Posts by Juan Viejo2

15

How did the term "The Truth" come about?

by FeelingFree in

i just wondering how this vile term came to be used in constant referral to the org, i really, really hate it!

it's only since coming out that i have realised how much the jdubs use it.

everything is the truth this and the truth that.

Juan Viejo2

When I was just a little kid in the early 1950s, the term/code name ["The Truth"] for Jehovah's Witnesses was just beginning to be used interchangeably with the generic term "God's Organization" and "God's People."

After Nathan Knorr took over as President of the Watchtower Society and Fred Franz became Vice-President a few years later there were two basic threads that provided the framework for the modern version of Jehovah's Witnesses. The original version of "The Truth Shall Make You Free" (1943) was followed by the primary study boook "Let God Be True" (1946 - Green) which was just a few years later followed by a revision the original version of "The Truth Shall Make You Free" and a revised version of "Let God Be True" (1952 - Maroon).

It was during the 1950 and 1953 International Conventions in New York that the term "The Truth" first became synonymous with "The Organization" (i.e. The Watchtower). While rank and file JWs were slow to grab on to that nickname for the organization at first, still referring to the Society as "God's Organization" or themselves as simply Jehovah's Witnesses, the substitution of the term "the truth" became locked in as the descriptive name for the Watchtower ("The Truth") in 1968. It was during the International Convention that year that the study book "The Truth that leads to Eternal Life" was released.

The last three paragraphs of that book (pages 189,190) lock in the phrase "the way of the truth" as a substitute for "the way" (a term used by early Christians as a descriptive way to describe themselves and Christianity) as an approved and more or less formal way to describe the Watchtower.

I remember my parents first using the descriptive term "The Truth" in the early 1970s when they would plead with me to "come back to the Truth" or when they refused to consider any objections to the 1975 prophecy ("Johnny, we could never leave the Truth," " We could never take a stand against the Truth.")

I think it is quite interesting that Jehovah's Witnesses have switched from being "Christians" (noun) to members of the "Christian (adjective) Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses" and have all but abandoned the use of "Bible Students" to describe themselves except when they are in uncomfortable situations when the use of "Jehovah's Witnesses" might prove embarrassing or dangerous.

It must be uncomfortable to call their organization "The Truth" when it is forever changing what it believes and reversing positions on even some of their most basic teachings. Must be why "Let God Be True" is no longer their primary introductory study text.

JV

http://ex-jw.com/truth-shall-set-you-free

7

AFFECTATIONS of INTEGRITY and other steaming piles of Poo

by Terry in

there is a marvelous greek word for what an actor does in a play as he assumes an identity other than his own.

and proceeds to affect behaviors which convince an audience every word and deed performed is the gods' honest truth.. do you know the word?.

the word is ??

Juan Viejo2

Totally off topic...but I couldn't pass this up

Terry - by the way - I noted that your new gravatar reminds me of another sleuth / critic / highly intelligent person. You could look just like him because you already do...

1. Cut your hair very short.

2. Put on a medium to dark gray three-piece suit.

3. Wear some amber or light green sunglasses even when you are inside.

4. Wear a dark fedora set comfortably on your head but above your ears.

5. Show your intelligence is so far advanced over that of your enemies.

6. Plan to identify and maybe eliminate all of your enemies before you die.

James Spader / "Black List" Terry Walstrom Terry???

Yeah, I think that would work. Never give them a break, Terry...

JV

20

So who knows/knew William Malenfant?

by L3G in

jw
friends

since a previous thread is getting comments that this guy may become a new gb member, the topic above is worth pursuing.

here's what i found out by searching so far---in other words, not much.

surely others must know something about the guy.. http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/198944/1/william-malenfant-learn-from-me-mp3-trinidad-2010-zone-talk.

Juan Viejo2

Remember that there is a strong rumor going around that "being appointed" (to the Governing Body) is a sign that the person has been "annointed." Whether that "anointed" means that he is an actual member of the "heavenly class" or is just allowed to be equal to them on earth - that will be the theological question that will have to be sorted out.

Remember that Fred Franz made a direct statement back in the 1970s that there would be no more "anointed" anointed after the 1935 "class" passed on to their heavely reward. Of course, he was sure that Armageddon would come in 1975-76 - and he stubbed his toe on that one.

Let's face it - the Governing Body will have to deal with this issue sometime very soon - as there is always some turnover every ten years. Just because some CO or former DO out there claims to be "anointed" does not mean they are next in line. Same with the 8000+ partakers still drinking the kool-aid (sorry, I meant Manischewitz red table wine made from circumsized and kosher "blessed by rabbis" holy red grapes untouched by pigs or rabbits) - there must be a few quality elders out there who could step in and fake it as well as the current bunch on the GB.

My contact who has connections to WT HQ suggested this several months ago. [See halfway down the first post on the 3/21/2014 thread at http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/277270/1/Will-firing-the-DOs-be-the-first-step-to-a-new-Watchtower]

Namely "Appointed" = "Anointed." If the holy spirit whispers in the GB ears that Jehovah wants 38 year old wealthy business man elder COBE with a PBS documentary narrator's voice, they really have no choice but to select him as an add-on or replacement. After all - it is the HOLY SPIRIT! He'll wake up the next day just knowing (as they all did) that he is something special and the living is good at HQ and all the sisters will swoon over him when he gives a talk on TV.JW.org or at the next big convention. Yep, that's pretty much a sign that you are "anointed."

This is not a big deal for the Governing Body. After all, they know that they can say or do anything and get 100% compliance and acceptance from the R&F. If they don't, there will be repercussions like no more "Happy" dances at Kingdom Halls...

JV

25

Has anyone else heard this about the GB??

by FeelingFree in

ok so me and my husband were talking to his mum again about why we are no longer going to meetings and got into another pointless discussion where she feels he needs to talk to an elder about his issue's blah, blah, blah... round and round it went...... the thing i wanted to ask was if anybody had heard that there wont be any gb after these one's die??

this is something she mentioned today and we have never heard of this ever.

so it means no more will be appointed and they will just die off!

Juan Viejo2

Old Goat - I heard the same exact thing during both the 1953 and 1958 International Conventions. We were told that if we were children that we would soon see the end of this system of things by the time we reached maturity (21? 35? 40? 50? 65?) I am now over 70 and the end is not in sight. Did Knorr, Fred Franz, Hayden Covington and the other leaders of the Watchtower lie to us? Or did they just not know any more than the rest of us ignorant fools?

After I attended the 1960 or '61 district convention at Candlestick Park in San Francisco I asked my father if I could go to college at University of California at Riverside. With the exception of a single "F" grade due to a misunderstanding and an unbending teacher, I had managed straight A's in every one of my high school classes. So I had a grade point average of 3.5 or such. My problem was that I had not taken any college prep courses. And yet I had scholarship offers from at least 4 different sources. My father was quite sure that going to University would be a waste of my time as "Armageddon is just a few years away." But trade school was OK if I wanted to pursue that path. So I managed a small scholarship grant from the local newspaper to go to the local community college and took college freshman courses in Journalism and Graphic Arts (print shop). Not quite what I hoped for, and yet a chance to get started on my college education.

It was not Armageddon that brought my college education to an early end, but rather my father getting ill first, and then he and my mother deciding to move to "where the need was greater" in Nebraska "before Armageddon came." So I lost my room and board, my support system, and had to get a job to support myself. My father told me that he was sad that I would not be able to finish my college year, but that this was Jehovah's way of telling me that I needed to get my priorities straight and plan on a career at Bethel or as a missionary. He never gave up on the idea that Armageddon was just a few years away.

And yet it was another 8-10 years later that the 1975 prophecy was being touted. Again my father tried to lure me back into the organization, begging me to repent of my sins and commit myself to Jehovah's work. As he put it - I was just going through growing pains and searching for my path - but if I would go back to full time service and re-commit myself to Jehovah's work all would be fine. After all - Armageddon was just a few years away. He finally gave up sometime after 1985 when my mother passed away.

My parents stayed faithful to their end of life, and yet none of us kids really stayed in at all. I have one sibling and her family that are technically in, but they are far from being "successful" JWs for many reasons. They just continue on because that's how they wasted their entire lives so far, so why change now?

Sadly - I think those who are still in from my generation simply feel that "it is too late" for them to change. They may not personally agree with a single thing the Watchtower teaches, they may be completely bored out of their heads when they go to meetings, and they may cheat every way they can to get in their monthly minimum hours, but they do that because they feel they are too far down the road to turn around now. They have been brainwashed and brain dead far too long to try to change.

It's really so sad to see so many lives either destroyed or denigrated to meanlngless routine. I know that I am not alone in this view. I'm sure that many of you reading this thread can totally relate to what I am trying to say. Wasted lives. Wasted effort. Lost wages. Lost chances. Lost friends. Lost lives...

To the Watchtower - thank you very much...

JV

5

Type/Antitype Definition

by pixel in

thought it would be good to have the definition of:.

antitype.

1.. a person or thing that represents the opposite of someone or something else.. .

Juan Viejo2

Terry is absolutely right. In the 1950s and 60s when I was very active, I remember hearing those terms and examples in almost every KH talk or Watchtower study. We had one brother who was really caught up in that crap. He claimed to have been a Bible scholar before he became a JW and never failed to mention that he had a degree from some college. (I learned later that he got his AA degree from San Bernardino City College, but never found out what his major actually was). Not exactly what I consider an expert by any means.

He was really into types and anti-types and loved to refer to both "God and Magog." (I think this was mostyl due to a science fiction movie popular at the time that had two quirky and unpleasant robots who turned on their human masters - one being named Gog and the other Magog. Until recently I doubt if JWs really paid much attention to those names/character/characters.

However, Gog was supposed to be a person or a tribe. Magog was a tribe or land area, not a person. Anyway, this brother would always insert these entities into his public talks and then go all Garner Ted Armstrong on us. His opinion, which was quite prevalent at the time, was that Gog was the type for the King of the North. The anti-type was Russia + communist China. He would at times suggest that China and Russia would exchange the title at some point in the future depending on who became more powerful. Remember that thanks to Korea and Viet Nam wars, China was cast into the role of the USA / UK's main enemy and therefore was considered by some as the real King of the North. I always thought it was interesting that the USA and UK were cast as the King(s) of the South when their latitudes were the same as most of Russia and China. Most considered our support of Israel as putting us in that region and therefore "south" for prophetic purposes.

It will be interesting to see how the GB eases out of their use of types/anti-types and covers up their past history of King of the North failed prophecy.

One brother who finally got tired of all the type / anti-type BS told me that maybe we should just look at all those people and places mentioned in the Bible for what they were - just as we would the Kings of England or historic characters from the Middle Ages.

JV

67

The 1927-1946 "Messenger" CD by request!

by Atlantis in

from one of the friends here:.

nevada do you still have those messengers with rutherfords pictures?.

tx.

Juan Viejo2

BTT

Any chance that someone has a PDF version of the 10-1-2012 BOE letter (child abuse) with a UK branch letterhead? This would be most helpful for a researcher on the case right now. You can email it to me at contact@ex-jw.com.

Thanks for any help you can provide. This is very important.

JV

71

BORG running low on $$$??

by fader77 in

dear brothers:.

re: personal literature supply.

reducing existing stock at the branch office before the revisions are released.

Juan Viejo2

I think Apognophos is right on the money.

If they are admitting that the current books are out of date and new versions with updated "truth" (in other words, it wasn't "truth" to begin with) are about to be released, they are clearly admitting that they offer false or defective information to their readers.

And to begin quoting from the "Silver Sword" version? Has anyone here actually read that monstrosity? Not only has the reader level dropped down from about 8th grade to 4th grade, whole chapters have been reworked.

I once felt that much of my interest in history and writing was due to my connection with JWs and reading Watchtower literature. Compare the maroon version of "Let God Be True" that converted my parents and me to JWism to any of the current "study" books. It's like comparing "The Magic of Everything" by Richard Dawkins to Dr. Suess.

JV

61

Outrageous Comment

by Yondaime in

what was the most outrageous comment you ever heard during a wt study?.

.

please share your experiences..

Juan Viejo2

"Go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid, everyone. We must all drink the kool-aid. It will all be over soon. Give it to your children. That's right. Make them drink the kool-aid. No, don't try to leave. We are all going to drink the kool-aid... We must die with some dignity. Don't be afraid to die. Death is just stepping over into another plane. It's your friend." Reverend Jim Jones, Jonestown, Guyana (1978).

Everytime JWs go to the Kingdom Hall or to a convention, they take another sip of Watchtower kool-aid. When they listen to the Watchtower and refuse to let their kids have a blood transfusion or go to college, they are drinking the kool-aid and making their kids drink it too.

Whenever JW shun their own children, parents, former friends who have chosen not to believe the Watchtower bullshit, they are drinking the kool-aid.

Recently, practically every issue of the Watchtower or public addresses by members of the Governing Body have large doses of poison buried within the kool-aid they are dispensing. Don't fight it. Don't try to reason over it. Yes, it may not make sense to reasonable human beings. Just drink it and go to sleep...

JV

59

Want to make Money $ with a Web Site?

by sarahsmile in

has anyone had success with a high traffic website or blog ?.

it might take a team of people to accomplish.. ads pay and people count, lots and lots of people.

does jehovahs-witness.net make money every time someone looks at the web site?

Juan Viejo2

As I write this post, I see ads that tell me that I can make money on a website using Double-Click and I can also get a business degree in website design and advertising from the University of Virginia. Adsense is very smart that way. Don't they know that us JWs can't go to university or get degrees?

JV

22

New "The List" of... Times when JW's thought it was the end and it wasn't...

by ILoveTTATT in

i think that there should be a list of the times when a certain world event got jw's thinking "this has got to be it!

the start of armageddon!".

it would be nice to have screenshots of twitter/facebook comments from actual jw's.... then come back to it 5, 10, 15 years from now and just say... nope... just another crisis in the world.... just this year there have been two:.

Juan Viejo2

I remember that everyone was sure the end was near when Russia launched Sputnick in the late 1950s.

Then, of course, came the 1975 debacle, which as the Watchtower later claimed, was NEVER mentioned by them - only imagined by R&F JWs.

Some of you may not know that 1984 was also considered, for a short time, as possibly the critical year. Not only because there was a book and movie with that title, but also because ===>>> 1914 plus 70 years equals 1984!!!! Can't you see the logic?

Yes, the 1990s marked the end of the Generation that saw 1914 (later changed to "any generation" that "overlapped" those born before or during 1914).

That morphed into the Millenium (4000 years before Jesus and 2000 years after Jesus = 6000 years = 2000 A.D.). Many JWs were concerned about New Years Eve that year and also October of that year. The Watchtower remained silent, but while suggesting that there was a possibility, "no man knows the DAY or the HOUR" so it could be anytime - and just maybe 2000 was "anytime."

So now they are "celebrating 100 years" since the [failed] 1914 claim that Jesus Christ took control of his Kingdom that year. Or was it 1915? Or 1918? Or 1919?

OK - what evidence do we see at anytime over the 100 years that Jesus is somehow ruling in a way that makes our history or daily lives significantly different from the years immediately before 1914?

I've considered the possibilities - and there are some potential proofs that Jesus Christ did in fact take his throne in 1914 and changed world history. But none of those proofs have been or will be recognized by the Watchtower leaders or writing staff. Some day I might share them with you. Maybe...

JV