Posts by Old Goat

17

When did the WTS begin to require baptismal candidates to answer 2 questions. What were they?

by AndersonsInfo in

i need some research done so if anybody has the time, please see what you can find on the subject as stated in the title.. i clearly remember attending my first circuit assembly.

on october 30, 1956, i definitely answered two questions, along with about ten other people including my mother, not at the assembly, but we were standing at the side of a small baptismal pool that was in the basement of a kingdom hall in ronkonkoma, then a small hamlet on long island in the town of islip, suffolk county, new york, united states.. i know for a certainty that in 1945 candidates for baptism were not asked any questions but they were informed through their congregation that there would be a baptism and told where and when it was to be held.

usually the baptism was done at a beach and when candidates showed up in bathing attire, they were dunked, no questions asked.. so sometime between 1945 and 1956 two specific questions began to be asked of candidates.

Old Goat

I was baptized in 1948. The questions as presented in the 1942 Watchtower, page 302, they were:

1. Do you believe in Jehovah God the Father, that “salvation belongeth unto Jehovah,” and that Christ Jesus is his Son in whose blood your sis are washed away and by whom salvation comes to you from God?

2. Have you therefore confessed your sins to God and asked for cleansing by Christ Jesus and therefore turned away from sin and the world, and consecrated yourself without reservation to God to do his will?

As I recall it, these were similar to the questions asked at my baptism in March 1948

18

How Soon Will We See 9-Year-Olds in Committee Meetings?

by TTATTelder in

that teddy bear baptism video was shocking.. if you haven't seen it yet.

check it out on this thread:.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/271170002/on-subject-child-baptism-video.

Old Goat

Congregation committees have no business dealing with very young children. Most of the current crop of elders are failures as parents. Their children have run wild, 'left the truth,' and pursue a secular life. If they can't engage their own children, how will they regulate the children of others. This is wrong. How desperate for increase in numbers must they be.

There is nothing in the bible that allows an elder to step between a parent and his child. Watchtower elders assume authority beyond anything the scriptures allow.

16

Better Bible Translation?

by Sofia Lose in

which bible translation is the best, according to biblical scholars, anybody knows?

please chime in.. i plan on getting it and doing comparison with the new world translation.

sl.

Old Goat

I think the three volume Bible from 26 Translations is still in print. It's a good way to compare translations without buying them all.

5

Authors who are Active JWs?

by neat blue dog in

for starters, this topic isn't about former or non-practicing jws, but active ones who are authors.

we all probably have heard of mcmillan's faith on the march and the other one by marley cole, but how about more recently?.

i found a couple.

Old Goat

B. W. Schulz has written two history books, both about aspects of the Watch Tower's early days:

http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-w-schulz/nelson-barbour-the-millenniums-forgotten-prophet/paperback/product-5424152.html

http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-w-schulz/a-separate-identity-organizational-identity-among-readers-of-zions-watch-tower-1870-1887/paperback/product-21546337.html

Schulz is elderly and infirm so marginally active, but still a Witness. He writes good, solid history and lets the chips fall where they may. I strongly recommend both books.

A British Witness named Whitby writes about bible translations. I don't have a link, and they're all magazine articles.

35

Where is Everyone????

by truthlover in

jw
friends

missing a lot of the oldies and goodies -- is this site so new, no one has signed on yet?

i am confused... but then, i will have to wait and see what happens.. somehow - change is not the best option but we adjust..have most of the users gone to other locations?.

tl.

Old Goat

I hate the new design. And I have constant log-on issues. This is hard to read and not user friendly.

76

From 1 to 10, how do you rate the value of the Internet in your awakening?

by Hidden-Window in

jw
friends

as we all know, the internet is a real game-changer in allowing us to know the truth about the watch tower and its history.

i always had doubts and it was the internet that presented me with the ever-growing number of individuals who were going through a similar struggle.. i give the internet a 9 in my awakening.

what about you?.

Old Goat

0. I started fading when the Internet was new. The behaviors of by so-called brothers killed my faith in the Watchtower. If you foster bad behavior; if you encourage it, then you're not God's organization.

12

Unbaptized Publisher

by naazira in

jw
friends

what would you recommend for an unbaptized publisher that has learned ttatt and is inactive?

do you think it is best for someone to just continue to be inactive and live & let live?

or take time and write a letter wishing to no longer be an unbaptized publisher?.

Old Goat

walk away quietly. most elders wont notice because they do not care about you or yours. they care about themselves.

50

What were the calculations used to arrive at the 1874 date of Christ's return?

by Zoos in

we all know the calculations used by the wt to arrive at 1914. fall of babylon in 607 (false year), gentile times, no zero year, ta-da, 1914.. what did they use before that?

i know it wasn't russell who came up with it - he just adopted it.

i'm just curious what they had to explain away when they made the transition.. .

Old Goat

This historical background to the 1874 date is explored in Schulz and de Vienne's Nelson Barbour: The Millennium's Forgotten Prophet.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-w-schulz/nelson-barbour-the-millenniums-forgotten-prophet/paperback/product-5424152.html

Both of their books are well worth a thoughtful read.

44

Will the IRS Investigate the Watchtower Society?

by ABibleStudent in

if you feel that the wtbts is breaking a tax law(s), you can send a letter to investigate the wtbts to the irs to:.

department of the treasuryinternal revenue servicemc 4910 dal1100 commerce streetdallas, tx 75242 .

the irs will investigate complaints about the wtbts, but it will not investigate the wtbts without compliants being sent to the irs.

Old Goat

Going to the IRS is a huge waste of time. It's been tried repeatedly since the 1950s without success.

15

Digitizing all WT Literature

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i have lots of wt literature that i want to get rid of, and i know that a lot of the literature is "valuable" in the sense that we need to have a record of what was said and when... and hopefully, all the pictures.. one of the least well-preserved of wt literature is the yearbooks.

they contain valuable information that is not on the wt library... for example, all of the pictures of the many jw's, or the charts and data, or the daily text.. .

so, atlantis, or anyone who wants it, i am willing to ship the yearbooks to you with the condition that you will scan them and provide them for the entire community, and you pay for the shipping.anyone willing to take them?.

Old Goat

I noticed that the truthhistory blog has a front cover photo of A. D. Jones Day Star. I've never seen one before. Are there any more out there?

http://truthhistory.blogspot.com/