Posts by Doug Mason

11

"The Cyrus Cylinder"

by Doug Mason in

i suspect that i am the last one here who has read the book: the cyrus cylinder: the king of persias proclamation from ancient babylon, edited by irving finkel; published by i. b. tauris, 2013; 144 pages.. so i simply wish to record my deep admiration for the book.

it explains and analyses the cylinders text as well as providing a sympathetic account of the people involved with its ancient and modern history.

(chapter 1: the babylonian perspective; chapter 2: discovery; chapter 5: a persian perspective.

Doug Mason

I suspect that I am the last one here who has read the book: “The Cyrus Cylinder: The King of Persia’s Proclamation from Ancient Babylon”, edited by Irving Finkel; published by I. B. Tauris, 2013; 144 pages.

So I simply wish to record my deep admiration for the book. It explains and analyses the Cylinder’s text as well as providing a sympathetic account of the people involved with its ancient and modern history. (Chapter 1: The Babylonian perspective; Chapter 2: Discovery; Chapter 5: a Persian perspective. Chapters 3 and 4 are relevant to the display and presentation by the Museum.)

The idea that originally there were several versions of Cyrus’s decree, including on conventional flat tablets, could explain why Cyrus’s words recorded by Ezra are different to the words on the cylinder and it lends weight to Lisbeth Fried’s argument that I provide under the heading of “A temple–building inscription” in my Study at http://www.jwstudies.com/They_would_not_listen_Version_1.pdf (pages 110 to 111; PDF pages 118-119).

Doug

23

The New World Translation

by Coded Logic in

one of the jws foundational doctrines is their belief in the inerrancy of the bible.

there are several methods they use to try and support this position including their claim that the bible, as it exists today, is the exact same bible that has been around for thousands of years.

they teach that gods word has been perfectly preserved.

Doug Mason

Regarding the use of the book of Enoch, etc., see the list at (document) pages 22 ff of: http://www.jwstudies.com/God-breathed_Scriptures.pdf ("Document" page 22 is "PDF" page 27)

Doug

23

The New World Translation

by Coded Logic in

one of the jws foundational doctrines is their belief in the inerrancy of the bible.

there are several methods they use to try and support this position including their claim that the bible, as it exists today, is the exact same bible that has been around for thousands of years.

they teach that gods word has been perfectly preserved.

Doug Mason

In the article on "Inspiration" in the WTS's "Insight" volume 1, they state that the original writings are without error but that this cannot be said of the copies (which of course were cited by the NT writers).

“Absolute inerrancy is therefore to be attributed to the written Word of God. This is true of the original writings, none of which are known to exist today.” (“Insight on the Scriptures”, Vol. 1, page 1206)

“The copies of those original writings and the translations made in many languages cannot lay claim to absolute accuracy.” (“Insight”, Vol. 1, page 1206)

Doug

8

IS THE MARTYRDOM OF STEPHEN (Gasp!) just a literary device to introduce the character of Saul?

by Terry in

new testament scholars seem pretty unanimous about it: paul's letters (epistles) are the earliest/ first christian writings.. scholars seem in pretty solid agreement the so-called gospels (matthew, mark, luke, john) came later.. i think few would disagree the writings of paul were extraordinarily impactful.. **.

christians throughout the community of jesus followers were split on what was true and not true.. many did not approve of the teachings of paul (especially when paul told practising jews that the o.t.

laws were abolished!).

Doug Mason

"Acts of the Apostles" is an artificially structured religious story designed to paper over the chasms between James/Peter (Jerusalem) and Paul (Antioch). Apart from the obvious balance in the structure of Acts between Peter and Paul, there is any number of inconsistencies between Paul's accounts and those in Acts. The most obvious one is Paul's account of his conversion and of his relationship with Jerusleam that he set out in Galatians against the "Damascus Road" story and the "Religious Councils" as described in Acts.

This book of Acts is one of several that were written at the time.

Doug

2

The Watchtower on "How Reliable Are the Gospels?"

by opusdei1972 in

there is a watchtower article entitled "how reliable are the gospels?

" (w08 10/1 pp.

12-14 ), which states the following:.

Doug Mason

It's pure circular reasoning by the WTS to use the Gospels to prove the Gospels.

And it's a pure assumption, based solely on the tradition of the Church Fathers whom the WTS says were apostate, to say that each Gospel was written by the name that is attributed to it.

Doug

11

Jehovah deceives us

by opusdei1972 in

paul said that god does not lie:.

in the hope of eternal life, which god, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time (titus 1:2).

however, jehovah god deceived his people:.

Doug Mason

You can "prove" anything by jumping around willy-nilly.

Look at the contemporary contexts of each passage, such as the culture, events, idioms, and so on, as well as the literary contexts of each, including tools such as chaistic structures.

The Bible is not a flat board; it is not one book written by one person or group of people. It is religious history not a literal account.

The Bible is not a flat chess board, in which the Knight can jump from a black square to a white one, ignoring all obstacles.

If you want to prove they are liars, then do so, working from black and white factual evidence, not from a predetermined conclusion.

BTW. There is al least one lie in Titus - it was not written by Paul.

Doug

23

HELP needed for a friend, please. Anyone?..

by defender of truth in

a friend of mine (who has recently started reading jwn) is having trouble eating and sleeping because, even after having recently woken up to ttatt.. they are still concerned about 'demons, everlasting destruction, and jehovahs disapproval'.. i've tried to encourage them.

i'm sure you all understand that these things can take time, the transition period is often painful, to some extent.

i'm still struggling with anger and depression myself.. i'll be away from jwn, off the internet, and thus out of contact with them for a while (don't ask why)... so please don't expect me to reply to or even look at what you post, .

Doug Mason

At the core of a successful relation are the principles of: Trust, Integrity, Honesty, Respect, and Openness. My previous Post in this Thread addressed the Watchtower Society's failings in each of these, across a range of areas.

The WTS demands and commands unquestioned allegiance and obedience, but these cannot be forced, only earned.

In the context of this Thread, attacking the Bible would be counter-productive. Rather, the WTS should be asked why it accepts Christendom's Bible.

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

Doug

23

HELP needed for a friend, please. Anyone?..

by defender of truth in

a friend of mine (who has recently started reading jwn) is having trouble eating and sleeping because, even after having recently woken up to ttatt.. they are still concerned about 'demons, everlasting destruction, and jehovahs disapproval'.. i've tried to encourage them.

i'm sure you all understand that these things can take time, the transition period is often painful, to some extent.

i'm still struggling with anger and depression myself.. i'll be away from jwn, off the internet, and thus out of contact with them for a while (don't ask why)... so please don't expect me to reply to or even look at what you post, .

Doug Mason

The first step is to recognise the Watchtower Society’s deliberate dishonesty. The WTS consistently misquotes and misrepresents. The following provides just a minimal start; there is so much more.

Doug
-----------------

(1) Blood.

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

(2) WTS history.

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

http://www.jwstudies.com/1984_Watchtower_Cover_1914_Generation.jpg

http://www.jwstudies.com/Watchtower_1894_07_15_page_226.pdf

http://www.jwstudies.com/1917_Correspondence__landscape_.pdf

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

(3) Scholars.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/223470/1/Scholastic-Dishonesty-June-2012-Awake-Jewish-Exile-Timeline#.VAZICGMvlqw

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

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

http://www.jwstudies.com/Critique_of_When_Was_Ancient_Jerusalem_Destroyed.pdf (page 26ff)

http://www.jwstudies.com/The_June_2012_Awake_Citation_of_Ephraim_Stern.pdf

http://www.jwstudies.com/Mantey_to_the_WTS_1974.pdf

For one example of the WTS’s misrepresentation of George Howard, see pages 1 – 2 of: http://www.jwstudies.com/The_Divine_Name_in_Shem-Tobs_Matthew.pdf

also: http://watchtowertruth.blogspot.com.au/2008/11/july-1-2008-wt-lies-about-divine-name.html

http://www.amazon.com/scholastic-dishonesty-Watchtower-Michael-Buskirk/dp/B0006Y4BTG

(4) Use of “Jehovah” in the NWT Christian Greek Scriptures

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

http://www.jwstudies.com/The_Divine_Name_in_Shem-Tobs_Matthew.pdf

(5) Truth keeps changing, and it becomes a lie, until that is changed

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

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

http://www.jwstudies.com/2010_change_to_generations.pdf

The following is the WTS’s official definition of “Lie”:

LIE: The opposite of truth. Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another person. … People have told lies to escape deserved punishment, to profit at the expense of others, and to gain or maintain certain advantages, material rewards, or the praise of men.

Especially serious have been the religious lies, as they have endangered the future life of persons deceived by them. … The exchange of God’s truth for “the lie,” the falsehood of idolatry, can cause a person to become a practicer of what is degrading and vile.

The case of the religious leaders of Judaism in the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry shows what can happen when one abandons the truth. …

While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it. (“Insight on the Scriptures”, Volume 2, pages 244-245, article: “Lie”)

4

The History Of Yahweh ..(The Hebrew God Of The Bible)

by opusdei1972 in

interesting video:.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc3nxoft9no.

Doug Mason

"Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan", by John Day (Sheffield Academic Pess)

"The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel", by Mark S. Smith (William Eerdmans Publishing)

Doug

3

Transglutaminase

by Doug Mason in

transglutaminase is often used in the formation of meats -- including expensive cuts of meat, skinless sausages, chicken, and fish -- as well as in the preparation of some dairy products such as some cheese and yoghurt, and in tofu, which vegetarians consume.. transglutaminase, also known as "meat glue" is often created from a coagulating product in the blood of pigs or cattle.

factor viii, which blood product the wts permits, is one such transglutaminase.. has the wts made any public statements regarding the widespread use of this product?

or does its permission to use sub-particles of blood cover the use of "meat glue"?.

Doug Mason

Transglutaminase is often used in the formation of meats -- including expensive cuts of meat, skinless sausages, chicken, and fish -- as well as in the preparation of some dairy products such as some cheese and yoghurt, and in tofu, which vegetarians consume.

Transglutaminase, also known as "meat glue" is often created from a coagulating product in the blood of pigs or cattle. Factor VIII, which blood product the WTS permits, is one such transglutaminase.

Has the WTS made any public statements regarding the widespread use of this product? Or does its permission to use sub-particles of blood cover the use of "meat glue"?

The use of this product is not always disclosed in an ingredients list, or it is disclosed with the generic description of "enzyme".

Doug