Posts by Doug Mason

13

Mixed up references in "The Origin of Life"

by Doug Mason in

until now, i have never had a reason to read the brochure "the origin of life" so i am certain that what i am about to say has been commented on widely.. page 31 commences the list of endnotes.. endnote 1a gives "francis crick" as its source.

there is no reference to any endnote 1a in the body of the brochure.

however, page 32 credits "nicholas wade" at endnote 18. page 14 of the brochure makes reference to endnote 18, with the nondescript "one science book".. page 31 lists an endnote 7a, which does not exist in the body of the brochure.

Doug Mason

My copy, which is both a physical copy and also one that I downloaded from JW.ORG, are dated 2010

13

Mixed up references in "The Origin of Life"

by Doug Mason in

until now, i have never had a reason to read the brochure "the origin of life" so i am certain that what i am about to say has been commented on widely.. page 31 commences the list of endnotes.. endnote 1a gives "francis crick" as its source.

there is no reference to any endnote 1a in the body of the brochure.

however, page 32 credits "nicholas wade" at endnote 18. page 14 of the brochure makes reference to endnote 18, with the nondescript "one science book".. page 31 lists an endnote 7a, which does not exist in the body of the brochure.

Doug Mason

Until now, I have never had a reason to read the brochure "The Origin of Life" so I am certain that what I am about to say has been commented on widely.

Page 31 commences the list of Endnotes.

Endnote 1a gives "Francis Crick" as its source. There is no reference to any Endnote 1a in the body of the brochure. Crick is actually only mentioned at page 21, with that paragraph referencing Endnote 26. However, on page 32, Endnote 26 credits “David Lamb”. However, there is no mention of any David Lamb in the body of the brochure.

On page 31, Endnote 2a gives "Nicholas Wade" as its source. There is no reference to an Endnote 2a in the body of the brochure. However, page 32 credits "Nicholas Wade" at Endnote 18. Page 14 of the brochure makes reference to Endnote 18, with the nondescript "one science book".

Page 31 lists an Endnote 7a, which does not exist in the body of the brochure. However, it does appear that 7a could be the same as Endnote 8. The text at page 8, which makes reference to Endnotes 7 and 8, provides such basic information there is no need to cite a 2002 Nobel Prize press release. The link provided by the brochure led to a dead end.

I located the the particular 2002 Nobel Prize indicated by the mythical Endnote 7a. It was "for their discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death".

Doug

35

WT / JW Doctrine ,Satan cast out of Heaven in 1914 ? He has always had access to the earth ? Since Eve .

by smiddy3 in

this doctrine / belief that jehovah`s witnesses have , surely raises a few questions that they do not address.. 1.this spirit being challenged god by questioning his authority and offering eve an alternative making himself satan.. and this took place on earth ,the garden of eden.

so he who became satan had access to the earth.. 2. all throughout the old testament , the hebrew scriptures do we find examples of satan interfering with gods plan of things either by himself or his followers .. 3.their are just too many examples to list individually ,however a few key ones would be , the nephilim , job when god in heaven asks him where he has been , and his reply , from roving about on the earth .

, etc.etc.. 4.and of course in the new testament , where jesus is taken up into a mountain to be tempted by satan for fourty days ?.

Doug Mason

EverApostate,

You are absolutely correct. There is no "Satan" in the Eden story. And as for the encounter in Job, the satan there is not the personification of evil. Rather, he is an agent carrying out YHWH's permissions and instructions. This satan is simply the Prosecutor in a court and God negotiates with him.

Every modern concept of Satan (aka Azazel, Belial, Mastema, Diabolos/Devil, etc., etc.) is derived from the 3rd century BCE and later (1 Enoch, Jubilees, etc.). Knowledge of the dates of the 6th century neo-Babylonian captivity and exile will quickly show that the rise of Satan as the personification of evil arose much later than the vast bulk of the Hebrew Scriptures. The only major writing that came after the 3rd century BCE is Daniel, and that book makes reference to the The Watchers.

Not only was "snake" seen as the wisest of the beasts, it was commonly associated with the gods, including EL's wife Asherah. (Google Images with: Asherah snake as well as with Asherah serpent)

As the Hebrew scriptures show, those writers were very much against Asherah, The people erected poles in her honour within the temple, so I am not surprised the writers referenced serpent in their story of the deception of Eve.

Doug

31

Angels are Neuter Gender According to JW`s

by smiddy3 in

what about the bible ,does that agree with the jw theology ?.

therefore angels are sexless ,yet we find in the bible on a few occasions where they have lusted after women ,taken a mans form and had sex with women.. .on one occasion producing hybrids half human half angel.. on other occasions they just wanted to satisfy their sexual desires.?

their sexless aren`t they ?

Doug Mason

Xanthippe,

The creation of the idea that Genesis 6 speaks of sex between spirit being and humans comes from the time when the Jews were inundated with Greek culture and thought -- and trading. The Jews did not live in isolation. Indeed, they were widely spread among the nations.

They were so deeply enmeshed, with so many losing knowledge of the Hebrew language, they had to translate their sacred holy texts into Greek, now known as the Septuagint.

Doug

31

Angels are Neuter Gender According to JW`s

by smiddy3 in

what about the bible ,does that agree with the jw theology ?.

therefore angels are sexless ,yet we find in the bible on a few occasions where they have lusted after women ,taken a mans form and had sex with women.. .on one occasion producing hybrids half human half angel.. on other occasions they just wanted to satisfy their sexual desires.?

their sexless aren`t they ?

Doug Mason

The idea that Genesis 6 is speaking about spirit beings emanates from the 3rd century BCE. Moses told Pharaoh the nation was Yahweh's son. Good people were God's children. The sons of God were deceived by the fair women of the heathens. The following excerpts describe the time when the world of good (Michael, Gabriel, etc.) and evil spirit beings (Belial, Azazel, Mastema, Satan, etc.) were invented, when they invented a war actually taking place in heaven(!),

-----------------------

When angels do appear in pre-Exilic texts, their function is to perform actions that would otherwise be attributed to God directly and personally. That is what would be expected of an increasingly monotheistic culture, in which writers were reluctant to involve God too directly in mundane functions. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 151. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

In their familiar form, angels do not appear in Jewish texts that can plausibly be dated before the third century, but by about 200 BCE angelic mythology suddenly emerges fully formed in multiple texts. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 150. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

The pioneering text for the new order was 1 Enoch, which enumerates both good and evil angels and identifies heavenly ranks and hierarchies. One passage in the “Book of the Watchers” lists the seven great archangels, each with his particular area of responsibility, including the following:

Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men…

Michael, one of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos…

Gabriel, one of the holy angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim.

(Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, pp. 152-153. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

Surprisingly advanced theologizing about angels appears in Tobit, which was written around the same time as the earlier sections of 1 Enoch. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 153. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.

In the century or so after the Maccabean revolt …, spiritual forces were personified in images that now occupied center stage in the religious narrative. Hell, Darkness, and the Devil now dominated religious thought, as they absolutely had not in the literature of the canonical Old Testament. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 149. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

Another form of heavenly intercession [is] documented in the second century, with the prayer for the dead advocated in 2 Maccabees. Writers at this time were exploring the implications of a more interconnected and hierarchical universe, which contained not just angels and demons but also the souls of the dead. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 153. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

Originally, the name Azazel was part of the ancient scapegoat ritual, by which the community selected goats to be sacrificed or exiled in order to carry away the sins of the community. These were to be consigned to “absolute removal,” the word that became “Azazel.” Eventually, that word became the personal name of a mighty archdemon, as in 1 Enoch. Originally, too, Belial likewise represented a title or quality, in this case “Without Worth.” Concepts evolved into persons, who in turn became characters in a rapidly emerging mythology. (Jenkins, Philip. Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution That Made Our Modern Religious World, p. 153. Basic Books. Kindle Edition.)

31

Angels are Neuter Gender According to JW`s

by smiddy3 in

what about the bible ,does that agree with the jw theology ?.

therefore angels are sexless ,yet we find in the bible on a few occasions where they have lusted after women ,taken a mans form and had sex with women.. .on one occasion producing hybrids half human half angel.. on other occasions they just wanted to satisfy their sexual desires.?

their sexless aren`t they ?

Doug Mason

Genesis 6 only says that "the sons of God" were taken in by women who were "fair".

It does not say that these "sons of God" were spirit beings. That idea does not come from Genesis. The people who invented that concept lived in the 3rd century BCE, at the time when 1 Enoch began to be written, along with other speculative books, including with Jubilees and later, Daniel. These are the writings that influenced sects such as the Dead Sea Community, John the Baptist, and the ensuing Christian movement.

Please read the history of that period as most Christian mythologies emanate from that time, such as Satan/Devil, demons, war in heaven, and so on.

One good place to start is the book: "Crucible of Faith: The Ancient Revolution that made our Modern Religious World" by Philip Jenkins.

Research the Second Temple Period, the time from the rebuilding of the temple in the 6thcenturies BCE to its destruction in 70 CE.

Another book: "Reading Mark in Context: Jesus and Second Temple Judaism"; There are a few in that series.

They are available as Kindle editons.

Embryonic Christianity was part of that Jewish environment.
Doug

75

OCT 2019 Watchtower - Survival dependant on loyalty to JW Leaders

by Listener in

there is so much wrong with the newly released october, 2019 but that's not unusual.

what stands out is there statement claiming that survival through armageddon depends on loyalty to those 'taking the lead'.

since they claim there will be a point during the gt that they (the gb) won't be physically around, jws must still be loyal to jw leaders.. whats interesting in this article is that they make it clear that they, the governing body are going to take part, from heaven, in the war of armageddon.

Doug Mason

Hi Smiddy3,

The following is from Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, page 1196, article: “Woman”:

Doug

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.

4

Evidence of editing

by Doug Mason in

evidence of editing: burning of jerusalem: https://jwstudies.com/evidence_of_editing__burning_of_jerusalem.pdf .

evidence of editing: gedaliah's murder: https://jwstudies.com/evidence_of_editing__gedaliah_s_murder.pdf .

evidence of editing: rewriting prophecy: https://jwstudies.com/evidence_of_editing__rewriting_prophecy.pdf .

Doug Mason

Evidence of editing: Burning of Jerusalem: https://jwstudies.com/Evidence_of_Editing__Burning_of_Jerusalem.pdf

Evidence of editing: Gedaliah's murder: https://jwstudies.com/Evidence_of_Editing__Gedaliah_s_murder.pdf

Evidence of editing: Rewriting prophecy: https://jwstudies.com/Evidence_of_Editing__Rewriting_Prophecy.pdf

Doug

1

I reworked my Study on "The Temptations of Jesus"

by Doug Mason in

the scope of my writings now extends beyond the myopic borders of the wts's focus.

at the same time, however, i know that most here have a broader interest, so i am making my latest study available.. i have rewritten my study on matthew 4:1-11, which is often called: "the wilderness temptations of jesus".

the study led me to similar conclusions, and along the way i located further resources and i restructured the document.. https://jwstudies.com/matthew_s_messages_through_jesus__inaugural_tests.pdf .

Doug Mason

Hi,

The scope of my writings now extends beyond the myopic borders of the WTS's focus. At the same time, however, I know that most here have a broader interest, so I am making my latest Study available.

I have rewritten my Study on Matthew 4:1-11, which is often called: "The Wilderness Temptations of Jesus". The Study led me to similar conclusions, and along the way I located further resources and I restructured the document.

https://jwstudies.com/Matthew_s_messages_through_Jesus__inaugural_tests.pdf

My next wish is to be able to complete a Study into Second Temple Judaism, mostly from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, of which the Jesus-followers formed a part.

All the best,

Doug

3

Who the devil tested Jesus?

by Doug Mason in

some time ago i created a study that i named: "the devil who tested jesus".. i have rewritten it into a form that might possibly make it attractive for a publication (please do not read wts into that).

i have thus reformatted it and reduced the word count by two-thirds.. i am looking to your collective skills and knowledge for any criticism, including: spelling; grammar; structure; argument; whatever.. https://jwstudies.com/who_the_devil_tested_jesus.pdf.

doug.

Doug Mason

Thank you Atlantis.

There were few voices and few resources when I started on my "expose the Watchtower Society" crusade in 1964. That situation continued for some decades, although the voices gradually grew louder and information started to proliferate. Today there is such a wide exposure of the Organization, that I felt the need to move on.

Using the skills I had developed, I decided that I would apply the same principles to a far broader sphere. By 1990, I had moved from being a over-exuberant Christian to a Skeptic, and then to a Doubter. Finally, I decided that no longer could I accept any form of supernatural superstition.

This freedom enabled me to examine the Jewish writings (yes the NT is Jewish) with fresh eyes. Without any need to defend any creed, I was and am able to objectively look at their writings in the context of the times each document was written and edited (redacted). I have the advantage that my heritage is Jewish (family members, including grandparents, being victims of the Shoah), so I cannot rightly be accused with anti-Semitism.

With my reset mind, I wanted to document the evolution of Jewish/Christian soteriology from the time of the Hebrews through to the 21st century. Each of the 4 Parts that I have created comprises at least 200 pages.

The gap in my series on Soteriology is with the Second Temple Period. This is the time that laid the foundations of primitive Christianity. I believe this Study will take me at least 12 months to complete. I have mapped out a scaffolding and I can send that to you if you were interested.

Then all things came to a screeching halt at the end of October 2018. Faced with a minor health issue, I thought that it was my duty to our 4 children and 12 grandchildren (and theirs) that I document my 78 (so far) years. That is now almost complete, with a 64 minute video of hundreds of photos plus a 100-page photobook.

With that out of the way, it is back with the nose-to-the-keyboard to complete my Study into the Second Temple Period. Unfortunately one effect of the medical treatment, which will end in a few weeks, is that it shreds short-term memory, commonly known as "chemo brain".

So if I appear to have been quiet, I hope I have explained my situation.

No, I do not want any wishes in regards to my health. This cancer is not going to kill me.

Regards,

Doug