Posts by Doug Mason

5

"Make Disciples of All Nations"

by Tiresias in

"meaning, of course israelites living among all nations" (social science commentary on the letters of paul, p.17) (italics mine).. .

the above authors suggest that paul was an "apostle to israelite minorities living among non-israelite majority populations" (p.7).

for me, such understanding clarified a number of things that were, in effect, hiding in plain sight.

Doug Mason

Paul was a member of the Jewish Diaspora, and the people of Jerusalem knew him only by reputation, not by face.

Paul and the leadership at Jerusalem (James, Cephas and John) were at loggerheads with one another. That is the reason they fought him; Paul had a "no-Law" Gospel but the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem demanded full obedience to Mosaic traditions and laws, signified through male circumcision.

When they spoke about "all nations", they knew of the nations around the Mediterranean (meaning "middle of the earth") plus those nations involved with trade (India, etc). And Paul wrote that the Gospel (his version of it, anyway) had reached all nations. He and the rest fully expected the "end" (Coming) to take place within their own lifetime.

There is absolutely no way that one can relate the nations that we know with the nations which existed in their times. Even modern nations such as Italy, Germany, and Iraq are very recent federations of disparate states. And to think that Paul (or Daniel or the Revelator) knew anything about USA, Russia and so on is beyond belief.

Doug

15

"The Ark Before Noah"

by Doug Mason in

as well as providing new archaeological information, the book "the ark before noah: decoding the story of the flood" by irving finkel (published 2014) provides material for those of us who are interested in the neo-babylonian period.

for example, one subheading is: "why were the judeans in babylon?

" (page 226).. dr irving finkel is assistant keeper of ancient mesopotamian script, languages, and cultures at the british museum.

Doug Mason

Well, am I the deepest shade of green with envy!!

When I attempted to watch the TV program online, I was informed that I was not permitted to watch it, presumably due to international copyright restrictions. Unfortunately, my guess is that if or when this series is shown on TV in Australia that it will be confined to pay TV, which is not subscribed to by the majority of Aussies, myself included.

Doug

38

The Books That Redefined C.T. Russell's Beliefs

by Maat13 in

according to wt history, as a youth/young man, ct russell was unsatisfied with a number of explanations he was taught about the bible.

as a result he went on a quest to 'study' the bible himself.

ultimately this led to an organization that now requires its members to read bible aids to help them understand the bible.

Doug Mason

The following books provide the bigger picture of the centuries-long prophetic speculation, of which the 19th century was one small part:

"Apocalypse & Millennium: Studies in Biblical Eisegesis", Kenneth G. C. Newport (Cambridge University Press, 2000); www.cambridge.org/9780521773348

"A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization", Jonathan Kirsch (Harper Collins, 2006).

The lesson that history teaches is that people do not learn the lesson that history teaches.

Doug

15

"The Ark Before Noah"

by Doug Mason in

as well as providing new archaeological information, the book "the ark before noah: decoding the story of the flood" by irving finkel (published 2014) provides material for those of us who are interested in the neo-babylonian period.

for example, one subheading is: "why were the judeans in babylon?

" (page 226).. dr irving finkel is assistant keeper of ancient mesopotamian script, languages, and cultures at the british museum.

Doug Mason

As well as providing new archaeological information, the book "The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood" by Irving Finkel (published 2014) provides material for those of us who are interested in the neo-Babylonian period. For example, one subheading is: "Why were the Judeans in Babylon?" (page 226).

Dr Irving Finkel is assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages, and cultures at the British Museum. He writes with good humour with freshness and an obvious love. The Guardian wrote:

"Finkel's conclusions will send ripples into the world of creationism and among ark hunters".

Doug

38

The Books That Redefined C.T. Russell's Beliefs

by Maat13 in

according to wt history, as a youth/young man, ct russell was unsatisfied with a number of explanations he was taught about the bible.

as a result he went on a quest to 'study' the bible himself.

ultimately this led to an organization that now requires its members to read bible aids to help them understand the bible.

Doug Mason

Maat,

I suggest that the people with the greatest influence were Rutherford and Fred Franz. The former ditched much of Russell's ideas (1874, pyramidology, etc) while the ideas that Rutherford introduced (1914, "Jehovah's Witnesses", etc.) shaped the organisation. Franz built on Rutherford's framework. Rutherford was "crash-through". Knorr was a businessman.

The WTS therefore looks at Russell through the lens of his successors. The reality is that Russell was a product of his time - the 19th century US prophetic speculators.

It is worth noting that there are innumerable splinter groups which owe their origin to Russell. He would not recognise the current Watchtower Society as having succeeded him.

Doug

38

The Books That Redefined C.T. Russell's Beliefs

by Maat13 in

according to wt history, as a youth/young man, ct russell was unsatisfied with a number of explanations he was taught about the bible.

as a result he went on a quest to 'study' the bible himself.

ultimately this led to an organization that now requires its members to read bible aids to help them understand the bible.

Doug Mason

Hi Maat,

I can only provide a pen-picture of people who influenced CTR. My compilation, including the WTS's first President (not CTR) is available at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/People_important_to_Russell1.pdf

For comprehensive studies see the two books by Schulz and de Vienne: "Nelson Barbour: The Millennium's Forgotten Prophet", and "A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion’s Watch Tower: 1870-1887"

Doug

7

A FUNDAMENTALIST changes his mind (how very rare!) Intellectual honesty at work

by Terry in

from professor bart ehrman's blog: fundamentalists and the variants in our manuscripts20.

jun.

first, our friends among the fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals.

Doug Mason

Hi Terry,

I highly recommend the book: "A High View of Scripture? The Authority of the Bible and the Formation of the New Testament Canon", by Craig D. Allert.

It is written with the fundamentalist position clearly in view.

Doug

18

A question for the Trolley & Cosmopolitan Witnesses

by The Searcher in

ask them why not one scripture states that christians were instructed to be "witnesses of jehovah".. when they get flustered and tongue-tied because they cannot cite a single verse from matthew to revelation to back up their scripturally false "designer label", inform them that there are at least 30 scriptures which clearly show show that christians are to be witnesses for christ, not god!.

(isaiah 62:2) and you will be called by a new name, which jehovahs own mouth will designate.. (acts 11:26) ..........in antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called christians.. .

(matthew 10:18) ....before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations.. (mark 13:9) .......be put on the stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them.. (acts 1:8) ...........you will be witnesses of me in jerusalem, in all judea and samaria...... (john 1:15) john bore witness about him,.

Doug Mason

This focus on "Jehovah" results from the thought bubble in the 1930s by the Judge, Mr Rutherford, when he invented the title "Jehovah's Witnesses".

In doing so, Rutherford mistakenly used the word invented a few centuries previously by the Roman Catholic Church, so that not one JW calls on, uses or knows anything but this concocted word: Jehovah.

The context of "you are my witnesses says YHWH" at Isaiah 43:10, shows that it is being used derogatively: the people had witnessed (seen) the power of YHWH yet they had chosen to forsake him, and that was the reason for their parlous state, the captives of Babylon.

(As a footnote to this passage at Isaiah 43, note that this was written during the Babylonian Captivity, some 200 years after Isaiah lived and died.)

Doug

8

The power of thought

by Doug Mason in

i find it so interesting to see the intensity that results from intangible thoughts.

no one living today has any personal direct experience with the people who wrote and rewrote the jews' and christians' scriptures.

all that people have is in their imagination, yet they will demand that others have the identical mental model.. people are prepared to fight and argue over ideas, to the point of torture and murder.

Doug Mason

Terry,

I like what you have written!

Today, those who do read the Bible use it as an instrument to "prove" that their thoughts are correct, which was the reason those writings were produced in the first place.

Opinions based upon opinions, thoughts based on thoughts written by invisible people. Then these opinions drive actions, sometimes for good, sometimes in ways that harm mentally, physically, socially.

Doug

8

The power of thought

by Doug Mason in

i find it so interesting to see the intensity that results from intangible thoughts.

no one living today has any personal direct experience with the people who wrote and rewrote the jews' and christians' scriptures.

all that people have is in their imagination, yet they will demand that others have the identical mental model.. people are prepared to fight and argue over ideas, to the point of torture and murder.

Doug Mason

I find it so interesting to see the intensity that results from intangible thoughts. No one living today has any personal direct experience with the people who wrote and rewrote the Jews' and Christians' Scriptures. All that people have is in their imagination, yet they will demand that others have the identical mental model.

People are prepared to fight and argue over ideas, to the point of torture and murder. People are prepared to subject themselves to the thoughts of people, most often men, who beguile and control the minds and behaviours of large numbers.

My argument is always with the religious leadership, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, never with any individual Witness. Each can believe what they wish to, provided they do so willingly, freely, and with complete knowledge of all relevant facts. What each does is their own responsibility and their right. I wish to be able to live out my life in accord with my mental model so I must extend that right to all others.

Consider that amazingly tolerant humanitarian, Cyrus, the victor of Babylon and contrast him with that religious zealot, the authoritarian Ezra. Not that I met them personally - just thoughts in my mind.

Doug