Posts by doubtfull1799

20

Does anyone like Steampunk?

by days of future passed in

i love people's being creative with this genre.

i stumbled on this video which is a lot of fun.

past the end credits is out takes and how it was made.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=211lnk5vnjm.

Bringing reproach on Jehovah's name.

by ScottyRex in

jw
friends

i have thought long and hard about this, you know in those midnight hours.. you will probably string me alive in what i say, but here you go-.

i feel that the jw's do have the truth.

i do agree with the doctrines and biblical exgenesis they propound.i do feel that they have the 'truth' i do understand they are imperfect, and i think they have had to 'refine' their teachings as time has gone on-and change accordingly- i see nothing wrong with this.

doubtfull1799

I find this very difficult to defend, and I think the WTBTS has got this so wrong.They need to change.
Bringing reproach on Jehovah's name is very serious.I would implore again that they re-think.
This is difficult to defend at work when others know of my beliefs.
More importantly, no child should suffer. That is the main.

Then how can they possibly have God's "spirit"

9

The Pastorals

by Doug Mason in

all will be very familiar with:.

"all scripture is inspired by god and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 timothy 3:16, nrsv).

"we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great god and savior, jesus christ.

doubtfull1799

I am fascinated by 2 Tim 3:16. Of course I used to apply it to the whole Bible, but when you stop and think about it it, evidently Paul did not mean that as the NT had not been written yet.

When you take that a step further though and ask what exactly was Paul referring to when he says "all scripture" it gets complicated. You realise there is actually no way to know or define what Paul had in mind from this limited verse and therefore as a statement on what to believe it is practically useless.

For instance some may argue, he was referring to the Hebrew Scriptures, the OT. But which one? The original Hebrew version? The Septuagint? Which canon? There were various ones and there were various versions of the individual books in those canons doing the rounds. We can't retroactively say Paul was referring to the Hebrew canon we have now in the 20th century (of which there are still three versions- the Catholic/Protestant/Orthodox)

Then you have to consider does "all scripture" refer to any ands all religious texts including all the apocryphal books and other gospels/letters that did not make it into the modern Christian canon. And what about other "scripture" - Hindu, Moslem, Zoroastrian etc etc?

9

Do we need spirituality or religion to be good socially responsible people ?

by Finkelstein in

religion is declining in many countries around the world and hardly exists in some countries.. it would fair to say that scientifically acquired knowledge has taken a bite of religious practice over the years.

the premising suggestion that there is a god looking at everything mankind does or should do is vanishing out the human consciousness.. should we emulate the social directives written in ancient manuscripts established by those ancients for their civilization ?

is it possible that mankind can control and guide itself now with all the acquired knowledge we have attained, toward the ending betterment of humanity ?

doubtfull1799

To answer the question in your title - I would say NO. Why?

1. Statistically, countries with lower rates of religious adherence tend to be more socially responsible on a number of indicators and have lower crime rates in many categories etc...

2. Society has become progressively more socially responsible as it has become more secular, despite religion (religion always seems to be the last one to come round to these social changes) - i.e, slavery, women's rights human rights, anti-discrimination, assisted voluntary euthanasia etc

3. The problem with the idea of "morality from authority" (which is basically the Christian view, that you can't have any moral absolutes or values without a God telling you what they are) is that it is based on the unproven assumption that God is moral and not just a human construct anyway reflecting human/society values. If God is above his own law and can authorise immoral behaviour then it defeats the purpose of morality form authority (for example: God says murder is immoral, but uses murder as a tool to enforce his morality)

4. I think principles like that found in the hippocratic oath - "first, do no harm" if applied to form a moral framework offer just as much guidance as any spirituality.

22

Do they even realise how disgustingly immoral this is and how badly it reflects on the God they worship?

by doubtfull1799 in

found this little gem when going through the daily texts.... so let me get this straight.... god knows your suffering really badly and wants to help.

he knows you feel like you're at your limit, but he also knows that you are not really - that you can handle some more suffering.

so instead of helping, he "patiently" waits till you are at your absolute limit, and only then does he help!?.

doubtfull1799

Found this little gem when going through the daily texts...

So let me get this straight.... God knows your suffering really badly and wants to help. He knows you feel like you're at your limit, but he also knows that you are not really - that you can handle some more suffering. So instead of helping, he "patiently" waits till you are at your absolute limit, and only then does he help!?

So the point of his "patience?" To make sure you don't get out of your suffering too early? To make sure you experience the maximum suffering you can endure?

So you want the help now, and he desires to help you now, so what is the point of patience in this scenario?

18

In need of your advice. November broadcasting 2017

by pleaseresearch in

so my mum asked me to watch the broadcast and to my astonishment i got through it without smashing my screen haha.. so i let her know what liars they are for saying they would never deliberately distort a quotation.. she is ok for me to give her some printouts of watchtower material where this has in fact happened, contry to what they say.. where should i start and what would be your best link, or way to approach this.

i think this is a good opportunity of waking her up, if she can see that the broadcast has lied to her, she won't be happy.. any advice is you can give is so appreciated.. thanks everyone..

doubtfull1799

Here's a good place to start:

https://jws-and-the-truth.blogspot.com.au/p/creation-book-references_7.html?m=1

69 examples of where the Society did exactly what they claim they would not do: misquote or misrepresenting scientists to make it appear they support creationism.

8

Religion is just like Advertising!

by stuckinarut2 in

a thought occurred to me today, that religion is just like a clever marketer or advertiser.

first , a "problem" is created, then the advertiser offers the "solution"!.

religion does the same!

doubtfull1799

Spot on.

Problem: You are a sinner/imperfect

Solution: Ransom, you can become perfect

Problem: Mortality is difficult to confront

Solution: Don't confront it, have immortality

Problem: Life is to varying degrees difficult, human nature and society is complex

Solution: Here are simple potted answers to everything so you don't have to think to hard

59

A Little Direction Please

by Brian J in

i'm an active elder, cobe, just got home from the meeting where i handled the treasures part and concluded by announcing a friend of mine has been d/f,.....blah blah blah...and over the last year have woken up.

i simply cannot spill my guts to my wife and children as it would be family suicide.

i have zero desire to bash, spread my feelings, or become an "apostate".

doubtfull1799

By the way it's probably stating the obvious, but by posting here you have already become an "apostate" in the mind of the organisation..... so though you state the desire not to become one, I think you may have already crossed that line!

59

A Little Direction Please

by Brian J in

i'm an active elder, cobe, just got home from the meeting where i handled the treasures part and concluded by announcing a friend of mine has been d/f,.....blah blah blah...and over the last year have woken up.

i simply cannot spill my guts to my wife and children as it would be family suicide.

i have zero desire to bash, spread my feelings, or become an "apostate".

doubtfull1799

Sorry to hear of your situation - I have sent you a personal message.

9

Updated Recommended Reading List

by doubtfull1799 in

not long after i joined here i posted a reading list of books that helped me wake up, but since then i've read so many more that i've found invaluable in furthering and refining my new worldview, plus giving me a more in-depth well read perspective on theological and scientific issues.

so i thought i'd post an updated comprehensive list for other voracious readers like me who are always looking for good books to read.

how jesus became god - bart d. ehrman.

doubtfull1799

Smiddy3 & KiddingMe - sorry its hard to suggest a top 3 because the subject matter varies so much.

However what I can suggest is watching some of the authors lectures on youtube first to get a summary of their ideas and research to see which ones interest you and then you can dive into the books to get more detail.

For example, in the field of Biblical history (including the questions of the historicity of the Gospels and Jesus etc) I would recommend Richard Carrier, particularly because he takes a very scientific approach to history and everything he researches he publishes for peer review so it is well documented and well thought out using excellent methodology. He also happens to speak well on scientific issues and evolution etc. His books can be heavy going due to their academic nature, but if you search for him on Youtube you will find many recorded lectures he has done of about an hour duration that sum up his research very well in much simpler terms. Just pick a few on subjects that interest you and go from there...

Here's a few of my faves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5MUUP4l6l4&list=PLdWE24VOnsuT9FnLP0TcuO7oafghIbfFG&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYRoYl7i6U&t=3087s&list=PLdWE24VOnsuT9FnLP0TcuO7oafghIbfFG&index=9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7uhaed594&list=PLdWE24VOnsuT9FnLP0TcuO7oafghIbfFG&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79UAYyMYk7I&t=2805s