simwitness

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Posts by simwitness

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  12

  Watchtower publications and Copyright Law

  by Jourles in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the past, i have told my friends that if i were not in the industry in which i am employed today, i would have been an attorney.

  to me, law has always been an intriguing area to be involved in.

  not only does researching information that pertains to personal matters teach you the basics on how to conduct yourself in court and the due process of what is involved, you also learn many various laws that may have been totally foreign to you beforehand.. many times on this site and on other personal websites across the globe, religious entities, or publishing corporations, have been a deciding factor in what is and what is not posted, copied, and presented.

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  simwitness

  Interestingly...

  My take on this is from the first paragraph:

  The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld longstanding copyrights designed to protect the profits of songs, books and cartoon characters, a huge victory for Disney and other companies.

  So, if copyright laws are "designed to protect the profits", and the WTBS is a "non profit" organization...

  Are their books/publications "given" or "sold"?

  Other than having "something to hide", why should the WTBS care if their publications are "given freely"? Seems to me that it would help to spread "the good news of the kingdom"....
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  18

  For plmkrzy

  by AlanF in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  hi plmkrzy,.

  while talking to a friend tonight, he reminded me of a thread nearly two months old: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=39119&site=3&page=3 .

  at the end you posted:.

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  simwitness

  The problem is simple in principle: How can any human decide which writings are inspired and which are not, unless they are inspired themselves? And who would dare to claim to be inspired? And so the disputing continues.

  That's a keeper.

  And of course, if the Catholic church, in the beginning was in fact inspired, who were the reformists to question it?

  And if the reformists were in fact inspired, why did they accept all but "a couple" of the books that the Catholics chose? And why were no "new" books added? (like the Gospel of Thomas, etc...).

  It's all about control. And fear is the tool that the religions use to assert that control.
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  53

  Staying Awake Or Keeping In A Frenzy?

  by AlanF in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  we ex-jws know very well how much the watchtower society put us under pressure to believe that "armageddon is just around the corner".

  they've been doing it in one form or another ever since charles taze russell began publishing his nonsense.

  in 1877 he advocated that true christians should believe that christ would "take them home" in 1878. when that didn't happen he moved the event up to 1881. after that he focused on 1914.. the society is still doing pretty much the same thing, building up expectations and then revising them, decade after decade.

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  simwitness

  AlanF (and contributers)...

  Many thanks for this thread.

  It helps to remind me how "devilishly tricky" the WT (and most other "religions") are when it comes thier teachings.

  It also helps me remember that simple reason is all that is really required when dealing with them.

  Waiting -

  Sherlock had Moriarty.
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  5

  The name 'Jesus' in Revelation...................

  by ISP in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  1:9 jesus.

  12:17 jesus.

  14:12 jesus.

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  simwitness

  This idea is only a problem for those who insist that every (humanly-written) word of the (humanly-collected) Bible (humanly-approved) canon must be divinely inspired (as evaluated by humans).

  Couldn't have said it any better myself!!!
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  163

  So, where DID the 1914 timeline go awry?

  by Xander in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  okay, i know that historical evidence is that jerusalem fell in 586/7 instead of 607 - as the wtbts would have.

  however, that is not compelling enough to show a hypothetical jw.

  they (generally) must not only be show that the opposition is correct, but that the wtbts is wrong.

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  simwitness

  ...ahem.... raising hand...

  Can I interject a thought here?

  You asked.. "When did the 1914 timeline go awry?"

  In the most direct sense, it went "awry" in 1915, the minute they had to start making excuses for their failed "prophecies", and missed "expectations". For certainly, had that date been "fixed in stone" and been "God's dates, not man's", then it could not have gone awry.

  And while WW1 certainly was world changing event, many believe that the French Revolution (in 1799) had a bigger impact on world affairs, and coincidently, was also pointed to as the time of Christ's return, and the beginning of the end. Similarly, WW2 also had a profound affect on the world's affairs.

  Every Generation, indeed every individual, has these "world changing" events. 9-11 is the most recent. To try and single any one out as the "sign" is to be both short sighted and ignorant of history.
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  131

  Last Post - My Most Painful Public Confession

  by Amazing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my most painful confession

  note to simon: i will use some expletives, but i hope that they will be retained as this is intended to be an otherwise civil and thoughtful post to all my fellow ex-jws.

  please read on, as this is most painful.

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  simwitness

  After so many responses, it is difficult to find the right words without sounding like a broken record. So I will sum it up the simplest way I know how...

  Thank you.

  --Sim.
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  7

  WTBS Collection for sale.....

  by simwitness in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i no longer have a need for my collection of materials, and thought i would offer it to the members of this board prior to ebay.. i would like to sell it "intact", but will entertain all serious offers.

  a couple of books that are not on this list that i will throw in to the buyer ->miracle in stone - joseph siess - 1874 (reffered to by russel in the studies)communication with the spirit world of god - greber (1987 ed -- we all know about greber and the wtbs)miracle of the agese, the great pyramid - worth smith (1934 - autographed/inscribed by the author)pyramidology book 1- adam rutherford.

  books range from good to excellent condition.

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  simwitness

  I have posted the collection for sale on Ebay.

  If anyone is interested, they can go to

  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=1131&item=2903058450
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  7

  WTBS Collection for sale.....

  by simwitness in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i no longer have a need for my collection of materials, and thought i would offer it to the members of this board prior to ebay.. i would like to sell it "intact", but will entertain all serious offers.

  a couple of books that are not on this list that i will throw in to the buyer ->miracle in stone - joseph siess - 1874 (reffered to by russel in the studies)communication with the spirit world of god - greber (1987 ed -- we all know about greber and the wtbs)miracle of the agese, the great pyramid - worth smith (1934 - autographed/inscribed by the author)pyramidology book 1- adam rutherford.

  books range from good to excellent condition.

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  simwitness

  Stan,

  I considered simply burning it, however, with all things there is a value.

  For me, it was the discovery FOR MYSELF that all that I had read in the "apostate" literature was true. Sometimes, you just have to see it for yourself, no photocopy can do.

  Rutherford is quite a study in himself. Some of his early words (in the "Millions now living..." book/sermon) were inspiring, especially as compared to his later "hate filled" drivel. Methinks he had quite a time adjusting when he was not as accepted as Russel once was.

  OrangeFatCat, I do not know what a "fair" value is for this collection. I know what the FreeMinds site "asks" for similar books, and I know (roughly) what I paid to aquire these. If you have a figure in mind that you would spend to aquire them, please let me know. This is why I did not post an "asking" price for it, I figure this will be negotiated in private.

  Mary, Good luck with the sales of the wheat and beans. Perhaps you can make a fine malt beverage from them to enjoy if you are unable to sell them.

  I realized that my email address was not open, so I created an account for this board, you can reach me at [email protected] if you want to.
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  7

  WTBS Collection for sale.....

  by simwitness in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i no longer have a need for my collection of materials, and thought i would offer it to the members of this board prior to ebay.. i would like to sell it "intact", but will entertain all serious offers.

  a couple of books that are not on this list that i will throw in to the buyer ->miracle in stone - joseph siess - 1874 (reffered to by russel in the studies)communication with the spirit world of god - greber (1987 ed -- we all know about greber and the wtbs)miracle of the agese, the great pyramid - worth smith (1934 - autographed/inscribed by the author)pyramidology book 1- adam rutherford.

  books range from good to excellent condition.

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  simwitness

  I no longer have a need for my collection of materials, and thought I would offer it to the members of this board prior to Ebay.

  I would like to sell it "intact", but will entertain all serious offers. A couple of books that are not on this list that I will throw in to the buyer ->

  • Miracle In Stone - Joseph Siess - 1874 (reffered to by Russel in the studies)
  • Communication with the Spirit World of God - Greber (1987 Ed -- we all know about Greber and the WTBS)
  • Miracle of the Agese, The Great Pyramid - Worth Smith (1934 - autographed/inscribed by the author)
  • Pyramidology book 1- Adam Rutherford

  Books Range from Good to Excellent condition.

  The List (format and some info borrowed from the Free Minds site, many thanks!):

  Please let me know if there is any interest in this collection.
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  13

  Watchtower study vs. Bible study

  by dreamcatcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  very urgent please help.

  i am looking for scriptures that refer to the correct way of worship (and i am sure it will not include reference to watchtower material).. i am currently studying the watchtower with some jw's in our area, but have serious reservations about their lack of communal worship that does not include complete readings from the bible.

  reading a chapter and then using the watchtower to back it up instead of using the bible to backup the teachings of the watchtower).. the watchtower is not divinely inspired so how on earth am i going to get anything of value out of it.

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  simwitness

  I need to find a religion that I am comfortable with and therefore need to pick each one apart.

  If I may, why do you feel this way? What tells you that you "need a religion"?

  These are the questions that I would be asking myself, and did many years ago.