Posts by TerryWalstrom

67

Exactly what is the HISTORIC view of the DIVINE or of what being GOD meant long ago?

by TerryWalstrom in

the purpose of this topic is twofold.. first, any who are endlessly fascinated by scholarship, practised by genuine bible scholars, are urged by me to do what i did, subscribe to bart ehrman's blog.

the subscription money (as little as $3.95) goes entirely to charity.. secondarily, by broadening our view of the new testament era on up through two millennia to the present day, our knowledge of all things 'christian' is deepened to include actual knowledge (as opposed to watchtower fabrication.

by this i don't mean to imply you'll fall to your knees and get saved, but rather, you'll simply have facts to inform your present transitional mindset toward whatever end you finally choose.. now .

TerryWalstrom

I think most of us are fascinated by our own ignorance of the LAW of IDENTITY, although, without it, we are apt to make category errors rather easily.

In logic, the law of identity is the first of the three classical laws of thought. It states that “each thing is the same with itself and different from another”.
1. Category error:
  
  the error of assigning to something a quality or action that can properly be assigned to things only of another category, for example, treating abstract concepts as though they had a physical location.

33

As I move further away from theWT.....

by Viviane in

i've, over the years, looked into many religions.

obviously, from those that have seen me post here, i've become an atheist simply because i couldn't find any reason to believe in god.

recently, though, over the past few months, a new change has started.

TerryWalstrom

I was loved most dearly, as a child, by my non-practising Catholic grandmother. I absorbed empathetically her reverence for her version of "God." I confused 'love' in general with God.

I had no instruction beyond a few anecdotal precepts to live by.

I only attended Sunday School once and it was traumatic. I never went back.

Then . . . along came my best friend who was a Jehovah's Witness.

I wrongly assumed his 'knowledge' of the Bible was evidence of a superior awareness of a 'truth' kindred with my grandmother's numinous passion. I became a young Paduan acolyte and was served up on Jehovah's altar in Federal Prison.

'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.'

It has been a long, hard, scarring journey.

I would assert somewhat confidently, any intelligent person can abandon emotional security for intellectual honesty after a mourning period, and several outbursts of post-traumatic angst.

Honesty is a scalpel, but belief is narcotic. How do you perform a necessary surgery and endure the pain?

My answer is this. You GROW UP.

Dammit, this is a human tragedy; abandoning make-believe can do damage like nothing else can!

I've been married and divorced 4 times. The worst break-up of all was my divorce from Jehovah. I outgrew the need to be in a dependent relationship, as well as that unrealistic premise: 'something is better than nothing.'

No, my friends, if you have a true 'nothing' it is far easier to survive than to support the habit of a false 'something.'

I am a true nothing. My life is a true nothing.

It is a beautiful lonliness I exeperience now.

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

I'm not in the least disturbed by thrashings in a search for verisimilitude.

It is a fine example of how those who care, each in his/her own way, work through tares to winnow the wheat :)

We can all learn from each other. It is painful, certainly, because we (I know I do) find it hard to be wrong. But, intellectual honesty requires we suffer for our 'truth.'

Christianity mirrors a history of such battles from 1st century until this very hour.

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

Remember, the Watchtower Society was 'called out' for employing a 'spiritist' translation in propping up their controversial rendering of John 1:1? Johannes Greber's translation had been cited in support of ". . . and the word was <a>god."

The GB and the writing committee were aware of what they were doing.

I am going to use this as an analogy. Early Christianity was equally aware of Pagan sources creeping into their teaching but found it useful in getting their mission into Gentile territory. Perhaps this is partially a Pauline strategy of "being all things to all people."

Suffice to say, first century Christianity was a coalescence of streams of oral teaching, influences, debate, and stratification inside the community right up through the Nicene Council. The 'fingerprints' of neo-Platonic Christianity were everywhere in evidence.

http://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/cp.htm

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

Stoic and Platonic philosophy were Pagan penetrations into Judaism and early Christianity.

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

The most 'disturbing' influence of Greek thought and language is demonstrated by the fact actual words and language of Jesus weren't handled with respectful preservation. The Greek approximations do violence with exactitude of meaning. As the Rabbis taught, "All translations are lies."

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

The Greek influence had penetrated into Jewish theology as to methodology both in pre and post Apostolic times:

13

So, dead members of the 144,000 help direct the preaching work from beyond the grave?

by Zoos in

did i understand that right?

was that a claim rutherford made?.

i don't suppose anyone has that quote..

TerryWalstrom

... though Pastor Russell has passed beyond the veil, he is managing every feature of the harvest work.

Later that year the Judge wrote in the Watch Tower of November 1, page 325 the following:

"This work is conducted by the WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY, a corporation organized for that purpose by Pastor Russell years ago, and which, without doubt, was organized under the Lord's direction, and which was managed and directed by Pastor Russell until his death.

"Hence our dear Pastor, now in glory, is without doubt, manifesting a keen interest in the Harvest work, and is permitted by the Lord to exercise some strong influence thereupon. (Revelation 14:17) It is not unreasonable to conclude that he has been privileged to do, in connection with the Harvest work, things which he could not do while with us. Although we recognize that the Lord is the great Master and Director of the Harvest, yet we recognize that He would privilege the saints beyond the veil to have a part in the work on this side; and thus all the saints, both in Heaven and upon earth, are now given the honor of concluding the work on this side, preparatory to the full establishment of the Kingdom of Glory."

Then all of a sudden in 1930, Judge Rutherford writes the following inLight, Book 1, Page 47, 48

"It is a wellknown fact, however, that since the coming of the Lord to his temple in 1918 there have been a goodsized number in the church who have attended eonventions and meetings but who have not been active, and many who have in substance said this: ‘All the light upon God’s Word was published prior to 1917; we have that truth and will continue to feed and meditate upon it; the Lord appointed one man as his “faithful and wise servant”, and even though he has passed from the earth he is still doing God’s work on the earth and is in charge of his church, and since we are of God’s favored ones and have these things we enjoy great riches of feeding and meditating upon what he wrote before 1916; we have developed sweet and beautiful characters; we have a past record for zeal for the Lord and we rely upon our riches gained, and therefore we have need of nothing but will rest upon our laurels and wait to be taken into glory.

"There is no reason why we should bring reproach upon ourselves by going from house to house; by telling the people of the organization of Satan and that of God. We are really better than others. Let them do it.’ As God foretold, such would say: ‘(I am holier than thou.” (Isa. 65: 5) The above fairly well describes the condition that existed in the church particularly after 1917, and in a more marked degree from and after 1918."

And who may I ask promoted such a "condition" that "existed in the church particularly after 1917"?

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

52

USING CONTEXT to understand 'supernatural' Jesus

by TerryWalstrom in

to 27 b.c.e.. in the years of roman republic, no man was called a god (or even a king).

however, 200 years of peace under a ruler imperator, (emperor) gradually relaxed the fears of romans of having a dictator.

surely the gods had bestowed unusual approval!

TerryWalstrom

Jonathan Drake: However as it stands, they were a people affected by thousands of years of culture that wouldn't be undone just because suddenly it's okay. It would take time to include Gentiles without anyone wondering about it.

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Peter had received a direct revelation from God Almighty!

Even though, he had been inculturated by his tradition in Judaism, Peter had immediately begun living as a Gentile! Paul's fury was directed at the HYPOCRISY of living one way and teaching another. Why?

The question of Justification was at stake. This is a foundational orthodox teaching. Belief and acceptance either was or was not all a Christian needed for salvation. This was a huge apostasy in fundamentals.

And the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy (2:13).

Peter's defection had a disastrous effect on the Antioch church. The reason for this is that all of the Jews in the church began to follow his example. Peter was a natural leader. No matter what he did, people would follow him.

When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He really was, it was Peter who acted as their spokesman.

When the gift of tongues was given at Pentecost, it was Peter who addressed the crowd that gathered.

And when Peter decided to go fishing after the resurrection, the disciples were quick to follow him, even though they had been instructed to remain in Jerusalem.

Once again we see people following Peter. The entire Jewish-Christian community began to follow his example of separation from the Gentile believers. Even Barnabas was swept up in this separation. The result was a giant split in the church.

Even worse there was a split over the eating of the Lord's Supper. The one place where unity should have been the most evident had now become the scene of division. Paul calls this action "hypocrisy." They were saying and believing one thing while they were doing another. They were preaching the gospel but they were not living the gospel. They were preaching that faith in Jesus Christ is sufficient for salvation, but they were living as though Gentiles were second-class Christians.

Peter and Barnabas knew better than to act like this. But they had been intimidated. Peter was intimidated by the disciples of James. Barnabas and the other Jewish Christians were intimidated by Peter's defection. By running away from the problem, Peter had created a far greater problem.

Was this Apostacy on the part of Peter? If so, what could have been worse inasmuch as Peter had been the agent of false Gospel?

"But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all. . . " (Galatians 2:14).

Paul rebuked Peter's false teaching which had split the church. The General Truth of Justification: A man is not justified by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16)

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What I find interesting is this, Peter was acting the way the Governing Body today does. By making door to door witnessing, obedience to the FDS and the Organization the core of salvation, they've made Jesus' sacrifice null and void.

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Jonathan Drake: Summarizing, the real standard is the first century example. Any and all writings or teachings developed by people who weren't of the first-century apostles is literally trash.

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Gulp! We DON'T HAVE any first-century manuscripts at all, Jonathan. We only have corrupt LATER approximations developed by people who weren't of the first-century. So, our discussion is pretty much moot 'trash.'