Crosses, Beards and Wings

by Cold Steel 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Cold Steel
    Cold Steel

    I've always been fascinated by the pictures in the Watchtower. Back in the 70s, I was intrigued by pictures of a beardless Jesus hanging on a stake with two theives hanging beside him. He usually had a full head of hair, but it looked strange for a beardless Jesus to be standing in the midst of his disciples, all with beards! And I wondered what was up? Yeah, I know pictures of Jesus still show him hanging from the stake, even though history has thoroughly debunked it. But I always wondered about the lack of a beard. What was with that? A number of pictures have also (over the years) shown angels with wings. Really? Why would angels need wings? How does that work? And how, aerodynamically, do the angels fly and what keeps their feet and legs up while they're zipping around the vaults of the heavens?

    When John was on Patmos he records: " And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, 'See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.'" (Rev. 22:8-9) Here the angel is telling John that he once lived on Earth as a prophet, and that now he was an angel with such glory that it caused John to fall at his feet and try to worship him. Yes, this flies in the face of the Adventist doctrine that men don't have spirits because this angel, whoever he was, was John's "fellowservant" and "of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings" of the book (which John was writing). So perhaps all angels existed one time as men on the Earth or will at some future time live on the Earth. Regardless, do JWs believe that angels have wings?

    What really amuses me are the pictures that show the Edenic paradise on the future Earth. Everyone is dressed in nice clothing and some are playing violins, others are hiking with walking sticks or doing an oil painting overlooking a beautiful countryside -- things the great crowd are going to be doing for eternity, right?

    Are pictures cleared or designed by the church authorities? Or do the artists come up with them? Is the church going to stick with the stake over the cross?

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    In house artists draw them, The "Slave" say that they vet them prior to publication...No reason to think that they are going to abandon the stauros = stake viewpoint

  • designs
    designs

    You're trying to make sense of religious people, good luck.

  • jeremiah18:5-10
    jeremiah18:5-10

    Regarding cross or stake:

    If all of a sudden history revealed Jesus was executed on a stake rather than a cross, what would happen? Perhaps people would just switch to a stake around their neck. Whatever!! WTS asks, "If someone dear to you were murdered with a pistol would you wear a pistol around your neck? Would you glorify the means of death?"

    That's not what people are doing! Jesus and the prophets made a big deal out of the fact that Jesus would be executed as a common criminal or common man. Whatever the means that Jesus was hung on, the point is he was executed in that manner. It has nothing to do with "glorifying" the means of death. This argument really gets under my skin. The main point is ALWAYS missed!!!

    Seriously, what difference does it make?

    Even when "in the truth" as an elder and pioneer, I refused to place any significance on stake or cross. I would say it doesn't matter, what matters is he DIED willingly and undeservedly.

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    This looks pretty good:

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    This looks better:

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    Perhaps a mixture of the two could be achieved in the future. On thing is certain, I cannot do THIS for 1000 years!!!!

    undefined

    I will jump off a cliff as many times as it takes to kill myself if I have to dress like I am at a KH build.

  • jeremiah18:5-10
    jeremiah18:5-10

    On a lighter note:

    The title of this thread "Crosses, Beards, and Wings" could be the name of a Biker restaurant

  • Badfish
    Badfish

    Of course Jesus died on a stake.

    If the Romans had really pulled out a cross, he would have been like, "No way, forget it guys! I refuse to be put to death on that pagan symbol. Take the cross-beam off and you can kill me on the upright stake part."

  • breakfast of champions
    breakfast of champions

    BADFISH - lol! Makes perfect sense, yes. . .

  • Eustace
    Eustace

    This looks better:

    If you're into hyper-futuristic dystopias like Blade Runner.

  • Eustace
    Eustace

    I was intrigued by pictures of a beardless Jesus hanging on a stake with two theives hanging beside him

    Whoa, they were really hating on the hippies at that point in their history.

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