Posts by Doug Mason

11

The JW's Creationist mindset?

by Doug Mason in

i am mapping out part 3 of my critiques on the watchtower's (jws) brochure, "the origin of life".

i drafted a sketch to help me visualise the task and thus develop the structure and reasoning.

the sketch is available at:.

Doug Mason

Thank you all for your stimulating thoughts.

I think my diagram might need to reflect the overlay that "the earthly kingdom of God" ceased in 607 BCE and was reinstated in the appointment of the Watchtower Hierarchy in 1919 CE. To me, that could be a starting point, rather than the Bible. Any number of bodies accept the Bible, but what matters to a JW is the understanding through the eyes of the WT's explanations.

If the Bible were "perfect/inerrant" there would be no excuse for splattering the word "Jehovah" throughout their NT. What is "perfect" is the WTS, inasmuch as it is in direct contact with God's heavenly government.

Thus their explanation of Evolution must be correct. How then do I produce a diagram that correctly illustrates their "logic"? Is there one? When I read their brochure "The Origin of Life", it appears to me that the author is saying "look at the wonder of the complexity, this proves there has to have been a designing engineer". Hence the reason for my starting point. Am I reading the brochure's intent incorrectly?

My supposition comes from the following, as well as illustrating the WT's simplistic dichotomy (Evolution or Bible):

“If evolution is true, then it should seem at least reasonably possible that DNA could have come about by means of a series of chance events. If the Bible is true, then DNA should provide strong evidence that it is the product of an orderly, intelligent mind.” – The Origin of Life, page 13

Doug

11

The JW's Creationist mindset?

by Doug Mason in

i am mapping out part 3 of my critiques on the watchtower's (jws) brochure, "the origin of life".

i drafted a sketch to help me visualise the task and thus develop the structure and reasoning.

the sketch is available at:.

Doug Mason

I am mapping out Part 3 of my Critiques on the Watchtower's (JWs) brochure, "The Origin of Life". I drafted a sketch to help me visualise the task and thus develop the structure and reasoning. The sketch is available at:

https://jwstudies.com/Religious_Imperatives.pdf

I will appreciate any criticism, comment, advice, and/or suggestion that will help me. This is my honest, genuine attempt to understand their Creationist mindset. Does the diagram make sense?

Doug

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Doug Mason

Hi Mac.

Since the Hebrew scribes wrote about things that supposedly took pl;ace billions of years earlier, you are forced to presume: " that the creation account recorded by the author of Genesis chapter 1 was as he saw things in a vision given to him by God,"

That is a wishful hope, which you are entitled to rely on, but I will need convincing.

It is not valid to start with the Hebrew Scriptures as your authority until you can validate them as coming from a verifiable spirit world. Else there is no difference to the Quran, or the writings of any eastern religion or to the oral traditions of any number of modern aboriginal communities.

In my analysis of the two distinct and contradictory Creation accounts, I do not venture beyond the literal text;I did not move into the findings of scientists.

My characterisation of Hebrew Cosmology is consistently demonstrated in the images that are freely available online.

Although I did not explore the topic, Hebrew historiography is relevant. They created stories for religious purposes. They did not write stories to recount the past; they wrote stories to influence their contemporaries.

Each Creation story was created by a different group of scribes where each group had its eyes firmly fixed on their contemporary community.

Doug

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Doug Mason

Reading the literal rendering of these two Creation stories, as I have endeavoured to provide, shows that these narratives have religious purposes (Sabbath; Marriage). The analysis also shows they are not rational, nor do they accord with reality.

For example, they -- along with their neighbours -- considered the sky to be solid, with waters stored above so that it rained when the windows were opened.

Because the sky was solid, this meant that the sun, moon, and stars -- which were created later than earth, and later than light -- were located beneath the solid sky. Otherwise they could not be seen, nor could they illuminate the earth

Doug

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Doug Mason

waton,

I am analysing the two creation stories at Genesis, not the time frames of Evolution.

My intention is to provide a literal, grammatical and rational analysis of the words in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Doug

19

Creation literally

by Doug Mason in

i am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this study:.

https://jwstudies.com/creation_literally.pdf .

doug.

Doug Mason

I am very open to receiving thoughts that will help me develop this Study:

https://jwstudies.com/Creation_literally.pdf

Doug

9

What did Charles Taze Russell and the Bible Students believe?

by Pallbearer in

i know that present-day jehovah's witnesses believe that 144,000 are to go to heaven and rule alongside jesus, and that the survivors of armageddon along with those who will be resurrected are to live on earth with the prospect of living here forever.. questions:.

> what did pastor russell and the bible students originally believe about the earth?.

> did they believe that the earth would always exist and that it would become a paradise?.

Doug Mason

I provide an overview of the WTS, beginning with CTR, at:

https://jwstudies.com/The_Watch_Tower_Society_Reveals_Itself.pdf

I also touch on his contemporaries at:

https://jwstudies.com/People_important_to_Russell.pdf

Doug

15

The myth, lie that Christendom has hid Gods name, all of these Centuries.

by smiddy3 in

it has been well documented that jehovah`s witnesses have long claimed that christendom has hidden the name of god for centuries.. and that they alone have restored that name in the last century,.

making it known in all of the earth for a witness.. nothing could be further from the truth .. 1.justus martinus a 13th century spanish monk took the four hebrew letters of the tetragrammaton for gods name and added vowels to those consonants and came up with hebrew letters to english jhvh and the vowels he added e o a. which amounted to jehovah ,remember this was in the thirteenth century by a spanish catholic monk.. 2.this name persisted throughout the centuries to this day ,in many so of christendoms writings etc,etc.. 3.churches of christendoms religions throughout the world have the name jehovah in stone on them engraved since that 13th century .

4.in the 1970`s if i remember correctly their was an international convention held around the world in which the jw`s released a publication of the conventions and the churches of christendom to the delegates showing these churches many of which had the name jehovah engraved in stone on them.......centuries old churches.

Doug Mason

In the Hebrew concept, a person's "name" was far more than an identifying handle. We might speak of a person's name in terms of their reputation, but it was even more than that for a Hebrew -- it was that person's very being. Hence the need at times to change a person's name (Jacob/Israel; Simon/Peter; Saul/Paul; etc).

As for Rutherford's creation of the term "Jehovah's witnesses", Isaiah 43:10 is in the context of the Babylonian Captivity, and the writers are saying that the people had failed, even though they had witnessed the power of YHWH. The passage concludes by saying that because they had witnessed YHWH yet rejected his ways, they were being sorely punished.

Doug

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Doug Mason

Mac48,

When you read all that I wrote in that post, you will see that I am in furious agreement with you.

These issues that we raise are manifestations at the human level - families shredded; some blood products refused; mental illnesses. I do not see them as doctrinal issues. It does not matter one iota whether one accepts the Trinity or not; whether one understand the Ransom or not; whether one accepts their idea of the 144,000 or not; when Jerusalem was destroyed; and so on on. These are simply issues one should use to break the mental stranglehold, not as an issue for its own sake.

Religious organisations, including the WTS, use doctrines in order to hang onto people. But I do not see their God running an exam on doctrinal issues to determine whether Peter will let someone through the Pearly Gates.

Doug

26

Secondary fulfilment to prophecy?

by Doug Mason in

in its use of the prophecy contained in nebuchadnezzar's dream (daniel 4), the wts applies a "greater fulfilment" beyond its initial application.. while they complain about the wts's action, at the same time these people make their own secondary applications to prophecies, such as with micah 5:2. these people also find "greater" meaning to historical statements, such as at isaiah 9:6 and at isaiah 53.. such passages had their local meaning yet people are prepared to find their "greater application" which suits their ends, just as the wts does.

it is not an excuse to say that the nt writers indulged themselves in the practice.. i am not saying that i agree with the practice; i am simply seeking consistency and integrity.. doug.

Doug Mason

Mac48,

While we have very differing outcomes to our investigations, I genuinely wish you well and that your faith gives you peace and meaning to your life.

I do not care what any individual JW believes. As long as their belief causes no actual harm to themselves or to anyone else, the only thing is that a JW lives in accordance with their individual genuinely held beliefs.

My beef is with the Organisation and with its leaders, who are less than forthright with the people who put their lives in the hands of those who are prepared to deceive them.

Thus I use topics such as chronology and blood to show JWs what the leadership truly is.

My concerns are thus not doctrinal but

1. They rip families apart

2. People die unnecessarily due to the leaders' stance on the medical use of some blood products

3. Cognitive dissonance has such terrible mental impacts.

Doug