Doug Mason

Joined

• started 457 topics
• posted 2,351 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Doug Mason

• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  Crazyguy,

  Broadly speaking, I have no dramas with your general direction. Of course, each of us will disagree on details, but then we are not clones of one another.

  By disagreeing, we sharpen our own thinking, learn from others, and constantly grow. To demand that others must agree with us would make us candidates for membership of the Governing Body.

  None of the Scriptures represents what we would term "history". They are not literal accounts, including the Gospels. The are religious accounts that are driven by ideology.

  In my view, the OT and the NT are vehicles that use superstition and the supernatural to manage and control. It is only by reading and researching the full contexts that we can understand and be able to withstand the pressures employed to control us. To me, one context is that the NT is as much a Jewish product as is the OT, which helps us better appreciate it.

  I do not know the extent of the Egyptian control. Moses' Yahwist religion came from down south, from the Kenites while at the latter stages of both Israel's and Judah's history, they were dominated by Assyria. Judah was the minor party in the relationship with Israel, despite the propaganda from Judah.

  Doug
• 
  4

  The worlds largest solar power plant

  by pepperheart in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi just been watching on youtube a national geographic programe about the worlds largest solar power plant .its in india and its really worth a look.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  The race for economic growth and development is between India and China. The suggestion is that by the end of the century, India will be the winner. I won't be around to check.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  Ruby,

  Of the books on my wish-list, the book I would have liked most to see:

  “Only One God? Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah”, Dijkstra, Vriezen, Becking.

  Costing more than $100 Australian plus postage, it is beyond reach. I see sites offering "free download" but I am wary that these might be scams and that I could be downloading something sinister (apologies to the left-handed).

  I see a site kisslibrary but I am dead scared to try them. They are cheap BUT they do not accept payPAl and they are located in Belarus. I am a very cautious and skeptical individual.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  ruby,

  I am impressed at your qualifications. Let me tell you mine:

  I am a graduate of the University of Life from the faculty of Hard Knocks.

  My expertise is in the metallurgy associated with hand soldering, although I also taught and trained in the areas of electronics and telecommunications.

  I have no axe to grind, no religion to promote. My only hope is to make people open their eyes to the human creation of the supernatural. I suppose my only advantage is that I inherited Jewish genes, but which never saw the light of being manifested religiously at any stage. I am told that my maternal grandfather (gassed by the Nazis) was an avowed atheist.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  crazyguy,

  My understanding is that the northern nation of Israel were early adopters of EL and his pantheon of gods. After all, they are called IsraEL, not Israyhwh.

  Moses obtained his knowledge of YHWH from the Kenites, who I understand lived in Midian. His father-in-law was a priest and Moses' wife had to teach Moses that YHWH required male circumcision. Moses brought YHWH up with him, where the people were worshiping EL (shaddai).

  The Kenites remained alongside the Israelites and they continued to support one another.

  I have a suspicion that Judah and Israel were different people speaking different languages, but I am open to correction on that (and on anything). The two nations were united only under three kings.

  The northern scribes produced documents promoting their perspectives (E) while the scribes in the south, at Jerusalem, produced not only their version (J) but also their demand that worship become centralised in Jerusalem.

  During the Neo-Babylonian era, scribes created their self-serving history (D) now known as the Deuteronomic History (DH) -- Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings.

  About 200 to 300 years later, someone who was not satisfied with the political slant of Kings, wrote Chronicles.

  The truism states that secular politics is sometimes dirty but religious politics is always dirty.

  Apologies for the digressions.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  crazyguy,

  The Masoretes are from relatively recent history. If you want to read about their influence, "Textual Criticism Of The Hebrew Bible" by Emanuel Tov includes interesting insights -- as well as on many many other things. It is a very thorough and technical book.

  For instance, he says that when the Masoretes created their version -- and destroyed all previous ones -- they set in concrete all the previous errors.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  If you do not have ready access to "Monotheism and the Prophetic Minority" by Bernhard Lang, I have made Chapter 1 temporarily available at:

  http://www.jwstudies.com/Monotheism__Minority__Lang__chapt_1.pdf
  

  Apologies for the quality of the scan, but my intention to make it was purely personal.

  Doug
• 
  13

  Are Anointed Female JW`s To Grow Beards In Heaven ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  ok i have been out for over 25 years however i was active for 33 years and every picture /illustration of the 144,000 in wt publications i ever saw always showed the anointed/144000 with jesus on the throne apparently all male with beards.. not one woman was ever depicted in their drawings/illustrations that i ever saw of those sharing kingly rule with christ jesus not one.. and the saying is : 'a picture speaks more than a thousand words".

  i can hear a jw apologist saying now [ their is no gender in heaven neither male or female ] well if that is the case why are everybody illustrated wearing a beard clearly a sign of being of the male gender.?.

  in the wt illustrations/pictures of angels they are not shown as having beards giving the impression they are neither male or female .however not with those taken to heaven to rule with christ the anointed.. maybe the governing body of jehovah`s witnesses are showing their true feelings about women who claim to be of the anointed .. that the g.b.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  Hi Smiddy,

  Yes that's an interesting passage in their "Insight" book, and the illustration is quite bizarre. Looks like fun, I don't think. At least the good JWs on earth continue to have children and eat apples.

  Maybe the resurrected GB members are not allowed to have razor blades or electric shavers.

  Doug
• 
  110

  References to YHWH in ancient documents

  by Doug Mason in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  page 15 of awake!

  2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

  provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  Thank you for your kind offer Ruby. i will keep you in mind, and if I need help in the future we would need to communicate via email.

  Right at this moment I am extracting material from "Monotheism and the Prophetic Minority" by Bernhard Lang and then I will be doing the same with "Asherah and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel" by Saul Olyan.

  There are others I have yet to consider, including works dealing with the Judahite Pillar Figurines.

  I have worked my way through several other sources, such as "The Birth of Monotheism" by Andre Lemaire, "The Female Goddess", Patai, "When God was a woman", Stone, the books by Mark Smith, by John Day, and by William Dever. and so on.

  My intention is to focus on the Israelites, in other words up to and including the Neo-Babylonian Era. I plan to consider the subsequent era from about 550 BCE (round figure) up to 100 CE as Jewish (not Israelite). I then see Christianity evolving from the second century.

  So that's where I am at. It's the stage we called the "brown paper bag" stage, where all sorts of potential ideas are collected.

  There are books I would like to access but the prices are exorbitant and I wonder whether they would have added to the picture.

  Doug
• 
  13

  Are Anointed Female JW`s To Grow Beards In Heaven ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  ok i have been out for over 25 years however i was active for 33 years and every picture /illustration of the 144,000 in wt publications i ever saw always showed the anointed/144000 with jesus on the throne apparently all male with beards.. not one woman was ever depicted in their drawings/illustrations that i ever saw of those sharing kingly rule with christ jesus not one.. and the saying is : 'a picture speaks more than a thousand words".

  i can hear a jw apologist saying now [ their is no gender in heaven neither male or female ] well if that is the case why are everybody illustrated wearing a beard clearly a sign of being of the male gender.?.

  in the wt illustrations/pictures of angels they are not shown as having beards giving the impression they are neither male or female .however not with those taken to heaven to rule with christ the anointed.. maybe the governing body of jehovah`s witnesses are showing their true feelings about women who claim to be of the anointed .. that the g.b.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Doug Mason

  For those called by God to the heavenly calling (Heb 3:1) to be joint heirs with Jesus Christ, there is no distinction between men and women in a spiritual sense. The apostle writes: “You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ … there is neither male nor female; for you are all one person in union with Christ Jesus.” (Ga 3:26-28) These all must receive a change of nature at their resurrection, being made partakers together of “divine nature,” in which state none will be women, for there is no female sex among spirit creatures. ("Insight on the Scriptures", Vol. 2, page 1196, art.: “Woman”)

  Also, see the Illustration in The Watchtower, 2006 July 15, page 4, shown at:

  https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/w20060715/gods-kingdom-is-superior/

  The illustration at the bottom of this URL shows children, so ...

  Doug