Posts by Doug Mason

28

Why Judaism and the Torah ?

by Crazyguy in

so i have been studying early christianity a bit and noticed that before christianity really took off after 325 ce, there were a lot of religions.

gnostics teachings , belief in all sorts of different gods from egypt to greece .

the practice of emperor worship etc.

My understanding is that Rome was a very cosmopolitan society and that the Emperor was concerned at the disharmony within Christianity, including within Pauline Christianity. I suspect that although this sect was "selected", it was not the dominant form.

My position is that Constantine and Theodosius intervened to bring the internal Pauline disharmony to an end, and in the process imposed the positions held by one part of that sect (that's where Trinitarianism rears its head).

Regarding "shall". My first editor, and we are talking about 1971, refused anyone the use of the word "will". He said that something happened or it did not. Secondly, I read that the English and the Scots use "will" and "shall" with opposite meaning. (I think the reference was a book by Fowler. Was it an English Government style book? I wonder whether the Chicago Style Manual discusses "will" versus "shall". There are, of course, differences in the English language between the correct version - Australian - and all other versions.)

Out of all that, I use will to mean "I want to" and I use shall to mean "I am going to". Apologise for the quirks in my old mind.

I get annoyed when I hear someone say that "such-and-such prevented this from happening". In my mind, the word "from" is unnecessary.

I am sure that I will get comments and criticisms on my upcoming Study.

Doug

28

Why Judaism and the Torah ?

by Crazyguy in

so i have been studying early christianity a bit and noticed that before christianity really took off after 325 ce, there were a lot of religions.

gnostics teachings , belief in all sorts of different gods from egypt to greece .

the practice of emperor worship etc.

Doug Mason

Saename,

My desire is to show that the Watchtower lies. I am concerned at the human damage they cause through trashing families, risking lives because of their stance on the medical use of blood, and the mental damage they cause by forcing people to believe things they do not give full mental assent to. Apart from those factors, they can teach any doctrine they want to. It does not matter what a person believes, as long it causes no harm to themselves or others.

You have every right to disagree with my understanding of the 4th century experience of the Pauline Christians. I have no proof but I surmise that the power behind Constantine's selection of that group of Christians was deeply influenced by his mother, Helena.

While Constantine elevated the Paulines, the greater influence came with Theodosius in 381. But if you disagree, that is your right to do so, but when you disagree, please remain agreeable. And let me know what you believe.

I am fully aware that people do not agree with me and with likeminded people. I suspect that no two people agree 100% on every aspect of their belief system.

Later this week, I shall release my latest Study, "The Jesus-movements' First 200 Years". Being very conscious that reference to Bart Ehrman will colour the attitude of some to my Study, I make minimal reference to his work. Indeed, I provide some 800 direct quotations from about 50 books by several authors.

I genuinely look forward to seeing criticisms of that Study.

In the meantime, if you want an Ehrman-free analysis of the 4th century Christianity include the following, at least, in your analysis:

"AD 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Christian State", Charles Freeman.

"A New History of Early Christianity:, Charles Freeman.

"Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens, and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years", Philip Jenkins

"The Rise of Christianity", W.H.C. Frend.

The books by Geza Vermes are always enlightening.

For those who wonder why Christianity took the Hebrew Scriptures, ask the question: "Why did Christianity accept the New Testament Scriptures, when they are Jewish writings by Jews (apart from Luke-Acts, and Mark) about Jews?"

Doug

18

I have no prblems with "new light"

by Doug Mason in

there is nothing wrong with accepting new ideas.

even apostle paul changed his mind when he "saw the light".

indeed, i hope to learn new things every day.

Doug Mason

There is nothing wrong with accepting new ideas. Even Apostle Paul changed his mind when he "saw the light". Indeed, I hope to learn new things every day. There is nothing wrong with real "new light".

But I have problems with the way that the Watchtower operates its "new light" system. Not that a light stays on for long. It switches on and off, like the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree or it cycles like traffic light signals. What was old is new again, until it becomes old, waiting for its turn to be switched on again for a while.

All of that could be a cause for ridicule, but there is a seriously sinister side, at the human level. Each time a new light is switched on, the organization demands lock-step acceptance. All minds have to switch over, whether a person agrees or not, only to be told later that the process has once again been amended - sometimes reverting to previous ideas.

What havoc does this play with people's minds? Having to mouth ideas that in their minds they cannot accept yet must on pain of eternal damnation (or loss of family) be forced to give allegiance to? What mental damage does this result in?

Doug

5

Wanted: Aid to bible Understanding (.pdf) & j.w. 2010 CD

by Composer2005 in

hello all,.

i am trying to obtain the following -

aid to bible understanding.pdf & watchtower cd 2010. can any help?.

Doug Mason

I have the Aid book. It is a 122 meg PDF, so I would need to send it to you via DropBox. This means you will need to email me so that I know your email address. Do not worry as I do not pass on personal information without being given written permission to do so.

You will find my email address at:

http://www.jwstudies.com/contact_me.html

Doug

22

I have proof Noah built the Ark just like God told him to

by KateWild in

.

Doug Mason

In the Biblical account, two distinct "Flood stories" are intertwined. For example, did Noah send a Raven or a dove? Or how many days did it rain?

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

Doug

18

The Divine Son of God, God Incarnate, Lord, Redeemer, and Saviour of the World

by Doug Mason in

before jesus was born or even if he had never existed—another human being was already proclaimed son of god and, indeed, god incarnate within the same first common-era century and within the same mediterranean world.

in fact, almost all the sacred terms and solemn titles that we might think of as christian creations or even pauline inventions were already associated with caesar augustus, the first undisputed ruler of the roman empire, from 31 bce to 14 ce.. augustus was divine, son of god, god, and god from god.

he was lord, liberator, redeemer, and savior of the world—not just of italy or the mediterranean, mind you, but of the entire inhabited earth.

Doug Mason

Half Banana,

What interesting thoughts you present. The history of the Ancient Hebrews is one of borrowing myths, ideas, and gods from their neighbours. They did not live in isolation. YHWH was taken from their neighbours ("Yahweh and the Gods and Goddesses of Canaan", Day) along with the wife of EL, named Asherah ("When God was a Woman", Stone; "The Hebrew Goddess", Patai; "Did God Have a Wife?", Dever; etc).

As for books dealing with that Roman period: "Jesus Wars", Jenkins; "A New History of Early Christianity", Freeman; "AD 381", Freeman. But I am no aware of any books that precisely focus on listing all the antecedent pagan and Gnostic influences, although it is regularly pointed out that Paul's ideas were deeply influenced by his Hellenistic environment.

Doug

17

Change(s?) to revised nwt

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

i don't think this has been picked up anywhere yet.

the revised nwt released in 2013 is already out of date.

the second half of psalm 51:4 now reads "therefore, you are righteous when you speak, you are right in your judgment" in the online version where the printed version reads "so that you might prove righteous when you speak, and be right in your judgment".. fairly unimportant in itself, but i wonder what else has been changed without telling anyone..

Doug Mason

All of the text has undergone constant change forever. Over the millennia, there have been more changes to the NT text than there are words in it.

There is no universally accepted original text. There is no universally accepted canon of Scripture. (A scripture does not need a canon but a canon needs scripture.)

Doug

18

The Divine Son of God, God Incarnate, Lord, Redeemer, and Saviour of the World

by Doug Mason in

before jesus was born or even if he had never existed—another human being was already proclaimed son of god and, indeed, god incarnate within the same first common-era century and within the same mediterranean world.

in fact, almost all the sacred terms and solemn titles that we might think of as christian creations or even pauline inventions were already associated with caesar augustus, the first undisputed ruler of the roman empire, from 31 bce to 14 ce.. augustus was divine, son of god, god, and god from god.

he was lord, liberator, redeemer, and savior of the world—not just of italy or the mediterranean, mind you, but of the entire inhabited earth.

Doug Mason

Half Banana,

Thanks for your feedback. I managed to download a PDF of Robertson's book and I shall see what help it provides. The epub version has too many transcription errors so I will make the PDF searchable.

The GB claims to mimic the Jerusalem sect of the Jesus-movement. It came to an inglorious end in 70 CE, and probably resurfaced as the Ebionites. The Paulines ultimately succeeded, in opposition to the highly popular Gnostics. The success of the Paulines must be put down to the intervention of the Roman emperors, in which the religious fervour of Constantine's mother Helena played a big part. She initiated the gathering of Christian relics (bits of the original cross, etc.)

Search the www with: Helena Constantine relics

Doug

18

The Divine Son of God, God Incarnate, Lord, Redeemer, and Saviour of the World

by Doug Mason in

before jesus was born or even if he had never existed—another human being was already proclaimed son of god and, indeed, god incarnate within the same first common-era century and within the same mediterranean world.

in fact, almost all the sacred terms and solemn titles that we might think of as christian creations or even pauline inventions were already associated with caesar augustus, the first undisputed ruler of the roman empire, from 31 bce to 14 ce.. augustus was divine, son of god, god, and god from god.

he was lord, liberator, redeemer, and savior of the world—not just of italy or the mediterranean, mind you, but of the entire inhabited earth.

Doug Mason

Crazyguy,

I am not aware of the practices you describe. I would not be surprised (although I would need to see verifiable sources), given the Roman insistence on peace (Pax Romana). Constantine intervened in the trinitarian debate because Rome did not appreciate dissension.

We must not think of the "Christian Church" as a homogeneous unit. Right from its start, the Movement was ripped by dissension and disagreement. Paul's correspondence is evidence for that.

The Jerusalem Group was decimated in 70 CE, moving to Pella and likely evolving into the Ebionites. The Jews outside Jerusalem were not so badly affected and we see a spectrum of movements such as the Paulines (followers of Paul), Gnostics, and so on and on.

The Western Church (Paulines, who ultimately formed the NT Canon), were strongly represented in North Africa, particularly Carthage and Alexandria, whereas the Eastern Church formed another block. During these early centuries, up to say the 5th century, Rome was not a dominant force.

However, the bloody "Jesus Wars" of the 4th and 5th centuries in North Africa so weakened the Church that the Muslims moved into the void and Christianity moved northwards, where it became the European religion.

Do not limit the concept of the early Movements through the biased vision of the early Church Fathers.

Doug

18

The Divine Son of God, God Incarnate, Lord, Redeemer, and Saviour of the World

by Doug Mason in

before jesus was born or even if he had never existed—another human being was already proclaimed son of god and, indeed, god incarnate within the same first common-era century and within the same mediterranean world.

in fact, almost all the sacred terms and solemn titles that we might think of as christian creations or even pauline inventions were already associated with caesar augustus, the first undisputed ruler of the roman empire, from 31 bce to 14 ce.. augustus was divine, son of god, god, and god from god.

he was lord, liberator, redeemer, and savior of the world—not just of italy or the mediterranean, mind you, but of the entire inhabited earth.

Doug Mason

Magnum,

I am old and there is so much that I do not know and will never know. I write because I want to know; writing is a strict discipline that forces me to argue with myself.

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

We must keep our minds active, prepared to remain open to change, to new ideas. I learn something every day that I spend writing, and my current project is teaching me so much.

We must never think that we know it all. Recognising that we do not know it all enables us to keep learning, to enjoy the excitement and challenge of discovery.

It is important to question our assumptions.

Doug