Posts by gibsite

11

What JW fact would you like to know?

by sleepy in

jw
friends

just been thinking about some info i would love to know but will probably never find out.. what i wish for is a book about the lives of the societies presidents.. i would like to have first hand acounts of what they were really like and what others thought of them.. did they really belive what they taught , were they con men or just slightly mad?.

i would mostly like to know about russell and rutherford.. trouble is there arent many people alive who would remmember them well.. prehaps someone can help me out.

gibsite

Your info on Russell is interesting Athanasius. Some years ago I came across a supposedly factual biography in our reference library. I can remember it mentioned that he was a colourful figure always at odds with the courts and the local press. It gave details of his "miracle wheat" scam and also details of his divorce procedings.

Anyone who lives in the U.S. near to his hometown could approach the local newspaper (maybe successors to the original?)and get some very interesting info from their old files.

Gibs

21

Could I have your thoughts???

by mindfield in

jw
friends

more specifically, could you tell me your thoughts on verses such as:.

matthew 24:14. and could anyone give me some factual stats on the fact that jw's dont actually preach worldwide, or at least aren't recognized worldwide???.

and yes, i do need to be reassured!

gibsite

Do Witnesses actually claim to be presenting the same "Good News" as the first century christians ? I don't think they do. My JW family seem to preach something based on (some sort of obscure) fulfillment of what they are told is prophetic scripture. They have never claimed to me to be preaching the same message as the first century christians !

4

A matter of principle

by gibsite in

jw
friends

i am the only member of my immediate and extended family that is not, nor ever has been, a jw.

when i was studying, some years ago, my circumstances were such that i was continully relocating.

each time i moved i started a new study with someone different.

gibsite

Many thanks to Nelly 136 for the practical advice - it worked !

Thanks also to Latte for the encouragement. Don't be surprised if I take you up on the offer.

Gibs

4

A matter of principle

by gibsite in

jw
friends

i am the only member of my immediate and extended family that is not, nor ever has been, a jw.

when i was studying, some years ago, my circumstances were such that i was continully relocating.

each time i moved i started a new study with someone different.

gibsite

I am the only member of my immediate and extended family that is not, nor ever has been, a JW.
When I was studying, some years ago, my circumstances were such that I was continully relocating. Each time I moved I started a new study with someone different. Eventually a Watchtower article came out which was interpreted (wrongly as usual) as saying that studies had to be completed within six months. I had been studying for about two years and still could not see how the JW chronology proved that they were Jehovah's people so I was effectively df'd before I was baptised.
The reason that I came to this board was that I wanted to find out how people in my circumstances coped with families that were religious fanatics. I've found it helpful.
However as a matter of principle I posted under my own name and open e-mail address. I did not want the WTS making decisions for me by remote control. Now I am wondering if that was a wise decision. What if someone recognses me and tells my family I am here. This would terminate relationships that I truly could not live without.
I appreciate that JW's should not be here in the first place and would find it difficult to explain their discovery but should I revert to secrecy and if so, on a technical note, how do I change my name and user name on the members list?

Gibs

3

The sound basis for 607 for the fall of Jerusalem

by cecil in

in the main-forum thread "jerusalem destroyed in 607 bce?".

* http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=14392&site=3.

purehearts question.

gibsite

I had exactly the same question as you have Pureheart and was told exactly the same conflicting rubbish as you are getting. I found that the answer depended entirely on the religious persuasion of the person telling the story. Jehovahs Witness and Jews just happen to be the ones with a vested interest in the matter but most other people could not care less about the date of the fall of Jerusalem. For this reason I set out to investigate the matter for myself from the bottom up.

I eventually came to a conclusion that I certainly wasn't expecting. For this reason I would not want to discuss my findings openly but if you would like to e-mail me Pureheart I can give you all the web contacts that I used to get an undisputed answer to this question. I suggest this because some of the contacts would not thank me for advertising their e-mail addresses.

The work required is interesting and informative and all the specialist technical knowledge required is available free on the web or through contacts qualified in some particular non-religious field or other.

The conclusions will be accurate and factual, scientifically based and in no way reliant upon someones opinion or interpretation of the Bible. Furthermore the conclusions will be arrived at by you yourself without your being prodded or poked in any particular direction by somebody with an agenda.

I hope you take up the offer and when you have discovered the answer for yourself perhaps you would like to share the knowledge here.

589

MAJOR UN/WTS NEWS- UN LETTER & 1992 Press R...

by hawkaw in

as of 6:02 pm last night i received a facsimile from paul hoeffel at the un on the wts.. he gave me 3 of the 4 things i requested in two paragraphs.. i have sent a scanned version to steve bates and someone else.. i sent it to kent and randy.

and kent and randy have posted the official united nations letter on their web sites.. here is the letter - put your cursor on the image and then right click on your mouse and hit "save image" to your computer.. .

after you look at kent's web site and you people still think this it is a fake letter, phone paul hoeffel yourself at (212) 963-8070.. hawk

gibsite

This is an enourmous thread and I may have missed something but has anyone checked to see if you actually need to belong to anything in order to use the UN library facilities ?

3

The Central Doctrine

by gibsite in

jw
friends

i posted the following on "beliefs doctrines & practices" and the silence was deafening.

perhaps someone here is willing to comment ?.

"i have no wish to appear disrespectful to jehovah's witnesses but as a recent "study" i have to take issue with them on their central doctrine.. anybody with even a basic understanding of historical chronology is aware that the dating of events in ancient history is done purely on a relative basis.

gibsite

I posted the following on "Beliefs Doctrines & Practices" and the silence was deafening. Perhaps someone here is willing to comment ?
-------------------------
"I have no wish to appear disrespectful to Jehovah's Witnesses but as a recent "study" I have to take issue with them on their central doctrine.
Anybody with even a basic understanding of historical chronology is aware that the dating of events in ancient history is done purely on a relative basis. There is absolutely no possibility that by simply applying a given number of solar years to such events we can arrive at a precise, or even approximate, date on our modern calendar. No device or method exists which would enable this to be done.

The issue is not one of whether we accept the chronology of Jehovah's Witnesses over the chronology of secular historians and chronologists because neither can be attached precisely to our calendar. Secular historians and chronologists do not in fact claim to be able to achieve this so it is not a matter of opinion but a matter of simple fact.

Without the ability to attach events in ancient history precisely to our modern calendar there can be no "1914" doctrine, without the "1914" doctrine there can be no "Faithful and Discreet Slave" doctrine and without the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" doctrine there can be no ..............!!!

I am sorry if I have oversimplified the matter and would like a response from anyone who feels this to be the case".

1

Central Doctrine

by gibsite in

i have no wish to appear disrespectful to jehovah's witnesses but as a recent "study" i have to take issue with them on their central doctrine.. anybody with even a basic understanding of historical chronology is aware that the dating of events in ancient history is done purely on a relative basis.

there is absolutely no possibility that by simply applying a given number of solar years to such events we can arrive at a precise, or even approximate, date on our modern calendar.

no device or method exists which would enable this to be done.. the issue is not one of whether we accept the chronology of jehovah's witnesses over the chronology of secular historians and chronologists because neither can be attached precisely to our calendar.

gibsite

I have no wish to appear disrespectful to Jehovah's Witnesses but as a recent "study" I have to take issue with them on their central doctrine.

Anybody with even a basic understanding of historical chronology is aware that the dating of events in ancient history is done purely on a relative basis. There is absolutely no possibility that by simply applying a given number of solar years to such events we can arrive at a precise, or even approximate, date on our modern calendar. No device or method exists which would enable this to be done.

The issue is not one of whether we accept the chronology of Jehovah's Witnesses over the chronology of secular historians and chronologists because neither can be attached precisely to our calendar. Secular historians and chronologists do not in fact claim to be able to achieve this so it is not a matter of opinion but a matter of simple fact.

Without the ability to attach events in ancient history precisely to our modern calendar there can be no "1914" doctrine, without the "1914" doctrine there can be no "Faithful and Discreet Slave" doctrine and without the "Faithful and Discreet Slave" doctrine there can be no ..............!!!

I am sorry if I have oversimplified the matter and would like a response from anyone who feels this to be the case.