Also, Watchtower July 1, 2012, page 5.
"Religion’s involvement in ... the toleration of child abuse has led even prayerful people to say, “I don’t believe in God.”"
those who still attend meetings will be better placed to answer this question.
since the conti case - but likely some years before it became more widely known in ex-jw circles and beyond - there appear to have been no watchtower or awake news snippets on child sex abuse in the churches of christendom.
also, do rank and file still talk to householders about the churches of christendom's cover-ups of such abuse?.
Also, Watchtower July 1, 2012, page 5.
"Religion’s involvement in ... the toleration of child abuse has led even prayerful people to say, “I don’t believe in God.”"
those who still attend meetings will be better placed to answer this question.
since the conti case - but likely some years before it became more widely known in ex-jw circles and beyond - there appear to have been no watchtower or awake news snippets on child sex abuse in the churches of christendom.
also, do rank and file still talk to householders about the churches of christendom's cover-ups of such abuse?.
from reading my previous post many of you know i am a worldly person and have been a life long child advocate.
my heart goes out to the jw children and women.
these last 5 months education here and jwfacts, jwstruggles, has been very enlightening.
I doubt you would have much to fear from JW paedophiles. They tend to target the kids of other Dubs, as access is so much easier, and because of the Witnesses phobia of bad publicity, they know there is very little chance they will be exposed (not to mention the two witness rule).
a few weeks ago, these two jovies turned up on my doorstep.
being in a good mood that particular day, i told them that if they could prove that god existed, i'd become a jovie - and i meant every word.. they gave me two documents which they asked me read and told me that they'd be back in a week.
the first was called "was life created?
“Being in a good mood that particular day, I told them that if they could prove that god existed, I’d become a Jovie - and I meant every word”.
Really??? You actually meant every word??? If anyone could prove to me that god existed, JWs would the among the last religions on earth I would join.
jesus was a jew who apparently thought he was the messiah, however, after dying, his disciples began to propagate the lie that he would return from heaven during his generation.
but, his generation passed away, and it was clear that it was a false prophecy, then a dishonest christian wrote the second letter of peter so as to condemn those who realised that the prophecy was a fiasco.
interestingly, and sadly, this religion survived,....why????
answer: by governing body of jws no!
answer: governing body of jws
answer: governing body of jws
"This cry for money is to cultivate funds for the new UK branch intended to be built. a good possibility."
Finkelstein - I doubt they would need additional finds for that - I would have thought that the sale of their prime North London property should more than pay for their relocation. Of course it could still be used by them to claim that the need more money.
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2011736.
i've not bothered to read anything on this for years as i addressed it personally years ago.
but in this official article they appear to be focusing all their argument on the '70 years' part of the debate.
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but the debate over 606/7
BCE and 587 BCE is not new. In 1904
Russell received the following letter, which was published in the October 1 Watchtower
on page 296 (Reprint page 3436).
“Dear Sir, since you have changed your views respecting Gentile Times let me suggest the possibility of still another error. You count the seventy years Babylonian captivity of the Jews as beginning with the overthrow of Zedekiah, Judah’s last king, but I notice that “Bishop Usher’s Chronology,” given in the margins of our Common Version Bibles and based on “Ptolemy’s Canon,” begins that seventy-year period nineteen years earlier-namely, in the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, when he took captive Daniel and other prominent Jews and laid the Jews’ country under tribute. Now if this, the common reckoning, be correct, it would make the Times of the Gentiles to begin nineteen years later than you estimate, namely, in B. C. 587, instead of B. C. 606; and this in turn would make those times end nineteen years later than you have reckoned - in October, A. D. 1933, instead of October, 1914. What do you say to this? Are you humble enough to acknowledge that I have struck some new light, and that you and all DAWN readers have been “all wrong,” walking in darkness?”
Russell’s reply was;
“We reply that there are too many ifs in the proposition, and that they are all abundantly contradicted by facts and Scripture and are therefore not worthy [of] the slightest consideration. (1) The brother errs in supposing that we have changed our view of “Gentile Times.” Those “times” or years are 2520, with a definite beginning in B. C. 606, and a definite ending, A. D. 1914. We know of no reason for changing a figure: to do so would spoil the harmonies and parallels so conspicuous between the Jewish and Gospel ages.”
So the reason Russell stuck with 606 BCE was because, to do otherwise, would “spoil the harmonies and parallels between the Jewish and Gospel ages”. Harmonies that the Watchtower has long since discarded. So right from the start, 606/7 BCE was chosen because it supported Watchtower doctrine, the facts relating to the year have always been irrelevant.
i have always been a very rational and thoughtful person.
there where always questions i had growing up regarding things i was taught.
of course asking questions while being a jw is a big no no!
If god is love, why does he allow so much suffering? From what I remember their main answer was that it started in Eden when Satan challenged Gods right to rule. However, I refuse to believe that a God of Love would let billions thru history suffer and die just to prove a point!Ask any believer if God is fallible, can make mistakes, or be in the wrong, they will say no. Why not? Because He wouldn't be God otherwise. In other words, it's self-evidently true, an axiom. But if that is the case then He doesn't need to prove anything. All He needed to say was, 'Satan, you're wrong, end off.' The fact that He felt the need to prove himself is in itself an error, for axioms do not need proving, therefore He can make mistakes. The logic of the JW explanation for suffering introduced this paradox, mind you, other explanations are no better.
if this has been posted up before, then i missed it...... they call this organization "the truth" so we might expect it to be accurate .
they themselves they have previously championed honesty :.
live with jehovahs day in mind (2006) p115 par 9.
There are dozens of examples this, and a lot of them have been collected together in this book if you’re interested.
how do you convince a jw that every decision that comes from the governing body is not from god?.
my mom who is a pioneer said that the students are getting their work book a month early, then proceeded to say " jehovah knows what we need".. for you who now know ttat what did it take for you?.
How do you convince a JW that every decision that comes from the Governing Body is not from God?
Get them to acknowledge that Jehovah IS infallible and then quote them from the FDS itself;
Watchtower of March 1, 1979 page 23, “The ‘faithful and discreet slave’ has alerted all of God’s people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God’s Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this ‘faithful and discreet slave’ was never inspired, never perfect.”
or
Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, 1993, page 626, “Jehovah’s Witnesses … recognize the Watchtower magazine and kindred publications to be the ones used by the faithful and discreet slave to dispense spiritual food. They do not claim that this slave class is infallible…”