Posts by CalebInFloroda

14

Guys help me out, no isrealite women judges?????since when

by Diogenesister in

guys what the hell is going on, how can jackson say there were no isrealite women judges!!!

!how many jewish women judges are there?cdidnt maclellan check up om that one, would have thought he'd know!

!

CalebInFloroda

You can also tell how a religion feels about women depending on the Bible translation they use in reference to Judges 4.4.

Here Deborah is referred to as a NABI in Hebrew, but in the feminine. The reason? It is merely Hebrew syntax convention, requiring a feminized suffix since the word is used in reference to Deborah.

Modern translations understand this and translate this word as "prophet" and not "prophetess." There was no difference between the type of "prophet" Deborah was because she had, what Mr. Jackson and the other members of the Governing Body would probably call "woman parts."

On the contrary, Deborah and Miriam were full-fledged "prophets," just as much as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel.

Judaism recognizes 7 female prophets: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.

It should be interesting to know that Daniel is not considered to be a prophet among Jews, nor is his book in the "Prophets" section of the Hebrew Bible. Daniel, relied heavily upon as a prophet by JWs, was never sent with public pronouncements or oracles to Israel--the requisite for being considered a prophet of G-d by Jews. Daniel, instead, dealt with dreams given to private individuals and composed them in such a manner as to teach lessons of hope regarding redemption from the Seleucid oppression.

190

Geoffrey Jackson - Royal Commission Live Hearing Now!

by LostinJapan in

.

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/636f01a5-50db-4b59-a35e-a24ae07fb0ad/case-study-29,-july-2015,-sydney.

CalebInFloroda

Someone on another thread told me they were looking for a list of women who ruled and taught in Israel?

Along with Judge Deborah of Judges 4, let us not forget that Miriam served as a prophet alongside her brother Moses.

And it was a woman whom G-d used to first proclaim that any writing of the Jews was Scripture, and that was the prophet Huldah spoken of in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34.

And who can forget Esther who acted as savior of my people, and who we celebrate every year at Purim?

14

Guys help me out, no isrealite women judges?????since when

by Diogenesister in

guys what the hell is going on, how can jackson say there were no isrealite women judges!!!

!how many jewish women judges are there?cdidnt maclellan check up om that one, would have thought he'd know!

!

CalebInFloroda

And as for women's role in judging and teaching and leading Israel, let us not forget that Miriam served as a prophet alongside her brother Moses.

And it was a woman whom G-d used to first proclaim that any writing of the Jews was Scripture, and that was the prophet Huldah spoken of in 2 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 34.

And who can forget Esther who acted as savior of my people, and who we celebrate every year at Purim?

14

Guys help me out, no isrealite women judges?????since when

by Diogenesister in

guys what the hell is going on, how can jackson say there were no isrealite women judges!!!

!how many jewish women judges are there?cdidnt maclellan check up om that one, would have thought he'd know!

!

CalebInFloroda

It was at the point in which Jackson was asked about corporal punishment, when he was led backwards using the NWT to see the related Scriptures used in the cross-references therein.

The "rod of discipline" of Proverbs 22.15 was being discussed, and Jackson said that it was mainly being interpreted today as educational discipline.

He was directly asked if the ancient writers of this text had a different view, and Jackson tried to skirt the issue, repeating again that the JWs now hold an interpretation that does not apply it literally.

He was then asked point blank if Jehovah's Witnesses believing and practice corporal punishment in regards to the discipline of their children, and Jackson said that they were against corporal punishment of children.

That, of course, is a lie.

14

Guys help me out, no isrealite women judges?????since when

by Diogenesister in

guys what the hell is going on, how can jackson say there were no isrealite women judges!!!

!how many jewish women judges are there?cdidnt maclellan check up om that one, would have thought he'd know!

!

CalebInFloroda

Judges chapter 4 and the history of my people are clear that a woman, Deborah, was once a judge of Israel.

Jackson also stated that the JW don't allow parents to spank their children, which I know is not true. So it's no surprise that he will say anything that isn't accurate to make himself and the Witnesses look good.

42

Yahweh's wonderful creation

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

when i thought of myself as a christian witness of yahweh attempting to be a footstep follower of jesus, psalm 104 was one of my favourites.

if i was ever in some wonderful scenic area, psalm 104 would jump into my mind, and i'd start to praise yahweh and jesus.. but if something horrible came to mind as in the following video, i'd always think of the favourite christian escape clause, it's all because of adam's sin.

but any connection between natural animal savagery and adam's sin is never logically made in the bible.. interestingly, the supposedly inspired psalm 104 (nwt-the grey one i guess) itself says that:.

CalebInFloroda

This is why I am happy to be a Jew.

We read our Scripture texts in full, not just taking out the parts that talk about where people fail.

It is because of our ancient theology that all humans are not infected with Original Sin that a distant cousin of mine, Anne Frank wrote: "Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart."

You've demonstrated here, Perry, that you don't think that way.

I would rather side with Anne than you and your twisted interpretations any day.

42

Yahweh's wonderful creation

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

when i thought of myself as a christian witness of yahweh attempting to be a footstep follower of jesus, psalm 104 was one of my favourites.

if i was ever in some wonderful scenic area, psalm 104 would jump into my mind, and i'd start to praise yahweh and jesus.. but if something horrible came to mind as in the following video, i'd always think of the favourite christian escape clause, it's all because of adam's sin.

but any connection between natural animal savagery and adam's sin is never logically made in the bible.. interestingly, the supposedly inspired psalm 104 (nwt-the grey one i guess) itself says that:.

CalebInFloroda

Isaiah 64.5 (6 in Christian Bibles)

We have all become like the unclean;
all our righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag.
All of us wither like a leaf;
our sins, like the wind, carry us away.

These words are not describing all of humankind. They are the words of the inhabitants of Jerusalem at the its spoiling and the carrying away of the Davidic king. A midrashic reading of the text is: "We have all become like the unclean now that the righteous have been taken from our midst." Note how the last verses of this chapter speak of this referring ONLY to the Jews, to G-d's people, and speaks of the First Temple's destruction. There is nothing in this chapter that indicates Jews meant these words to refer to anyone else but themselves. Did Gentiles suffer the destruction of the Temple? Of course not!

The expression that their "righteous deeds are like a menstrual rag" doesn't say they are suffering from original sin. It means that nothing they do, not even their best deeds can change the inevitable as they are carried away into Babylonian captivity.

And Leviticus 17 is saying that blood from animals had to be poured out at the altar, and not consumed as food. The entire animal sacrifice system, as I've pointed out--and you have shown everyone here that you cannot read--is how all ancients prepared their meat. Blood which represented life was dedicated to their gods in the butchering process. Blood could be used to show respect for life, but it didn't tell Jews that their was original sin.

And as for Ezekiel 18, it says that children will not die for the sins of their parents, such as the sin of Adam and Eve. Read all of it: the sin of parents is not visited on their descendants.

Why don't you just look it up on the Internet or go ask your neighborhood rabbi if I am telling the truth? We Jews have never believed in Original Sin and none of these verse mean these things to us. You keep saying that I am wrong about what we Jews believe, but I tell you that you are just being stubborn and not verifying that I am explaining what Jews have always believed.

Perry's argument: Caleb is making things up and not explaining true Jewish doctrine.

Caleb's argument: You've not proved from Jewish sources that your point is true. You've only used your interpretations.

35

We're All Going To Die

by Garrett in

jw
friends

life has been busy, but i am now on 2 weeks vacation which allowed me some thinking room.

and here's what's been on my mind.. we're all going to die.

no matter what we do, our fate is sealed.

CalebInFloroda

Hi Garrett,

Not all theists view things the way you mention. After leaving the JWs I went back to my Jewish roots, and the whole idea of an afterlife and this life being futile, and that we have to prepare for the life to come after this--all those things got left behind.

Now I am not implying or recommending Judaism. It's not just a religion, it's a culture, and though people can convert, for the most part we aren't looking to add new members because we think people are called to make the best out of life and the circumstances in which they live now.

But I will say this. It was surprisingly comforting for me to discover that there was another way of looking at things. Atheists and other non-Jews can do the same too, and one doesn't have to give up their core values or adopt a certain theology or reject one--well, it might not be too compatible with Christianity and Islam now that I think about it.

Anyway, the view is that this may the only life we have, the one right now. And isn't it wonderful enough to be thankful for what we have now?

Why worry about preparing for a future day or afterlife? If there is a G-d, wouldn't it be a little thankless to be concerned about tomorrow when G-d went through all this trouble to build a vast universe so you can have today? And if there is no G-d, isn't it equally stupid to not rejoice in what we have now?

Did any of us prepare to enter into the life we have now? None of us had any control over being born into this world. If there is no G-d, then we are living the miracle of life now. Don't miss it. And if there is a G-d, well we didn't have to work to get into this life. Why would G-d require us to do anything to get into the next if there is one? If there is a requirement, then the Jews who introduced the world to this G-d surely never heard of one.

In Jewish tradition there is the understanding that this universe will come to a close one day and a new realm will replace it, a "world to come," Olam Ha Ba in our language. What is it exactly? How do you get there? Beats me. But you don't have to be a Jew or a theist or anything in particular to be a part of it. It is the natural order of things that has yet to be revealed, as natural as when a new day dawns. As long as people do the best they can, are just, and live to their full potential then they will naturally come to be there.

But preparation for it? Just as you have had no control in regards to entering this one, you will have no control over getting into the next. We do understand that those who work contrary to life and justice in this world won't be a part of the next, but I dare say very few I've ever encountered have anything to worry about.

If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. If it does, it does. I say if there is anything you are going to take from a theist, take this from us Jews who invented the monotheistic G-d: do your best at life now and enjoy what has been given to you now, and do the same tomorrow, and every other tomorrow that is given to you as long as they are given to you. There's nothing more to worry about.

Oh, and no belief in any G-d is required.

If there is a G-d, then life surely isn't about believing in G-d. Life would then be evidence that G-d believes in you.

20

Movies/Books for Cult Survivors

by Brighid in

for me, there have always been special movies or scenes in movies that trigger my old jw experience (fiddler on the roof and little mermaid touched me deeply when i watched them as a young jw).

later as a survivor, it was more donnie darko, thx 1138 themes that struck me in particular.. anyway, looking for suggestions on great movies, books (art of any kind, really) that especially speak to or move you as a jw survivor?

there are reasons beyond purely entertainment that i ask..

CalebInFloroda

Believe it or not, I found a recent comedy exclusive to Netflix very healing entitled "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."

It's a terrific farce created by "30 Rock" star and writer Tina Fey about a young woman who had lived in an underground bunker for years with a handful of other women because of belonging to a cult that taught that God had brought Armageddon upon the world due to stupidity.

She and her fellow cult members get rescued and reintroduced to today's world when their cult leader (who freely roams the world above) is arrested for "acting weird at a WalMart."

What is so addictive about the series (including it's now popular theme song) is how the current world seems so foreign and alien to Kimmy since she has been cut off from it for so long. Cerebral, wacky, and hilarious, the Netflix series has recently been nominated for several Emmy awards.

7

the thing i find strange

by pepperheart in

the thing i find strange is that lots of jws seem as though they dont even want to hear godfrey jackson speak on friday can a member of the gb say somthing that is asposate lol

CalebInFloroda

This is due to the effects that ideological fanaticism can have on people. It is also a sign that things have indeed started to deteriorate, even if we don't think so now.

When Imperial Japan was under the control of Empreror worship ideology in WWII, it was very difficult for the people to hear the Emperor speak on the radio and declare defeat. Some didn't think it was even scientifically possible. Others attempted a military coup to try to prevent the Emperor from doing so because they felt it was being heretical. Some people killed themselves instead of hearing the Emperor declare defeat.

Even though the Emperor's surrender speech to the people of Japan was spoken using a dialect a bit too archaic for most common people of Japan to understand, the reports are that most felt a horrific shame at listening even to the sound of his voice. Many fell to their knees and wept. Others report of the horrific shame they felt. This meant their deity was human and their religion a farce and that their religion was wrong. For many it was just too unbelievable a burden to even listen.

Do you want to listen to people who tell you that your choice to leave the JWs was wrong? Of course not. But could you imagine what that would be like, that all us exJWs were indeed wrong, and that on Friday we were going to be presented with further evidence (not just the first evidence but further evidence) of how wrong we have been? Would you readily want to hear the final death knolls that rang out "I told you so"? It wouldn't be easy, and if you could avoid it you likely would. No one wants to be present for their own execution.

People lost to an ideology respond this way. They cannot accept when reality comes around and announces them as undeniably mistaken. They will do everything to block out reality, everything necessary to preserve the illusion.