Posts by TerryWalstrom

19

Question about 1940s Watchtower history

by slimboyfat in

i was studying this fascinating composite graph of jw growth.

lots of interesting things there.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/demographics_of_jehovah%27s_witnesses#/media/file%3ajwstats1931-2015.png.

TerryWalstrom

Rutherford can't have written Let God Be True since he died in 1942.
______________

Maybe he was editing the Watchtower from heaven like Russell did :)

" As in the type that date three and a half years after the death of Christ marked the end of all special favor to the Jew and the beginning of favor to the Gentiles, so we recognize A.D. 1881 as marking the close of the special favor to Gentiles-the close of the "high calling," or invitation to the blessings peculiar to this age to become joint-heirs with Christ and partakers of the divine nature." The Time Is At Hand 1916 ed. p.235

Rutherford recycled this concept, and without any Biblical basis moved the sealing of the 144,000 from 1881 to 1931: "God having a fixed time for every purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1), his time to give creatures on earth the opportunity to get in line for a heavenly reward has been from A .D. 29 until, chiefly, 1931, called the "day of salvation". "Let God be True" 1946 ed. p.298

"Although Jehovah had come to his temple in 1918 and had begun judgment of this anointed class, still others must be brought in, because some were found unworthy and they must be replaced. The evidence (variously) show that this continued until especially 1931 when there began a work of gathering those recognized as "other sheep" of the Lord Jesus Christ." Jehovah's Witnesses In The Divine Purpose 1959 p.139

This was later changed to 1935: "Hence, especially after 1966 it was believed that the heavenly call ceased in 1935." Watchtower 2007 May 1 p.30

"Their being identified in 1935 as the great crowd of the other sheep was an indication that the choosing of the 144,000 was then about complete." Revelation, Its Grand Climax Now at Hand p.125

Myriad changes to dates but the only scripture quoted by Rutherford was Ecclesiastes 3:1: "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." Even then, Rutherford claimed the heavenly calling ended in 1931. My parents became Witnesses in the late 1930's and they were told that heaven was full up, so they would have to settle for the earthly hope. But the number claiming to be part of this heavenly group is still increasing! Check out the link below for the official excuse:

"That calling began in 33 C.E. and continued into modern times. After 1935 the thrust of the disciple-making work turned to the gathering in of the great crowd. Some who were baptized after 1935 have had witness borne to them by holy spirit that they have the heavenly hope, so we cannot set a specific date for the end of that calling."

________________

Posted on Yahoo answers 2014
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140515023031AArdced

31

First exchange in years about JW religion with my wife...

by NVR2L8 in

today my wife showed me the new medical directive and power of attorney form she got at the meeting.

surprisingly she asked if i wanted to fill mine!

i have been inactive for 6 years and i don't go close to any jw gatherings because i don't want friends who only care for me unless i share their beliefs.

TerryWalstrom

Blood=Life

So, logically, if Life must be respected, how is dying respectful?

What is the purpose of the Laws of the Sons of Noah? To allow Gentiles to be viewed as Righteous even though they don't have to follow the Law of Moses (contained the Levitical injunctions.)

The Priests slit the throats of living animals and the blood went on the altar. Why? Under the Law, the blood of an innocent animal was a proxy for the human sinner.

Jesus once and for all time traded his blood for all mankind's sinners.

So, the respect for Blood is now respect for Jesus' sacrifice.

When the Jerusalem council gave its opinion on Gentile converts, it passed along the Laws of the Sons of Noah a PRE-CHRISTIAN and PRE-JUDAIC set of standards.

That's all.

No big deal.

THERE IS NO GREATER RESPECT FOR LIFE than saving it!

The Jewish saying is : He who saves one life saves the world entire.

Jesus gave one life and saved the world entire.

http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62221/jewish/Universal-Morality.htm

13

Jehovah's Terrorist?

by TerryWalstrom in

jehovah’s terrorist?.

(a personal memoir).

john f. kennedy's brother, robert (bobby) was assassinated in 1968 shortly after he won the california democratic presidential primary.

TerryWalstrom

(PDF of Los Angeles News Dispatch article: http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/K%20Disk/Kennedy%20Robert%20F%20Assassination%20Clips/Item%20062.pdf)

36

DOOM and LUXURY : the Watchtower Elite prepares for the GREAT TRIBULATION

by TerryWalstrom in

boondoggles and preppers watchtower style!

a religion of doom and luxury!.

in 1866, the times of london wrote:.

TerryWalstrom

What a luxury to ride a bike and write.

I hope you use a helmet to protect your brain ....not for the great tribulation for that certainly not
_____________

No. No helmet. I actually did research on bike helmets, including the leading bicycle magazines and the consensus is, I'll still be badly injured--it will just take longer to die with a helmet. I have a really bad problem with claustrophobia. I can't even wear sunglasses or a baseball cap.
Crazy? Sure!

I prefer a quick exit

25

TWO MEN who changed Watchtower History but YOU NEVER HEARD of them!

by TerryWalstrom in

two men who changed watchtower history but you never heard of them!

cults are famous for control--especially controlling information about people, places and events which are embarrassing to their self-myths.. especially is this true for two important figures in watchtower history.. .

the first man is william f. hudgings.

TerryWalstrom

steve24 days ago

Thanks Terry - indeed I had heard of neither man but had heard of Ironside. Absolutely fascinating. Looks like Sykes's group was "truer" than the Bible Students during WW1.

Where did you first hear of Sykes - and what promoted you to look?
_______________________________________________

I was looking at vintage reference pages, documents, off the beaten path websites and such and I came across the self-styled :THE INTERNET'S BEST WATCHTOWER SOCIETY HISTORY.

I began reading and Boom!
There it all was right in front of me.

________________
From that, I did Google searches and read whatever could be found.

36

DOOM and LUXURY : the Watchtower Elite prepares for the GREAT TRIBULATION

by TerryWalstrom in

boondoggles and preppers watchtower style!

a religion of doom and luxury!.

in 1866, the times of london wrote:.

TerryWalstrom

The people I run into who are of my vintage, (usually active J-Dubs from my stint locally) look truly deplorable and unhealthy.
It looks to me as though they completely gave up!
Gave up on what, you ask?

Everything!

50 years or more in a religion which perches you at a bus stop and tells you Godot is coming, creates within you an endless idleness of mind. There is no reason to undertake (interesting choice of words) strive, opine or improve in any way the status quo.
As Freddy Franz said about his own life, (referring to the decision to either go for the Rhodes Scholarship or become a Russellite) "What's the point? What is the point?" Meaning: Armageddon was coming in one year's time! (It was 1913.)

13

Jehovah's Terrorist?

by TerryWalstrom in

jehovah’s terrorist?.

(a personal memoir).

john f. kennedy's brother, robert (bobby) was assassinated in 1968 shortly after he won the california democratic presidential primary.

TerryWalstrom

slimboyfat21 hours ago

Very interesting. Can't someone ask him?

The 1946 Consolation magazine quote is very damning, While the world was in shock over reports about Auschwitz this is what JWs were saying about Jews.

___________

I don't know which is more disturbing, owning such an opinion about holocaust suffering people or publishing it in order to create like-mindedness among loyal cultists!

A person whose mind is disturbed, irrational, predisposed to fanaticism really doesn't need to be pushed into a "God-approved" intervention into political affairs with a pistol.

9

A Forensic Investigation disproving Watchtower’s self-made MYTH

by TerryWalstrom in

a forensic investigation disproving watchtower’s self-made myth(chosen by jehovah as the only true religion on earth).

[ it all began when joseph rutherford removed four members of the watch tower society board of directors under a legal technicality that equally applied to himself, and then authorized the writing and publication of the book "the finished mystery" contrary to pastor russell's will, the society's official charter, and without approval of the board, and then falsely advertising the book to the public as the "posthumous work of pastor russell".

] pastor-russell dot com.

TerryWalstrom

OnTheWayOut17 hours ago

After a bit, I skipped down and found this:

.....which nobody wants to read.

Thanks for understanding.
______________________

You are most welcome!

20

Differences Between Ex-JWs

by David_Jay in

we are not all the same--a real "duh, david!

so i figured if i didn't feel that sense of solidarity that seems missing among the debating, then i was part of the problem.

i'm responsible for making this place feel like a support and place of solidarity, just as much as anyone else.. but approaches i tried didn't work until i shut up for a while.

TerryWalstrom

We were all passengers on the same Titanic, but each of us was on a different level of the ship. Some of us found succor in lifeboats, while others struggled in icy waters until the Carpathia arrived.

Suffering, panic, loss are profoundly subjective experiences. How we cope and adapt and what we become in the long run as a result, may well be a measure of our character more than our trauma.

I kind person before the iceberg is probably a kind person still.

An a**hole may be even more so in the aftermath.

Ex-Jdubs have something in common in the sharing of delusion, the blind trust, the thrill of absolute certainty, and the confident assurance we hold the winning ticket---then, only discovering to our inestimable horror, not only was the rug pulled from under us--there was no floor!

What happens next is a strong desire to minimize the confusion.
Our rational mind--the part still functioning--wants clarity.

By sharing our experiences and sampling the consensus distilled on this discussion board, we little by little minimize vagueness.

Some turn to Authority once again. "Just stick the needle in anyplace, Doc--I need relief!"

Others turn amateur sleuth or dilettanti detective. Like JFK conspiracy nuts, they seek the most fantastical solution to the crazy speculations.

In the end, there is not there there.

It is only us here. Now.

The path we take is of our own making. The same brain-machine inside our skull which caused us to fall victim to the cult is STILL THERE.
Unless we replace the parts, one by one, we surely end up in the same place again, and again, an again with different labels attached to the same delusion.

For my part, I simply pretend to be an activist wrenching victims from the burning building.

6

A STAKE in the HEART of Watchtower TRUTH (A Thought Experiment)

by TerryWalstrom in

is this the same religion?.

a whim isn’t falsifiable.. .

answer: is it testable?

TerryWalstrom

Coming across the definition of the phenomenon of vagueness was a real eye-opener for me.

It is a tool for understanding why the Watchtower religion changes constantly, i.e. is refuted by its own certainty and specificity.

The Ego Motor (channel of God, mouthpiece, FDS) bestows way too

much self-confidence and results in a keenness to "explain" everything.

Being amateurs, the Elite Dubs are not qualified to make such determinations. Instead of competency, science or humility, the GB use their vivid and silly imagination fictively.

The more elusive the doctrines, the more they seek to tighten up the loose ends.

Case in Point: The GENERATION teaching!

Each time the falsifiability came past due on their TRUE definition, it called for a narrowing update and revision. Authority ramped up.

The blindness on the part of these so-called leaders is amazing.

You would think they'd see a trend leading toward painting themselves into an inescapable corner--but no! The Ego Motor driving the fictive delusion went into overdrive.