Posts by Doug Mason

22

The most important day of the year. Sometimes. Sort of.

by Jeffro in

for jehovah's witnesses, the "most important day of the year" is supposed to be the 'memorial'.

this 'sacred' event is to be held after sunset on nisan 14. except most of the time, it isn't.. as 'explained' in the watchtower, 1 february 1976, page 73, the "governing body" (not capitalised at the time) takes it upon itself to 'determine' the 'actual' date of nisan 14. they claimed in the article that the 'modern' date for the start of nisan in the hebrew calendar is calculated differently to the ancient calculation.

however, that's not actually the case.. the actual calendation for determining the start of nisan was (since at least the neo-babylonian period) and is based on the metonic cycle - a sequence that repeats every 19 years.. in the metonic cycle, the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years have an extra (thirteenth) month (adar ii, or veadar).

Doug Mason

Paul (of the NT) was the earliest recorded writer. He said that he received his ideas directly from the resurrected Lord; he did not receive his ideas from any human.

He is the first person who dreamt up this "Last Supper" and this was copied (virtually word-for-word) by the writers of the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, later by Matthew and many decades later by Luke) - none of whom was in attendance at this Meal. The writers of John's Gospel place this event at a different location.

The idea of Jesus' death being taking place at Passover time was Paul's idea; it most likely did not happen at that time. The writers were not present at many of the events described as taking place at the trial or at the pillow talk by Pontius Pilate's wife. There was no arrangement for the release of a prisoner, such as Barabbas (meaning "son of the father).

Do not build a chronology from such a feeble foundation.

Doug

19

Danish book now in English: Judgment Day Must Wait: JWs-A Sect Between Idealism and Deceit, Poul Bregninge

by AndersonsInfo in

judgment day must wait: jehovah's witnesses- a sect between idealism and deceit [paperback]poul bregninge (author)publication date: july 16, 2013fear of the apocalypse that never comes!

it is what holds a jehovah's witness power-bound by the watch tower society in brooklyn.

armageddon is always just a little way around the corner.. .

Doug Mason

Publicity, including contents listing, is at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/Publicity_-_Judgment_day_must_wait.pdf

Doug

3

Updated chapter shows how and when the WTS's GB was created

by Doug Mason in

update:.

i have reviewed and rewritten one chapter of my study.. .

the updated version 2 is available at:.

Doug Mason

St G,

I see the actions in 1971 as one step that started in 1944. I hope I have shown the context, as reported in the 1944 articles: the Society had been instituted as a democracy (Rutherford was almost voted out and while in prison in 1919 said he would never allow that to happen again). In 1938, Rutherford brought out his change from a democracy to a "theocracy".

He died in 1942 and it was left to his business manager Knorr to institute organisational change. When he brought in his top-down control system, he included a Board of Directors ("Governing Body"). Franz created a religious rationale. The changes required a change in the original Charter, and the changed WT Charter had to be registered as being accepted with the secular authorities.

The roles and responsibilities continued to be thrashed out, and these were addressed in subsequent years, of which 1971 was a key date.

The "Faithful and Wise Servant" was in the WT vocabulary from Russell's time, and Rutherford wrote a major article in the 1927 Watchtower magazine.

The GB was made to be the "representative" of the FDS, who were all the 144,000 still on planet earth. Gradually, the term FDS became colloquially synonymous with the GB. The two threads (FDS and GB) thus gradually grew closer until the inevitable happened and the two merged in 2012 when the GB staged its takeover.

At least, that is how I see it.

Doug

3

Updated chapter shows how and when the WTS's GB was created

by Doug Mason in

update:.

i have reviewed and rewritten one chapter of my study.. .

the updated version 2 is available at:.

Doug Mason

UPDATE:

I have reviewed and rewritten one Chapter of my Study.

The updated Version 2 is available at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/Did_a__Governing_Body__govern_Paul__Part_1_-_The_Study_.pdf

The updated Chapter is available at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/Updated_chapter_Did_a_Governing_Body_govern_Paul.pdf

It shows how and when the Watchtower Society's Governing Body was created.

Doug

41

My Study: "Did a 'Governing Body' govern Paul?"

by Doug Mason in

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Doug Mason

UPDATE:

I have reviewed and rewritten one Chapter of my Study.

The updated Version 2 is available at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/Did_a__Governing_Body__govern_Paul__Part_1_-_The_Study_.pdf

The updated Chapter is available at:
http://www.jwstudies.com/Updated_chapter_Did_a_Governing_Body_govern_Paul.pdf

It shows how and when the Watchtower Society's Governing Body was created.

I will repeat this at a new Thread to ensure all have the opportunity to see this.

Doug

PS. Thanks, Vanderhoven7

272

A Video Series about 607 BC vs 587 BC

by Londo111 in

this is the main series playlist:.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=plynx0om_bmgbfmnapjr_v5fe9_pf8sqa1.

this is the accompanying video appendix:.

Doug Mason

Jeffro,

My points are made in the references I provided.

Doug

41

My Study: "Did a 'Governing Body' govern Paul?"

by Doug Mason in

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Doug Mason

In 1927, Rutherford said that the "Coming" (erchetai) in the parables of the "Talents" and of the "Faithful and wise servant" related to Jesus coming to the temple in 1918. That was the time the "Servant" class was created - comprising Jesus as its head and all spirit-anointed as the body/feet, although it could also refer to Christ alone or to the body/feet alone. It was in this way that Rutherford related the relationship between the "Faithful slave" and 1918. (He also said that the "Evil slave" were those people who had fellowshiped with him but now stood in opposition.)

Whereas Rutherford saw the Coming as a past event, the current WTS leadership says it refers to a future event that is associated with the Great Time of Trouble and Armagedon. Obviously then, they cannot relate the "Coming" to the setting up of the FDS. Rutherford's coming was an invisible action taking place in the heavenly temple, the current WTS teaching is completely visible, even violent.

The date of 1919 appears to first arise in the very early 1970s. At that time, and until 2013, the evolving Governing Body was a representative of the FDS class - the "spirit-anointed", little flock of 144,000. As I have said, Rutherford also saw it as a class.

However, from October 2012, and as announced in the July 15, 2013 Watchtower, the GB has expressly stated that it now limits the expression to itself.

Until 1930 at least, Rutherford's Presence (parousia) was confidently fixed at 1874.

Doug

41

My Study: "Did a 'Governing Body' govern Paul?"

by Doug Mason in

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Doug Mason

Vanderhoven7,

I finally converted that 1927 Watch Tower article into Word format. It is indeed most interesting, and I might be able to make another use of it. If you would like to see it, contact me by email.

Having seen how Rutherford approached the "Faithful and Wise Servant" it is likely I will need to make some improvement to my description of him. I will need to think about it, since I was trying to reflect how the current GB portrays what happened in 1919, but they were not specific as to the individual(s) concerned.

As I said, I do not want to distract by canvassing all the variant interpretations of those verses in Matt 24. Of course, that is not beyond the realms of possibility. I will think about it; there is no panic, since that point does not impact the thrust of my argument.

The question that arises from Rutherford's article is: "When is the FDS?"

Doug

272