Posts by peacefulpete

13

I'm so glad the anointed were 'demoted'.

by a watcher in

now they can mingle inconspicuously with the 'other sheep' without being 'made an example of' (for better or worse)..

peacefulpete

Seems like they left it wide open for Satan to run things

Deluded old men have always been in charge. No need to conjure up boogiemen to explain anything.

6

Will flu jabs STOP you from being infected & passing it on?

by BoogerMan in

according to boots the chemist, their £20 flu jab (free for over 65's) will stop infection and transmission!

"whilst no vaccine is 100% effective, having a flu jab will help protect you from catching flu and passing it on to others.

https://www.boots.com/online/pharmacy-services/winter-flu-jab-services?srsltid=afmboorkiz37qybkdbbyfij7_ii1zytwkffhgagpllu7jxzg_maqdbqd.

Exposure involves introduction of the virus into your system. An active infection (disease) is defined by the proliferation of that virus within your system, and it's affects. Some vaccines in some immune systems are sufficiently effective so to prevent proliferation of the virus. The person will never know they had the virus in them and so did not have the disease and are very unlikely to be shedding the virus to others.

That would be the ideal outcome.

However, in many cases the vaccine primes the immune system to recognize a novel virus and respond more quickly. It gives the body a head start in the race by already having matching or nearly matching immune response cells in the blood stream.

8

Crystal Blue Persuasion(was it about the truth bk)

by Big Jim in

jw
friends

i heard somewhere this song was about the truth book, does anyone have.

crystal blue persuasion, uh huh, it's a new vibration.

crystal blue persuasion, uh huh.

peacefulpete

Musicians routinely denied dug or sexual inuendo existed in their music, while their target audience understood. In this case he claimed to have gotten the inspiration from reading Revelation. I don't see a problem with both being true. Reading Revelation while on acid might be the secret to understanding it. lol

75

WATCHTOWER JAN 2025: WHY IS THE WATCHTOWER OBSESSED WITH THE RANSOM?

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/ocufvpm3t04?si=75zmussxknhlsrs7.

the first watchtower for 2025 is out, and immediately, articles 4 and 5 drew my attention.

these will be studied near the memorial season, a time the witnesses prepare for their yearly commemoration of jesus’ death, i will be returning on this articles near at the time.

peacefulpete

I'll just say that regarding the "ransom" concept. Early Christians did not share a consistent view. The death had no redemptive value for many believers, rather it was understood as a model of selflessness or whose return to life amounted to victory over death, which gave him power to do the same for others. Anyone who reads the Anti-Nicene Fathers comes away with a distinct impression no one had a clear answer, and many theories were framed. This one of the arguments used by those who insist upon an historical Jesus. They argue that the crucifixion defied expectations and required a creative explanation. I'm not convinced of this, as I said, many early Christians perceived the drama as non-transactional but christologically relevant.

It might be said the root of the problem was readers getting hung up on the use of the Greek word for ransom. In the LXX the verb 'ransom' is used many times to simply means rescue, with no hint of suggesting an exchange of tit for tat as creative thinkers like Origen supposed.

e.g. EX6:6

Go, speak to the children of Israel, saying, I the Lord; and I will lead you forth from the tyranny of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from bondage, and I will ransom you with a high arm, and great judgment.

Speaking about Origen, (Philocalia of Origen) he had an enlightened take of the OT and Gospels:

1,16. If the use of the Law had been everywhere made perfectly clear, and strict historical sequence had been preserved, we should not have believed that the Scriptures could be understood in any other than the obvious sense.69 The Word (Logos) of God therefore arranged for certain stumbling-blocks and offences and impossibilities to be embedded in the Law and the historical portion, so that we may not be drawn hither and thither by the mere attractiveness of the style, and thus either forsake the doctrinal part because we receive no instruction worthy of God, or cleave to the letter and learn nothing more Divine. And this we ought to know, that the chief purpose being to show the spiritual connection both in past occurrences and in things to be done, wherever the Word found historical events capable of adaptation to these mystic truths, He made use of them, but concealed the deeper sense from the many; but where in setting forth the sequence of things spiritual there was no actual event related for the sake of the more mystic meaning, Scripture interweaves the imaginative with the historical, sometimes introducing what is utterly impossible, sometimes what is possible but never occurred. Sometimes it is only a few words, not literally true, which have been inserted; sometimes the insertions are of greater length. And we must this way understand even the giving of the Law, for therein we may frequently discover the immediate use, adapted to the times when the Law was given; sometimes, however, no good reason appears. And elsewhere we have even impossible commands, for readers of greater ability and those who have more of the spirit of inquiry; so that, applying themselves |18 to the labour of investigating the things written, they may have a fitting conviction of the necessity of looking therein for a meaning worthy of God. And not only did the Spirit thus deal with the Scriptures before the coming of Christ, but, inasmuch as He is the same Spirit, and proceedeth from the One God, (as emanation of God) He has done the same with the Gospels and the writings of the Apostles; for not even they are purely historical, incidents which never occurred being interwoven in the "corporeal" sense; nor in the Law and the Commandments does the Spirit make the reasonableness altogether clear.

IOW, the stories were meant to be understood on two levels. Those with 'less ability' or conviction would understand them as literal, the more gifted and determined would see the 'spiritual' meaning behind the narratives.

75

WATCHTOWER JAN 2025: WHY IS THE WATCHTOWER OBSESSED WITH THE RANSOM?

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/ocufvpm3t04?si=75zmussxknhlsrs7.

the first watchtower for 2025 is out, and immediately, articles 4 and 5 drew my attention.

these will be studied near the memorial season, a time the witnesses prepare for their yearly commemoration of jesus’ death, i will be returning on this articles near at the time.

peacefulpete

Christians had better start 'working' to make this a kinder more compassionate world because their God has made empty promises to help for thousands of years.

31

Loss of a Jehovah’s Witness who I considered a friend

by Fallen_Winter in

jw
friends

i have known a jehovah’s witness for approximately 15 years and i have considered her a friend although i know that jehovah’s witnesses cannot have friends who are not jehovah’s witnesses.

approximately two years ago, i was going through a very difficult time and i asked my friend if we could have bible study.

she said yes and we have been studying the bible since.

peacefulpete

I realize that there are many motives for "studying" with the JWs. Truth is not one of them. For most churches including the JWs, 'Truth' is a brand. You are not studying the Bible you are being groomed (not sexually but emotionally and intellectually), led to a conclusion, a belief system and the keys to that are information control, emotional investment, and repetition. Genuine pursuit of knowledge with intellectual honesty involves unstructured questions about evidence and historicity. It involves use of reference works and professional scholarship, a diversity of voices and opinions.

You are now in a vulnerable position, your emotional ties and use of their sectarian lingo such as describing the church as 'the Truth" suggest you were almost fully indoctrinated/initiated. Some instinct for self-preservation/protection deep within you prevented full compliance. Listen to it.

Someday this experience might be a mere footnote of your life, the time you almost got sucked into a high control sect.

13

Does maths prove the bible is wrong?

by joey jojo in

there might be a few that find this post boring, because, you know - its maths.. i like maths but im not a mathematician or condsider myself any type of expert on the subject.. there is a branch of maths called propositional logic that is used widely in computers and computer programming that allows computers to make decisions based on certain conditions.

for example: if a condition exists, then do something.

like: if the a button is pressed, then the letter a will appear on the screen.

peacefulpete

It is the Achille's heal of literalism, at least it should be. Every detail needs be sound for the whole to be literal and true. The problem is the mind is very good at dodging.

The opening of the whole book again is a good example of this. The formulaic structure (7 day/Sabbath) used by the P author was more important than logic much less scientific accuracy. He was writing poetry with a religious agenda. That has been discussed here in some depth before. His chiastic approach of 3 days followed by corresponding 3 days created a seeming discrepancy where light exists prior to luminaries.

The original writers saw no issue as it was poetic allegory. However, later readers, as separate mind do, didn't understand this and tended to read secret meaning into the text. For many readers of the late 2nd temple period, the "light" must have been more than, and distinct from, physical light from the sun/moon/stars. The very popular concept of emanations of God lent to the personification of this "light" from Genesis 1 into a Logos, Son of God. Jewish and Christian writers embraced this idea.

old thread:

Light

IOW, when the text defied logical, literal understanding, it was reinterpreted as mystical. Hence from a poetic narrative glitch evolved the words and theology of John 1:1.

In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the Light of all mankind. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

30

Experiences After Leaving

by Freeatlast2024 in

i am writing to ask if anyone cares to share their experience and/or offer advice for people leaving.

i was raised in the religion, and both my parents died when i was very young.

i recently stopped associating because my conscience no longer allows me to preach or support the organization.

peacefulpete

Not to sound contrary but while every sect/religion/cult is unique is some ways, in many others they are similar. In our circle of friends are former Baptists, WELLS Lutherans, and nuns and even a sex cult. They all went through a process to get their footing in the larger world and faced losses in doing so. They are all better for having left their high control settings.

60

1/25 WT: Oral and Anal sex are a go - if she's ok with it

by neat blue dog in

he will not pressure her to engage in sexual acts that make her feel uncomfortable, that are demeaning, or that bother her conscience..... the bible does not provide details as to what sexual practices between a husband and a wife should be considered clean or unclean.

a christian couple must make decisions that reflect their resolve to honor jehovah, to please each other, and to maintain a clean conscience.

generally speaking, a couple would not discuss with others this intimate aspect of their marriage..

peacefulpete

It will probably be reversed again, lol. As a couple comments have said, it's just a bizarre test of control. In years gone by marriages were ended over the opinions of a bunch of old guys about what body part can touch what body part. Is sucking toes forbidden? How about tongue in ears? Licking armpits? Can you draw us a diagram? You can? now I'm turned on.

59

Proof of two destinies for believers in the Bible, heavenly and earthly

by slimboyfat in

the jw idea that believers are destined either for heavenly life or for endless life on earth comes in for significant criticism by critics of various kinds.

even some groups, such as the christadelphians, who share belief in a future paradise earth, don’t share the view that some christians are destined for life in heaven.

yet there is surprisingly quite a lot of evidence in the bible for the existence of two distinct groups of believers.

peacefulpete

Part of the appeal of apocalyptic prophecy interpretation is its quasi-scientific sounding words and impressively complicated charts. By engaging the mind with seemingly impenetrable puzzles they distract themselves from the disconfirming realities of the texts themselves. Their faith is portrayed as a 'science'. The 'Gnostic' faiths did the same with their pictographs and diagrams uncovering hidden insights from the spirit world.