Posts by Doug Mason

63

AUSTRALIA – Artemis Legal launches inquiry into group and class action lawsuits against Jehovah’s Witnesses

by jwleaks in

jw
friends

jehovah's witnesses - group action lawyers fighting for justice | artemis legal .

artemis legal | watchtower claims.

13 october 2015 .

Doug Mason

The Royal Commission is an enquiry. It is not a court. It can only make recommendations. The quality of evidence tendered before the enquiry does not require the legal rigour of evidence before a court.

The Commission has recommended that the Australian Government set up a compensation fund of $4 billion, but any decision lies outside the duties or powers of the Commission.

It can recommend to the Department of Public Prosecution that criminal proceedings should be commenced but the decision whether to do so is solely the prerogative of the Proscutor, not of the Commissioner.

I suspect there will be opportunists swarming around seeking to make money from these victims. Beware of anything at this early sate. The Commission has only been running for 2 years, and could probably run for a few more. Give it time to make its recommendations.

Doug

11

New Bibles on the website

by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

i was going through a few websites and isolating text of the 'deuteronimist history' for my channel on youtube today when i opened a tab to jw.org to see if they had actually dome anything in a few days.

to my surprise up popped the new bibles.. no for many year the only one they had was nwt 1984 and as of 2 years ago the rnwt with audio coming in slowly.

(the guys that do ezra are crap and lett ruins mark) a week or two ago they started adding a study bible starting with matthew.

Doug Mason

HTBWC,

I asked you what your intention is when you write: "isolating text of the Deuteronomistic history".

Friedman's work addresses the first 5 books, whereas the DH stretches further, in which Deuteronomy forms only the first scroll of the history. Hence my question.

No criticism, just curious, given your statement.

Doug

11

New Bibles on the website

by HowTheBibleWasCreated in

i was going through a few websites and isolating text of the 'deuteronimist history' for my channel on youtube today when i opened a tab to jw.org to see if they had actually dome anything in a few days.

to my surprise up popped the new bibles.. no for many year the only one they had was nwt 1984 and as of 2 years ago the rnwt with audio coming in slowly.

(the guys that do ezra are crap and lett ruins mark) a week or two ago they started adding a study bible starting with matthew.

Doug Mason

HowTheBibleWasCreated,

What do you mean by "isolating the text of the Deuteronomic History"?

Are you saying that you wish to isolate P texts within Deuteronomy through Kings? Friedman has done this with the J, E, P, D sources in the first five Biblical books through his book, "The Bible with Sources Revealed". (Scheidewind's book, "How the Bible Became a Book" is tangentially relevant.)

Are you suggesting that you are "isolating" P texts that lie within the Deuteronomic History?

Is Emanuel Tov's work of use? I do not know, just a genuine question, as I claim little understanding of Lower/Textual Criticism.

For me the more important question is not "How was the Bible created?" but rather "Why was the Bible created?"

Doug

28

Not on a WTS Cover - Famine Continues to Decline

by berrygerry in

that darn satan keeps confusing those horsies in apocalypse - they seem to be going in reverse.. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/global-hunger-calamitous-famine-eradicated-last-50-years.

Doug Mason

Matt 24 says nothing about "increase", just that they continue to exist - and should be ignored. An evil generation looks for signs.

In the Flood myth, people were going about their everyday normal affairs, completely unaware while Noah was busy.

Doug

28

Not on a WTS Cover - Famine Continues to Decline

by berrygerry in

that darn satan keeps confusing those horsies in apocalypse - they seem to be going in reverse.. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/global-hunger-calamitous-famine-eradicated-last-50-years.

Doug Mason

As a complete distraction from the theme of this thread - for which I apologise.

Mention is made of "obesity". This is an illness that is not understood but where much interesting research is being conducted. One Study, for example, links the chemical BPA, a product that if often used on the thermal paper handed out at the checkout.

Other factors include the study of epigenetics (possibly BPA is one factor), others are looking at it as an immune response.

It's a serious illness.

Again, apologies for the distraction.

Doug

28

Not on a WTS Cover - Famine Continues to Decline

by berrygerry in

that darn satan keeps confusing those horsies in apocalypse - they seem to be going in reverse.. http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/global-hunger-calamitous-famine-eradicated-last-50-years.

Doug Mason

In every century people have expected the final divine intervention to take place during their own lifetime. This includes the Essenes, Jesus, Paul, and the writer of Revelation. Read books such as "A History of the End of the World" by Jonathan Kirsch.

Russell was a product of his time, which produced many other similar people, including Darby, Scofield, and Moody.

As far as real statistics is concerned, see Pinker's book "The Better Angels of our Nature". He also appears on several YouTube presentations. See pages 53 ff of my Study at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/The_Watchtower_still_depends_on_1914.pdf

Doug

25

My thoughts on the last WT study. Keep in Expectation

by StarTrekAngel in

so i sat thru another brain mushing session for the sake of family.

it is no myth by now that the more time you spend awake the harder it is the accept that people just take all of this in without asking.

a computer has more reasoning abilities than your average jw at this point.

Doug Mason

startrekangel,

Each writer of these verses you cite - 1 Timothy, Revelation, Matthew - expected their words to relate to their own immediate time. All of them, including Paul and Jesus, were apocalyptic preachers who taught that "the end is nigh", in their lifetime.

Because they were wrong, in every century since then, people have reworked the words to make them apply to their own time. Because the expectations of people in each succeeding century has failed, history is forever repeated.

Today there is a plethora of groups who have not learned the lesson taught by history, of which the WTS is only one such group.

Doug

21

All 144,000 are on earth while the Great Multitude is in heaven

by Doug Mason in

why do the 144,000 need sealing?.

what does it mean that the angels hold back the winds so that the sealing can take place?.

where is the great multitude?.

Doug Mason

No, it was not Paul who said women could not teach. That was written by a misogynist at the end of the first century who pretended to be Paul. As far as Paul was concerned, in God's sight there was no difference between men and women. Paul certainly praised women. Also note the use of female "prophets" (preachers) in Acts and that Jesus was surrounded by and financially supported by women.

It is false reasoning to "go from the particular to the general" (I saw a dog with 3 legs therefore all dogs have 3 legs). Because some were misogynist (such as the Revelator) it does not mean that all were. The Bible does not belong to the Flat Earth Society, every piece or writing and the culture has to be understood individually in accordance with its specific environment.

With Revelation we have a pastiche of Hebrew texts and ideas. Presumably with his misogynist leanings, the writer of Revelation drew on the misbehaviour of the celestial beings in Genesis (as does Jesus) and on 1 Enoch.

I hope I am making some degree of sense.

Doug

21

All 144,000 are on earth while the Great Multitude is in heaven

by Doug Mason in

why do the 144,000 need sealing?.

what does it mean that the angels hold back the winds so that the sealing can take place?.

where is the great multitude?.

Doug Mason

Divergent,

You asked what this meant to me: Rev 14: 4 - "These are the ones who did not defile themselves with women; in fact, they are virgins."

One thought relates to the undesirable sexual intercourse between celestial beings with terrestrial beings, as described in Genesis.

There is much information on the www by searching for: Enoch sex. The Book of Enoch is heavily relied on throughout the NT and the following statement is relevant:

"The Enoch literature could look on sexual relations with women as defiling activity, unworthy of spiritual beings." (Continuum History of Apocalypticism, page 77)

Doug

21

All 144,000 are on earth while the Great Multitude is in heaven

by Doug Mason in

why do the 144,000 need sealing?.

what does it mean that the angels hold back the winds so that the sealing can take place?.

where is the great multitude?.

Doug Mason

jhine,

The Hebrews also borrowed their god(s) from their neighbours, including EL, YHWH, Asherah and Baal. And they borrowed the traditions of their neighbours, such as The Flood.

The Hebrews were poor hill-dwelling Canaanites who wished to differentiate themselves from the more affluent Canaanites who lived in the fertile valleys.

What makes the Hebrews unique compared to other communities of the time is the nature of the narrative they produced. Although much of it has no historical value, it provides an insight into the minds of a community that existed thousands of years ago - because they were writing to themselves and about themselves. It is important to recognise that what they wrote represents the political views of a small elite group, and we need to read what they condemn to discover the culture of the majority of the community.

Doug