Two points I'd like to raise.
1. J.F. Rutherford was an attorney who put himself through law school with a strenuous will toward an ambition to get off the family farm and make something of himself. The only way his Papa would let him do that was if Joe paid for a farmhand replacement, and this he did. He sold encyclopedias door to door - as did I when I was a teenager. You have to develop a thick skin, smooth persuasive eloquence as well as a love of reading.
Rutherford was befriended by a boozy Judge who let Joe sub for him now and then. Until then, Joe had become proficient as a court stenographer. Joe's rapid skill at shorthand (if you aren't my age, 76, you won't even know what shorthand is :)
The choice of Jehovah's WITNESS as a NAME is a legal choice. Sort of...it tastes of "law".
The strongest testimony as far as a jury is concerned, is testimony by an eyewitness. Secondarily, his Circuit and District judiciary experience is also reflected in the words "Circuit and District" assembly language.
J.F. Rutherford's alliance with Fred Franz was like Lennon and McCartney writing songs together.
Franz was NOT a Rhodes scholar but one of his teachers wanted him to "try out" for candidacy.
Franz was a NERD and obsessive/compulsive. He was like an ox mentally; you set him to a task and he ground away at it and produced plenty of wheat and chaff for you.
In other words, Rutherford wrote the Theology outline and Franz created the foundation scriptures and zig-zag "reasoning" to achieve the appearance of solid and sound theology.
2. Every single step taken by Russell and Rutherford demonstrates UNORIGiNALITY of invention, while at the same time demonstrating a GENIUS for self-promotion and -if not plagiarism of others' ideas and crackpot notions - then the cleverness to promote wacky wonky crackpot schemes as beautiful hidden secrets of God himself.
Russell wasted a (today's equivalent) seven million dollars personal fortune publishing silly crap dressed up like encyclopedic Bible Truth and revealed wisdom. Rutherford drove the WTS to the edge of bankruptcy, even selling off assets while the Board of Directors and himself languished in Federal prison. Lucky bastard that he was, when released from prison on a Writ of Error, he (my opinion) saw it as direct release at the hand of Jehovah, causing him to double down fearlessly (bulletproofed) attacking like a paranoid, his ENEMIES who were everywhere.
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post script
I asked an A.I. Search Engine to tell me about Fred Franz of the Watchtower Society.
Here is the result:
Frederick Franz was never a Rhodes scholar. Jehovah's Witnesses often say that he was because of his impressive knowledge in biblical and historical topics. Despite not having a degree from any institution of learning, Franz was competent at a scholar's level due to his attendance at night school, autodidactic ability, and his position in the Watchtower governing body. However, it is arguable that his intellect was mitigated by predictions such as 1925 and 1975 for "the end of six thousand years of human existence"
Asked about Rutherford, A.I. gave me this:
Joseph Franklin Rutherford had a very low level of competency as a judge or attorney. Despite his lack of legal expertise, he was able to manipulate the legal system to gain control of the Watchtower Society and was eventually convicted of treason. His personal character was marred by alcoholism, and his interpretation of the scriptures led to the death of many of his followers in concentration camps.
Posts by Terry
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27So where oh where did Judge Rutherford come up with JW theology?
by Terry inbits of unreported history that may be of casual interest… as to doctrinal origins.
sykes was one-of-a-kind in the pentecostal movement, but he was considered quite a maverick who went his own way with heretical teachings repugnant to the pentecostal faith.. joshua sykes’ congregation was integrated, unlike pastor russell’s public speeches/sermons where blacks and whites both could attend, but only in separate sections--sykes's members were sitting side by side in the pentecostal church.
this was considered dangerous and inflammatory at the time.. pentecostal preacher joshua sykes practiced racial and gender "integration" as early as 1908 -- having both african-american and female assistant preachers, staffers, and members.
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Terry
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My Explanation of Why They Got it Wrong About Blood Using Only the NWT
by cofty in10 " any israelite or any alien living among them who eats any bloodi will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people.
12 therefore i say to the israelites, "none of you may eat blood, nor may an alien living among you eat blood.
15 'anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean.
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Terry
Cleaning out my cloud drive archive, I came across Marvin Schilmer's excellent website material
that contains considerable documentation of BLOOD malfeasance.
Here is the pdf of his website (all that remains).
Excellent material contained therein:
file:///media/archive/Marvin-Shilmers-Website-Plus.pdf.zip/Marvin-Shilmers-Website-Plus.pdf -
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Whatever happened to Marvin Shilmer?
by MrMonroe in"marvin", who i understand is a pseudonym, has an excellent blog whose most recent post was last september.
his most recent contribution to wikipedia, where he made very valuable contributions, was march 2013.. i have emailed him wondering if he's ok, but haven't had a response.
anyone know if he's ok or what the deal is?.
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Terry
HERE IS THE ONLY REMAINING material I could find (while cleaning out my cloud storage)
file:///media/archive/Marvin-Shilmers-Website-Plus.pdf.zip/Marvin-Shilmers-Website-Plus.pdfNow I can't recall how it is I got hold of it. Maybe a going-out-of-business sort of opportunity.
My "intuition" was that Marvin was either an attorney or an upper-echelon circuit servant who
got sideways with the ruling class at Bethel. His righteous zeal has the fury of a wronged soul about it. -
27
So where oh where did Judge Rutherford come up with JW theology?
by Terry inbits of unreported history that may be of casual interest… as to doctrinal origins.
sykes was one-of-a-kind in the pentecostal movement, but he was considered quite a maverick who went his own way with heretical teachings repugnant to the pentecostal faith.. joshua sykes’ congregation was integrated, unlike pastor russell’s public speeches/sermons where blacks and whites both could attend, but only in separate sections--sykes's members were sitting side by side in the pentecostal church.
this was considered dangerous and inflammatory at the time.. pentecostal preacher joshua sykes practiced racial and gender "integration" as early as 1908 -- having both african-american and female assistant preachers, staffers, and members.
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Terry
If you count up all the writing done in the first 100 years of this religion, then pause and consider
how WRONG it all was (by current standards), it's FLABBERGASTING HOW MANY PEOPLE WASTED
THEIR TIME thinking it was "Truth".
Sure - they counted their hours - but their hours didn't count.
They, in effect, are like crooks passing counterfeit money. It looks real but there is nothing to back it up.
Chasing their - (not tail) but TALE around in circles and coughing up changes right and left but
thinking of it as PROGRESS is flat-out stupid. -
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Garbage in equals Garbage Out: A study in computer science as applied to JW doctrine
by Terry inhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4dynwkbyakgdibbwlibwtf2ruzpewcd5ipupvo-edm/edit?usp=sharing.
garbage in / garbage outthere is a saying about errors in computer science: garbage in / garbage outin computer science, garbage in, garbage out is the concept that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output.
rubbish in, rubbish out is an alternate wording.
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Terry
smiddy36 hours ago
And in a nutshell what does that all mean?
Can`t you brake it down to a few, or a few more short sentences?
Sorry Terry,at my age I`m well past posts anywhere near this length .
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Sorry about that, smiddy3
I really specifically composed this analysis/screed/thesis for a particular person (JW) who is a Programmer by profession and didn't want it to go to waste.
I need push-back from persons who might fact-find and discover errors (or stupidity) in my
thoughts and examples.
It is unnecessarily dense for any passers-by, I realize that now. Thank you for your feedback.
TO ANSWER YOU specifically:
The Governing Body constantly makes errors, mistakes, guesses, etc., and gets "off the hook"
by saying "not inspired" and "only human" but I'm not letting them off that easily for the
simple reason: THE GB PRESENT THEIR TEACHING AS SPIRIT-LED by JEHOVAH.
To hide implicating Jehovah's "guidance-gone-wrong" there is a fiction created about NEW LIGHT
being more of fine-tuning, upgrading, adjusting, and the sun rising on a dark path.
Wrong is wrong and Jehovah's "guidance" means they are blasphemers.
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11
Garbage in equals Garbage Out: A study in computer science as applied to JW doctrine
by Terry inhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4dynwkbyakgdibbwlibwtf2ruzpewcd5ipupvo-edm/edit?usp=sharing.
garbage in / garbage outthere is a saying about errors in computer science: garbage in / garbage outin computer science, garbage in, garbage out is the concept that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output.
rubbish in, rubbish out is an alternate wording.
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Terry
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H4DYnWKBYaKgDibBWLiBwtF2ruzPEWCd5ipuPvo-eDM/edit?usp=sharing
GARBAGE IN / GARBAGE OUT
There is a saying about errors in computer science
: Garbage in / garbage out
In computer science, garbage in, garbage out is the concept that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output. Rubbish in, rubbish out is an alternate wording. The principle applies to all logical argumentation: soundness implies validity, but validity does not imply soundness
Jehovah and Jesus are sort of like Programmers whose Code cannot produce ERROR. Their code cannot lie.
Why would divine code ever cause an ERROR?
How could it ever be said: Truth in / garbage out?
Humans receive God’s perfect code and must compile it for lower-level understanding.
Some programming languages require a compilation step.
The compilation is where high-level language converts into a lower-level language so that the computer can ‘understand’ better. A compilation of compile-time error happens when any person acting as the compiler doesn’t know how to turn proper code into lower-level code.
NOTE: The saving of humanity from sin and extinction at Armageddon requires communication of a Good News message properly delivered and understood.
What we call False Religion pretty much comes down to error (deliberate or on accident) transmitted as Divine instruction. The worst abuse of honest believers would be a total distraction or disappointment in their fragile Faith.
STUMBLING is what it is called in scripture. Woe to the stumblers!
With the above foundation and premise, we turn to the subject:OLD LIGHT / NEW LIGHT = bad code?
What happened to the disappointed people?
The founder of the above Church was a woman named Ellen G. White
Over the course of her lifetime, she invented many ideas and teachings which sometimes turned out to be errors and needed correcting. The problem, of course, was reconciling the fact that she claimed to be guided by holy spirit in her teaching, and yet there were errors needing correction!
NOTE: A computer programmer today would refer to “ runtime errors “
Runtime errors are particularly annoying because they directly impact the end user. These errors occur when the system is running perfectly written code and can stop someone from doing what they need to do; on the web server, there might be a different configuration, or it might be interacted with in a way that could cause a runtime error.
Ellen G. White called this OLD LIGHT.
The correction came in the form of NEW LIGHT
The ‘debug’ operation saves the end user’s reputation and allows them to keep their job, you might say. Instead of calling it a “human error” instead, it is a way of viewing debugging as the natural and god-approved gradual revealing of true code.
Clearly what is being corrected is not Jehovah's or Jesus’ code.
No - it is by correcting humans who are speaking presumptuously and calling their bug (runtime error) OLD LIGHT.
The proposed fix for the runtime error is NEW LIGHT. Just to be quite clear.
How are such errors discovered? That’s easy - the program doesn’t run.
For example, Baptist lay preacher William Miller’s prediction of the coming of Jesus on a specific date produced a non-event.
Miller refigured his date and wrote new code. The corrected code crashed too!
End users were left with what was called:
The Great Disappointment.
Miller apologized.
Thousands of people had been impacted by their crashed belief in his message because, as he preached it - it was CLEARLY BIBLICAL!
(Spoiler Alert!)
He wrote bad code and attributed it to Jehovah and Jesus. The fact that he did apologize for his error shows he was humble and learned from his error and the blasphemy he had committed ruined many sheeplike persons and stumbled them. Or worse - he’d encouraged others to try again and again to run bad code.
But wait - there’s more!
Millions of people really liked the idea of Jesus returning in their own lifetime and they wanted more bad code to excite them and bring about the END!
Let me correct that!
It is not that they wanted BAD code; it is that they were open to believing ANY code as long as it tickled their addiction to excitement about ARMAGEDDON.
That’s where Ellen G. White (and many others) got busy writing bad code resulting in more runtime errors.) Let us give these persons the benefit of a doubt as to their pure motives (which can often be self-delusion.)
It's a great example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, which occurs when we overestimate our own knowledge or abilities. While majorly humbling, it can happen to anyone, regardless of intelligence or skill level.
In computer science, there is also a type of error called:
ARITHMETIC ERROR.
An arithmetic error is a type of logic error that involves mathematics.
A typical example when performing a division equation is that you cannot divide by zero without causing an issue. Very few people would write 5 / 0, but you might not think that the size of something in your system might sometimes be zero, which would lead to this type of error.
NOTE: In false religious code, this is manifested by an absolute fixation on BIBLE CHRONOLOGY. Although the Bible itself gives no dates at all - people are determined to compute their arithmetic based on guesswork. I.e. speculations.
Extremely intelligent people have gone down this path throughout history.
Sir Isaac Newton spent the last fertile years of his life computing the date of the coming of the Lord.
G.I.G.O.
Archbishop James Ussher, for another example. He was a genuine scholar, intellectually superior to most of his contemporaries.
However…he was an exemplification of GIGO (garbage in / garbage out) when he sought to determine the time and date of human creation using the Bible, history, old calendars, astronomy, the reign of kings, etc.
(Ussher deduced that the first day of creation was October 23, 4004 BC on the proleptic Julian calendar, near the autumnal equinox. )
His reputation as a scholar and man of God worked to persuade earnest Bible students to accept his arithmetic error subsequently leading to William Miller’s
Bad code and the end users’ runtime error.
In computer science, we have RESOURCE ERRORS.
The computer that runs your program will allocate a fixed amount of resources to the running of it. If something in your code forces the computer to try and allocate more resources than it has, it can create a resource error.If you accidentally wrote a loop that your code could never exit from, you would eventually run out of resources.
NOTE: In many (if not most) religious denominations, there exists an accidental loop of circular reasoning which leads to a multiplicity of resource errors.
For example: Here is how a chain of reasoning goes wrong easily
The Bible is the inerrant word of God
(Yes, but humans did not perfectly preserve the words. Careless handling of the actual original autograph copies destroyed ALL of the manuscripts over a period of time. Copies of copies led to more copies of those copies and unavoidably transmission errors as well as PIOUS FRAUD (inserting non-original texts with ‘helpful additions’) leading honest Bible readers to accepting words on the pages of their Bible that were simply NOT THERE originally.
Doctrines of HELL, the soul and spirit, the story of the woman taken in adultery, the Trinity, etc. were added by scribes “piously” to “help” the reader better “understand” their particular current LIGHT and to correct OLD LIGHT.)
“... there are roughly 400,000 variations in the New Testament. There are more variations among our manuscripts than there are words in the New Testament.”
NOTE: these are NOT Jehovah’s or Jesus’ errors of transmission. They are RESOURCE ERRORS.
William Miller’s errors were resourced to Archbishop Ussher’s errors in guesswork
Based on calendars, history, and Bible texts which were themselves RESOURCE ERRORS.
The 7th Day Adventist’s errors were resourced to Miller’s faulty premises, etc.
NOTE: In computer science, there are INTERFACE ERRORS.
Interface errors occur when there is a disconnect between how you meant your program to be used and how it is actually used.
So many END TIMES prophecies are based on the text of the Prophet Daniel and the preaching of Jesus. Jesus repeatedly warned his disciples to NOT listen to anybody trying to tell them about the “when” of his return!
This obviously did NOT PREVENT William Miller, Ellen G. White or a host of other honest students of End Times from going off the deep end!
Calculations were made. Charts were crafted. Sermons were printed. Books were distributed. Honest-hearted readers believed and waited. But as any computer science could tell them: RESOURCE ERRORS occur when there is a disconnect between how Jesus intended his program to be used and the teaching of End Times by stumbling imperfect humans hellbent on overestimating their divine guidance and insight! (Dunning-Kruger Effect).
Prediction always leads to disappointments.
Old Light turned into New Light. What does it really mean?
(The teacher doesn’t admit error. The teacher is on a “path” of gradual enlightenment.) The predictions are “not” false - they are in need of an update: NEW LIGHT.
__________________________
Addiction to End Times prediction became more and more popular after William Miller’s utter failure and the resulting Great Disappointment. Go figure!
It was a mindset of “ IF at first, you don’t succeed - TRY TRY AGAIN!”
More and more speculative NEW LIGHT debugged the perfect code of Jehovah.
Dispensation Charts became quite popular.
Visual Aids any local yokel or rural rube could see and follow along as the
Explanation of prophecy and chronology unfolded.
Resource errors abounded; false premise built on false premise proliferated.
Combining errors like variables in an equation and expecting success compounded Truth Seeker confusion leading honest believers into sects, denominations, cults, separating Christianity into bickering zealots convinced they alone had “THE” True Truth.
What is the test of a CODE?
Code does not lie. Code runs or it crashes.
If the Jehovah and Jesus code is perfect and yet it crashes - it is OPERATOR ERROR.
NOTE: In computer science, another common error is SYNTAX ERROR.
Just like human languages, computer languages have grammar rules. But while humans are able to communicate with less-than-perfect grammar, computers can’t ignore mistakes, i.e. syntax errors.
Amateur “scholars” who can’t really read Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek languages are guaranteed to commit SYNTAX ERROR by seizing on the “original Bible language” to seemingly clarify a crashed program.
NEW LIGHT by Syntax Error is amazing as a purposed “fix” debugging false predictions of failed dates.
Watch this!
William Miller’s failed predictions led a new generation of amateur Bible students who were equipped with a new toy called the INTERLINEAR Bible.
Take, for example, the EMPHATIC DIAGLOTT placed in the hands of thousands of curious and naive seekers after understanding of why predictions seemed to fail…
published in 1864. It is an interlinear translation with the original Greek text and a word-for-word English translation in the left column, and a full English translation in the right column.
The Preface tells us boldly:
“It is generally admitted by all critics that the Authorized or Common version of the Scriptures absolutely needs revision. Obsolete words, uncouth phrases, bad grammar, and punctuation, etc., all require alteration. But this is not all. There are errors of a more serious nature that need correction.”
You don’t give a chimpanzee a pistol. But publisher Benjamin Wilson did when he published his Interlinear Bible.
Suddenly it became obvious (to some) that the Greek word that had previously been used : COMING (as in Jesus second coming) could alternately be translated as ARRIVAL.
What if - could it be?
What if Jesus REALLY DID RETURN - but he was INVISIBLE?
This was NEW LIGHT.
Or as computer science tells it: SYNTAX ERROR compounded with RESOuRCE ERROR.
This was a game changer!
The chimp with the pistol had chambers loaded with Dispensationalism and
Syntax error, Bible Chronology, and the Kruger-Dunning effect…
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
G.I.G.O. that’s what. What if Miller was right all along??
The use of “invisible” proof was a wild card introduced to theology discussions.
The best part of invisible proof was: nobody can prove you are wrong!
The use of textbook Dictionaries of Hebrew and Greek in the hands of ordinary speculators led to wild times at the close of the 19th century.
What did those Bible passages really mean to say???
And off we go on a merry chase of competing speculations - each attracting groups of Bible Students eager to listen and “learn” how to code badly and achieve user error - later “corrected” with debug medicine: NEW LIGHT.
Prominent among bad code writers was Nelson H. Barbour.
Barbour was introduced to Millerism through the efforts of Mr. Johnson who lectured at Geneseo, in the winter of 1842. Barbour is associated with other Millerites living in that area. Adventists met to await the second coming in 1843. Their disappointment was profound, and Barbour suffered a crisis of faith.
He later wrote the following in obvious great pain:
"We held together until the autumn of 1844. Then, as if a raft floating in deep water should suddenly disappear from under its living burden, so our platform went from under us, and we made for shore in every direction, but our unity was gone, and, like drowning men, we caught at straws."
This is heartbreaking to read and It is the little ones of faith who suffer most.
Beautiful and simple faith had been sidetracked and derailed by the obsession over EXACTLY WHEN Jesus would return.
NOTE: Expectation of a well run program, as computer science tells us, only leads to heartbreak at the local end because of syntax error, arithmetic error, compilation error, runtime error, resource error and…and…one more error.
Computer science also lists LOGIC ERROR.
The computer that runs a program will allocate a fixed amount of resources to the running of it. If something in the code forces the computer to try and allocate more resources than it has, it can create a resource error.
WARNING!
Any computer running a loop that a code could never exit from would eventually run out of resources. The Danger is the user caught in a loop will keep on adding new elements to an array. Eventually, you will run out of memory.
WHAT THIS MEANS IS THIS: Every believer who lives has only a certain amount of resources in time, energy, stamina, and worldly goods. To waste any of those resources can destroy them in the long run. The greatest crime you can commit
As a Christian leader is to waste a true believer’s faith and energy on utter nonsense and burn them out!
Preoccupying faithful believers with distraction over wrong dates for the end of the world, tension, anxiety, and disappointment over and over - (adding more and more debug fixes or NEW LIGHT) eventually causes exhaustion, depression, and stumbling.
Remember Barbour’s words:
“Then, as if a raft floating in deep water should suddenly disappear from under its living burden, so our platform went from under us, and we made for shore in every direction, but our unity was gone, and, like drowning men, we caught at straws."
What happened to Barbour?
He taught a young fellow with a lot of money and resources all his wrecked ideas and the two of them began publishing their speculations.
That young man was Charles Taze Russell.
In December 1875, Charles Taze Russell, then a businessman from Allegheny, received a copy of Herald of the Morning. He met the principals in the Barbourite movement and arranged for Barbour to speak in Philadelphia in 1876. Barbour and Russell began their association, during which Barbour wrote the book Three Worlds (1877) and published a small booklet by Russell entitled Object and Manner of Our Lord's Return.
(What influence did Barbour exert?)
Russell, who had previously rejected prophetic chronology, was moved to devote his life to what he was convinced were now the last two years before the invisible, spiritual return of Christ.
He sold his five clothing stores for approximately $300,000 (current value $7,634,000). With Russell's encouragement and financial backing, Barbour wrote an outline of their views in Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World, published in 1877.
By 1883 Barbour abandoned belief in an invisible presence and returned to more standard Adventist doctrine.
In July 1879, Russell began publishing Zion's Watch Tower, the principal journal of the Bible Student movement.
Can we say, Barbour = Old Light and Russell = New Light?
Was this novel teaching a kind of beautifully addicting contagion to be passed on to others?
The circle remains unbroken
Archbishop Ussher led to William Miller, led to Ellen G. White, led to Barbour, led to Russell, led to J.F. Rutherford, led to tons and tons of NEW LIGHT!
(and we know He does not) - Uzzah touched the ark and was struck dead!
THE HUMANITIES MAGAZINE printed the following article about
Author Hal Lindsey’s runaway best-selling book: THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH.
Every 3 years Hal Lindsey writes a new book denoting how the world will end in 5 years. Each subsequent book explains how he WASN’T wrong in the previous book and the world will really end in 5 years. . . . He has followed this pattern for 3 decades and is now acknowledged as “the fore-most authority on Biblical prophecy in the world today.” . . . I’m an electrician. If I had been doing my job POORLY and WRONG for 30 years I doubt I would be “the foremost authority”. In fact, I dare say I would have ceased to make a living in my chosen profession in the first 10 years.”
(The writer doesn’t understand the concept of Old Light / New Light)
Long before the Left Behind books crowded the New York Times best-seller list, Hal Lindsey and C. C. Carlson’s The Late Great Planet Earth introduced millions of readers worldwide to end-times prophecy. An accessible, engaging introduction to the coming apocalypse, The Late Great Planet Earth was the best-selling nonfiction book of the 1970s: Ten million copies were in circulation by the end of the decade. It sold more than 28 million copies by 1990, an estimated 35 million by 1999, and was translated into more than 50 languages.
And just one more additional entry must be cited:
The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life was a Bible study textbook published in 1968 and revised in 1981 (now out of print). The 1975 Guinness Book of Records included this book in its list of highest printings. According to the Watch Tower Society, by May 1987 publication had reached 106,486,735 copies in 116 languages.
The children those couples didn’t have would be 58 years old today and themselves unwilling to have children because …oh well, you know:
G.I.G.O.
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So where oh where did Judge Rutherford come up with JW theology?
by Terry inbits of unreported history that may be of casual interest… as to doctrinal origins.
sykes was one-of-a-kind in the pentecostal movement, but he was considered quite a maverick who went his own way with heretical teachings repugnant to the pentecostal faith.. joshua sykes’ congregation was integrated, unlike pastor russell’s public speeches/sermons where blacks and whites both could attend, but only in separate sections--sykes's members were sitting side by side in the pentecostal church.
this was considered dangerous and inflammatory at the time.. pentecostal preacher joshua sykes practiced racial and gender "integration" as early as 1908 -- having both african-american and female assistant preachers, staffers, and members.
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Terry
Bits of unreported history that may be of casual interest… as to doctrinal origins
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J.W. Sykes was one-of-a-kind in the Pentecostal movement, but he was considered quite a maverick who went his own way with heretical teachings repugnant to the Pentecostal faith.
Joshua Sykes’ congregation was integrated, unlike Pastor Russell’s public speeches/sermons where blacks and whites both could attend, but only in separate sections--Sykes's members were sitting side by side in the Pentecostal church.
This was considered dangerous and inflammatory at the time.Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes practiced racial and gender "integration" as early as 1908 -- having both African-American and female assistant preachers, staffers, and members. (The WatchTower Society was not fully integrated until the 1970s.)
During WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes forbade his followers from being employed in any kind of employment furthering or abetting the manufacturing of military equipment, supplies, and materials.
(It took the WatchTower Society until WW2 to do the same.)
Let us note the development of Sykes’ teachings and how Jehovah’s Witness’ teachings seemed to echo them!
Sykes proclaimed he was an anti-Trinitarian chosen by "Jehovah" to gather together and prepare "a people" for the imminent Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
J. W. Sykes served 15 months in federal prison, and three of his associates served 10 months in prison for ‘obstructing the draft’ by means of his public teaching and preaching.
Rutherford and his WatchTower gang served less than 9 months in prison for sedition.
When Rutherford grasped he was facing real imprisonment, he backpedaled and compromised. Read his press statement:
"The charges that I am in any way antagonistic to the United States government are false. I stand squarely with President Wilson in this great crisis and have no sympathy with anyone who does otherwise." -- J.F. Rutherford via April 1918 press release.
During WW1, at a time when Judge Rutherford had no issues with the displaying of the American Flag, nor had any issues with saluting the American Flag, nor had any issues with reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, nor had any issues with standing for the National Anthem, Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was teaching his followers that they could NOT perform any of those patriotic acts.
This was because they believed that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance was a form of "idolatry" forbidden by the Bible.
The ACLU successfully negotiated a settlement with that local school board by the start of the following school year -- within a matter of months. It was not until 9 years later, in 1935, that the ACLU and Judge Rutherford formed a partnership to repeat what the ACLU had done for Sykes' cult.
Pause and consider that one!
During WW1, at a time when Judge Rutherford was advising WatchTower Society headquarters staff and members to purchase Liberty Bonds, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was forbidding his members to do so.
Interestingly, during WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was forbidding his members to support the American Red Cross -- financially or otherwise. The WatchTower Society did not get around to that until the latter 1940s.
During WW1, the Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes was teaching his followers that they were NOT citizens of the United States, but were citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. It took the WatchTower Society until the 1950s to teach its members a version of such. Sykes actually needs mentioning in a prominent celebration of this insight.
Pentecostal Preacher Joshua Sykes and WatchTower Society President Joe Rutherford turned their religious followers into anti-government and anti-societal targets who made careers of attacking every human government, attacking every societal institution, and attacking every other Christian religion.
Prior to WW1, the ANTI-TRINITARIAN Pentecostal Preacher J. W. Sykes was teaching his followers to distinguish between"Jehovah God" and his Son, "Jesus Christ", and to openly and regularly refer to the "Father" as "Jehovah", and not just "God". By the 1920s, Joshua Sykes was making even more widespread use of the name "Jehovah", such that whenever some unidentified religious group or religious nut would make repeated use of the name "Jehovah", they were assumed to be part of Joshua Sykes' cult -- not the "Bible Students". Judge Rutherford did not make a major issue of the use of the name "Jehovah" until after Joshua Sykes died in 1929.
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Other persons of interest…
Ever hear of the famous 20th century Evangelist, H. A Ironside?
This preacher had been using a peculiar phrase to identify his followers.
He used the term “Jehovah’s witnesses.”
Ever hear of that phrase as occurring BEFORE 1931?
Judge Rutherford didn't capitalize the "w" in "witnesses".
He followed the use of the lowercase "w" in "witnesses", just as H. A. Ironside had already been using in his multiple Biblical commentaries and published sermons that Ironside had authored at least as early as 1909, and as was the "Jehovah's witnesses" notation in Ironside’s personal Bible next to Isaiah 43:10.
This whisper of “Jehovah’s witness” in Rutherford’s ear was not wholly unique.
Even the stones might well have cried out, eh?_______________________
check out this source: https://jwemployees.bravehost.com/NewsReports/2033.html -
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PUZZLES and MYSTERIES and GAMES
by Terry inhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1okz9ij2lnh9lqjmnjf3dy4t9mchakluxki7ppz-oxfe/edit?usp=sharing.
puzzles and mysteries and games.
a poem by terry walstromfor puzzles, i only have cross words to mutter; they’re utterly *dunnies’ arcadesagatha christie confounds me, (astounds me) it’s the gun, or the knife, or the maid!.
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Terry
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Okz9IJ2LNh9LQjMNjF3DY4T9McHaKLUxKI7PpZ-oXFE/edit?usp=sharing
PUZZLES and MYSTERIES and GAMESA poem by Terry Walstrom
For Puzzles, I only have cross words to mutter;
they’re utterly *dunnies’ arcades
Agatha Christie confounds me, (astounds me)
it’s the gun, or the knife, or the maid!Vera kills Lombard then old Justice Wargraves
(who’s terminally ill - that’s the gist)
Gets comeuppance eftsoon - (worth tuppence to me,)
Just yanks my old knickers a twist!
GAMES
Sudoku is classy and checkers, déclassé
Chess is my passion, alas!
Bishops and castles exceedingly facile
So scathingly brilliant as I checkmate your ass!
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*Noun. dunny (plural dunnies) (UK dialect, derogatory euphemistic, obsolete) A dummy, an unintelligent person. -
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DID YOU KNOW - about Event 201? (Two months before the virus outbreak a simulation/discussion among the elite)
by Terry in(event 201).
“event 201” was an exercise organized in october 2019 to simulate what might happen if there was a severe pandemic.. it invited people from business, government, and public health to simulate coordinating a policy response to a theoretical pandemic.. .
what was the event?.
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Terry
The subject of censorship and disinformation rears its ugly head in this segment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBuP40H4Tko&t=186s -
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DID YOU KNOW - about Event 201? (Two months before the virus outbreak a simulation/discussion among the elite)
by Terry in(event 201).
“event 201” was an exercise organized in october 2019 to simulate what might happen if there was a severe pandemic.. it invited people from business, government, and public health to simulate coordinating a policy response to a theoretical pandemic.. .
what was the event?.
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Terry
DID YOU KNOW?(EVENT 201)“Event 201” was an exercise organized in October 2019 to simulate what MIGHT happen IF there was a severe pandemic.It invited people from business, government, and public health to SIMULATE coordinating a policy response to a THEORETICAL pandemic.What was the event?Event 201 was run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.The simulation was based on a CORNAVIRUS. (They call it CAPS)The first known cases of Covid-19 weren’t publicly identified until December 2019, although media reports of unpublished data suggest that some early cases may have been infected in November of that year.WE ARE ASSURED and reassured it is just a coincidence that the outbreak of Covid 19 followed fast on the heels of this simulation.After all - it was a whole TWO MONTHS LATER when Covid-19 became an outbreak.The CDC and Johns Hopkins don't want us to believe there is any connection other than coincidence.A Fact-Check contacted Johns Hopkins and Bill and Melinda Gates and was told there is no truth in the conspiracy theories to the contrary.That should be good enough...right?The General Public did NOT need to know about Event 201 or to worry their heads about a pandemic - but - the elite business and political leaders got the heads up because ...um.. uh...well- you know. (wink wink, nudge nudge).
There is money to be made and lost otherwise.Link to sample of the conference:
