Posts by doubtfull1799

25

Two (circumstantial) lines of evidence for the real motivation behind the Russian lobbying?

by doubtfull1799 in

1. in bro sandersons latest video (in which he shows a very impressive skill with russian) he mentions two likely results of the imminent russian ban: the liquidation of the branch office and its assets, and the individual brothers capacity to worship freely.

no prizes for guessing which one gets mentioned first!.

2. why have the gb never attempted in the past, and are not interested in attempting now, such a letter writing campaign in other communist countries where the work is under similar restrictions, like china, or vietnam?

doubtfull1799

1. In Bro Sandersons latest video (in which he shows a very impressive skill with Russian) he mentions two likely results of the imminent Russian ban: The liquidation of the branch office and its assets, and the individual brothers capacity to worship freely. No prizes for guessing which one gets mentioned first!

2. Why have the GB never attempted in the past, and are not interested in attempting now, such a letter writing campaign in other communist countries where the work is under similar restrictions, like China, or Vietnam? Could it be because we have no assets in those countries? Nothing to lose?

24

Pretend to support Critical Thinking, but forbid it when directed toward the "leadership"

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower article on propaganda:.

"keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.

because propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if peo- ple .

doubtfull1799

@stuckinarut - yep, I don't know, it baffles the mind. I guess we never saw it when we were "in" either. I think it is a combination of 1. Very good indoctrination, 2. Not having good college education in critical thinking skills, and 3. Being able to forget what you read a minute ago that contradicts what you are reading right now.

24

Pretend to support Critical Thinking, but forbid it when directed toward the "leadership"

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower article on propaganda:.

"keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.

because propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if peo- ple .

doubtfull1799

@jwfacts - July 2017 study edition, article: Winning the battle for your mind.
btw, thanks for your excellent resource Paul. An amazing amount of work you've put into that.
Your fellow Aussie

22

Those married to "still in" JWs

by NikL in

jw
friends

kind of got into it with my jw wife last night for the first time in a long time.. i try to not engage in conversations about doctrinal matters unless she asks me which she did.. anyway, i wont go into details but of course i am "not going to change her mind" and "why is it that you can't see when very smart people can?

" yada yada yada.

you probably can imagine.. it makes me so depressed.

doubtfull1799

Really feel for you, especially considering how long it has been for you. I'm going through the same thing, but its only been a year, still raw and fresh, currently in a "truce."

pm me if you ever want to talk...

2

"They teach commands of Men as doctrines"

by stuckinarut2 in

it occurred to me that the bible has recorded jesus as saying at matthew 15:9.

"their worship is in vain, as they teach commands of men as doctrines".

http://biblehub.com/matthew/15-9.htm.

doubtfull1799

Agree, started a new thread with a good example of this from the latest Watchtower...

8

Pretend to honour principles, but make laws instead!

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower question from readers:.

"how a christian chooses to protect him- self, his family, or his possessions is, of course, largely a personal matter, as is his choice of employment.

that said, bible principles reflect god’s wisdom and his love for us.

doubtfull1799

Absolutely agree Saethydd. Very Pharisaical.

42

#1 ANSWER THIS: Why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?

by EdenOne in

i'll be starting a series "answer this:" with thought-provoking questions for debate.

your arguments for and against are most welcome.. i'll start with this: .

why would an omnibenevolent and omniscient god put us through tests of faith?.

doubtfull1799

@nowwhat - its little thoughts like that that I'd never thought of myself that I really enjoy coming here for, Thanks for posting. And of course @edenone, thanks for starting the OP, that led to that point being made, a long with many others...

24

Pretend to support Critical Thinking, but forbid it when directed toward the "leadership"

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower article on propaganda:.

"keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.

because propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if peo- ple .

doubtfull1799

And this:

"Surely there is ample evidence to show that you can trust the channel that Jehovah has used for nearly a hundred years now to lead us in the way of the truth:

What they are actually saying is, "surely there is evidence, but we just can't find any right now to show you" or "we cannot be bothered to include any evidence in this article because we've run out of space" in our new 16 page long form journalism approach to the Watchtower.

Another way of saying "evidently," their favourite word! For an interesting exercise do a search for that word in the Watchtower library and see how many times they use it - you will be amazed. Especially when you realise that each time they use it they are making an assertion for which they actually have no evidence...

24

Pretend to support Critical Thinking, but forbid it when directed toward the "leadership"

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower article on propaganda:.

"keep in mind that satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well.

because propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if peo- ple .

doubtfull1799

This from the latest Watchtower article on Propaganda:

"Keep in mind that Satan does not want you to think clearly or reason things out well. Why? Because propaganda “is likely to be most effective,” says one source, “if peo- ple . . . are discouraged from thinking critically.” (Media and Society in the Twentieth Century) So never be content passively or blindly to accept what you hear. "

And then this doublespeak:

"Follow the advice given to the young man Timothy. Stick to the truth you learned, and remember where you learned it. (2 Tim. 3:14, 15) Surely there is ample evidence to show that you can trust the channel that Jehovah has used for nearly a hundred years now to lead us in the way of the truth. "

So in other words, put away your critical thinking and just accept/trust what we tell you!

And then this pearl:

"Do not be “quickly shaken from your reason” when faced with what appear to be damaging attacks by apostates or other such deceivers of the mind—however plausible their charges may seem. "

So even if what apostates say is damaging and plausible, which why are basically admitting it is, ignore it! Don't think critically about it.

8

Pretend to honour principles, but make laws instead!

by doubtfull1799 in

this from the latest watchtower question from readers:.

"how a christian chooses to protect him- self, his family, or his possessions is, of course, largely a personal matter, as is his choice of employment.

that said, bible principles reflect god’s wisdom and his love for us.

doubtfull1799

This from the latest Watchtower Question from Readers:

"How a Christian chooses to protect him- self, his family, or his possessions is, of course, largely a personal matter, as is his choice of employment. That said, Bible principles reflect God’s wisdom and his love for us. Out of regard for those principles, spiritually mature Christians choose not to keep a firearm for protection against other humans. They know that true and lasting secu- rity comes to those who demonstrate trust in God by living in harmony with Bible principles."

The whole article is basically a discussion of principles, but do they leave it to the brothers to make their own decision based on those principles? NO, they proceed to make a LAW: Christians choose not to keep firearms.