Posts by BereanThinker7

48

Does prophesy negate free will?

by Tim207 in

not sure if this is in the right subject but here it goes.

i’ve asked this question to a few elders and bethelites but they don’t seem to understand or like the question.

to start off we have to agree that jehovah is all powerful.

BereanThinker7

This used to trouble me until I realized my concept of Yahweh and time was inaccurate and I was limiting God to an experience of time like that a human has. A better understanding of the relativity of time and things like gravitational lensing made it click for me.

So granted this is a presuppositional argument. Time is an actual dimension not just humans measurement of it. If there is an architect to all things created the creator himself is not stuck in and limited to that dimension. So when Yahweh looks at time or "steps into it" on our level he can still see all things past/future/present concurrently. Therefore when he prophesies something will happen it as good as if you did it/are doing it/will do it. You have already chosen your actions at that point in time and he is reporting back what he has seen to prove His glory and power that he Truly is God. Your free will was never touched, you made your choice.

15

Demonic Possession

by Nihilistic Journey in

i am looking for articles that i recall reading from the magazines.

i recall getting the magazines through subscription so it must have been in the 1980's.

they were "biographies" from sisters that dealt with demonic possession and attacks.

BereanThinker7

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5946893638041600/speaking-demons a thread i posted awhile back had some links to different weird articles the society has published in the past.

12

International convention

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

this week i see many jw going over the top and beat their (sometimes medical) limits for the convention preparation with music, ethnic cloats and greeting costumes.. my jw grandparents will turn in their grave.. my opinion is that the jw organization has given their blessing at it because of "give them bread and games".

it keeps the rank and file busy.. what i don't get is that the oldtimers accept all these changes.

.

BereanThinker7

I think the old timers are probably just happy to have some semblance of life in the conventions. Like a breath of fresh air, I don't know how many long time JWs actually like the stale air of the monotonous doldrums the the org has been for so long. And the Bread and Circus idea is probably spot on as far as the leadership considers it.

24

GB Samuel Herd on "Angels and Women"

by freetosee in

jw
friends

i find it interesting that samuel herd (as co) promoted the book angels and women in his talk "fear of giants".

he called it a fascinating book, once you pick it up you cant put it down without reading it from cover to cover!

he also mentions that russell wrote the foreword of the book and that it can be found in the gilead library.. .

BereanThinker7

Resurrecting an old thread because I've been reading Seola, which is actually quite good if your just reading it as fiction. Somebody needs to get that talk posted back up if possible. It would be funny to hear Herd referencing a book formally rewritten by the Society that in its own foreword suggests inspiration from demonic forces.

10

Another deep cut . . . Walter Salter

by BereanThinker7 in

as ive mentioned before i like digging into obscure watchtower characters of the past.

so todays topic will be w.f.

salter.

BereanThinker7

https://www.amazon.com/Truth-as-I-See-It/dp/B00IGLEUP6

I got the book for like $3 but for any one whos interested. Also if you just search W.F. Salter on this site you can get the backround and story on here through old posts. There is alot of information and more than I care to go back through and then copy and paste here to rebuild the story.

However I am still curious if anyone knows whatever became of the guy.

10

Another deep cut . . . Walter Salter

by BereanThinker7 in

as ive mentioned before i like digging into obscure watchtower characters of the past.

so todays topic will be w.f.

salter.

BereanThinker7

Some of the positions he took in the book, if I remember correctly, I finished it about 2 months ago and I should have done this post right away while it was fresh in my mind, were. . .

No literal devil, the charecter is used as a symbolism of the evil in all

Most times holy spirit refers to god the father

Christ was not pre existant as the logos

That Jesus will return to Isreal and the jews will largely convert and lead the world into a kingdom under christ on earth

Different from Christadelphians he belived in a final universal salvation of all humans

10

Another deep cut . . . Walter Salter

by BereanThinker7 in

as ive mentioned before i like digging into obscure watchtower characters of the past.

so todays topic will be w.f.

salter.

BereanThinker7

As Ive mentioned before I like digging into obscure Watchtower characters of the past. So todays topic will be W.F. Salter. He started writing and distributing material questioning the invisible presence via the Canadian branch in the 30's and I read he even walked away with some Watchtower real estate that was somehow in his name.

Ive read most of the posts I could find on here about him and was suprised the Org even saw fit to write 3 different articles to counter him. I also managed to get a copy of a little booklet he wrote called "Truth As I See It".

So what Im curious about is does anyone know what became of him after he left? His booklet seems like many of his doctrines moved extremely close to Christadelpianism after his exit. And also if any one knows what was it that he read all the way back in the 30s that made him realize the ”parousia" invisible presence doctrine is nonsense? (He refers to it in a letter to Rutherford posted somewhere on this site.) There must have been some decent Watchtower refutations circulating even back then.

22

Any Dogs Returning to their Vomit Here?

by Solzhenitsyn in

i was wondering if any long time jw's that are now pomo's here on the forum now act in a leadership role within another religious organization?.

i do and would enjoy a bit of conversation with this (i assume minority) "sub-culture" of ex-jw's.

.

BereanThinker7

I have no leadership role at all ( staying hidden and faded) ,but as Ive mentioned here in the past Ive found great joy in associating with the Free Bible Students.

http://bbschurch.org

Things you mentioned ring true, a community set to do good in an area ready to go was awesome to find. And unlike other "bible student" groups I feel no dogmatism here and certainly no russellite nonsense.

27

Great crowd article @ september study Watchtower

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

has anyone read the article about the great crowd in the september study watchtower?.

i read an elephant in the room.

is there a change comming?

BereanThinker7

Anyway I believe Cook is the first GB member definitely NOT of “ this generation”
since he only decided he was anointed around 11 years ago.

Diogenesister

Where did you get the information he only began partaking 11 years ago??? I hadnt thought about the fact that once the current GB dies off, because they have to be baptised AND anointed prior to 1992, they are not going to be able to find any new GB members that qualify of "this Generation"

79

607 date of Jerusalems destruction

by benny in

i am confused about the time scale regarding the year of the destruction of jerusalem.

in the 1st october 2011 watchtower an argument is presented to back up 607 bc but there are so many conflicting arguments that this happened 20 years later according to secular sources.

your thoughts please..

BereanThinker7

https://www.kristenfrihet.se/english/epage.ht

That is Carl Olof Johnssons site, it is in multiple languages and without a doubt the most outstanding single place to go for research on the 607 debacle. It has the entire Gentile Times Reconsidered pdf version for free as well.