The "good news" was transmitted orally and whoever put up a good argument or asked a stumper of a question undoubtedly created a NEED FOR MODIFICATION. And so it goes, year after year, getting to be better and better "good" news. :)
I've always had the idea that the changes in JW doctrine were externally created and the New Light was a patch on a blowout.
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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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
Garry Wills wrote terrific books on Kennedy, Nixon, and Reagan, too.
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My First Job before Armageddon (1975)
by TerryWalstrom inmy first job before armageddonprologue: i left texas in 1974 and headed west to california to search for a job as an artist.
i didn't want to spend the rest of my life toiling for minimum wage as a janitor jehovah's witness.it was the year before 1975. as a jw, that should be a scary year.
not for me!i was determined to escape from all the influences of crazy people and to start living a real life.and now the story begins...______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.
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TerryWalstrom
MY FIRST JOB before Armageddon
Prologue: I left Texas in 1974 and headed West to California to search for a job as an artist. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life toiling for minimum wage as a janitor Jehovah's Witness.
It was the year BEFORE 1975. As a JW, that should be a scary year. NOT FOR ME!
I was determined to escape from all the influences of crazy people and to start living a real life.
And now the story begins...
______
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.
_________________
Below, left to right: Donny Villaneuva, Terry Walstrom, Arvant Benjamin -
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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
Climbing with a cane and straw hat, the one, the only, J.F. Rutherford!
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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
Menrov: What is your source?
___________
Garry Wills is one of my favorite writers on religion and/or politics.
His book, WHY PRIESTS? is particularly well-researched and the information about what occurred after Jesus' death was endlessly informative.
Here is a NYTimes review:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/books/review/why-priests-by-garry-wills.html?mcubz=1 -
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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
I loved most of the artists and am still best friends with a several of them.
(Spoiler Alert) 1975 ended, but not much else :) -
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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
http://torturemuseum.net/en/the-cradle-of-judah/
Read about The Cradle of Judas as a form of torture and you'll begin to appreciatewhat sort of human beings were involved in religious puritanical beliefs.
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14
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.
