Posts by tmo1965

7

Publisher statistics

by Shepherd Book in

every year for at least the last half-century, the society has published statistics on the activity of jws around the world.

i am hoping someone here can provide me with that information, or can direct me as to where it can be found.

specifically, i am looking for usa-specific data: usa population (the way watchtower counts it - sans alaska and hawaii), number of publishers in the usa and number baptized in the usa.

tmo1965

And, though I tried finding this information on the Watchtower CD-ROM, they have removed it from both the yearbook and magazine files.

You would think they had something to hide.

42

Church Fathers Purposely Lied about Jesus

by gumby in

josephus as most know, was a jewish/roman 1st century historian.

he was well respected by the roman community and christians were zealous readers of his works.. he is one person christians use as a solid basis for proof of jesus earthly existence.

here is a quote that is used by some christians who strongly believe these words came from the hand of josephus himself,"now, there was about this time, jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.

tmo1965

Josephus also didn't write about Herod killing every single baby under the age of two either....something I'm sure would have made the 'Palestinian Herald Sunday News' and something Josephus would have surely written about since he spent many years in Galilee and even in Cana where Jesus first miracle was supposed to have taken place. He wrote zip about Jesus....a man who supposedly turned Rome upside down.

Gumby,

The Bible does not say that every baby under the age of 2 was killed. It says that Herod ordered the boys killed. I don't think his orders were carried out, and here's why.

According to Josephus, when Herod was nearing death, he ordered that all the principal Jewish men come to him under the threat of death for disobeying. His intent was to have them all killed immediately after he died so that there would be true mourning upon his death. When Herod died, the Jewish men were let go. So Herod's orders were not carried out. The is section of Josephus' work also mention that some wisemen came to Herod to tell him that he was suffering a horrible death because of his impeity (he was a very evil man). I believe that these wisemen were the magi who also visited the baby Jesus around the same time.

It was said by those who pretended to divine, and who were endued with wisdom to foretell such things, that God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impiety; yet was he still in hopes of recovering, though his afflictions seemed greater than any one could bear. (Antiquities of the Jews - Book XVII, Chapter 6, paragraph 5)

Read the account in Matthew 2:1 - 23, then read Josepheus' account of Herod's death. The 2 tell a similar, although not exactly identical, story.

http://reluctant-messenger.com/josephusA17.htm (Chapter 6)

Very interesting stuff.

9

Undenying Jesus the man, son of Joseph & Mary - not begotten of God

by hallelujah in

in my disassociation letter i said i deny jesus.

of course i over-reacted - i do not deny jesus the man, in fact i undeny him.

but i do deny what i consider to be the fraudulent writings about him in the bible.

tmo1965

When one considers all of the evidence, there is no doubt that Jesus existed and did perform the miracles that are attributed to HIm. Just looking at the 4 Gospels, we have 4 different people who experienced the same first hand events and wrote about them separately after a number of years, and they remarkably tell the same story.

Studying the writings of the Early Church Fathers is further proof that the scriptures and events surrounding Jesus' ministry are what is being preached today. http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/

A study of Christian history will also verify that Jesus is the Son of God and he did live on earth at the time that we are told.

15

Book study and not Bible study and trinity question

by Sacchiel in

one of the things we are studying is how the bible is god's inspired and faithful word.

a paragraph mentioned how we should really study the bible with the aid of their book if we really appreciate the ransom.

at least nobody responded with such words, but instead we should study the bible.. i've got a question, in regards to the passage "but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, neither the son, but the father only".

tmo1965

When Jesus was on earth he was in human form. Therefore, he had many of the limitations of humans. Jesus released himself of his deity while he was on earth. That's why Jesus, as a man, did not know the day or the hour of the 2nd Coming.

Phillipians 2:5-8

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

11

WT$ literature

by darth frosty in

y'no, i find that since i left the borg, i know more about whats in the literature and programs than when i was in.

when your going through the motions,er, meetings, you kind of skate along.

you read enough of the mags to place them, and listen to other zealots ( like my sister) prattle on about little nuggets of something other than gold, in the latest mag.

tmo1965

When you are removed from a mind control situation, the mind begans to process all of the information that you have been getting. The reason that the JWs and other mind control groups require so much of your time is for that purpose. The opening of your eyes after being out for a while is a classic result of leaving. Many people have begun to see the real light after having to stop going to meetings due to illness or other situations.

There was an online article about this effect but I can't find it right now. If I do find it, I'll post the link.

46

Do you think that the WTS is going to "collapse" and there will be no JW's?

by booker-t in

do you think that there will come a time when the wts will be a thing of the past and people will look into their history books and say "oh yeah those jw's were around for over 120 years and now they are no longer around today in the year 20___?

" my friend thinks that jw's will not collapse and will probably get "stronger" with time.

i hope not because i am just sick of the whole wts and jw's religion.

tmo1965

I wonder what will happen when all of the "anointed" die? That will happen in the next 20 - 30 years. I would think that would shake some JWs up, but again, I'm always astonished at the excuses they make for obvious error.

23

Sickoflies Asked Me To Post This For All Of You!!!!! Please Look!

by Lady Liberty in

i was going to post the follow thread, but i've used up my posts for today, maybe you could do it for me?

ok folks, i'm going to attempt to write a comphrensive thread on this subject and update it over the next few days so i will be ready for my appeal hearing (which i heard at the memorial might be this coming monday).

i went to the library at mcmaster and checked out every book by grayson i could find.

tmo1965

Notice that there is NO break at all in the narriative from the start of Chronicle 1 to 7, the documents consist of almost daily records of everything that happen right up to the capture of Babylon in 539 B.C. I'm heading home now, and I'm going to search the CD for all the leaders and dates mentioned in the above pages. If the society has ever even used ONE of the dates then they are screwed.

Well they're screwed!!!!!!! The WTS has used those exact dates when discussing the various rulers of that time period, but they always revert to the 607 BC garbage when talking about Nebuchadnezzar. I was banned from a JW infested forum for posting this information.

http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/607bce.htm

http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/607bce-table.htm

Even JWs agree with the 539 BC date for the capture of Babylon, so with the info in the above links you got 'em.

25

How does mainstream Christianity explain "Other Sheep"?

by Alana in

i'm preparing for a potential discussion with my mom and, especially if it occurs near this memorial time, the discussion may contain the "other sheep" and how they are different and shouldn't partake of the emblems, etc.

i know that i probably have this information researched already, but since my last move i can't find some my research materials.

i could also ask the pastor of the church i attend, but that involves too much discussion as to what the jw's believe, etc.

tmo1965

Another text that someone has included part of is Isaiah 56:1-8; these verses speak about gathering "others" to Israel also.

5

Need help finding article

by lost_light06 in

i was watching a show tonight with my wife that dealt with organ transplants and my wife asked me if it was "ok" for a jw to donate organs.

i said yes then said "unless you live in 1955".

she didn't know what i was talking about so i told her that jw's were not always '"allowed" to get organ tranplants.

tmo1965

Aluminum

http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/aluminum.htm

Organ transplants

http://www.reexamine.org/quotes/transplant.htm

8

Visit from Prince. He rang the door bell...

by Smiles in

proselytizing for jehovah's witnesses during last sunday's vikings game wasn't the smoothest call prince has ever made.

an eden prairie woman, who prefers to be identified only as rochelle, said, "door bell rings.

my husband runs upstairs and says, `prince is at the door!

tmo1965

Have any of you guys seen Prince's latest video where the 1st line of the song is "I don't want to take my clothes off, but I do"? There's this woman dancing "at" him, shaking and stuff. Is this type thing allowed for JWs?