Posts by JWoods

14

The Watchtower has Created Another New Word.

by sammielee24 in

jw
friends

in the new tract today, a peaceful new world, will it come?, on the last page, there is a bit of a disclaimer.

the paragraph says that "jehovahs witnesses, the publishers of this tract though no part of christendom or judaism, accept these holy scriptures as the only basis for accurate knowledge of gods will.

so - jw's belong to the christian congregation of jehovahs witnesses = christian group = christendom.

JWoods

And the ironic thing is that they have long had to admit that whatever bible canon there is was actually created pretty much from a multitude of early writings (leaving out "apocrapha") - way back in the 3rd + 4th century.

By Christendom. And, by extension of simple logic - under the direction of God (if such a bible canon is to be deemed the true one). At the same time, though - God came down on the wrong side in the Athanasuis/Arius debate on the divinty of the Christ!!!

So - this may be why they (almost reluctantly in the tone of the wording) "accept" it.

31

Serious Omissions in New Watchtower Book

by metatron in

jw
friends

the society's latest book, "bearing thorough witness about god's kingdom" contains two serious omissions.. first, on page 105, it offers an outright lie about the organization and the bible.

"they do not force the scriptures to fit their views.

impartial observers have recognized this fact.

JWoods

Another extremely weak and misleading argument was made in the old blue Evolution Book about Carbon Dating...much is done to disparage the pinpoint accuracy of C14 dating (when science itself presents this as an estimation tool). The implication is hinted at that somehow carbon dating was used by science as an evolutionary proof, when in fact is used for archeological date estimates for organic objects up to perhaps at most 20-30 thousand years but usually less. It is completely non-sequiter when dealing with questions of evolutionary change over millenia.

Thus - carbon dating has absolutely NOTHING to do with fossil remains or their ages. Inaccuracies in carbon dating are inherent in the system and well known to science - thus usually in archeological analysis it is used as only one tool (as is pottery dating, etc.) to estimate the age of artifacts.

And yet C14 clock gets trashed thorougly (in a way calculated to confuse the uneducated witnesses) in the Evolution book as a straw-man argument in their quest for creationism and the 49,000 year old earth.

2

Are They Creating "House Churches"?

by metatron in

jw
friends

so, we hear rumors about changes in disfellowshipping - perhaps watering it down ------ together with rumors about making the sunday meeting a totally public meeting i.e.

moving the wt study elsewhere.. could they be trying to create early christian "house" churches?

it has been argued that 1st century christians may have distinguished between a public meeting in which all would attend - and a "house" church in which the disfellowshipped would be banned.. i know they dumped the book study at private homes but wonder if some informal ( they don't get sued) arrangement will be created out of family night.

JWoods

Disfellowshipping and the sexy intrigues surrounding committee meetings are practically the only excitement there is in JW life. Of course, especially for the elders - but also for everybody else as they speculate on what really happened, etc. The elder's wives, and in many cases the elders themselves, are a great source for gossip.

I agree that the public talk was never really about the public. Some have cynically suggested that it was mostly a way for the speaker to get a non-doorstep hour on his timesheet.

33

Asking for money at the hall.

by GapingMouth in

jw
friends

i don't go to the meetings anymore for i am fading, but a short while ago something happened in a meeting i'd never seen in my entire life as a jw.

the local needs discussed the fact that the local branch had bought a new kh for a whopping 1 million euros.

that's insane, but not the part that got me.

JWoods

I remember something similar in the 70s in NZ.

I also remember what Black Sheep may be referring to - and it was a national thing in the U.S., not a local congregation issue. What happened was that the Society was undergoing a fundamental change in the way they did the printing - changing from the manual linotype and rotogravure presses to computer typesetting and the newer offset presses.

It was costing a tremendous amount of money - and for the first time after having been around the witnesses for 12-15 years, I actually heard speakers stand up and tell people to find extra money to send into the society to assist with these costs. It was also said that the loan program for kingdom halls was being suspended until this junk could be paid for. I for one thought this was BS - they had good working machinery and had just bought the new MAN rotary presses to great fanfare; as far as the labor issue that had an army of no-cost slaves to do that. And, wasn't the end coming within a few years???

Many faithful rank & filers were shocked - they had always been told the Society NEVER solicited funds - and there we saw it with our own eyes, and in print too, IIRC.

53

Can someone help me?

by losthusband in

hi - i'm new here so go easy on me!.

i've been lurking for a while trying to find out info on the jws.

some questions i have:.

JWoods

Not to put too fine a point on it, but did Reneii just get owned over that apple story?

7

Why Me??

by whathehadas in

i think of this as i reflect on my life.

why did i have to be born in this cult?

i'm not alone in this regard, but you can't help but wonder.

JWoods

Well, if it is of any help, many who joined it voluntarily are asking themselves just as vigorously - what was I thinking? Could I have really been that stupid?

Many like me who were dragged in by parents while underage are asking themselves - why didn't I immediately walk when I was 21???

The whole point is that you are out now and can get on with life.

31

Serious Omissions in New Watchtower Book

by metatron in

jw
friends

the society's latest book, "bearing thorough witness about god's kingdom" contains two serious omissions.. first, on page 105, it offers an outright lie about the organization and the bible.

"they do not force the scriptures to fit their views.

impartial observers have recognized this fact.

JWoods

I feel really ignorant now - could you enlighten me on what this statement refers to - Thanks.

Maybe said in jest? IIRC, they actually wrote that "anybody who went to prison over this (i.e. would not take alternative service for objectors) - should be proud that they followed their own christian conscience". Not a word about they way they forced everybody into this position under threat of being disassociated.

20

Is it ok to malign another's faith?

by bluecanary in

i've seen this come up on multiple threads.

rather than derail them all, i'd like to talk about it here.. jws seem to feel that it is a form of persecution for anyone to question, doubt or speak negatively of their beliefs or organization.

yet, they are taught to do this to other religions.

JWoods

The Aztecs probably did not like it when people told them it was wrong to cut out human hearts in the name of religion.

Radical Islam is having much the same problem today vis-a-vis the random civilian bombings.

I say call it like it is about false and immoral religious thought.

53

Can someone help me?

by losthusband in

hi - i'm new here so go easy on me!.

i've been lurking for a while trying to find out info on the jws.

some questions i have:.

JWoods

the people on this forum are not God telling us not to be witnesses :S

Nope - and that is why they are more believable when they say not to become witnesses. Conversely, this is why witnesses are less believable when they say you need to become a witness or else die at armaggedon...precisely that is because the witnesses themselves claim to be talking directly from God.

Here is the deal - I myself have never smoked a cigarette. Sometimes smoker friends tell me I should try it - just one won't kill me.

Probably true - but I don't have any smoker friends who are not desperately hooked on nicotine - and many simply cannot quit even after a bout with heart disease or cancer.

53

Can someone help me?

by losthusband in

hi - i'm new here so go easy on me!.

i've been lurking for a while trying to find out info on the jws.

some questions i have:.

JWoods

reniaa is absolutely right, there is a bigger proportion of current jws over here http://www.topix.com/forum/religion/jehovahs-witness so you should check out that board too. it will give you an idea of the other side of the apple, just ask the current jws over there a few questions about your concerns.

And BOTH this board and that other one are technically off-limits to a good JW. As well as ANY internet outside of official Watchtower places. Which should speak volumes for what your wife and daughter are in danger of getting caught up in.