Posts by Doug Mason

6

References for "Second Temple Judaism"?

by Doug Mason in

i plan to develop a study on "the second temple period", the first 600 years of judaism (520 bce to 70 ce).

that's my hope, anyway.. i have listed potential resources, and i would like to know of other sources that could possibly be useful.. my list is at:.

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

References for "Second Temple Judaism"?

by Doug Mason in

i plan to develop a study on "the second temple period", the first 600 years of judaism (520 bce to 70 ce).

that's my hope, anyway.. i have listed potential resources, and i would like to know of other sources that could possibly be useful.. my list is at:.

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

Doug Mason

I plan to develop a Study on "The Second Temple Period", the first 600 years of Judaism (520 BCE to 70 CE). That's my hope, anyway.

I have listed potential resources, and I would like to know of other sources that could possibly be useful.

My list is at:

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

Doug

13

Notes I drafted for a local JW at a cart

by Doug Mason in

in recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying watchtower material.. on monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "what does the bible really teach?".

when this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.. she also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the last days.. anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.. would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter.

any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for.

Doug Mason

Thank you, StarryNight9,

It is not my intention that a JW should remain within any religious regime.

It is my desire that each person shall be free of the mental and emotional stresses that any religious leader wishes to apply, whatever the strategy they use.

Yes, the Bible is not literal history. Stories are skewed for the purposes of control through religious superstition.

At 78 years of age, I face my death with comfort and confidence.

Which of the available innumerable Gods could a JW select? It is only since the 6th century BCE that Jewish monotheism managed to dominate their belief system. If a Bible is the sole source, which one is acceptable? I do not mean which version, I mean which Canon.

Doug

13

Notes I drafted for a local JW at a cart

by Doug Mason in

in recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying watchtower material.. on monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "what does the bible really teach?".

when this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.. she also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the last days.. anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.. would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter.

any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for.

Doug Mason

Thank you for your comments and advice. I am genuinely grateful.

I will no doubt be proven wrong, but my strategy is for this JW lady to carry my thoughts into their rabbit warren. My aim is for the bigger fish to be challenged (even though I will not be a witness to that).

This JW lady is always at her location at the same time each week, and we have chatted several times, quite innocently, To me, this means she will continue to stand at her allocated place at her allocated times. She should not be able to run away from me in the succeeding weeks, like a rabbit startled in the headlights.

That's my theory, but tell me where my assumptions are wrong.

I am not good on the emotional analyses, so I would like to know if a JW would really be moved by hearing of the murders carried out in Yahweh's Name. They are fearfully conscious that Yahweh is about to slaughter billions.

I used to have a list of NT proof texts that spoke of witnessing Jesus' Name. But this assumes a position on Isaiah 43:10 that I no longer hold to.

I now believe that Isaiah 43:10 stands in the context of condemnation. The Chapters beginning with Isa 40 lie in the context of the neo-Babylonian Captivity and form part of the political push by the Yahweh-alone Party.

In the overall context of Isaiah 43:10, the (deutero-Isaiah) writer says that although they had witnessed Yahweh and his greatness, nevertheless the people remained disobedient, and that is the reason they deserved to be cast aside.

As a tangential comment, when the Watchtower speaks of the "message" going into "all the world", for those Middle Eastern NT writers, "the world" spoke of their known lands. Paul wrote that all nations had been reached in his own time (Rom 10:17-18//Ps 19:4; Romans 1:8) and this is confirmed by pseudo-Paul (Col. 1:6, 23).

Doug

13

Notes I drafted for a local JW at a cart

by Doug Mason in

in recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying watchtower material.. on monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "what does the bible really teach?".

when this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.. she also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the last days.. anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.. would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter.

any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for.

Doug Mason

OK. I have slightly modified the text on page 3 (minimal impact) and I have added pages 17 ("Creations") and 18 ("The nature of nature").

Doug

13

Notes I drafted for a local JW at a cart

by Doug Mason in

in recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying watchtower material.. on monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "what does the bible really teach?".

when this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.. she also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the last days.. anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.. would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter.

any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for.

Doug Mason

Yes, i plan to print it in colour. It has been my experience that creating even the slightest doubt quickly causes the shutters to be drawn, so i want to go in strongly while the opportunity exists. Softly, softly? I don't know.

I am extremely conscious that I have covered a lot of territory and that I will reveal what I am.

My overall objective is to free people from religion, to show that the Bible, while upholding many good principles, is based on ancient superstitions and on the supernatural, the mythical. None of the Bible is a literal historical documentary. It uses events to promote ideas, just like Preachers do today in their homilies. The Gospels are religiously constructed to reflect the situation of each group -- and they lived decades after the "Jesus event".

There were any number of claimant Messiahs at the time and Paul, who went into the desert for 14 years, created his ideas with claims that he spoke directly with Jesus.

Paul was the earliest NT writer; the others followed and copied. Did Paul create Christianity by selecting Jesus (Joshua) out of all the claimant Messiahs?

Is God a Christian?

Is God a Roman Catholic? Does God only love people whose doctrines and beliefs are accurate? Does God offer "salvation" on the basis of one's theology, eschatology, soteriology, and Christology? If so, what is the "pass mark" for that test?

Why can no one agree on the reason Jesus had to die? There is any number of models. Augustine's lasted almost 1000 years before being gazumped by Anselm, then Abelaard, then Aquinas, etc., etc. And does it matter what model one has?

Doug

11

Matt 5: 29, 30 used to justify shunning

by Jules Saturn in

i had a family relative use this scripture found here to justify shunning.

the scripture reads as followed.

if, now, your right eye is making you stumble, tear it out and throw it away from you.+for it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be pitched into ge·henʹna.

Doug Mason

It is plainly horrendous how religion operates. Every person, every individual, makes mistakes. That is how we learn.

At the same time, religion invents the god named Sin, the god named Death, and plays upon the regrets and self-condemnations that each of us carries, sometimes for many years.

The business model of any religion is to say: "You are a condemned sinner and the ONLY way to resolve that is to belong to our group". Religion invents the problem and it creates its make-believe solution.

Imagine the sense of power experienced by the few who can manipulate the minds of billions through supernatural superstition.

To understand what the writers of Matthew 5 were saying, unearth the times they were living in and the situation they were addressing. Rather than thinking Jesus actually said these words, read them as the edicts of writers living 50 years after Jesus lived and the influence they were exerting on their followers.

Further, understand their idiomatic expressions, rather than seeing them as being literal. The Gospels, which are all anonymous, are not literal documentaries. They are religious constructs that were prepared to influence that particular community at that time, using their idioms and often using hyperbole.

Doug

13

Notes I drafted for a local JW at a cart

by Doug Mason in

in recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying watchtower material.. on monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "what does the bible really teach?".

when this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.. she also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the last days.. anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.. would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter.

any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for.

Doug Mason

In recent weeks, a grizzled old man, obviously harmless, has been engaging with a nice lady as she regularly stands by her cart displaying Watchtower material.

On Monday, she eagerly wanted to know what this old man thought of the book she gave him, "What Does the Bible Really Teach?". When this old man posed some questions, she was very keen for him to write them down.

She also promised to provide facts that earthquakes proved we are living in the Last Days.

Anyway, to make a short story longer, the old man drafted questions and observations on the topics that were covered.

Would you please criticise the stuff that this old man has drafted for his next encounter. Any help, anything at all, is most keenly looked for. The idea is to hit hard while the door is ajar, even slightly.

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

Doug

9

Tishri

by Doug Mason in

at this moment, we are in the jewish month of tishri.

it is the first month of the civil calendar and is the 7th month.. research quickly shows its deep religious significance, including solemn feasts such as the day of atonement, gedaliah, etc.:.

https://www.bible-history.com/the-sacred-year-of-israel/the-sacred-year-of-israel_tishri.htm.

Doug Mason

Yes, there is doubt that the Hebrews/Jews viewed sacrifice in the same way that evolved in Christianity. The purpose of the blood in the Day of Atonement was to cleanse the sanctuary of sins that had already been transferred from the penitent sinner.

Under the Jews' dispensation, was blood always required for a sinner to be forgiven?

Further to my thoughts that the NT's soteriological fulfilment related to the festivals of Tishri (September/October) rather than Passover at Nisan (March/April), I find support in the NT book of Hebrews. Its metaphors such as "the high priest entering once with blood" relate to Tishri's Day of Atonement.

It is my highly speculative hypothesis that the primitive Church found it advantageous to absorb existing pagan/gentile Spring festivals and to distance themselves from the Jews and their concentrated list of religious observances during Tishri (Autumn - September/October).

Doug

9

Tishri

by Doug Mason in

at this moment, we are in the jewish month of tishri.

it is the first month of the civil calendar and is the 7th month.. research quickly shows its deep religious significance, including solemn feasts such as the day of atonement, gedaliah, etc.:.

https://www.bible-history.com/the-sacred-year-of-israel/the-sacred-year-of-israel_tishri.htm.

Doug Mason

Hi Simon,

Or it's like the Watchtower writing its own history.

Doug