Posts by Pahpa

8

Jeremiah chapter 23 relates very well to what the JWS are about

by Homerovah the Almighty in

book of jeremiahchapter 23 - read chapter - click for chapter audio23:31 - [in context|original hebrew] "behold, i am against the prophets," declares the lord, "who use their tongues and declare, '{the lord} declares.

' .

23:32 - [in context|original hebrew] "behold, i am against those who have prophesied false r1119 dreams," declares the lord, "and related them and led my people astray by their falsehoods and reckless r1120 boasting; yet i r1121 did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish r1122 this people the slightest benefit," declares the lord.

Pahpa

The Watchtower has always made it a point that Jehovah has used "organization" to bring his message to the people. What it has failed to recognize is that God more often than not had to send individuals to warn the organization of its serious failings. Jeremiah is a good example. The temple organization was corrupt because of the sins of its leaders and the abuse of their powers. Not only was it prophesying falsely but it was exploiting and robbing the public. Jeremiah's strong condemnation of this system became a by word in the English language: "jeremiad: an elaborate and prolonged lamentation or tale of woe."

In the same way, Jesus and the apostles were the Jeremiahs of their day. They strongly condemned the religious temple system and its leaders for abandoning the worship of God for their own self aggrandizement while still trying to project a holy appearance. The Watchtower leaders would do well to learn from these examples.

30

One reason I have NO RESPECT for the CATHOLIC CHURCH

by yesidid in

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=241926&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25.

catholic church guards its dominance in e timor.

maliana: a few years ago domingos pereira and his wife did something dangerous.

Pahpa

WTWizard

If you recall, the Catholic Church leaders did everything to hide the pedophile problem until the Boston Globe blew its cover. The cover up of abusive priests had gone on for years. And the church repeatedly moved its offending priests from one diocese to another only to offend again. The church is still in some denial. It has not punished some of its Bishops and Cardinals for allowing this corrupt system to exist. A prime example is the removal of Cardinal Law of Boston and rewarding him a job in the Vatican.

The Watchtower Society is in the position that the Catholic Church was in a few years ago. It has slowly and reluctantly admitted to the problem of child abuse. It has been forced to pay out large settlements when it appeared it would lose its court cases. It has published articles that condemned child abuse without confessing that it encouraged it by virtue of its own organizational policies.

27

I am loosing interest in most things JW or XJW!

by AK - Jeff in

i think that simon's announcement that this venue was closing was the catalyst.

i looked around the other forums and realized i just don't need them anymore.

i have logged in here probably 10% of my former time since the announcement, first to do the 'admin' stuff that was happening immediately following - but now usually only once a day, maybe 10 minutes, and can't even find much of interest while i do that.

Pahpa

We wish the very best for those of you who can move on and put the Watchtower behind you. But many of us have loved ones including close family member still in the organization. And as long as they remain, we are tied by our heart strings to Jehovah's Witnesses. We can not walk away unburdened by the past. So, in your new found freedom, give us a thought and prayer every now and again.

7

Vatican forbids use of God's name

by bud2114 in

not sure if this has been discussed already.

two things stand out to me in this piece.

one, the vatican does not recognize "jehovah" as one of the accepted pronunciations of the tetragrammaton (yhwh).

Pahpa

What bothers me most about the Watchtower is its inconsistency. It restores the divine name in the Hebrew Scriptures on the basis that the old manuscripts contained the tetragrammaton. And this is a reasonable argument that others have used including the Catholic Jerusalem Bible. But the Watchtower included "Jehovah" in its Christian Greek Scriptures without the authority of any ancient manuscript. It's reason that the writers of the Greek Scriptures would not removed it according to the Jewish custom of the time is only conjecture.

All Bible translations reflect the prejudice of its translators. So, I guess we should not be surprised by the NWT. But it's the scholarship that one wonders about in these cases.

30

One reason I have NO RESPECT for the CATHOLIC CHURCH

by yesidid in

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=241926&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25.

catholic church guards its dominance in e timor.

maliana: a few years ago domingos pereira and his wife did something dangerous.

Pahpa

It is primarily the leaders of an organization that constitute the core of the institution. The Catholic Church is a good example of how the leaders make pragmatic decisions depending upon the conditions of the times. When the church had nearly absolute rule, it used its power to persecute and to subject people to its will. It used the political authorities for its own means.

In modern times, the church no longer has this control. Whereas it aligned itself with the rich and powerful in the past, it realized with the spread of democracy it had to make concessions to survive. It became more involved with social issues that put it in a more favorable light with the general public. But one has to wonder what it would do if its power returned. These small incidences may be some indication of the course it would take.

30

One reason I have NO RESPECT for the CATHOLIC CHURCH

by yesidid in

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=241926&version=1&template_id=45&parent_id=25.

catholic church guards its dominance in e timor.

maliana: a few years ago domingos pereira and his wife did something dangerous.

Pahpa

rebel 8

I agree with you that one incident is not enough to condemn other Catholics who were not involved. But this is an example of how the church has acted in the past when it had authority over the majority of people. The history of the Catholic Church is deplorable! The persecution of other faithful Christian groups ended up with the killing of thousands of men, women and children. Its inquistions and crusades caused the murder of thousands of innocent people. These can not be easily forgiven and forgotten by an apology from the Pope. In many ways, Catholics are victims of a religious system very much like Jehovah's Witnesses are. No one is questioning the sincerity or goodness of the individual members of these churches. But one does lose "respect" for these institutions and their leaders when they claim to do these things "in the name of God."

28

Will the collapse of the US financial system lead to an increase in JW's?

by jwfacts in

http://money.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=632789 discusses that "the collapse of these pillars of the us financial system inevitably will result in the decline of the us as a financial power.

" i have received emails from jws saying this proves the end is near.

(surprise surprise, i hasten to remind them that hurricanes, floods and us economic issues are not part of the sign of the end.

Pahpa

I think BA is right. There probably will be an initial increase if things continue to worsen. People tend to seek other means of support when conditions appear to confirm a failing system. Religion is a natural because it offers some hope for a brighter future when the present offers little. The Watchtower always exploits the news when it is bad.

But some will tire of the many Watchtower predictions that failed in the past. Many members on this site are the example of the "flip side" of this whole issue.

113

BOE letter: "presiding overseer" becomes "coordinator of the body of elders

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

here's the text of the letter:.

christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses.

to all bodies of elders.

Pahpa

The Society usually has more reasons than usually expressed when making these organizational changes. My guess is that many of the POs were using their positions as a means of greater authority over the other elders. This probably was causing divisions within the BOEs.

We're reminded of what happened when the information came out that COs were only elders equal to the other elders in the congregation. Some elders began treating these visiting COs with mild contempt. The Society had to retract the counsel and stress that COs were direct representatives of the Watchtower Society. It stated that COs should be respected with deference.

No doubt, some of the POs will resent their lowered status. But such is the nature of corporations and businesses.

3

Queen Esther?

by Pahpa in

i just had an amusing e-mail from a friend who said that some evangelicals are comparing sarah palin to queen esther.

i wonder if this makes mccain king ahasuerus (xerxes) or, perhaps mordecai?

Pahpa

I suppose that the Evangelicals have as much right to their "types and anti-types" as the Watchtower. But I wonder if the Republicans lose their bid in the election, does this mean that Sarah Palin becomes Queen Vashti?

3

Queen Esther?

by Pahpa in

i just had an amusing e-mail from a friend who said that some evangelicals are comparing sarah palin to queen esther.

i wonder if this makes mccain king ahasuerus (xerxes) or, perhaps mordecai?

Pahpa

I just had an amusing e-mail from a friend who said that some Evangelicals are comparing Sarah Palin to Queen Esther. I wonder if this makes McCain King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) or, perhaps Mordecai?