Posts by truth_b

right from the start he picks favorites ,not giving cain or abel any clues or directions in how he wanted to be worshiped .. maybe its just me but i would have thought cain`s sacrifice would have been much better than abel`s simply because cains offering was from the" fruits from the ground" but abel`s offering was to sacrifice" some firstling`s of his flock" oh, and lets not forge" their fatty pieces".

cain offered up the product of the land ,being a cultivator of the land ,while abel was a herder of the sheep and slaughtered one of gods creations.

truth_b_known

Most of the Old Testament, especially Genesis, is a completely fabricated story. Even stories have benefit. Stories also teach.

A Canaanite tribe captured by the Persians decided they did not want to lose their cultural identity. The way they accomplished their goal was to make up a story. A story in which their people were a special people chosen by the one true god.

The back story of the ancient Israelites is that the one true god YHWH told Abram (who changed his name to Abraham) that his descendants would grow into a mighty nation that would rule over the whole world. This tall tale is what kept the Persian captives dedicated to keeping their ethnic and cultural identity alive. The story obviously served its purpose.

We literally have a religion based on ethnic/cultural supremacy and it's defended by true believers because "it's God's will." It shouldn't be surprising that it is a divisive religion.

18

The Cross in Pompeii & Herculaneum in 79 AD

by Sea Breeze in

can someone please tell the wt janitor to turn the lights off when the last jw leaves the watchtower after learning that early christians used the cross as a christian logo of sorts?

.

truth_b_known

The Tau (T) cross was the first crucifix symbol used in Christianity. It is still popular in Christian jewelry today.

25

Professors and Students Defend Evolution

by Sea Breeze in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc_w9vtzj0a&ab_channel=livingwaters.

truth_b_known

I think an important exercise to have with anyone prior to entering into a conversation such as this would be -

If you believe in the Biblical creation account as having taken place in the literal sense and do not believe in evolution, what evidence (if any) would you accept that would change your mind?

If the answer is "none" I would recommend you exit the conversation with some pleasantry and be about your business. You are dealing with an individual who is closed minded.

What is evolution? In this context it is only a slow change to an organism to adapt to its environment. Evolution is not life from lifelessness. That is abiogenesis. Amino acids form a single, one-celled life form. Abiogenesis. That one-celled life form turns into a complex lifeform over millions of years - macroevolution.

Just because evolution is real doesn't preclude a creator. The evidence of evolution exists in DNA.

The "Problem of Evil" is no problem at all. What is "evil"? That depends on your cultural upbringing. However, it is generally accepted as a lack of empathy and being self-centered. So, if there is an all-powerful, benevolent creator, why is there evil? The thought process on this is either A) The creator is not all-powerful, B) the creator is not benevolent, or C) there is no creator. Even atheists are coming around to the fact that this philosophy given to us by Epicurus is flawed thinking.

I like the way philosopher Alan Watts puts it -

The next problem where they differ so sharply is, Why have things gone wrong? Why is there evil; why is there pain; why is there tragedy? In the Christian tradition you have to attribute evil to something besides God. God is defined as good, and He originally created the scheme of things without any evil in it. But there was a mysterious accident, in which one of the angels, called Lucifer, did not do what he was told. And there was the Fall of Man. Man disobeyed, he went against the law of God, and from that point on evil was introduced into the scheme of things and things began to go wrong, that is to say, against the will of the will of the perfectly good creator.
The Hindu thinks in a different way. He feels that the creator or the actor is the author of both – good and evil for the reasons, as I explained it to you, you have to have the evil for there to be a story. In any case, it is not as if the creator had made evil and made someone else its victim. It isn’t like saying “God creates the evil as well as the good, and poor little us are his puppets and he inflicts evil upon us.” The Hindu says, “Nobody experiences pain except the Godhead.” You are not some separate little puppet who is being kicked around by omnipotence. You are omnipotence in disguise. So there is no victim of this, no helpless, defenseless, poor little thing. Even the baby with syphilis is the dreaming Godhead.

3

BRAZIL - Watchtower - Sixteen religious entities concentrate 80% of church debts in taxes

by TheTruthBR in

this news came out today on one of the main news sites in brazil.

a list of churches that owe the most taxes in brazil was released.

as in other countries, in brazil wt does not pay taxes, but is being charged for using this benefit as fraud, when importing material for the printing.. link in portuguese: https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2021/09/28/lista-dividas-impostos-igrejas-concentracao-80-pfgn-receita-bolsonaro.htm.

truth_b_known

Remember that part of the Gospel's where the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus by asking him if they should pay taxes? That is when Jesus replied -

"Bring me coin. Who's image is on this coin? Caesar's? Well, you can tell Caesar that my people don't have to pay taxes because they have religious exemption."

Oh, wait! That's not how it all went down.

I remember when I was a young MS and applied to the Kingdom Ministry School. I was asked privately by 2 elders if I paid my taxes. I did. So, they said they would send my application on up. I was told that brothers who don't pay taxes cannot be given privileges.

10

What Do You Think?

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

do you think the tower is getting money from the government for encouraging people to get vaccinated?

or is there just too much lemon in my tea?.

https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/07/27/biden-harris-admin-provides-121-million-in-arp-funding-to-local-communities-for-covid-19-vaccines.htmlbiden-harris administration provides $121 million in american rescue plan funds to support local community-based efforts to increase covid-19 vaccinations in underserved communities.

truth_b_known

It is a possibility. The Watchtower did take advantage of the U.S. FDA food program.

Another possibility is that it is becoming the trend for those who have been mandated by employers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to file a religious exemption. I think the Watchtower is wanting to avoid a Witness filing such an exemption and that incident being published by the news.

22

Any signs that Kingdom Halls will re-open soon or door to door work will re-start again?

by eyeslice in

jw
friends

i've not heard anything from pimi wife about going back to the khs yet let alone the door to door work.. many churches round here have re-opened if only for private pray and i am guessing that things like singing may be a factor in the reluctance of the witnesses to get back together again.

i also detect that many older ones are still quite afraid to go anywhere they may come in contact with people, even for shopping.

on the other hand, here in uk you can now go to a football match with 70,000 others shouting and chanting.. the door to door work may a total different issue.

truth_b_known

My state just passed a law prohibiting the state government from shutting down religious buildings/"houses of worship" due to things like COVID-19. In spite of this the Kingdom Hall in the city I live in is still closed for business.

18

Mating inequality

by hoser in

this is the latest problem in north american society.

mating inequality.

there are now more women college graduates than men in the us.

truth_b_known

I hold 2 college degrees. I have more respect for people who earn a living through a trade, who build, or repair. I see jobs that require a Masers Degree that start out at $40,000.00 a year while plumbers and electricians make six-figure incomes.

The more you have of an item the less value it has. The U.S. has a bumper crop of college grads and few people who actually make things work.

21

Kingdom Halls for sale everywhere!

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

it just seems like the kingdom halls are for sale everywhere.

i think this is the fourth or fifth i have seen just this week.. https://www.domain.com.au/64-charles-street-triabunna-tas-7190-2017131021?fbclid=iwar3w-1kwb_ef5op_o3wl92bhy6_9pdlib9lj78fb5cys3gdtdhtxp_5b7j4https://www.realcommercial.com.au/sold/property-46-leslie-st-stawell-vic-3380-503750618?fbclid=iwar0m9arji78p_wakgn_2p3bkbgqoiwzore-d2-oyqx7ahhtj98wxm0lhfk0https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-wa-bridgetown-136605110?fbclid=iwar3qqn-y5zcxigotrh_mwtx0vumn2jl600uqnv0cuubehqqk2bz5nscmdnqhttps://www.athertonfn.com.au/property?property_id=679163&fbclid=iwar1bfbbae0rnhsltadwrgp-7lhfjysznlhjkq3appsubdzsk7mklgikhejkwe will give kim credit for finding these.atlantis!

truth_b_known

I would like to start a fundraiser to buy one of these Kingdom Halls. Then we could use it as a museum to teach the truth about the Truth.

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known