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TwilightPrincess
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02 Apr 2023, 12:38 pm

Honey69 wrote:
Twilightprincess wrote:
^^ JWs are against higher education. They tend to be in a much lower socioeconomic class than Mormons for this reason. I was the first person in my family to go to college, and it caused major drama.

Still, there are a lot of similarities. All cults employ similar tactics to exert control over members.


The Mormons strike me as being very similar to Southern Baptists, in terms of control over members' lives and thoughts. Mormons basically have their week's activities planned for them by the church.

I think that JWs are allowed to go feral during the week, so long as they do their quota of proselytizing.
No, there’s at least the same amount of thought-control going on - probably more. To them, regular preaching does not mean that one will be saved. They need to believe and worship with their whole heart and soul. If people have doubts, they are supposed to pray and read the publications and Bible more to make them go away. It’s pretty extreme.

People fear the public humiliation of being excommunicated and losing their families. They worry about Satanic and demonic influence. They are told to avoid watching and reading anything that conflicts with their beliefs, including talking to apostates/ex-members. They are strongly discouraged from pursuing higher education or careers. Their concept of marriage is also about control. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

The point is that the control is very strong, and it comes at you from different angles.


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klanka
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02 Apr 2023, 1:16 pm

Sounds like that religion would drive you insane. The expectations and how to judge if someone is worshipping correctly.



TwilightPrincess
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02 Apr 2023, 1:23 pm

klanka wrote:
Sounds like that religion would drive you insane. The expectations and how to judge if someone is worshipping correctly.
It was pretty stressful. Members are taught to tell on each other so you constantly have to watch what you do or say so it won’t be snitched on to the elders - condescending, misogynistic pricks. Well, not all of them are that bad but a significant portion are. It comes with the territory.


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klanka
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02 Apr 2023, 2:26 pm

I've noticed a lot of things in Christianity are supposed to drive you insane,so you realise that any attempt to be holy is doomed to failure.

In other churches it's long boring sermons,bad jokes told by pastors, not meeting any good friends in church, being treated badly by others in church.



Honey69
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02 Apr 2023, 3:23 pm

Like all religions, JWs must be after your money. But, what do they do with it? There aren't exactly any gaudy JW cathedrals.

It might be fun to join a congregation for a while, just to annoy them.


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naturalplastic
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02 Apr 2023, 3:42 pm

Misslizard wrote:
The Mormons believe God has a wife but he keeps her name secret so we won’t blaspheme her name.

Really?

On one hand I am surprised that they think God has a wife. On the other hand I am surprised that the Mormons, being Mormons, dont think that he has...like a dozen...wives! :lol:



klanka
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02 Apr 2023, 3:55 pm

The bible says the Christian church is God's wife about 15 times, so I dont know why they'd say that.



TwilightPrincess
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02 Apr 2023, 4:01 pm

Honey69 wrote:
Like all religions, JWs must be after your money. But, what do they do with it? There aren't exactly any gaudy JW cathedrals.

It might be fun to join a congregation for a while, just to annoy them.

I think it's more about power than anything else. I also think that at least some of the higher ups believe their own nonsense. They live pretty cushy lives too although nothing compared to many televangelists.

Right now, a lot of money goes towards the mishandling of child sexual abuse. It's a huge problem due to their insufficient policies.


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Honey69
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02 Apr 2023, 5:14 pm

klanka wrote:
The bible says the Christian church is God's wife about 15 times,.


Where? Sounds a bit kinky.


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TwilightPrincess
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02 Apr 2023, 6:48 pm

Honey69 wrote:
klanka wrote:
The bible says the Christian church is God's wife about 15 times,.


Where? Sounds a bit kinky.

Image
Maybe it checks out. :lol:


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klanka
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02 Apr 2023, 6:59 pm

Lol that's like when Harry met Sally the orgasm at the table scene.


Quote:
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.


Revelation 19:7-9

Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”

2 Corinthians 11:2

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him



Honey69
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02 Apr 2023, 7:30 pm

klanka wrote:
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.


Was the bridegroom planning to marry ten virgins at once? He would have to have as much stamina as Ron Jeremy.

klanka wrote:
Revelation 19:7-9

Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”


It doesn't specify that the church is the bride.

klanka wrote:
2 Corinthians 11:2

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him


This also isn't saying that the church is God's bride, if you look at the context

2 Corinthians 11 wrote:
I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do! 2 I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. 4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!

5 I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours! 6 Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.

7 I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me? 8 While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you. 9 And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you! 10 By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia. 11 Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!

12 I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other “apostles” from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. 13 Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. 14 Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! 15 So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.


Paul had some competition in his preaching. "you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself." It is a simile.


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02 Apr 2023, 8:15 pm

Twilightprincess wrote:
Honey69 wrote:
klanka wrote:
The bible says the Christian church is God's wife about 15 times,.


Where? Sounds a bit kinky.

Image
Maybe it checks out. :lol:

Pole dancing for Jesus.
The collection plates would really fill up.
Church attendance would go up.


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TwilightPrincess
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02 Apr 2023, 9:23 pm

^ It would be an improvement over a traditional service. So boring!


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Honey69
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02 Apr 2023, 10:28 pm

There are some rock and roll churches.

Plus, Black churches tend to be lively.


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The_Face_of_Boo
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03 Apr 2023, 6:30 am

Religions "evolve", like everything, like organisms and languages, they "evolve" and branch out....

The Jewish religion was evolved somehow in this order (ruffly speaking): Canaanism (polytheism) -> Yahwism (henotheism/ monolatry) -> Judaism that we know today.

Babyelon/Persian influences were incorporated along the way.

Note that Jews are called "Yahoud" in Arabic, "Yah"...most likely refers to Yahwa, which is Yahweh in Arabic.