Posts by Doug Mason

6

Onscreen Critique, October 1 Watchtower, "When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?"

by Doug Mason in

a few weeks ago, i provided a critique of the october 1, 2011 watchtower article when was ancient jerusalem destroyed: part 1.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/215458/1/critique-of-the-october-1-watchtower-articlewhen-was-ancient-jerusalem-destroyed.

i have produced a different critique of that same article.

while the earlier critique was designed to be printed, this version is designed to be viewed on a computer screen.

Doug Mason

A few weeks ago, I provided a Critique of the October 1, 2011 Watchtower article “When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed: Part 1”.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/215458/1/Critique-of-the-October-1-Watchtower-articleWhen-Was-Ancient-Jerusalem-Destroyed

I have produced a different Critique of that same article. While the earlier Critique was designed to be printed, this version is designed to be viewed on a computer screen. This means it may be emailed to a friend or be provided on a CD.

It is available at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/Onscreen_Critique__October_Watchtower__Jerusalem_Destroyed.pdf

As you would expect, the file is about 6 Meg.

Doug

25

Liberal Christians explain how you view 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

by ShadesofGrey in

so the christian (baptist) that i study with says that there are things in the bible that are useful for learning from history, but if god didn't say it (this is what the sovereign lord jehovah has said, or if jesus actually said it, etc.

) then it isn't something that god is saying, so that helps us understand it?.

i know i need to say more in my question, but hopefully i will learn from your responses to the title.. .

Doug Mason

Shades,

Paul did not write 2 Timothy (and several others in the NT that are attributed to him). So it is a fraud, pretending to be what it is not. It was written some 40 years after Paul died. You need to research the events taking place between the Christian sects at the end of the first century CE, and find out why that person felt moved to write these words.

The NT writings were not canonised until the 4th century CE, with the dominant section of the Christians and the Roman Emperor having their say -- and getting it wrong. Several lists were proposed, and the current list was first put forward by the Trinitarian Athanasius.

Fortunately we still can read several of the writings that were rejected.

Any Scriptures that Timothy would have read would be the Hebrew writings.

Doug

21

If Jerusalem destruction was truly significant- Why would an almighty God allow so much confusion regarding the date?

by mankkeli in

i was just thinking that if truly the destruction of jerusalem would have any significance today, why should there be so much confusion surrounding its date and discrepancies regarding the names of those neo-babylonian kings.. .

if truly that event was significant, why should it be so difficult for the almighty god to pen down the exact date in the bible and shield us from unnecessary debates, reliance on scholars and opaque explanations from religions with ulterior motives?.

i cant comprehend any reason to justify the silence from god on this date.. .

Doug Mason

May I add more of their confusion.

The WTS does not start its "Seventy Years" with the destruction of Jerusalem. They start it with the exodus of Jews following the murder of Gedaliah. The WTS assumes/hopes that the destruction and the exodus happened in the same year. The WTS is wrong/confused.

The Bible does not give any dateable information, so the WTS gets its dates (eg 539 BCE) from the secular sources that it rejects.

The Bible does not state: "This is the moment that the Seventy Years began", although it does indicate that the Seventy Years ended on the night that Babylon fell to the Persians.

The WTS has found it impossible to provide proof that Jews returned to the temple site in Jerusalem in 537 BCE.

Doug

6

False Prophecy Psychology

by Ding in

when someone predicts a specific date for some "end times" event (armageddon, new system, rapture, etc.

) and the prediction fails, why can't they just say, "i was wrong?

i made a fool of myself," and go away?.

Doug Mason

Ding,

Have you ever sat back and contemplated John Lennon's dream: "Imagine what the world would be like if there was no religion"?

Doug

18

C.T. Russell and 1914

by Quendi in

i'm sure there are those on this board who can help me with some research questions.

they concern charles taze russell and his infatuation with 1914 and were posed to me by a member of my own small group.

we call ourselves jwa for jehovah's witnesses anonymous.

Doug Mason

Terrific, Leo!

18

C.T. Russell and 1914

by Quendi in

i'm sure there are those on this board who can help me with some research questions.

they concern charles taze russell and his infatuation with 1914 and were posed to me by a member of my own small group.

we call ourselves jwa for jehovah's witnesses anonymous.

Doug Mason

Quendi,

Wow! What questions.

I have a very large file (21 meg!, sorry) in which I list people whom CTR wrote of glowingly.

http://www.jwstudies.com/People_important_to_Russell.pdf

On page 27, you will see an extract from Nelson Barbour's book, while on page 23 you will see a sample page from Barbour's magazine; CTR was his co-editor. I presume you have researched how CTR was impacted by Second Adventists and by Barbour. In 1823, Brown wrote his prophetic interpretation that ended in 1917; of course, we know of William Miller and the subsequent list of prophetic speculators that followed him (including those who spawned the Rapturists - Moody, Schofield, etc.).

CTR was a product of his time. The pyramid idea came from a British-Israelite, the Scottish Astronomer General Piazzi Smythe.

CTR did not rely greatly on Daniel 4; from memory he used Leviticus 26:18ff.

When Rutherford dropped the pyramids in the mid-1920s, he lost a large bulk of his followers.

CTR did not expect 1914 to usher in war; he taught that the Parousia had taken place in 1874, to be followed by 40 years of the "Time of Trouble", and 1914 would usher in unprecedented peace under the Zionists. You can see that in the name of his magazine, "Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence". He was working as a watchtower for the Zionists as they would be managing a peaceful earth from 1914, and he was also announcing that Christ was present since 1874 -- a teaching he got from Barbour.

http://www.jwstudies.com/Changed_MD_and_SS_words.pdf

Doug

15

Critique of the NOVEMBER 1 Watchtower article"When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?"

by Doug Mason in

this critique of the chronology article appearing in the watchtower of november 1, 2011 is in two parts:.

part a discusses points raised by the article;.

part b provides supporting evidences and additional material.. download both parts.

Doug Mason

Quendi,

Thank you for your kind words. I cannot tell you how pleased I am for you and your group.

Your testimony here will have a strong impact on many JWs. You confirm to them that other Witnesses have the same doubts and that they have stepped out.

The subject of the 607 BC doctrine provides a straw in the wind. When the WTS is prepared to act so deceptively when it is possible to check their sources, how does it behave when it interprets the Bible (such with the medical use of blood)?

I am fully aware there are many who also know the truth about the WTS but are unable to leave its influence because of the impact of shunning. My thoughts are with them as well.

Doug

15

Critique of the NOVEMBER 1 Watchtower article"When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?"

by Doug Mason in

this critique of the chronology article appearing in the watchtower of november 1, 2011 is in two parts:.

part a discusses points raised by the article;.

part b provides supporting evidences and additional material.. download both parts.

Doug Mason

BroMac,

Thank you for your testimony. You brought genuine tears to my eyes.

Freedom is precious. Never give yours away again.

Doug

15

Critique of the NOVEMBER 1 Watchtower article"When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?"

by Doug Mason in

this critique of the chronology article appearing in the watchtower of november 1, 2011 is in two parts:.

part a discusses points raised by the article;.

part b provides supporting evidences and additional material.. download both parts.

Doug Mason

Lazarus,

I understand your paranoia. I produce such material only because of the heartbreaking stories of constant tension and paranoia that the WTS leadership creates.

Freedom is precious.

I am told of one person who is going to translate it into another language.

If you wish, write to me at my email address. You will find it on the page after the front cover of the Critique. I give you my guarantee that I will never divulge your information to anyone.

Doug

11

Application For Holocaust Funds

by Bangalore in

application for holocaust funds.. http://www.swissbankclaims.com/pdfs_eng/watchtowerbible.pdf.

united states district court for the eastern district of.

new york.

Doug Mason

I hope you are not trying to raise the hope of financial compensation for any JW survivors of Nazi persecution. The financial compensation for Jews in regards to Nazi persecution was time-limited, and has long closed. The provisions for compensation were enacted by individual governments (Austria, etc.), and any action by the Swiss would have been only one of a number.

The Nazis, being German, kept detailed records of their victims. For example, the book dealing with JWs in Auschwitz (available from Auschwitz museum) includes details such as photos of JWs. The Nazis kept so many records that they cover many kilometres of files at Bad Arolsen in Germany, initially administered by the International Red Cross. From the details kept by the Nazis, I was able to know the dates my grandparents were transported from Vienna and the dates of their murders.

The text suggests the WTS was making a corporate grab for money, without having evidence or having experienced the horrors of the Shoah. ("If the court sees fit to allocate a portion of the settlement fund to the Watch Tower to continue this work of remembrance.")

Doug