Doubt this is backed biblically, but could "our" be an oblique reference to Asherah (thought by some to be [El] god's wife)? One thing that always puzzled me about biblical/Christian doctrine, is that adherents are often taught to 'do as Christ did' or 'be more godlike' (summed up in the popular "what would Jesus do" key chains and such)...if believers are to truely strive to be godlike, then it seems that apparently, they should all be celibate and never marry. Yet there are these elusive, nebulous references out there to god having a wife...in which case, striving to be more like god suddenly makes more sense.
AllAlongTheWatchtower
JoinedPosts by AllAlongTheWatchtower
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a second hand in creation
by drew sagan inmy purpose in this post was to get a discussion going about how the jws interpretation of christ being a separate created being assisting in the creation of all things seems to run up against the hebraic concept of a creator.
in doing some reading into some of the old rabbinical teachings i came across an interesting interpretation that made me think about jws.
it revolves around genesis 1:26 where gods states "and god said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness".
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Aboriginal Day of Protest
by Paralipomenon inup in canada there have been alot of frustrations over native land claims.
there is a governmental backlog of over 600 claims and the native communities are getting frustrated.
several tribes have taken up occupying controversial areas and there have been a few road blocks of crucial transport systems.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I sincerely hope not, but all this sounds like a formula for some people getting very badly hurt. Interested in hearing how things continue to pan out. I'm not sure I follow your comparison to terrorists...granted, the mental outlook is somewhat similar (create public attention, force changes in your favor), but the methodology is way different. Terrorism seeks to adjust attitudes through force, literally by invoking terror in the public. This is still in the venue of a protest...agressive protest, yes...but protest nonetheless.
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Paper or Plastic bags?
by JH ini expect this thread to be on warlock's best of the week thread next week.
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i prefer platic bags because they take less place, but my cat prefers paper bags because she cat can play in it..... .
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
This is one of those questions I hate, because it seems there's no right answer. I still remember going to the grocery store as a kid with my mother, and all the bags were paper. Then plastic ones came out, and everybody said 'plastic saves trees', so people started getting plastic. Then people said 'plastic is not bio degradable, it gets hooked on dolphins' noses, etc etc. So, back to paper. Now I'm a tree killer again... as for those reusable bags, the store in my area sells them, but they're pricy, close to $10, I think there's some kind of deposit system to lower the (eventual) cost, but the up-front made me say to hell with it.
It all reminds me of the 'great egg debate', as I like to call it. I remember when eggs were good for you, and many vegetarians talked about what a great protein substitute they were for meat. Then eggs were found to have cholesterol, and you shouldn't eat them. Then scientists discovered there was good and bad cholesterol, and eggs had the good kind, so eat up!
I think of these things whenever the global warming arguements make the rounds, the sorts of arguements and flip-flopping on what is good or bad are similar, in my mind. The number one conclusion I come to in all this is that recyling and 'being green' is for well-to-do people with 'prosperous guilt'. Poor folks just do what is cheapest, perhaps with a mental pang or shrug, perhaps not.
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Ever been lied to by anyone on this forum?
by snarf inyou all know how it works...you post a few topics, comment a few times and pretty soon people get to know your name, then they p.m. you and you start talking, then suddenly you find out through their posts and comments that they were lying to you.
has this happened to you?
did it make ya mad?
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
As far as I know, I've never been lied to. I am guilty of stretching the truth just a bit myself though, I forget the thread, but I once stated on here that I was in, or did, "marketing and advertising" work. At the time, I still cared about maintaining a certain degree of secrecy on here. I've decided since that it really doesn't matter, especially since I recently revealed on the tipping thread that I'm a pizza delivery driver. The truth is, the closest I get to "marketing and advertising" is making some extra bucks by going around hanging coupon flyers on people's doorknobs on the days I'm not working as a driver.
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Visit with JW family
by Brigid indear friends and fellow sojourners,.
i have not had much time to post here and i miss you all horribly.
even as i start this topic, i worry that i will not have the time to babysit it as i should but i just wanted to bleed out some of my thoughts after a visit with my mother and brother recently--thoughts that you and only you will understand.. i have not seen my mother in over a year.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I feel you, Brigid. My parents' place is falling apart too, they were faithful members of WCG for years and years, up until Armstrong died and it splintered into various splinter factions. They saved all the old WCG literature from when they were in, there is one room in the house you can't even enter...about 3 feet in from either of two doorways is as far as you can go, the rest of the space is covered in boxes and loose stacks of booklets and magazines, nearly to the ceiling. It's a wonder the floor doesn't collapse.
I remember years ago reading a book, can't recall what it was...To Kill a Mockingbird? A Sherlock Holmes short story? Just can't remember...anyway, there were either characters in it who lived in a house full of newspapers which they had to crawl through in tunnels, or it mentioned a real life event of such a thing for a touch of realism. The people in the book, real or fictional, died of old age within the stacks and tunnels of paper...it immediately made me think of my parents.
Don't berate yourself for leaving as soon as possible, hell you do better than I can; I can't stand to even stay the night at my parents' place. I seldom get to see them, because it's a substantial drive up there, about 4-5 hours. They often try to get me to stay..."Oh, you've been on the road too long already, you'll fall asleep at the wheel" etc etc, but I always make whatever excuses I have to, and make the return trip the same day. Between the memories, and the deplorable condition of the house, I just can't do it. If I'm too beat to continue driving, I've got a friend who lives about an hour from them, and I call him to see if I can stop by.
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HMMMM or things that make you wonder
by blondie inplungerbuy new: $10.06$6.446 used & newfrom $6.44in stock
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
The seller isn't the NYPD is it? *ducks and runs*
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Pentecostal evangelism in Africa
by AllAlongTheWatchtower inin most modern western civilizations, i tend to believe in the "live and let live" way of thinking; though i am atheist, i understand that some people have a need for religion in their lives.
as long as that religion is not dangerous in any way (like jws and wcg are, among many others), then fine, do as you will.
reading articles like this really gets me steamed up though:.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
In most modern western civilizations, I tend to believe in the "live and let live" way of thinking; though I am atheist, I understand that some people have a need for religion in their lives. As long as that religion is not dangerous in any way (like JWs and WCG are, among many others), then fine, do as you will. Reading articles like this really gets me steamed up though:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070626/lf_nm/africa_pentecostals_dc
"America's preachers have long grasped the potential material rewards of their spiritual gifts.
Hinn has said he earns up to $1 million a year, lives in a $10 million seaside mansion and owns a private jet. Creflo Dollar, who visited Uganda this month, drives a Rolls Royce.
Africa's preachers are learning fast.
At Uganda's Holy Fire Ministry -- a marquee beside a dirt track near the airport -- hundreds line up for blessings from "Prophet" Pius Muwanguzi, whose purported talents include curing AIDS by touching the forehead.
In the kneeling congregation: a polio victim, a blind man and a girl who lost her phone.
The pastor touches an old woman, she faints. Then out come the collection envelopes. Minimum is 100,000 Uganda shillings ($62.5), although the poor can give as little as 10,000 to receive a blessing.
Muwanguzi, whose own blessings include a smart suit and a new Toyota Land Cruiser , declined an interview. But his secretary Jackie Kamanyire said payments were voluntary...."
I think I actually saw the event spoken of in the article, about a month ago I was channel surfing for something to watch on tv, and briefly paused on a telethon looking sort of event, with some white guy supposedly 'healing' a bunch of African people. The one I actually watched was a supposed deaf/mute, who was 'healed', then said "praise Jesus", at first slowly and tentatively, then louder. (In English of course, for the benefit of the cameras.) *pukes*
Being atheist, of course I'm more skeptical than the next person about such things, but please...I'm pretty sure even religious folks discount "miracles" of this nature happening on a regular basis, on command by men making millions of dollars. It's one thing to prey on those who can at least somewhat afford it, but to take it to a continent where people are literally starving and there's an AIDS epidemic? Utterly abominable. Makes me wonder what they pay or give to those who help pull off the "miracles".
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7th Day Adventists & J-Dubs
by Black Man incan we consolidate a comprehensive thread on what beliefs the dubs ripped off, ahem co-opted from the adventists.
i believe the birthdays and some of the end-times speculation came from them.
i've been interested in seeing how much of an influence they have been.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
The following link includes info on LDS, WCG, JWs, and SDA. I stumbled across it about a week ago while looking for proof that the WCG had a 1975 doctrine just like JWs. This may not be exactly what your're looking for, Black Man, as I don't remember seeing any info about things from one group being ripped off of another. It does mention Miller somewhere on the site though, if I recall correctly, as a common denominator. Each group can be clicked on individually, with a brief synopsis of "Claims" as in what the group believes or says, "Allure" what makes the group attractive to some, "Concerns" reasons to be worried about joining, "Nuggets of Truth" things the author feels the group got right.
It's all done pretty well, and fairly objectively, I felt. The author is a christian though, and definitely has a slight slant to some comments, especially to be seen in the "nuggets of truth" sections. Nothing too radical though, probably only would bother me and other atheists. She is ex WCG, as is explained in another section of the same site.
http://www.isitso.org/guide/groups.htm
When prophecy fails: A page from the same site that discusses how people in a high control group actually become MORE convinced of the rightness of their group when something goes wrong, and will be willing to push even harder to make more converts. Comparison of WCG and JWs on 1975; this is what lead me to the site in the first place.
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Christ is not mediator because Moses was not?
by LiveLife inthe book worldwide security under the prince of peace says, "was moses the mediator between jehovah god and mankind in general?
no, he was the mediator between the god of abraham, isaac, and jacob and the nation of their fleshly descendants.
likewise, the greater moses, jesus christ, is not the mediator between jehovah god and all mankind.
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I've never gotten this mediator concept, even when I was a believer, and I'm an atheist now. It's like, hey buddy, god's a toughguy, come jump on the bandwagon of christianity, and Jesus will be your lawyer against big ol mean OT god. To me, it's just more evidence of the disparate nature of OT god vs NT Jesus. Yet people talk about god being a god of love, to be loved. Who needs a lawyer to love a hanging judge?
Also...it seems to me that the WTS is creating new doctrine here, intentionally or not...
"The book Worldwide Security Under the Prince of Peace says, "Was Moses the mediator between Jehovah God and mankind in general? No, he was the mediator between the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the nation of their fleshly descendants. Likewise, the Greater Moses, Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind." (page 10, paragraph 16, emphasis added)" - LiveLife
Red coloring is mine, to emphasize a point; it seems to me they're saying the God of Abraham and the god Jehovah are two different entities...having never been a JW myself, I don't know if this is "new light" or what, but it seems odd considering how much they despise the trinity concept, yet appear to make a case here for two different gods...or perhaps I'm just interpreting it wrong.
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Where are you right now? What do you do all day?? Do you post from work??
by Kudra ini just wonder if you are all posting at work or are at home on workers comp but but spending your time here on jwd ;) ... .
what are you guys usually doing when you are posting here?
what do you do all day?
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AllAlongTheWatchtower
I'm at home, usually sleep all day cause I work odd hours as a delivery driver at a pizza place, we close at 1 AM most nights, 3 AM on weekends, usually takes another hour past closing time to finish up, cleaning and whatnot. Can't get on net from work, which is probably a good thing, I'd get myself fired if I could. Noon is my midnight, and it's 14 minutes past noon right now, so time for me to go to bed. If I were working tonight, I'd have already been asleep, but I'm off, which is why I'm up later than usual.