Well, I agree that the places for God to "hide" in the universe seem to disappear every time we peer into them with science. I'm still hesitant, however, to extrapolate from what we have learned inside the universe to what may have happened outside the universe at its start (if there is an outside, and many scientists think there is, insofar as they believe there are multiple universes).
Apognophos
JoinedPosts by Apognophos
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116
Creationist Should Dismiss Genesis Quickly
by Coded Logic inchris tann,.
in your earlier post you seemed to be under the impression that genesis and science were somehow compatible .
however, the truth is the two are not reconcilable at all.
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Apognophos
That's an apostate link, mana11 Some ex-JW set that listing up for the Hall without their knowledge. That's why it mentions TTATT.
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Taking the Bible "too" literally
by Coded Logic ini once heard it said that the only people who care about what the bible says are the village priest and the village atheist.
it seems to me most believers only care about "god's word" in very general terms and think it's all up to interpitation (religion a la carte ).. it the watchtower especially good at making agnostics and atheists because of their fundamentalism or is this true of many ex-religious groups?.
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Apognophos
The main reason that people here give for ex-Witnesses becoming agnostic/atheist (no need to capitalize those, by the way, they're not denominations) is that they were taught to doubt everything that the other religions taught. The mindset is "If this isn't the truth, then nothing is". However I personally think there's two other large factors: burnout from all the obligations of their former religion, and a lack of encouragement from the religion to actually be religious-minded in the usual sense, because of the business-like focus on appearance and works. It's so focused on negative emotions like guilt and fear that the Witness doesn't think that any religion is going to be based on positive emotions.
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Helping Grandma Move.
by exwhyzee inwe helped my wife's 83 year old mother move this weekend (30year regular pioneer).
she's having memory issues now and is moving into a nice little apartment built off the back of her (elder) son's house.
among a lifetime of memories, kids report cards, black and white photos of long dead swans etc., i found stacks of old society publications from as far back as the 1920's including bound volumes and rutherford books.
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Apognophos
I wasn't aware that demons were prone to deteriorating...
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Double-life, sounds like a prison sentence....or maybe not?
by sparrowdown inquestion: do you think the "double-lifers" have the best of both worlds?.
just asking, because i have wondered, if i had an outlet to express my utter.
disgust and general dissatisfaction with wt teachings and cong-life while i. was still in, ie on forums etc, maybe i would never have left.. just a thought, anyone else have any?.
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Apognophos
I have a problem with the way the question is phrased. The "double-lifers" I knew grewing up in the religion were kids who just wanted to do their own thing and tried not to get caught doing it. They didn't know TTATT, they just didn't like the rules. It's hard for me to say if that is a good way to live, as the little ways I broke the rules caused me stress, and you're always a hair's-breadth from getting reproved or worse. But at least you have a fairly bearable life. Knowing TTATT and still having to stay active, on the other hand, is very much a prison sentence.
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Apognophos
He didn't, he found people with the Greek equivalents of those names: Petros, Ioannes, etc. Well, "Simon" could be Hebrew (Shimon). Really, the only reason we have these names today is that they are of Biblical significance and have been passed down into all different cultures in slightly different variants.
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WT application of James 1:27 - looking after widows and orphans
by EndofMysteries insince the bible is clear on helping widows and orphans, needy, poor, etc, it's interesting to see how the wt twists these scriptures to make their followers feel they are following it when they really aren't.
because it costs money to really help those and the wt wants the money themselves.. here are some wt quotes directly on fulfilling this obligation of james 1:27 -.
help elderly get to the meetings -.
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Apognophos
Nice compilation, thanks EoM. The lack of charitable works is one of the things that started to bug me about the religion some time around my late teens.
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Sexually repressed and frustrated Jws....
by stuckinarut2 ini wonder how many jws are sexually frustrated due to the repressive views of the org?.
im sure that there are millions of messed up witnesses who have been severely damaged due to the teachings and guilt that the org places on all members.. now, i'm not encouraging a reckless lifestyle, but i'm sure so many more problems are experienced by witnesses just because of the suppressed and guilt laden attitudes the org has perpetuated!
they can even be open in their marriages!.
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Apognophos
It's not surprising if women in the org. have more sexual hang-ups than the men. Our society has a lopsided attitude towards the expression of sexuality by each gender. When was the last time you heard a guy called anything like "slutty" or "loose"? The religion just piles more guilt on top of that because any young couple that wants to date feels like it has half the adults in the congregation breathing down their neck, watching their every move. It's infantilizing and it nhibits sexual development (and I think it suppresses all ego development in general, which is part of what keeps JWs drone-like).
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New Awake! Dealing With Mental Illness
by runForever incontains a list of 9 practical steps except they forgot one: 10. do not become a jehovah's witness.. .
1. follow the treatment prescribed.
by qualified mental-health.
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Apognophos
There's an interesting article W 88 10/15 dealing with mental illnesses...
That was the JW demon-mania of the '80s for ya.
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The Awake Faithful and Discreet Slave July 15, 1960 WT
by berrygerry ingreat stuff.. .
overwhelming credentials.
25 does the faithful and discreet slave class have any more credentials?
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Apognophos
The Society was saying that these are all of the places that the F&DS is found in Scripture, so it's Okay™, you can Trust™ them as your spiritual leaders.
Amusing side note: the preamble to the list also uses "anointed remnant" to refer to the F&DS, so I don't know which of these scriptures apply to which group now that they are separate (or one is within the other).