It's not just you, OTWO. It is ultra-ironic.
AnnOMaly
JoinedPosts by AnnOMaly
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27
NEW 'Bible Teach' book... to be released at Annual Meeting?
by Calebs Airplane innot sure if this has been mentioned on this board yet, but i just heard from a fairly reliable source that the annual meeting will discuss, among other things, major changes in the 'bible teach' book.
has anyone else heard this??.
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Powerful photo
by zakharijah inhi,.
i just stumbled upon this photo on facebook (pic by david j. m. coleman), and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.... .
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AnnOMaly
I'm surprised the homeless guy didn't take all the literature ...
... to serve as insulation for his cardboard box shelter.
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27
NEW 'Bible Teach' book... to be released at Annual Meeting?
by Calebs Airplane innot sure if this has been mentioned on this board yet, but i just heard from a fairly reliable source that the annual meeting will discuss, among other things, major changes in the 'bible teach' book.
has anyone else heard this??.
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AnnOMaly
Or my suggestion: Our Current Spin On What the Bible Teaches.
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stupid elder
by goingthruthemotions inas you all know i am just going thru the motions.
well today during the brain washing session.
one stupid elder made the comment of.....an i quote "the jw.org website is the most visited website in the world!
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AnnOMaly
"The JW.ORG website is the most visited website in the world!"
As the statement stands, yes, totally false.
However, as far as top sites in spirituality/religion goes, it comes 2nd. Biblegateway ranks 1st.
Therefore, jw.org is presently #1 in terms of top denominational websites. The LDS site is next (ranks 5th overall).
- http://www.alexa.com/topsites/category/Top/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality
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27
NEW 'Bible Teach' book... to be released at Annual Meeting?
by Calebs Airplane innot sure if this has been mentioned on this board yet, but i just heard from a fairly reliable source that the annual meeting will discuss, among other things, major changes in the 'bible teach' book.
has anyone else heard this??.
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AnnOMaly
"In this regard, we are pleased to announce that revised editions of What Does the Bible Really Teach? and “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love” will be released in the future. Recent adjustments related to doctrinal matters will be reflected in the revised editions. Also, material in the revised books will be updated to contain quotations and references from the revised New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. ...
"... Congregations should continue to request What Does the Bible Really Teach? and “Keep Yourselves in God’s Love” to maintain a modest supply at the Kingdom Hall. This will assist in reducing existing stock at the branch office before the revisions are released. As the revised editions become available in each language, they will be used to fill congregation requests." - Recent BOE/Cong. letter.
No mention of what will be discussed at the AGM, of course, but it wouldn't be surprising if the GB and co. expand on the revisions.
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More Elaborate Celebrations International Conv. Atlanta
by NoMoreHustle infound this video of the entertainment preperation for the delegates in atlanta, u.s. this seems to be professionally done maybe outside sources or probably done by "professional" jw's.
this is just like christendom or all the other religious organizations that they deem to be from the devil.
the people seem to be very sincere in there efforts & is much appreciated,.
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AnnOMaly
Letting these folks have a taste of joy through music and then what?
Are they supposed to just fold back up and never yearn for that again?
Or is this the beginning of "allowing" choirs and music ministry?
My thoughts exactly. I don't begrudge them this. Their faces were lit up - to be able to express themselves (and their worship) through music, to make otherwise dull and flat 'Kingdom songs' come to life so that they are actually enjoyable to sing/play. But I do feel sad and irritated watching the video because this avenue for musical expression was missing throughout not only my own JW life, but that of my musically talented relatives who had no real outlet within the Org.
A JW cannot join a decent 'worldly' choir or band/orchestra because of constant conflicts: patriotic songs; Christmas; hymns; if the venue is a church; if the event is on a meeting night; all the time taken for practice which interferes with 'theocratic' pursuits. S/he can realistically only get together with fellow JWs, and all-too-often there is no long-term commitment or continuity - it's on an ad hoc, short term basis. Then there's the attitude that it's self-indulgent, not productive (i.e. not serving the Org's interests), not important, 'you can develop those talents in the new system.'
Of course, it's too late for me and my family (we've been pursuing our musical interests elsewhere) and it doesn't change the fact the Org. is not 'the Truth' so we're better off out of it, but I'm glad these JWs have had this experience and maybe it's something the Org. will encourage in the future. From a strategic POV, perhaps it'll help retain some more members?
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September 10, 2014 BOE Letter
by JW GoneBad inrumor has is that there is a 9/10/14 boe letter about new revised editions of 'keep yourselves in god's love' and 'what does the bible really teach' books soon to be released-can someone confirm this and/or post a copy of that boe letter here?.
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Topics Ive Been Pondering On
by JWINQUESTION inthis is my first post on here so bear with me.
currently i am still an active jw with serious questions about the jw org.
i was hesitant signing up but really need as much input from the people on this forum to get a clear understanding on things.
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AnnOMaly
Welcome to JWN
It is just when I see many (not all) posters and ex JW’s curse, I wonder is this how I am going to end up like after I leave.
Not if you don't want to. Equally, I know JWs who curse - just not at the KH or on FS.
I’ve noticed a lot of former JW’s have become either Atheists or Agnostics. To be honest, I can’t see accept those beliefs either.
A lot do become atheist/agnostic, but there are theists and Christians on here too. You're just starting to ask questions. Allow yourself time to explore and come to your own conclusions.
Regarding the homosexuality issue ...
I still have ambiguous feelings about that but, like you, I deplore that they are vilified and persecuted. A gay acquaintance of mine recently got engaged to his boyfriend. He's a nice guy and I wished them well. Hopefully, some of the gay JWNers will answer your questions and give you another perspective.
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46
Does egyptian history conflict with bible history
by ninja_matty69 init is said to contain some 255 names if we start from column 2 row 11 (pharaoh menes).
we could ignore its omission of chaires and later cheneris mentioned by manetho as this is probably just an error on manethos part as no other lists appear to validate this entry.
statistically speaking this means that the saqqara tablet only contains 25% of the pharaohs it should contain during these timeframes, or conversely it is 75% incorrect.
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AnnOMaly
You mention babel so i will conclude by mentioning Excavations in and around the ruins of ancient Babylon have revealed the sites of several ziggurats, or pyramid like, staged temple-towers including the ruind temple of Etemenanki. One fragment found states “The building of this temple offended the gods. In a night they threw down what had been built/ They scattered them abroad, and made strange their speech. The progress they impeded |Bible and Spade, 1938, S. L. Caiger, page 29
Caiger says this fragment refers to a ziggurat like the Etemenanki and other Babylonian ones. He doesn't associate it directly. Caiger's fragment quote comes from George Smith's The Chaldean Account of Genesis (1880, co-written with A.H. Sayce), p. 163-165. Smith excavated the Assyrian Ashurbanipal's library in Nineveh, and this seems to be the origin of the fragment which, on p. 163, is said to "shockingly mutilated." 'Shockingly mutilated' fragments are hard to read and meaningfully interpret (cf. Preface, p. ix-x). Smith/Sayce may have been a little over-zealous in finding a direct link between it and the Bible's tale of the tower of Babel.
An article by the Louvre titled 'Modern-era Travelers and Archaeological Excavations at Babylon' made this comment:
"In 1875 English Assyriologist George Smith had published a book titled, The Chaldean Account of Genesis, Containing the Description of the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, the Tower of Babel, the Time of the Patriarchs, and Nimrod; Babylonian Fables, and Legends of the Gods, from the Cuneiform Inscriptions. The promise of the title was a little ambitious: ancient Mesopotamia literature contains no mention of original sin, no history of the building of the tower, no Biblical patriarchs or Nimrod. However, the parallel of the deluge in the Epic of Gilgamesh with the Biblical Flood was itself sufficiently interesting, an interest that would only grow as exaggerated links between Babylon and the Bible were asserted."
The online Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) says:
"The descendants of Noah had migrated from the "east" ( Armenia ) first southward, along the course of the Tigris, then westward across the Tigris into "a plain in the land of Sennar". As their growing number forced them to live in localities more and more distant from their patriarchal homes, "they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven ; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands." The work was soon fairly under way; "and they had brick instead of stones, and slime (asphalt) instead of mortar." But God confounded their tongue, so that they did not understand one another's speech, and thus scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
"This is the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel. Thus far no Babylonian document has been discovered which refers clearly to the subject. Authorities like George Smith, Chad Boscawen, and Sayce believed they had discovered a reference to the Tower of Babel; but Fr. Delitzch pointed out that the translation of the precise words which determine the meaning of the text is most uncertain (Smith-Delitzsch. "Chaldaische Genesis", 1876, 120-124; Anmerk., p. 310)."
I ought to point out that I haven't found a copy of the German translation of Smith's work where Delitzsch discusses the uncertainty of the text, so I can't be sure if he's referring to the same text as the one above or a different one.
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SOURCES
Caiger's quote in context. Scroll to the bottom.
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Advertise, Advertise
by pbrow indoes anyone know where i can get a full copy of the "advertise" speech?
i cannot find it on the interwebs or using the search function.
i thought it was published in an old watchtower but i am not sure.... thanks for any help,.
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AnnOMaly
Scans of the 1922 Watchtowers are found HERE. Look for November 1st, p. 332-337, where Rutherford's talk is reproduced in its entirety.
Do you believe it? Do you believe that the King of glory is present, and has been since 1874? [Belief phased out during the '30s and officially abandoned in early '40s.] Do you believe that during that time he has conducted his harvest work? [Belief changed to harvest beginning in either 1919 or 1914] Do you believe that he has had during that time a faithful and wise servant through whom he directed his work and the feeding of the household of faith? [Belief that Russell was the FDS was abandoned in 1927; belief that a FDS class existed in some form before 1919 was abandoned in 2012] Do you believe that the Lord is now in his temple, judging the nations of earth? [Belief was discarded in the mid-'90s] Do you believe that the King of glory has begun his reign? [The only belief that remains so far]
Then back to the field, O ye sons of the most high God! Gird on your armor! Be sober, be vigilant, be active, be brave. Be faithful and true witnesses for the Lord. Go forward in the fight until every vestige of Babylon lies desolate. Herald the message far and wide. The world must know that Jehovah is God and that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords. This is the day of all days. Behold, the King reigns! You are his publicity agents. Therefore advertise, advertise, advertise, the King and his kingdom.