TD

Joined

• started 129 topics
• posted 7,279 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by TD

• 
  81

  Acts 15:29 - "keep abstaining from blood"

  by aqwsed12345 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  for a christian, only the moral commandments of the old testament are binding (as they cannot change), but the various liturgical, social, and other so-called casuistic laws no longer apply to them.

  this includes dietary habits, such as the prohibition of pork or fat, as well as the prohibition of blood.. take a look at the following verses: mt 15:11, mk 7:15-19, acts 11:7-9, 1 tim 4:3-5.. the jehovah's witnesses say that, yes, but in the acts of the apostles (15) the consumption of blood, idol meat, and strangled animals is also prohibited, meaning the new testament still forbids it.

  for catholics, the council of florence settled this issue, stating that this apostolic regulation was only a temporary measure to facilitate agreement between jews and gentiles in the early church.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  I would suggest that the problem is more basic and fundamental than what is being argued.

  The Decree doesn't actually say "abstain from blood" --That is not a grammatically complete construction.

  What it actually says is, ἀπέχεσθαι...tοῦ αἵματος. -- To keep abstaining from blood or To be abstaining from blood.

  It's a clear reference to a prohibition that was already in effect at the time the words were written. (i.e. The eating or possibly drinking of blood)

  It therefore becomes incumbent upon the claimant to demonstrate in concrete terms, how and why transfusion would fall under the umbrella of this prohibition. That's not an easy argument to make, as its not supported. by modern medicine.

  JW writers attempt to sidestep this responsibility via semantic legerdemain. They invoke an incomplete predicate apart from the context that completes it and pass it off as an independent construction. (I'd be happy to elaborate on the grammatical issue.)

  That is not a latitude you should allow. Make them stick to what the Bible actually says.
  
• 
  18

  The Messianic Prophecies and Their Fulfillment in Jesus

  by aqwsed12345 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the belief in the messiah, which has lived in the collective consciousness of humanity since ancient times, became completely obscured among the gentiles, and only remained with the jewish people, who were later chosen by god, as the prophecies of the prophets kept it alive.

  there was only one great promise in the old testament from god, which awaited fulfillment!

  only one great desire was there in the old testament on the part of man, longing for satisfaction.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  Um, TD, did you ever read Jesus' words to the Pharisees?

  Yes. - Έχω διαβάσει τις αφηγήσεις των Ευαγγελίων πολλές φορές

  Und ich finde Ihren Witz über mein Leseverständnis eigentlich sehr lustig.

  (Préféreriez-vous une autre langue ?)
  

  ---
  

  Have you, perchance read the minor prophets and noted the language with which Ezekiel and others called their countrymen to repentance? I would suggest that with zero knowledge of the language or culture you are perhaps reading more into what is essentially a family quarrel than is warranted.

  I've addressed the antisemitism inherent in fundamentalist commentary many times and finally summarized it here:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/149881/jesus-pharisees-jehovahs-witnesses
• 
  18

  The Messianic Prophecies and Their Fulfillment in Jesus

  by aqwsed12345 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the belief in the messiah, which has lived in the collective consciousness of humanity since ancient times, became completely obscured among the gentiles, and only remained with the jewish people, who were later chosen by god, as the prophecies of the prophets kept it alive.

  there was only one great promise in the old testament from god, which awaited fulfillment!

  only one great desire was there in the old testament on the part of man, longing for satisfaction.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  Striking level of ignorance about the Pharisees who:

  A. Clearly considered Jesus to be one of their own

  B. Considered the lifestyle of an itinerant teacher virtuous

  C. Warn him of Herod's intent to kill him.

  D. Composed a fair amount of his earliest followers

  E. Had held no political power since the time of Salomé Alexandra
• 
  49

  a pet peeve of mine

  by enoughisenough in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  putting this under "friends" because i couldn't figure out where to put it.

  it is very often on here and in ex jw videos, ect that people like to undermine some of those who once we would have called friends.

  there seems to be a view that window washers, plumbers, cleaners, construction workers are somehow less intelligent than those who may be college educated.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  I'm going to use a member of my wife's family as an illustration.

  This gentleman owns a window cleaning business. He's a successful man with dozens of employees. --Lives in a nice house and drives a nice car. He's a JW elder and from what I can see, is highly regarded in his congregation.

  This man is not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. He's way above average in intelligence.

  What this gentleman is missing is depth:
  

  He regards himself as knowledgeable when it comes to the Bible, but doesn't understand the difference between the JW's wild allegorical interpretation of it and actual scholarship. He mistakes the former for the latter.

  He can't compose a simple sentence in Ancient Greek, or for that matter, even pronounce the word Koine, and yet believes he's very conversant in Bible translation. He doesn't understand what higher criticism is or why it is necessary, but holds a very dim view of it.
  

  This gentleman has no children of his own, is not qualified as a grief counselor and his ideas of marriage are skewed by the belief that men are inherently more intelligent than women. And yet he gives advice in all these areas.

  This gentleman knows very little about human physiology and nothing about medicine and yet as a JW elder believes he is knowledgeable in a very esoteric branch of emergency medicine. --Much more so than medical professionals.
  

  In short, he's an alumni of Window Washer Uni.

  I know the term gets used thoughtlessly sometimes, but there are legitimate examples of what it's meant to describe.
• 
  14

  "Outside the realms" of the words meaning?

  by Blotty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was recently doing some research and came across this curious quite from dr beduhn - i can't say how valid it is or if he actually said it (source linked).

  but this got me thinking i don't think there is anything in any bible where it is a "deliberate" distortion or the words go against the "possible range of meanings the greek" could have.

  i know beduhn is not considered an authority however he does have a point - if its in the range of meanings it is by no means a mistranslation & cannot be pointed out as such.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  ...however I can think of atleast 3 examples where the context would dictate that meaning, grammatical rules or the meanings implying similar

  Yes. My comment was specific to one's theological view (i.e. bias)
  
• 
  26

  Has Rutherford's 16-cylinder Cadillac been found?

  by under the radar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i ran across this episode of jay leno's garage on youtube today.

  all i know is it seems very similar to j f rutherford's much-vaunted 16-cylinder cadillac.

  watch the episode and let us know what you think.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  As an illustration of the degree to which these cars could be personalized (And the rarefied financial strata of the people who owned them...) here are a few examples:

  Robert Montgomery with his 1933 Sport Phaeton:

  

  Marlene Dietrich with her 1934 Town Car:

  

  Al Jolson's 1933 All Weather Phaeton (Similar to Rutherford's East Coast model which is sometimes misidentified as a sedan))

  

  Al Capone's 1930 Imperial Sedan:

  
  
• 
  26

  Has Rutherford's 16-cylinder Cadillac been found?

  by under the radar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i ran across this episode of jay leno's garage on youtube today.

  all i know is it seems very similar to j f rutherford's much-vaunted 16-cylinder cadillac.

  watch the episode and let us know what you think.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  I hope this doesn't sound too geeky. (What can I say? I like cars...)

  It's true that VIN numbers, as we know them today, did not exist at the time, but the 452 was not a regular production line vehicle.

  These vehicles were hand made, (Often to the customer's order) and the bodies were therefore marked with either Style/Body or Model/Copy numbers, which do serve as unique identifiers today.

  
  

  (The engines were also numbered, but that is a far less reliable identifier for obvious reasons.)

  Rutherford had 452's at his disposal on both the East and West coast. The California model was a convertible coup and the New York model was a four-door convertible phaeton with the distinctive two-piece speedboat style windshield.

  Given that both appear to be 1930 models and the sheer uniqueness of these vehicles, it would not be too hard to track down surviving examples, if any exist today. Tying one to Rutherford and the JW's would be a different story, as provenance can be pretty shaky.

  Rutherford was apparently no stranger to the Cadillac. Here, for example, is picture of him with an earlier 1928 model similar to one that Al Capone owned. (Note the visor and reverse swing of the rear door)

  

  If we were keeping count (LOL) this would be a third ultra high-end Cadillac that we can tie to the Judge.
  
• 
  14

  "Outside the realms" of the words meaning?

  by Blotty in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i was recently doing some research and came across this curious quite from dr beduhn - i can't say how valid it is or if he actually said it (source linked).

  but this got me thinking i don't think there is anything in any bible where it is a "deliberate" distortion or the words go against the "possible range of meanings the greek" could have.

  i know beduhn is not considered an authority however he does have a point - if its in the range of meanings it is by no means a mistranslation & cannot be pointed out as such.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  Dr. BeDuhn (IMHO) makes a valid point. A verse is not mistranslated when the rendering still falls under the umbrella of what definition and grammar will allow.

  At the same time though, plugging in the dictionary definition that most suits your theological view is not a valid translation practice, especially when we're talking about a far less common usage of the word.

  (In its noun form, we're talking about the name of the Greek god of fear here.)
  
• 
  83

  Do You Think Trump Is Done?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  certain forces appear to be trying to make sure donald trump never runs for president again.

  some republicans are clearly abandoning trump and of course the democratic press has been saying trump is done!

  is trump’s goose cooked?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  You would think after misinterpreting the law, improperly asserting jurisdiction and getting slapped on the wrist pretty hard by the Eleventh Circuit Court, Judge Cannon would be a bit more careful, considering her lack of experience.

  Here is one of the kinder recaps of what happened just a few months ago:

  https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/11th-circuit-vacates-cannons-order-appoint-special-master-mar-lago-investigation

  I don't believe Judge Cannon's demand for a brief is a rebuke in and of itself. Exactly what law or federal guideline does she think is in question here?
  

  https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_6

  This was an NSU law professor's comment: (The gentleman's name is Tom Jarvis and the article is behind a paywall, so I'm going to quote it here.)
  

  "There is no issue...Obviously prosecutors are entitled to use multiple grand juries and can empanel grand juries in each and every district where they believe a crime or part of a crime has occurred."

  I also think the term, "submitted under seal" might be misinterpreted. The "seal" prevents the document from becoming a public record for a length of time (Usually specified)

  You can go to Court Listener, for example, and read the entire docket if you want. What the general public won't be able to read are those filings submitted under seal, but it would be a mistake to infer from this that the filing is also concealed from the judge and defense attorneys.
  

  This actually connects to yesterday's (Friday) D.C. hearing. (United States v Donald Trump) The DOJ's concern is that Trump will disclose sensitive information, as in names of witnesses that were sealed. --To which John Lauro, Trump's own attorney said (In apparent frustration) that he was unable to "babysit" his client 24/7.
• 
  83

  Do You Think Trump Is Done?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  certain forces appear to be trying to make sure donald trump never runs for president again.

  some republicans are clearly abandoning trump and of course the democratic press has been saying trump is done!

  is trump’s goose cooked?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  TD

  Anony Mous

  I'm not aware of jurors outside of the Grand Juries in Florida and D.C.

  Grand Juries are convened by prosecutors as a matter of course. The actual trial were both defense and prosecution get to screen jurors is a ways off yet.
  

  I don't believe Mike Pence is actually connected to Trump's phone calls to Georgia officials and in any event, the propriety (Or lack thereof) is for a Georgia Grand Jury to decide. (Assuming of course, one is convened, which I don't believe has happened yet.)

  Jack Smith was scolded by Judge Trevor McFaddon for causing a delay to an unrelated January 6th, hearing, but to my knowledge, the only person of import claiming misconduct of any sort vis-à-vis Trump's indictment is Alan Durshowitz, who has not held any official capacity for years

  I listen to Mark Levin from time, but was not aware that MSN was agreeing with him and would like to read the article, if it's out there.
  

  ---
  

  My mention of Pence was specific to the alternate (aka Fake) electors and Trumps' degree of involvement. (If any)

  Trump's attorneys have soft-pedaled this as political theater of the type that happened in Hawaii in 1960, but there is a helluva difference. Hawaii's recount did, in fact, reverse the results in that state and the three alternate electors were vindicated in the end. (The gun in the diamond store conundrum again.)
  

  That didn't happen this time around.
  

  The 16 fake electors in Michigan have been formally charged with forgery and fraud and are out on bond right now. The 8 fake electors in Georgia have accepted immunity deals in exchange for their testimony. There's currently criminal investigations in Wisconsin and Arizona. (The Trump electors in Pennsylvania and Florida wisely added a caveat that will probably prevent prosecution.)