Posts by FFGhost

81

Careful what you wish for! Regarding Jehovah in the New Testament

by pizzahut2023 in

ok i'll bite.. let's say for a moment that jehovah's witnesses are right, and that the nt autographs (the originals) contained the tetragrammaton.let's say that the nt writers always wrote "jehovah" in greek (iexoba, as the witnesses spell it currently) when they quoted the hebrew scriptures, whether they quoted from the hebrew version or the septuagint, and jehovah's name appeared on the quote.

let's say that the original septuagint always had iexoba whenever they were referring to jehovah.then we have that the original septuagint said in psalms 101:26-28 the following:"at the beginning it was you, o jehovah, who founded the earth, and the heavens are works of your hands.

they will perish, but you will endure, and they will all become old like a garment.

FFGhost

JWs addressed this in their literature.

12/15/86 Watchtower, page 29:

◆ 102:25—Who “laid the foundations of the earth”?
The psalmist was talking about God, but the apostle Paul applied these words to Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:10, 11) As it turns out, these words also apply to Jesus, for he acted as Jehovah’s Agent in creating the universe. (Colossians 1:15, 16) So Jesus, too, could be said to have “laid the foundations of the earth.”

Watchtower 6/1/94, page 30:

Sometimes a text in the Hebrew Scriptures refers to Jehovah, but by virtue of His delegation of power and authority, it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Psalm 34:8, for example, invites us to “taste and see that Jehovah is good.” But Peter applies this to the Lord Jesus Christ when he says: “Provided you have tasted that the Lord is kind.” (1 Peter 2:3) Peter takes a principle and shows how it is true also of Jesus Christ. By taking in knowledge of both Jehovah God and Jesus Christ and acting upon it, Christians can enjoy rich blessings from both the Father and his Son. (John 17:3) Peter’s application does not make the Sovereign Lord Jehovah one person with the Lord Jesus Christ.—See footnote to 1 Peter 2:3.

Look, I know it's all hand-waving and special pleading and whatnot, but there you have their "official" rebuttals.

39

PROOF Mormons have the truth

by neat blue dog in

daniel prophesied that god would “set up a kingdom” that would “never be destroyed” and would “stand for ever” (daniel 2:44).

in making this prophecy, he spoke of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints... and it will continue to progress until it has “filled the whole earth”... hundreds of thousands of people are baptized every year.

the book of mormon is being translated in many languages.

FFGhost

Yeah I wouldn't say LDS is better, it just has two basic differences that make it more 'liveable' if you will.

On the other hand, JWs have access to booze and coffee, which helps one to be able to tolerate the crap more easily.

I'd call it a toss-up.

26

The Last Days of a Pioneer

by madisoncembre in

i am starting a new topic since this blog entry is about something different.. i have posted before about my recent split with the jws.

no exit comes out of nowhere and there were seeds planted long before this.

i have never enjoyed field service.

FFGhost

He can easily retire and go into the pioneer work. But he has resisted it for years

I read your blog () and the details are a little different, otherwise I would say I know exactly who you are taking about - or at least someone very similar.

The thing that chuffed my hide was, he was already retired and outrageously wealthy. Played golf X times per week (mostly a congregation gossip chat) with his other less-wealthy-but-also-retired buddies. Went out in service 2-3 times per week, exactly 2 hours per session - not a second more. Reported 20-24 hours of field service per month.

That "20+" made him look like such a "star" - double the national average! How exemplary!

But of course, if he really took seriously the words he spoke from the platform, he could have easily pioneered - 70, 80, 90, 100 or more hours per month. He literally had nothing else to do. It's a "life saving vital work", right?

Unless it conflicts with your tee time.

26

The Last Days of a Pioneer

by madisoncembre in

i am starting a new topic since this blog entry is about something different.. i have posted before about my recent split with the jws.

no exit comes out of nowhere and there were seeds planted long before this.

i have never enjoyed field service.

FFGhost

Pioneering was pushed as a full time career, but you still needed to work and it just made everything unbearable.

Funny how the ones pushing the hardest for the rank & file to take up "full time service" are the ones least worried about making ends meet, either because they happen to be one of that rare breed of wealthy JWs, or are Bethelites whose entire cost of living - food, clothing, shelter, medical care, utilities, cleaning, even (if high enough up the ladder) vacations & travel - is completely paid for by contributions from other people.

I.e., the less worried the guy is about money, the more they push others to not worry about money.

Not "ha-ha" funny - "infuriating to the point of blinding rage" funny.

93

Regional Convention Attendance

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

elder friend of mine texted me asking what my rc attendance was 2 weeks ago (family and i streamed it since wife is not well).

he told me that his rc in the jersey city assembly hall last weekend was low.

co told them that around 2600 were the total from 16+ congs that were assigned.

FFGhost

If they assigned 16 congs of presumably around 100 each, and got 2600 in attendance, that’s more than 160 per cong…… What were they expecting?

It took me more than one read too

I think he meant, there are 2600 people in the "16+ congregations", but actual attendance for the convention where those 16+ were assigned varied between 1400-1900.

It's even worse if the 2600 represents "publishers" and not "everyone". If there are 2600 publishers, then you'd easily expect more than 3000 if you count all the young kids of JW parents.

21

Remember...Remember...The Sixth of November?

by JW_Rogue in

some big announcement or reveal is coming from the borg november 6th, according to the exjw reddit.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/13xljaa/secret_boxes_to_be_opened_only_in_november_6th/.

what do you guys think it could be?.

my guess is a study companion to go with their new jesus series, they really need to rebrand at this point..

FFGhost

Oh yeah, it also occurs to me:

They want it kept “confidential” to increase the “wow factor”.

Think of the intellectually challenged JWs response to seeing a JW broadcast of a “vitally important special campaign” on a Monday evening, then going to the KH a day or 2 later and getting that very tract in their hands that evening at the CLAM.

”Oh how thrilling! How fast is Jehovah’s chariot! How efficient is the organization!”

Not realizing, of course, that the tracts have been sitting in boxes gathering mold in the KH storeroom for the previous 4 months.

Idiots.

21

Remember...Remember...The Sixth of November?

by JW_Rogue in

some big announcement or reveal is coming from the borg november 6th, according to the exjw reddit.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/13xljaa/secret_boxes_to_be_opened_only_in_november_6th/.

what do you guys think it could be?.

my guess is a study companion to go with their new jesus series, they really need to rebrand at this point..

FFGhost

The day of opening coincides with a monthly broadcast so it sounds like there will be an announcement.

Yeah that’s it exactly.

The sheep are not responding with the unbridled frenetic ecstasy that the gb was hoping for with regards to the door to door work.

So, they’ll probably announce in the November JW broadcast some sort of “special campaign”, maybe an official “Kingdom News #896” (or whatever number they are up to) for some upcoming month. The “confidential boxes” will contain the congregation’s allotment of tracts.

It may well be some sort of “hard hitting message” like the by-now forgotten “The End of False Religion is Near” tract campaign maybe 20-25 years ago. Something to get the householders riled up to feed the JW persecution complex.

They’ll announce the “special campaign” on the November broadcast, then distribute the tracts at the CLAM that week.

Watch for lots of “don’t miss the November broadcast! Don’t miss the meeting the first week of November!” breathless announcements in advance.

It’s little more than a silly enthusiasm generator to try to get JWs back to the Kingdom Hall (they’ll say you can only get the tracts at the KH) and back in the door to door work (they’ll say it’s essential that “everyone” gets the tract).

In other words: same old, same old.

19

Normal people don't give a darn if you're a witness

by XBEHERE in

jw
friends

this was posted on exjw reddit, check it out if some of you never have.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/13q6k5l/normal_people_dont_give_a_darn_if_youre_a_witness/ .

i find this to be the case, people in general are so not interested in religion that they really could care less about jws.

FFGhost

But….but….but….

It’s a vital life saving work! The greatest witness the world has ever known! The nations shall know that I am Jehovah!

Pfffft.

Not only does no one give a crap if you are a JW or not, this “vital life saving witness work” has not made an iota of difference in the world at large.

if you polled a cross sample of 1000 people worldwide and asked them “what is the message of JWs?”

— 500 would have never heard of them

— 450 would barely be aware of their existence but would never have interacted with one

— 49 would say “oh those are the guys who sell Watchtowers and don’t take blood”

— 1 might….MIGHT….know something about JW doctrine

Worldwide preaching work…pffft.

As I’ve noted numerous times, if “Jehovah” as conceived of by JWs really existed, and really did charge them with a worldwide preaching work, he’d execute the lot of them for the piss poor hash they’ve made of it.

22

New Convention Song “ It Will Not Be Late”

by BluesBrother in

this made me chuckle.

a new song that they are encouraged to practice for the convention.. “ we know your day will come, sure as the rising sun.

no matter how long it takes , it will not be late” …………... it is based on habakkuk 2 , we discussed this in depth around 1973/1974.

FFGhost

Clunky tune, awkward lyrics, hard to sing….

All the earmarks of a Splane splecial!

You’d think someone with a special pipeline to God would have been told by said deity, “Dave, pal, stick with the charts and the overlapping stuff, leave the music to people who have a clue.”

Apparently not.

12

Weasel Word Phrase--The Bible Does Not Say...but

by blondie in

jw
friends

the bible does not say—the weasel word phrase that bugs me the most.

note that though the wts says this, it then proceeds to add :.

after jesus’ birth, why did joseph and mary remain in bethlehem instead of returning home to nazareth?.

FFGhost

Lol.

The full story:

”The Bible does not say”, but if you dare to breathe a word in contradiction to our suppositions, we’ll have 3 elders on you to disfellowship you for “causing divisions” so fast it will make your head swim.