Syme

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Posts by Syme

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  11

  Why the Future of Religion Is Bleak

  by defender of truth in

  1. social
  2. current

  religious institutions have survived by controlling what their adherents know, argues tufts prof. daniel c. dennett, but today that is next to impossible.

  illustration: brian stauffer for the wall street journal.

  by daniel c. dennett.

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  Syme

  Excellent essay by Prof. Dennett. I wish I had more time to read him more seriously.
  
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  76

  Active posters: What education have you had, what degrees do you possess?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  from so many posts and conversations on here, you'd think over 1/2 the posters here possess doctorates in theology, physics, biology, etc.

  i'm curious aside from the books and research people have done here, what degrees they have.

  to start, i just got an aa and going straight through full time to an mba.

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  Syme

  A have a diploma (B.Sc.) in Materials Science & Engineering.

  Now I'm doing my M.Sc. thesis in the same field.

  Hopefully, I will continue for a PhD.

  I'm 32, maybe a little older than usual for a graduate student, but, you see, when I was 25, I devoted myself to ...MTS and pioneering and speaking to big crowds and getting a lot of applause...

  Fortunately, I'm done with these, and thus free to pursue an academic career and devote myself to science instead, which had basically always been my dream.
  

  I also do a lot of reading on my own, as a hobby: mainly biology, well evolution especially; then physics, history & politics.
  
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  34

  The "5 Pillars" of Witness life...

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  oh, there is one brother that keeps prattling on about "the 5 pillars of faith and worship".

  - prayer.

  - personal study.

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  Syme

  Guys, here's the REAL "5 pillars of Witness life"

  1) Masturbation

  2) Porn

  3) Lying about masturbation and porn

  4) Pretending happiness
  

  5) NOT THINKING

  
  
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  6

  How many Dubbers stay away from the internt?

  by dogon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i know of several who have nothing to do with the internet as if it will lead them off into oblivion.

  how many do you know that feel this way?

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  Syme

  I have this j-dub neighbor who chooses not to have Internet in his home nor at his cell phone. The reason, as you may have guessed it.. Porn. He wants to avoid seeing porn, but that's doesn't seem to help so much, since he's almost every week in a 'counsel' session with the eldubs; so I guess he eventually manages to see porn even without Internet

  This poor devil also suffers from clinical depression. As if that weren't enough, he chooses to add to that the burden of confessing every once in a while to the 'shepherds'. Typical example of how the WTS's Inquisition-style, cultish modus operandi drives those poor subjects to mental and emotional devastation.
  
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  65

  Did you AWAKEN from the JWs by yourself?

  by cultBgone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was thinking about how so many posters here on jwn are frustrated and frantic to help their loved ones get away from the brainwashing of jws, and how much advice is given about how to help family members and loved ones.

  i considered my own leaving and that it was internal turmoil based on the teachings getting weirder and child abuse issues, to name just a few, and it made me wonder:.

  did you self-awaken or were you assisted by the gentle proddings of a friend or family member?

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  Syme

  I awakened on my own. I stumbled on a scientific presentation that addressed the problem of science denial, and dealt with the problem of evolution denial, especially. That contradicted what I was told by the WT literature, i.e. that evolution is a "theory in crisis" and "not accepted by everyone". I came in front of the fact that evolution is a completely proven theory, opposed only on religious grounds. I examined the facts myself, I cross-referenced them with the hilarious claims of the Creation book, thus coming to the conclusion that a) Evolution is true, and b) WTS is deliberately LYING when refering to evolution, knowingly using huge fallacies and falsehoods to support their theology.
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  59

  At This Point In Time Would You Ever Subject Yourself To A Judicial Committee?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i certainly wouldn't.

  and if the elders wanted to have a meeting with me, i would respectfully decline.

  if the elders wanted to deal with you, would you talk with them?.

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  Syme

  Nope. No way :)
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  15

  My Wife Takes the "Spiritual Belief System" Quiz

  by breakfast of champions in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  so i asked my wife to take the "spiritual belief system" quiz online.

  now, this is not claiming to be a scientifically accurate system to determine your religious affiliation, but i thought it would be an interesting exercise.. for those who haven't seen it, the questionnaire is here:.

  http://www.selectsmart.com/religion/.

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  Syme

  Yeah, it's accurate all right. I put in the answers that would have represented me a few years back (when I was a believer) and it yielded 100% JW.

  Of course, had I put my current non-beliefs it would surely yield 100% secular/atheist...
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  42

  I Waited Until My Wedding Night To Lose My Virginity And I Wish I Hadn't...

  by Divergent in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  i found this article interesting & just wanted to share.

  after going through my teenage years trying to be the perfect jw, i realized that trying to live up to the standards imposed on me have been for worse & not for better.

  i was feeling miserable, repressed, unfulfilled, with a great lack of self confidence & self esteem.

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  Syme

  "An unhealthy mixture of pride, fear, and guilt"

  THAT phrase sums up the entire life of a JW.

  Excellent article.
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  47

  This is Really Getting Scary!!! PLEASE LOOK!!

  by NoMoreHustle in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  stupid me does not know how to copy paste pics from instagram site.

  nmh.

  http://instagram.com/p/vbu5_xhiam/.

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  Syme

  Man, I'm gonna puke.
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  41

  If you have been inactive for over a year can you get disfellowshipped?

  by cognac in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've read conflicting things so was hoping to get this clarified.. .

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  Syme

  cognac,

  One year of inactivity is too little. You can still be DF'ed, if a JC offense exists and is proved, just like any active jw.

  The only exception that I remember from the elders handbook is this: if one is inactive for MANY years (i.e. more than 10) and if he lives in ANOTHER area, different from the one he used to be active, and NO-ONE in that new area identifies/knows him as a JW, only then a JC wouldn't need to be formed, because that person would be the same as a worldly person anymore.

  But, one year of inactivity? In the same area? In an area where you are known by the neighbours as a witness (regardless of standing)? JC forming is almost certain, provided of course that you commited a DF offense.