those things has anything to do with social pressure or how I was raised. It doesn't tell me what to expect when I die. It doesn't tell me the nature of God, spirit or physical or something else. If man can ever replicate instead of by trillions of random chances for a cell life to just emerge, then group up to develop heart, brain, lungs, kidneys separate from each other or spontaneous at the same time, and into other life forms, then I might change my mind. If all those things w/ DNA developed by chance over millions or billions of years due to random chemical mixes, etc, then surely with man intervening and mixing the right things at the right time it should happen a lot quicker. And if all the varieties of life all happened by chance too, then we should be able to design and create customized life forms as well. (That may soon be possible w/ genetic engineering, but the key is to do it all from scratch and not use anything existing).
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GoFundMe - JW Pioneer & LDC Couple
by Listener injerry jones on youtube exposed a jw couple who were begging for money on gofundme.
this is his youtube .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feohxtbml2c.
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EndofMysteries
The apostle Paul worked and didn't ask for money. -
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Seven Trumpets of Revelation
by Zico ini read on here that the society teaches that the seven trumpets of revelation are representative of seven conventions held in america in the 1920. is this actually true?
is it old light?
i asked some witnesses but they all gave me a look like i was weird and said it couldn't be right, and i can't check the watchtower library as i can't get it on my computer (apparently the society doesn't think mac users are worthy of the 'good news') i mean... it would be a bit...odd, wouldn't it?
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EndofMysteries
During the 7 trumpet blasts, beth sarim, Rutherford teaching that by 1925 princes being resurrected, etc. -
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Seven Trumpets of Revelation
by Zico ini read on here that the society teaches that the seven trumpets of revelation are representative of seven conventions held in america in the 1920. is this actually true?
is it old light?
i asked some witnesses but they all gave me a look like i was weird and said it couldn't be right, and i can't check the watchtower library as i can't get it on my computer (apparently the society doesn't think mac users are worthy of the 'good news') i mean... it would be a bit...odd, wouldn't it?
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EndofMysteries
The 7 trumpets being the 7 conventions were originally interpreted by Rutherford as the 7 books released, which all could purchase for the right price. But when I had in my teens read that in the revelation book, at 14 years old, I knew something was fishy there. -
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What do you think is the source of your consciousness? Can it be copied or transferred?
by EndofMysteries inthis seems to be a question that even scientifically is still in the air.
right now your consciousness, is it the physical part of the brain?
the electrical signals in the brain?
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EndofMysteries
But it can't learn to actually feel danger or grief.
We feel danger due to a release of chemicals as part of a defense mechanism for self preservation. The similar stimulus of pain when we are being injured. Grief is from a loss. Love is said to be a drug and you can be addicted to the one you love, they provide you with a constant supply of dopamine from interacting, hugging, closeness, etc. AI could be programmed to avoid injury and learn to sense danger, from hostility of people, animals, situations, accidents, etc, and react to avoid it, which could be interpreted as fear or danger. Same concept of grief.