Posts by Phizzy

6

“Joshua” and “Jesus” are the same Greek and Hebrew/Aramaic name: is this not confusing?

by psyco in

god’s name disappeared in the christian greek scriptures and its pronunciation got lost in the hebrew-aramaic ones.

the current vowels of the hebrew pronunciation of god’s name are taken from the “adonay” (“lord”) hebrew word which were the vowels chosen by who did not want to pronounce his name.

whereas the current latin pronunciation of god’s name (“jehovah”) was introduced by raymundus martini, a spanish monk of the dominican order, in his book published in 1270 c.e.

Phizzy

Nothing confusing about it when you look at the origins of the names. The name of the Israelite god Yahweh is etymologically difficult to nail down, but the name evolved as the god travelled from probably Egypt, via Midian, and he became a minor god in the Canaanite Pantheon, the name being pronounced differently by these different peoples, no doubt. Eventually he was adopted as an Israelite tribal god, among the others they worshipped, until after the Babylonian Exile when a form of Monotheism began to emerge.

Jesus of Nazareth was no doubt named by his parents in the normal way, choosing a name for him with nice connotations, but shared with many boys born around that time. At the time of choosing a name, his parents were not to know a huge Mythology would grow up around him, after his death.

5

Job 31 v 11

by zachias in

in job 31 v11 it states that an inappropriate sex act is a crime not a 'sin'.

if this so between adults then it must extend that it is so if children are involved.

but the wt refers to paedophilia as a sin..

Phizzy

The Job story is a very old one, called "Oriental" by many scholars because it probably was around long before the Israelites and their adopted God were in existence.

It was picked up as good yarn and adapted by the Priests who compiled the O.T. as we call it, after the Babylonian Exile.

We have to think of how women were looked upon and treated at the time the story originated, even if Job was referring to an actual sexual liaison that was not between husband and wife, at this time it would have been seen only as a Crime against the Property of another. Coveting what was not yours was seen as wrong at this time, Sexual acts, even in the mind of the beholder, did not become "Sin" until much much later.

6

Another shocking tidbit from the "Douglas Walsh" trial of 1954.

by EdenOne in

i'm reviewing the entire transcript of the douglas walsh case, and found this shocking bit that normally doesn't come up in the search engines, but it should:.

pages 370-375. hayden cooper covington on the stand:.

q: “in your experience of your own congregation in new york, did you have children there of eleven or twelve being baptized?”.

Phizzy

" What a crock of horse-manure! " Atlantis.

It certainly is, to expect young children to enter in to a Lifetime Contract and understand the ramifications of that Contract is recognised as wrong in Law in most Countries. Of course many Countries allow a similar "contract" in the form of being born in to, and initiated in to a particular Religion, to stand, but a Commercial Contract would be void.

The weaselly way they get round this is that if, like me, after child baptism ( I was 12) , you proceed to continue to live the life of a JW in to adulthood, then, according to the JW Org, you have shown you do know what your baptism was all about, and they can Disfellowship, Excommunicate you, for any number of things they have mainly made up.

A Crock of Shit indeed.

20

"Resurrection" or "Re-Creation of The Soul"? What do really JW's teach?

by EdenOne in

interesting find through a book "inside story of jehovah's witnesses" (1967) by w.c. stevenson, supposedly a former jw circuit overseer.

it's an interesting "apostate" perspective written prior to the wts 1975 debacle.. anyway, at a certain point, there's a quote from a book called "the four cults", by professor anthony a. hoekema (1963, william b. eerdmans publishing company), a calvinist, which makes some sharp remarks about the way jehovah's witnesses teach the dead coming back to life:.

1) in the case of those "resurrecting" for everlasting life on earth, one asks: if the soul is extinct at death, and the body disintegrates and its components are integrated into other forms of life, what is there to "resurrect"?

Phizzy

Hi DJW,

yes you did make it clear to me that the WT version of resurrection was talking about what is essentially a clone. I was just underlining that thought for JW's who may never have considered it before.

Your observation tha the WT teaches the following concept is true too of course, " Maybe some of us can be satisfied with the idea that our data and mental program will be preserved and later implanted into a body which has a very close resemblance to our current body, with the newer body becoming youthful and perfect over time." I was one who was satisfied with that as a JW.

The problem with it is that if that is the case, it means that the "Soul" of the person, their memory/personality, does not die. Yet O.T Scripture says it does !

What the JW's teach and believe is essentially the concept of " Soul Sleep", which means that the Soul is Immortal, ( at least in some sense of the word), a Doctrine they have railed against for years, since the time of Russell if memory serves.

Another example of JW muddled, illogical Theology, in conflict with Scripture.

2

What Door to Door has been Like For J W's the Past 20 Years

by IWant2Leave in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki801ccg9yo.

Phizzy

In all my 50 years of door knocking, I never had a door slammed in my face, lucky I suppose. Some were very short with me and cut the conversation short with a firm " I am NOT interested" or something, but never was a door slammed. Perhaps the people where I was located were too polite ? I dunno.

I should think it is painful for today's JW's to door knock now, and few will want to return to it. People , genuinely, are not the slightest bit interested in religion here in the U.K as a rule, even Believers think it is a private matter, and don't want a discussion at the door, and have no desire to visit a Cult Website.

Even when I was an active, believing JW the futility of door knocking was apparent to me. It was starkly illustrated for me when an elderly "sister" who had pioneered since her teens told me in all those years she had never contacted someone at the door, got a "Study" and sucked them in to the Cult. Yes, she had "studied" with many, but none from her own first contact ! 40 years of non-productive door knocking !

Door to Door will soon die as a method of keeping J.W's occupied. Letter writing too will pale for them, easier than knock-knocks, but boring, and no results to speak of, so what will the G.B come up with next, to keep JW's on the Treadmill and away from Truth they can find on the Internet ?

20

"Resurrection" or "Re-Creation of The Soul"? What do really JW's teach?

by EdenOne in

interesting find through a book "inside story of jehovah's witnesses" (1967) by w.c. stevenson, supposedly a former jw circuit overseer.

it's an interesting "apostate" perspective written prior to the wts 1975 debacle.. anyway, at a certain point, there's a quote from a book called "the four cults", by professor anthony a. hoekema (1963, william b. eerdmans publishing company), a calvinist, which makes some sharp remarks about the way jehovah's witnesses teach the dead coming back to life:.

1) in the case of those "resurrecting" for everlasting life on earth, one asks: if the soul is extinct at death, and the body disintegrates and its components are integrated into other forms of life, what is there to "resurrect"?

Phizzy

" The WT and the JWs teach re-creation of the body (with Jehovah God instilling into the new body a copy of the mind of the person who had died). The WT even explicitly says so in at least one of their books."

True, but what they are describing is not the resurrection of the person, they are describing the creation of a Clone with an implanted false memory. A Doppelganger, not the real "you".

Not a comforting thought at all that, because the real "you" is still dead.

Of course all the difficulties of thinking about this fade away to nothing when you acknowledge that there is no Afterlife, and no god.

2

Ex Elder interview

by James Jack in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jikmxk5hgdy.

Phizzy

Ken Mayo comes over as so very sincere, and as very relaxed and happy with where he is now in his life.

If guys like him are leaving, and are ending up happy and relaxed, J.W's should have a deep think about their beliefs, and their Organization, for obviously, " There is something rotten in the State of Denmark". (Marcellus in Shakespeare's "Hamlet".)

5

England through to the Euro Final!!!

by LoveUniHateExams in

f**kin yes!!!.

get in!

!.

Phizzy

At least the Politicians will now not be able to piggy-back on the success, which Johnson and many more would have done.

The wonderful attitude of all our Players and the Manager has exposed how low down are the Racist thugs who call themselves "Fans" of Football.

Gareth Southgate shows what real Leadership is, and what taking accountability means, a pity we do not have Politicians of that calibre in Government, and also that there are precious few in the Opposition of that calibre.

179

The Watchtower is NOT a false prophet

by The Quiet One in

regarding what some have said here about the wt being a false prophet.. i would like to make my point regarding the wt not being a false prophet... so please, if you can be patient enough to read this, at least try to understand what i am getting at.. a false prophet is one who, according to deuteronomy, makes a false prediction of the future and claims that the prediction came from god, or in other words claiming that 'god has said he will do a certain thing at a certain time' etc.. for example, hypothetically speaking, if someone had claimed: "god will bring about the end of the world in 2010", they would have been proven to be a false prophet, obviously.

but, as an example, imagine a man who claimed the position of a prophet of god, (as moses did, because although he was not the type of prophet that predicted the future.. he was still a prophet or spokesman for god) and that he had publicised worldwide, according to his interpretation of a (for example) prophecy found in the book of isaiah, that the world would end in 2010.. and he had also stated that he was not saying that god will end the world in that year.. but only that there was biblical evidence that god might do so.

that would clearly have been a mistake.

Phizzy

OTWO nails it ! They want it both ways, one minute they are prophets and god's channel and so speak for god, the next they are not !

The thing is, it is not something you can have both ways, you either are, or you are not.

Let us just take their disclaimers as being true, they are "not inspired". That means they are not "Spirit Directed" in any real sense , only by what they claim, that they examine the Scriptures and their actions and ideas are directed by what is in the Bible.

That is no different to what any individual Christian, or group of Christians, can do.

If they have no " Hot Line to Heaven", why should anyone pay more attention to them than to anybody ?

13

Serious bible students questions about the bible

by TTWSYF in

many jws (and others) are serious about their biblical studies, but don't ask the right questions.

in basic journalism one learns to ask the right questions which in my years here, i've never hear asked.. who, what, where, by what help, by whose help, why, how and when.

these are all basic questions when researching anything that you want to write an article or paper on what ever related subject.. who wrote/created the bible?.

Phizzy

HTBWC I agree that the influences are clear to see, and I still find studying Ancient Writings, not just those in the various Bibles, but others too, a fascinating thing to do. Even though I am an Atheist too.

I always ask such questions as " when was this actually written ? what were the religious and other thoughts in those days ? and What is the Writer's agenda ?".

The last question should not be forgotten, ALL the Bible writers had a particular aim and reason for writing that colours their work, if you do not understand what that is, you cannot successfully understand the work.

Just one example, The Book of Daniel was written as a political tract, a polemic against Antiochus 1V "Epiphanes", not as a work of Prophecy, the Apocalyptic stuff being there more to safely put the work in that Genre than for it to be an obvious political rant.