Posts by Jeffro
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8What publication has the beliefe that Jesus is the mediator for only the 144k?
by mickbobcat ini can not find this ,does anyone know?
thanks.
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26
Congregation Letter - 2021 Magazines Delayed???
by JWTom inwe had a letter read in our cong.
last week that said the public wt and awake would be delayed during the beginning of 2021. meaning we would just use the 2020 version into 2021 and there would be no new ones at the beginning of 2021 until an undetermined time sometime during the 1st half of 2021. at least that is the gist that i remember.
it was in what atlantis provided but there was no further detail....very brief.. any more intel or speculation on this?
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Jeffro
notsurewheretogo:
I've seen you post this a few times and I agree it is very strange...have they ever mentioned in great detail COVID in any of their publications yet?
COVID-19 only appears a few times on Watchtower Library (the DVD version).
Meeting Workbook, May 2021, page 9:
ASK YOURSELF, ‘What lessons regarding being prepared can I learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?’
Bible Questions Answered, article 176:
The Bible does not foretell specific pandemics or diseases, such as COVID-19, AIDS, or the Spanish flu.
Neither elaborates on anything specific about COVID-19.
The rest are in their "How Your Donations Are Used" series (one of which contains the only reference to "coronavirus").
How Your Donations Are Used (July 2020):
Typically, such a project would take a year or more to plan and complete. But because of circumstances resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, translators of the 2020 “Always Rejoice”! Regional Convention had less than four months to complete the work.
How Your Donations Are Used (August 2020):
[Footnote]
The sets for Nehemiah: “The Joy of Jehovah Is Your Stronghold” were created before the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing was not required at that time.How Your Donations Are Used (October 2020):
Some of our brothers in Sri Lanka have suffered food shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Your Donations Are Used (November 2020):
To support this growth, Local Design/Construction Departments around the world planned to build or renovate more than 2,700 places of worship during the 2020 service year.
Unfortunately, these plans were hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. To protect our brothers and sisters and to comply with government regulations, the Publishing Committee of the Governing Body paused the majority of construction projects worldwide.How Your Donations Are Used (February 2021), which has the most they've ever said about COVID in their publications:
The year 2020 saw numerous natural disasters and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. How have Jehovah’s Witnesses helped those affected?
During the 2020 service year, the Coordinators’ Committee of the Governing Body approved spending 28 million dollars on disaster relief. This provided relief for victims of over 200 disasters—including the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple tropical cyclones, flooding in Africa, food shortages in Venezuela, and drought in Zimbabwe. The donated funds helped pay for food, water, shelter, clothing, and medical care, as well as basic supplies for cleaning, repairs, and reconstruction. Consider a few examples of the relief work.
COVID-19. All over the world, the pandemic affected our brothers and sisters physically, emotionally, and economically. To help them, over 800 Disaster Relief Committees (DRCs) were formed worldwide. These committees monitored our brothers’ needs and provided prompt reports that helped the Coordinators’ Committee know how best to direct the relief.
Throughout the year, DRCs helped many to obtain food, water, items for sanitation, and basic medicine. In some areas, DRCs also worked with local elders to help brothers access government aid.
Non-Witnesses have noticed our relief work. For example, Field Simwinga, the district commissioner for Nakonde, Zambia, told our brothers: “We are indebted for your timely provision of much-needed relief to the affected families.”
Food Shortages in Angola. The COVID-19 pandemic affected food supplies in Angola and raised prices significantly. Many of our brothers and sisters found it increasingly difficult to buy food.So their primary motivation relating to COVID-19 seems to solidly revolve around 'please give us more money'.
Still no sign of Awake!
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Newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls with the tetragrammaton within the Greek text
by dropoffyourkeylee inbig news from israel, some previously undiscovered dead sea scrolls have been found with portions of the ot in greek.
it says the name of god is included in hebrew letters within the greek text.. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/world/middleeast/dead-sea-scrolls.html.
"the new fragments contain verses from zechariah 8:16-17, including part of the name of god written in ancient hebrew, and verses from nahum 1:5-6, both from the biblical book of the twelve minor prophets.".
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Jeffro
HowTheBibleWasCreated:
BTW the chart of Jeremiah can be explained away as two traditions Hellenistic periods.
Yes, variations in texts can be explained in various ways. But none of them justify superstitious claims of 'inspiration'.
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Newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls with the tetragrammaton within the Greek text
by dropoffyourkeylee inbig news from israel, some previously undiscovered dead sea scrolls have been found with portions of the ot in greek.
it says the name of god is included in hebrew letters within the greek text.. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/world/middleeast/dead-sea-scrolls.html.
"the new fragments contain verses from zechariah 8:16-17, including part of the name of god written in ancient hebrew, and verses from nahum 1:5-6, both from the biblical book of the twelve minor prophets.".
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Jeffro
dozy:
This doesn't sound especially encouraging , bearing in mind the Society claims that there is very little change in the bible texts over the centuries.
Yes, that's a bit of a myth. Though there is fair consistency between copies made by the Masoretes (5th to 10th centuries CE), there is a great deal of difference between versions closer to the original writing.
For example, look at what happens to the order when comparing the modern and Septuagint (LXX) versions of the book of Jeremiah (with the older Septuagint version likely reflecting something closer to the original version). And, yes, there are quite a few differences in the actual text apart from just the changed order too.
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Where do JWs stand on sex toys?
by mickbobcat ini think we all know that if they are used alone it would be a no no, but what about in a marriage?
are there limits such as vibrators ok but torso with dildo not ok?.
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Jeffro
mickbobcat:
Where do JWs stand on sex toys?
Whether to stand or to remain seated on sex toys is a conscience matter.
I'm sorry, I'll see myself out.
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Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know when and how the change took place?
is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.
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Jeffro
Sea Breeze:
I believe that the existence of WT is best explained as a carefully planned deception designed to teach adherents to reject the sin-atoning value of his blood and Mediatorship.
🤦♂️ At best, you're giving them too much credit. Though this getting into tinfoil hat territory.
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Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know when and how the change took place?
is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.
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Jeffro
Sea Breeze:
You may be technically right, but I think with their latest comments they are leaving open the possibility of millions and billions of years of creation time periods (days) for plants and animals.
It is certainly possible, and it is in their interests to be generally vague in view of undeniable science on the matter, as well as a desire to distance themselves from other 'creationists'.However, their end-times beliefs also require that 'God's day of rest' - the 7th 'day' of the 'creative week' - is a relatively short period of time, which implicitly restricts the length of the other 'creative days'.
They have also made statements since 2010 that continue to refer to the 'creative days' as only thousands of years.
Awake!, January 2014, page 12:
Evidently, these “days” of creation lasted many thousands of years.
Awake!, March 2014, page 5:
• In the Bible account, each of the six creative days could have lasted for thousands of years.
Insight (2018 revision), volume 1, page 919:
After Genesis 1:1, 2 (relating to the creation of the heavens and the earth), the book evidently covers a span of thousands of years involved in the preparation of the earth for human habitation
The only exception is that the entries for Creation and Day in the latest printing of Insight say the duration of the 'creative days' was "at least thousands of years" (formatting added).
The only certainty at this point is they will continue to be vague about it.
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Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know when and how the change took place?
is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.
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Jeffro
Sea Breeze:
Don't you see that, like I said, the Wt. already bought into the "billions of years" paradigm. The earth was clearly created BEFORE the other heavenly bodies according to Genesis.
Sigh. It's not clear why you're disagreeing with what I said. Yes, they've always (or for at least the last 80 years or so) said that the universe and the earth may be billions of years old. And they have only ever said that the 'creative days' are thousands of years but never millions or billions of years. The latter point makes their belief a form of day-age creationism.
They believe that the 'third' and 'fourth' days refer to separate activities after the initial billions of years. For example, they claim in Insight (volume 1, page 528):
It is also noteworthy that at Genesis 1:16 the Hebrew verb ba·raʼʹ, meaning “create,” is not used. Instead, the Hebrew verb ʽa·sahʹ, meaning “make,” is employed. Since the sun, moon, and stars are included in “the heavens” mentioned in Genesis 1:1, they were created long before Day Four. On the fourth day God proceeded to “make” these celestial bodies occupy a new relationship toward earth’s surface and the expanse above it. When it is said, “God put them in the expanse of the heavens to shine upon the earth,” this would indicate that they now became discernible from the surface of the earth, as though they were in the expanse. Also, the luminaries were to “serve as signs and for seasons and for days and years,” thus later providing guidance for man in various ways.—Ge 1:14.
So... what they say about Genesis 1:16 is nonsense, but it confirms what I have already told you about their belief.
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Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know when and how the change took place?
is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.
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Jeffro
Sea Breeze:
Jeffro, The quotes provided by others above appear to prove otherwise:
Incorrect. If you pay attention to what I said: “they say that the creation of the universe ‘in the beginning’ up until the initial formation of earth before the ‘creative days’ was "evidently" billions of years, with unconvincing apologetics regarding the contradiction this creates with Genesis 1:16.”
Formation of the universe as well as the referenced geological formations come before what they call the ‘creative days’. They only refer to the ‘creative days’ in terms of thousands of years.
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Watchtower Change On Origins from 42,000 Years to the "Day Age" Theory
by Sea Breeze indoes anyone know when and how the change took place?
is the "day age" theory still the current position of watchtower?.
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Jeffro
They have never expressly changed the view that the ‘creative days’ are 7000 years each. They just don’t mention a specific period anymore. When they do refer to the total length of the ‘creative days’, they say they could have been “many thousands” of years, but never millions or billions. (However, they say that the creation of the universe ‘in the beginning’ up until the initial formation of earth before the ‘creative days’ was "evidently" billions of years, with unconvincing apologetics regarding the contradiction this creates with Genesis 1:16.) Their view remains a form of day-age creationism.
It seems that 1987 was the last time they explicitly said the 'creative days' were each 7000 years. The Watchtower, 1 January 1987, p. 30:
Second, a study of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and of our location in the stream of time strongly indicate that each of the creative days (Genesis, chapter 1) is 7,000 years long.