Posts by careful

38

In the last 20 years How Many Changes Have Occurred in Watchtower Beliefs?

by minimus in

jw
friends

jehovah's witnesses say that they have the truth and the truth is constant.

they believe that what they teach is the truth that comes directly from jehovah god.

can you think of anything that has changed in the last 20 years to show a jehovah's witness that the truth is not necessarily the truth..

careful

Thanks for the list darkspilver. Some of these have nothing to do with scripture and seem more like procedural changes (drinking or not before field service; men's appointments; alternative service). Quite a bit of it is their supposed understanding of parables and/or prophecy, which, as they have admitted can't be understood until it's over (truly self-contradictory with their trying to do so anyway), but if you or someone else would briefly explain some of them, I'd appreciate it.

What's changed about one's own blood?

What changed about the transfiguration vision?

What did they change about early Christians' observance of the Mosaic Law?

Are they now accepting tribal marriages?

Thanks in advance.

29

How many do you figure are converted through the door to door ministry?

by HereIgo in

i regular pioneered for 2 years and never have actually converted anyone through the door to door work, in fact, i only knew a few individuals that joined this way.

most were born-in or at least had some type of family influence.

i had several bible studies but they all got cold feet when things got serious and potential baptism was discussed.

careful

I had about 10 converted from d-to-d work in about 12 years in, sometimes while pioneering. I was in more than one cong. Lower-class neighborhoods were more productive, middle- and higher-class ones were the opposite.

freddo, I appreciate the time observation.

21

Being a jobo. It's not the same as it was.

by punkofnice in

i've been hearing this from what i'd call 'dyed in the wool' type jobos.. 'it's not the same as it was a few years ago.....'.

i believe from what comes back to me via my spies -.

the dyed in the woolers are referring to how the gb are now blatantly pontificating threateningly it seems, about wanting money even from children, all the time.

careful

Do you think they will develop "Bible Study" videos?

28

Facial hair and Witnesses

by Jules Saturn in

i never understood why the society was against beards or goatees but completely okay with mustaches.

what's the difference?

facial hair is facial hair, whether it's above your lip or around your cheeks or under your chin.

careful

shepherdless,

Thanks for pointing out the obvious. That's doubtlessly part of the picture too.

28

Facial hair and Witnesses

by Jules Saturn in

i never understood why the society was against beards or goatees but completely okay with mustaches.

what's the difference?

facial hair is facial hair, whether it's above your lip or around your cheeks or under your chin.

careful

Jules,
Part of their "reasoning" is that Russellites have them, imitating C.T. Russell. That's a historical fact that many Witnesses, including heavies at NY, and even GB members themselves, may well not be unaware of.

Another factor is that they are stuck in the 1950s mentality when male members in audiences of American TV game shows and male fans in stadiums at professional baseball games wore suits & ties and women attending wore dresses.

Of course, they cannot see the illogic in their frequent statements about how one would show disrespect to Jehovah by not dressing up like those old audiences did.

It is often impossible to find genuine logic in their thinking—they are quite traditional, you know, the very thing that Jesus condemned Jews of his day for being. I remember one brother saying to me that if Jesus came today instead of the first century, he would be clean-shaven and wear a suit and tie. I was speechless...

45

Britain Branch to Cease Printing Sooner Than Expected

by The Searcher in

i've received the following news from a reliable and trusted source: .

the demise of printing literature in the u.k. is being brought forward by one year - to march 2018. graphic design and printing support will go too.

large numbers of "disposable" bethelites will now have to make their own way in the world, when their "mother" abandons them.

careful

SBF,

20

Do Jehovah's witnesses take therapy?

by Gokumonkey in

i know two jehovah's witnesses couple.

the husband had a rough upbringing.

his father left him at a young age, leaving his mom and himself to take care of his siblings.

careful

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/216729/did-any-you-need-counselling-psychotherapy-jw?page=3

6

A find on Fred Franz's "system of things"

by careful in

i was looking at the footnote in the 3rd ed.

of weymouth's nt (1912) on an unrelated topic and i happened on the phrase "the passing away of the present system of things" (p. 659 n. 2).

when i was in, i remember reading that the nwt "committee" (= f. franz) came up with that "system of things" rendering of the greek aion from john parkhurst's very old lexicon.

careful

I was looking at the footnote in the 3rd ed. of Weymouth's NT (1912) on an unrelated topic and I happened on the phrase "the passing away of the present system of things" (p. 659 n. 2). When I was in, I remember reading that the NWT "committee" (= F. Franz) came up with that "system of things" rendering of the Greek aion from John Parkhurst's very old lexicon. Does anyone know if this statement in Weymouth's NT (or elsewhere) also played a role in this phrase that so marks the NWT, even being retained by the mysterious ones responsible for its 2013 revision?

27

ANGOLA - JW Regional Convention target of attack.

by EdenOne in

according to news sources in luanda, angola (read it here, although it's in portuguese language), a regional convention of the jw's taking place this weekend at the outskirts of capital luanda was targeted yesterday, friday, by what may be described as a 'terrorist attack'.. more than 400 attendees (mostly female) passed out in rapid succession in the vicinity of a toilet at the convention place.

reportedly, toxic gas devices were planted there by 3 young members of unita, the main political party that opposed mpla, the dominant regime party in angola since its independence in 1975.

43 people were rushed to the hospital and a few remain there, under medical surveillance.

careful

An English news report:

http://saharareporters.com/2017/08/27/jehovah’s-witnesses-attacked-toxic-gas-angola

8

Earliest Latin Commentary on the Gospels

by Earnest in

the earliest latin commentary on the gospels, lost for over 1500 years, has been rediscovered and made available in english for the first time.

the work, which was written by a bishop in north italy, fortunatianus of aquileia, dates back to the middle of the fourth century.

despite references to it in other ancient works, no copy was known to survive until a researcher from the university of salzburg identified the commentary in an anonymous manuscript copied around the year 800 and held in cologne cathedral library.. it is reported on here and an english translation and information about the commentary and the bishop can be accessed here.. this commentary tended to allegorise scripture in order to explain it.

careful

I guess what I mean is that I'm surprised that an academic publishing house like De Gruyter would ever participate in an open access publication. Their financial survival depends on charging a pretty high price for their books—compare the prices of books published by other such book houses like Brill, Peeters, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Blackwell. How many of them have participated in open access? Perhaps they only did so in this case because the ERC made up the difference, giving them a profit?