Cadellin

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Posts by Cadellin

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  65

  Higher Education and Disqualification for Privileges in the Congregation

  by 00DAD in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  when i was still serving as an elder in the late summer of 2006 in a congregation of jws in socal we received a letter from the "christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses" (read: the governing body) directing that anyone pursuing a higher education would be disqualified from privileges of service: elder, servant, pioneer, etc.

  i remember this quite distinctly because i had just received by ba in education in june a few months before this.

  in 2002, i had decided to pursue a degree under the society's then current "it's a personal decision" policy and was quite shocked at their drastic policy change.

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  Cadellin

  This thread is too long for me to read.
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  49

  New here looking for some help

  by angel.face in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  long story short, i have been a jw for the pst 7 years.

  i am married with 2 kids.

  hubby is a die hard jw who is an ms and would like to be elder.

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  Cadellin

  Welcome, too, to lola-rabbit!

  Yes, my parents are aged and devout as well. I had a recent, harrowing confrontation with them, which I posted about a little while back. As you suggest, I am just keeping my mouth shut from here on out, with them anyway. When parents are older, I really think its best to not rock the boat and keep the lines of communication open--oh, ha! That sounded like I was talking about teenagers! I have one of those too!
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  49

  New here looking for some help

  by angel.face in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  long story short, i have been a jw for the pst 7 years.

  i am married with 2 kids.

  hubby is a die hard jw who is an ms and would like to be elder.

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  Cadellin

  Hi and welcome!! First, let me say that my situation is almost identical to yours except that my husband has been an elder for about 15 years or so, and I only have one child. Other than that--just about the same. My discovery of the dishonest use of secular quotes to support creation was the tipping point for me and, like yourself, once I started researching, the whole house of cards came tumbling down. If you haven't read Crisis of Conscience, do it now. It's eye-opening and truly inspiring.

  I haven't read Hassan's book but its at the top of my list, so I can't help you out there. I do know that my husband and I have been through some rough times b/c of what I've learned. However, he's run interference b/w me and the other elders so that my fade has been pretty easy and quiet, so that says something. He's admitted that the literal flood is an impossibility, so that's another chink in the wall. I go to Sunday meetings to keep the peace and that's it. We've reached detente and I've decided to back off. For now anyway. Once I read Hassan's book, I may try another tactic.

  Regardless of what method anyone chooses, it does take time and patience. I suggest that, if you love your husband and want to stay together, go out of your way to be a really great wife and friend in every other "normal" area of life. It's sort of like what the WT advises when a sister has an opposing mate, ironically! Draw closer to him every way you can; not only will it strengthen your marriage and maybe even safeguard it, it could go a long way to softening his reception of your [frightening and threatening] new ideas.

  Please keep us posted--we're interested to know how it goes.
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  26

  A warning for all from Totally ADD

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been four days since i have been on jwn.

  because i am not as young as i used to be.

  as many know my wife and i are opening up a donut store.

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  Cadellin

  Get better soon and send some chocolate-covered old-fashioneds our way!! I love those things, especially when they're slightly crunchy on the outside...Mmmm...
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  43

  Today's Watchtower Study is SO dumb!!!

  by TimothyT in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like to think of myself as an academic.

  im starting my second degree and i enjoy research.

  when i see a statement backed up by references and support from a credible source, sometimes i get excited.

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  Cadellin

  And welcome to dropoffyourkeylee, Greybeard and all the other newbies on this thread!
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  43

  Today's Watchtower Study is SO dumb!!!

  by TimothyT in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like to think of myself as an academic.

  im starting my second degree and i enjoy research.

  when i see a statement backed up by references and support from a credible source, sometimes i get excited.

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  Cadellin

  TimothyT, yes, I agree--it was one big non sequitur. There wasn't really any attempt to make any meaningful connection b/w the Israelites wanting to go back to Egypt, the first century Christians wanting to celebrate the Mosaic Law and unquestioning obedience to the organization. Beyond the common denominator of obedience. Interestingly, particularly with respect to the first example of the Israelites, their problem was disobedience to God himself--I mean to God's own literal words. By the end of the lesson, the "organization" had been inserted as the source of God's decrees.

  It was 1 + 1 = 3.687 and if you don't agree, you're not going along w/Jehovah's "unfolding purpose," which is such a freaky JW-only concept.

  Also, I had to giggle at the line-up of small pics near the end supposedly illustrating some of the moments discussed. In the middle is a depiction of what presumably a first century Christian "meeting" looked like, complete with folks sitting politely in chairs, all with their scrolls unfolded in their laps and one little girl with her hand up to answer. I guess the WT artists don't realize that widespread literacy is a 20th century phenomenon. The majority of men, 98% of women and most assuredly 100% of little girls were unable to read, much less ever get close enough to a scroll to touch it. But then to acknowledge this inconvenient bit of history is to make it very difficult to identify first century Christians so closely w/modern JWs...

  Sigh.
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  23

  Have you noticed that the Watchtower is not emphasizing how close the end is as much?

  by stuckinamovement in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  maybe i am off base, but it seems that the last year or so hasn't had the standard retoric about how "imminent, close, or soon" the end will be.

  it seems as if the focus is now on obeying the governing body.

  have you noticed this?.

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  Cadellin

  Yes, actually, I have. The 2009 DC used the word "imminent" to describe the nearness of the big A multiple times in every talk. From then on, it seems like the "imminence" has been shoved into the background. So what does "imminent" mean? About to start or moments away. Let's see...that was more than two years' worth of moments ago! So when does use of the word "imminent" constitute LYING????

  And, yes again, stuckinamovement, the unquestioning submission to the GB has become the hue and cry of late. It would be interesting if it weren't so sad and scary...
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  61

  Watchtower admits the KISS method works - Nov 1, 2011 WT, p. 24

  by Alleymom in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the following posts and graphics refer to the k.i.s.s.

  (keep it simple, sweetie) approach to 587/586 bce,.

  which i introduced on july 12, 2003.. here is a link to the original thread:.

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  Cadellin

  I have one comment and one question. First, my comment:

  Evidently realizing such facts, Professor Edward F. Campbell, Jr., introduced a chart, which included Neo-Babylonian chronology, with the caution: “It goes without saying that these lists are provisional. The more one studies the intricacies of the chronological problems in the ancient Near East, the less he is inclined to think of any presentation as final. For this reason, the term circa [about] could be used even more liberally than it is.”—The Bible and the Ancient Near East (1965 ed.), p. 281.

  The reference looked familiar--lo and behold, there's this very same book in my bookcase, not four feet away from me. The Bible and the Ancient Near East is really quite an awesome little collection of seminal essays in honor of W.Albright. Anyway, I flipped to p. 281 and read the comment by Campbell in context. Now, the comment itself is NOT taken out of context. However, the chart he introduces and about which he makes that comment begins in 3800 BC and ends in 400 BC, and encompasses not just the Neo-Bab chron., which is a mere 80 years or so, but Egyptian, Palestinian, Syrian, and Assyrian. In other words, it's incredibly broad in scope and the years in question, pertaining to the destruction of Jerusalem, are a tiny, tiny part of it.

  Moreover, if the writer of the WT article had this book in his clutches, then surely he could have turned to the beginning page of the essay in which Campbell's words and chart appear (p. 265) which provides a contextual framework for understanding the import of the charts. Following is a quote from the opening paragraph:

  No modern reconstruction of Biblical chronology can ignore the fixed dates provided by extra-Biblical sources; and the Biblical dates must be modified in accordance with the pattern of Near Eastern chronology now firmly established for the second and first millenia B.C., within limits that decrease from a generation in the earlier periods to a few years in the central section to certainty in the latter part. (Emphasis mine.)

  So this explains how to interpret Campbell's disclaimer, which occurs several pages later and is selectively quoted by the WT. The degree of uncertainty to which Campbell refers applies primarily to the "earlier periods," and subsides to zero, "to certainty" in the "latter part," which is, of course, exactly where the NeoBabylonian period is located. What the WT is doing is taking his words, which, within the context of the whole essay, are clearly meant to apply to the earlier portions of the chart, and applying them to the latter portions so as to make it appear as if the degree of uncertainty he is expressing pertains to the period under consideration.

  Okay, I just wanted to add that. Now for my question: Why hasn't anyone mentioned Egibi? Isn't there any English sources for these important tablets?

  Just askin'.
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  43

  What can I do when I feel i can't keep going....

  by Free!! in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been having an awful week/month/year/life and i just feel like i can not move forward anymore... is like life is passing me by and i am just observing from the side lines.... i am so tired, i just want to sleep and never wake up..... has anyone felt like this?

  i tried therapy (twice) an it did not work, i tried volunteering and surrounding myself with other people and things to do, and it works until i have to come home, then that feeling of emptiness returns.... .

  i am so tired... i do not know what else to do.... .

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  Cadellin

  Hang in there! Oh, and don't feel guilty b/c you don't have the mojo to exercise--just take one step at a time. Actively looking for a good doctor is a hugely important one!
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  49

  What Turns The Average "Worldly" Person Away From The Witnesses?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is it their door-to-door incessant preaching?

  is it their view on blood?

  is it that the religion itself is simply often misunderstood?.

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  Cadellin

  I think Witnesses are just seen as super restrictive, somewhat bizarre fundamentalists. Beyond the Biblical literalism (which turns away a lot), the abjuring of holidays and birthdays is a biggie.