Posts by Drearyweather

13

Exposing the Core Premise of JW False Teaching

by TerryWalstrom in

poison is at work in any argument with jehovah's witnesses.

this poison has little to do with the beauty of watchtower logic or the tasty morsels of jw reasoning.. the poison is odorless and tasteless and it has absorbed into their core premise: scripture interpretation directed by jehovah.. if you buy into the core premise (somebody possesses a divinely granted access to an infallible source of truth) you are already dead in the water.. that is the deal breaker.

false premises lead always to false conclusions.. stop right here.. the core misrepresentation of christianity solely rests in accepting the bible as the inerrant word of almighty god.

Drearyweather

TerryWalstrom, You have made certain good arguments. You can fight on the authenticity of the Bible in many different ways, as it was written in antiquity or in ancient times where people did not possess the technologies to record or preserve things the way we do now. This not only applies to the Bible, but to all other documents from that era.

However, I feel differently about your assertion that the Bible should not be believed because the original manuscript does not exist. Even if the originals existed, people would have still questioned if they are actually originals.

I personally feel that the words of the Bible are not confined to the papyrus roll or the perishable material on which it was originally written. The original manuscript or the autograph was not meant to be a sacred object of worship. Once the author wrote down the words in the manuscript, they were copied by the copyists and others meticulously over the years, in the similar way we print or take photocopies of original documents.

Since people in those days did not have any other way to preserve the originals, they did all they could to make copies of all original documents that they had. If you and I lived in that era, we would have done the same to preserve personal documents, business transactions, financial documents, etc.

Even in our day, original documents exist as a proof to validate our dealings and transactions. For e.g. a marriage certificate, the original constitution of the country, school and college certificates, etc. However, our lives are not confined to these originals. Someone’s marriage doesn’t get invalid if his original marriage certificate gets lost in a flood or hurricane. Someone’s citizenship doesn’t get revoked simply if he loses his original identification proofs in an accident. Neither does a person’s educational qualification get revoked if he loses his originals while on transit. Would the theory of evolution fail if the original documents of Charles Darwin get lost? No, because they are not bound to those papers that were written. Similarly, the Bible doesn’t get invalid simply because the originals have ceased to exist and we personally were not present to see the copyists doing their replication and preservation. The constitution of a country, the laws, statutes, acts, etc. are not confined to the original document on which they were drafted. The content is important, not the paper on which it is written. If you lose the original document, the constitution and the laws still apply.

The Bible says that the word of God would be preserved, not the manuscript or the papyrus scroll on which it was written. An audio testimony of an important witness for a legal case is taken on a device and is then copied to other devices to ensure its safety. The message is important and is to be preserved, and its validity does not depend on the medium in which it is recorded. The multiplicity of the manuscripts of the Bible available are enough for a person to believe it.

8

May 24, 2017 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Donations to “Jehovah’s Witnesses of India” by Indian Passport Holders

by wifibandit in

may 24, 2017 to all bodies of elders re: donations to “jehovah’s witnesses of india” by indian passport holders.

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Drearyweather

Why has this been needed?

Another reason for this- In 2001, the Bombay High Court prohibited the Indian Branch Office to receive foreign contributions. This happened when the Indian Branch Office was about to complete the construction of its mega branch complex in Bangalore where most of the funds in disposal was invested for the construction. With almost no funds with them, Indian office pulled the plug on the special pioneer work and layed off many bethelites.

The Indian branch office was about to plug off the construction work, however the GB asked them to go ahead with the work and complete the relocation. The branch was constructed and relocated and the branch office was left with practically zero funds. Local individuals chipped in whatever they could and the work continued. Since foreign contributions are still prohibited, indian citizens who moved and settled abroad send in their contributions through the website mentioned. Same applies to expats who convert to JW's and want to send in their money to India.

25

I met a 104 year old man today

by Bad_Wolf in

i was at a mall trying on shoes and this old man is in a wheelchair near me.

says how he thought those shoes were sharp and he had never worn brown shoes before and that he is 104 years old.

i said no way and asked what year he was born.

Drearyweather

waton, just a small correction:

The Wt generation is the anointed, and they are scheduled to die before the Great Tribulation starts! so,

According to the current revision, the anointed will be alive during the Great Tribulation and will be gathered to heaven just before the outbreak of Armageddon.:

We also see that the anointed ones who are still alive and part of “this generation” are getting on in years; yet, they will not all die off before the great tribulation begins.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102014240

Paragraph 8: One of the events mentioned in these verses is that the “chosen ones” will be gathered. (Matthew 24:31) Therefore, it seems that any anointed ones who are still on the earth will be raised to heaven before the battle of Armageddon begins.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/402013530

8

Rick Simmons or Irwin Zalkin- Who should I call

by AbusedandPissed in

hi there i am new to this and want to get some advice.

i think i was abused as a child by someone in a hall in central california a long time ago.

i have been seeing on here for a while, two names keep popping up to get help.

Drearyweather

I think I was abused as a child by someone in a hall in Central California a long time ago

Be sure about the following three things:

1. Be clear whether what happened with you was actually Child abuse (sexual?)

2. Be sure of who was the one who did it.

3. Be precise about when that happened and under what circumstances.

Lastly, remember, there is a difference between allegation and substantiation. The more clear and accurate you are with the facts, the more nearer you are to the goal of getting justice.

60

Introducing Our Rockstar Governing Body

by pale.emperor in

isnt nice to see the governing body being so humble, meek and not seeking their own importance?.

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stash: /intesoft-inc.appspot.com/post/005df9f7e68e40cb9b013248fe7b670c.html

Drearyweather

In the case of Ray Franz, i'd say he deserves it. I owe a lot to that man.

That's pretty much the same response you will get from JW's who click photos with GB members.

60

Introducing Our Rockstar Governing Body

by pale.emperor in

isnt nice to see the governing body being so humble, meek and not seeking their own importance?.

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stash: /intesoft-inc.appspot.com/post/005df9f7e68e40cb9b013248fe7b670c.html

Drearyweather

Interesting is the fact that they remain rockstars and get adulation even when they are no longer on the GB.

Non-JW's and Ex-Jw's having their celebrity moment with Raymond Franz:

Related image

37

What Happens If the JW Beard Policy Stumbles a Person

by Cold Steel in

some of the videos on youtube really make the beard policy look ridiculous.

i wondered what would happen if the jw beard policy caused someone to stumble?

jesus most likely wore a beard, and charles taze russell had a beard.

Drearyweather

Corporations with dress codes don't claim that everything they do is based on the bible though. JW's do.

Yes, corporations don't claim that everything they do is based on the Bible. But, Corporate organizations do base their activities on the country's legal company Acts, Rules, Statutes and Bills. And these are more brutal in their punishments than what are mentioned in the religious books.

Since companies don't have direct laws governing dress codes, each industry or employer has the right to impose their rules about dress codes. You may even find different dress code policies in one organization. For some, these are contradictions, but for the employer, it is a business need.

Similarly, when religious books are silent on certain matters, each religious group has the leeway to form their own rules on them. In fact, each congregation will have a separate unwritten law on this matter depending on their local culture.

What I found contradictory is the following scenario which happened with my friend. When he started growing a pony tail and a beard, he went on a full blown tirade against some members of the congregation and his parents who asked him to cut his beard and pony tail. He stopped going to meetings to make the point that no one has the right to oppose his personal preferences. Three months later, when he changed his job, his new employer asked him to remove his pony tail and beard and cover his tattoo before going for an important client conference. He was upset but accepted his employers demand without uttering a word and sheepishly went back to his clean shaven look, since he couldn't afford to lose the job. He became the laughing stock for many of his JW friends.

39

How do you get over all the things that you missed? The stuff you can't get back

by JW_Rogue in

look my life is not bad but sometimes i just think about all the normal things i missed out on.

and no i'm not talking about christmas and birthday parties.

i'm talking about your first kiss happening in your twenties instead of your teens.

Drearyweather

I'm talking about your first kiss happening in your twenties instead of your teens. Only having one sexual partner your whole life.

Nope, never missed and wouldn't miss. In my culture, this is a no-no for non-jws too.

I'm talking about never having planned for college "because that's materialistic."

Almost no one (including me) from my JW family went to college. But all are doing way better than university graduates. So not sure if anyone is missing college education.

I'm talking about after finally deciding to go to college turning down jobs because they involved military contractors or research, or even telling potential employers that you couldn't work certain hours because of meetings

There are many jobs in the corporate world which JW's can accept as compared to those they cannot. I always felt awkward to ask my boss for early leaving for my meetings. But now as a manager myself, I have experienced that people of almost all other religions ask for time off during the week for one reason or the other. So, I was not the unique one.

14

RUSSIA (20 June 2017): JW video depicting kingdom hall burnings, raids, and interviews with JWs

by jwleaks in

video published on official jw website:.

https://jw-russia.org/news/17062022-182.html.

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Drearyweather

Thanks jwleaks for the link.

The photo actually looks as though ISIS has stormed a Kingdom Hall.

Masked Policemen? Russia is truly going back in time and repeating the events of the Soviet Era.

While banning religions, the authorities forget that religion is all about beliefs and ideas (whether right or wrong), whereas political ideology and dictatorship is about men. I remember some quotes from V for Vendetta: Men can fail, can be caught, can be killed and forgotten (Like nazis, soviets, Hitler, Mussolini, Gaddafi, etc). However, ideas (and religious beliefs) cannot be kissed, cannot be held, cannot be touched. Ideas do not feel the pain, neither do they bleed. Hence they survive the most difficult of repressions.

If banning religions worked, we wouldn't have JW's in Germany and in the regions of the former USSR.

37

What Happens If the JW Beard Policy Stumbles a Person

by Cold Steel in

some of the videos on youtube really make the beard policy look ridiculous.

i wondered what would happen if the jw beard policy caused someone to stumble?

jesus most likely wore a beard, and charles taze russell had a beard.

Drearyweather

Coldsteel,

Youtube videos do make the beard policy look ridiculous. In fact, Youtube videos can make anything and everything under the sun look ridiculous.

Technically, there is no such thing as beard policy. There is no written policy or rule with the JW’s that you will be disfellowshipped for wearing the beard. Yes, you are discouraged to wear one, you may lose your privileges, etc, but won’t be disfellowshipped.

Why do religions have such policies? To understand this, first you need to remember that all religions in this world are technically like corporate organizations with written and unwritten rules of conduct. You will have such policies in all religions. Some disallow beards, some force circumcision, some want special garments to be worn, some encourage flagellation, etc. Each religion follows rules from their holy books and frames new ones which they feel needs to be adhered to either gain new followers or to create an environment of decency for existing followers.

In south India, there is a temple which doesn’t allow menstruating females to come in, and there is a religious festival where men are asked to wear full black clothes and not go near women during this 41 day period.

Does religion have a monopoly over making policies? No. In many corporate organizations, there is a formal dress policy where employees who are into client facing jobs are not allowed to wear casuals during client interactions. In my organization, casual clothing is not allowed during the weekdays. People may like wearing long hair or pony tails, but many multinational companies disallow that. Even though they may not kick you out, but they won’t allow such people to represent the company in client meetings. So if you work in an organization, you either follow those rules or you get out. There are countries who allow beards in the military while some who don’t. Policies are everywhere.

You have rules on this forum too, which have been excellently set up to avoid un-civil people to ruin discussions. People may feel that they have a right to be annoying. People may feel that discussing pornography and sexual activities are not taboo. But you are not allowed to do that on this forum, and we are thankful for that. If you don’t agree, don’t join or be ready to be banned.

What about stumbling? A person can pretty much stumble over any point of personal preference. Jesus did wear a beard, but also wore seamless fringed robes and jewish sandals. Russell too kept a beard, but without a mustache and wore glasses much lower on his nose bridge and also chose to have a celibate marriage. These were personal preferences. There nothing that indicates that Russell was imitating Jesus in keeping his beard, because if he was, he would have also kept a mustache. Hence there is no point in wearing a beard by using an argument that Jesus and Russell had one.

Like corporate organizations, religious organizations have complete authority to make rules and change them. Since belonging to a religion is a voluntary choice, a person either lives with those rules or he gets out of it. Post which, he either moves on in life or keeps cribbing about his ex-religion’s policies.