Posts by Earnest

50

Who will Survive Armageddon?

by Vanderhoven7 in

breaking news....there is hope for good hearted non-jws!!!.

according to sergio:.

are jehovah's witnesses the only ones to be saved during the end time?.

Earnest

peacefulpete : Back in the 80's there was a brochure (I think it was the JW in 20th century) that made an exciting declaration that was news to us, that JWs do not believe only they would survive because God was the judge.

JW in the 20th century, 1979, p.29

Do they believe that they are the only ones who will be saved?

No. Many millions that have lived in centuries past and who were not Jehovah’s Witnesses will come back in a resurrection and have an opportunity for life. Many now living may yet take a stand for truth and righteousness before the “great tribulation,” and they will gain salvation. Moreover, Jesus said that we should not be judging one another. We look at the outward appearance; God looks at the heart. He sees accurately and judges mercifully. He has committed judgment into Jesus’ hands, not ours.—Matthew 7:1-5; 24:21.

173

Is the tide turning against covid vaccines?

by slimboyfat in

have you seen this video about the covid vaccines?

have you got any views on the information?

i find it worrying at least.

Earnest

Vidqun : That means Covid-19 infection does not cause myocarditis/pericarditis.

That is an impressive study and does conclude "there is no increase in the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis in COVID-19 recovered patients compared to uninfected matched controls." However, that does not mean that Covid-19 infection does not cause myocarditis/pericarditis. Why? The report says :

It has recently been reported that the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis is increased in COVID-19 patients during the acute illness. However; whether or not myocarditis and pericarditis after the recovery period are a part of the long COVID-19 syndrome is yet unknown. Herein, we studied the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis in a large cohort of COVID-19 patients after recovering from the acute infection.

If we consider the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis during acute COVID-19 illness the results are different. The report referred to above in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes :

The vaccine [BNT162b2 mRNA] was associated with an excess risk of myocarditis (1 to 5 events per 100,000 persons). The risk of this potentially serious adverse event [11.0 events per 100,000 persons] and of many other serious adverse events [pericarditis, arrhythmia, deep-vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, intracranial hemorrhage, and thrombocytopenia] was substantially increased after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

See this image for risk ratios for adverse events after vaccination and COVID-19 infection.

So, both the vaccine and COVID-19 increase the risk of myocarditis. COVID-19 also increases the risk of pericarditis and other serious disease. I do agree that the case mentioned by the "Telegraph" is an exception to the rule and that most young, healthy people who contract Covid-19 do not suffer serious adverse events.

88

New method to absolutely date Fall of Jerusalem.

by waton in

for what it is worth to those interested.

1914.. tel-aviv university.

"biblical military campaigns reconstructed using geomagnetic field data.

Earnest

Jeffro, your interpretation of the chart is correct if Rehov V was destroyed in 900 BCE. But if it was destroyed ca. 925 BCE (as the article 14C dates from Tel Rehov: Iron-Age chronology, pharaohs, and Hebrew kings proposes) then the geomagnetic variation curve would be shifted 25 years to the left. The probability distribution of ages is dependent on the historically dated chronological anchors, and when there is no such anchor and the date is uncertain (as in the case of Beth-shean, Rehov V and Tevet VII) the curve is unreliable.

Further, there are different ways of calculating the geomagnetic variation curve. As the article says:

According to one approach, a probability distribution of ages is calculated using a curve constructed independently from the object being dated. According to another approach, adopted here following Livermore et al., the datum to be dated is included in the Bayesian procedure used to produce the curve. (my italics)

You are trying to use this new method to prove or falsify certain dates. It doesn't do that.

7

Newtons prediction for end of the world

by dothemath in

maybe this man (sir isaac newton), has more credibility than fred franz in picking a date for armageddon ?.

interestingly, newton(brilliant mathematician, everyone must know him) was very interested in the bible and revelation .. .

what newton tried to do was determine a particular timescale for the apocalypse.

Earnest

Newton only concluded that the end would not come before 2060 and that it might be later yet. He wrote (Yahuda MS 7.3g, f. 13):

I mention this period [he continued] not to assert it, but only to shew that there is little reason to expect it earlier, & thereby to put a stop to the rash conjectures of Interpreters who are frequently assigning the time of the end, & thereby bringing the sacred Prophecies into discredit as often as their conjectures do not come to pass. It is not for us to know the times & seasons which God has put in his own breast.

88

New method to absolutely date Fall of Jerusalem.

by waton in

for what it is worth to those interested.

1914.. tel-aviv university.

"biblical military campaigns reconstructed using geomagnetic field data.

Earnest

Archaeomagnetic data says nothing about the date in itself, but can be used for establishing whether destruction events happened at the same time.

So rather than appealing to archaeomagnetic data, it would be more to the point to argue that 993 BCE is incompatible with radiocarbon dating of Rehov V to ca. 900 BCE. Good argument, but radiocarbon dating does not give you a specific year, but a range of years. A range of radiocarbon dates for the destruction of Rehov V below is taken from the Supplementary Material for the article 14C dates from Tel Rehov: Iron-Age chronology, pharaohs, and Hebrew kings (Science 300, 315–318 (2003)).

31

How do Witnesses reconcile Isaiah 43:10 with John 1:1

by Vanderhoven7 in

something does not compute.

you are my witnesses,”declares jehovah, yes, my servant whom i have chosen, so that you may know and have faith in me and understand that i am the same one.before me no god was formed, and after me there has been none.

isaiah 43:10. in the beginning was the word, and the word was with god and the word was god.

Earnest

Vanderhoven7, context is everything. If you cherry-pick scriptures written in different languages to a different audience separated by 600 years or more, it is easy to create an apparent contradiction. But if both are read within the context they were written there is no contradiction in JW understanding.

PS I see slim beat me to it, although I would think God's Son became flesh rather than flash.

88

New method to absolutely date Fall of Jerusalem.

by waton in

for what it is worth to those interested.

1914.. tel-aviv university.

"biblical military campaigns reconstructed using geomagnetic field data.

Earnest

Jeffro, your case is well-presented but the destruction of Beth-Shean is not related to the destruction of Gath in 830.

Archaeomagnetic results indicate that Beth-Shean was probably destroyed at the same time as Tevet VII and Rehov V, not Gath. The fact that Shoshenq depicted Rehov and Beth-Shean side by side as prisoners of war in his Triumphal Relief at Karnak (Egypt), shows they were both destroyed in his campaigns.

When was that? None of those are historically dated chronological anchors in the study, but radiocarbon dating indicates Rehov V was destroyed by fire in the late tenth to early ninth century, possibly ca.900 BCE. Based on this dating, the study concludes:

Archaeomagnetic dating of Beth-Shean shows that at a 95% confidence level the destruction occurred before ca. 880 BCE and at a 68% confidence level it occurred before ca. 900 BCE.

12

Review of Wallace's Grammar

by Wonderment in

review of daniel b. wallace’s greek grammar.

daniel b[aird] wallace is professor of new testament, and author of greek grammar beyond the basics, a work first published by zondervan corporation in 1996. his work has since become a standard work in the intermediate koine greek field and has been translated into half a dozen languages.

it is said two-thirds of bible colleges today that teach the subject use the textbook.

Earnest

Ha ha, Phizzy. You just cannot believe there are any real JW scholars. See his profile here.

25

Sexual abuse and Jehovah's witnesses- the gift that keep on giving

by wannaexit in

there seems to be no end to the many jw's who sexually abused minors.

here is another story:.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pa-jehovahs-witnesses-sex-assault-attorney-general-shapiro-20221027.html.

Earnest

ThomasMore, I have seen no evidence that "they seek to shield pedophiles who might cut a deal with prosecutors by naming other pedos" or "WTC fears that they will rat others out and the bread crumbs will lead back to Bethel". I think that's ridiculous. The instructions in Shepherd the Flock of God, April 2022, 14.4 are :

... the congregation will not shield any perpetrator of [child sexual abuse] from the consequences of his sin. The congregation’s handling of an accusation of child sexual abuse is not intended to replace the secular authority’s handling of the matter. (Rom. 13:1-4) Therefore, the victim, her parents, or anyone else who reports such an allegation to the elders should be clearly informed that they have the right to report the matter to the secular authorities. Elders do not criticize anyone who chooses to make such a report.—Gal. 6:5

Why are the elders not instructed to make such a report themselves? Sometimes they are, as they have to call the Legal Department when they learn of an accusation of child abuse. But when it is not required by law, there are other considerations. Note what the Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (released in October 2022) said in its discussion on striking the balance in mandatory reporting (F.6.80-85) :

85 In the delicate balance between the need to provide an individual child with confidential advice and support (whether medical, psychological, legal or social) and ensuring child sexual abuse is prevented, it is essential to recognise that there are some circumstances where privacy ought to be protected and some where prevention is paramount. One important example is in the context of consensual, non-abusive relationships between young people.

25

Sexual abuse and Jehovah's witnesses- the gift that keep on giving

by wannaexit in

there seems to be no end to the many jw's who sexually abused minors.

here is another story:.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/pa-jehovahs-witnesses-sex-assault-attorney-general-shapiro-20221027.html.

Earnest

TonusOH : Victims are frequently forced to face their attacker without any concern for their own mental and emotional wellbeing, and possibly even without any supporters to help them through it.

While that has been true in the past, it is not true now.

Shepherd the Flock of God, April 2022, 14.18 "Child Abuse - Investigating Allegations"

During the investigation process and during the judicial committee process, a victim of child sexual abuse is NEVER (my capitals) required to make her allegation in the presence of the alleged abuser. However, victims who are now adults may do so, if they wish. In addition, victims can be accompanied by a confidant of either gender when presenting their accusation to the elders. If a victim prefers, the accusation can be submitted in the form of a written statement. Generally, in the case of a victim who is a minor, elders should be able to obtain necessary information from the parents. In addition, sufficient evidence needed to establish wrongdoing on the part of an alleged abuser may already be available to the elders. In the exceptional event that the two elders believe it is necessary to speak with a minor who is a victim of child sexual abuse, the elders should first contact the Service Department