cedars

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Posts by cedars

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  18

  "Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant...?" - NEW ARTICLE

  by EdenOne in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  just wanting to let you know that i've published a new article on my website.. it's called "who, then, is the faithful and wise servant...?".

  given the recent controversy about the "new light" of the wts / jw's about the subject, i decided to look deeper into it and came up with a surprising (even for me) conclusion.. i hope you enjoy.. eden.

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  cedars

  Thanks Eden. I've added your website to my links page.

  Cedars
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  9

  Found photocopied pages of a book on Jesus, given to me by a householder years ago

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi folks.

  i was going through some old things recently and came across photocopied pages i had forgotten existed.

  they are scans of selected pages from the book who was jesus?, by don cupitt, published in the 70s.

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  cedars

  Thanks Nathan, good find.

  Cedars
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  134

  Gerrit Loesch was at our DC today!

  by goatshapeddemon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so, unexpectedly, the final talk was announced today and to my surprise and evil glee, they announced gerrit loesch as the speaker!

  first off, at the beginning of his talk, he interrupted himself in the middle of his sentence to scold the microphone brother to lower my mike it's right in my face.. anyway, it was the talk on inspired truth, vs. inspired falsehoods.

  he went through 6 expressions inspired by the demons.

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  cedars

  This talk wasn't recorded by any chance was it? If anyone has a recording, please PM me. I may have a use for it!!

  Cedars
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  8

  Elders abuse of power

  by toto555 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  elders holding brothers back from being elder because they didn't like them, had a grudge, jealous of them etc.

  selective enforcement of rules as well.

  what have you guys seen over the years?.

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  cedars

  Wow, all of the above.

  Seeing firsthand how elder bodies work and how intensely political the whole arrangement is was a major stepping stone to my awakening. After what I witnessed, there was no way in my mind that holy spirit could have any role to play in the appointment of elders. They're line managers - nothing more, nothing less.

  Cedars
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  9

  Found photocopied pages of a book on Jesus, given to me by a householder years ago

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi folks.

  i was going through some old things recently and came across photocopied pages i had forgotten existed.

  they are scans of selected pages from the book who was jesus?, by don cupitt, published in the 70s.

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  cedars

  Hi folks

  I was going through some old things recently and came across photocopied pages I had forgotten existed. They are scans of selected pages from the book Who Was Jesus?, by Don Cupitt, published in the 70s. I've checked on Amazon and it now seems to be out of print.

  The pages in question discuss certain inconsistencies in the Gospel records, and attempt to explain to the layperson the process by which higher critics work to establish which biblical accounts were likely accurate and which were probably embellished.

  I was given the scans years ago when I was calling on a scholarly man, a writer of university publications. He was an evolution enthusiast, but expressed intrigue concerning religious belief. I think he viewed me as an interesting guinea pig who could offer the other side of the argument. Needless to say our conversations rarely went anywhere, but he did say a few things that always stayed with me and kept the embers of my doubts alive. I'm sure I learnt more from him than he learnt from me, though he probably doesn't realize this.

  On one occasion he grilled me on the "nativity" account, especially the part where Mary conceives as a virgin. Perhaps it would be best to actually type out what it says in the pages he gave me from Who Was Jesus, so here goes (this is from page 46, my comments in bold italics]...

  So it looks like we may have to do without Bethlehem, the star and the three Kings. But the issue of the Virgin Birth raises much more important questions - especially for Roman Catholics. Here again our first principle should make us wary - suspect an Old Testament parallel. [He's referring to the fact that critics are automatically suspicious of accounts in Jesus' life that mirror exactly what is contained in the Hebrew Scriptures.] What Matthew wrote was: 'All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel".' [Matt 1:23 in NWT: “Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Im·man′u·el,”] Matthew took this quotation of the prophet Isaiah from his Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint:

  Behold a parthenos shall conceive...

  Here the word parthenos certainly means a virgin. But if Matthew had gone back to the original Hebrew in which Isaiah wrote, he would have found that this word was almah, which means simply 'a young woman.' Hebrew has a word for virgin, bethulah, but Isaiah chose not to use it. He was predicting a perfectly natural birth. There is no idea of virgin birth in Isaiah's original prophecy. [Isaiah 7:14 in NWT: "Look! The maiden herself will actually become pregnant, and she is giving birth to a son,"] Matthew can only use it as a proof text because of this mistranslation from Hebrew into Greek. It remains just possible that Matthew inherited an independent tradition of the Virgin Birth, which he thought he could support with Isaiah's prophecy. But historically it seems more likely that the whole idea arose simply from this mistranslation.

  I remember being dumbfounded by this when it was shown to me, but like many other things I was able to dismiss it all with lashings of cognitive dissonance.

  Now I have unearthed this material with a more open mind, it does seem plausible that the whole idea of Mary being impregnated directly by Holy Spirit arose through a simple mistranslation, hence raising serious questions about just how inspired everything in the Gospels truly is.

  By the way, I don't want to dent anyone's bible faith with this information. I just think it's good to share and debate this kind of material, which was hidden from us within the organization.

  Cedars
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  261

  Evolution is Crap, there I said it!

  by Crazyguy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok i started another thread and every one jumped on me because i was trying to take the theory of evolution out of the mix and most here seem to believe in it so i will just say it.

  the theory of major evolution is crap!

  the theory is falling apart.

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  cedars

  crazyguy - I sincerely hope you're right and that evolution is nonsense. If so, then it means that hospital superbugs (which develop because successive generations of bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics) do not really exist and are only a figment of my imagination. That will certainly comfort me during my next trip to hospital!

  Cedars
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  12

  Why do some of the YouTube video creators remind current Jws that they should not be,..

  by notjustyet in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  ....watching their videos?.

  i am a subscriber to quite a few of the ex jw youtube channels and i enjoy many of the videos.

  i do cringe a bit when i hear the person in the video remind the jw that they "should not be watching these videos as it is against the rules and council of the wtbts, gb, elders taking the lead, etc,..".

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  cedars

  notjustyet - I try to avoid using that reasoning because, apart from anything else, it sounds like you have nothing better to say. However, it does demonstrate that even professed "loyal" Witnesses can excuse themselves when it comes to flouting the Governing Body's clearly expressed rules - which essentially makes them hypocrites if they are denouncing someone for doing the exact same thing in a different way.

  But I agree, there are far more constructive ways to engage people.

  My personal modus operandi on YouTube is to post positive comments on Witness videos - nothing too fancy, just "Interesting video!" or something like that. I had one person contact me on facebook saying she woke up from indoctrination after clicking on my channel name and watching a few of the videos I had liked - so it does work.

  Cedars
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  85

  Massive flooding in Alberta, Canmore, Calgary

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  canmore has been hit really hard, looks awful.. and all that water is coming our way .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m9f35m-fovi.

  http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/06/20/heavy-rain-in-banff-canmore-area-causes-flooding-forces-evacuations.

  http://globalnews.ca/news/658584/flooding-washes-out-trans-canada-highway-banff-canmore-declare-states-of-emergencies/.

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  cedars

  Sheesh Simon, hope you stay out of harm's way. I am fortunate never to have been flooded, and I live on a hill so am unlikely to be any time soon, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Stay safe.

  Cedars
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  48

  What is your favorite kind of cheese?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  cedars

  lol Glander, you made me find the sketch on YouTube! Hilarious! AND I agree with his observations on cheddar.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPN3KTtrnZM

  Cedars
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  48

  What is your favorite kind of cheese?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  cedars

  CHEDDAR - where my wife and I live it is very hard to come across. It's only when you are without it that you realize what a delicious and versatile cheese it is. Few cheeses melt so easily AND have a nice flavor.

  It amuses me how American stores sell cheddar as "sharp" rather than "mature" (as we do in the UK). I always thought cheeses were for eating rather than cutting things with.

  

  Cedars