Posts by shepherdless

14

Daniel 8 For Dummies II - "The WT Strikes ...

by Farkel in

jw
friends

daniel 8 for dummies - part 2: "the watchtower strikes back" .

i've posted this one before, but it's been updated and is especially geared for you true believing dubbies out there.

what i'm going to discus is important even though you may not have the attention span to digest it, because this is your religion and what it still teaches.

shepherdless

Thanks for reviving this, Diogenesister.

A while ago, I searched to see if anyone had started a thread on Daniel 8:13-14, but didn’t find anything, for some reason. I was going to start my own thread, but I thought it best left to someone more knowledgeable than me.

In short, Daniel 8:13-14 is possibly the scariest sounding passage in the bible. It sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings. Daniel 8:17 confirms it is an end of time prophecy. It is the same section that spawned the Millerites and the Great Dissapointment.

How does Watchtower interpret the culmination of the earth-shattering momentous events described? Answer: it refers to an amendment in 1944 to the corporate filings of a Pennsylvania corporation not even mentioned in the bible.

23

NWT from Greek/Hebrew into other languages?

by Counter-Watchtower in

does jw org claim to have translated the nwt into other languages from greek/hebrew?

because if they did claim that they would have to have biblical scholars in biblical greek/hebrew from every language, that would be a ton of ppl!

and take a lot of time!.

shepherdless

Thanks for the detailed answer, David Jay.

23

NWT from Greek/Hebrew into other languages?

by Counter-Watchtower in

does jw org claim to have translated the nwt into other languages from greek/hebrew?

because if they did claim that they would have to have biblical scholars in biblical greek/hebrew from every language, that would be a ton of ppl!

and take a lot of time!.

shepherdless

A question for Caminante, or anyone else who might know.

I understood that the Greek Orthodox use the Septuagint as their equivalent to the “Hebrew Scriptures” (Old Testament). The equivalent section of the NWT is based on the Masoretic. Surely a person who grew up in the Greek Orthodox Church would find that portion of the Greek version of the NWT a bit odd, or lacking credibility?

130

2017 Annual Meeting

by Jules Saturn in

this just in from the 2017 annual meeting:.

1. watchtowers and awakes won't be released regularly, at least three watchtower and awakes per year.

6 magazines a year.. 2. a new book is being released: remain in god's love, more of an update like how they did for the what does the bible really teach book.

shepherdless

A few pages back, neat blue dog asks me:

What resources on the web won't be updated or maintained??

Sorry to be slow to respond. I don't think it was announced at the meeting, but the last bullet point of the letter to all congregations dated 7 October 2017 (as revealed by Wifibandit and at least one other) reads:

No new content will be added to the following features on jw.org: “Bible Character Cards,” “Family Worship Projects,” “Illustrated Bible Stories,” “My Bible Lessons,” “Picture Activities,” “Study Activities for Children,” study guides for What Does the Bible Really Teach?, Young People Ask worksheets, and the video series What Your Peers Say. However, the existing content will remain for now on jw.org.

I am actually a bit surprised nobody else has picked that up. I think it is significant, and revealing. They are not just reducing printed material.

130

2017 Annual Meeting

by Jules Saturn in

this just in from the 2017 annual meeting:.

1. watchtowers and awakes won't be released regularly, at least three watchtower and awakes per year.

6 magazines a year.. 2. a new book is being released: remain in god's love, more of an update like how they did for the what does the bible really teach book.

shepherdless

Reducing printed literature was predictable. Eliminating the Yearbook (when the next edition was due in a couple of months) was a bit of a surprise to me. I thought that they would continue to produce it, but that it would be only available in soft copy from the borg website.

The biggest surprise to me is that some resources on the website will no longer be updated and maintained. This is not just about getting out of printing. They really must be facing some significant financial challenges. I guess there will be quite a few “reassigned” bethelites in the near future.

20

Meetings are boring

by Akid48 in

meetings are boring for young kids and old but i'm going to focus on young kids 5 or 8.. i think is unfair that young kids get punished for falling asleep or zoning out.. as meetings are not as boring but i have to go to school the next day and staying up till 10pm isn't the best i can't get out of going.. but think of the young kids that dont even understand most of the teachings.. i know most on the site are adults but i heard of adults falling asleep..

shepherdless

Yes, who would have thought a doomsday cult could be so boring!

146

Just woke up turn TV on to hear yet another nut case with a gun.

by Still Totally ADD in

jw
friends

first they said 20 dead with 100 injured.

now i just heard 50 dead and 200 injured.

whatever it is it just another nut case who was able to get a high power gun to kill people.

shepherdless

Just horrible.

It is early stages, but it sounds like a machine gun or assault rifle (firing on automatic) was used. I just don't understand why a civilian should be allowed to own an assault rifle, ever.

92

Does Morality Exist?

by Fisherman in

some people believe that stealing, lying and killing, is not moral.

some people don't.. does morality exist?

if so, prove it..

shepherdless

I would put it this way:

"Morality" is an abstract noun, and like many abstract nouns, can not be found in nature. You can't go to the back garden or down a mine shaft and dig up a lump of morality.

Morality is a concept invented by humans that exists only in the mind of one or more humans. It happens to be a very useful concept, but that is beside the point. It follows that the boundaries of morality are defined not by the concept itself, but by what the relevant human mind decides are the boundaries.

There is no absolute morality. To imply otherwise is to misunderstand the word.

19

marriage"equality" survey, Australia.

by zeb in

jw
friends

the australian govt has set out a survey to see if people are in favour of changing the marriage act to include same sex couples.. hm here have received their papers?

the survey promises to be anonymous but has a substantial bar code at the bottom... anonymous yeah right.. the marriage act once said "two people" then a previous prime minister changed it to say "man and woman" all that is needed to amend this situation as required by the gay community is change it back again to "two people" there, done and dusted.. and millions of dollars need not be wasted on this survey which is not compulsory as is voting in australia.

can anyone here who still goes to kh tell us if this has had a ruling from the platform?.

shepherdless

Yes Smiddy, you are right. I have never heard of a prosecution, though.

I know JWs who have lived in Aust for decades, and never intend to return to their country of origin, but just have "permanent residency", specifically to avoid compulsory voting. Of course others do what you did; wait for the $20 fine to come in the mail and write back saying they didn't vote on religious grounds.

They are pretty lenient on withdrawing fines. I remember reading in a newspaper about a voter in (I think) Qld, who successfully got the fine waived with the excuse that he was on the run from Police on polling day, and was not able to get to a polling booth.

19

marriage"equality" survey, Australia.

by zeb in

jw
friends

the australian govt has set out a survey to see if people are in favour of changing the marriage act to include same sex couples.. hm here have received their papers?

the survey promises to be anonymous but has a substantial bar code at the bottom... anonymous yeah right.. the marriage act once said "two people" then a previous prime minister changed it to say "man and woman" all that is needed to amend this situation as required by the gay community is change it back again to "two people" there, done and dusted.. and millions of dollars need not be wasted on this survey which is not compulsory as is voting in australia.

can anyone here who still goes to kh tell us if this has had a ruling from the platform?.

shepherdless

Wake me up, if you received a form in the post, that means you are on the electoral roll. All the voting forms were posted to individuals listed on the electoral roll, at the address recorded on the electoral roll.

The forms themselves don't have your name on them, but do have a unique bar code. I have read that if you find out someone voted on your behalf (a criminal offence), it is possible to have that vote excluded from counting, based on that bar code.