It was a master class in pretending to be a Bible expert. Rehearsing well worded responses to improve sales.
The Reasoning Book
by Magnum 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Magnum
Cofty, I felt the same way. I hated it, too, and never used it. It's ironic that I felt I was doing something wrong by not using it; I felt guilty for actually knowing the Bible and not using the Reasoning book. I sometimes felt compelled to pull the book out just to show obedience (but didn't), knowing all the while that I could answer and reason better without it.
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St George of England
"Make Sure of all Things" has very recently been replaced by the brochure "Scriptures for Christian Living". (SCL) It is available in print or in JW Library. There was a recent video about it also. As I recall the Reasoning book was not mentioned. The dumbing down continues.
Our current bunch of elders couldn't manage a tome like "Equipped for Every Good Work" mentioned here earlier, let alone the average publisher.
George
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peacefulpete
We thought we knew the Bible. We had a dozen rehearsed passages filed away. If anyone had asked me when Isaiah lived or Michah or Habakuk or Ahab lived I would have needed to look it up and then forgot it just as fast. I had been exposed to these things (at least a WT take on it) but they weren't necessary to remember. I didn't need to see how the pieces fit together, I had been told what to believe and what to conclude. The WT system provided an appearance of Bible study that satisfied the mind sufficiently to not question the WT scholars who printed the material.
I was actually asked by a householder if I had read the Gnostic Gospels once, when I was about 20. I said NO!, still pretending to know what they were, and said they were demon inspired. (default response). I didn't have a clue that for many Christians these writings were their "Bible." My response of course ended the conversation, which is ultimately what I wanted so as to not sound stupid anymore. I did however go to the library secretly and look up the subject and what I read left an impression that resurfaced years later.
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joey jojo
The Reasoning Book is an embarrassment to the org. It only made sense because of the old generation teaching and I cant believe it wasnt deleted from the online library years ago.
Regarding the last days it still says (from jw.org):
Last Days
Definition: The Bible uses the expression “last days” to refer to the concluding time period leading up to a divinely appointed execution that marks the end of a system of things. The Jewish system with its worship built around the temple in Jerusalem experienced its last days from 33 to 70 C.E. What occurred then was pictorial of what would be experienced in a greatly intensified way and on a global scale at a time when all nations would be facing the execution of judgment decreed by God. The present wicked system of things, which extends worldwide, entered its last days in 1914, and some of the generation alive then will also be on hand to witness its complete end in the “great tribulation.”Here is the ridiculous explanation for 'increased' earthquakes:
“There will be great earthquakes” (Luke 21:11)
It is true that there were major quakes in centuries past; furthermore, with their sensitive equipment scientists now detect more than a million quakes a year. But no special instruments are needed for people to know when there is a great earthquake.
Has there actually been a significant number of major earthquakes since 1914? With data obtained from the National Geophysical Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, supplemented by a number of standard reference works, a tabulation was made in 1984 that included only earthquakes that measured 7.5 or more on the Richter scale, or that resulted in destruction of five million dollars (U.S.) or more in property, or that caused 100 or more deaths. It was calculated that there had been 856 of such earthquakes during the 2,000 years before 1914. The same tabulation showed that in just 69 years following 1914 there were 605 of such quakes. That means that, in comparison with the previous 2,000 years, the average per year has been 20 times as great since 1914. -
NotFormer
I remember that. You knew that the Dub at the door was serious when they pulled out "The Book"! Accompanied by the first few bars of Toccata and Fugue in DMinor, of course!
You were always in for a robust game of "Bible back-and-forth" once that came out. The Dubs back then knew the scriptural references that they used to back up their assertions (never mind that it was usually devoid of context, but they knew their supposed scriptural source).
Now they run like the clappers!
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Ron.W.
I notice that the jw "Scriptures for Christian Living" doesn't even have a section on The Last Days or The Kingdom..
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Ron.W.
I compared the reasoning book with their latest info in the Insight online:
Last Days
Definition: The Bible uses the expression “last days” to refer to the concluding time period leading up to a divinely appointed execution that marks the end of a system of things. The Jewish system with its worship built around the temple in Jerusalem experienced its last days from 33 to 70 C.E. What occurred then was pictorial of what would be experienced in a greatly intensified way and on a global scale at a time when all nations would be facing the execution of judgment decreed by God. The present wicked system of things, which extends worldwide, entered its last days in 1914, and some of the generation alive then will also be on hand to witness its complete end in the “great tribulation.”Later that same day, Jesus again used practically the same words, saying: “Truly I say to you that this generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.” (Mt 24:34) In this instance, Jesus was answering a question regarding the desolation of Jerusalem and its temple as well as regarding the sign of his presence and of the conclusion of the system of things. So his comment about “this generation” logically had an application down to 70 C.E. However, he was also using the word “generation” with reference to humans whose lives would in some way be associated with the foretold events during his presence.—Mt 24.
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Phizzy
P.P. "W.T scholars" is an Oxymoron surely ?
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Jeffro
Ah… the ‘Reasoning’ book. The funniest thing about it is the unexplained removal in 2018 of the section about what to say if some says they’re a Muslim.
The book is still available on the website, but not in PDF format.