Posts by Doug Mason

13

I know this sounds gross

by Doug Mason in

there is a medical procedure known as: fecal microbiota transplantation (or transfusion).. has the watchtower society identified whether blood is possibly transfused through this process?

if it has, what is its verdict?

if it has not investigated this medical procedure, why hasn't it?.

I presume the product could easily contain whole blood, and this is a transfusion process. Has the WTS openly objected to this process, which is a procedure that is medically accepted and administered - that has save many lives and influenced various serious ailments with some patients.

I shall need to research this. My questions include the timing of its modern application, as compared to the timing of the WTS's start of opposing the tranfsusion of blood (relaxed somewhat in recent times), and if it was an ancient medical practice.

If you get the chance, watch "Life On Us, Part 2: Superhuman". (Try YouTube - at a cost.) Part 1 is also amazing, about the animals and stuff that live on our skin.

Doug

13

I know this sounds gross

by Doug Mason in

there is a medical procedure known as: fecal microbiota transplantation (or transfusion).. has the watchtower society identified whether blood is possibly transfused through this process?

if it has, what is its verdict?

if it has not investigated this medical procedure, why hasn't it?.

Doug Mason

There is a medical procedure known as: fecal microbiota transplantation (or transfusion).

Has the Watchtower Society identified whether blood is possibly transfused through this process? If it has, what is its verdict? If it has not investigated this medical procedure, why hasn't it?

Was James, he of "First Century Governing Body" fame, aware of this medical procedure, just as he was aware of the medical transfusion of parts of blood?

Doug

20

John 1:1-18

by Doug Mason in

i spent a couple of hours trying to work out the poetic structure of john 1:1-18. i have made my first rough draft available as a word document so that others can amend it for themselves.

the text i used is from the niv.

it will be interesting to see the poetic structures produced by analyses of other translations.. http://www.jwstudies.com/chiasms_of_john_1_vv_1_to_18.docx.

Doug Mason

Thank you Bobcat,

I used that site to create for myself a searchable PDF.

It brings up another thought: given the way in which, at ch 21:31, the John Gospel returns to its opening, I wonder if it would be possible to create a multi-level chiastic analysis of the whole Gospel. Not right now for me, unless someone has done it already. I'll have a look at the commentary on by Leon Morris that I have, but I seriously doubt it. Neither do I think that Spong looks at the chiasms in his consideration of the Gospel. I will have to look some other time.

Doug

20

John 1:1-18

by Doug Mason in

i spent a couple of hours trying to work out the poetic structure of john 1:1-18. i have made my first rough draft available as a word document so that others can amend it for themselves.

the text i used is from the niv.

it will be interesting to see the poetic structures produced by analyses of other translations.. http://www.jwstudies.com/chiasms_of_john_1_vv_1_to_18.docx.

Doug Mason

Bobcat,

I located that book and it certainly provides an exhaustive analysis. Thanks,

Doug

20

John 1:1-18

by Doug Mason in

i spent a couple of hours trying to work out the poetic structure of john 1:1-18. i have made my first rough draft available as a word document so that others can amend it for themselves.

the text i used is from the niv.

it will be interesting to see the poetic structures produced by analyses of other translations.. http://www.jwstudies.com/chiasms_of_john_1_vv_1_to_18.docx.

Doug Mason

Villagegirl,

I found the Orthodox Jewish Bible at:

http://www.afii.org/OJB.pdf

where it is possible to download the complete book.

This is a bit bewildering at the moment. Obviously this requires some research.

Thanks,

Doug

20

John 1:1-18

by Doug Mason in

i spent a couple of hours trying to work out the poetic structure of john 1:1-18. i have made my first rough draft available as a word document so that others can amend it for themselves.

the text i used is from the niv.

it will be interesting to see the poetic structures produced by analyses of other translations.. http://www.jwstudies.com/chiasms_of_john_1_vv_1_to_18.docx.

Doug Mason

Bobcat,

Thank you for that find. I will have a very close look at it.

People like you are a great resource and help.

Doug

20

John 1:1-18

by Doug Mason in

i spent a couple of hours trying to work out the poetic structure of john 1:1-18. i have made my first rough draft available as a word document so that others can amend it for themselves.

the text i used is from the niv.

it will be interesting to see the poetic structures produced by analyses of other translations.. http://www.jwstudies.com/chiasms_of_john_1_vv_1_to_18.docx.

Doug Mason

Villagegirl,

That Orthodox Jewish Bible is most interesting! I will have to look into it. Especially as it uses the Divine Name (Hashem). And the way that it references the Hebrew Bible - Isaiah, Genesis and Psalms; have you looked at these references they give?

Wow, that is a most fascinating find.

Doug

28

need advice

by search4truth in

jw
friends

my spouse felt a need to tell to elders about me reading apostate websites and speaking against wt stuff , so they'll probably try to readjust my apostate thinking any time soon.

my spuse never see me reading anything but, during our arguments i did't keep my mouth shut and she knows that i had to read it somwhere and it wasn't jw.org.

could this get my in the trouble if my spose is the only witness and never spoke to another person about this stuff ?

Doug Mason

Is it possible that an elder is put in a bind if they are told something? And if that elder took no action, does that elder put himself at risk? If that is so, that forces the elder to act, knowing the effects on him if he does not toe the party line.

It sounds as if North Korea could learn a thing or two from the Watch Tower Society.

Doug

17

"Aren't you going the wrong way at this stage of your life?"

by donny in

that was a question posed to me by a friend who just recently discovered my switch from one who used to have a belief in god to one that has a lack thereof.. they stated "most people i know, including your truly, were not much interested in closely following the tenants of the faith we were brought up in when we were in the prime of our young adulthood.

you on the other hand, were much more zealous back then and now have pretty much left it all behind.

surely it is not because you are not sowing your oats at this time.".

Doug Mason

Excellent Donny!

I am now 73 and I am comforted with the thought that when I die, which by the law of averages cannot be in the distant future, that I shall return to the non-conscious state that I came from. At peace. Death thus has no fear for me. Religion works on fear, saying that you have a problem and we have the only cure.

For many people, religion provides them with comfort and meaning in a threatening world that is out of control. People generally look for patterns and when there is none, they blame it on their God punishing those who have strayed. The ancients had their multiple Gods, each assigned a task.

But the reality is that chaos is the norm. Everything is random. The only constant is variation.

Whether God exists or not is God's problem, not mine.

Doug

8

What does this sentence mean?

by Doug Mason in

the very first sentence of the topic "inspiration" at "insight on the scriptures" volume 1, page 1202 reads:.

"the quality or state of being moved by or produced under the direction of a spirit from a superhuman source.".

is it defining "inspiration" as a "quality or state"?.

Doug Mason

talesin,

Would it be any easier to comprehend the sentence if it were to be considered in the context of 2 Tim 3:16 as rendered in the NWT? Talking about that verse, why do translations render it as "inspired OF God"? Does the word "of" mean "by" or "about"? (There is no verb in the Greek, as you will have noticed: "All Scripture God-breathed and beneficial ... ." [Kingdom Interlinear Translation, 1969].)

I hasten to add that the Greek word rendered as "inspired" (breath in) is taken to be "God-breathed".

Can you see why I have problems with that opening sentence from the "Insight on the Scriptures"? And of course "inspiration" is a noun while "inspired" is not.

Thanks,

Doug