Posts by truth_b

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.

2

nice end of times video

by running_away in

interesting.

we are not the only ones with problems to understand a generation.

https://youtu.be/ujyhagjcswa.

truth_b_known

"A 'spiritual rapture' occurred."

Sound familiar?

30

There is something I don't understand about the selling off of Kingdom Halls

by Tameria2001 in

i have been reading where the watchtower is closing down kingdom halls.

there is something that i don't understand, or maybe i am just misunderstanding it.

can someone clear this up for me?

truth_b_known

It's worse than it seems.

First, the congregation takes out a loan...from the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. Even if a lower interest rate can be financed through some other banking institution, the congregation must pay for its new Kingdom Hall by borrowing money from the WBTS. Part of the loan agreement is that the WTBS becomes the sole owner of the property. THEN the property is developed by volunteer labor from the local brothers who will use the Kingdom Hall.

All of this so that, a few years down the road, the WTBS can profit TWICE from the local members - first, from the interest on the loan and second, from the sale of the property. Sometimes the sale is because the WTBS instructs those same members that they need a new Kingdom Hall and the process begins all over again.

13

Bible's flaws

by LostAdam in

what are some flaws of the bible that convince you that its not god's word.

for example what about prophecies like babylon or prophecies about jesus birth and life that jw use to make you believe bible is god originated?

i'd appreciate your comments.

truth_b_known

I took Astronomy to meet my science requisite for my general education credits in college (I went to a 2 year college in my early 20s while I was still in). I thought it would be all about planets and stars. It was mostly math.

We learned of Kepler and how he discovered several planets in our solar system without even seeing them. His equations dealing with the orbit of a large celestial math and how they interact with each other led to his proving Jupiter, Saturn, and other planets existed.

Years later I read something that dealt with the Great Flood of Noah's Day. It showed how much water was needed to cover the highest peaks on Earth. Based on the increased mass due to the water required and Kepler's equations, I knew it was scientifically impossible for the Flood to have taken place. It would have changed the Earth's orbit and the orbits of the other planets in our solar system.

5

My Evening in Paris with the Mysterious Veronica

by TerryWalstrom in

jw
friends

(recently i spent 18 days in europe in first, london, then paris, and last of all, madrid.

i was quite bedazzled by paris.

on my first night there, after a long day of sightseeing, i sat down and wrote this.).

truth_b_known

Brilliant writing, Terry! I always enjoy reading your works. Whether it's the Monorails of Mars or Veronica in Pairs. Please keep sharing your talent with us.

18

Can someone help me figure out something, dealing with paganism?

by Tameria2001 in

the watchtower and quite a few other religious groups don't do certain things because of pagan origins.

they go on about the different holidays, certain traditions, and say they don't do those things because of pagan origins.

yet they turn right around and do other stuff, which does have pagan origins.

truth_b_known

JW: "We would like to invite you to the Memorial of Christ's Death."

Me: "Do you mean 'The Lord's Evening Meal?"

JW: "Yes!"

ME: "No thank you. That is based on the pagan holiday of known as 'Passover'. As a Christian, I do not practice interfaith."

JW: "But Jesus commanded us to do this!"

Me: "Do you refuse to celebrate Christmas?"

JW: "Yes."

Me: "Why?"

JW: "Because it has pagan origins."

Me: "How do you define 'pagan'?"

JW: "Any practice originating with false religion."

Me: "Is Judaism false religion?"

JW: "Yes."

Me:*Puts on Thug Life sunglasses/"The Next Episode" by Dr. Dre starts playing*

truth_b_known

Posts by truth_b_known