http://torturemuseum.net/en/the-cradle-of-judah/
Read about The Cradle of Judas as a form of torture and you'll begin to appreciate
what sort of human beings were involved in religious puritanical beliefs.
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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23
What actually happened AFTER Jesus zoomed up into the clouds and disappeared?
by TerryWalstrom inwhat happened after jesus zoomed up into the sky?for a while, he was expected to return rather quickly.in the meantime, there was the “great commission” and evangelism to be tended to.. the jesus believers were meeting in people's homes.
members of that community would take turns using private homes to gather.
thus, they went house to house.. these footstep tracers of jesus (they called themselves akolouthontes "followers" or some called themselves mathetai or "learners.
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TerryWalstrom
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How Rutherford did a backflip (flop) off the Great Pyramid
by TerryWalstrom inin 1924, judge rutherford published an article which referred to the great pyramid as "the scientific bible" and added that measurements on the grand gallery inside the great pyramid confirmed the dates 1874, 1914 and 1925.. 1925 was the famous blowout date for the return of "ancient worthies" about which the judge said, "i made an ass of myself.".
just four years later, rutherford did one of his famous about-face reversals.. whereas previously the watchtower had taught that the great pyramid was probably built by melchizedek, or shem;*.
rutherford now said the great pyramid was constructed "under the direction of satan the devil.
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TerryWalstrom
PYRAMIDOLOGY was a false idea. It had the appearance of science and none of the reality of practical thinking.
That same kind of false reasoning and the false proof is further evidenced in the teachings of the Watchtower Society.
1.The Gentile Times did not end in 1914
2.Jesus did not return to begin ruling in the midst of his enemies
3.Having NOT returned, Jesus did not inspect all religions and choose the mess of contradictory misfits J.F.Rutherford had assembled to replace Russell.
4.There IS NO faithful and discreet slave channeling Jehovah's "truth".
INSTEAD: all of that bad arithmetic wasted people's time arguing and "proving" fake happenings and chasing imagined co-incidences while calling it TRUE RELIGION!
People lived and died BELIEVING completely fabricated opinions and interpretations!
And, last but not least, Jehovah's Witnesses have had their collective head's up their innumerate assess for at least 100 years!
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1975 and My First Art Job (A weird memory)
by TerryWalstrom inmy first art job 1975 (a weird memory).
______ as a jw who woke up, i knew i had to leave texas and take my family with me or i'd be stuck in janitor jobs the rest of my natural life.
we drove in 1974 from texas to los angeles and my purpose was to get employment as an artist.
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TerryWalstrom
MY FIRST ART JOB 1975 (A weird memory)______
As a JW who woke up, I knew I had to leave Texas and take my family with me or I'd be stuck in janitor jobs the rest of my natural life.
We drove in 1974 from Texas to Los Angeles and my purpose was to get employment as an Artist. The first job I got was an eye-opener. I was surrounded by rather peculiar people
_______He was a tall man with a full and kinky black beard, glasses, and pretentious poseur pipe.His name was Jim Rakey (rhymes with "flakey") and he belonged to a cult dedicated to the eternal truth: ATLANTIS (the lost continent) would rise again from the sea as the enlightened government for all the world. Or some shit.Jim--besides being a lunatic--was the bane of my existence.I'd never had my very own bane before, however, the dictionary assures me "a cause of great distress or annoyance" and that is spot on!I was working at my very first Art employer: a gigantic factory, manufacturer, studio, blah blah dedicated to churning out schlock for profit. TRIANGLE ART was the sign above the factory (which employed hundreds of undocumented workers who just happened to speak Spanish. Only.)The art department of my assignment was NOVA ART.NOVA created fake paintings in multiple duplications of a "master sample painting". Long rows of easels with the very same image, canvas after canvas, is an astonishing sight the first time you behold it. Especially if you are from Fort Worth, Texas.I took for granted all paintings in our world are the work of a single, tortured genius, whose product is one-of-a-kind.I was wrong!These paintings were created by a different sort of torture and a nongarden variety duo of artist/geniuses.This was "art" for furniture showrooms, bank lobbies, cheap motels, designed to complement decor, drapes, bedspreads and shag carpets.The two lead designers were the Yin and Yang of human existence.Mark Groseclose was a science fiction fanatic who wore spangled studs on his tight, faded jeans as he spoke non-stop about L.Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He was pale skinned, with large, expressive blue eyes, a blonde, droopy mustache, and the personality of Bugs Bunny.The other artist was an eager warm-hearted and gentle creature named Ron Riddick whose Christian ethos shot sparks of love and friendship off into the air around him.I've already mentioned Jim Rakey. Rakey had been the fellow who came up with the idea of NOVA as a production art facility inside of TRIANGLE the factory. He and his other cult members formed the core of 1st generation founders and exploiters of the artists and workers.The classic description of these ATLANTEAN people can be found nestled inside the poetic phrase: "Crazy as a shithouse rat".Mind you, I'm not one to be casting aspersions! I was still inside a cult of my own choosing, Jehovah's Witnesses. This particular year of 1975 was slated by the Watchtower organization as the End of the World.Consequently, there was plenty of lunacy and clashing eternal 'truth' to go around.Instead of taking my place alongside the other hirelings and splashing my share of acrylic paint on doppelganger canvases--I discovered I possessed other talents I never dreamed were lurking inside my DNA simply awaiting proper stimulus.Properly to understand my meaning, I'll have to explain something first.Jim Rakey told NOVA how many of each canvas to churn out in order to fill each order (generated by traveling salesmen shlepping from one furniture store to the next all around the U.S.Jim (Atlantis will rise from the sea) Rakey inflated the number of paintings from 1 each to as many as a dozen. He figured it was better in the long run to have extras IN STOCK. The man was an idiot!I came up with a plan for an INCENTIVE system, whereby the artists would be remunerated for piece work rather than an hourly wage. The more they produced, the more they would earn and the owner of the company (Atlantean nutjob Zoltan Friedman) went for it.I was promoted to Production Manager!My career as "artist" lasted not even 3 weeks.Go figure!I later discovered, after the rest of us went home in the afternoon, Jim Rakey and the other Atlantis believers would hold seances, sitting in a circle lit by candles, using an Ouija board to contact the souls of departed Atlanteans drowned in the sinking of that "lost continent" way back in the mists of time.Today, looking back through time, I'm struck by the number of cultists under one roof!Weird memory. That's why I shared it with you._________________ -
23
What actually happened AFTER Jesus zoomed up into the clouds and disappeared?
by TerryWalstrom inwhat happened after jesus zoomed up into the sky?for a while, he was expected to return rather quickly.in the meantime, there was the “great commission” and evangelism to be tended to.. the jesus believers were meeting in people's homes.
members of that community would take turns using private homes to gather.
thus, they went house to house.. these footstep tracers of jesus (they called themselves akolouthontes "followers" or some called themselves mathetai or "learners.
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TerryWalstrom
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER Jesus zoomed up into the sky?
For a while, he was expected to return rather quickly.
In the meantime, there was the “great commission” and evangelism to be tended to.The Jesus believers were meeting in people's homes. Members of that community would take turns using private homes to gather. Thus, they went house to house.
These footstep tracers of Jesus (they called themselves Akolouthontes "followers" or some called themselves Mathetai or "learners.") were puzzling out what it meant to follow Jesus. Who was he...really? Was he going to return? Why? When?
Each was curious about the others. Maybe somebody else knew something they didn't? They sought each other out....with questions...
If somebody brought word that another house in another town had Akolouthontes or Mathetai a person would be appointed as an emissary. These emissaries were called Apostles. The job of an apostle was to contact other believers and create a network with them.
The task cut out for believers was in overcoming the dissonance of OPINIONS to the contrary within each group.
They were called out of Judaism and pagan cults into little groups. As such, those "called out" were ecclesia. People and not church.
Few groups were without contradictory ideas of who/what Jesus was or meant.
Early on, there were no Jesus writings at all, only oral stories and opinions.
Pagans, who were broad-minded about religious worship, called them contemptuous names such as "christian" as a pejorative.
Eventually the Jesus movement called themselves that as well.
The common term for 'christians' was FECAL HERETIC or Stercorantist because the arguments were incessant b.s. to the pagans.
Jehovah's Witnesses ask of another, "Are you in the Truth?" But, early members of the Jesus Movement would ask "Are you following the path?"
He Hodos (the path).
The big problem was in DEFINING that path and standardizing it in the face of contrary ideas about solidarity and "lockstep" ritual.
For there to be apostasy there would have to be a STANDARD christianity which there NEVER was until it was forced by the pagan state in 325.
But, non-stop fighting, bickering, violence and divisions continued for decades and decades!
Writings began to appear and the proliferation of these was never-ending. No canon of Judaism existed nor of the Jesus Movement until after Marcion began organizing letters from the emissary Paul into a set of little books (bible). After that, reactionary followers began selecting from among many existing writings their own REBUTTALS or apologia. Eventually after many debates a formal canon appeared.
Jesus was many opinions told by word of mouth. Those who followed the path were not in agreement. One thing is certain, however, all were convinced for quite awhile that Jesus was quickly returning. When this DID NOT happen, it was the first GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT. The religion changed into a formal social movement of apocalyptic aspirations, martyrs and gadflies.
There was no central house of worship or governing body. There were Didaskale or teachers.
Many charismatic "gifts" were given and no formal meetings were ordered or established with priests.
In fact, there weren't any priests in christianity because, according to Jesus, his death did away with the need of it.
By the time the catholic (i.e. "universal") church was established, Priests appeared to perform the magic trick of turning
wine into blood (yes, actual blood of Jesus) and bread into the body (yes, Jesus actual body) so that a ritual purpose for attending
a building (called CHURCH) could be invoked.
The Catholic priesthood was an elite invention of mere men to induce the unwary to attend a central meeting place and partake of the magic trick
called COMMUNION.
The Jehovah's Witness mythos about "Early Christians" is largely a cherry-picked fantasy that never existed.
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Conversation with an Exorcist
by TerryWalstrom instarbucks exorcist______________.
location exterior : the patio of starbuckstime: 9 amcast:lou : media / news analyst, religious fundamentalistterry: gadfly, writer /crow apologist, big mouth know-it-alledgar the crow: spawn of satan________________.
our scene begins with two men at separate tables working on their laptops.lou is a man of about 60. he recently moved from new york to texas to start his own videography business.
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TerryWalstrom
Do you remember what was said or do you record it and transcribe it later?
That's an excellent question.
It's like the Bible. The holy spirit miraculously regenerates the details as I go into a trance.
No, but seriously...
I have a pretty darned good memory for conversations like this and write it up immediately afterward. But, is every word exactly correct? I highly doubt it!
Besides, to make it work as a story, I modify how I present the "story" and leave out the boring shit (I hope) and emphasize the dynamics.
If I had to swear how accurate it is I'd say 75% as to who said what and how. The rest i modified to fit your TV screen. :) -
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Conversation with an Exorcist
by TerryWalstrom instarbucks exorcist______________.
location exterior : the patio of starbuckstime: 9 amcast:lou : media / news analyst, religious fundamentalistterry: gadfly, writer /crow apologist, big mouth know-it-alledgar the crow: spawn of satan________________.
our scene begins with two men at separate tables working on their laptops.lou is a man of about 60. he recently moved from new york to texas to start his own videography business.
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TerryWalstrom
This being Fort Worth and the Starbucks being so close to the Seminary, I run into many seminary students. Really, without exaggeration, the personalities are almost always the same. But the exorcist guy was not a Southern evangelical--his personality was vivid. He was incredibly naive and ignorant--but in an intelligent way.
What does that mean? It means he really had mastered the art of apologetics. -
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How Rutherford did a backflip (flop) off the Great Pyramid
by TerryWalstrom inin 1924, judge rutherford published an article which referred to the great pyramid as "the scientific bible" and added that measurements on the grand gallery inside the great pyramid confirmed the dates 1874, 1914 and 1925.. 1925 was the famous blowout date for the return of "ancient worthies" about which the judge said, "i made an ass of myself.".
just four years later, rutherford did one of his famous about-face reversals.. whereas previously the watchtower had taught that the great pyramid was probably built by melchizedek, or shem;*.
rutherford now said the great pyramid was constructed "under the direction of satan the devil.
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TerryWalstrom
An "active" JW I know told me his grandmother refers to previous teachings in a peculiar way I have never heard before.
She says, "Yes--that USED TO BE true."
Interesting way of dealing with changes.
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This document lays out the constant changes of mind clearly demonstratingThis organization is not channeling TRUTH--it just cannot make up its collective mind about anything for very long.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UrjfNBy6jlZ8lSibVe7VSRgihTxkwqbrLUzIHLGFH-E/edit?usp=sharing -
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The WatchTower and Money (A brief history)
by TerryWalstrom inthe watchtower and moneycharles t. russell, the age of 13, joined the congregational church (dumped presbyterian).. he went (like girl scouts are sent out with cookies to sell) door to door to raise money for the church.. russell hated fund raising.
he had to ask poor people to part with their money.
he said he felt he was "fleecing the flock.".
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How Rutherford did a backflip (flop) off the Great Pyramid
by TerryWalstrom inin 1924, judge rutherford published an article which referred to the great pyramid as "the scientific bible" and added that measurements on the grand gallery inside the great pyramid confirmed the dates 1874, 1914 and 1925.. 1925 was the famous blowout date for the return of "ancient worthies" about which the judge said, "i made an ass of myself.".
just four years later, rutherford did one of his famous about-face reversals.. whereas previously the watchtower had taught that the great pyramid was probably built by melchizedek, or shem;*.
rutherford now said the great pyramid was constructed "under the direction of satan the devil.
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TerryWalstrom
In 1924, Judge Rutherford published an article which referred to the Great Pyramid as "the Scientific Bible" and added that measurements on the Grand Gallery inside the Great Pyramid confirmed the dates 1874, 1914 and 1925.
1925 was the famous blowout date for the return of "ancient worthies" about which the Judge said, "I made an ass of myself."
Just four years later, Rutherford did one of his famous about-face reversals.
Whereas previously the Watchtower had taught that the Great Pyramid was probably built by Melchizedek, or Shem;*
Rutherford now said the Great Pyramid was constructed "under the direction of Satan the Devil." **
November 15, 1928, Watchtower, p 344
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The WatchTower and Money (A brief history)
by TerryWalstrom inthe watchtower and moneycharles t. russell, the age of 13, joined the congregational church (dumped presbyterian).. he went (like girl scouts are sent out with cookies to sell) door to door to raise money for the church.. russell hated fund raising.
he had to ask poor people to part with their money.
he said he felt he was "fleecing the flock.".
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TerryWalstrom
THE WATCHTOWER and MONEY
Charles T. Russell, the age of 13, joined the Congregational church (dumped Presbyterian).He went (like Girl Scouts are sent out with cookies to sell) door to door to RAISE MONEY for the Church.
Russell hated fund raising. He had to ask poor people to part with their money. He said he felt he was "fleecing the flock."
Russell sold 5 men's clothing stores for: $6,521,739.13
$300,000 of 1876 dollars would be worth : $6,521,739.13 in 2016.
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He threw his money into publishing End Times writings.
He spent the family fortune like a drunken sailor on his favorite topics.If somebody wrote something Russell agreed with he'd pay for the publishing.
If that somebody disagreed with Russell, he'd pull funding.
Russell finally fell in love with his own writings to the exclusion of everybody else (including his wife) and began writing 7 ambitious volumes.
He wanted to set everybody straight.
"In July 1879, ZION'S WATCH TOWER and HERALD OF CHRIST'S PRESENCE magazine was started by Charles Taze Russell and Maria Russell, his new wife of three months, as a personal business venture.
(Maria F. Russell was a trained and experienced schoolteacher who eventually claimed that she edited and/or authored much of the writings attributed to Charles Taze Russell. One only has to compare the quality of Russell's writings immediately before and soon after their marriage to see that Maria was telling the truth. Maria Russell also claimed that before they were married in March 1879 that Charles and she discussed partnering in their own Second Adventist magazine as one of the main reasons for their getting married. Apparently, even his marriage was a business venture as far as Charles Taze Russell was concerned.)
The ZION'S WATCH TOWER magazine, the Millennial Dawn series of books, and all other signature publications published up until May 1898 were all OWNED PERSONALLY by Charles Taze Russell -- NOT Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Simply observe that ZWT specifically directed that all non-cash PAYMENTS for ZWT subscriptions and other literature and materials regularly offered for sale in ZWT were to be made payable to"C. T. Russell".1886 the money dried up due to the immense amount of money spent in printing and distributing the first three publications.
He was spending about a million dollars a year! (In today's money.)
GUESS WHAT YEAR Russell tried to sell his books in bookstores? 1886.
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By 1897, nearly one million Dawns had been distributed, largely by the colporteurs. DOOR TO DOOR BOOK SALESMAN.
After 1931, the term “colporteur” was replaced by “pioneer.”
Pastor Russell's volumes were sold at about $2 a set or $2 of 1900 dollars would be worth: $55.00 in 2016 purchasing power.
Russell also turned to writing sermons as a newspaper columnist and built up a readership of about fifteen million people.
Having built a customer base (faithful readers) Russell went on tour giving sermons IN PERSON becoming one of the most recognized and 'famous' ministers in the world, like Joel Osteen or Joyce Meyers today.
Russell had no problems accepting private donations!
Pastor Russell had made a name for himself by refusing to take collections during meetings.
The slogan "Seats Free - No Collections" angered many clergymen because it was a slam on the traditional collection plate process.
__________http://jwdivorces.bravehost.com/russell.html
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The Watch Tower turned to advertising miraculous beans as a free giveaway and then switched to Miracle Wheat for a dollar.
In 1911, the market price for wheat was 59 cents to $1 a bushel. In Charles Taze Russell's Hicks Street Tabernacle, "miracle wheat" was being sold for $60 a bushel, or $1 a pound.
(The beans and wheat had been DONATED to Russell's ministry)
$1 of 1911 dollars would be worth: $24.39 in 2016 buying power.
Miracle Wheat brought in $1,800 of 1911 dollars would be worth: $43,902.44 in 2016
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1897: When his wife Maria petitioned the court for a LEGAL SEPARATION (not a divorce) it was granted with Alimony.
Russell transferred his funds into the WTS account and strung Maria's alimony out torturously to make her dependent and to teach her a lesson.
Russell was litigious if he thought he could win a lawsuit.
The Washington Post partially quoted Maria's testimony about his claim "he floated from woman to woman like a jellyfish."
Russell sued and was awarded one dollar in damages. But--he relentlessly pursued an appeal making himself a legal nuisance and the case was settled for $15,000. $15,000 of 1915 dollars would be worth : $348,837.21 in 2016.
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http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/documents/1915_A_Great_Battle_in_the_Ecclesiastical_Heavens.pdf
Russell's attorney was Judge Rutherford who wrote a pamphlet:
Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens defending Russell's reputation."This is a non-stock corporation; it pays no dividends, no salaries, and no one has ever, as its books clearly show, reaped any financial benefit therefrom. It is supported entirely by voluntary contributions made by those who are interested in the promulgation of Bible Truths. Its work is exclusively religious.
For each contribution of $10.00, the contributor is entitled to one voting share. While there are nearly two hundred thousand shares, and it would be an easy matter to elect some other man as president, there never has been cast a vote against Pastor Russell."
Ten dollars times two-hundred thousand shares = $2,000.000 $2,000,000 of 1915 dollars would be worth: $46,511,627.91 in 2016
Bingo! (Note: Not until 1913 was Federal Income Tax was passed into law.)
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NINE MILLION people saw the PHOTO DRAMA of CREATION (a slide show) presented to audiences around the world. Stop and consider:
No collection plate was passed--however--DONATIONS were accepted. (A donation box in plain sight.)
On September 23, 1912, the Eagle ran a cartoon called "Easy Money Puzzle."
Russell sued the Eagle for libel, demanding $100,000 in damages for "injury to his reputation, good name, fame and standing."
The case was brought before Justice Charles H. Kelby and a jury in the Kings County Supreme Court.
One of the juicier allegations made against the Watch Tower Society was that it had coerced an insane man, Hope Hay, into contributing $10,000 to its funds.
William E. Van Amburgh, secretary-treasurer of' the Watch Tower Society, acknowledged that Mr. Hay was in an "insane asylum" and that the WatchTower Society was footing his bills, but denied that Mr. Hay had not given his money of his own free will.The jury of twelve men was out for less than forty-five minutes before it returned a verdict of not guilty in the Eagle's favor.
This is just a historical snapshot of how money and the Watch Tower had their beginnings.
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