WOW! You came through, Blondie!
That's what I was looking for!
this is a natural consequence of the watchtower position that their god is in a finite location in some corner of the sky.
if he is locative and in a specific place, does this mean that he has, in some sort of sense a "body"?
thus, like the mormons who believe that the "father" has a literal and physical body made of flesh and bone, does tha watchtower also believe that their deity too, has a body, albeit an invisible, "spirit" one?.
WOW! You came through, Blondie!
That's what I was looking for!
this is a natural consequence of the watchtower position that their god is in a finite location in some corner of the sky.
if he is locative and in a specific place, does this mean that he has, in some sort of sense a "body"?
thus, like the mormons who believe that the "father" has a literal and physical body made of flesh and bone, does tha watchtower also believe that their deity too, has a body, albeit an invisible, "spirit" one?.
This is a natural consequence of the Watchtower position that their god is in a finite location in some corner of the sky. If he is locative and in a specific place, does this mean that he has, in some sort of sense a "body"?
Thus, like the Mormons who believe that the "Father" has a literal and physical body made of flesh and bone, does tha Watchtower also believe that their deity too, has a body, albeit an invisible, "spirit" one?
Can anyone tell me if the writers of Watchtower literature ever made any statement to this effect?
what biblical support is there for the belief that a creative day is 7000 years long?.
as most folks here are probably well aware, the wts teaches that humankind has lived for about 6,000 years and that there will be a 1,000 year reign of christ to restore humans to perfection.
they teach that the end of 'this old system' must be coming very soon since everything must fit into a 7000 year 'creative day'.
It is true that the Watchtower were not the first to come up with the 7,000 year creation-day theory, but they were the most strident and held on to the teaching for several years. They have never formally retracted the teaching, but have made more cautionary statements over the years. For instance, the original "[Human] Reasoning on the Scriptures" book accepted this teaching, but the revised edition, published in 1989 merely mentions the time as being "several thousand years in length".
As other posters have mentioned, the Watchtower no longer makes any reference to this teaching, which they once held with such passionate vigour. Basically, the "[human] reasoning" behind this teaching was:
1. Every one one of the six creative days are said to begin and end, using the Hebraic expression, the "evening and the morning was....". But no such expression is used with the seventh day. Therefore the only "reasonable" conclusion is that the seventh day did not end during the time of the Bible record.
[Answer: Most Evangelical Christians will disagree. This is not the only "reasonable" conclusion to draw. Because the seventh day was to be a day of special significance in Jewish theological perception, its end was not signified by the expression common to the other days. Its end was signified by the expression "And God rested on the seventh day...". Despite the convoluted way Franz "translated" this phrase implying a present continuous structure, the Hebrew perfect as used here is a past tense, hence a completed action, not a continuing one.]
2. The Seventh day must be still continuing because Hebs:4:4-6 speaks of Gods "rest day" being in operation at this time.
[Answer: Again Evangelicals will disagree. This is not talking of the Seventh creation "day" - since "day" is not used here. It is talking of God's Rest, not His rest "day". The writer of Hebrews is discussing how we enjoy security or rest by believing in Christ. God's rest, since Calvary has been to gather believers in Christ who can have the security of belief and freedom from the fear of death. They do this by entering God's rest. This is contrasted with the Exodus generation who lacked such belief.]
3. Since we "know" that Adam was created in in 4026 BC, more than six thousand years of human history has passed. [6037 years to be precise] So we must be periously close to the end. It is necessary then to accept the GB and all its pronouncements and hasten to join the Organization to survive into the New World.
[Answer: There is no answer. Since 1889, when the Watchtower first published a date for Adam's creation, [4128 BC] it has had the need to correct this date five further times:
1.1896: 4129.
2.1943: 4028
3.1944: 4026
4.1953: 4025
5. 1963: 4026]
it was last updated in 1985. does the watchtower still print it?
could a jw place an order for one at the kingdom hall?.
It is my understanding that no, they do not print this book anymore. There was only one print run of 800,000 copies and that was in 1985. There may be some lying around and it may be possible to order one through a local KH if you know someone.
The next best thing is to download a copy from the Internet. I believe these are still available.
the problem with jwn members and apostates is that everybody is doing there own thing.. .
in order for us to bring down this cult we need to get more organised.. .
as such i willingly volunteer to collect field services reports from you all:.
I don't have kids, but how many hours do I get for feeding the hungriest cat in Christendom?
(part 1.
read proverbs 29:25; revelation 14:6, 7.. (part 2.
) is the good news really from god?1.
Thanks Big A, truly ironic that we get this meat in due season straight from the oven, even before the rest of the slumbering dwarfs!
The brochure seems to be a sort of catechism to teach children. If this is for adults then my estimation of the intellectual capacity of the the average Watchtower follower just slipped several notches.
Thanks again, wonderful as usual.
so where will the money from the sale go?
to support the bros and sisters who have worked so,long at the bethel?
this is to be doubted..
That IS a big surprise. When was this announced?
if you were a jehovah's witness have you "reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by christendom"?.
"from time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of jehovah's people those who, like the original satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...they say that it is sufficient to read the bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home.
but, strangely, through such 'bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago...".
Gulp! Me. [Or is it "I"?] Do I get to mount the scaffold now, or do I get a last meal?
Put me down as one of them pesky Baptists.
is there a possibility that the watchtower will be split into two opposing camps at sometime in the foreseeable future?
judging from the past, do we envisage such a scenario happening before our eyes?.
scott77.
I think that the way we are addressing the issue is somewhat out of sync with what Scott 77 is thinking about.
We have been discussing groups that broke away from the WTS, leaving the original system working intact and legally in control of the existing framework that makes up the WTS mechanism. This has happened before and doubtless will happen again. But what is intriguing to contemplate, as Scott 77 does, is whether the actual WTS system collapses into itself! What then will happen to the legal instrumentality that once constituted this unified belief system?
With no actual control body existing, or with what is existing fractured into equally hostile groups, and with each group insisting that the others have seceded, but with no one group in control of everything, it would involve much unseemly and unchristian squabbling, with the different groups fighting over what was once a united form of patronage. Suppose one group, calling itself the "True Watchtower Bible and Tract Society" made a grab for the printing facilities worldwide, while another, calling itself the "Redeemed WBTS" grabbed the real estate, and yet another grasped the finances, but failed to take that which is still held by the US Stock Exchange, and so on, it would leave a right royal stew.
This is not so fanciful an idea to believe, since it has happened before. When HW Armstrong, inventor and Superintent of the World Wide Church of God died, His doctrinal and financial empire was split, like a mutated atomic explosion, and its operating structure was divided into various groups each claiming to be the true inheritor of the HWA legacy.
Actually, for those who receive Randy Watters [Dogpatch] monthly E-Newsletter, he did discuss something like this some months ago. It was speculated that the groups would initially be split more along personal lines than theological. The doctrinal differences would emerge over time as this division evolved. Finding it impossible to get along with each other, the various members of the secretive leadership, mutually agree to divide the lucrative pie among themselves, each then going their separate ways.
And starting all over again.
Whether so drastic a possibility occurs is something we will have to wait and see.
Sic transit gloria.
i can't remember.
don't really care, just something that popped up in my head.
to all the people who are going, i feel sorry for you... ;) i have not set foot in a kh in years!!
Good post, Leolaia, thanks. I could never get the hang of the "Between the evenings" bit.