Posts by SAHS

45

Seven Headed Wild Beast officially no longer represents UN?

by donuthole in

jw
friends

according to a new "bible questions answered": " the wild beast with seven heads introduced at revelation 13:1 represents the worldwide political system.".

i know that they have quietly been backing away from the un identification for awhile.

is this feature on jw.org a new official teaching, or just a spin for the sake of the public?.

SAHS

You have to understand that there are two beasts involved here: (1) the “Seven-Headed Wild Beast,” and (2) an “image of the wild beast,” which is the bright-red, scarlet-colored beast that has seven heads and ten horns, the “eighth king, but springs from the seven,” and which supposedly represents the UN organization.

According to the WT’s unique eschatology, the seven heads of the worldwide political conglomerate will give their power to this “image” of the beast (the “eighth king,” or “scarlet-colored wild beast,” the UN), enabling it to turn on Babylon the Great through its political member nations. In reality, this seven-headed, scarlet-colored “image” of the seven-headed political wild beast are in effect really the same thing – the UN (“image”) is just a representation of the collective world powers/governments. It’s just a matter of semantics.

Although, of course, it’s rather ridiculous to predict that all the world’s governments will completely get rid of their religions. By far most of the world’s population is religious, and the USA itself, which is currently considered the greatest superpower, is by far comprised of Christian citizens. And what do all the US presidents say at the end of their speeches? . . . “And may God continue to bless America.” And what does it say on US currency? . . . “In God we trust.” So now matter what kind of Harry-Potter-like beasts anyone speaks of, I don’t think worldwide religion is going anywhere soon. (If anything, just more melding and morphing in the great human cauldron of childish nitwittery.)

6

JW Family Suicide

by Emery in

jw
friends

absolutely terrible,.

http://www.thestate.com/2014/01/15/3208551/2-adults-2-children-dead-in-apparent.html.

SAHS

Sad and just ridiculous. It looks like being a member of the Watchtower religion doesn’t always bring all the joy and happiness that it’s made out to.

As tragic as this incident is, though, when you think of it, what would have happened if each of those four family members needed a life-saving blood transfusion? . . . . That’s right, the same effective outcome: four preventable deaths (assuming that the parents would actually go through with the blood policy). In one way or another, there is always some kind of collateral damage to the family in a cult like the WT.

12

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 01-12-2014 WT Study (WAIT PATIENTLY)

by blondie in

jw
friends

comments.

100 years later still final?.

(2) what events will signal the end of our waiting period?

SAHS

“Blondie”: “And The New York Times report on the study added: “Church membership from 1971 to 1980 failed to keep pace with the rate of the nation’s population growth, . . . ”

That certainly is ironic considering the effective net decline in the growth of the WT membership as a whole during a significant portion of this “time of the end.” If it weren’t for born-ins, the WT figures would really look bad.

16

BEWARE!

by Terry in

jw
friends

only rational thoughts are accessible to rational arguments.

once the category of "god" is established in your mind (usually at an early, impressionable age) you can't ever close the file.. it is unassailable.. why?because it becomes rooted before you develop rational thinking skills.. categories of ghosts, devils, superstitions hold true as well.. what you can do (since they cannot be removed) is modify your emotional reactions connected to these concepts.. what are emotions?

they are signals (like beacons) informing you of the importance of your values.. the most deeply-rooted values signal the strongest emotional responses.. what you perceive to be a threat signals fear.

SAHS

To “Terry”:

I think that the “category of ‘GOD,’ ” as such, begins to be constructed at an early age before the development of rational thinking skills because it is a natural function of the creative, non-judgmental right hemisphere of the brain. What can often happen soon thereafter, however, is that this primal, abstract, and rather elusive concept of the divine, or at least universal spirituality, gets hijacked by a system of theological dogma which gets imposed and imprinted on the other side of the brain, the left hemisphere, which becomes coerced into being subservient to the master of human culture and institutional religiosity.

This new mindset which has been linguistically-imposed upon the consciously-aware left hemisphere, in turn, affects the response of the fundamental emotions love and fear. Emotions such as these are an intrinsic function of the brain’s right hemisphere. Unfortunately, fear easily becomes the dominant motivating force, especially in the psyche of those of impressionable age. Interestingly, the brain’s neurological component of fear – the two almond-shaped amygdalae (residing alongside the two hippocampi, which are connected to the two mammillary bodies) – reside in both the left and right hemispheres, testifying to the prominence of its fear function. And it is this fear that is most useful in assuring compliance with other people’s systems of religion.

This underscores the vital importance of the development of critical thinking of the left hemisphere from early on, in addition to freely embracing the creative, spiritual ability of the right hemisphere in one’s one personal journey in life.

12

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 01-12-2014 WT Study (WAIT PATIENTLY)

by blondie in

jw
friends

comments.

100 years later still final?.

(2) what events will signal the end of our waiting period?

SAHS

Excellent comparison, Blondie, of the Watchtower’s incongruous viewpoints under “INACTIVE QUOTES.” They used to say that basically if you aren’t regularly attending the Kingdom Hall or actively working in field service, then you aren’t considered a Jehovah’s Witness, and, by extension, simply put, you ain’t good enough. They have somewhat softened the old-school stance they had in the 50s so they won’t put too many people off and lose members (people don’t quite go for that as much now), but of course they will always maintain the attitude that you must physically remain in the “new ark” of the Kingdom Hall and give works in their preaching campaign (and money) in order to have any decent chance of surviving the Big A.

One thing that particularly got my attention from those quotes was: “One might be born a Catholic and be baptized into that religious cult when he is but a few days old and be called a Catholic for the rest of his life.” (From w55 1/1 p. 14 par. 14) This measly little idiosyncratic group which has only been around for about a century, and only since 1931 under the current name “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” has the audacity to call the monolithic institution of Catholicism a “cult”! Wow. The nerve.

19

Most aggravating religious group

by keith85 in

jw
friends

look i don't care what you believe, i really don't.

just leave me out of it.

if i were interested in your beliefs i would pursue them, but trying to force your literature and views onto people is just rude.

SAHS

“keith85”: Well put! My sentiments exactly. One idea you might want to try is actually printing out your post word-for-word, laminating it, and posting it somewhere on your front door. Or you could have a custom weatherproof sticker produced professionally, perhaps using screen printing or computer cutout type like they do for office signs. There’s nothing like your own personal touch to get the message across. These JWs need it spelled out for them.

6

Birthday celebrations and Jeptha's daughter

by Skinnedsheep in

jw
friends

did you realize that jeptha's daughter was actually burnt at an altar as a burnt offering?

check judges 11 in some other translations for the clearer language.

jehovah was cool with that since jeptha was fulfilling his vow.

SAHS

“Skinnedsheep”: “Did you realize that Jephthah's daughter was actually burnt at an altar as a Burnt Offering? Check Judges 11 . . .”

You are actually incorrect in this statement.

The Scriptural passage at Judges 11:30, 31 (NWT) does state: “Then Jephthah made a vow to Jehovah and said: ‘If you without fail give the sons of Ammon into my hand, it must also occur that the one coming out, who comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, must also become Jehovah’s, and I must offer that one up as a burnt offering.’ ” (It seems that all the other translations also use the term “burnt offering.”)

HOWEVER, this must be taken as symbolic, as can obviously be seen by the following marginal Scripture cross-references for the term “burnt offering” from the Watchtower Library:

(Deuteronomy 18:10) There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer,

(1 Samuel 1:24) Accordingly just as soon as she had weaned him, she brought him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull and one e′phah of flour and a large jar of wine, and she proceeded to enter the house of Jehovah in Shi′loh. And the boy was with her.

(1 Samuel 1:28) And I, in my turn, have lent him to Jehovah. All the days that he does happen to be, he is one requested for Jehovah.” And he proceeded to bow down there to Jehovah.

(Psalm 66:13) I shall come into your house with whole burnt offerings; I shall pay to you my vows

(Jeremiah 7:31) And they have built the high places of To′pheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hin′nom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart.’

Also consider this: at Judges 11:37, Jephthah’s daughter herself says to her father, “Let this thing be done to me: Let me alone for two months, and let me go, and I will descend upon the mountains, and let me weep over my virginity, I and my girl companions.” At Judges 11:39, 40, it says, “And it came about at the end of two months that she made her return to her father, after which he carried out his vow that he had made toward her. As for her, she never had relations with a man. And it came to be a regulation in Israel: From year to year the daughters of Israel would go to give commendation to the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in the year.”

So, the “burnt offering” of this young woman was actually symbolic of her religious service, as she would “become Jehovah’s” (vs. 31), and this would also involve maintaining her virginity – thus she would be denied, or sacrifice, her otherwise normal right to have relations with a man.

So too, if every year the daughters of Israel were going to give commendation to her, then she must not have been dead – she must have been alive in order to receive and appreciate such commendation!

So, therefore, in consideration of the above, I respectfully deduce that you are in error.

10

WTS putting recommended hotel list on JW.org

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i wanted to make hotel reservations at a place my wife and i like to use, but my wife told me she already made reservations.

she said the wts has the list on jwdotorg.. anyone else know about the recommended lodging list being online?

i couldn't find it.

SAHS

Sorry, “doinmypart” – when you said you “ wanted to make hotel reservations at a place my wife and I like to use,” I prematurely assumed that both of you are still attending district conventions.

Actually, now that you mention it, I vaguely remember some announcement a while ago that the lodging lists can be accessed on the Watchtower’s Web site with a password, but I am guessing that it is the body of elders that would have that password. I would think that certainly the service overseer and the congregation servant would have the password. I have never heard any such password being announced from the platform for the general audience. (Maybe anyone can get it emailed to them by the elders if their field service hours are high enough.)

31

Announcement made about me

by KariOtt in

jw
friends

hubby informed me that an announcement was made to his congreation not to approach us when we are out together.

this was done at his request.

another way he can control me i guess.

SAHS

It could be that this “announcement” was really something just inferred and hidden in the form of a “special local needs” talk, which would imply that you – or at least someone hypothetically similar to you being described in a beat-around-the-bush manner – have been placed in the “marked” category.

Or, the only other possibility I can think of is that maybe you missed a few requests for a meeting with the elders and they eventually decided to try and convict you in absentia.

Either way, high-handed and underhanded tactics have to be expected as the order of the day in such an authoritarian and totalitarian organization. You always have to keep one eye behind your back with them.

10

WTS putting recommended hotel list on JW.org

by doinmypart in

jw
friends

i wanted to make hotel reservations at a place my wife and i like to use, but my wife told me she already made reservations.

she said the wts has the list on jwdotorg.. anyone else know about the recommended lodging list being online?

i couldn't find it.

SAHS

Well, if it’s not on the JW.org Web site but you are still planning to go to a hotel to attend a district convention, then it looks like you’ll just have to wait and go to the Kingdom Hall with a post-it note and pen and write it down from the hardcopy sheet on the old bulletin board. If you’re worried about being conscientious enough to follow the Watchtower organization’s instructions about the personal lodging arrangements, then you strike me as the type who would not dare to question or complain about any of the rest of what is required by the organization and would probably be content no matter what. No offense, but either you go along with it all to the hilt or maybe grow a pair of man fruit and set the course you want, independent of that nosy, controlling “mother” organization. Just a thought. I wish you all the best in what I hope will be your journey of discovery and independent thinking.