ACTS 15:19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,[d] from things strangled, and from blood.
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Now, let's ask the following question. "Why is there no prohibition on murder?"
Oh, but you see--THERE IS!
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF THE NOAHIDE LAWS?
These are also known as the "Laws of the sons of Noah."
Please consider these and get them firmly in mind before you continue.
SEVEN NOACHIDE (or Noahide) LAWS
The seven Noachide laws, as traditionally enumerated are:
- Do Not Deny God
- Do Not Blaspheme God
- Do Not Murder
- Do Not Engage in Incestuous, Adulterous or Homosexual Relationships.
- Do Not Steal
- Do Not Eat of a Live Animal
- Establish Courts/Legal System to Ensure Law Obedience
What was the purpose of these Laws?
The Noachide Laws are seven laws considered by rabbinic tradition as the minimal moral duties required by the Bible on all men. While Jews are obligated to observe the whole Torah - 613 commandments, every non-Jew is considered a "son of the covenant of Noah" and he who accepts these obligations is considered a righteous person who is guaranteed a place in the world to come.
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In the Book of Acts, the Jerusalem Council offered a compromise to Paul (as the evangelist
to Gentiles) for a minimum number of prohibitions for Gentile Christians.
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While the Jews had been under the Moses Covenant of 613 ritual laws, those requirements had been nullified/ fulfilled by Jesus' death.
What remained was only Noah's son's Law for righteousness--as far as Jerusalem Council was concerned.
Are we prepared to say the Jerusalem Council DID NOT think Noahide Law #3-Do Not Murder
was important?
Is it not more logical, reasonable, and persuasive to view "and from blood" as MEANING the same thing as Do Not Murder, as in "and from BLOODSHED?
NOTORIOUS BLOOD FEUDS among tribes were a terrible problem in Jewish and Semitic society. These feuds have continued for centuries!
Entire "Cities of Refuge" became necessary to mark off a Sanctuary Zone where such retribution killings were off-limits.
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In the book of Acts, every mention of "blood," has reference to blood guilt or in some way connected to the shedding of blood, RATHER THAN the eating/consuming of it.
These are the occurrances of "blood" in Acts: 1:19; 2:19; 2:20; 5:28;15:20, 29; 18:6; 20:26, 28; 21:25; 22:20
As follows:
15:20, 29; 21:25 - The letter/directive from Jerusalem
1:19 - Judas' field of blood (from Judas' bloody death)
2:19, 20 - figurative, but drawing on the color of blood
5:28; 18:6; 20:26; - blood guilt
20:28 - Jesus' shed blood, thus related to murder
22:20 - Stephan's shed blood, thus related to murder
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WHAT DOES THIS REALLY MEAN?
( Acts 15) : "abstain from ... things strangled,"
The Noachide Law teaches us being careful to eat only meat from an animal that is fully dead is merciful, and this is by no means always the case in our factory society where slaughterhouses handle meat animals quickly and carelessly, sometimes only stunning them before cutting them up for sale. Care in this observance fosters all requirements for the love of nature and the preservation of the environment, and safeguards the passage of souls as manifested in the life and consumption of food animals until the ultimate destiny of the world._________________________
Augustine of Hippo in the 4th century, in Contra Faustum 32.13 noted:
"The observance of pouring out the blood which was enjoined in ancient times upon Noah himself after the deluge is thought by many to be what is meant in the Acts of the Apostles, where we read that the Gentiles were required to think that to abstain from blood means not to be polluted with the crime of murder ." (see #3 above)
With the words of Augustine firmly in mind we now ask this important question:
Unless the Jerusalem Council failed to prohibt murder (bloodshed) wouldn't "abstain from blood" cover that very important prohibition?
*From Wiki:
The Noahide Laws are regarded as the way through which non-Jews can have a direct and meaningful relationship with God or at least comply with the minimal requisites of civilization and of divine law.
A non-Jew who keeps the Noahide Law in all its details is said to attain the same spiritual and moral level as Israel's own (high priest) (Talmud, Bava Kamma 38a). Maimonides states that a Gentile who is precise in the observance of these Seven Noahide commandments is considered to be a Righteous Gentile and has earned a place in the world to come.___________________________
Jehovah's Witnesses want to interpret the words of the Jerusalem Council in a way that doesn't exactly fit the CONTEXT!
Acts 15:19-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations, Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
CONSIDER THE CONTEXT of purpose!
The Law preserves and improves life. Abstaining from Blood(shed) preserves Life! Abstaining from Blood(transfusion) has resulted in the DEATHs of observers of this prohibition.
Questions:
WHAT GOOD ARE DEAD KEEPERS OF A LAW to God or the world of mankind?
What is better a Living or a Dead worshipper?
_________________
The Watchtower's "famous" scholars have yet to publish any instances of the Laws of the sons of Noah that I am aware of. If this is correct, we have to ask ourselves WHY a theological education should overlook this important piece of bible history!
TerryWalstrom
JoinedPosts by TerryWalstrom
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DOES "ABSTAIN FROM BLOOD" really mean "Do not murder?"
by TerryWalstrom in20:28 - jesus' shed blood, thus related to murder.
with the words of augustine firmly in mind we now ask this important question:.
abstaining from blood(shed) preserves life!
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TerryWalstrom
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A MODERN FICTION: the lie which became a GOVERNING BODY
by TerryWalstrom insafe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million jehovah's witnesses on earth today and told them the.
governing body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!.
what if i told you jw's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?.
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TerryWalstrom
I'd love to be able to talk to somebody who has been in, and remained in, since the 1950's who could talk about all the changes. I know there is an infinite capacity to make excuses. That is a given. But, surely there is a cumulative sense that the world has turned under the feet of the older ones and nothing is really the same anymore except the name Jehovah's Witness.
How many shifts is too many?
How much awareness (on the inside) has worked its way into the consciousness of the rank and file concerning pedophile lawsuits?
I'd love to know.
Who I be surprised?
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A MODERN FICTION: the lie which became a GOVERNING BODY
by TerryWalstrom insafe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million jehovah's witnesses on earth today and told them the.
governing body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!.
what if i told you jw's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?.
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TerryWalstrom
For all these years, the justification for the Governing Body (FDS) being allowed to tell us what to think, how to act, and where we must spend our time all came down to BEING SELECTED by heaven and APPOINTED over ALL Jesus' belongings.
This explanation has been removed.
We can only wonder how the GB expects to justify the 100+ years of meddling abuse!
On what demonstrable authority do they seek such control?
As far as I can see, it rests on false pretense and the gullible willingness of 8 million dopey members.
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LEFTOVERS and STOLEN LIGHT (An historical look at Watchtower laziness and misadventure)
by TerryWalstrom inshould the chosen mouthpiece (gb) be a voice or merely an imitative echo?.
is new light original (because it is coming direct from jehovah) or is it leftover from the minds of men?.
watchtower magazine failed to release new light first, before any other religious person or body.
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TerryWalstrom
Well, didn't Prometheus do that very thing? :)
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A MODERN FICTION: the lie which became a GOVERNING BODY
by TerryWalstrom insafe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million jehovah's witnesses on earth today and told them the.
governing body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!.
what if i told you jw's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?.
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TerryWalstrom
Thanks Blondie, believe it or not, I sat down to write this at about ten in the morning and about eight hours later I was still knee-deep. I was initially going to ratchet down to a microscopic level of inspection. I'm glad I stopped when I did. Very hard to get people to read a looooooooong article on the best of days.
I remember when I suddenly realized the whole idea of governing body in Jerusalem was a figment of the imagination. I was stunned. Maybe I still am :)
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DOES BELIEF IN THE BIBLE DESTROY ONE'S INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY?
by TerryWalstrom inbased on information to be found at: http://www.csicop.org/si/show/when_dont_the_highly_educated_believe_in_evolution_the_bible_believers_effe/.
the bible-believers effect.
those who believe the bible is the word of god (bible believers) and those who dont believe the bible is the word of god (bible nonbelievers) differ in their beliefs that humans evolved from earlier species of animals.
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TerryWalstrom
I struggle with the automatic status of "good person" accorded to a profession of faith.
What we hold to be true inside our widdle bwain is often at odds with reality. How many Mafia
members were devout in their Catholicism?
How many despicable millionaires have given lavishly to charity?
What makes us BAD is not what we believe--it is what we are willing to do and willing to accept from others
as necessary which tells the tale.
It seems to me, Faith is no guarantee of justice, kindness or benevolence any more than anti-theistic conviction is a guarantor of depravity.
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A MODERN FICTION: the lie which became a GOVERNING BODY
by TerryWalstrom insafe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million jehovah's witnesses on earth today and told them the.
governing body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!.
what if i told you jw's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?.
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TerryWalstrom
I often face the quandary of whether or not more blame rests with those who chose to believe
what the GB/ FDS coughs up out of their imagination--or--just lay all the blame on the febrile brains
of the mad folk who run the whole operation.
"Captives" of their own concepts, for sure.
But, to lie about what they teach and why is a strong indication of total depravity.
I don't know if Russell was a sociopath. I do think Rutherford was. Knorr seems to me like a simple, uneducated bureaucrat, out of his depth and totally reliant on Freddy Franz, whom he must have believed was a genius.
When the backroom boys began tearing it all apart and refitting the parts--I can't understand why Franz didn't threaten to unplug from his oracular catbird seat rather than submit to the demands for an "enlarged" understanding of leadership. My guess is, he was given a promise and full assurance that he would be the only candidate for President in the event of Knorr's health deterioration. -
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A MODERN FICTION: the lie which became a GOVERNING BODY
by TerryWalstrom insafe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million jehovah's witnesses on earth today and told them the.
governing body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!.
what if i told you jw's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?.
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TerryWalstrom
Safe to say, if you walked up to any of the 8 million Jehovah's Witnesses on earth today and told them the
Governing Body was a fiction, not only would they refuse to believe you--they'd consider you their immediate enemy!
What if I told you JW's embrace a mental construct which is at odds with history?
What if you learned it was a trick of semantics imposed like a magician's magic trick?
How difficult would such a demonstration be to carry off? Shall we try?
LET'S BEGIN at the BEGINNING.
_________________________
Here is an outline of the path we are going to travel to get to our end conclusion. Review it ahead of time and
familiarize yourself with it.
1, Under the Watch Tower's founder, Charles T. Russell, a loose federation of independent Bible Students began reading and embracing his topical explanation of the entire Bible. It was called STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES.
2. Russell, largely through use of his personal family fortune, published and distributed an amalgamation of End Times sermons, exegesis, and opinions suggesting (as William Miller's Adventist followers had done) his current generation of Christians would live to experience the return or Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
3. Gradually, especially with the help of his wife, Maria, Russell took on an international celebrity charisma. He was increasingly looked upon as a kind of latter-day, final Prophet like Daniel.
4. Self-aggrandizement warped Russell's personality. He rebuffed his wife's affections, divided fellow believers with various crackpot declarations, and began experiencing blowback in the form of criticism, rebellion, lawsuits and public exposure as a kind of fraud.
5. Before his death, a hard core of devout followers (Russellites) swallowed his End Times chronological claims that Jesus had returned (invisibly) in 1874, the resurrection of the dead had occurred in 1878, and the final Armageddon was due in 1914. All of the above was predicted with absolute confidence, and with the help of charts, pyramid measurements, and speechifying.
6. As each of Russell's preachments was laid bare by circumstance as unreliable, more and greater dishonesty became necessary for he and his followers to prop up his reputation as well as any credibility for his predictions.
7. After his death, 1916, attorney J.F. (Judge) Rutherford jumped in and seized control of whatever remained of the Watch Tower Corporation. The Judge sought to unify the stragglers any way possible.
8. Rutherford had ghost writers trump up a "posthumous final volume" of Studies in the Scripture under the title, The Finished Mystery. The vicious, anti-patriotic rhetoric landed Rutherford and directors of the Watchtower in Federal Prison until the end of the war.
9. A Writ of Error freed the Directors and President of the Watchtower Society. He immediately began consolidating the remainder of the Bible Students with bold sermons in large venues, MILLIONS NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE. This hinged on a brand new False Prophecy with an end date of 1925 in mind.
10. Each dramatic scheme Judge Rutherford concocted alienated more and more of the original following Russell had acquired, so--he turned to extreme measures and maintained an iron grip on the remaining extremists.
11. Rutherford attempted to lure Russellites into the fold by reassuring them Pastor Russell was editing the Watchtower magazine from heaven! He continued to promote the Great Pyramid and use the Studies in the Scriptures. As each flourish was met with skepticism and ridicule, Rutherford radicalized and turned more angry and absolutist.
12. When 1925 proved an embarrassing failure, the Judge went off the deep end. He became a tyrant with sweeping changes instituted solidifying his central authority. He began by sending representatives to all the independent congregations with "help" in organizing their study methods. Gradually he replaced the democratically elected leaders with his own puppets. Finally, he demanded every Bible student become a door-to-door book salesman with hourly quotas to fulfill, and various pressure techniques to ensure compliance.
At this point in Watchtower history, we will now begin examination of how Maria Russell's application of a parable about the "faithful and discreet slave" was used as a latter-day prophecy transferred to Rutherford, and eventually to an actual "governing body" within the organization.
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__EVOLUTION_____OF _______A _____GOVERNING____BODY___________
The Watchtower magazine's FIRST mention of a governing body came 2 years AFTER the death of President Joseph Franklin Rutherford.
"In the year 1944 the Watchtower magazine began to speak about the governing body of the Christian congregation."
The Watchtower, December 15, 1971, page 755
“A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation”_________________________________
STOP RIGHT THERE!
A Jehovah's Witness of today (2015) might wonder about such a late date as 1944.
Hold that thought. We'll come back to it.
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Give close scrutiny to the use of "evidently," the Watchtower's favorite weasel word!
"How did this governing body make its appearance in recent times? Evidently under the direction of Jehovah God and his Son Jesus Christ."
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OH, really?
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Back to the article:
"In the first century, a group of older men in Jerusalem made up a governing body that had oversight of the congregations and of the Kingdom preaching activity in general. The same pattern is followed within Jehovah’s organization today."
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(Notice please: "governing body" is written in lower case letters, not capitalized as Governing Body. Over the years, as self-importance grew, the lower case became the upper.)
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Let us ask: "IS THAT TRUE?" Did Jerusalem have 'oversight'of everything?
Was Jerusalem's leadership the only official and central authority back in the First Century?
Paul didn't think so!
He converted to Christianity and went off preaching to Gentiles for 3 years on his own. He sought no consultation with Jerusalem.Fourteen years after a first visit, Jerusalem had caused problems in Antioch which caused him to have to straighten out their errors of understanding regarding Gentiles. In this instance, the so-called governing body in Jerusalem was dead wrong! This is not much of a winning argument to support the Watchtower contention above, is it?
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Now, back to the 1940's and we find ourselves 2 years later, after the FIRST mention of the "governing body."
Watchtower Nov.14,1946 p.330 "Let God Prove to be True."
These are policy statements about the governing body.
The article itself was written by Fred Franz, Watchtower vice-president.
Please make careful note of the thesis argument Fred Franz is building. His subject concerns the Authority of Jehovah's Witness governing body leaders. He wants to create a strong contrast between Catholics and Protestants Vs. Jehovah's governing body leadership and authority.
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STOP!
To fully appreciate what you have just read, I need to make you aware of an important blunder in the scripture citation above.
Look closely: Romans 13:1. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."
A special “New Light” interpretation of the meaning of Romans 13:1, Superior Authorities was in full force at this time. Judge Rutherford had taken it upon himself to change the historic meaning from civil authority of state and government to Jehovah God and Christ Jesus. This false interpretation began in 1929 and ended in 1962.
In ’62, the Watchtower flipped the script back to the original “Old Light” interpretation which Christendom had held for over 2,000 years.
This meant the “New Light” in 1962 restored the “Old light”! For 33 years, the Watchtower had obviously taught error!
Before we move forward, let us pause and reflect.
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RECAP: The introduction of the governing body took place in 1944. This was at a time when Watchtower leadership was solely vested in the Presidency. After Rutherford--Nathan Knorr shared responsibility with the so-called "oracle" Fred Franz. The two of them wielded monarchical control over doctrines and policies.
Fred Franz claimed the Watchtower Corp. and Jehovah's Witnesses were NOT being run as a hierarchy. The Bible was held out as the validating force rather than the human leaders acting as an interpreting body. Bottom line: nobody within the organization was superior to any member. The only "head" of the organization, it was claimed, were Jehovah and Jesus.
[Concerning Jerusalem's council in Acts 15, Barnes Notes, page 235 tells us:]
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The Watchtower, December 15,1971 page 754, “Theocratic Organization with Which to Move Forward Now, “says:
“The ‘faithful and discreet slave’ class of today has been appointed over all the Kingdom interests belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ.”
When the above words were published, this was taught and believed. But why? There is only one reason. Worldwide, Jehovah's Witnesses were obligated to believe whatever the FDS told them was "Truth."
The FDS, at that time, was considered to be ALL anointed and not just the few who were Society's officers.
Remarkably, the elect and elite anointed were fooling themselves! None of this was actually true.
How do we know? 44 years later all the previous revealed/ channeled "truth" was wiped out.
Yet another flash of "New Light" made garbage out of the "oracle's" previous writings.
________________________________
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
In the July 15, 1906 (p.229) issue of Zion’s Watch Tower, Pastor C.T. Russell’s wife, Maria took the step of “identifying” her husband as the object of Jesus’ parable of the faithful and discreet slave.
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March 1, 1923, Watch Tower quotes Russell as saying that some spoke of him as the “faithful and wise servant” and others spoke of the Society as such. The magazine then adds: Both statements were true; for Brother Russell was in fact the Society in the most absolute sense, in this, that he directed the policy and course of the Society without regard to any other person on earth. In fact, a biographical issue of the Watch Tower published after his death on October 16, 1916, stated: Thousands of the readers of Pastor Russel’s writings believe that he filled the office of “that faithful and wise servant,” and that his great work was giving to the household of faith meat in due season. His modesty and humility precluded him from openly claiming this title, but he admitted as much in private conversation."
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In 1931, J.F. Rutherford renamed the Bible Students, Jehovah's Witnesses single-handedly.
In 1932, Rutherford eliminated the bodies of elders (then elected by the congregations), stating that the arrangement was “not according to the principles of the great Theocrat, who rules his sanctuary from the top down.
1938 all congregations worldwide were invited to adopt an agreement authorizing the Brooklyn headquarters to appoint any and all persons serving in responsible positions in the congregations.
The term “Theocratic organization” has been used since the December 1, 1939 Watchtower in particular.
Repeatedly, all were urged to submit to “Theocratic order,” which in actuality meant to accept what came from the headquarters as if it came from God.
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We already learned "governing body" appeared in 1944._________________________________
1986 court testimony: Jehovah's Witnesses are admitted to be a hierarchy.
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Crisis of Conscience, by Raymond Franz, demonstrates the official transformation from individual to group for Governing Body:
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THE PARABLE had become PROPHECY, and the FDS had been co-opted as a GOVERNING Body.
As such, they took over the role of Jesus Christ toward humanity, as MEDIATOR.
1 Timothy 2:5-6New King James Version (NKJV)
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time
COMPARE WITH:
"Consequently, 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 is not using "mediator" in the broad sense common in many languages. It is not saying that Jesus is a mediator between God and all mankind." Watchtower 1989 Aug 15 pp.30-31
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DOES BELIEF IN THE BIBLE DESTROY ONE'S INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY?
by TerryWalstrom inbased on information to be found at: http://www.csicop.org/si/show/when_dont_the_highly_educated_believe_in_evolution_the_bible_believers_effe/.
the bible-believers effect.
those who believe the bible is the word of god (bible believers) and those who dont believe the bible is the word of god (bible nonbelievers) differ in their beliefs that humans evolved from earlier species of animals.
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TerryWalstrom
Simply put: we can't learn what we won't learn. -
6
Scientology is a template of ultimate Mind Control: Here are some books exposing the methods and madness
by TerryWalstrom inpdf links to anti-scientology books.
http://exscientologistsireland.org/wp/about-the-scientology-organisation/books/.
it was 1950, in the early, heady days of dianetics, soon after l. ron hubbard opened the doors of his first organization to the clamoring crowd.
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TerryWalstrom
I did see THE MASTER. Had I not expected (for some reason) a takedown of Lafayette Ron Hubbard, I would have loved it.
Hoffman is never less than dazzling.
It was certainly a very odd film and extremely interesting.
