Well, I'll stop now. I've got other stuff to do. Just wanted to share my thoughts...
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Well, I'll stop now. I've got other stuff to do. Just wanted to share my thoughts...
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
That was the first article. Say what you will, but at least it was explained, in the WT sense, in a coherent, orderly manner, of a sort. Most people will be knocked the f*** out during this article and the old pioneers or know-it-alls will carry the commenting. But this is like some seriously interesting stuff. It's some pretty strong admissions of a number of wrong teachings all in one article. This is like the Fix-It Felix of Watchtower articles, man. Impressive.
--sd-7
rather surprised--this is quite early.
usually it's not out until the 15th of the month.
one thing i noticed, which all the hubbub about all the other articles seems to have overshadowed, was on page 26, a brief article about mark sanderson, the newest member of the governing body.. sounds like he was on the career path of a company man.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/250277/2/July-15th-Study-Edition-Is-Up
Yeah. Just go to the above link for discussion of that issue.
Ninja Scroll is great, isn't it? What's Ninja Scroll? I know how to make my t-shirt into a Do-It-Yourself Ninja mask, but nothing about Ninja Scroll.
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Sorry, I'm totally monopolizing this thread, aren't I?
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Wait a minute! Page 8, paragraph 19: "How does this adjusted view further affect our understanding of the illustration of the faithful slave? Also, how does it affect our understanding of other parables, or illustrations, of Jesus that are being fulfilled during this time of the end?"
So they admit that the 'faithful slave' is an "illustration"! But somehow it has still become a literal prophecy referring to them. Cognitive dissonance, indeed.
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Paragraph 16 on page 7, while referring to all the other parables in Matt. 25 as "parables", carefully avoids using the same term when discussing the 'faithful and discreet slave'. Cle-ver!
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Page 7: "Does a further consideration of Jesus' prophecy reveal that our understanding of the timing of other significant events needs to be adjusted?"
Translation: "Did we figure out some more stuff we were wrong about? Yup. Let's see what it is! By the way, did that last set of paragraphs totally f***ing confuse you? Good. Here's some more for you to not remember by the time this lesson is over."
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
Page 6: "Since Jesus was not yet active as Judge of all nations in 1914, his judgment of people as sheep or goats could not have started in that year."
So...explain to me why I needed The Watchtower to inform me of this truly stunning revelation? Everybody in Christendom "(which is holy in the eyes of nominal Christians)" probably already knew this and didn't have to revisit it at all. You know, like the identity of the 'higher powers' in Romans 13.
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
So what's up with the photo showing a silhouette of the New York skyline in flames on page 5? That's probably not the best choice of picture, guys...
Page 4: "We also discerned that the first part of the great tribulation did not begin in 1914. Why not? Because Bible prophecy reveals that the great tribulation will start, not with a war among nations, but with an attack on false religion."
Okay, so then how did Bible prophecy reveal something totally opposite of that to you before? Why not the true meaning? Because Bible prophecy reveals whatever the Watchtower says it reveals.
--sd-7
not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, but yeah.
they just posted up the new watchtower...with the confusing new information.. time for me to go dive into this "new light" and try to see what sense it makes.
of course cedars already nicely did a run down for us.. .
I'm only 4 paragraphs into the first article, and I'm noticing a lot of use of the word "we": "We thought", "we perceived", "we discerned". Who is the "we" here? The combined powers of the Faithful Slave? All JWs reading the article? It's a clear example of needing to use a more specific narrative voice. Most JWs weren't around when the WT thought the great tribulation started in 1914 and was paused in 1918, were they? Okay. Let's get on with it...it's like a mental prostate exam up in here...
--sd-7