Half banana

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Posts by Half banana

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  14

  The ends of empires

  by Half banana in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i’ve been reading up on the last days of the roman empire.

  the rule became a tetrarchy; by four regional emperors or caesars.

  the emperors had these necessary concerns; they always gave first consideration to the security of their own positions followed by the annual extraction of taxes and their territorial authority.

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  Half banana

  I came to bury the GB, not praise them!
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  14

  The ends of empires

  by Half banana in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i’ve been reading up on the last days of the roman empire.

  the rule became a tetrarchy; by four regional emperors or caesars.

  the emperors had these necessary concerns; they always gave first consideration to the security of their own positions followed by the annual extraction of taxes and their territorial authority.

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  Half banana

  I’ve been reading up on the last days of the Roman Empire. The rule became a tetrarchy; by four regional emperors or Caesars. The emperors had these necessary concerns; they always gave first consideration to the security of their own positions followed by the annual extraction of taxes and their territorial authority. There were constant internal threats and attacks from without, for power is never relinquished without a fight.

  Towards the end of Roman rule heavy city taxes were brutally enforced annually and then every four years on top, where previously citizens of Rome were not even taxed at all. Without the funds there would be no power and no empire. The threats from outside the Empire (non-Romans were collectively known as Celts) increased and the incursions of the Germanic tribes north-east of the Rhine; the Sueves, Alans, Vandals and the Visigoths had begun to make big made dents in the once undentable Roman power. When Alaric (a Visigoth from Thrace) finally sacked Rome in 410, the heart went out of the concept of empire as did the will of the emperors.

  Romulus Augustulus the last emperor, son of the murdered general Orestes, by his resignation at the tender age of sixteen in the year 476, performed the act which no doubt kept his head attached to his shoulders but ended the long imperial history of the Western Roman Empire. The Eastern Empire continued at Constantinople until the Turkish Ottomans conquered in 1453.

  The Watchtower has had big inroads into its authority and the main one is in caustic exposure of its practices, courtesy of freedom of information on the internet. But the attacks are not all from the outside. For seventy or so years the JW doctrine of “The generation of 1914” was believed with Biblical certainty, would they see the end of the “old system of things,” This Watchtower 'absolute' kept the flock with nose to the grindstone for several generations but like all Watchtower predictions and doctrines it became untenable, and then it failed completely.

  Its denouement came in the pathetic apology, a risible fudge of an excuse called “overlapping generations” in an attempt to buy time and give them more rope to hang themselves with.

  I think credibility has fled the Watchtower. They have tried to shore up the 1914 principal doctrine but it is too attenuated in explanation and so historically and Biblically wrong that it can never be successfully rehabilitated. Yet without 1914, Jehovah’s Witnesses are no different to any other religion or ‘cult-cum-social club’.

  The heart has gone from the JW organisation.

  Unlike Roman emperors they do not murder would be usurpers, however they did kill off threats to their authority by removing all of the Zone overseers and their Zone office as well.

  Less and less in touch with the progressive and more compassionate society at large outside the tower, the GB make demands for more money to further the real source of their success: their property portfolio and investments. Like the Roman leaders and any business or power base, the dictum is “money first”. Without money the whole enterprise will dissolve and since the privileges of power will dissolve with the organisation, there is an inbuilt incentive for the GB to continue, however corrupt or stupid the far-fetched concept of ‘Watchtower truth’ proves to be.

  At the end of the Roman Empire as Peter Brown, a leading academic on the period, said in his book Authority and the Sacred, the emperors had “a lifeboat mentality”. The imperial ship was sinking and they were looking for survival.

  With KH sell offs, an unconscionable grab for money, a drop in contributions and a fundamental decline in interest in religious belief as a response and resolution to life’s anxieties; I feel that we are witnessing events at the helm of SS Watchtower which have a resonance with the decline of any authoritarian body such as Rome was.

  Any thoughts?
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  36

  Noah a Preacher of Righteousness?

  by Spoletta in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  during the watchtower study today, i browsed genesis and looked for evidence of noah ever preaching to anyone.

  from what i could glean from the scriptures, it was a foregone conclusion that noah's family would be it on the ark.

  (unless they towed some rafts behind) my wife says that building the ark could be considered a witness of his faith to the wicked world, but that seems kind of lame to me.. so, should i just assume that god decided not to give anyone else a chance for redemption?

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  Half banana

  I'm with you Giordano!

  It is naive to believe that a universal flood happened in historical time. The flood is an almost universal myth based on the climate change events at the end of the last ice age which happened during the late Upper Palaeolithic period of human prehistory. (Late Old Stone Age)

  Up until 14,000 years ago much of the atmospheric moisture was bound up in greatly enlarged polar ice-mass which made the weather much drier and colder than now, and much lower sea levels existed as a consequence. As the ice melted it freed up the water which conspicuously fell as heavy rain and the sea rose as much as 100 meters to modern levels. I think it very likely that these events gave birth to the flood myths including Noah's.

  The Biblical take on things was clearly for the purpose of controlling people; to threaten those who would disobey god and praise and reward those who toe the line fearing to displease the tyrant God. Death or reward is a primitive inducement!

  Noah, like Adam and Eve, never existed so the question of whether he preached or not is actually irrelevant to reality.

  It’s a disastrous intellectual investment to imagine that was it says in the Bible is true.
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  5

  "50 Years a Watchtower Slave" Chapter 9

  by new boy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  chapter 9.

  “let’s us move to were the need is greater”.

  i remember a “kingdom ministry” heading saying “only x number of months left.” left to what?

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  Half banana

  If you actually believe what the Watchtower says, as the family who had their house rented back to them found out: you can come seriously unstuck! Poor duped people. . .
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  7

  The Dangers of Reading books

  by Giordano in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the great bugaboo ( something that causes fear or distress out of proportion to its importance) of the jw’s is that you are wasting your time reading books..... and beware of what your reading.

  after all you have the wt publications to read and study.

  in a world of absolutes most of the jw teachings from it’s onset has been trashed by the wt society itself as old truth........ unfit for modern ‘new light’.

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  Half banana

  The biggest danger of all comes from reading JW org literature. Mind you it is so sickeningly paternalistic, psychotic in outlook and written in the patter of indoctrination that no sensible person could bear reading it.
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  16

  How the Watchtower Could Grow In Numbers

  by Sour Grapes in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  if i were running the watchtower there are things that i would do to increase the numbers and increase donations.

  since so many older witnesses are realizing that the false hope they had of not growing old and not having to die is fading away like a frost on a sunny autumn morning, the watchtower needs to shift gears.. as it has been stated on this forum, the emphasis needs to shift from not dying to the glorious hope of the resurrection, the gateway to paradise.

  they need to deemphasize armageddon and emphasize "the way of life" that witnesses have.

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  Half banana

  Sour Grapes are you nuts? What can the deceiving, deluded JW org give you which is of any use?
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  14

  Name one Watchtower date that they got correct

  by FatFreek 2005 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it was the year 2011. remember that one?

  surprise, surprise -- it wasn't one of their predictions.

  it was from one of their competitors, harold camping.. "religious leaders sometimes predict tragic worldwide events to warn mankind and gather followers.

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  Half banana

  Russell said in the Watchtower that by 1914 the Earth would be restored to paradise with all of God's enemies having been destroyed.

  So since 1914 was a prophetic FAILURE as were all their subsequent prophecies, what use are the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses?
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  28

  Fading or Disassociating

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hello, i'm new here.. i'm a college student who has been raised in the "truth" for my entire life.

  i was baptized at 10 years old, and looking back now i know i didn't fully grasp everything involved, for one thing i don't even recall ever going to jehovah in a special prayer to dedicate myself to him, but anyway that's the past and my focus is really on the present.

  i'm currently pursuing an associates degree, but i find myself desiring to pursue a bachelors in my chosen field so that i may have a somewhat more secure future.

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  Half banana

  Bore da a croeso Saethydd!

  I was not in your place trying to please family but faded and became disassociated. However I was treated as if I was disfellowshipped in any case but hey we do our best according to our needs. Although at the end of my JW career I didn’t go out in service and was attending the KH as an atheist but still playing the role of a member albeit a quiet one. In the end I just could not remain there any longer and stopped going to the meetings as well.

  It was a glorious sensation having no obligations to the Watchtower org and being a free agent.

  You though might do best to outwardly please your parents and get reinstated so; if you can cope with the charade, since they play games you might want to play along as well? (and don't ever think for one moment longer about marrying a JW!)

  I’m certain the most important thing for you, whatever decision you choose, is to make the best of your life, now that you have been able to see through the murky JW veil--- a good education goes along with being able to earn a decent living.

  We only get one life!

  Saethydd; aim for this.
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  1

  Letter found in Tomo's waste bin

  by Half banana in

  1. social
  2. humour

  first draft of a letter to the congregations found crumpled up in tomo’s waste bin:.

  "resurrection is the hope".

  dear brothers and sisters,.

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  Half banana

  First draft of a letter to the congregations found crumpled up in Tomo’s waste bin:

  
  

  "Resurrection is the hope"

  Dear Brothers and Sisters,

  (Start with a couple of upbuilding quotes to encourage greater giving to the org..........”givers are blessed”)

  Well here in HQ, we’ve noticed that the governing body is not getting any younger, fatter yes but not younger. Since we are the inheritors of the riches and glory that you generous ones have contributed, as you can see from our appearances on JWTV we’re all self indulgent pompous asses, living high on the hog and we’re having a ball so we want to thank you and remember not to stop contributing...in fact you should be increasing your contributions right now. Remember, Jehovah will not bless the stingy ones Deut 36.27.

  Another thing which has come to our attention is the fact that God seems to have forgotten our request to bring on Armageddon. So it’s tough luck all you suckers who thought you weren’t going to have to die of old age ‘cos now you will. Don’t blame us we are just doing our job which is to fleece the flock. bring in the money run the show.

  This will be difficult for those not blessed by being called for heavenly life but tough titty you’ll just have to get on with it. After all the real hope as we have said all along is in the resurrection (Hey Splainey what does resurrection mean?) And resurrection is a good doctrine I’m told if you don’t go to heaven like the men round here.

  So there it is; just put your money where your faith is, in God’s very own organisation and every thing’s gonna be ok. And keep sending in the cash and you will be blessed. Re 23.17

  Yours etc.........

  And don’t forget to feed the contribution boxes
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  73

  The con is completed - comments from the US branch's LDC chief

  by sir82 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently attended a special assembly day.. guest speaker was thomas chicky, a member of the us branch committee and the head of the us ldc (which has replaced the rbcs).. the last talk of the day is scheduled for an hour.

  it was the usual boring mumbo-jumbo.

  he appeared to have blasted through his hour-long outline in just about 45 minutes, so he "treated" us to informal comments on recent developments.. he commented on the new wt complex in fishkill ny.. then he dropped the bomb (well, to anyone with ears and at least 2 functioning synapses).. the following is not a word for quote, but presents the gist of his comments:.

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  Half banana

  With Armageddon arriving so very soon they can afford to wind down, now is the time for their private God, Big J to look after them.

  Come on they don't actually trust Jehovah do they? (they just repeat it ad nauseam that they do)