Posts by TerryWalstrom

18

THEOCRATIC KENOSIS: the Watchtower Organization's ultimate goal for humanity

by TerryWalstrom in

ever wonder why jehovah's witnesses have almost nothing but words instead of love?.

every wonder why jw's praise their corporate leaders rather than jesus?.

every wonder why faith is only demonstrated by allowing children to die and molesters to escape, or disasters to be welcomed through obstinate demonstrations of loyalty to the org?.

TerryWalstrom

My mind certainly works in weird ways, doesn't it?

Thanks!

18

THEOCRATIC KENOSIS: the Watchtower Organization's ultimate goal for humanity

by TerryWalstrom in

ever wonder why jehovah's witnesses have almost nothing but words instead of love?.

every wonder why jw's praise their corporate leaders rather than jesus?.

every wonder why faith is only demonstrated by allowing children to die and molesters to escape, or disasters to be welcomed through obstinate demonstrations of loyalty to the org?.

TerryWalstrom

Ever wonder why Jehovah's Witnesses have almost nothing but words instead of love?

Every wonder why JW's praise their Corporate Leaders rather than Jesus?

Every wonder why Faith is only demonstrated by allowing children to die and molesters to escape, or disasters to be welcomed through obstinate demonstrations of loyalty to the Org?

Well read on . . .

Kenosis

1. In Christian theology, kenosis (Greek: κένωσις, kénōsis, lit. emptiness) is the 'self-emptying' of one's own will and becoming entirely receptive to. . . ,<SNIP>

The phrase I snipped out was "God's Divine will." I removed it. For the purposes of this topic, I'll replace that phrase with "Watchtower Organization propaganda."

___________________________________________

The ultimate goal of the Watchtower Organization is unity as defined by its Governing Body's current teachings. To comply with this, each JW member must set his own ambitions aside; renounce higher education, personal preferences, talent, and spare time. In effect, every day in the life of a JW is a blank sheet on which the Watchtower writes everything of any consequence.

__________________________________________

You've probably never seen the word KENOSIS in any of the Watchtower Society's publications. You aren't likely to. However, everywhere inside this religion you'll find the precept implied, taught and enforced.

Analogy:

If you take a cup filled with water and you empty it out, the cup contains NOTHING. You can fill it with something else.

Theocratic Kenosis is analogous. A Christian can "empty" themselves of their own will. In place of your personal preferences, the teachings of Christ are superimposed.

Standard Christian teaching references Jesus himself as having "emptied himself" or literally becoming 'nothing' in order to comply with his Father's will.

_________________________________

What is Watchtower propaganda?

To understand, we must first contrast it with 'normal' Christian doctrine.

The first Christian organization was the 'universal' or Catholic Church. This body taught that each true believer takes on the nature of God by Kenosis. A life of self-sacrifice, benevolence, or state of grace was most to be desired. Only human (fleshly) nature got in the way. By confessing one's sins, and partaking of the 'body' and 'blood' of Christ (a miracle of substitution in Communion) the fleshly was replaced by the spiritual in the act of literally EATING and SWALLOWING.

In subsequent Protestantism, a perfecting of mankind was seen to be one's goal, creating heaven on Earth as a "shining City on a hill." Why? The rest of the world (non-Christian) would be drawn by perfectionism and seek to emulate it. Ultimately, the world would convert and Christ would return and rule.

_____________________

Jehovah's Witnesses are ruled by 144,000 kings and priests and one High Priest, Jesus. For the rank and file, non-anointed, there is no 'state of grace' but rather a state of day to day, moment to moment PROBATION. Each second of life is a walk across a tightrope with the yawning abyss of eternal death beneath.

In all of Christianity a condition of INEVITABILITY exists. No Christian anywhere disagrees that the return of Jesus and the judgment of mankind is INEVITABLE. The only real discord consists of particulars such as which events come at what time, and who receives what reward / punishment.

_____________________________________

What sets Watchtower propaganda apart is the dividing off of mankind into a "Great Crowd' of Christians entirely beholden--NOT TO CHRIST--but to the Organizational Governing Body as its mediator.

Peculiarly, the Great Crowd prays in the 'name of Jesus' while referring to and identifying themselves--not with JESUS, but with JEHOVAH. This schizo personality scheme is totally at odds both with traditional scripture, and historic Christianity.

_______________________________

By insisting on KENOSIS and unity, yet refusing to share the renewal of the Memorial communion commanded by Christ, what DISASTROUS result can be discovered?

Every person who is baptized into Christian 'emptiness' in the name of Organization as an 'other' sheeplike Great Crowd member, remains empty. That emptiness is ONLY FILLED by ---NOT CHARITY--but indoctrination into door-to-door sales work, conversion methodology, and cloning of more empty vessals.

CONCLUSION

All the world's Christians seek Holy Spirit while JW's have only an abstract 'active force' at work in their lives.

All the world's Christians see the fruits of God's spirit as Charity, love of enemy, acts of faith, and the embrace of brotherhood without reservation.

JW's create statistics, praise their Corporate proliferation, and shun any who disagree.

Is it any surprise how EMPTY the KENOSIS really is?

It is revealed best by the act of DISFELLOWSHIP, when all the spiritual 'brothers and sisters' refuse to pray for an excluded member, and turn their back on them, addressing them often as 'mental' and 'diseased.'

Now watch this!

The stray 'sheep' becomes a lost sheep even to their own self. They find it nearly impossible to seek refuge among mainstream Christianity because the WELL HAS BEEN POISONED.

The Church, the Cross, the language of Christianity has been poisoned for the JW.

It is totally corrupted, impossible to embrace.

HOW EMPTY is the person whose ORGANIZATION has departed leaving only fear and loathing to fill the emptiness?

____________________________

An EX-JW does not really have a connection to traditional Jesus Christ. That was emptied out.

Is it any surprise the craving to fill the emptiness is impossible to fill unless that lost soul returns to the Organization?

What is the alternative?

Atheism, Agnosticism, hedonism, addiction, amorphous 'spirituality' are the usual destinations.

Just as the Romans removed every stone from the Jerusalem Temple leaving the Jews without any possible ritual sacrifice--so too, the Watchtower Organization removes every trace of spirituality, Christianity, tradition, celebration or numinous reverence from the JW, leaving only EMPTINESS (Kenosis.)

The shape of the empty hole is Watchtower Propaganda. It is the only puzzle piece which fits.

Few are the persons who can escape from the legacy of emptiness and who can replace the Organization with anything similar to worship ritual.

KENOSIS is a black hole of the soul.

You can 'thank' the Watchtower for a job well done.

10

WHAT was / is CHRISTIANITY?

by TerryWalstrom in

what was christianity?.

it was like a pointillist painting:.

little dots, daubs, color splotches which only form a picture if viewed at a distance.. if you stand close, you see only the dots.

TerryWalstrom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christian_denominations

Quite an eye-opening list

10

WHAT was / is CHRISTIANITY?

by TerryWalstrom in

what was christianity?.

it was like a pointillist painting:.

little dots, daubs, color splotches which only form a picture if viewed at a distance.. if you stand close, you see only the dots.

TerryWalstrom

jhine: Terry I must (politely) disagree with your comment about all the different denominations thinking that only they are correct and all the others are WRONG .

I hear what you are saying.

I tend to select my words carefully, so look at those words specifically.

"Each of these thinks THEY are correct and everybody else is not."

Not to put too fine a point on it, a denomination is a renaming in order to separate one similar thing from another in the same category, i.e. CHRISTIAN.

Now what is the distinction and what is the difference between religious denominations as far as thinking themselves "correct"?

In short, why put a distinctive name on a building if not to distinguish? It is to differentiate and discriminate in order to distinguish one thing from another.

Take the Southern Baptists as an example. Within the Baptist denomination, the group which calls itself Southern Baptist is at odds on fundamentalist issues against other Baptists. Now they all 'agree' nominally, but not in fact doctrinally. Hardshell against harder shell, you might say :)

Sooner or later, cracks appear and splits erupt with a different characterization boiling to the top and some kind of "name" being applied (i.e. denominate=to name).

__________________________Example pertaining to the general name CATHOLIC

10

WHAT was / is CHRISTIANITY?

by TerryWalstrom in

what was christianity?.

it was like a pointillist painting:.

little dots, daubs, color splotches which only form a picture if viewed at a distance.. if you stand close, you see only the dots.

TerryWalstrom

What was Christianity?

It was like a pointillist painting:

Little dots, daubs, color splotches which only form a picture if viewed at a distance.

If you stand close, you see only the dots. The farther back you recede, however, the more the mind is tricked into seeing

shapes, forms, and finally "meaning."

HISTORY is that stepping back and away from original events to create "meaning" inside the mind of the viewer.

If we stop saying "Christ_ianity" and substitute MESSIAH_ianty or ANOINTED_ianty we get a grasp of it.

Messianic Jews had their own idea of Jesus. Gentiles accustomed to demi-gods had another idea of Jesus.

Arguments, debate, fistfights--led to forming the blobs and daubs into CHRISTIANITY.

__________________

WHAT WERE THEY REALLY CALLED?

________________

How did these people refer to each other?

What words were really used in the Greek?

AKOLOUTHONTES is the term used in the NT. SEVENTY-NINE references to akolouthontes appears="followers."

Anything else? Yes.

MATHETAI is used NINETEEN times. Mathetai=learners (i.e. disciples.)

__________________

What were these persons following as akolouthontes (followers)? What were they learning as mathetai (learners.)?

Did they walk up to each other and say, "Are you in the TRUTH?"

No.

They would ask if somebody was akolouthonte of He Hodos (Follower of the path.)

Okay--what was the path?

What did the teacher (Didaskale) teach?

Answer: OPINIONS!

There are about 41,000 denominations calling themselves "Christian." Each of these thinks THEY are correct and everybody else is not.

_________________________________

PORTRAIT of early Christianity

_________________________________

There were groups who came to chat and argue who had to be served drinks and snacks.

Who served this function? DIAKONOS (deacons) served.

Sometimes neighborhood groups wanted to get together with other neighborhood groups. Who arranged that liaison between neighbors?

These were called PRESBYTEROI or "Elders."

_____________________________________

As in every movement, it takes somebody with a genuine drive and genius for promotion who can make things happen.

(Saul)PAUL of Tarsus was that guy. He had never (previously) met Jesus or spoken to his chosen (apostles) followers--but--

***************HE CLAIMED to have encountered a supernatural vision of Jesus.*************

This is like a modern day UFO sighting where a man gets kidnaped and probed by aliens!

It was a helluva exciting story! A great one to tell . . . and believe because it was exciting and definitive.

If you believed that story and Paul's letters (epistles) you began to have some kind of ORGANIZED teaching (or right belief: orthodoxy.)

_____________________________

Jesus' apostles (chosen ones) were not teaching the same thing Paul was teaching. But, Paul was INCLUDING Gentiles and corrupting the ironclad grip of Jewishness (Law of Moses) by making it non-binding!

If you don't think that was horrifying to Messianic Christians . . . think again!

Arguably, were it not for the fact the Romans destroyed the center of worship (Jerusalem) in 70 c.e.---Paul's version of Christianity probably would never have gained traction.

With Jerusalem destroyed, the Jews fled to avoid round-up and crucifixion leaving the door wide open for PAUL.

_________________

WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY?

Pretty much a reflection of an ongoing process.

It is like 'weather'.

The weather is only what it is AT THIS MOMENT.

Every single dot affects every other dot.

Your 'Christianity' may be sunshine while the other fellow's version is a thunderstorm.

26

QUESTIONING THE OBVIOUS or deconstructing Jehovah's Witnesses

by TerryWalstrom in

what is the most obvious thing you can think of about jehovah's witnesses from the standpoint of worldwide recognition?.

wouldn't it be 2 primary things: the name jehovah and secondly, the public testimony or witnessing?.

let's begin deconstructing those two things.. first, why would christians refer to themselves by any other name than christian?.

TerryWalstrom

What was Christianity?

It was a pointillist painting:

Little blobs of ideas, legends, stories, opinions, activities--all at odds--are like those little daubs of color.

Step back and away (through millennia) and BOOM! the "subject" mysteriously appears--but--it is a trick of the mind.

If we stop saying "CHRISTianity" and subsitute MESSIAHianty or ANOINTEDianty we get a grasp of it.

Messianic Jews had their own idea of Jesus. Gentiles accustomed to demi-gods had another idea of Jesus.

Arguments, debate, fulminations, fistfights--led to brawls, bloodshed and bullying: all forming the blobs and daubs into CHRISTIANITY.

__________________

What were these people called? What was their idea of who or what the "Christ" required of them in their lives?

AKOLOUTHONTES is the term used in the NT. SEVENTY-NINE references to akolouthontes appears="followers."

Anything else? Yes.

MATHETAI is used NINETEEN times. Mathetai=learners (i.e. disciples.)

__________________

What were these persons following as akolouthontes (followers)? What were they learning as mathetai (learners.)?

Did they walk up to each other and say, "Are you in the TRUTH?"

No.

They would ask if somebody was akolouthonte of He Hodos (Follower of THE PATH.)

Okay--what WAS this Path?

What did the teacher (Didaskale) teach?

Answer: OPINIONS!

Depending on where you lived and who you spoke to--you followed other people's opinions, and those opinions were CHRISTIANTIY (in Antioch) but merely OPINIONS HELD, FOLLOWED and TAUGHT elsewhere.

Each neighborhood where persons gathered to discuss, debate, praise and learn about Jesus was like a denomination today.

There are about 40 Thousand denominations calling themselves "Christian." Each of these thinks THEY are correct and everybody else is not.

(That much hasn't changed in our own contemporary Christian community.)

There were groups who came to chat and argue who had to be served drinks and snacks.

Who served this function? DIAKONOS (deacons) served.

Sometimes neighborhood groups wanted to get together with other neighborhood groups. Who arranged that liaison between neighbors?

These were called PRESBYTEROI or "Elders."

_____________________________________

As in every movement, it takes somebody with a genuine drive and genius for promotion who can make things happen.

(Saul)PAUL of Tarsus was that guy. He had never (previously) met Jesus or spoken to his chosen (apostles) followers--but--

***************HE CLAIMED to have encountered a supernatural vision of Jesus.*************

This is like a modern day UFO sighting where a man gets kidnapped an probed by aliens!

It was a helluva exciting story! A great one to tell . . . and believe because it was exciting and definitive.

If you believed that story and Paul's letters (epistles) you began to have some kind of ORGANIZED teaching (or right belief: orthodoxy.)

_____________________________

Jesus' apostles (chosen ones) were not teaching the same thing Paul was teaching. But, Paul was INCLUDING Gentiles and corrupting the ironclad

grip of Jewishness (Law of Moses) by making it non-binding!

If you don't think that was horrifying to Messianic Christians . . . think again!

Were it not for the fact the Romans destroyed the center of worship (Jerusalem) in 70 c.e.---Paul's version of Christianity probably would never

have gained traction.

With Jerusalem destroyed, the Jews fled to avoid round-up and crucifixion leaving the door wide open for PAUL.

_________________

The tensions between Jewish Christianity and Gentile Christianity is evident in the TRINITY doctrine which only

took a firm hold after it was incorporated into the official imprimatur of Constantine (with no Jews around to decry it in force.)

Our so-called BIBLE was an apologetic mish-mash assembled to thwart yet another branch of burgeoning Christianity: MARCION's Gnostic Christianity.

______

And off we go . . .

Early Christianity was ONE BIG ARGUMENT of orthodoxy vs. apostacy, i.e. my OPINION vs your OPINION.

The official nature of the institution of Catholic (i.e. Universal) Church made THAT version more pervasive.

To study the early Church Fathers is to study a litany of debates, accusations, wild battles and pious pronouncement.

_____________________

Until the masterworks of Augustine and Aquinas literally became the official doctrines of Catholicism, the AUTHORITY of the Pope and Cardinals and Priests were all that was necessary to be a "true" Christian.

______________________

THE MAGISTERIUM of the Church did not require "learning a script" of right Christian belief for 99% of Christians on earth for 1500 years.

Going to Mass, confession, taking the bread and wine, being forgiven by the Priest . . . THAT was Christianity.

Then, Martin Luther came along and the corruption of the political and religious Catholic institution lost its status.

DENOMINATIONALISM was brought back!

Protestantism is opinion-ism.

Any hack with a Bible and folded hands can cook up a crazy religion (Mormons, JW's, you-name-it) and that

is what brings us to 2014.

15

Sketches of Revelation, this and that

by TerryWalstrom in

i've been rummaging around on bart ehrman's blog and such and managed to distill six cogent views about.

the book of revelation, i thought i share for whatever it is worth.

1. parts of the book of revelation could scarcely be explained if it were written by jesus own disciple, john.

TerryWalstrom

Terry, I haven’t kept up with Erhman’s ”beliefs” as opposed to his knowledge of Biblical texts. Is he still a believer?

I would normally suggest people avoid ”Biblical scholars” since their partisan beliefs and faith interfere with objective evaluation of texts. Has Bart E made the change to the disinterested academic approach or is he still hanging in there as a believer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeFdhyuVyzI

26

QUESTIONING THE OBVIOUS or deconstructing Jehovah's Witnesses

by TerryWalstrom in

what is the most obvious thing you can think of about jehovah's witnesses from the standpoint of worldwide recognition?.

wouldn't it be 2 primary things: the name jehovah and secondly, the public testimony or witnessing?.

let's begin deconstructing those two things.. first, why would christians refer to themselves by any other name than christian?.

TerryWalstrom

Thanks for the emendations!

8

Some Scholars "feel" that...

by enigma1863 in

i am tired of jws using spin words to make it sound like scientist and scholars are not sure about what they are talking about whenever the wtbs doesn't agree with what they are saying.

they'll say stuff like the bible is true but some scientists feel evolution is.... do you know any good examples of these twisting of words?.

TerryWalstrom

Their tactics only work on people who have never gone to college.

Having citations in support of your facts is the first lesson learned in "higher education."

No wonder they discourage it so!

26

QUESTIONING THE OBVIOUS or deconstructing Jehovah's Witnesses

by TerryWalstrom in

what is the most obvious thing you can think of about jehovah's witnesses from the standpoint of worldwide recognition?.

wouldn't it be 2 primary things: the name jehovah and secondly, the public testimony or witnessing?.

let's begin deconstructing those two things.. first, why would christians refer to themselves by any other name than christian?.

TerryWalstrom

What is the most obvious thing you can think of about Jehovah's Witnesses from the standpoint of worldwide recognition?

Wouldn't it be 2 primary things: the name Jehovah and secondly, the public testimony or witnessing?

Let's begin deconstructing those two things.

First, why would Christians refer to themselves by any other name than Christian?

It was first in Antioch (in the 1st century) they began calling themselves Christian, according to scripture.

Did early Christians ever call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses? No.

The Old Testament Jews did not call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses either.

In fact, the religion of Judaism identifies itself in terms of its own ethnic origins rather than any evangelical testimony about Jehovah. The word "Jew" (in Hebrew, "Yehudi") is derived from the name Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob's twelve sons.

Secondly, did the Jews go from city to city, tribe to tribe, nation to nation witnessing about Jehovah? No. They avoided contact with outside people. Judaism was not Jehovahism. Judaism was concerned with rituals and ceremony (sacrifices and law keeping) in order to receive protection from God.

Jews moved about and did what they did under the auspices of divine approval, specifically protected and approved by the deity Jehovah. Noteworthy is the fact Jews were not evangelizing or aiming to acquire members from the outside. They were chiefly concerned with internal affairs. The world at large meant nothing but trouble.

Christianity, on the other hand, after the destruction of ritual worship in Jerusalem, became more and more about safety in numbers since the Jews were scattered (Diaspora). For Christians to survive they had to gain members. This was done by word-of-mouth (witnessing).

QUESTIONING THE OBVIOUS

Early Christianity believed one fundamental hardcore teaching which it trusted no matter what: Jesus would return shortly and take them to His heavenly kingdom.

The facts of history demonstrate this 'return shortly' evaporated into a broken promise.

HOW DID CHRISTIANITY CONTINUE if the most basic promise of Jesus returning shortly failed?

____________________

Christianity changed to a new fundamental and spiritualized the old fundamental; EXACTLY the way Judaism had done. In other words, Christianity continued by inventing a new foundation each time the old foundation failed. Christianity became an organized central government.

Jews expected an earthly Messiah who would be like David and become king. Instead, some Jews embraced Jesus while others began a revolutionary insurrection against Rome. Jesus was executed and the temple destroyed.

REBOOT!

___________________

Where does this leave us in our deconstruction project?

We find that it is the nature of superstitious belief that, because it is wishful thinking, it can be modified and adapted to fit new circumstances. It can MOVE THE GOALPOSTS. This isn't seen as 'cheating' but it is psychologically necessary.

Unless religious faith is adaptable, malleable and changeable it dies.

______________________

Charles Taze Russell's core group of early followers rallied around what?

A NEW BIBLE STUDY METHOD which was detailed Subject by Subject.

The Bible was the center of attention.

What changed?

Russell began shifting appreciation for BIBLE to his OWN writings as superior!

He bragged that a person who used only his Studies in the Scriptures would be far better off than a person who used only the Bible.

This was ADAPTATION and a SHIFT from basic Protestant sola scriptura to CULT control.

___________________-

After Russell's death, Judge J.F.Rutherford's biggest problem was finding a way to peel off the cult of personality from Pastor Russell and, somehow, apply it to himself. The meaning of the identity: Christian WAS TOO AMBIGUOUS. The meaning of the identity: Bible Student WAS TOO AMBIGUOUS.

By inventing a new identity JEHOVAH'S WITNESS, Judge Rutherford did what Jews did when being a Jew became a liability (Romans saw them as insurrectionist enemies).

This was CHANGE, adaptation, malleability, and survival.

______________________________________

Every time a religious foundation is upended it must be morphed, shifted, redefined in order to remain useful.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES were CHRISTIAN, but being 'Christian' was associated with Bible Students and Russell.

Rutheford tore off that 'Christian' label and REBRANDED by changing it to JEHOVAH.

When Rutherford died, Nathan Homer Knorr rebranded JW's as Missionaries and Ministers rather than street peddlers denouncing Government, Big Business, etc.

NEW LIGHT is merely the process of retiring unworkable foundational beliefs. It requires subtle transition and nothing more.

THE CORE IDENTITY of JW's shifted completely in 1972/73 to an ORGANIZATION LOYALTY cult.

It is no longer chiefly about Bible, magazine sales, or missionary work. It is about a bloodless coup of REFORMATION occurring recently in which all the annoying and troublesome identifying doctrines are scrapped.

This new Jehovah's Witnesses is now ABOUT ITSELF.

It has become a Narcissistic SELF-WORSHIPPPING cult. The image of this beast is JW.ORG