Posts by Shepherd Book

22

"Encouraging" Emails

by Not Feeling It in

maybe you still get some "encouraging" email forwards with cute stories and anecdotes.

this one i saw really hit a nerve with me.

i think so-and-so needs to read that.

Shepherd Book

In their defense, it at least addresses the high turnover rate the JW experience - something most WItnesses aren't even aware of.

6

The Year of Living Biblically - JW encounter

by Shepherd Book in

jw
friends

i just finished reading the above mentioned book (author = a.j.

jacobs).

as the tile indicates, jacobs tries to follow the bible literally for an entire year.

I just finished reading the above mentioned book (author = A.J. Jacobs). As the tile indicates, Jacobs tries to follow the bible literally for an entire year. He spent 8 months worrying about the OT and 4 months on the NT. He didn't shave his beard, he wore fringes on his garments, he even refused to sit on any chair his wife sat on while she had her period.

Anyway, througout the book, he hooks up with a lot of people who take the bible seriously. He visits the Creation Museum, he travels to Israel, he hangs out with the Amish for one day and...of course...he invites a JW into his home.

Here are some funny/notable extracts from that portion of the book:

Page 74: Tonight, I invited a JW into my home. I realize that this fact already puts me in the extreme minority.

And, mind you, I didn't just idly answer the door and let a JW inside. I agressively pursued the JW. I phoned the headquarters and requested that a JW be sent to my apartment. After three call and not a little confusion on their part - it's not a common inquiry - I finally got my wish.

Yes, I'm aware that it doesn't make much sense. It's like volunteering for jury duty or paying to see a Vin Diesel movie.

...They're also interesting to me becuase they are usually classified as Christian, but, like the Amish, they lean heavily on the Hebrew Scriptures.

Page 75: [Michael, the JW who stopped by] is grateful. So grateful it's almost heartbreaking. He thanks me for having him over.

He sits on the living room couch, leaning forward, his hands in the 'fish-was-this-big' posture. ...Michael, who works in computers at the massive JW headquarters in Brooklyn, gives me a crash course in his faith.

The Witnesses don't celebrate Christmas or Easter, as neither holiday is mentioned in the bible. Birthdays are also out: The only two birthdays mentioned in the bible were those of evil people. ...Michael's fine with the ban, especially now. "As I get older, I don't want to be reminded of my birthday".

Page 76: "You just tell me when you want me to go," says Michael. "I'm from the Midwest, so I'm conscious of overstaying my welcome."

I ask him what's the most controversial part of his faith.

"The blood transfusion issue," he says. "People think we're kooks."

The reason is the literal translation of several verses, among them...Leviticus 7:26...which reads: "Ye shall eat no manner of blood".

The Witnesses make an unusual argument here. They say that the word EAT should really be translated as "Consume", and that transfusion qualifies as consumption.

As Michael points out, this is a seriously controversial. Critics say that the ban has caused numerous deaths, and the Witnesses have been the subject of several lawsuits.

Page 77: On the other hand, there are plenty of times [in the bible] when life takes precedence over obeying rules. Jesus lashes out at the Pharisees who criticize his follwers for gathering grain on the Sabbath.

As you might have guess, I'd make a horrible JW. ...If I needed a blood transfusion, I'd be rolling up my sleeve before the doctor finished his sentence. I'm just not faithful/brave/foolhardy enough to do otherwise.

Finally, at 10:30 - three hours after he arrived - Michael says politely that he should let me get to sleep.

And then it hits me: I have just done something few human beings have ever achieved. I have out-Bible-talked a JW.

24

Have you ever said "I could write a book!"

by compound complex in

dear wannabe writers,.

i'm sure that all of us have been either fascinated (or bored to distraction) by the loquacious reciter of personal tales who tops off his soliloquy with "i could write a book!

writing a book has left the realm of the remote possibility to become a truly practicable challenge.. do you have a tale to tell?

Shepherd Book

I'm writing a book...pretty much my life story as a Witness. It's over 500 pages long now, which may mean some serious editing is needed.

I felt compelled to do it after leaving the Watchtower. First, I just jotted down notes of my time as a Witness, then my wife aske dme to expand on some things for clarification. So 7 pages became 12 became 19 and then it got really serious.

Not sure what to do with it, though. Someone here was kind enough to reccommend a publishing company in my inbox, but the message was deleted before I could pursue the matter.

8

Can an Olive Tree Leaf Under Water?

by VM44 in

genesis 8:11 did the dove really find an olive tree?.

publish date: march 22, 2002. author: wayne jackson.

article description: is the account of noahs flood accurate?

Shepherd Book

Glad to see you have all enjoyed the website I created (www.watchtowerletters.com).

Here's the Watchtower Society's take on the olive leaf conundrum:

From the July 1, 1966 Watchtower, page 415:

"While the waters of the Flood undoubtedly did adversely affect many plants and trees, it does not seem improbable that an olive tree might survive them. The olive tree is quite hardy. It has been said of it that 'an old stump will continue to send up new stems, as if its vitality were indestructible.'"

Here they are quoting from the New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Looking at this original source, however, reveals that the authors of the Encyclopedia article were not referring to the olive when submerged under water. They were, instead, referring to the hardiness of the tree in its old age. In fact, earlier in the same paragraph, the Encyclopedia states: "[the olive tree] requires calcareous soil and a mean temperature of 15 degrees Celcuis (60 degrees F), and must be protected against strong winds and excessive heat." ...So, its not exactly going to survive a year-long cataclysmic deluge.

24

Loving email helps identify true religion

by Shepherd Book in

so i sent them this email:.

you might like to see this site: http://www.watchtowerletters.com.

it has a lot of correspondence with the brothers at bethel and gives a lot of great information.. thanks!.

Shepherd Book

Yes, and I added that, if He wants me to be a Witness again, he should send me a sign...like maybe a kind email from a Witness-run website.

24

Loving email helps identify true religion

by Shepherd Book in

so i sent them this email:.

you might like to see this site: http://www.watchtowerletters.com.

it has a lot of correspondence with the brothers at bethel and gives a lot of great information.. thanks!.

Shepherd Book

Honesty - Nicely done!

Way to go 'above and beyond'!

31

Tell A Story In 29 Words - In Honor Of Extra Day

by snowbird in

here's mine:.

i've fallen down many times, but i've always managed to arise.. i know the day is coming when i will fall down and stay down until someone lifts me.. sylvia.

.

Shepherd Book

It was on this calendar day,

I proposed to my lovely fiance'.

And though eleven years have came and went,

It is only the third anniversary of our engagement.

24

Loving email helps identify true religion

by Shepherd Book in

so i sent them this email:.

you might like to see this site: http://www.watchtowerletters.com.

it has a lot of correspondence with the brothers at bethel and gives a lot of great information.. thanks!.

Shepherd Book

Yeah, it begs the question - why haven't Jehovah's people grown and prospered as much as the Mormons?

24

Loving email helps identify true religion

by Shepherd Book in

so i sent them this email:.

you might like to see this site: http://www.watchtowerletters.com.

it has a lot of correspondence with the brothers at bethel and gives a lot of great information.. thanks!.

Shepherd Book

At another thread (sorry, can't find which one), this link was provided: http://www.needgreaters.com.

I couldn't determine if that site was a joke or not, but they provided an email address, [email protected]. So I sent them this email:

Hi-

You might like to see this site: http://www.watchtowerletters.com. It has a lot of correspondence with the brothers at Bethel and gives a lot of great information.

Thanks!

To which I recieved this response:

You are fighting against JEHOVAH not man and you can never win! Jehovah's people will continue to grow and grow and to prosper as they have over the past 100 years!! Despite their imperfections that JEhovah sees and forgives, they will move into His wonderful new world to live FOREVER...after the Great Tribulation, but you will be DEAD!

You should be shaking in your boots!!

You have been blocked from sending emails to this address and the others!

I wanted to respond and tell them I hope they're right - I hope God does forgive the Watchtower Society for its imperfections. I also wanted to point out that they are not really acting Christ-like in their response to me; if this is how they react to a website consisting of letters from the Watchtower Society, I worry how they'd react to outright disagreement. Yikes. I'm scared just thinking about it.

Anyway, I'm hoping some of you would like to help...drop them a line at [email protected] and let them know how you feel about their unloving response.

22

Noah and the high altitude.

by edmond dantes in

after the flood, were the alligators in the days of noah known for their mountaineering skills when coming down from ararat ,?.

and how did the polar bears get back to the north/south pole,?.

and how did the koalas and kangaroos get back to australia,?

Shepherd Book

Marmot-

Hey, thanks.

Yes, the Flood seems to cause many people to question their faith in the Watchtower. I'll email your father for you if you're worried about the backlash if you were to send it.