Rational Witness

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Posts by Rational Witness

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  2

  Take A Walk Down Memory Lane...

  by SWALKER in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  to the 1960's:.

  http://moreoldfortyfives.com/takemebacktothesixties.htm.

  swalker.

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  Rational Witness

  Yes.
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  296

  BETHELITES - Whatever Became of?

  by Black Man in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i often times wonder what happened to certain bethelites that i ran around with during my 1990s tenure there.

  while there are still a few left there, the greater majority of them aren't there for various reasons (marriage, disillusionment, left the borg, etc).

  a couple of cats i wonder about - there was one brother who i believe was from kansas, who got his fingers cut off in a printing press.

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  Rational Witness

  Nathan

  Last I heard Howard Zenke had been demoted from the Service Department to the Kitchen. (This was quite a few years ago.) Evidently he followed his conscience one too many times. His wife's name is "Bena"--one of the few wives of 'heavyweights' at Bethel who had a sense of humor.

  Cheers
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  70

  Talk by brother Herd (long)

  by moomanchu in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the stars fall from heaven?

  ~sigh~ and youll fall across the finish line into the new world!

  we dont want that brothers.

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  Rational Witness

  Ha! Now THAT's what I call "playing the race card"! JW's are desperate to believe this sort of "us versus them" polemic because so many have sacrificed so much--or simply were never going to have much--in this world. It appeals to the worst in human nature, offering them vindication over the ones who have enjoyed what they did not (an education, a career, an enjoyment of family life, etc.). Rational Witness
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  60

  Witnessing at the WalMart in Evansville, Indiana(pics)

  by Jourles in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

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  for your viewing, uh, pleasure?

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  Rational Witness

  
  Where are the pictures of Armageddon? I want to see pictures of Armageddon! RW
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  8

  Anyone read William Barclay's works?

  by eyeslice in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i wandered into a "christian" book store the other day, i was out of town on business, not sure that i would do it in my own town, where i might get spotted and ratted on to the elders.. i bought a copy of one of william barclay's book, a study of john's gospel.. as i read it, i keep thinking how good it is compared with the watchtower!

  the society bangs on about the abundance of spiritual food but i find the watchtower and most other society literature shallow and unchallenging.

  i can speed read a watchtower in about 5 minutes and still keep abreast with "new light".. this guy, barclay, however really knew his stuff and was not afraid to go into detail.

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  Rational Witness

  eyeslice,

  Actually, it was not uncommon to find Barclay's books among the desk-jockeys at Bethel back in the 60's and 70's. I don't recall discovering C. S. Lewis until after I left there, though. Both fine authors, and Lewis is one of my half dozen favorites. If you enjoy Barclay and Lewis, may I point you in the direction of G. B. Caird and Lesslie Newbigin? Caird was one of the 20th century's foremost Biblical linguists (he was one of the translators of the New English Bible). His The Language and Imagery of the Bible is a fascinating read. Like Lewis, Newbigin led me away from the turgid authoritarianism of The Watchtower to a more personal view of Christianity.

  Cheers,
  Rational
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  47

  Falsifiability

  by donkey in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i pose this challenge to believers: what would it take for you to stop believing in god?.

  this is an interesting challenge.

  well, it may sound paradoxical, but in order for any claim to be true, it must be falsifiable.

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  Rational Witness

  Donkey,

  You said:

  I pose this challenge to believers: What would it take for you to stop believing in God?

  I will first answer this question, then I will ask you one.

  I would stop believing in God if science could answer the question, Why is there something rather than nothing? ... and do so in a provable, reproducible manner that provides purely material efficient, necessary and sufficient causes of the universe (i.e., without resorting to any metaphysical theory of origin).

  Now that I have answered your question, I'm sure you will answer mine. You said:

  This is an interesting challenge. Why? Well, it may sound paradoxical, but in order for any claim to be true, it must be falsifiable.

  For that statement itself to be true, it would have to be falsifiable, otherwise it is self-refuting and hence incoherent. So my question to you is, How would you falsify your statement?

  RW
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  18

  Harley Miller Died

  by FreePeace in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i heard from my mom that harley miller died in california -- apparently -- today.

  i understand he had gone there for a pacemaker, but died before he could get it.. he had an article in the wt or awake 10 -12 years ago.

  although i didn't know him, he sounded like a pretty decent fellow.. fp

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  Rational Witness

  JT,

  Sorry to hear about Harley. His wife's name is "Brook".

  Cheers,
  Rational
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  82

  JanG - You're a Legend!

  by Beck_Melbourne in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i received this email only seconds ago and i'm just passing it on to those that knew jan, i have no other details:.

  jan groenveld will no longer be a part of these forums.

  she passed away in her sleep last night.

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  Rational Witness

  Jan, you are one of the caring ones. Your acts of compassion and kindness will not be forgotten.

  Peace,
  RW