Posts by konceptual99

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

Are the trolley dollies* getting any results? Or, is it just another waste of life?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

steve2 initiated a discussion on how our former loving brothers and sisters are behaving, while engaging in the 'trolley work.

' (link: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/93590001/within-one-minute-jw-trolley-directs-me-jw-org ).

my own observations are the same as the posters report on steve2's thread.

konceptual99

BUT, the big question is: Are they getting any results? Have those who still attend meetings noticed new ones at the meetings? Are there reports of Bible studies being started with people who have contacted Jw.com.?

Of course there are reports of success with the trolleys and metropolitan witnessing. There are regularly positive reports from the platform or as an anecdote from someone in the congregation about someone who took some literature or how Bethel have had requests for Bible Studies coming in from people who have seen a cart.

Strange thing is I have never met anyone who either has a first hand Bible Study or even directly knows someone who is having a Bible Study with someone contacted on the carts.

13

The Theory Of Everything

by 88JM in

question: should able-bodied actors play characters with disabilities?.

i got myself into a bit of a quandary over a discussion on a facebook group.

it was partly based on this article in the guardian:.

konceptual99

Interesting argument. There is no excuse for using an able bodied actor when a suitable disabled actor could be cast but I think the analogy to "blacking up" is taking it too far.

"Blacking up" was essentially at "best" a lazy parody or caricature of black people. It is now seen for what it is -racist stereotyping. I can't recall a serious film or play where white actors played black characters. More likely black actors played black roles which reflected the social distinctions of the time (e.g. in a role of a domestic).

An able bodied actor playing someone with a disability is them taking a role. There is no mocking or parody. It's not a caricature. Where is line drawn? Does a role requiring the actor to play a character with a mental illness require them to be diagnosed with that mental illness? Should an actor with Downs Syndrome play a character who is confined to a wheelchair with a degenerative disease because no suitable actor with the direct disability can be cast? How closely does the actor's circumstances have to correspond to the disability portrayed in the role?

Acting is exactly that. Actors do not have to be the person they are portraying in real life. If a role calls for an actor to lose a limb in the course of the story then what happens?

I have relatives with disabilities and fully subscribe to the view that they should not be stopped from participating in life just because they have some extra needs. There is no doubt that the casting of disabled actors in both roles portraying disabled people as well as roles of a person doing X that just happens to have a disability is woefully poor. Disabled people are under-represented.

My personal opinion is that to make some blanket statement about this being equivalent to "blacking up" does the underlying argument no favours. Concentrate on helping disabled people getting into the film, TV and theatre industries. Work with studios, directors and producers to breakdown the walls that are there. Show some best of breed disabled actors at work. Educate.

51

EXPERTS ONLY! A Pop Quiz on (current) Watchtower teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

pop quiz on jw (current) teaching.

1. was jesus 2nd coming in 1914?.

2. is jesus 2nd (parousia) presence the same thing as his coming?.

konceptual99

You ready to put us out of our misery yet Terry?

71

Are we heading for III World War?

by abiather in

the leaders of russia, germany, france and ukraine are slated to meet in minsk (the belarusian capital) tomorrow to discuss a ukrainian peace plan!

some countries such as hollande believe there is going to be a total war.

when they met last year in the same place, they had put forward a peace plan (a ceasefire, withdrawal of artillery, prisoner exchanges and other concessions) that were never fully implemented!

konceptual99

Putin is a brinksman. He loves to puff his chest out. His posturing is just as much for the Russian people as it is for the West.

It is a precarious situation in Ukraine but the economic impact and subsequent internal unrest that full blown Russian involvement in Ukraine would threaten is a massive hold on Putin. Don't underestimate how used the Russians have got to Western goods, a consumer driven society and financial growth. Sure, the wealth is not distributed anywhere near equally, corruption and crony-ism is widespread in politics but few want to go back to queuing for bread.

21

Noah preached 100-120 years and no followers. What the hell was he preaching?

by James Mixon in

let me see if i have this straight.

we are to believe noah preached over a 100 years with 0 effect.. the bible records that lamech, noah's father had sons and daughter's but the number is not included.

to have a plural number of brothers and sisters, there would be at least four siblings, two brothers and two sisters.. my folks had 6 kids and 90 years later there are over 100 family members.. some say based on what's written in gen.6:3, noah preached anywhere between 100-120 years.

konceptual99

He wasn't much of a righteous man. According to the last discussion of Noah in the WT he was far too busy making sure his plans for the Ark were good to take any notice of the women being dragged around by their hair.

56

2014 increase in Memorial Partakers to 14,121

by jwfacts in

i have updated the article at memorial partakers with the figures released for 2014. no surprises here, it has risen yet again, this time by 6% over last year, and is now 14,121.. .

.

konceptual99

Wow - more partakers now than there was in 1960.

I note the rise in the years preceding 1975 as well.

Of course there are a number of whack jobs and fakes partaking now but come on!

77

New LDC Meeting KH Video

by wifibandit in

been away from the site for a few days...because i have been busy getting these!!!!!!

(pixel, thank you!

) they did not make it easy, plus technical difficulties.. for the main attraction:.

konceptual99

The letter to the BoE in the UK regarding the change to the RBC to the LDC is 100% clear.

It says (I paraphrase) that having one meeting less a week means halls and assembly halls can be used more efficiently. It says that they will be looking to bring some congregations that have their own hall into the same hall and selling the spare one.

This letter should still be on the notice board in any UK hall. It's still on ours.

21

Regarding Dates---Have The Witnesses Ever Been Correct On Any Of Them?

by minimus in

i can't think of any chronology that has not been changed.

even their "absolute" dates are suspect.

konceptual99

None of this matters. It's the fact that they have been "watching" that placates Witnesses when challenged with this. I have mentioned this to a few friends as well as my wife. I have asked them to name one date or event that was predicted that came true.

1914 is the classic but they all have to admit that the expectation of what would actually happen was wrong.

Regardless, they just say that the fact that the F&DS were looking for something is proof enough. Who else is doing the witnessing? What other religion has the growth of the Witnesses? Who has a worldwide, united brotherhood like the Witnesses? Who is talking about God's kingdom like the Witnesses?

Cognative dissonance is a mighty, mighty, mighty strong force.

18

Do Jehovah's Witnesses Shun?

by lurkernomore in

just checked the faq on jw.org as i wanted to show a df'd friend of ours how dishonest they were being about thier shunning policy.. well don't you know they've only gone and got honest about shunning df'd ones:.

'we do not automatically disfellowship someone who commits a serious sin.

if, however, a baptized witness makes a practice of breaking the bibles moral code and does not repent, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped.

konceptual99

it still does not make clear that children not living at home should be shunned as rigorously as anyone else. It fails to mention the links between modern day shunning of children and Israelite parents bringing their children forward to be stoned. it does not bring out the fact that a man who slept with his mother (step?) was reinstated within about 6 months according to the Bible yet some are left out in the cold for years.