vienne

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Posts by vienne

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  12

  Extract from Separate Identity - Vol 2

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  some of you know that b. w. schulz and i have written two histories considering the watchtower's earliest years.

  we have posted an extract from a chapter that will appear in volume 2 of separate identity.

  because of copyright issues, the post must be temporary.

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  vienne

  Dear Gorb, stuck, GXJW,

  Thanks for the kind words. Yes, our research is as exhaustive as we can make it. That consumes time and effort. Sometimes [often] we're left with questions we cannot answer. Missing original documentation is a real problem. As we continue to write this chapter, we find ourselves without two key items: 1. Russell reprinted Food for Thinking Christians and Tabernacle Teachings as a single combined book. We have copies of both in their original format. We need to see the title page, copyright page, and after-matter of the combined booklet. But we can't find a copy anywhere. 2. In 1887 Russell printed a small booklet of suggestions for Watch Tower evangelists. We can't find that either. We have something similar printed in 1912, but we do not think the content is the same.

  If anyone has these things, do PM me.
  
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  12

  Extract from Separate Identity - Vol 2

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  some of you know that b. w. schulz and i have written two histories considering the watchtower's earliest years.

  we have posted an extract from a chapter that will appear in volume 2 of separate identity.

  because of copyright issues, the post must be temporary.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  vienne

  I looked. Everything is there. Run CCleaner or something similar and restart your browser. Google - they own blogger - can really mess up sometimes, but it is usually a problem with temp files and a wonky browser. Let me know if that works.

  Also, the current post, the temp post, is fairly long. To see older posts click on the "older posts" link at the bottom of the page.
  
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  12

  Extract from Separate Identity - Vol 2

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  some of you know that b. w. schulz and i have written two histories considering the watchtower's earliest years.

  we have posted an extract from a chapter that will appear in volume 2 of separate identity.

  because of copyright issues, the post must be temporary.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  vienne

  Some of you know that B. W. Schulz and I have written two histories considering the Watchtower's earliest years. We have posted an extract from a chapter that will appear in volume 2 of Separate Identity. Because of copyright issues, the post must be temporary. You can read it and comment on it. Please keep any comments to the point and keep your comments free from insults. [It happens] Facts matter. Polemics do not. See the post here: http://truthhistory.blogspot.com/2018/05/temporary-post_30.html
  

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5116004591992832/who-b-w-schulz-anyone-know?page=1
  
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  34

  Active witnesses? Please help?

  by Ahava in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi,i'm lost and a little sad.

  i actually like the jw faith.

  some might call this faith cold, strict, dogmatic but they're just trying to follow rules and give back to god.

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  vienne

  I'm not a Witness. I never was one, though as a child, I attended meetings with my mother who was one, though an educated, usually clear thinking woman. I see most Witnesses as earnest Christians. I don't have to see the governing body as christ's chosen to believe that.

  I have no problem with many of the basic Witness doctrines. But God chooses whom he will, and simply claiming to be the faithful and wise servant does not make you that. The Watchtower misrepresents what is clearly an illustrative parable. You do yourself no or little harm by staying a Witness, as long as your mind is turned on and you are faithful to the law of Christ.

  Watchtower belief is an evolving system. Russell, the founding editor of Zion's Watch Tower, would not accept current Watchtower teachings. I do not think that matters to anyone but 'Bible Students.' The name is a total misnomer. They're Russell students. God expects, I believe, faithfulness to himself and his son. Humans do not enter into that equation, though the Watchtower teaches to the contrary. We owe nothing to a group of men who think they have some sort of divine appointment and who must distort a parable to prove that.

  We owe everything to god and christ and our own conscience.
  
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  4

  JW Library

  by mrssauk in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i find it very strange that they never mentioned what changes were made in the updates, especially when it comes to the publications.

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  vienne

  Revising text after publication without noting the change reminds me of the novel 1984.
  
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  2

  Some of you might find this interersting

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  some here know that i'm one of the authors of a history series focusing on witness history.

  we hope to bring volume 2 of separate identity to print this year.

  i've posted a very rough draft of my brief preface on our history blog.

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  vienne

  I have posted Dr. Schulz's introductory essay [in rough draft] on https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/

  This post is temporary; I'll take it down in a few days. Sections of volume 2 that appear on our blog must be temporary for legal reasons, to help protect our copyright.

  Comments are welcome. Please do not link to another site if you comment. I will delete comments that do that. We present well researched history; we do not allow polemics to infect our work.

  Gio, thanks for your nice comment.
  
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  2

  Some of you might find this interersting

  by vienne in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  some here know that i'm one of the authors of a history series focusing on witness history.

  we hope to bring volume 2 of separate identity to print this year.

  i've posted a very rough draft of my brief preface on our history blog.

  1. 
  2. 
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  vienne

  Some here know that I'm one of the authors of a history series focusing on Witness history. We hope to bring volume 2 of Separate Identity to print this year. I've posted a very rough draft of my brief preface on our history blog. Mr. Schulz, my writing partner, has written a much longer introductory essay, but other than a few paragraphs, it's not on our blog. Comments are welcome, but please keep them focused on the preface's content. No links to other sites please.

  https://truthhistory.blogspot.com/
  
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  43

  Did You Ever Luke ANY Songs From The “Songbook “?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i went on line looking for old jw songs and some of them were pretty good and some were just awful!.

  did you ever like any of those songs?

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  vienne

  Hymns of Millennial Dawn to Current songbook .... LUKE I AM your Father.

  Sorry, I couldn't resist.
  
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  40

  Secret Societies involved at the very top of the Org

  by Formerbrother in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  are all the gb members past and present, part of skulls and bones and other masonic secret societies?

  we know the first few top brass were, like br rutherford and br russel.. they all have several expensive watches.

  like literally more than one for everyday of the week, rolex and omega, where did they come from?

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  vienne

  If something seems improbable, it probably is not true.

  Masonic rings have a devise on them. All of them do. Where is the masonic device on these rings? And why would any governing body member advertise their membership in an organization forbidden to the rank and file?

  The so-called Rolex is misidentified. Wanting it to be a rolex does not make it one. Also, even if it were, it was probably a gift. I own a Rolex. With five daughters I could never afford one. It was a gift from my grandmother who most certainly could afford one.

  And just to keep things accurate, it is not "mr. vienne." It is Ms de Vienne or Dr. de Vienne. At the risk of being overly crude, my only penis is attached to my husband.
  
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  24

  Why do Jehovah's Witnesses always answer questions through the bible?

  by MarieChii in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi.. recently i've been researching jehovah's witnesses and their beliefs and found out that they don't believe in blood transfusions.

  so, i've asked one of my friends who is a jw as to what is the reason for this, and so far, they had always directed me to a bible verse that is in their bible.. clearly, i wasn't getting anywhere and so far, it's pretty much frustrating to even make my friend give me reasonable reason.

  when i was getting somewhere, even a smidgen, they would answer with a question.

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  vienne

  I'm not a Witnesses. I'm a historian. Personal narratives tell the story as the author would have it, not always as it is. Approach them all with caution, both the favorable and the unfavorable.

  The Witness religion is bibliocentric. They will answer from the Bible because their beliefs are derived from it. This is not to say that everything they see as Biblically correct is so. But they think it is, and when they explain a belief they will do so from the Bible. Take the Bible from the equation and the religion has no reason for being.

  A more neutral approach - and more scholarly approach - to Witness belief and practice are Zoe Knox's Jehovah's Witnesses and the Secular World and George Chryssides' Jehovah's Witnesses: Continuity and Change. Neither book is totally free from error, but they are largely so, and both are written by scholars with an academic rather than polemic interest. Both books are very, very expensive. I recommend Interlibrary Loan.

  If you want something that details the very earliest years of the Watch Tower, then I recommend [shameless plug] Schulz and de Vienne: Separate Identity, vol 1. This is not nearly as expensive.

  Approaching the study of any religion though the work of disaffected members or anti cult activists will mislead you.