Posts by OHappyDay

16

The 1900years old F&D slave ??

by MacHislopp in

this topic is based on a statement published by the wtbs inc. on

"jehovah's witnesss in the divine purpose " page 140 :

"jehovah's witnesss in the divine purpose " page 95

OHappyDay

Yes, RR, we Witnesses are paranoid schizos. We honor Russell to a degree, but throw his writings in the trash bin of "old light." Whenever we speak of Bible Students we say "As Jehovah's Witnesses used to be known," as if Bible Students do not still exist who are not Rutherford's folk (Jehovaha's Witnesses).

It's a real identity crisis. Yes, we are Bible Students. No, we are not Bible Students. Yes, Russell was our founder. No, Russell was just one of many WTS presidents. Yes, he was a wise man. No, he was misguided.

We want to have our cake and eat it too.

19

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 10-5-03 WT Study

by blondie in

wt article quotes are in

quotes from other wt publications are in

we have been encouraged to do everything possible (a "do more" phrase) to promote true worship so that we may walk in god's name forever.. .

OHappyDay

Too bad we couldn't just take Micah's words as he wrote them. No, we had to "interpret" them to mean just the opposite!

The quotation of Micah 6:8 that you quoted from Eugene Peterson's The Message Bible translation is much more clear and honest than the Society's version: "What GOD is looking for in men and women...It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don't take yourself too seriously -- take God seriously."

Peterson has captured Micah's non-legalistic spirit much better than the NWT has. And the Society has violated every precept that Micah writes here. They have taken what is "quite simple" and subjected it to Pharisee-like tradition. Simple principles they have transformed into a Talmud of thousands of rules and regulations.

Yes, too bad.

90

WTS Chronology(Oslo Hypothesis) from Vicar;Trinity College Fellow,Cambridge

by Gamaliel in

gamaliel report, september 2003: .

the source of the 606 and 607 bce date for nebuchadnezzar's destruction of jerusalem was originally based on misunderstanding ptolemy and some poor biblical exegesis.

interestingly, a lot more jehovah's witnesses are now aware of second adventist origins for c.t.russell's ideas.

OHappyDay

What??? We got our precious 1914 doctrine from a Reverend? A member of Christendom??? An apostate?

No wonder we are having so much trouble with the thing!

How can light continue to share this darkness? 1914. Egad, get rid of it! It's paganism!!!

8

First Century ' Governing body' Part Two

by MacHislopp in

governing body .

"governing body' !!!

the governing body is there.

OHappyDay

Excellent work! The Society has to go back and forth on this because it is attempting to prove something that did not exist in the First Century: a Christian governing body. There was no governing body in the WT sense, only a few Christians who by their association with Christ and moral authority answered questions and gave certain directions for other Christians. Other than settling, or attempting to settle the question of circumcision, there is no evidence that this group did anything else.

None of the New Testament writers mention a governing body or refer to the authority of such a body in their writings. Their authority was always Jesus Christ himself, the head of the Christian congregation. They all had the holy spirit, they didn't need a governing body.

And if Charles Russell was a member of the "governing body" why do we place most of his teachings in the wastebasket today?

24

Comments You Will Not Hear at The 9-28-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 9-28-03 wt study

reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

wt article quotes are in

OHappyDay

Thanks for the recommendations, all. Blondie, I may yet get to where you are now.

There were no referents to the condemnation of the leadership in Micah's prophecy in the comments at my Hall. In fact, I had overlooked this obvious fact myself. Yes, it is to the leadership of the Society that such words should be applied, if at all today.

We are fond of pointing out second and third fulfillments of prophecy, bringing them into our own days. I am not sure that the prophets had any such thing in mind at all. But it is convenient for the Society to apply all the bad stuff to Christendom or to the rank and file.

I also wonder why the Society is stuck on the old terminology for masturbation: self-abuse, rather than the more modern one: self-pleasuring. Depends on one's outlook, I suppose. The Bible says nothing at all about masturbation though I am sure people did it back then too. (Onan's sin was not masturbation, as even the Society admits.)

24

Comments You Will Not Hear at The 9-28-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 9-28-03 wt study

reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

wt article quotes are in

OHappyDay

Blondie, you asked if we were all out in field service this quiet morning. I was. I enjoy field service now that we are encouraged to listen to people more. And use the Bible. Both of these things are potentially dangerous to closeminded Witnesses. My placements are way down because I am not primarily concerned with placing literature, just with talking with people.

I found this WT Study article to be devoid of spirit, holy or otherwise. Can't we get out of the Old Testament for a while? The whole article mentioned Jesus only once or twice. It had to mention Jesus in the prophecy about Bethlehem, but he was missing in action elsewhere.

Your critique of the article was devastatingly on target, as usual. I'm trying to hold on because there is nothing else out there that I feel comfortable with. But I'm feeling less and less comfortable with WT dogma as well.

I'm sure that the prophet Micah was a good guy. But I am a Christian. I want Jesus.

24

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 9-21-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 9-21-03 wt study

reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

wt article quotes are in

OHappyDay

I'm also tired of this anointed-other sheep stuff. If the New Testament and the Great Commission were written/given for the anointed, where is the new book and new commission for the other sheep? If the New Testament was written for the anointed, what is its relevance to me, who would not be accepted by the WTS as anointed even if the holy spirit told me I was? Regardless of what the Spirit says, I was born at the wrong time, according to our doctrine.

"One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism." What happened to that?

We have painted ourselves into too many corners, and are too proud to crawl out.

24

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 9-21-03 WT Study

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the 9-21-03 wt study

reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

wt article quotes are in

OHappyDay

blondie says:

Another thing to notice in most articles lately, is the absence of Christ or Jesus in the equation of faith and salvation. It’s not amazing then that the public do not view JWs as Christians because Christ plays such a small part in their "hope." It is not until the last paragraph that Christ as King is mentioned and only in a secondary way.

Yep, we're going to Hell over that!

It really disappoints me to see that, but our very name, Jehovah's Witnesses, puts us back into the Old Testament. Maybe we just don't understand the New Testament very well, and with the loss of Freddie Franz there are no Greek scholars left to properly interpret it for us. So we leave it alone. The Society's Commentary on the Letter of James appears to have been a one-shot deal, no other New Testament commentaries have followed. A pity, to be sure.

Thanks for a more realistic WT Study.

46

Is the WTS slowly turning into a mainstream religion?

by obiwan in

i took this off of xjw_b12's thread.

(hope you don't mind).

"when considering whether to include a pinata at a social gathering, christians should be sensitive to the consciences of others.

OHappyDay

No. The WT will never turn into a mainstream religion as long as it must keep up the tension between itself and "the world." That quote in the September 22 Awake (page 24) does not reflect new thinking. Rather, it reflects doublespeak. The Society has for long said that we should not make much of conscience matters, even while it continues to dictate and restrict everything that Witnesses must do.

The latest cultish mind control can be found in the new dictum that we must be "ministers" 24-7, that is, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We must be prepared to give a witness at all times and should never relax our guard or our grooming. No more casual clothes, even at home. I suppose one cannot even wear a swimsuit at the beach, since exposing too much flesh renders us unfit to witness.

No relaxation, you slackers! No vacations, no fun! Preach, preach, PREACH!!!

15

Here is Blondie's "Comments You Won't Hear at the 9-14-03 WT Study"

by Gopher in

blondie and irreverent are away -- so blondie has asked me to post this in her absence.. so -- with great pleasure, i present to you:.

comments you will not hear at the 9-14-03 wt study.

reviewer comments are in black and parentheses ().

OHappyDay

I wonder why the drumbeating on telling the truth? Have JWs been found to be major liars in dealing with one another?

As for truth, either Jesus returned in 1914 or he did not. But earlier the WTS said he returned in 1874. Which was it?

Either Armageddon came in 1975 or it did not. Either Christendom has "fallen" or she has not. (Church attendance is booming in many places.)

Either the many speculations of the fallible men in Brooklyn are true or they are not. So far they are batting Zero.