Posts by TerryWalstrom

62

Your explanation for a total contradiction in the New World Translation.

by Johnny Brown in

"for if you publicly declare with your mouth that jesus is lord,+ and exercise faith in your heart that god raised him up from the dead, you will be saved.

10 for with the heart one exercises faith for righteousness, but with the mouth one makes public declaration+ for salvation.

11 for the scripture says: no one who rests his faith on him will be disappointed.+

TerryWalstrom

The Bible reflects accretions over a certain span of time.

By 'accretions,' I mean layers of transitional beliefs superimposed

over each other.

In earliest Christianity, there was mostly Messianic Judaism. Gradually, the pagans who converted (i.e. Gentiles) were absorbed--especially after AD 70. In that space of time the strict monotheism gave way to a light paganization (is that a word?) due to Greek influence (demi-god status). In other words, don't be misled into assuming the Scriptures TEACH ONE WAY and one way only. The Scriptures are a diversity of opinions redacted (and forced) next to each other.

So what?

So you can prove contradictory things by cherry-picking carefully. There is no GESTALT.

Christianity is a patchwork quilt.

Of course, the Bible contradicts itself. You have to be purposefully dull-witted to insist otherwise--and you obviously are not that.

Think of it like this.

What if you asked, "What is the ONE reason for all traffic accidents?"

See what violence that context-forcing does to a "true" answer?

Expecting internally inconsistent opinions to be consistent is a wrongly based presupposition on your part.

Welcome!

67

Good Netflix shows to watch

by Simon in

in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).

house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.

TerryWalstrom

HELIX is pretty darned good. It has several flavors of Sci-Fi in a 28 Days Later w/o Zombies sort of way.

MARCO POLO is absolutely ravishing!

The movie JERRY and TOM is great fun! BTW it is not the animated cat and mouse--it's about hit men.

THE 100 is a sci-fi series which is about 80% good. The few lapses can be overlooked, for the most part.

2 DAYS IN THE VALLEY is delicious fun and extremely well-written and performed.

BBC short series: FLEMING: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE BOND was outstanding!

The series THE KILLING may be the best thing I've seen in years! The depth of story and performance is absolutely top-notch.

THE WEST WING (Aaron Sorkin) was so wonderful I watched the whole thing twice!) Best writing of intelligent people you'll find on TV with the sole exception of SHERLOCK.

The AWAKENING is wicked good spooky!

Series called TERRIERS is off-beat in the finest way possible. I loved it.

The flick STAKE LAND is a scathingly cool vampire hunter genre.

BROKEDOWN PALACE is superb in every way imaginable.

British TV series JEKYLL is written by the writer of SHERLOCK, so you know it is excellent.

22

Note this statement on jw.org "One member of the GB of JWs repeated the well-known saying: 'To know where we are going...

by AndersonsInfo2 in

jw
friends

"one member of the governing body of jehovah's witnesses repeated the well-known saying: 'to know where we are going, we have to know where we have come from.'".

you will find this statement on jw.org - under activities - the museum - "a tour through time.

there jw.org is featuring a slick advertisement for the tour at brooklyn, bethel, of watchtower's museum containing their version of the history of the organization.

TerryWalstrom

Which explains why they are so accurate in predicting Armageddon.

Oh--wait!

They aren't.

14

Churches: Praise the LORD! ---- JWs: Praise the Org!

by DocHouse in

sad but true; i've yet to be at a meeting where the org/ 'fds' isn't praised....

TerryWalstrom

Jesus is to Jehovah's Witnesses what the appendix is to the human body.

He is vestigial.

13

We are praying for you

by James Mixon in

jw
friends

i have protestants, jw's and mormons praying for my soul, (think you very much).. what do you say when you are told that??

i am so much better since i left the borg, physically, mentally and financially.

but just in case the protestants(jesus) are right or the mormons or maybe jw, if i meet my maker i will tell him or her i plea insanity.. my deity, i knew not who's prayers was being answers on my behalf, my eyes were open but didn't know where it came from.

TerryWalstrom

Is there a nice way of saying, "I'm not going to actually DO anything in regard to your problem--but--I'd really like to feel good about my inertia if possible. So, here is how I'll keep my self-respect as well as possibly convince everybody else I really care--I'll ask an invisible, supernatural personage of international renown to violate the laws of nature on your behalf merely because I take the trouble to ask, as well as using the magic word: Jesus."

Yes! Just say: I'LL PRAY FOR YOU!

19

7 things we probably should not stop thinking about

by Terry in

believe what we will, we still live in the real world and what happens to us proceeds from confrontations unavoidable.. the christian scientist can die from an illness which (to him) does not exist.. the hindu can starve to death in a pasture full of sacred cattle.. the jehovah's witness can sell his house and pioneer full time as he tears the pages from his 1975 calendar in exasperation.. and many is the parent who prays for mercy over the child who dies.. to think or not think is our choice.

the content of our thought can be real or illusory.

the progress report comes at the end of each day as we lie in bed and count the costs of our beliefs.. .

TerryWalstrom

Back. . . WAY back in 1840. . .

a minister named Skinner, known to be a prudent man of sober intellect, was approached to speak out in response, and rebuttal.

Against what or whom, you ask?

Against a theory offered by a war hero named William Miller who was advancing the idea--with 'proofs' from Scripture, that the world would come to its end when the second advent of Christ arrived in 1843.

What Skinner wrote was remarkable.

It was also very much a PRE-ECHO of warning for the much later nonsense published and spread all over planet Earth by the Watchtower Society from circa 1968-1975.

" History informs us, that many have risen

up in different ages, who have advocated the immediate

destruction of the world. And all these '

have had their followers; all these have deluded

many. In some cases, people have been so affected,

as to forsake their business, abandon their

several employments, and leave their families unprovided

with the necessaries of life. In others,

they have sold their possessions, and given up all

to tho church; hoping, thereby, to secure the salvation

of their souls. Hence, it would be no new

thing, if some who receive this theory should forsake

their employments, abandon their houses and

and give themselves up to excitement and

fear; to what they would call a preparation for

the great calamity or judgment they suppose is so

soon to come. "

You can read Skinner's entire statement here:

http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/docs/1840_Miller's_Theory_Utterly_Exploded.pdf

9

HOW TO TURN A HOME BIBLE STUDY into an underground railway

by TerryWalstrom in

are you crazy?.

you find yourself 'awake' to the truth about the 'truth' and all you do about it.

is sulk?

TerryWalstrom

I hear you and I understand what you are saying.

Try this as an alternative.

Use ONLY exact quotations.

Under the general guise of taking a WALK THROUGH the history of the 'TRUTH' you can assemble a BEFORE and AFTER comparison.

On the left-hand side put the older 'truth'

On the right-hand side the "new light."

__________________________

No commentary is necessary.

Even a turnip with a brain stem can see what's going on with this.

It is best to use photographic 'captures' of the quotations straight out of the Society's actual publications.

This is one resource:

http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/archive.htm

18

What if WT will claim, that Jehovah has pulled a "Jonah and Nineveh" on them?

by prologos in

wt seems to be helpless in really dealing with the failed prophecies, pending dates, overlapping groups--.. what if they declare victory, blame jehovah, in that he allowed the nations to come to their senses and not further escalate the use of weaponry, "destroying [life on] the earth"?

in a second fulfillment of .

the "repentant ninevites, disappointed jonah" bible story?

TerryWalstrom

Well, they DID use that excuse in a manner of speaking.

Fred Franz stood up in front of an audience and shook his finger at them and scoldingly said that Armageddon didn't come in 1975, because "YOU" believed (what we told you) that Armageddon would come then."

127

I'm sitting here listening to a JW try to recruit somebody

by Terry in

jw
friends

i'm at starbucks .

just outside in the courtyard.. i'm trembling.

my hands are shaking.. wow!.

TerryWalstrom

I guess it is time for an update!

Jordan texted me on Saturday and we got together at Starbucks.

We sat and talked for about 3 hours.

He has certainly made a lot of internal progress toward dealing with his awakening.

He's been engaging in careful conversations with his friends as well.

His awareness of the indoctrination is on full alert because he can now clearly detect the strong element of fear in what the JW's say to him.

For so many of the young people inside the congregation, living a double life is the only way of maintaining sanity, although few can trust their friends to not rat them out. Ultimately a kind of two-faced relationship is the default. Nobody sees who the other person really is or knows what they are actually thinking.

Having me to talk things over with is a release valve. Daily life inside the Organization is like holding your breath until you can safely surface and gasp for oxygen!

He's been doing an incredible amount of independent reading and research into various doctrinal and historical issues. There is a brother in his Hall who is an old-timer who was actually mentioned by Ray Franz in Crisis of Conscience. Jordan is itching to take the guy aside and asking him questions. However, he knows how dangerous that is--so he's holding off for now.

As a matter of fact, he seems to fully grasp how pointless and even cruel it would be to try and wake up people without their being ready for it. As he and I discussed many times before, if you remove a person's safety net of belief--you can plunge them into despair. It is a touchy and delicate process. I'm glad there is so much empathy and restraining caution behind his impulse to shout from the rooftops:)

It got late in the afternoon and he still wanted to talk so he offered to put my bicycle in the back of his truck so he could take me home and I'd not have to ride in the dark down that long and dangerous street!

We ate an Italian restaurant and talked and talked. Finally, he drove me home and hugged me and thanked me for everything.

He's a great fellow and this entire story has been quite a remarkable journey for the both of us.

From the moment I overheard that conversation in which--as my Topic Title says--"I'm sitting here listening to a JW trying to convert somebody"--to the irresistible impulse to intrude and speak my mind, I can only wonder. . .

Each of us has within us the amazing power to transform a life by a word spoken---or not.

If we overthink it, that delicate moment may be lost forever.

That's really something we can think and dwell upon.

Saying just the right thing to the right person at the right time---well, that's an awareness worth developing, imho.

14

No Mans Land.........The Void..........Whatever........

by Night Owl in

jw
friends

having a believing spouse, but no longer having any desire to go to the meetings, or service, this is what i've come to call this space i'm in, and i'm sure a few others are in this same space.. nightowl .

TerryWalstrom

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/27730001/how-turn-home-bible-study-into-underground-railway