Posts by Thirdson

15

Do you think the Elders in your Congregation.....

by JonnieMae in

jw
friends

......knows about this site??

and do you think they know about the un fiasco?

how can we even mention the un without them knowing we've been searching the web for info against the wts?

Thirdson

Elders and ordinary JWs who avoid the net know very little about what's going on. I know far more about organization changes, issues and even doctrinal changes than my 40+ years of service JW parents.

I don't think it is quite as bad as it used to be, but, when Knorr died and Franz took over we (in a UK congregation) didn't know for about 2 months!

The elder who wouldn't read too much for fear of hurting his faith sounds just like my oldest brother. He avoids the questions so as not to think about the issues.

Thirdson

39

What made you a JW?

by radar in

why did you become a dub?.

a hope for something better?.

an acceptance that your parents religion was the truth?.

Thirdson

Radar,

I was raised in it. First son was about 5 when my folks got baptized and he's 8 years older than me. When you are raised in it you think it is the truth, you believe everything you are told and think yourself lucky. I remember when I was about 11 my mom asking us (during family study...yawn) whether we thought we'd have become Witnesses if it wasn't for her and dad. She then reinforced how fortunate we were to be raised in the "Truth". It disturbed me and I imagined growing up in a non-Witness family, living in ignorance and dying at Armageddon sometime in 1975 or a few weeks afterwards.

When you are raised as a JW you only see the bad in other religions, you scoff at the attempts of others to do good and feel superior to everyone else. It's a wonder any of us leave! I did eventually, so did other siblings -- 4 out 2 to go.

Thirdson

86

Silliest thing that Witnesses told you was wrong?

by gilwarrior in

there are two things.

in the early and mid 80s there were witnesses saying that the cartoon characters the smurfs were not acceptable for witnesses.

i had two smurf cartoon books and my mother made me throw them away.

Thirdson

We were told that singing John Denver's "Annie's Song" (I think) was wrong for singles because it contains the lyric "let me lay down beside you"

John Denver was generally OK in the same elder's view, but I heard bad reports about JD and "no JW's at his concerts" stories. Stories I heard visiting North Hollywood, CA in 1978 and attending an International Convention at Dodger Stadium.

Thirdson

22

My Book of Bible Stories: Noah

by Simon in

jw
friends

remember this?.

the noah let a black bird called a raven out of the ark.

it kept doing this and each time it returned, it would rest on the ark.. noah wanted to see if the waters had run off the earth, so next he sent a dove out of the ark.

Thirdson

Blondie'

Thirdson, it is acknowledged by Bible scholars that Moses compiled the book of Genesis perhaps from written and oral records of the Jews. It is possible Moses added his own spin to it based on information from his time. Even in Moses time there are no recorded details as to why some animals were clean and some were not.

Firstly, please provide a list of scholars who believe "Moses" wrote the book of Genesis. If Moses wrote from prior written and oral records (like I said earlier, the deluge is a compilation from separate sources) were these inspired or are you saying that Genesis 6 is not inspired? Did Noah become ceremonially unclean for touching unclean animals? (He didn't eat any) How did he know which were clean and which were unclean?

Pehaps I am missing something. Do I need to read Genesis with eyes of faith and simply believe it is true and ignore all the inconsistancies, errors and and cultural history at the time of its writing?

Thirdson

"The idea that there is one people in possession of the truth, one answer to the world’s ills or one solution to humanity’s needs has done untold harm throughout history.” - Kofi Annan

6

When will a firebrand lead the Organization?

by refiners fire in

jw
friends

its apparent that a number of people on this site have read eric hoffers "true believer" .did anyone find hoffers "3 monarchs" theory as spooky as i did?

( pages 130 thru 160 of the book).

hoffer says that a movement is founded by a "man of words".this man is a writer,highly regarded as such and is often a charismatic person.he is an intellectual who speaks out about the corruption of the established order.. sounds like pastor russell to me.. after this founder, the movement is taken over by a fanatic, (second ruler ).here is hoffers description of this man, on page 153:.

Thirdson

This is my comment on the whole JW reform issue.

The current GB is dying off. Most members are so old that they can no longer function as leaders and they severed the link to the old Watchtower Societies. The organization has created a new legal corporation namely "the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses" again without any offical link to the existing GB.

Ever since Russell died the directors of the WTS were the leaders and the President its supreme leader. Although the GB and the board of directors were divorced from each other in the early 70s the GB still sat on the board of the WTS. Now with the GB concentrating on "pastoral care" they have effectively been sidelined. Ask any JW to name half the members of the GB and most won't be able to. Ask them to do something contrary to the lastest Watchtower mag and they will refuse on the basis that it is going against God.

Once the GB is dead the new king will reign. The Watchtower will say that the "Chieftains" are in charge, (that the end is so extremely close now) and they will have wrestled power away from the old timers and could carry on as normal. Alternatively, and likely once in full control, they will begin a period of slow revolution.

THirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

22

My Book of Bible Stories: Noah

by Simon in

jw
friends

remember this?.

the noah let a black bird called a raven out of the ark.

it kept doing this and each time it returned, it would rest on the ark.. noah wanted to see if the waters had run off the earth, so next he sent a dove out of the ark.

Thirdson

Blondie,

You said,

"In Noah's time it seems that "clean" means acceptable for sacrifice since humans did not eat animals before the flood."

Could you add to this. Why does the Bible seem to indicate that certain animals were "clean" to sacrifice? What anatomical or instictive difference between animals would make them clean. Why would God take delight in the sacrifice of a goat but not say in a bear or maybe an elephant?

Doesn't it seem more reasonable that the audience for which the "Deluge" story was written was well versed in "the law" and knew from dietary requirements what was clean and unclean.

As Radar pointed out sheep herding was done from the time of the fall of man. (Gen 4:2 Abel became a herder of sheep.) What good did herding animals serve for a vegetarian human population? Look at modern farming practice from American feed lots to nomadic plains people. Why do they herd animals?

The internal inconsistancies nulify the Genesis acounts as real history. The real story is how this collection of early myth came to be included in story of the Hebrew people.

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

15

Sooty and Jehovah

by Duncan in

jw
friends

a couple of years ago we took our youngest to see sooty.

anyone from the uk will instantly know who i mean sooty is a little glove-puppet bear (?

) who never speaks but has managed to turn himself, over the last 50 years or so, into a british national institution.. sooty has a couple of friends sweep the dog (always my favourite) and soo and various others who appear in his show.

Thirdson

Duncan,

Ah, Watford...center of the universe. I guess that's why Londoners think anyone living north of Watford is a "Northerner".

Sydney is a cool city. I'd love to go there again. I just need to convince my wife that the flight is survivable. As for the bridge, nice, I hear its a scale replica of the one over the Tyne in Newcastle.

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

22

My Book of Bible Stories: Noah

by Simon in

jw
friends

remember this?.

the noah let a black bird called a raven out of the ark.

it kept doing this and each time it returned, it would rest on the ark.. noah wanted to see if the waters had run off the earth, so next he sent a dove out of the ark.

Thirdson

Blondie,

"the dove was considered clean

Please provide scriptural evidence that a dove is clean. What makes a dove clean? Clean for what purpose? Not to eat surely because Noah never ate his birds and animals, did he? And what did Ravens eat that made them unclean? When did dietary requirements become law?

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

22

My Book of Bible Stories: Noah

by Simon in

jw
friends

remember this?.

the noah let a black bird called a raven out of the ark.

it kept doing this and each time it returned, it would rest on the ark.. noah wanted to see if the waters had run off the earth, so next he sent a dove out of the ark.

Thirdson

Many scholars believe the deluge story to be two different versions of the story that have been woven together to make one tale. There are lots of "doubles" in the account, from the way God is addressed to the number of animals. In one story Noah sent a raven and in the other a dove. In the Bible's combined version both a raven and dove are used.

However, in the story God tells Noah to leave. So why did he not have faith that God would let him know it was OK to leave the ark? Also, didn't the ark have windows and a decent view? Why did Noah risk the extintion of an entire species of bird by letting it out?

I guess we shouldn't criticize the story too much as we might not enjoy it so much. It's a bit like criticizing Star Trek which we all know is not scientific and is just fantasy.

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

7

Tony Hart must have a picture in the attic

by Simon in

jw
friends

anyone remember / watch "take hart" ?.

i watched it as a kid and now liam watches it and the guy doesn't look any different!

he must have a picture in the attic (dorian gray style)

Thirdson

I remember Tony Hart in the late 60's when he was on a show called "Vision On" which was a precursor to Take Hart. The co-presenter used to sign for deaf kids. I can still hum the music of the gallery. (I can record my humming in a wav file for the interested! ) During "the gallery" each picture would be displayed and a few seconds later the name and age of the artist would appear. We used to play a game of guessing the age from the quality of the picture before it was actually shown. Along with Animal Magic and Blue Peter they were the shows to watch on the Beeb.

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'