An Explanation of my final comments on the show

by jschwehm 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  jschwehm

  Hi Gang:

  I apologize for anything I said that may have offended anyone. My intent was to be as charitable toward my Jehovah's Witness brothers and sisters as possible but also to be truthful about the differences between the JWs and the historic Christian faith which are many. I hope that I succeeded in this.

  For a Catholic, the Church is an historical entity. In fact, Catholics are routinely encouraged to read the writings of the early church so as to strengthen their faith. This is very different from what JWs are encouraged to do. It is not uncommon for JWs to be discouraged from reading the early writings of Russell and others because the history of the JWs/Bible students demonstrates that the current teachings of the JWs are nothing more than the speculations of a group of men who happened to be associated with a radical sect of Adventism.

  When I said that if a JW would like to experience an authentic Parousia (presence) of Christ not based on pyramids, what I was trying to demonstrate was that the Parousia experienced by Catholics during Mass on Sundays is based on the history of Christianity. The earliest Christian writings dating back to the times of the apostles indicate that the early Christians believed that when they celebrated the Lord's Evening Meal that they were experiencing the Parousia-the presence of Christ. There are no writings dating back to the apostles that used the measurements of the pyramids to "prove" this Parousia.

  In contrast, while JWs today no longer use the pyramids to prove their 1914 date, there is no question that one of the major "proofs" given for this date when the doctrine was first proposed was the measurements of the great pyramid. Russell's book "Thy Kingdom Come" discusses this in grave detail. Over half of the book is devoted to pyramidology!!! I think it is fair to say that from a historical perspective the 1914 date which the JWs still use was based on occultist pyramidology even if the JWs today do not know about this and even reject this proof now.

  This is so unlike historic Christianity where for over 2000 years, Christians have believed that Jesus? Parousia is experienced in a unique way each Sunday during the celebration of the Lord?s Evening Meal.

  I hope that clears some things up.

  God?s blessings to you all,

  Jeff Schwehm

  www.catholicxjw.com
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  Junction-Guy

  Hi Jeff, Im sorry I didnt get to see your show, as the local cable company in Knoxville dont carry EWTN. Im hoping that Honesty(Bob) from this board recorded it, as I would love to see it.

  Dave
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  under74

  Hi. I didn't get to see the show either but I followed some of the thread that was started in response to the show and it seemed to me the overall response was positive.
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  jschwehm

  You can listen to it via real audio by downloading the file from the following website:

  http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/SeriesSearchprog.asp?SeriesID=-6892289&NewList=&T1=journey

  Let me know what you think.

  Jeff Schwehm

  www.catholicxjw.com
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  poppers

  Hi Jeff,
  
  I have watched the show 3 times now and was impressed with your presentation. I have never been a jw but was raised a Catholic (though no longer), so I appreciate where you are coming from. I am looking forward to the roundtable discussion - will you be among the participants?
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  jschwehm

  Hi Poppers:

  Yes, I will be among the participants on the Roundtable. It should air sometime this summer. When I know the air date I will post it on this board so that you guys can watch it.

  God's blessings to you,

  Jeff Schwehm

  www.catholicxjw.com
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  under74

  Well, Jeff I listened to the show (thanks for posting that) and speaking as a non-Catholic and a leaning atheist, I thought the program was good. I'm not an expert in JW history or doctrine--I was just raised in it, but it seemed to me you were most of the time giving your perspective on the religion and I identified with much of what you said.
  
  Good job. And good luck with anymore shows in the future,
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  Leolaia

  Thanks for taking the time to clarify what you meant.

  The ironic thing is that when Russell backpedaled from the 1881 date (I think it was in the May 1881 ZWT), he mocked the Second Adventists who expected great things on that date for basing their expectations in part on lengths of pyramid passages. Then just a few years later, he went ahead and did very much the same thing regarding 1914.

  About Jesus being present with the church, I am reminded of the following scripture:

  "Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
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  the_classicist

  I think you did a great job and there's no need to apologise for you comments... some people just want to make a "mountain out of a molehill."
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  Kenneson

  Leolaia,

  You are so right on. Here's the actual quote from the May 1881 Zion's Watch Tower:

  "The Second Advent Church" people, and many in other denominations, interested in the Lord's coming and expecting him in the flesh have turned their attention to 1881, and feel confident that they will see Jesus with their natural eyes that year. Their hopes are based partly upon an old rhyme called 'Mother Shipton's prophecy,' which concludes thus:

  'The world unto an end will come,

  In eighteen hundred and eighty one,' and partly upon the teachings of 'The Great Pyramid' of Egypt, whose 'Grand Gallery' measures 1881 pyramid inches. This 'Grand Gallery' is supposed to symbolize the gospel dispensation, and its 1881 inches are supposed to teach that the gospel dispensation will be 1881 years long, and a further reason for belief in 1881 is that so many other people are expecting something. (Not a prophetic period, can be claimed, as they are all past.) Now to us, these things seem a poor and weak foundation for the hopes built upon them. Our belief that the Lord is present, is based in the 'more sure word of prophecy' to which Peter said, we do well to take heed."

  Yet, in 1890 in Volume 3 of the Studies in the Scriptures entitled "Thy Kingdom Come,' Russell makes a complete about-face when he concludes the volume with "The Corroborative Testimony of God's Stone Witness and Prophet the Great Pyramid in Egypt." Here he tells us that both the Great Pyramid and the Written Word are both testimony of the sure Word of Prophecy.

  Go to http://www.ctrussell.us/ On the left side of the page click on Studies. Go down to Volume 3--Thy Kingdom Come and click that. Go down to the end of the volume for the conclusion mentioned above.