Posts by EdenOne

14

THE TWO BABYLONS as a template for Watch Tower dishonesty in history

by Terry in

proof isn't proof at the watchtower.

"proof" is a reconstruction like frankenstein's monster kept alive by flashes of "new light" made up as needed to revitalize a quivering monstrosity.. at first glimpse it looks like science.

when the smoke clears it is madness and obsession riven with fierce contrarian nincompoopery.. ****.

EdenOne

It's a different thing to say that C.T. Russell and Rutherford and F.W.Franz BORROWED ideas and concepts from "The Two Babylons" and helped to promote the book as secular "scholar" support for their ideas. That I can agree with, and I think it's quite obvious that happened that way.

Naturally, the WTS never admits that the "new light" is borrowed straight from a secular author; it's always "spirit-directed" enlightenment; "further research", they say - as if there was any form of established in-house scholarly expertise in these areas in Bethel.

Eden

14

THE TWO BABYLONS as a template for Watch Tower dishonesty in history

by Terry in

proof isn't proof at the watchtower.

"proof" is a reconstruction like frankenstein's monster kept alive by flashes of "new light" made up as needed to revitalize a quivering monstrosity.. at first glimpse it looks like science.

when the smoke clears it is madness and obsession riven with fierce contrarian nincompoopery.. ****.

EdenOne

Alexander Hislop published the book "The Two Babylons" in 1858 and died in 1865.

Since the WTS was incorporated in 1879, how could he have promoted his book through the WTS?

Eden

14

THE TWO BABYLONS as a template for Watch Tower dishonesty in history

by Terry in

proof isn't proof at the watchtower.

"proof" is a reconstruction like frankenstein's monster kept alive by flashes of "new light" made up as needed to revitalize a quivering monstrosity.. at first glimpse it looks like science.

when the smoke clears it is madness and obsession riven with fierce contrarian nincompoopery.. ****.

EdenOne

marked ...great post, terry.

My sister has a copy of Hislop's "The Two babylons". Apparently in the late 1970's it could be ordered at the counter of the KH as a "special item". that's how she got it back then.

Eden

55

Israel National News reports a most amazing story about JWs

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/flash.aspx/288677#.ux9165ao7l9.

court rejects missionary lawsuit against netanya schools for voiding leasethe tel aviv magistrates court has rejected a claim by a missionary group, saying that the school they had been renting space in unlawfully voided their contract , and asking the court to instruct the school to pay nis 108,000 in compensation and mental anguish, as well as legal expenses.. it began when a missionary group, via a non-profit organization called "mitzpe l'yisrael", rented space at the raziel school in netanya to conduct daily afternoon activities.

shortly after signing the rental agreement , the school authorities discovered that the group was, in reality, the notorious missionary sect of "jehovah's witnesses".

EdenOne

I don't get this:

What they did was illegal? Tactics' ethics aside, how come they don't benefit from the protection of the law? Why should anyone rejoice with that?

Eden

23

Bible is inspired of God??????

by Crazyguy in

jw
friends

is there anything in the bible that makes you believe that some or all the writings in the bible are inspired from god?.

EdenOne

With the exception of the prophets, none of the writers of the Bible had any concept that what they were writing was "inspired of God". Not even the NT writers, such as the apostle Paul. The more you investigate the Bible, the more you realize that it's a collection of texts that were gathered together in an anthology, most of then heavily redacted in later times to suit a specific religious agenda. I doubt that God ever intended to produce a "Bible" as we have it today.

For example, ask yourself: What did Paul considered "All Scripture" in his day? Evidence is available that the Christians in the days of Paul were using the OT Septuagint. What is included in the Septuagint? The OT apocrypha. There are several references in the NT to texts in the OT apocrypha. The decision to leave out those texts out of the Jewish Cannon was taken only towards the end of the 1st century; the decision to leave them out of the Christian Cannon was taken only in the 4th century; and the decision to leave them out of the Bible entirely was taken by Martin Luther in the 16th century.

Eden

22

The Untold Story of Creation

by mynameislame in

posted on behalf of jon p. .

http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201403/untold-story-of-creation/.

i don't find the article itself very compelling but it seems to be opening up the possibility that a creative day is not a specific time period.

EdenOne

I think the account of Creation in Genesis is given in 6 + 1 days only to justify two things:

a) Why the week is divided in 7 days; and

b) Why the sabbath is supposed to be a day of rest (= because God also rested on the 7th day)

That's all there is to it.

I'm not saying that the natural world isn't the product of at least some form of creative work; but just not in the way is portrayed in Genesis.

Eden

33

Letting JESUS refute the Watch Tower blood policies

by Terry in

letting jesus refute the watch tower blood policies.

the watch tower bible and tract society represent itself as christian.. it represents its theology and policies as direct from jehovah god through his son, jesus christ.. further, the governing body of this corporation interposes itself between the mediator, jesus, and the rest of jehovah's (christian) witnesses for the purpose of "feeding them (spiritual) food at the proper time.. the official word of jesus christ is represented in the watch tower's policy on blood transfusions.. in 1998 this statement was made:.

jehovah's witnesses do not accept whole blood, or major components of blood, namely, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and plasma.

EdenOne

Terry, what is the source of the information about the several versions of the book of Acts, and the "Western Text", please? Thanks,

Eden

41

New Policy on Inactive Ones?

by Cynisister in

this may have been discussed, but i just recently was told that a km this past year stated that inactive ones are now to be treated as if they are df'd.

is this so?

cynisister.

EdenOne

Given the organizational emphasis on avoiding like gangrene those who show clear signs of "spiritual illness" [often a term used interchangeably with apostasy or secret sins], thus leaving the matter to the hands of the congregational elders, many decide, on a personal basis - and without any scriptural backing - to start a soft shunning towards the inactive ones. It may not involve total cut off from communication, but certainly it involves restricting social interaction outside the Kingdom Hall to the bare minimum. There comes a time when the "inactive" has been for so long away from the congregation, that the active publishers become unsure if that person is still a JW or it has DF'd or DA'd. When in doubt, the Witnesses tend to avoid the person, to avert any possible awkward situation.

It's a strange world, the JW world.

Eden

11

Ancient Gods and the bible.

by Crazyguy in

jw
friends

this seems like a very good site on the subject.

https://sites.google.com/site/yahwehelohiym/an-ancient-view-of-god/one-god-or-many-gods.

one scripture that was mentioned that was very intersting to me was judges 1:19 where is says that the lord or yahweh was with judah and they drove out the mountaineers but could not drive out the people of the lowlands because they had chariots.

EdenOne

I lean towards the thesis that the pre-exile Israelites were henotheists; they believed in other gods [Elohim], but considered that Yahweh was the Almightly amongst them, and the only one deserving worship. Therefore, they weren't monotheists. More often then not, they resorted to polytheism. Only in post-exile times they adopted a strict monotheism.

Eden

13

"No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly..." = Implications

by EdenOne in

jw
friends

and they named him obed.

jesse was the father of david the king.

matthew 1:6, 7 - " and jesse the father of king david.

EdenOne

Bobcat, the problem remains, because Deuteronomy 23:3 extends the ban to those "belonging to them", that is, their progeny. The post-exile authorities Ezra and Neemiah considered that the children of those mixed marriages were also under the ban, regardless if they had an Israelite father and a foreign mother. What caused David to be an exception?

Also: The hebrew term usually translated "forever" doesn't actually mean 'from here to eternity'. Rather, it means, 'from here into the foreseeable future'. So, that ban might well be lifted one day, as it were.

Eden