truth_b_known

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Posts by truth_b_known

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  6

  JW, soul and free will

  by inbetween in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  good morning,.

  when it comes to the question of free will, any jw will ascertain the existence of free will as needed for any moral issue regarding god, the bible etc.

  without free will the whole foundation of what their belief is based on will collapse.. now atheists, at least thats my understanding, deny also the existence of free will.

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  truth_b_known

  "Freewill is an illusion."

  Just about everything is an illusion manufactured by the brain. The brain is a fascinating thing. It is an organ that, like all other organs of the body, has one function - keep the whole body alive.

  In the programming world there is an old saying - "Garbage in. Garbage out." Erroneous data will cause problems for us. Our brain is constantly looking for that which will benefit us. Bad data such as "You can live forever on paradise Earth" may have a negative effect. Sure, living forever in paradise sounds great to the brain. So the brain wants that. It wants it even if there are horrible costs and negative outcomes from trying to get it.

  "Morality" is a function self preservation through mutual benefit. Humans are social creatures. Acting in such a way that benefits others rather than harms other furthers one's own wellbeing. Empathy is a product of evolution.

  I have even seen data that shows electrical activity in the brain has action taking place prior to the brain being aware. The example given was electrical activity was measured in the portion of the brain that caused the subjects hand to move took place a fraction of a second before the portion of the brain that registers movement activated. In short - the hand before the brain realized the hand was moving.
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  35

  I have changed a bit

  by Lee Marsh in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for one thing i am older.

  this is what i look like now or at least on jan 1, 2022.. .

  yes, 69 years old.. i moved once.

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  truth_b_known

  Life is a combination of things we tend to like and things we tend to dislike. The more we are accepting of the negative the more joy we receive in the positive aspects of life. Life is the greatest of all miracles. You seem to have figure all that out.

  Be happy & well!
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  50

  WT May 2022: The Seven Headed Beast

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  .

  https://youtu.be/wg9-pvxsoqm.

  this is my take on may 2022 watchtower on the seven headed beast and its connection to the 4 beasts of daniel 7. what do you think?.

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  truth_b_known

  I watched the whole video. It is well done and well thought out. I always try to listen with an open mind with the goal of learning something new.

  First, I agree that the Watchtower has a long history of getting it wrong when it comes to the topic of the beasts of Revelation. The goal posts are always moving with the Watchtower. I think that most will agree with that.

  Where my research has me differing has to deal with the Apostle John himself. It is my belief that John, like Paul, was a zealot. Both John and Paul firmly believed that the end would come in their lifetime. That means the events of Revelation would have been fulfilled in the first or early second century.

  Thank you for sharing.
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  20

  Am I Expected to Become One of Jehovah’s Witnesses if I Study the Bible With Them?

  by Ron.W. in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  (ps.

  (ps.

  (ps.

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  truth_b_known

  This is what is called a "Bait & Switch" scam.

  I suppose it could be possible that there is someone who would study with Witnesses for let's say academic reasons only. If such a person made that known up front they would simply be directed to the Watchtower website. No study would be conducted.
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  34

  Memorial invite

  by JoenB75 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  now they start inviting to their "commemorate the death of jesus" event.

  it always makes me a bit sad.

  i don’t think i could endure to watch it myself today.

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  truth_b_known

  I always found the Memorial a bit macabre.

  First, attendance was treated as if it were the most important event you could ever possibly go to. You best be in bed with a high fever with a contagious illness if you were to miss the Memorial.

  Second, passing the emblems seemed like an exercise in the Exodus story of the copper serpent. Everyone just has to touch the emblems like they have been poisoned and the emblems emit the antidote which is absorbed through the skin.

  Third, about 30 years ago Witnesses started treating the Memorial like Easter & Christmas wrapped up in one. People would buy a fancy new outfit just for the Memorial (Easter Sunday outfit) and then big groups would go out to Christmas dinner after the Memorial was over. Towards the end that seemed a bit inappropriate. "We just observed the execution of an innocent man. Let's go out and celebrate!"
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  16

  Article: Jehovah's Witnesses elders guilty of failure to report sexual abuse of 6-year-old girl

  by AndersonsInfo in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  mchenry county, woodstock, il .

  northwest herald, shaw local news.

  breaking news - read below full article - (article was blocked unless the reader has a subscription.

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  truth_b_known

  Let's say these elders get sentenced to 12 months in the county jail. Here is how it will go down -

  The Organization = Jehovah

  The Organization told us not to report = Jehovah told us not to report

  Conclusion: We are going to jail because we were obedient to Jehovah.

  
  
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  23

  Introduction

  by joao in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm joão, from portugal.. i was a jw for about 30 years but i've stopped associating with them for about two years now.

  and, lately, i've decided to dig deep and research about this cult!

  oh boy!

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  truth_b_known

  Joao:

  Welcome! You will find all sorts of advice and support from all sorts of persons who are former JWs and persons who never were, but still participate in this community. We may seem dysfunctional from time to time, but all families are. We are family. We truly do love another in spite of differences.

  My situation was the reverse of yours. I was a born in Witness who married a woman who became a JW in her late 20s. She was a Witness probably all of 7 years before she quit. Eventually I came around and saw the Watchtower for what it truly is.

  My suggestion is to maintain your love and support of your wife and children. If they want to go to the meetings, don't just let them, help them. Do nothing to interfere in their practice of being a Witness. Do not talk about teachings or anything of a religious nature. Be happy.

  The most powerful tool to prove whether a religion is true or not is the happiness test. Happiness is not to be confused with the joy of experiencing pleasure. It is being content and the absence of mental suffering (fear, regret, sorrow, resentment). Witnesses can never be happy. That is why the religion is proven false. Arguments about doctrine can go on forever. Happiness is now or never.
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  19

  Why is God's punishment always nonsensical?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  leviticus 10:1-3. .

  the death of nadab and abihu.

  10 aaron’s sons nadab and abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the lord, contrary to his command.

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  truth_b_known

  Getting upset with Jehovah's bloodthirsty tantrums is like getting upset with Darth Vader when he Force chokes someone. Why is it upsetting? It didn't really happen. The people in the story never existed.

  The reason is because we like to put ourselves into every story. One philosopher described it like watching a play being performed on a stage in a theater. When the actor playing the villain walks out onto the stage our reaction is to jump up on the stage an punch the villain.

  This is all function on Ego.
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  14

  Watchtower Dishonesty aka Theocratic Warfare

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like to collect as many instances of watchtower dishonesty and pretense as possible.

  here is one from a bulgarian as an example of what i'm looking for.. are jehovah's witnesses disfellowshipped for receiving blood in a hospital?.

  helge fauskanger writes: "if witnesses can’t convince the elders that they are utterly “repentant” for this vampiric lapse of theirs, they will be held to have disassociated themselves from the religion — even if they never said a word about wanting to leave it!

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  truth_b_known

  Vanderhoven7:

  Get with Terry on the conscientious objector protocols used by the Watchtower during the Vietnam Conflict. Young men were coached by elders not to mention or to deny the fact that they were refusing military service because their religion told them to. They were to claim it was their personally held belief and for no other reason.

  I was once told about 30 years ago that if a baptized Witness enlisted into the military the Watchtower handled it by making an announcement that the individual had "disassociated themselves" rather than being disfellowshipped. The reason is fear that the U.S. government would take action against the Watchtower for subversive propaganda during wartime if they were disfellowshipping Witnesses who decided to join the war effort. This practice is deceitful unless the Witness enlisting actually did submit a letter of disassociation.

  When I was in high school there was a Witness in my congregation who was in his early 20s that joined the U.S. Navy. I promise you that he never submitted a letter of disassociation. It was announced anyways.
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  19

  Why is God's punishment always nonsensical?

  by RULES & REGULATIONS in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  leviticus 10:1-3. .

  the death of nadab and abihu.

  10 aaron’s sons nadab and abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the lord, contrary to his command.

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  truth_b_known

  The reason is because the YHWY of the Old Testament is a mythological story character. Zeus, Odin, Ba'al, and YHWH are are just works of fiction. The brain is addicted to story.