Posted by Gedanken [Gedanken] on November 22, 1999 at 16:06:36 {k/.KBikg62HdgEG/iekYGxDfYXLgH2}:
In Reply to: ****************AP and AF posted by Friend on November 22, 1999 at 12:48:32:
Friend,
:Greg has not argued that Alan’s deductions are unreasonable. He has said that deductions are not
enough to prove intent. Deductions can allow that we extrapolate intent/motivation but it does not prove it to the exclusion of mistakes,
mistaken notions or incompetence
If after mistakes (and they are demonstrable errors, not just differences of opinion) are pointed out an organization refuses to correct in print the errors that it made in print, then, at that point, it becomes dishonest. It is exactly why Greg is being dishonest by failing to tell the whole truth about 1975. When he originally wrote what he did perhaps he was only being naive and incompetetent but, unless such errors are corrected by him then he is guilty of intellectual dishonesty. Let the Society's standard of honesty be determined by the standards of intellectual honesty that are held by Society at large. Certainly, its standards should be far higher but, in reality, they are much lower.
If you are correct that Greg does not think that Alan's deductions are unreasonable then he must think them reasonable. If he thinks them reasonable then Alan has proved what he set out to prove; reasonable people will consider the Society's actions to be dishonest.
:So are my actions regarding various charges that arise concerning the Society or Jehovah’s witnesses. It is not a matter of defending any particular entity but rather accuracy (or factualness) of information.
And what you say, or what I say, is open to discussion and debate since it is quite possible that your or my opinion is influenced, perhaps strongly, by other factors which detracts from our objectivity.
Basically I disagree strongly with your assessments here which appear to me to be overly biased in favor of giving the Society the benefit of the doubt. To say things in print that influence millions and then to pretend that these things were never said, or are still correct, is fundamentally dishonest and rather disgusting for a "Christian" religion.
Gedanken