1984 is a dense book, but well worth the reading, and it will leave you scratching your head because the resemblances between the police-state described there and the WTS organization is mind-blowing.
Eden
EdenOne
JoinedPosts by EdenOne
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14
East of Eden & Other Great Books
by SecretHeart11 ingiven my new, unincumbered state of mind, i am rereading a few favourites and ones i haven't read before.
i'm reading east of eden again and have hey, nostradomus!
and 1984 next on the list (never read it!).
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Its Official - DO arrangment has been done away with
by Justnowout inletter to be read at next weeks service meeting.
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EdenOne
That's Old light already :P
Our current CO will only complete 2 rounds in our circuit then will stop because he will have reached 70 by then.
Eden
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Apostate NT Canon
by Pterist inas mentioned in july 15th 2013 watchtower "the apostasy started in the first century and flourished by the fourth century" or words to that effect.. as i was reading ff bruce's "the bible canon" ($14 kindle ver.
on amazon) i was very surprised to read that there are no original nt documents from the first century, just copies of copies of copies of many documents from that period.
apparently the 27 book nt canon was not set until about the fourth century by trinitarian church fathers.
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EdenOne
Someone (I think it was Searcher) mentioned in another thread the case of Matthew 28:19:20, regarding the command to baptize "in the name of the father, in the name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Spirit". The oldest extant copy of Matthew dates to the 4th century. However, earlier church fathers from the second century quoted from Matthew and this 'trinitarian' formula isn't mentioned, thus, it was added sometime later to suit the trinitarian agenda. We never see the apostles doing anything in the name of the "father, son and HS". We only see them baptizing in the name of Jesus.
Therefore, how much more of the gospels and the Pauline letters, among other writings, have been corrupted, or written deceptively to suit a certain agenda? Until original manuscripts are found - if ever - we will never be entirely sure.
Eden
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"Scriptural" Baptism
by NeverKnew ini was told that jws baptize in the name of the father, son and the holy spirit.
i asked if it was done exactly as stated in the bible to be sure i was hearing the answer correctly.
the response i got was "yes!
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EdenOne
Most interesting.
Marked.
Eden
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A medieval question for you, if you believe in god....
by snare&racket inmany ancient believers of god used cognition to 'think' their way from belief to atheism.
what initially seems a silly question to reason over, can actually destroy a whole theology.. here is a question made famous by 'saint' thomas aquinas, believers in a almighty god with unlimited ability, please have a think about this..... the omnipotence paradox:.
"could an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that even he could not lift it?
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EdenOne
The concept of a God that doesn't fit the "omnipotent" trait simply means that God is much different than humans have imagined him to be. Personally, I don't have any issues with a God that is neither omnipotent, omnipresent or omniscient.
Eden
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Finally
by Old Goat inhttp://www.lulu.com/shop/b-w-schulz/a-separate-identity-organizational-identity-among-readers-of-zions-watch-tower-1870-1887/paperback/product-21541658.html.
dr. de vienne tells me there are some problems with ebook formatting and it will be released later.
until they review the advanced copy, it is only available on lulu.com.
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EdenOne
Can someone please provide a link for the e-book version (when and if it becomes available) ?
Eden
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Will firing the DOs be the first step to a new Watchtower?
by Juan Viejo2 inagainst my better judgement, i've decided to share the following as a response to guy pierce passing and the announcement of the elimination of district overseers later this year.. late in january (2014) i got an email from one of my contacts (a fader) who served at bethel for several years, but is no longer at wt hq.
he still has a lot of close contacts within the service department and in other departments at patterson and knows people in all of the ny offices.
i kept this email set aside on a flash drive and haven't shared it with anyone - figuring i'd publish an article about it later this year when i had more time to do it right.
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EdenOne
If "annointed" = "appointed", this begs the questions:
Take, for example, Cornelius. Was he "annointed" with the Holy Spirit? I think we can agree that he was. Was he "appointed" for something back then?
Or those women who received the Holy Spirit: Were they also "appointed" for something?
And since when can you read ANYWHERE in the Bible that the 144.000 are "annointed", or that it is the annointing with the Holy Spirit that sets them apart from all others as a group?
Makes no sense to me.
Eden
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Newcomers to TTATT: Beware of "New Study Mode"!
by Londo111 inweve all heard it.
a person starts studying with jehovahs witnesses and love what they are learning so much that they cant stop talking about it.
bubbling with enthusiasm, they spill everything they are learning with their friends and family...or anybody who will listen.
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EdenOne
My own significant other went to the elders on my back to out me as an "apostate", because she honestly thought she was "helping" me...
So yes ... beware of your enthusiasm.
Eden
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Lies taught by the GB about ....Life, Worldy people & apostates
by williamhconley inthe governing body not only lies to it's members about their true history but also about life itself, worldly people and former members.. here are some of those lies that come to my mind.. .
"jw's are the happiest people on earth" -.
fact: depression, anxiety, fear of punishment, paranoia, is what jw's live with every day.
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EdenOne
Great post to summarize the typical misinformation promoted by the WTS.
Eden
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107
Will firing the DOs be the first step to a new Watchtower?
by Juan Viejo2 inagainst my better judgement, i've decided to share the following as a response to guy pierce passing and the announcement of the elimination of district overseers later this year.. late in january (2014) i got an email from one of my contacts (a fader) who served at bethel for several years, but is no longer at wt hq.
he still has a lot of close contacts within the service department and in other departments at patterson and knows people in all of the ny offices.
i kept this email set aside on a flash drive and haven't shared it with anyone - figuring i'd publish an article about it later this year when i had more time to do it right.
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EdenOne
Let me add to The speculation a bit:
Many of us have been following The recent global trend for consolidation within The WTS. The obvious question has been: Where is All The money going into?
Well, I think The OP may hint towards a possible answer: The GB is trying to put in motion a global downsizing of the staff under their direct care / payroll. There will be dozens of thousands of 'full time ministers' - Bethel Workers, Circuit And District Overseers, Special Pioneers, Missionaries - people who gave up their careers And education to serve the advance of the 'Kingdom Interests' (read: Watchtower's Interests) and now find themselves among The surplus about to be discarded by The Society. Most among these have no hope of finding a paying job, much less a carreer. They're too old for the labor market, And they still have some lenght of life to live. If the Watchtower Society would simply kick them to the curb, the outrage outcry And bad press would be enormous. What to do?
I believe The WTS has quietly been building a private fund to (as cheaply as possibly) compensate the dismissal from duty from those many thousands of redundant full time ministers. In some cases, that means acting much like a private pension fund that will provide them with a lifetime pension whenever The state / family / congregation will not provide. Surely it will be called a "loving provision from Jehovah". I'm not even surprised if at some point the remaining "full time ministers" will be regular employees of The WTS, entitled to a private pension fund provided by The Society. Perhaps in time there will be a full-time, PAID, congregational servant / overseer.
Consolitating The public editions of Watchtower And Awake magazines into one single monthly edition with a new name makes every sense from a rebranding point of view. Will we be seeing JW.ORG Magazine edited soon ?
Also, expanding The GB to 12 members will make The decision-making process quicker, because it's easier to get 2/3 (8-4) votes to unlock a decision, that to get around a 6-2 voting as it currently stands; i.e. Currently a minority of 3 can block a majority of 5; with a GB of 12 it would take a minority of 5 to block a majority of 7.
Eden
(Sorry for The poor formatting. My new Ipad is working against me)