Half banana

Joined

• started 79 topics
• posted 3,096 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Half banana

• 
  20

  Lurking JWs: Do people really need to know and use the word "Jehovah" or other language equivalents, to truly know God?

  by Island Man in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  watchtower puts forth the argument that you can't really know god unless you know and use the appellation "jehovah" or its equivalent in other languages.

  is this really true?

  i say it's not true and i will demonstrate to you why.. god's name is not a mere label that we have to use to communicate with him so that he knows we're talking to him.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  I think it is worth realizing that it is only in fable where the prime characters names have significant meanings. Can you imagine the monarchy in Britain calling their newborn infants Rex or Prince? It is only where there is no legitimacy as in stories where the names of characters require linguistic or semantic clues for reinforcement.
  

  Jehovah is drawn from the Latinized version of YHVH in the English language. In the earliest KJV, the name of this god is rendered Iehovah demonstrating the comparatively recent development of the letter J (in English) arising from a capitalized initial letter 'I'.

  If we trace the history of Jehovah as a divinity, the fact that he began as a Canaanite god, the son of El and brother of Chemosh and sixty eight other brothers...somewhat diminishes the 'almighty-ness' which was later attributed to him. Yahweh is depicted as a cow-horned idol sitting with his female consort Ashera in early stone reliefs from Canaan (but don't tell the JW org!)

  The concept of gods or God constantly evolves since religion is not based on fact but mental constructs i.e. the human imagination. Ideas of greatness and power are borrowed from earlier literature to give weight to the holiness of a religious teaching.

  The JW org has done this very thing by appropriating the name Jehovah and loading it with doomsday connections and power as their own identifying mark.
• 
  22

  Gut Feelings - The Second Brain

  by Xanthippe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i came across a link on the bbc site this morning to an article in scientific american on gut health claiming that one reason we need to keep our guts healthy with probiotics, a good diet and reducing antibiotics is because there are neurons in our gut that are part of the process to create dopamine and serotonin for the brain.

  yes happy hormones and neurotransmitters!

  amazing article.. 'the enteric nervous system is often referred to as our body’s second brain.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  Xanthippe, neurons in the gut at first just doesn't sound right but since they are transmitters as well as receivers, the brain needs to communicate with all parts of the body. Thanks for the information.
• 
  28

  PAINTING THEMSELVES INTO A CORNER or WHY was the "GENERATION" teaching started in the 1st place?

  by Terry in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  setting the scene.

  pastor russell died in 1916. those who had 'followed' him were known pejoratively as russellites.

  you could call it a 'cult of personality' if you wanted to sneer.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  Terry thanks for the time you have taken to research the laughable inconsistencies of the Watchtower's teaching.

  I think the fatal flaw of the Watchtower is in the two gross assumptions you quote in the Awake Sept 22 1962 p27:

  Since Jesus was foretelling conditions prevailing now at the world's time of the end, the generation now living is the one to which he pointed forward in his prophecy of the last days.

  This is true cult speak.The blindly held assumptions are 1/ that this present generation must be in a "time of the end" and 2/ it is what Jesus was referring to. This is presented to gullible audience without supplying evidence for the statements. Who says that there will be a time of the end in the first place? (The idea was stolen from pagans)

  With fear of repetition; Jesus got it wrong in the first place. Kingdom power did not happen as he promised in the first century. His words were fallible, the Bible is human in origin and prophecy is something only the uneducated believe in.

  No wonder the JW org only want unquestioning idiots in their ranks.
• 
  34

  Would we exist if Adam and Eve didn't sin?

  by truth doubter in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my son asked me 40 years ago.

  should we be glad adam sinned?

  because if he hadn't, we would not be the person we are.. any opinions?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  It was impossible for Adam to sin. He was just the character in a story.
• 
  82

  INSPIRED ERROR: new phrase among JW CO

  by wannaexit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is no end to their madness.

  the co gave a talk on inspired error.

  i have never heard of it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  Phizzy, we sing from the same hymn sheet.
• 
  39

  300 books and magazines placed outside The Shard

  by pleaseresearch in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi all.. so i got a txt today from a very proud mum claiming that, the jw cart produced 300 book and magazine placements.

  mostly from foreign speakers.. the shard is the tallest building in the uk.

  this is where the cart was placed.. not a bad day they had really.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  One of the key cart spots in London was at Oxford Circus crossroads until about six months ago. The area now has loud pop music blaring out making it impossible for JWs to operate there.

  I think this is a good idea!--- which should be installed at each of the other busy JW sites in the city.
• 
  82

  INSPIRED ERROR: new phrase among JW CO

  by wannaexit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there is no end to their madness.

  the co gave a talk on inspired error.

  i have never heard of it.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  The very expression "inspired error" is confusing and probably as a result of the NWT (Not Well Translated) Bible. 1John 4,6 in the NEB states with clarity "That is how we distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of error".

  However, textual scholars conclude that the letters of John are spurious and therefore not inspired books in the first place!

  Anyway everything to do with JWs apart from being dull, is uninspired and erroneous.
• 
  20

  How many times have the GB been wrong?

  by atomant in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  actually its quite amusing to observe the different reactions from within the org every time theres new light.how dumb does a person have to be to not realize its all a conjob.surely a thinking logical person would question all the changes over the years.lts almost like the blind leading the blind scenario.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  Punky, I agree with you the GB are delusional but not above recognizing that what they are doing is wrong. Perhaps though there is a private GB code where they never admit to being wrong even to each other and must stay the governing course till death?

  I cannot think of another explanation for their own blind loyalty to this scumbag organisation.

  I could not stop thinking about Loesch's talk on another thread where he said that going to university is like holding the trigger of a gun at your throat. When analysed rationally what does it say; you are dicing with death if you get higher education. What they actually mean is: don't get educated 'cos then you will realize our systematic indoctrination has been controlling your thinking and you will stop supporting our scam.

  This prohibition on education by any standard is just bizzare. In the real world where JW thinking does not exist, to go to university is the biggest help you might ever have to get on in life and achieve your own chosen goals.

  Smiddy said it, they only got one thing right: "Religion is a snare and a racket."
• 
  57

  Confused: What does the overlapping generation really mean?

  by MicaSmith in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  can someone help me understand how the wt came up with the overlapping generation theory?

  i just don't understand it even though i read the information several times.

  it's bewildering.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  (Grammatical error alert! I meant a leap too far in my post above) when referring to applying the 'generation' scripture to the lives of those who saw 1914.

  Very clearly the "generation of 1914" was the defining Watchtower statement from Frederick Franz who was baptized as a Bible Student around the year 1914. Self deluded and narcissistic preachers always see the Bible in the light of their own experience and Fred Franz with an ego as big as Yankee Stadium gloried in his private vision of how things should be if he were god.

  How crass, how stupid to believe Fred Franz and the scabby Watchtower for all those years. How many millions of lives wasted because of this futile doctrine?

  And I agree with you Finky baby, they will in future (if they haven't collapsed completely) just apply the scripture to each succeeding generation as if it was Jesus' intention. Stupidity piled on stupidity.
• 
  57

  Confused: What does the overlapping generation really mean?

  by MicaSmith in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  can someone help me understand how the wt came up with the overlapping generation theory?

  i just don't understand it even though i read the information several times.

  it's bewildering.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Half banana

  Mica you realize just how far removed from reality any of this 'generation' talk is when the Bible uses Jesus's (apparent ) words to say, "I tell you this: "There are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they have seen the kingdom of God already come in power". (Mar 9;1)

  He meant his generation, those alive when he was. His followers were to be flogged in the synagogues (Mar 13;9) ; it was about Jewish life...he said "When you see the abomination...let those in Judea flee to the hills"...it was about Jewish territory. In Mark 13;30 he said "The present generation will live to see it all".............

  Jesus got it wrong because it was religious hype in the first place; an unholy scam for the Jewish peasants who whilst under Roman rule had no other hope but in the miracle-working god-man saviour myth.

  The words recorded in the gospels have nothing to do with the twenty first century. Instead they are the scrapings of the barrel from the religious hopes of people long dead but kept alive for the gullible by the doomsday merchants such as the JW org.

  The idea of extending Jesus' "generation" to the 1914 generation is a leap to far; then by saying "overlapping generations" is what Jesus meant, is so far beyond reason to be dismissed without consideration as the most pathetic excuse.

  As in the first century the only expectation we can have from prophetic pronouncements is total disappointment. JW org has given proof to this.