Reading the original, unedited quotes, I find it difficult to comprehend the reasoning behind omitting those other words. It doesn't really affect too much what he wrote, and I see no good reason for even omitting them. I guess they are so used to doing it at this point that it probably feels weird for them NOT to omit words from quotes, even if it doesn't affect the point they are trying to make.
TimDrake1914
JoinedPosts by TimDrake1914
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Words omitted from a Watchtower article
by Doug Mason ina short time ago i sought information regarding a quotation in the watchtower of april 1, 2010, which did not identify the exact source of the quotation from professor oskar skarsaune.
my interest was heightened because words had been omitted from the source.. the wts provided a copy of the original 29-page article, which is in norwegian.. here is my very unofficial personal translation of the passage from professor skarsaune's article that the watchtower is quoting.
firstly i provide the text as it appears in the watchtower magazine, highlighting where the text has been omitted.
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TimDrake1914
Oh look, we are "waaaaaaaaarmly welcomed" to this as well! LOL! -
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NWT...how accurate?
by Theburstbubble ini'm sorry if i'm covering old ground here.
but is the nwt bible a credible translation of the scriptures?
i'm not asking if you believe in the bible or not.
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TimDrake1914
If you want a well respected and highly regarded translation of the bible, go with the New Revised Standard Version. It was produced by a committee of some of the most qualified and respected biblical scholars of our time, using the most reliable biblical manuscripts available. If I need to look up scriptures and want the most unbiased translation available, the NRSV is my go to bible now. -
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A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion’s Watch ... By B. W. Schulz
by Terry inenter:.
https://books.google.com/books.
a separate identity: organizational identity among readers of zion’s watch .
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TimDrake1914
It is a great book. I would say it's the definitive book on Russell and how he developed his beliefs. They had planned to do a follow up book detailing the years after the period talked about in the book, but it seems they weren't able to secure the funding or enough interest in it to proceed. Such a shame, really, as I imagine that follow up book would've been even more interesting. -
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Walking a thin line - Resigning Elder
by Sanchy inwarning of a long boring post ahead.
i feel like i need to vent my story out, as i feel quite helpless at the moment.. i'm 31 year old, married, father of toddler with another one on the way, due later this month.
i've been serving as elder for about 4 years now in a south florida congregation.
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TimDrake1914
Are you me? Seriously, reading your story took me back to about 3 years ago when I started on the same path. Pretty much the same situation as yours, except for only having one child. The best advice I can give you in regards to your wife is this: love. Show your wife that you continue to love her, and give her and your children your all to prove that you feel nothing but love for her. She will go through much mental pain as you continue on your journey, maybe even thinking about divorce as an "easy" way out, but just beat those thoughts back by showing her nothing but love. Treat her as an equal, empowering her and encouraging her to pursue her individual interests and desires. This goes contrary to the WT view of how women should be submissive to men, treating them as less than men. This will eventually help her to empower herself, which is instrumental in getting her to think for herself, and not the way the organization wants her to think.
If you want to wake her up eventually, the best thing you can do is continue to provide her questions to think about, but never providing her the answers to those questions. She has to arrive at the answers on her own. No one can ever really wake up someone else. It's the individual that wakes up themselves. But as long as she gives you her ear, tell her the questions you ask yourself, and if you feel compelled to provide her some sort of answer, phrase it in the form of a question that will linger in her mind even after you've finished talking. Facts don't stick in the human mind, especially a human mind that has been trained to reject any contradictory information. But questions do stay, and might eventually bring her enough mental discomfort (known as cognitive dissonance) that may eventually help her reason on her own.
If you really want to understand the mindset that we JW's have been indoctrinated with, read Combatting Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan. It's a must read for anyone that has woken up, and it's a great book that helps us heal from the mental abuse we have endured all the years we were mentally in. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.
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Pandora's Box is now open!
by pandorasbox1914 inhi everyone, i have been lurking for some time now and decided to open the box (hence pandora).
about a year ago i became aware of child abuse within the org, out of curiosity (just like pandora) i opened the box and the evils have been pouring out ever since regarding the org.
anyway, this came to a head last summer with the arc.
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TimDrake1914
Always great when we welcome new members. Looking forward to hearing your story. :) -
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Some thoughts on the new midweek meeting
by Saltheart Foamfollower inthe new midweek meeting has been running for a month now.
here are my thoughts on how it is going so far:.
1) elders are looking frazzled from being on virtually every meeting and having to prepare unfamiliar formats for items.
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TimDrake1914
Ditto. Although most probably enjoy the fact that they don't even have to prepare like they used to. I'm sure some love the push towards dumbing things down. -
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Elder continues serving as elder after his daughter got disfellowshipped!
by hardtobeme inthis is what is happening in a spanish congregation in our area.
this happened 3 weeks ago.
this brother conducted the school and after the school was over, another elder gave the announcement: "( name of the person) is not longer a jehovah's witness".
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TimDrake1914
LOL! He is illegal in the country?! That tells you all there is to it! He shouldn't even be allowed to serve as an elder if he is illegally in the country per WT rules. That tells you he only has privileges because the other elders want him/need him to have privileges. If they were going by the book, he wouldn't even be serving.
As for the deal with his daughter, again, it depends on the other elders and if they think he did everything he could to make sure she didn't lead that kind of lifestyle. If they deem he was doing everything within his power to prevent her from messing up like that, they could let him stay as elder as long as it didn't stumble the congregation. But the fact that the congregation does feel stumbled and he is still there again shows that he's only still an elder because the other elders want to keep him there.
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If YOU had to make the decision, would you respect a JW relatives wish to refuse a blood transfusion?
by nicolaou ina few years after i quit the meetings my mum needed her medical directive signed and witnessed and she asked if i'd do it.
i was surprised to say the least!.
i think she was just angling to include me and maybe find some lever to get me involved again.
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TimDrake1914
You can't argue that you want your own rights respected when you are willing to violate other's rights as well. This is exactly the reason why courts will impose blood transfusions on witness' children if a Doctor pursues it; because courts recognize a child may not be capable of making an informed choice, especially when the parents are trying to make that choice for them.
Are witnesses manipulated into making bad decisions? Sure, no one can argue with that. But in the end, adults have the right to make their own decisions, no matter how stupid we think those choices are. By that same token, we could choose to accept a blood transfusion because we believe that it will allow us to live on the planet Zanudu where we will live alongside Baal as spiritual reindeers. A person shouldn't lose their individual right to make their own choices just because their beliefs don't make any sense to us. In their mind, they are making an "informed" choice based on the information they themselves have CHOSEN to accept. Whether or not we believe it is an "informed" choice matters for sh!t, unless we can determine they are not fit to make their own medical decisions. But that should not be based on our personal opinion.
The day we start thinking we have the right to make other people's choices is the day we ourselves have become the very organization we condemn so much on here.
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If YOU had to make the decision, would you respect a JW relatives wish to refuse a blood transfusion?
by nicolaou ina few years after i quit the meetings my mum needed her medical directive signed and witnessed and she asked if i'd do it.
i was surprised to say the least!.
i think she was just angling to include me and maybe find some lever to get me involved again.
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TimDrake1914
I'm dissapointed that, so far, the majority would actually violate another person's choice as to their own medical wishes. How is that any different than someone else violating our own choice to take a blood transfusion on the basis that they do not share our belief? We may not like it, but it is still the other person's choice to choose their own medical treatment, even if it means them possibly dying from it. Free will includes the ability to choose how we live or die, and to take that away from some one is the same as taking away their right to be disconnected from a life-prolonging machine if they so choose.
But going back to the original scenario, if one is uncomfortable signing someone's no blood document, then they shouldn't. Simple as that. If one were to have signed and then later changed their mind about carrying out the other person's wishes, that one should inform the other person involved so that they can sign a new version of the form in order to take you out of the equation. It's about mutual respect.