The msn article got posted on one of the JW Facebook pages and you can already see some great head-in-the-sand thinking. My particular favorite is this shining example of a loving member of Jehovah's congregation (not to mention grammar):
corpusdei
JoinedPosts by corpusdei
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Plaintiff awarded in punitive damages -21M & 1 dollar. Total award, 28M & 1 dollar. Here's more info
by AndersonsInfo inthe plaintiff, candace conti's goal from the very beginning was to bring enough attention to this problem to incentivize watchtower to change its policy of secrecy.
the award can be explained as it was decided: separate compensatory and punitive damages.
the punitive award is established in law to punish wrongdoing - here, the conscious disregard for others - and deter that conduct in the future.
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What it takes to become an atheist.
by dontplaceliterature ini was pondering this today during lunch, and to me it seems that it comes down to whether or not you can accept that you will one day be permanantly gone and anyone you have lost in death will never be alive again.
once a person becomes comfortable with these two ideas, there isn't really any incentive to believe.
maybe it's an over simplification, but it seems to me that this is the heart of the matter.
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Awake 8/2012: YPA - Who Are My Role Models (with snark)
by corpusdei inwheeeee!!!!!!
another ypa article trying mould young children into nice little myrmidons, and once again, the only way i can stand to read it is by inserting as much low-brow commentary as i can.
read hebrews chapter 11 and pick one of the men or women named there.
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corpusdei
Magwitch>> Can't you practically just see the puppet strings there?
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What it takes to become an atheist.
by dontplaceliterature ini was pondering this today during lunch, and to me it seems that it comes down to whether or not you can accept that you will one day be permanantly gone and anyone you have lost in death will never be alive again.
once a person becomes comfortable with these two ideas, there isn't really any incentive to believe.
maybe it's an over simplification, but it seems to me that this is the heart of the matter.
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corpusdei
That's part of it, but I think the core of the need for religion hinges on two points - our need to explain the unknown, and the difficulty of true independance. What made the sun move across the sky, or rain to fall? We're limited by our own experience, so without an understanding of astronomy or meterology we created Gods in our image to explain these things.
Deeper, I think, is the idea of independance. It's scary to stand and live your life without the crutch of leaning your mistakes on sin, your hardships on a devil or your successes on divine assistance. Taking away those supports means that you have only yourself to blame for your own mistakes, and I don't think that we as a species are especially good at that.
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After twenty four years of loyal service, I am about to commit treason...
by CaptainSchmideo inof a sort.. i have been with the same company for 24 years, and the last 5 have not been very enjoyable for me.
i like the owner of the company, but the management team is terrible, and the dept.
i work in (tech service) is demoralized.
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corpusdei
My outlook on employment ultimately boils down to this - You have a set of skills and experience that you are selling to your employer, skills which mean that your time has value. Your job is to ensure that those skills are valuble enough that an employer has a demand for them and is willing to pay you in order to utilize those skills.
On the other hand, if the employer is unable or unwilling to pay what you consider an equitable amount for that product, you can either choose to take that to another employer who is willing to pay that, or you can continue to sell to your current employer with the knowledge that by doing so you are giving those skills to them at a discount.
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Awake 8/2012: YPA - Who Are My Role Models (with snark)
by corpusdei inwheeeee!!!!!!
another ypa article trying mould young children into nice little myrmidons, and once again, the only way i can stand to read it is by inserting as much low-brow commentary as i can.
read hebrews chapter 11 and pick one of the men or women named there.
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corpusdei
Wheeeee!!!!!! Another YPA article trying mould young children into nice little myrmidons, and once again, the only way I can stand to read it is by inserting as much low-brow commentary as I can. (more snark here if you're interested)
I used to hate the Witnesses. Now I just make fun of them. It's more entertaining that way.
YOUNG PEOPLE ASK - Who are my role models?
In this article, you will learn: Is there any chance that it might be something educational, like exactly what can be done using only a trout, 6 rubber bands and the full set of encyclopedias? Please?
WHY you need role models Because, when I'm old and tired and looking back at my life, I really need to be able to look at someone else and see exactly how mediocre my life really is. Thanks a lot.
WHERE to find them Aisle 5 at Wal-Mart. Next to the poultry seasoning.
HOW to follow their example They really want these articles to be like a Haynes car repair manual for kids, don't they. Of course, that really would be pretty cool. At least, until someone figured out how to put a glasspack muffler on a 7 year old. Like kids aren't noisy enough.
WHY you need them Yea, yea, yea, because I'm a sinful, imperfect little worm that can't make good decisions without the Governing Body sitting on my shoulder like a good little angel. Except it's a pompous, self-important angel that smells like moldy cheese. Like moldy cheese and judgment, with just the faintest aroma of nepotism.
FACT OF LIFE: You tend to become like the people you admire. That can be good - or bad - depending on whom you admire.
Captain Subtext says: Believe us, the minute the technology exists to erase your lust-fueled, dirty, sinful little minds and replace them with carbon copies of perfect little Witness drones you're gonna be on the table before you can say "New World Translation".
What you need: Role models who are worthy of imitation.-Philippians 3:17. I'm thinking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or possibly Captain Planet. But without the tights.
The problem: Many people look up to individuals who are famous-musicians, sports heroes, or movie stars-even if these have sordid reputations. Not me. Splinter was clean as a whistle, if you overlooked the whole, you know, sewage thing.
To think about: The Bible compares our personality traits to a garment. (Colossians 3:9, 10) It also likens the words of wise men to cattle prods (Eccl 12:11). What's your point?If you were shopping for clothes, would you let a poorly dressed salesperson tell you what to wear? If I'm shopping at Hot Topic, absolutely.Why, then, let some shady celebrity dictate the kind of person you should be? Because celebrities have more than fame and fortune. They get to name their kids their kids ridiculous things like "Apple". Who wouldn't want a piece of that? Instead of doing that or just following the crowd, choosing good role models will help you to (1) select the traits you want to acquire and (2) imitate people who excel in displaying those traits.
Just so you know, Captain Subtext is over in the corner muttering something about "Must find a way to make the sheeple follow our crowd, not Paris Hiltons." I'll be honest. I was considering a joke about a Governing Body sex tape here, but seriously, there are some lines even I won't cross. Just eeewwww.
Why let some shady celebrity dictate the kind of person you should be? We've already gone over that. Because then I could name my kids "Trout", "Car Park" and "Prince Atherton P. Tallywacker the Twelfth" and people won't bat an eyelash.
Mark the following statements true or false.
1. A role model must be someone you have met face-to-face.
True False
I'll choose answer number c. Molecular Gastronomy. Just cause it sounds cool.
2. A role model must be perfect.
True False
True, but only on Tuesdays and Thursdays after 5 PM.
3. You can have many role models.
True False
I'm going to refrain from answering this question until I find out if these alleged "role models" as you call them come with chips and a drink.
Answers
1.False. You can even choose role models from the ancient past. If you don't mind them being a little desiccated, maybe.The best of these can be found in the Bible. For instance, if you read chapter 11 in the Bible book of Hebrews, you'll find that the apostle Paul names 16 men and women whose faith was exemplary. At this point I do feel the need to point out the fact that Paul was a misogynistic homophobe who got his jollies by cutting off parts of Timothy's dick. I'd feel better about getting role-model recommendations from the tree rat currently raiding my birdfeeder. Most important, in the next chapter, Paul urged Christians to "look intently" at Jesus and follow him. (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus is our best role model. - John 13:15.* And he even has his own line of action figures and a fine selection of casual ware.
* Of course, many people of the present can also serve as good role models. These might include a parent, a sibling, a spiritually mature member of the Christian congregation, or another exemplary person you know or have read about.
Very true. Just about every day I ask myself "What would Niccolo Machiavelli do?"
2.False. Other than Jesus, Adam had no perfect descendants. (Romans 3:23) Granted, but if it weren't for him and Eve chowing down on the forbidden fruit we'd never have hot girls with low self-esteem wearing slutty cheerleader outfits on Halloween. Imperfection has its perks. Even the heroic prophet Elijah was "just as human as we are." (James 5:17, Contemporary English Version) This being the same Elijah who said "And you will be with many sicknesses, with a malady of your intestines, until your intestines have come out because of the sickness day by day." Yea. Charming guy. The same may be said of such people as Miriam, David, Jonah, Martha, and Peter. The Bible candidly reveals the errors of those men and women. Oh come one. David was a womanizer, the most impressive thing Jonah ever did was get eaten by a fish, and even God didn't have great things to say about Miriam - "Then Jehovah said to Moses: "Were her father to spit directly in her face, would she not be humiliated seven days? Let her be quarantined seven days outside the camp, and afterward let her be received in." Still, they were exemplary in most aspects of life, and thus they can be good role models. So you're essentially saying that if there are certain parts that we can ignore about our role models, then it's OK to have somebody who isn't completely good? So, by this reasoning, if I ignore his dietary and recreational habits, I can choose Jeffery Dahmer as my role model. After all, he always paid the rent on time.
3.True. You can have as many role models as you want. Oh, goody, I'll choose Jeff and John Wayne Gacy (again, if we're ignoring the bad stuff, he was apparently pretty good with kids) One might be especially hardworking, while another may excel at being patient. Perhaps a third maintains a positive outlook in the face of problems. When I grow up I wanna be just like Gideon. Let's go slaughter us some unbelievers!!!! (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11, 12) Look for the good in others, and you'll find qualities they have that are worthy of imitation. For what it's worth, I still say the whole "slutty cheerleader outfit" thing should get a lot more imitation-Philippians 2:3.
WHAT YOUR PEERS SAY
Layla - My friend Sandra looks at the positive side of things. She is also very familiar with her Bible. Because of that, she always seems to have at her fingertips the solutions to problems. I can confide in her whenever I have problems, big or small.
Terrence - My friends Kyle and David never minimize the feelings of others. They are always available to help people with their problems, while they put their own anxieties on the back burner. I view them as great examples. Right up until the years of self-denial take their toll on Kyle and David, causing a psychotic break that leaves both of them huddled in a corner, covering themselves in peanut butter and calling for Mommy.
Have you ever, I mean ever heard a teen talk like that? There's a lot that a teen is gonna think is cool about their role model, but I can guarantee you that "impressive bible thumping" isn't one of them. The guy who can fit an entire roll of quarters up his nose is cooler than that.
HOWto follow their example
1. Observe your role models. The apostle Paul told first-century Christians: "Learn by watching those who are living the way we showed you." -Philippians 3:17, Holy Bible - Easy-to-Read Version. I love observing my role models. At this point, though, I have to do it from at least 750 feet away. At least, that's what the Judge said.
2. Connect. If possible, spend some time with those you have chosen as modern-day role models. The Bible says: "He that is walking with wise persons will become wise." -Proverbs 13:20. This one's easy. I've even got a handful of fake Facebook profiles to get this one done.
3. Reflect your role models' praiseworthy traits. Hebrews 13:7 says: "As you contemplate how their conduct turns out imitate their faith."
Ready to get started? Fill out the role model action plan below. Crispy fried Christ Jesus, you're making me do homework now?
Action Plan
Pick a trait that you would like to acquire. (Would you like to be more outgoing? generous? hardworking? resilient? dependable? trustworthy?) Um. Traits..... Well, I want jetpacks. And robot slaves. Barring that, I want to be able to melt ice cubes and remove underware with the power of my mind.
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Pick a person who demonstrates the quality you would like to develop.* Iron Man. Fuck yea.
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* You can also do this exercise in reverse. First, pick a person whom you look up to. Next, ask yourself, 'What particular quality makes that person admirable?' Then, using that person as a role model, strive to imitate the quality you identified.
When you choose a good role model, your goal isn't to become that person. Of course not. I was just going to ... you know ... maybe wear their skin or something. But only after dark, and I'd wash my hands afterwards. You'll still have your own unique good qualities. I've spent the past 15 minutes trying to think of what kind of good qualities I have, and I gotta say, I'm coming up short. Aside from a staggeringly massive database of pornography, I mean. Nevertheless, having good role models will help bring out your best as you grow to adulthood. Not only that, by following their example, you will become a good role model for others. My idea of inspiration is calling little Billy over to an anthill and telling them that each and every ant has a soul, but that they won't get into heaven unless he gives each and every one a name.
Emmaline - My role model is my mom. She knows her Bible like the back of her hand, and she always looks for opportunities to talk to people about her faith. That doesn't make her a role model. Obsessive Compulsive, perhaps, but that's the most I'll give you. She fully believes that the ministry is a privilege, not a chore. I admire her for that! Ok, I'll grant this one - I've got a grudging admiration for fanatics too. Believing the field service is a "privilege" requires a level of stupidity and masochism of which I know I will never be capable.
WHY NOT ASK YOUR PARENTS?
Talk to your parents about their role models-the ones they had when they were your age and the ones they have now. How have your parents benefited from having role models in their life? Before she joined the Witnesses and started talking to her giant imaginary friend in the sky, one of my moms role models was Timothy Leary. True story. Guess she just traded one set of hallucinations for another.
READ MORE ABOUT IT!
Do you need help finding good role models? Read Hebrews chapter 11 and pick one of the men or women named there. Start a study project with the goal of imitating that one's admirable traits. You know, putting all snarkiness aside for a moment (more difficult for me that you might think) I'll tell you this. Put down the Bible. Yea, it's got some good stories in it, but you shouldn't choose a role model out of there any more than you would out of a Dean Koontz novel. Look at the people who have actually done something to help and advance the human race as a species and a culture. Choose Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates. Choose Neil Armstrong or Buzz Aldrin (whose first words on the moon kicked Neil's ass. Dude looked out on that landscape and remarked "Magnificent desolation"). Choose Jim Henson. For me, though, it'll always be Carl Sagan. Snookie can go and fuck herself. As a matter of fact - turn that shit off and go watch Cosmos. Now. That's a direct order.
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Ray Bradbury Died today
by NewChapter inhe was 91. he wrote fahrenheit 451 and the maritan chronicles.
i loved the martian chronicles.
i didn't read the other but saw the movie..
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corpusdei
"It was a pleasure to burn"
I maintain that is one of the single greatest opening lines I've ever read. Hats off to his memory, the world is a better place for his imagination.
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Demons and the Witnesses
by corpusdei inok, this one is a little long, but i think it's worth reading.
in putting this together, i came across a fair amount of interesting information about the witnesses and their belief in demons.
there's a lot that i'll be interested to put to the next witness i come acoss (if any of them still quite dare to talk to me after last time.
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corpusdei
finally awake>> No kidding. I was raised in this BS and I still don't get how we managed to swallow it all.
I Want to Believe>> Thanks, it is a little longer than I was initially expecting it to be. A big part of that is the number of quotes, but it's difficult to really get a good look at the larger picture without actually seeing the nuttiness in the same context as it's served to the Witnesses.
DT>> Good article there. It really is amazing how far the Witnesses choose to blur the line between superstition and reality. In reality, things like Sparlock and my old Transformer toys really are just that - toys. Pieces of plastic. But by being able to make someone view these things as points of contact that would allow demonic attack, the WTBTS is able to reinforce their control through that fear. I've said it before - L. Ron Hubbard probably thought the Witnesses were doing a pretty good job.
WTWizard>> I'm guessing you're cheering for the other side? "An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books." - Samuel Butler
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Demons and the Witnesses
by corpusdei inok, this one is a little long, but i think it's worth reading.
in putting this together, i came across a fair amount of interesting information about the witnesses and their belief in demons.
there's a lot that i'll be interested to put to the next witness i come acoss (if any of them still quite dare to talk to me after last time.
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corpusdei
Ok, this one is a little long, but I think it's worth reading. In putting this together, I came across a fair amount of interesting information about the Witnesses and their belief in demons. There's a lot that I'll be interested to put to the next Witness I come acoss (if any of them still quite dare to talk to me after last time. Ketchup and rubber bands may have been involved)
The TL;DR version - The WTBTS routinely publishes many lurid, graphic descriptions of demons, claiming that they are legitimate warnings to the faithful. An examination of these shows that not only are they almost unanimously coming from underdeveloped countries already steeped in superstition, the stories function as the stick to Jehovah's carrot. Further, demons are an example of Witnesses hypocrisy, as they claim to offer "freedom from superstition" on one hand, while on the other hand recommending ritual burning of objects and invocation of God's name as remedies. Nowhere is the two-faced nature of the WTBTS more evident, however, than the fact that they publish these stories of demonic harassment while directly instructing their followers that they should not do the same.
When I was a kid I was scared of the dark. Yes, I know, most kids are at some time or another, but what I was scared of wasn't what might be hiding under my bed or in the closet. I was afraid of something much more defined. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I was surrounded by evil - countless invisible, supernaturally powerful, malevolent creatures that had already started hurting me. I had started to get regular headaches by that point, and if that was proof enough for my Mom that the demons had targeted me, then that was enough to make me believe too. We had already found and burned several books and games that served to let the demons into our home, but my headaches continued. So, every night, I prayed to Jehovah and asked him to banish the demons and make them stop hurting me.
I was eight at the time.
Years later, with a decade of hindsight since I last picked up a Watchtower with any acceptance (and glasses that have long since fixed my eyestrain related headaches), I understand far better why I was convinced that I was under supernatural assault. Even with that said, before beginning the research behind this article, I believed that, as a child, I must have exaggerated the idea of Demons that was being taught by the Watchtower. Surely it couldn't have been as bad as I remembered. As it turns out, there's a lot of things I'm thankful I never read or heard about.
For the Witnesses, if the Jehovah and His promise of Everlasting Life in Paradise Earth © is the carrot, Satan and his Demons are the stick. Demons, hate-filled fallen angels, are a constant theme in Witness theology - they fill the world around us, able to influence thoughts, manipulate things, even cause illness and death. Their only goal is to kill you, and any misstep could put you at risk of falling into their snares. Any object could bring their influence into your home, even without your knowledge. While the Witnesses claim to offer freedom from superstition and fear, the sheer volume of lurid first-person accounts of demonic attack, coupled with the repeated admonition to ritually burn "contact" items and make vocal prayers to Jehovah (essentially a magical "invocation" of Divine power) show a different story. Far from trying to free someone from superstition, the Witnesses instead substitute their own - one designed to keep followers in dependence to the apparent safety provided by the organization.
Make the Monsters
Some history (according to the Witnesses) - Demons are angels that have sided with Satan the Devil (the original demon). In the time of Noah, these angels materialized in human form in order to have sex with human women. The children resulting from these angel/human relations went on to become the Nephilim, violent giants that terrorized the world. When God visited the Flood on the world, it didn't kill the angels, only destroying their material bodies and returning them to the spirit realm. Since that time, although they have been prevented from taking material form, these demons have maintained a continued presence in the world.
The Witness view of demons is largely based on biblical accounts, such as demonic possession of man and animals (Matt. 8:31, 32), physical impairment (Matt 9:33) and superhuman strength (Mark 5:3-4). The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WTBTS) however, has regularly reported first-hand accounts of demonic possession and harassment that go far beyond the accounts related in the bible. Among the many items attributed to demonic activity are
- Selective physical maladies such as deafness when attempting to attend Witness meetings 1
- Physical illness, night harassment, sleep deprivation, terrible dreams, sexual abuse by spirits, as well as the potential to be driven to murder or suicide 2
- Providing power with "spiritists and demon-controlled persons" making such people "able to 'bind others with a spell,' sometimes by means of their eyes." 3
- Insanity and mental illness - "Often the wild and uncontrolled conduct of mentally unbalanced persons is due to possession by these invisible minions of Satan." 4
- Visions and hallucinations 5
- Physical attacks such as being shoved, pinned to the ground, paralysis and convulsions. 6 More violent actions, such as strangulation 7 , and breaking the neck by twisting the head 8 are also attributed.
- Manipulation of the body, such as significant swelling 6 and phantom pain 9
Going hand in hand with the powers attributed to demons are the strong language and warnings that the WTBTS uses when discussing them. Phrases such as "debased demons that force people to worship them" 10 , "as murderous as ever" 2 , and "life-threatening" 13 are repeated time and time again, framing longer descriptions that are even more lurid:
"[Demons] are sex perverts who are the behind-the-scenes manipulators of this sex-mad world. Although they have been barred from again materializing as humans, they derive pleasure from the sexual perversions of those they can corrupt on earth" 11
While the forceful language and frightening descriptions are ostensibly to convey the great danger of these creatures who, though unseen, work "not only attract people but also attack them" 12 it serves a deeper, much more fundamental purpose. It fans the natural human fear of the unknown, and instills in Witnesses a firm belief that they are, in fact, in mortal danger. As we will see shortly, by creating this sense of fear, and fanning it with every disturbing image that they can provide, the Watchtower Society can then step in and claim that they, as God's chosen Earthly Organization, are the only group that can provide protection.
Reinforce the Fear
That sense of fear is escalated by terrifying 'first person accounts' of demon attacks. In one example 6 ,a woman in Suiname, Lintina van Geenen, describes in vivid detail how 16 members of her family, including her mother, were killed by a demon. The article describes how
- "Later the demon stepped up his attacks. Several times I felt as if he were strangling me. Though I tried to run away, I could not because a heavy weight seemed to press on my body. I wanted to scream but could not produce a sound."
- "One day I heard the foreboding voice of the demon say, "I will make your belly swell like a ball." Some time later, there was a hard lump in my belly that grew bigger until I looked pregnant"
- "Next, the demon threatened: "I'm finished with you. This is your end." "But you are not God, you are not Jesus," I cried. "Even God cannot stop me," the demon answered. "Your days are numbered.""
- "But that very night the demon possessed me. In a trance, I seemed to see the koenoe followed by a crowd of people. He ridiculed: "She thinks she is going to get a resurrection." Then the crowd laughed and laughed."
Other accounts are similar in their graphic content:
"The spirits that spoke through me were kind to those who sought their help," she says, "but at the same time they made my life miserable. After each sitting, I felt beaten up and could hardly move. When night fell, I hoped for some rest, but the spirits did not leave me alone. They kept disturbing me, talking to me and keeping me awake. And the things they said! They loved to talk about sex and insisted on having relations with me. It was shocking. I was married. I did not want to be unfaithful and told them so. It did not help. Once an invisible force overpowered me, touched and squeezed my body, and even bit me. I felt wretched." 8
"One night we were called to help a sick woman troubled by a spirit. The leader of the group-the medium of a stronger spirit-tried to chase the spirit away. For a whole day we pleaded for his spirit's help. We danced and played the drums, and gradually the woman improved. He ordered her spirit out, and this worked. 'We gained the victory,' beamed the leader. Then we sat down and relaxed. For a while all looked well, but then a scream broke the silence. We rushed to the house where it came from and saw the leader's wife. She was crying hysterically. Inside the house, we found her little daughter-her head facing backward! Some force had wrung and broken her neck, killing her like a chicken-apparently, the revenge of that ousted spirit"" 8
"One night while I was asleep in bed with my husband, I heard a voice call my name three times. Then I saw the ceiling split apart, and a fiery, ball-like object dropped onto my stomach. Of course, my husband could see none of these things. Nevertheless, I felt a terrible heat that lasted for several months. Six months later, the voice called me again. Immediately, the whole house seemed to be in deep water. A large python came out of the water and crawled around my hand. I tried in vain to shake it off. I was terrified. Then the water and the snake vanished, and I was violently thrown to the ground. I was unconscious for several hours. The voice then told me to return to a spiritistic healing temple in the village. When I asked the spirit his name, he gave a name meaning "possessor of wealth but no child." He promised to make me rich through healing powers." "Money and gifts were pouring in because of the effectiveness of the cures. I became a "possessor of wealth," but I also learned the meaning of "no child." Each time I bore a child, his immediate senior would die. This was very distressing. During the 12 years that I served this spirit, six of my children died." 9
Offer Protection to the Terrified
Responding to a readers question regarding the distressing content of these and the many similar accounts, the Watchtower society stated that the nature of the content has a very specific intent - to instill fear of these invisible being into the reader -
"We feel the need to take up serious problems facing people today and to show how these will be resolved. Further, there are many dangers in the world, such as occultism, and we believe that it is positive to warn our readers about these dangers and show how they can gain protection from them" 14
Keeping in mind that the "protection" mentioned is, of course, joining with and following the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the function of demons, and the graphic events attributed to them, starts to become clear. They are the lion at the gate, the evil awaiting the unwary, the progenitor of every imaginable horror that could be inflicted on a person. Jehovah (and the Watchtower Society as the only legitimate avenue of worship) is, as could be expected, held as the carrot to that stick. Regularly following accounts of demonic attack are reminders that "Jehovah is able to protect his servants from Satan's attacks" 18 , and that "with the help of Jehovah and his Witnesses on earth, [a victim of demons] broke free of demon influence and now lives a rich, wholesome life" 19 .
Looking further, demons also function to help create the insular, "us-against-them" mentality that adds to the social isolation imposed on followers. Notice how each of these quotes reinforces that:
- "Those wicked spirits are the prime instigators of persecution of Jehovah's servants." 15
- "Exploring spiritism, therefore, amounts to loving what Jehovah God hates. It is like rejecting Jehovah, being in Satan's camp, and siding with God's archenemy " 8
- "The demons are God's enemies and yours too" 16
- "dabbling in spiritism is gross treachery against Jehovah", "if a Christian turned to spiritism, he would willingly and knowingly desert Jehovah and place himself directly under Satan's command. Imagine what pleasure it would give Satan to parade that deserter as a trophy of war! Would any of us want to hand the Devil such a victory? Absolutely not! We are not traitors." 17
Superstition and Hypocrisy
Science and understanding continues to shed light on the mysteries of the universe, providing rational explanations for things previously attributed to "spirits". Illness, once inflicted by demons or dark magic, is now the result of bacteria. Those who may have once been "demon possessed" and subject to exorcism now receive treatment for schizophrenia and other mental illness. There is a growing trend, even within mainstream Christianity, to view demons with the same level of skepticism.
While on the one hand steeping pages with supernatural occurrences and attributing vast maladies to demons, even the WTBTS is careful to remind readers that there are secular causes to various illnesses.
"This does not mean that everyone who hears "voices" is being spoken to by demons. At times the hearing of voices can be traced to certain physical or mental illnesses." 20
"Therefore, it would be wrong to attribute all sickness or all setbacks to the workings of wicked spirits." 21
Even then, the mixed message is easily identified. A clear example of this can be found in the contract between the following quotes:
"While not all persons afflicted with madness or insanity are possessed by the demons, logically persons possessed by the demons may be expected to manifest an unbalanced mental state" 22
"Often the wild and uncontrolled conduct of mentally unbalanced persons is due to possession by these invisible minions of Satan." 23
It must be questioned, then, how much of this belief in demons is rooted in superstition and reinforced by religious fervor. Examining the accounts of reported demonic activity shows an interesting trend. If demonic activity is as prevalent and insinuated into the world as the Witnesses put forth, it could be expected that accounts would be spread around the world with relative equality. Instead, the majority of accounts originate in less-developed nations already steeped in demonic belief. Of 25 examined accounts:
- Asia (primarily Thailand) - 9
- South America (primarily Suriname and Brazil) - 9
- Africa - 5
- Europe - 2
This uneven spread goes a great distance in showing these accounts for what they are - tales born of superstition and given credence by religious fervor. The evidence for the Witnesses being mired in superstition goes beyond the origins of the stories, however.
A pair of common threads run through the Witness dogma and accounts regarding demons. First, that material items can be linked to spiritism, and used as demonic "contact points". These should be destroyed, preferably by fire. 20 The repetition of this advice raises it from a simple recommendation to a ritual action being performed to break the link to the demon world. Second is the advice for those suffering from demonic attack - "call on Jehovah aloud in prayer, using his name. He will help you" 9 . This prayer, too, serves the essential purpose of ritual - the invocation of the name of a deity in order to provide protection from the enemies of God.
It is here that the hypocrisy of the WTBTS begins to be most evident - reinforcing a superstitious fear of demons on one hand while belittling superstition on the other. One publication notes:
"There are countless superstitious practices, and all of them have something in common-the lack of a logical explanation. Superstitions can, among other things, lead people into blaming their misfortunes on bad luck rather than accepting responsibility for their deeds." 24
While another puts it quite succinctly
"WHEN you were a child, were you afraid of the dark? Perhaps you imagined a monster lurking outside your window, waiting to snatch you from your parents. Now as an adult, able to read factual information and think more rationally, your childhood fears seem absurd. " 25
This standpoint is difficult to balance against the tales of demonic harassment that occur throughout Witness literature. The WTBTS rationalizes it by claiming to show evidence only to help educate their followers. The underlying hypocrisy becomes self-evident, however, when the same group publishing lurid stories of demons molesting women and twisting the heads off children had the following to say about the exact same type of stories:
"The sheer abundance of such stories [regarding the power of witches and sorcerers], along with the widespread belief in them, may tend to influence some in the Christian congregation also to believe that they are true." "[Satan] is a master at making people believe things that are not true. Because of this, even the testimony and confessions of those who have been involved in spiritism and witchcraft are often far from reliable. Such people may sincerely believe that they have seen, heard, or experienced certain things; yet, in fact, they have not." "In view of the Devil's history of deception, the truthfulness of supernatural tales is highly suspect at best. Most are the inventions of superstitious imaginations, exaggerated by constant retelling. Circulating such fables promotes the interests of the father of the lie, Satan the Devil." "What, though, if the stories appear to be truthful? Sometimes experiences are related of spirits or spiritists acknowledging the supremacy of Jehovah and the truthfulness of his Witnesses. Should Christians repeat such stories? No, they should not" 26
This examination has covered a number of points, but put together they paint a clear portrait of how the idea of demons is used by the WTBTS. They are a method of control - frightening believers as to what awaits the unfaithful. They are superstition - supposed "true" accounts being culled from cultures already seeing demons in everyday life. Finally, they are evidence of the Witness hypocrisy, as they publish account after account of these stories while instructing their followers that they should do no such thing.
Sources (Watchtower Library CD notation used):
1) *** yb07 pp. 234-235 Réunion ***
2) *** sp p. 12 The Demons Are Killers! ***
3) *** g89 1/8 pp. 22-23 Should You Fear the Evil Eye? ***
4) *** it-1 p. 614 Demon Possession ***
5) *** g98 4/8 pp. 18-19 Are Demons Real? ***
6) *** w87 9/1 pp. 7-10 Shaking Off the Yoke of Spiritism ***
7) *** w87 11/1 pp. 6-7 True Religion Dispels Fear-How? ***
8) *** w87 9/1 pp. 4-6 Spiritism-How Viewed by God? ***
9) *** ol part 8 p. 28 Reject False Religion; Practice True Religion ***
10) *** w87 9/1 pp. 7-10 Shaking Off the Yoke of Spiritism ***
11) *** w94 5/15 pp. 15-20 Youths-Whose Teaching Do You Heed? ***
12) *** kl chap. 12 pp. 113-114 pars. 12-13 Resist Wicked Spirit Forces ***
13) *** w87 9/1 pp. 4-6 Spiritism-How Viewed by God? ***
14) *** g86 12/22 p. 28 From Our Readers ***
15) *** w90 4/15 pp. 14-15 pars. 18-20 Deliverance Near for People of Godly Devotion! ***
16) *** g 2/11 p. 6 Who Is Really Behind the Occult? ***
17) *** lv chap. 16 pp. 187-188 par. 11 Oppose the Devil and His Crafty Acts ***
18) *** sp p. 12 The Demons Are Killers! ***
19) *** sp p. 22 The Demons Encourage Rebellion Against God ***
20) *** pe chap. 10 pp. 96-98 pars. 16-18 Wicked Spirits Are Powerful ***
21) *** w02 8/1 p. 7 Do Superstitions Control Your Life? ***
22) *** it-2 p. 291 Madness ***
23) *** it-1 p. 614 Demon Possession ***
24) *** g 3/08 p. 10 Is Superstition Compatible With Bible Teaching? ***
25) *** g90 1/8 p. 12 Is There Really a Devil? ***
26) *** w94 4/1 "Turn Down the False Stories" *** -
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Looking for some help/critique on an article on apostolic succession
by corpusdei ini just finished up on an article examining the idea of apostolic succession.
i think i've done a fair job of examining the other side of the issue than that put forward in the reasoning book, but the idea itself is one that i'm pretty unfamiliar with (and what i do remember is incredibally rusty).
can anyone point out any factual or logical issues that i may have made here?.
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corpusdei
Thanks to both, that's excellent info that I wasn't aware of. Particularly regarding Peter - it was making me twitchy that I didn't have anything really substantive to address that.
