Posts by truth_b

11

Live 'as though' God is true and goodness is real? Why? Why not?

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

in the long run, goodness can be as real as we care to live it.

and if we live 'as though' god were as real as we once believed--how can we go wrong?let us think about this...what would happen if we were given a large amount of cash and we spent it on gifts for our loved ones but-- a knock at the door and the police are here!

that cash was counterfeit and those gifts must be confiscated...what then?good intentions are only that--intentions-- if there is no "there" there.when we were each others' brothers and sisters our love was real but the currency was counterfeit.

truth_b_known

If "goodness" is real then "evil" must also be real. What is evil?

"What is evil?" was the question a college professor of philosophy asked his students day one of class. The professor started with the student sitting in the front row of the lecture hall.

"War," she answered.

"Wrong" replied the professor.

The professor asked the second student, "What is evil?"

"Violence," the second student answered.

"Wrong," replied the professor.

The professor continued asking the same question of each student. He went student by student, row by row, asking them all the same question and each answer given by students was met with the same reply - "Wrong!" That was until he got about 25 students into the process and he called on my buddy.

"What is evil?" asked the professor of my friend.

My friend knew that this question was coming and truly racked his brain coming up with what he thought was a legitimate answer. Then he replied.

"Cancer."

The professor paused and pondered on his his answer for several uncomfortable seconds.

"Yes," replied the professor who then promptly returned to the lectern and began his first lecture to the class.

I share this story to share an opinion - concepts of "good" and "evil" are man-made and subjective. Something that is classified as "good" can later be re-branded to "evil" over a period of time and vice versa. That is not to say there are not things that are "good" and will always be seen that way or that some things are not truly "evil'.

So what is the alternative?

One universal truth is that for every action there is a reaction. All actions have consequences. The word "consequences" has been given a negative connotation. In reality consequences can be positive or more accurate, consequences are just the results of what we do or fail to do.

So the alternative is to ask ourselves this question - "What can I live with?"

73

1975—Were You Affected By What 1975 Was Supposed to Bring?

by minimus in

jw
friends

for years , we were told to wait until 1975!.

the end was coming and we better be ready—or else!.

were you around during this “momentous “ time??

truth_b_known

I was in diapers back in 1975. I have a close friend who turned 5 in 1975. His father was an elder and held the position that is now referred to as Coordinator of the Body of Elders. My friend says he remember going on in the ministry with his dad. He remembers his dad would place every book and magazine in his service bag every time they went out.

Then 1976 passed. He recalls the very next December his dad putting up a Christmas tree in the house. His dad leaving the organization led to his father being disfellowshipped and the divorce of his parents.

Over the years he losely associated with the Witnesses as he was raised by his mother and grandmother after the divorce. He never got baptized. He tried. He had married a Witness and they moved back to his home congregation. The body of elders told him they would never let him get baptized.

That was the end of Witness life for him.

8

Satan gives jehovahs people a break

by nowwhat? in

south korea now allows conscientious objectors from military obligation.

since the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.

a tip of the hat to satan for allowing jahs people freedom to worship!

truth_b_known

The above is a true statement. It has to be. Everything in this system of things is under Satan's control...ecxept the government. Romans 13 says the government is comprised of God's ministers.

Wait a minute. Isn't that a contradiction?

144

Asylum Caravan

by dubstepped in

alright, so what is the deal with the thousands coming to the states right at election time seeking asylum?

i'm not up on this, usually try not to be, but how can this not be manipulative?

it's either manipulative in the size of the group and pressure that creates, or in where it started or who started this, etc.

truth_b_known

After wading through 7 pages of this thread, please forgive me if I missed someone already commenting on the following -

Thousands of citizens from Honduras and Guatemala have been organized to make a trek from their nation to the U.S. southern border with the hope of entering as well as staying. We have all sort of theories being thrown around, fueled by mass media and talking head spin. They are coming none the less.

The issue I find interesting is the concept of this group and predecessors coming under the guise of "asylum seekers" or "refugees". There's a problem with both claims.

By international law, a person may seek asylum from another nation for various reasons. Often it is because their lives are in direct danger from their homeland's government. The issue is that the asylum seeker must seek asylum from the first nation they enter. The asylum seeker does not get to pick and choose where to seek asylum. The asylum seekers does not get to flee home, cross two sovereign nations, and then seek asylum in a third nation.

The next issue is to consider this group or previous groups as "refugees". There are strict terms defining what causes a person to be considered a refugee. Those reasons would not include poverty or violent criminal gangs. Also, accepting someone into your nation under a refugee status is only for a limited time with the intent of the refugee to return to their homeland.

I believe the real driving force behind this mass of persons intending on illegally immigrating into the U.S. is rather simple - money. Whenever poverty borders prosperity this is what you get. Unlike over a 100 years ago when people crossed the oceans on ships to enter Ellis and Angel Island, there is not intent on these people to assimilate and become Americans. Unlike that same time, there is no limit to the number of Americans willing to provide substandard wage employment in menial jobs (under the table) to them.

The worst prisons are the ones without bars. Poverty is probably the worst prison. It makes people desperate and there is no shortage of people willing to take advantage of that.

I have been saying for years that the U.S. has deployed its armed forces in the wrong places. It's quite obvious that Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico's governments have no intention of fixing their problems. A few Marine Battalions should be able to round up all the drug cartels and MS-13 members.

4

It's Halloween! join Chad and Jess as they enjoy their first party in Dubtown

by Kevin McFree in

https://youtu.be/-yp3twzxfrw.

chad and jess start on a forbidden journey in dubtown, halloween parties, worldly friends and dating!https://youtu.be/-yp3twzxfrw.

truth_b_known

"Good job on mics."

"Thanks. It's harder than it looks."

This series is pure genius!

43

A Cult Tactic: Removing Guilt By Dehumanising Others

by pale.emperor in

in the real world, very few parents would disown their own children simply because they read a magazine that told them to do it.

very few people would forever completely ignore their own parents because an elder got up on a platform one day and announced that they no longer follow the same religion as you.. in the real world it just doesn't happen.

and yet, for 8 million jehovah's witnesses it's very a normal part of their world to treat "other people" differently than they'd treat each other.

truth_b_known

This is so very true. Often during times of war, one nation will come up with a derogatory name for the other nation's troops. This dehumanization can make it easier for soldiers to kill their enemy.

What I find ironic about Jehovah's Witnesses is that back in the 1990s there was a Watchtower Study Article dealing with this. The article commented how the Pharisees of Jesus time referred to their fellow Israelite as "People of the Earth" which followed the same connotation as "pagan" or "heathen". These were slurs aimed at people who were thought of as uneducated and the last to convert to the state religion.

The point the article made was that Witnesses should not refer to non-Witnesses with derogatory terms as "worldly". The problem with this, even though they were correct, if that using the slur "worldly" is so ingrained in Witness culture it never really caught on. As someone pointed out in another thread, one of the reasons it is so hard for Witnesses to leave is because the whole concept of being a Witness is that it makes you better than all other people. No matter a person's wealth, power, or stature in society - being one of Jehovah's Witnesses automatically makes you better.

101

Who is the mediator for jehovahs witnesses?

by atomant in

lm getting conflicting advice.ls it the 144000 or jesus.l was always under the impression it was jesus.lf its the 144000 then when they pray the jw;s should be praying through the remnant not in jesus christs name but in the 144000;s name..

truth_b_known

So, if you are not of the Annointed there is no point in offering prayer to Jehovah as Jesus will not mediate for you so your prayer is heard? Wow! Mind blown!

23

What will JJ Abrams and Disney do for Star Wars episode IX?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i heard that jj abrams has finished the screenplay and they'll be starting to shoot the final episode soon.. so where will the story go?.

han solo is dead, snoke is dead, leia can only have a very limited role at best because carrie fisher unfortunately died .... plus, rey has already defeated the main villain once before, in her first lightsaber fight (in the force awakens, because 'ovaries!

', i guess xd).. and she saved his ass against snoke's elite guards (in the last jedi) - so it will be difficult to film any kind of dramatic tension between rey and kylo ren.. i won't be seeing this film in the cinema or buying it on dvd but i am kinda curious how things will pan out .... what do you think?.

truth_b_known

Star Wars "jumped the shark" with The Last Jedi. It is the only Star Wars film I have only watched once. Solo was better. The actor they got to portray young Han Solo is awful.

My recommendation for Star Wars viewing is as follows -

Watch Rogue One

Watch Star Wars: A New Hope (original version)

Watch Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (original version), but stop it just before Vader's big plot reveal.

Return of the Jedi was a big let down. The prequel trilogy is garbage. The new movies are worse than garbage.

72

Why Do People Hate Jews???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i have never understood anti-semitism .why sooo much hatred?.

truth_b_known

I was always under the impression that antisemitism in the west was due to Jews rejecting Jesus as the Messiah and rejecting Christianity. I don't know. I don't care. I have no real desire to understand racism of any kind.

21

It baffles me why they would even say this

by Tameria2001 in

back in 2001, i left the jws rather abruptly.

i had discovered things about the watchtower that really made me quite angry, angry because i had been lied to, and it took me just to darn long to figure it out.

before i had left, my husband and i wrote 3 letters, one to the elders at our congregation, and two to our parents.

truth_b_known

Your story illustrates why so many Witnesses stay in even if they can see what's really going on for themselves. To them they have put too much of their lives into this religion. It's like the band on the Titanic that chose to play on even though they were sinking to their icy deaths.

I know for certain this is why my parents are still in. My father is way too smart not to see the organization for what it is. the problem is that he is in his 70s now. That and he still believes the god of the Bible is real. Since Witnesses do such an excellent job at disproving all other religions, he feels like there is no where else to go.

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known