Posts by Mephis

11

The Jewish Temple(s) In Egypt. (Circa 5th Century BCE)

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

the web address on the above sketch is misleading as the sketch (it seems) was included originally, in a article in a peer reviewed archaeological journal by a stephen rosenberg.. there is little doubt that the temple was genuine and it demonstrates that the ot stories about the role of egypt in the formation of judaism do not tell the truth about the complete relationship between israel and the egyptian empire.. we know that this temple on elephantine island was genuine.

some papyrus correspondence has survived .

there is also another (claimed) jewish temple that an archaelogical team explored last century, but the precise location has been lost.. more on the above temple tomorrow..

Mephis

One of the interesting suggestions Rosenberg has made is that this Jewish community may have come from Israel rather than Judah, although that would depend on date of the Jewish mercenaries heading into Egypt if one accepts Josiah 'reformed' the religious practices around 522 BC.

The idea that this could be aping the shape of a tabernacle rather than the temple at Jerusalem (which, from its written description, itself seems to copy even earlier Caananite temple forms) is also a fascinating one. Much of the Old Testament's 'history' has to be analysed through the filter of not only the postexilic community but also by the attempts to hammer the various stories/histories into a narrative which fitted a 'reformed' Judaism.

18

What if Jesus Christ was not put to death by the Romans but instead died a natural death?

by deegee in

according to christianity, the death of jesus was a miscarriage of justice.

so then, what if there was no so-called miscarriage of justice so that jesus was not put to death by the romans but he instead died a natural death?

would christians still receive the forgiveness of their sins and their hoped for salvation?.

Mephis

If he was a perfect man, he wouldn't die a natural death...

20

Spain 2016-10-03 BOE Re: Minors

by wifibandit in

october 3, 2016 to the bodies of elders re: minors.

3 de octubre de 2016 a los cuerpos de ancianos asunto: menores de edad.

Mephis

One of their issues in Britain has been over criminal record checks on elders etc. Guess it would get all kinds of conflicting when the holy spirit appoints a pedophile or fraudster as an elder.

27

What is the Watchtower view on donating to charity?

by HereIgo in

i've always had the impression that they frowned upon it, but never quite knew for sure.....

Mephis

Like Simon and keyser soze, I grew up with the impression that spare money went to the WBTS and Armageddon was going to sort out everything else. 'The poor will always be with you' thing. No real 'official' policy, just the internal culture pushing things in a certain direction. They push things like giving to WBTS means 'charity' in the normal sense of the word happens.

eg "How Can We Help to Meet the Needs of Others" (13 November, Watchtower)

In the face of natural and man-made disasters, we do not tell needy brothers and sisters to “keep warm and well fed.” (Jas. 2:15, 16) Instead, we seek to provide for their physical needs. Similarly, after receiving warning of a coming famine in the first century, “the disciples determined, each of them according as anyone could afford it, to send a relief ministration to the brothers dwelling in Judea.”—Acts 11:28-30.
As Jehovah’s servants, we are eager to help needy individuals in a material way. However, people also have a spiritual need. (Matt. 5:3) To help them become aware of that need and take steps to satisfy it, Jesus commissioned his followers to make disciples. (Matt. 28:19, 20) We individually devote much of our time, energy, and resources to carrying out that commission. As an organization, we use some donated funds to provide material help, but donations are used chiefly to promote Kingdom interests and spread the good news. We thus show our love for God and for our neighbors.—Matt. 22:37-39.
Those who support the worldwide work of Jehovah’s Witnesses can be sure that their donations are used properly and effectively. Are you in a position to help bring relief to your brothers in need? Do you desire to support the disciple-making work? If so, “do not hold back good from those to whom it is owing, when it happens to be in the power of your hand to do it.”—Prov. 3:27.

WBTS is a one stop charity shop according to Brooklyn.

13

The status on the child abuse inquiry in ENGLAND

by Sliced in

looks like we lost ben emmerson for the england inquiries.

does anyone have an update on what's happening in the uk?

.

Mephis

They need a new senior counsel and a new junior counsel, and those both have to be up-to-speed and ready for the hearings scheduled to begin early next year. Lot of conflict over scope and methods of the inquiry, so the legal challenges may start to mount up if the (current) chair Prof. Jay doesn't get to grips with things quickly.

28

2016-09-21 BOE Re: Global Assistance Arrangement for the 2017 Service Year

by wifibandit in

september 21, 2016 to all congregations re: global assistance arrangement for the 2017 service year.

ps to bodies of elders:.

this postscript should not be read to the congregation, and this letter should not be placed on the noticeboard.

Mephis

"After the resolution has been considered and approved by the congregation"

I am shocked, shocked, that there isn't guidance on what to do if the congregation considers WBTS' insurance not as reliable as taking out something with a reputable insurer and rejects the resolution.

8

JW refugees and politics

by Anders Andersen in

jw
friends

in the netherlands, an action going on to get two brothers from sierra leone a residence permit.. the men fled the horrible civil war in their country when 14 and 11 years old.

without parents.. they have now lived in the netherlands more than half of their lives.

they are well educated, have nothing in sierra leone and everything in the netherlands.

Mephis

You're right to call attention to how things get viewed. As these men are JWs, Caesar's law can be contested and a political campaign launched. Much as I recall being urged to write letters to various nasty regimes around the world to tell them to be nice to JWs. But those legal protections, that 'do unto others', does not extend past JWs. The Australian Royal Commission picked up on this too - they questioned the JW definition of 'neighbour' if DF'ing a pedophile from a congregation protected the congregation but if no-one informed the police how was that protecting the community within which JWs live. It's like they want all the benefits of society, all the protections granted under laws, but with none of the communal responsibilities. Bet none of those politicians or churches or other groups will see or hear from the JWs when trying to stop the deportation of non-JWs.

8

What were two Chinese doing in Roman London?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

in the ancient world, people moved around much more than we may have expected, (think of paul's reported journeys and those of his supporters), but the identification of two skeletons in a roman era burial ground, as chinese has surprised historians.. the uk bbc reports: .

dr rebecca redfern, curator of human osteology at the museum of london, told bbc radio 4's the world at one, the find was "the first time in roman britain we've identified people with asian ancestry" and it was "absolutely phenomenal".. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37452287.

Mephis

I'd be sceptical on them actually being Chinese just for the moment. The very fragmented bones 'look' Chinese, and they definitely are not from Britain. And that's it. There could be a number of explanations before we get to China sadly. Hopefully they're able to recover something more substantial from the bones (ie DNA) to give weight to the suggestion they're making. It's certainly not impossible (lots of evidence for trade contact albeit via Iran, and hints at embassies between China and the Roman Empire) but the evidence for this is being pushed way beyond the caveats in the peer reviewed paper.

12

At last something about JWs on a German news site.

by Driving Force in

for anybody who understands german.. http://www.n-tv.de/panorama/masha-16-jahre-zeugin-jehovas-article18689741.html.

it is quite rare that a german news site actually puts something up about jws, after all they are insignificant from a newsworthy point of view.

but i like the fact that they have put this up..

Mephis

All the best to her, and I hope it helps others in a similar situation.

9

Pity the poor Bible believers - Australian Native People left Africa over 70,000 years ago

by fulltimestudent in

many bible believers accept the genesis documents explanations of human origins.

but the modern science of genomics is making that a very difficult intellectual position to hold.. increasingly, to believe the bible, is to accept superstition over rationality.. three papers published in the scientific journal nature demonstrate the point:.

1. the ancestors of australia aboriginal and papuan peoples left africa around 72,000 years ago.. 2. they arrived in the geological locations we now identify as australia and papua around 50,000 years ago.

Mephis

If Noah only had 3 sons and all humans came from them, why have we got genetic evidence that humans interbred with neanderthals, with denisovans and with a species which we haven't yet pinned the bones to (Homo Erectus is current best guess)? It's that super-fast evolution like what happened to the animals, right?

(https://www.newscientist.com/article/2098566-mystery-ancient-human-ancestor-found-in-australasian-family-tree/)