Posted by Friend [Friend] on November 17, 1999 at 14:12:56 {xx2d.1sWpQePXjHnUl.IOgnjR4Br/g}:
In Reply to: *****AP and AF posted by Gedanken on November 17, 1999 at 13:52:32:
Gedanken
Does it really matter what the exact mix actually is?
Yes, whether the Society is dishonest matters.
Yes, whether the Society is incompetent matters.
My whole point is that discussing these issues helps individuals make those distinctions if they exist. Discussion of the issues is what is important, not whether you and I agree. Tell me something, does whether I agree with you really matter to you? If not then the value is in the discussing not whether we agree. I can hardly believe you are so shallow that you cannot see that point.
People do have views contrary to your own. What is obvious to you may not be to another. What is obvious to one person may not be obvious to you. Saying that something is obvious does not help and evidences no more than an opinion.
Now, please explain what you mean by “It always amuses me when JWs make [Friend’s] kind of argument.”
Are you content to remain stuck in the sandbox of “I am right and you are wrong!”? Does someone boasting from academia not see the value of continuing discussion of issues rather than personalities in the debate. Does the debater matter more than that debated?
Friend