Neo

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Posts by Neo

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  17

  Paradox: Are Faithless Watchtower Leaders Reform's Best Hope?

  by metatron in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  while many among the watchtower's leadership are no doubt sincere, there is no proof.

  more than this, in examining the life of a man like rutherford - complete with.

  his habits involving cruelty, alcohol, greed , reviling others, neglect of his family and contempt.

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  Neo

  Pistoff,

  Simply brilliant. They reinterpret and sterilize the parable. One more good example like Metatron's.

  Neo
• 
  21

  10 Longstanding Problems that I have with the WT Society: A Summary

  by Bluegrass Tom in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a problem with this.

  do they know what the right thing is?

  this must mean that college is worse today than it was years ago, but is now okay to attend?

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  Neo

  Great analysis, Bluegrass Tom!

  A point that captured my attention:

  According to the WT Society, the world and everything associated with it has gotten worse as time passes. This must mean that College is worse today than it was years ago, but is now okay to attend?

  Thanks for your summary and welcome to the journey of real life!

  Best regards,

  Neo
• 
  17

  Paradox: Are Faithless Watchtower Leaders Reform's Best Hope?

  by metatron in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  while many among the watchtower's leadership are no doubt sincere, there is no proof.

  more than this, in examining the life of a man like rutherford - complete with.

  his habits involving cruelty, alcohol, greed , reviling others, neglect of his family and contempt.

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  Neo

  The "Do You Recall" section asked "What did Jesus mean when he said John would
  

  remain until he came?" I was astonished. The scripture, quoted in plain sight, said "If it is my will for [John]

  to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?" ( John 21). Anybody in the

  audience could simply read the cited text and reason that Jesus didn't promise anything to

  John. He simply said "if". Yet, here was the Watchtower ignoring the text for anyone

  to see ---- and no one did!

  This example illustrates the clear lack of reading comprehension existing among the dubs. But I seriously don't think it is limited to them. It's very frustrating that such thing is not a problem limited to that specific group; reading and interpretation skills are lacking everywhere I turn to, in many countries, and even among many educated people. That is indicative of a poor educational formation in a person's early years.
  

  The fact that you came up with this example is very, very ironic. Why? Because the writer of John 21 says that the same kind of interpretational problem existed among the early Christians! The immediately following verse says:
  

  Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, ?If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you??

  ROFLOL!

  And that's the clincher: it illustrates how the WT treats individual Bible verses isolatedly, as textual "islands"; they didn't even bother to take the Scripture that just followed into consideration!!
• 
  17

  Paradox: Are Faithless Watchtower Leaders Reform's Best Hope?

  by metatron in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  while many among the watchtower's leadership are no doubt sincere, there is no proof.

  more than this, in examining the life of a man like rutherford - complete with.

  his habits involving cruelty, alcohol, greed , reviling others, neglect of his family and contempt.

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  Neo

  It should be evident that , to the Watchtower, the Bible has any meaning they care to

  impose upon it and no one will even notice. It just doesn't matter.

  (...) They can change anything because the Bible means anything they wish.

  Bingo!

  The Witnesses seem to have the mind of a zombie. They swallow any kind of "food at the proper time" the WT provides them. The Bible is not a Holy Book to them; it's just their boy scout's manual that only means what the Chief tells it means. They throw isolated verses around and stretch them as much as they want. They put any spin they want on any Bible verse. So much for "love for God's Word".

  Neo
• 
  14

  WTS Leaders strong arm tactics

  by doinmypart in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  wts leaders don't want to give up their authority.

  they fear that doing so will give members too much time to think and pursue personal goals at the expense of organizational goals.. but in small ways they are being forced to loosen their grip.

  out of one corner of their mouths they say, "voting/blood fractions/certain holidays are a conscience matter" while at the same time tyring to maintain control via strong arm tactics - -.

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  Neo

  Hi purplesofa! I'm glad you took your time to post here. Welcome to JWD!

  Yeah, all those things that were in the back of our minds in the KH can be said here. One of the things we couldn't ever say there is that the organization is robotic and sterile, completely different from the rosy picture that they try to convey. The many problems are swept under the rug.

  doinmypart,

  Members drone along at weekly meetings and field service. The leaders' tight grip has quashed any creativity and spark individual members may have had.

  Your whole post is a very correct diagnostic of the situation inside the Org. The "vibrancy" it once had has been eroding since the "generation that will not pass" fiasco and the erosion is intensified by the brain drain in Bethel. Now they have to play their silly Orwellian game of "you can do that"/"you can't do that."

  As you've said, the good thing is that this combination of silliness with despotism will ultimately bring their downfall.
• 
  87

  WTS Official Spin on monthly Awake: 'More emphasis on the Bible!'

  by Neo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the march 2005 kingdom ministry brings up a full article about the awake only being published once a month, starting january 2006. .

  but the fun thing is the roundabout way this change is announced.

  knowing that the news would be a bitter pill to swallow (there should be a 'speeding up' of the preaching work, not a downsizing), the watchtower only announces the move to monthly publishing by the end of the article.

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  Neo

  The JWs have an incredible ability to put in their minds a positive spin on negative news about the org so that they avoid the discomfiture caused by the cognitive dissonance.

  I recently told a Witness that the Society was downsizing. And then I told her the news that the Awake is going monthly. She still hadn't heard of it and her reaction was priceless! Right after I finished the sentence she said with an agressive tone of voice: "Yes! I think that's good!! Now people won't have an excuse to say that they don't have time to read the magazines!!" Her face showed a kind of judgemental attitude, revealing her insatisfaction with the fact that her brothers and sisters cannot manage reading all the magazines. It's impressive how Witnesses train their minds to avoid admitting anything negative about the WT leadership.

  Here's another dub reaction on the Awake moving to monthly publishing:

  What a marvelous change and blessing for Jehovah's people and those still seeking a relationship with Jehovah. I personally have had a difficult time keeping up with my reading as it is. This could make the Awake more like a brochere that focus on currect topic's and events that affect the world.
  It also makes us more flexible

  This is great news.

  This comment in found in the Touchstone Forum, where a number of active JWs post. Read this and other comments in the following thread:

  http://www.touchstoneforum.com/htdocs/dcforum/DCForumID2/1081.html

  Neo
• 
  87

  WTS Official Spin on monthly Awake: 'More emphasis on the Bible!'

  by Neo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the march 2005 kingdom ministry brings up a full article about the awake only being published once a month, starting january 2006. .

  but the fun thing is the roundabout way this change is announced.

  knowing that the news would be a bitter pill to swallow (there should be a 'speeding up' of the preaching work, not a downsizing), the watchtower only announces the move to monthly publishing by the end of the article.

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  Neo

  This is ezekiel3's excellent post about the impact that the Awake change will likely make:

  Considering the impending change to a monthly Awake! with less fluff and more "focus on the Bible," I was moved to reveal the incredible loss regular readers will soon feel:

  ***

  g03 3/22 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  Hair

  I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for the article "Do You Worry About Your Hair?" (August 8, 2002) I am 36 years old, and for some time I have been worrying about slight hair loss and the thinning of my hair. The article helped me to understand that losing some hair every day is natural. Now I feel much more at peace. Do not stop publishing articles like this one!

  ***

  g02 8/22 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  We especially appreciate the thoughts of people who personally experienced what happened. The statements of survivors brought tears to our eyes. We ask Jehovah to help all who are afflicted and pray that by means of Awake! they might find consolation. Being young, we are encouraged by the questions that cause us to reflect on our way of life and on our priorities. Our wish is that you never stop publishing this magazine.

  ***

  g99 5/22 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  Nightmares

  I really appreciated the suggestions in the "Watching the World" item "Children?s Nightmares Common." (September 8, 1998) My children have nightmares, but I?ve always told them not to talk about them but simply to go back to sleep. Now, with the suggestions given, I can better cope with this problem. Please do not stop publishing such helpful information.

  *** g95 8/8 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  Burnout These were extraordinary articles for me because I finally recognized my problem. I am a wife, the mother of four children, and have a lot to do. Sadly, I get little appreciation from my family. I feel better knowing that this is a common problem among sensitive people. Never stop publishing articles like these!

  *** g02 1/8 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  Safari I am 13 years old, and I really enjoyed reading the article "On Safari in Ghana." (May 8, 2001) I love reading about animals. Please do not stop printing the magazines!

  *** g96 3/22 p. 30 From Our Readers ***

  Like Doris, who was quoted in the article, I felt unworthy of being God?s friend. I thank Jehovah for providing me with this assistance. It has helped me to understand that if I repent of my bad actions, he is willing to forgive me and be my Friend. I hope you never stop printing these articles for the youths.

  *** g82 4/22 p. 28 From Our Readers ***

  Robots I am 11 years old and I really liked that article about the robots. I like robots so I decided to read it. I just want you to know that even 11-year-olds like the magazines you print. Please never stop printing those magazines.
• 
  87

  WTS Official Spin on monthly Awake: 'More emphasis on the Bible!'

  by Neo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the march 2005 kingdom ministry brings up a full article about the awake only being published once a month, starting january 2006. .

  but the fun thing is the roundabout way this change is announced.

  knowing that the news would be a bitter pill to swallow (there should be a 'speeding up' of the preaching work, not a downsizing), the watchtower only announces the move to monthly publishing by the end of the article.

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  Neo

  I'm including in this thread some other contributions to the discussion collected from around the forum and the Net so that they can be found in a single location.

  The following notes are AlanF's comments on the Awake article:

  > More Emphasis on the Bible!

  Yeah, right.

  > 1 On October 1, 1919, the first issue of the magazine The Golden Age was published. It proved to be a most valuable tool in the preaching work. Why? Because it was specially designed for the public.

  Uh huh. It soon published many articles advertising the many benefits of the quack device called "the Electronic Radio Biola", which was supposed to be a miracle cure for just about all of mankind's ills. By about 1926, enough lawsuits had been filed against the inventor of this quackery that the Watchtower Society was forced to quit advertising this quack idea. Golden Age published many, many articles advocating all sorts of quackery, such as on the ills of being poisoned by aluminum cookware, the evils of vaccination, and the fact that the entire medical profession was nothing but a bunch of charlatans.

  > That was not the case with The Watchtower, which for many years was viewed as a magazine largely for the "little flock." (Luke 12:32)

  This is a fine example of the Watchtower Society's penchant for lying while appearing to tell the truth. When The Golden Age was first published in 1919, all of the Bible Students -- those who would today be classified as rank & file members of the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses -- were said to be "anointed" and members of "the little flock". This was, from the very beginning of Charles Taze Russell's teaching career, a fundamental doctrine. So, when the writer of this Awake! article states that The Watchtower was for many years "viewed as a magazine largely for the 'little flock'," it's pretty much a non sequitur. Of course Watchtower leaders were oriented toward the concept of a "little flock" that would ultimately rule all of mankind. They were the ones who would soon begin ruling. The writer is deceiving his readers by implying that the notion of a "little flock" was then the same as it is today -- an exclusive group that doesn't include most JWs.

  > Kingdom publishers responded with such enthusiasm to the new publication that for many years the circulation of The Golden Age was far in excess of that of The Watchtower.

  In view of the cultural milieu of the 1920s, an increase in the circulation of a goofy magazine like The Golden Age is only to be expected. But because the membership of the Bible Students dropped by about 75% between about 1924 and 1929, it's obvious that the circulation of The Golden Age, along with The Watchtower, suffered greatly. But the writer gives no indication of this. His goal is to put the best possible spin on WTS history by keeping to fuzzy generalities. He keeps to that theme in the rest of the article.

  > 2 The magazine The Golden Age was published to show people that the real solution to mankind's problems is Christ's Millennial Reign, which will truly usher in a golden age for humankind.

  Uh huh. Promotions for devices like the Electronic Radio Biola certainly did that.

  > In succeeding decades a number of adjustments were made to The Golden Age to meet the changing needs of the times. In 1937 its name was changed to Consolation. In 1946 it became Awake!, the name we know it by today.

  Actually, this indicates that the reason for the change is not so much to meet the "needs of the times" in terms of the readership, but in terms of Watchtower personnel. By 1946, the editor of Consolation/Golden Age, Clayton J. Woodworth, had become too decrepit to continue the pace of publishing nonsense, so he was put out to pasture and a whole new magazine, with a different focus, was initiated. I think it's the same today. Awake!'s long time editor-in-chief Harry Peloyan is pushing 90 years old, and is likely no longer capable of handling the chores.

  > 3 From its beginning, this magazine has contributed mightily to the great witness that has been given since 1919. (Matt. 24:14) However, in view of the urgency of our times, it seems wise to make further adjustments to Awake!

  Sure, like Peloyan can't handle it anymore and they can't find someone to replace him.

  > 4 Millions of people enjoy reading Awake! because it covers a wide variety of secular topics in an appealing way.

  And it presents a good deal of nonsense as if it were truth from God. In my own case, it was some articles in Awake! that finally convinced me that the Society is run by a bunch of idiots.

  > No doubt the majority of those who attend the Memorial each year are regular readers of Awake!

  More likely, they see the magazine and throw it away.

  > Still, if anyone hopes to be concealed in "the day of Jehovah's anger," he will need help to do more than be a regular reader of our publications. -- Zeph. 2:3; Rev. 14:6, 7.

  Right, like dedicate oneself to the holy Watchtower organization.

  > 5 Hence, from January 2006, Awake! will place greater emphasis on God's Kingdom. It will encourage readers more straightforwardly to look to the Bible for the solutions to their problems and will highlight more prominently the Bible's explanation of current events. In this way, readers will get a better understanding of current events and perhaps be moved by what they read to learn more about Jehovah. -- Zech. 8:23.

  I can't wait.

  > 6 Awake! will continue to feature topics of general interest. However, more emphasis will be laid on the Bible. (1 Thess. 2:13) Since The Watchtower contains deep Biblical information

  Like the nonsensical fulfillment of prophecies in Revelation. Even many of the Witnesses hate that garbage.

  > and Awake! will feature more material that is Scriptural in nature,

  Like showing why one should believe that when Adam sinned, that automatically changed the nature of some vegetarian animals into predators.

  > it does not seem necessary to continue publishing Awake! twice a month. Therefore, beginning with its January 2006 issue, Awake! will be published as a monthly magazine. This will result in considerable simplification in the preparation, translation, and shipping of our literature.

  No doubt. Stopping publication altogether would result in considerably more simplification.

  > 7 This change will affect about 40 percent of the languages in which Awake! is published. In most languages, Awake! is already a monthly or a quarterly publication. There will be no change in the publication of The Watchtower.

  Answering the inevitable question.

  > 8 Publishers may offer each month's Awake! with either issue of The Watchtower for that month. Those who feature Awake! will be able to use the same issue all through the month without having to change their presentation in the middle of the month, as at present.

  A total non sequitur if I ever heard one.

  > 9 Since its first issue back in 1919, the magazine successively known as The Golden Age, Consolation, and now Awake! has played a major role in the preaching work.

  A great deal of garbage has been distributed, alright.

  > We pray that Jehovah will continue to bless the distribution of the magazine in its revised format and that it will help many more people out of "all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues" to turn to God's Kingdom as their only hope. -- Rev. 7:9.

  Yes, Jehovah's blessing is upon the Society's activities, whether it's expanding or contracting.

  It's interesting how the Society can't just make a simple announcement about this, but has to couch it in "spiritual" terms. Damage control is right!

  AlanF
• 
  87

  WTS Official Spin on monthly Awake: 'More emphasis on the Bible!'

  by Neo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the march 2005 kingdom ministry brings up a full article about the awake only being published once a month, starting january 2006. .

  but the fun thing is the roundabout way this change is announced.

  knowing that the news would be a bitter pill to swallow (there should be a 'speeding up' of the preaching work, not a downsizing), the watchtower only announces the move to monthly publishing by the end of the article.

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  Neo

  The gloom-and-doom wacky online prophet "e-watchman" finally got one of his oracles right. He criticized the Awake's present format in a September 2004 article on his site. Although we disagree with his loony theories, I can say that his comments this time were right on the money. Here's the article:

  How to train your dog is the topic of an article in the September 8 th , 2004, Awake magazine. Among other things, such as how to get your dog to sit and stay, the article offers practical advice on how to housebreak a puppy. The Awake even presents its readers with a cleaning tip in case of an "accident." No doubt many readers might find such information timely and helpful; the question, though, is why? Yes, why does a magazine that is supposedly dedicated to "building confidence in the Creator's promise of a peaceful new world" bother publishing such irrelevant trivia?

  To be sure, the "doggy training" article is merely typical of the kind of non-spiritual fluff the Awake routinely publishes. For example, the same issue of Awake also has a two-page article on Japanese natto?described as stringy fermented soybeans. This week, the Watchtower's website features a four-year old article on flight simulators. It is an indisputable fact that the Awake Magazine is predominantly focused on mundane, non-biblical matters, and only occasionally, off-handedly, even refers to the Bible.

  The Awake Magazine is presently published, either monthly or semi-monthly, in over 60 languages with a circulation of around 20 million copies. Such an astounding circulation no doubt represents a substantial cost of many millions of dollars per issue. Not only that, but many hundreds of volunteer workers are employed at numerous Bethel printing facilities around the world in order to make the Awake available. And lastly, six million of Jehovah's Witness publishers use their personal resources to distribute the Watchtower and Awake magazines to the reading public.

  It is not that the Awake Magazine is not well-written and informative. It is. And no doubt many people enjoy reading it. The question, though, is why should millions of ministers dedicated to the cause of announcing to the world Jehovah's incoming kingdom publish anything that detracts from that all-important message? Should Jehovah's Witnesses even call themselves true ministers of God and Christ when a large part of our ministry revolves around disseminating information that has nothing whatsoever to do with Bible education?

  Why should those who are serving as the light of the world concern themselves with enlightening others about such mundane things of the world?

  To put things in perspective, can you imagine the apostle Paul expending himself in God's service, even risking his life to preach to people about anything other than Christ? Paul was no doubt a learned man, yet he consciously decided not to know anything else in his ministry other than Christ-impaled. If Paul or the apostles were alive today they would probably be very impressed by our modern methods of printing and distribution, but it is inconceivable that they would degrade their own ministry by publishing pamphlets with information such as how to train your dog.

  The Awake Magazine presumably even derives its name from the apostle Paul's various exhortations to awaken from spiritual slumber, but does it really serve that purpose? Perhaps initially it did, but there is little evidence that it serves that purpose now.

  Moreover, the Watchtower Society resolutely believes that Christ Jesus began ruling the world in 1914 and that since then Jehovah's Witnesses have been instrumental in announcing God's judgments upon Christendom. Jehovah's Witnesses even believe that the angelic trumpeters of Revelation have used the Awake Magazine's predecessor, the now-defunct Golden Age, to herald God's irreversible condemnatory judgment upon the world. But, how reasonable is that? If the most significant event in the history of the world commenced nearly a century ago in 1914, and supposing the early Bible Students were indeed conduits for issuing Jehovah's fiery proclamations, particularly in the interval from 1922-1928, why is it that now Jehovah's Witnesses no longer denounce Christendom as formerly?

  Are we absolutely certain that the angels have already hurled the incense vessel full of the fires of God's judgments down upon the earth? Clearly, something is not right with our present interpretation of Revelation?as well as all other biblical prophecies. The Watchtower has obviously vastly diminished the significance of Christ's actual presence in kingdom power.

  The 110 th Psalm speaks of exciting developments in connection with Messiah's kingdom, where we read: "Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of your military force." Here is something to consider: If 1914 marked the year of the beginning of Jesus Christ's "military force," then why does the glorious king allow his servants to detract from his campaign by publishing Reader's Digest-like pap such as is found in the Awake Magazine?

  If billions of lives hang in the balance based upon our reaching them with the message that Christ began ruling in 1914, our publishing anything other than that vital truth is unconscionable.

  Surely, when the kingdom actually comes to power and Satan is hurled down from heaven for the final winner-takes-all showdown, Jesus' volunteer army of ministers will not be involved in educating the public how to train their dogs.
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  70

  Mouthy on radio Tuesday at 9.30 p.m

  by mouthy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am going to make a fool of myself tomorrow night .i will be featured on www.natradio.com .

  about cults!!!

  !producer & host of cosmic horizons just called me .

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  Neo

  Go, Mouthy!!