Posts by Half banana

14

"The sun will be darkened, & the moon will not give its light." How do events like this affect superstitious humans?

by fulltimestudent in

jw
friends

the gospel of matthew's homily on the signs connected with the imagined return of christ, features an element of the sign that seems to really scare superstitious people.. matthew 24:29 reads: "immediately after the distress of those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;".

in the nineteenth century such an even occurred twice in the 19th century and apparently became part of charlie russell's conviction that the end of the world was nigh, charlie, of course, was a 'man of faith' accepting the bible as true and not willing to search for alternative explanation for such events.

if charlie r. had been the sort of person that continually asks why, his life and ours may have taken a different course.. i cannot quote where in his mass of writings he cites those 19th c events (its a long time since i've bothered to be interested in his writings), but mention them he did, and saw these events as proof of the imminent return of jesus christ.. so let's look at these two 19th c.natural occurrences, and compare them to another occurrence some 1400 years ago.. the 19th c events occurred in 1814-16 and again circa, 1883. the reason for the sun and moon being darkened was volcanic activity, easy for us to appreciate, but more difficult for religiously superstitious people.. the wikipedia encyclopedia notes the 1814-16 event: quote.

Half banana

Before science explained things rationally for us, the world was buzzing with supernatural forces.

For the ancients, looking upward was to glimpse the divine heavens. For them it was as if the circular world was covered by an inverted glass bowl; the events in the sky, the weather, the passage and phasing of sun moon and stars were all played out at the level of the heavenly dome. They were so lofty and so wonderful--they must have meaning since everything had a 'spiritual' meaning. Life back then was as Thomas Hobbes said echoing Job: "short lived and brutish," there must be something better. The heavens are above the Earth, down here is the home where us poor mortals dwell and the heavens are the abode of the immortal gods-- then it would follow to look to the heavens for a sign!

You can after all predict the coming weather especially if you live outdoors, you become able to read the signs. By reading the position of the stars and the position of the sunrise and sunset by markers on the horizon, you can accurately say what time of year it is without a printed calendar-- and therefore know when to sow each of the different crops.

The heavenly canopy was not just predictive but also a source for universal folk myth. All children being taught these tales handed down through endless generations the things represented by the heavenly constellations. Being universally superstitious, these stories also were taken literally to predict divine revenge and cataclysmic change. The Bible perpetuated many of these sentiments by changing them from oral tradition to written text.

Today only superstitious people believe in prophecies.

22

Foreign holidays now expicitly forbidden too

by George One Time in

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jw-celebrate-holidays/.

mostly we read about the regular holidays in the western world.

now the other ones are also named, because some witnesses could be in doubt .

Half banana

Amelia, I did too but we have to remember to translate American English into British English i.e. the American for our 'holiday' would have been 'vacation'.

Quite right Xanthippe what the WT calls "a Bible trained conscience" is actually the rules of the GB, no freedom of thought is permitted. Dire cult!

58

Be Honest in All Things - New video exposes a problem with honesty at Bethel/Construction

by George One Time in

on tv.jw.org kenneth cook jr. discusses how important it is to be honest when applying for special assignemts.

he mentions health and viewing pornography.

those who viewed pornography during the last year should not apply.

Half banana

Jehovah's Witnesses live and function on the edge of sanity. They inhabit a culture dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of the JW leadership.

The leaders of the sect, even though they are not very bright individually, have evolved a way to organise their flock to encourage a mentality and life course which is at a long remove from normal human behaviour.

To be a JW is to adopt a neurotic obsession with determining the boundaries of Watchtower doctrinal beliefs and be lumbered with a cognitive dissonance coming from the impulse to please the organisation and at the same time remaining guiltily aware of falling well short in performing those duties.

The consequence of guilt is loss of self esteem leading to a total dependence on the organisation. A win-win for the cult, hard cheese for the sucker who swallows the doctrines.

JWs might say this is a good thing to remain "pure and spotless" but critics will see there is a price to be paid for such a course especially as human nature does not do "perfection".

The Witness religion keeps its followers guilty and downtrodden. Most mammals masturbate! It's a prelude to copulation and perpetuation of the species, it's normal. However, the JW org doesn't like sex! The reason is that they like total control and they can't actually control their members' sex life although by frequent mention of sex at the meetings, (which is highly inappropriate for young children by the way) JWs are reminded of the impossible standards set before them.

The only positive that I can see is that the cult is moving so far away from common sense that humanity will not tolerate such oppressive, destructive, behaviour and plain ignorance much longer in a more enlightened and thoughtful world. Their language, mannerisms and propaganda on their TV presentations is truly nauseating --or am I a bit prejudiced?

58

Be Honest in All Things - New video exposes a problem with honesty at Bethel/Construction

by George One Time in

on tv.jw.org kenneth cook jr. discusses how important it is to be honest when applying for special assignemts.

he mentions health and viewing pornography.

those who viewed pornography during the last year should not apply.

Half banana

@ zeb, since you are being technical; to be more literal, since people are not reading about prostitutes in Bethel they are looking at sex, therefore I think a better word would be 'pornoscopia'. But language doesn't always work like this.

5

... the truth...

by zeb in

jw
friends

doing a computer 'clean-out' came across this;.

"we need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated.

are its teachings in full harmony with god’s word, or are they based on the traditions of men?

Half banana

" If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination." (JW Eternal Life book)

Notice how JW spiel speaks of "lovers of the truth". It's a catch phrase to implant in the entrapped reader's mind that there is such a concept out there as "The Truth" and that they are its privileged lovers. This animal does not in fact exist except on the electronic page of the Watchtower and in the mind of JWs.

What is meant is a doctrinal myth which is the collective teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses as promoted by the leaders of the cult. By endless repetition over many years, it inculcates the idea that the JW org is the only holder of this specialised Truth concept-- and that those who believe this flimsy tale are flattered by being called the "lovers of The Truth". True and false, truth and falsehood exist but "The Truth" is propaganda.

As for the idea of permitting an examination of other beliefs based on evidence and reason-- well that leads directly to an interrogation by the elders after the meeting, followed dis-fellowshipping!

What blatant two-faced hypocrisy the JW org deals out.

6

Hype and Anti-Type Russia 13 Years Ago

by scotoma in

jw
friends

worldly news services were calling things correctly with russia.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/108767/pushing-russian-bear.

Half banana

Scotoma said:

There is a lot more that can be said about these prophecies.

and you are absolutely right, it goes on endlessly.

Instead, please show me any prophecy which was singular, unambiguous and came true.

Allow for the fact that if enough prophecies are made then some would come true because it was one of many--and all the others on the same subject would have to fail.

When you begin to use Biblical quotes to imply a divine hand behind them you are out on a limb. There is nothing miraculous in the myriad interpretations of Bible prophecies. Unless you put faith before logic, there is none which has evidence that the Bible is the word of an almighty god.

There are much better ways to get a grasp on the real world but believing in or relying on prophecy is an utter waste of anyone's time.

13

Increase in Second Sealings for the Anointed?

by Nevuela in

the other day i heard my anointed roommate on the phone, discussing something called the "second sealing".

i heard her say that most anointed people only receive it shortly before death, if they receive it at all.

she went on to say that she has been hearing about several other anointed people receiving theirs recently and not dying afterward.

Half banana

Isn't one ceiling enough--who needs a second ceiling?

Anyone who believes in a first sealing for the anointed has already lost the plot. Revelation was written by loonies targeting the gullible.

12

Now I am out, some reflections

by menrov in

ok, i have been out (officially inactive) for over 5 years now.

and from being frustrated during my awakening, to becoming a true bible student by analysing all doctrines and viewpoints, to being really happy to be out and at the same time, have developed a sense of disgust for the wt.

my wife is still very much a pimi.

Half banana

I agree with Crazyguy, well observed Menrov/Michel.

In the main Jehovah's Witnesses are indeed a social club-- who really cares about doctrines? Doctrines are like an exclusive wallpaper decorating the clubhouse walls. It takes courage to resign from a social club which you know will ostracise you when you leave.

Human nature dictates you do the things your friends do for the sake of solidarity with them, for some people even if it means defending unreasonable ideas. Friendship and identity are important factors for a stable mind. It just happens that the JW doctrines and culture are not only defective but actually deprive people of their natural right to choose their own satisfying path in life.

By devoting their time and energy to the cult, JWs remain dependent on it, just like children are to their parents but permanently so-- and they lose out on personal development, ending up poor, disappointed and unfulfilled.

The promise of paradise looks too good to miss! If only those, when they were contemplating joining the religion, could know how it really ends: it does not end in paradise.

54

What Do You Think Will Be The Next Big Change In The Watchtower?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think there will be a change in the 144000 belief.

too many witnesses think they have a heavenly hope.

maybe 1914 will be discarded too.. what is your watchtower prediction?

Half banana

I like Vidiot's loss of charitable status, this would lead to the need for the org to start paying paying taxes. This will precipitate the sale of a ALL kh's and a fundamental shift to a new JW TV evangelism movement. Its unpopularity will eventually lead to closing down the whole organisation.

In the meantime, loyalty to the org leading to being spared at Big A would then involve compulsory screen viewing. The present leadership would have to be dismissed in favour of actors who have been re-imaged in the celebrity mould. The contrived mechanical gestures and speaking style of the present presenters scream insincerity and total control (but perhaps JW zombification leads the flock to accepting it as natural?)

They can't drop 1914 and 1919 since they have carefully fostered the myth that these dates represent divine prophecy being fulfilled by them--which is of course utter rubbish.

15

Thank you F&DS @ the Watchtower Corporation! Thank you! Thank you!

by Solzhenitsyn in

this sundays 11/18 wt p.18 pp.3.

/ happy are those who serve "the happy god".

"stressful events-such as when a loved one dies or is disfellowshipped...".

Half banana

Gorby, I think you are right. There must be awake JWs in Bethel just as there are in the KHs.