the edinburgh city observatory sits atop calton hill at the east end of the city centre adjacent to burn's monument, scotland's national monument modelled on the parthenon, and nelson's monument with the time ball that falls at 1pm every day except sundays.. .
the second astronomer royal of edinburgh was charles piazzi smyth (jan. 1819 - feb. 1900).
smyth was a man of many and varied interests including meteorology, producing weather observations that still form an important part of uk climate records to this day.. building on the work of james taylor, smyth became fascinated by the great pyramid of egypt at giza.
AT THE GRAVE
[. . .] One last lingering look upon the scene recalled the peaceful manner of our Pastor's "passing beyond the vail (sic)." Brother Rutherford's words came to mind: [. . .]
Beyond the veil in [is] the unknown state of being after death; the phrase is originally a figurative reference to the veil which in the Jewish Temple separated the main body of the Temple from the tabernacle, and derives particularly from Tyndale's translation of the Bible.
one of my children got disfellowshipped recently.
i was worried about that some of my jw friends and jw relatives would mention it to me and it would make for awkward conversation as i am glad that he is out.
i went to a jw family gathering.
Thank you, hoser, for sharing this news.
Now, on the other side of the fence, we are not devastated by this so-called death of a loved one. As far as your family's and friends' non-mention of the disfellowshipping, are they all aware of it?
Of course, I don't know them, but I sometimes have wondered about such a silence, initially attributing it to a callous disregard of my feelings. When, in fact, the reality was they didn't know or were in a quandary as to what to say, a sort of embarrassed silence.
We're so accustomed to the published WT stories of the devoted JW family abandoned by the brazen wrongdoer who has no concern for Jehovah, Bible principles, and the poor Christian family left in the dust.
I hope it all turns out well for you and your child.
Love,
CoCo
was there something that was said to you that got the wheel turning in your brain, that caused you to start waking up to ttatt, either by a jw or ex-jw that you didn't know was awake?
i'm trying to think of things i can say or ask of my current family members still in that may help them to start seeing the real truth about the organization.
they think we're still in..
A few degrees of separation:
The inactive bro who had taken me out in service for the first time sent me something from Randy W. I knew the former JWs featured in the article; I couldn't believe friends from Bethel had left the "Truth."
Eventually, I wound up here, clicking onto a link from Randy's site.
i was sitting at a local city event enjoying watching an activity.
a friendly looking woman dressed in blue jeans and a floppy hippy looking top came and sat down besides me.
she notices i am sketching and says she likes to do this too.
Hello, Distracted:
Sorry about that! I can relate to the spoiling of a mood. While specific to another type of joy killer, I did think of this quotation of Ovid:
“A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.”
there was a recent thread on another site where posters maintained that many of the *most* long-standing jw's don't believe at least one official watchtower doctrine.
i've even read reports from bethelites saying they've heard bethel overseers say they don't believe some watchtower theology.
this made me think - i believe there are a few official doctrines that are common for many jw's to be either in denial about or simply not really believe ( often one and the same thing).. i'd say these are pretty high in the ranking:.
Greetings, Diogenesister:
I figured that might be appropriate here.
When I was at Bethel, I had opportunity to talk to both NHK and FWF, the latter regarding whether or not I was of the anointed. The spiritual headiness of Bethel life had many a young Witness aspiring towards Heaven. Poor Freddy! I talked with Brother Knorr about something more mundane, and he was very kind and helpful.
He, too, was a victim of victims. Yet, as you state, it would have been difficult feeling sympathy towards him on many, many other matters.
there was a recent thread on another site where posters maintained that many of the *most* long-standing jw's don't believe at least one official watchtower doctrine.
i've even read reports from bethelites saying they've heard bethel overseers say they don't believe some watchtower theology.
this made me think - i believe there are a few official doctrines that are common for many jw's to be either in denial about or simply not really believe ( often one and the same thing).. i'd say these are pretty high in the ranking:.
"In 1975, Knorr made a remarkable and candid statement to the Governing Body, which confirmed his growing disillusionment until his death two years later: ["]'"There are some things I know --- I know that Jehovah is God, that Christ Jesus is his Son, that he gave his life as a ransom for us, that there is a resurrection. OTHER THINGS I'M NOT SO CERTAIN ABOUT. 1914 --- I DON'T KNOW. WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT 1914 FOR A LONG TIME. WE MAY BE RIGHT AND I HOPE WE ARE."'["] Was this comment directed at his "oracle," Fred Franz, after the disappointing failure of the 1975 prophecy? And yet, not knowing if the date of 1914 was correct or not, Knorr went along with the absolutes taught by the Watch Tower Society about 1914 and everything else: that all their teachings are firmly "based on scripture," "in truth," and agreeing to the disfellowshipping of anyone who questions 1914, or any other constantly changing belief.
"Those whose beliefs were grounded in Scripture, who protected their faith with God's Word, including the words of Jesus, who resisted dogma change by Franz's whims, were condemned as "apostates," "evil servants," and a host of other derogatory adjectives. In doing so Franz and Knorr were faithfully following another practice of J.F. Rutherford." -- THE FOUR PRESIDENTS OF THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY (JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES), Edmond C. Gruss, Editor, p. 39.
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/126663/knorr-on-1914-dont-know-mouthy-alert
i just viewed this.
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5703039295946752/clapping-singing-conventions-like-evangelicals.
ok the point has been made.
In the early '70s, a group of us went to a fast food restaurant after the evening meeting. A young man, observing us and our demeanor, asked if we were Assembly of God because we were so happy.
That well-intentioned and sincere comment was not appreciated . . .
i remember about 5 years ago reading on another site about subliminal images in wt literature.
i honestly thought it a load of bs until i checked out one glaringly obvious image of a creepy skull in clouds within the knowledge book.
i was shocked and even showed my wife at the time who thought it was creepy.. so my question is why?
Well expressed, LongHairGal!
my thought bubble in the 1980s:.
"how can i engage with worldly people when they are just not interested in discussing these important topics as featured in the watchtower and awake?.
my thought bubble in the 2010s:.
Thought bubble, thirty-plus years ago:
Everyone is deluded by their myth-based religions. Jehovah's Witnesses have a faith built on rock because it's based on truth.
Thought bubble, today:
There is so-called truth, and there are facts. I am a realist and opt for facts and leave myths, "truths," and fantasy to the storytellers.
i've begun to suspect this act - this will - this compulsory muse which i call "writing" is, in fact, the illusion of catharsis.
like a mirage shimmering far off on the horizon i gaze upon the unreachable waters of a quiescent mind.
and far too often i've trekked through these shifting sands of unrefined ideas and abrasive conclusions towards that placid falsehood.
Pretty cool, Nancy!
