Posts by venus

110

References to YHWH in ancient documents

by Doug Mason in

page 15 of awake!

2017 provides an image that shows hebrew writing with the statement: “the personal name of god written in ancient hebrew characters appears abundantly in early manuscripts of the bible”.. alongside that image, the awake!

provides a listing to show “the rendering of ‘god’s name’ in various languages”.. the facts do not support either assertion that the watchtower society makes:.

venus

Drearyweather,

1) The Aleppo Codex (written around 930 C.E.) is oldest OT copy.

2) The very fact that God permitted the multiple destruction of Jerusalem Temple where scrolls were safeguarded and the destruction of Alexandrian library shows that Scriptures do not belong to Him.

We read in the Bible that revealing the name, Jehovah, is connected with God's miraculous saving of Israelites from Egypt which culminated in parting of Red Sea. This story does not meet the standard of realism because after seeing such a great miracle no one would turn into calf worship telling a single calf "you are our gods who saved us from Egypt." (Ex 32:4, 8, 31)

Yet inventing of God’s name as Jehovah (He Causes to Become) is in agreement with the overall theme of the Bible and human experiences. We see what is new becoming old and decadent as the time passes by. What has become old can be renewed by God Almighty. This means history starts with perfect conditions and remains as one world family for some time, and gradually becomes imperfect when people become egoistic; and a measure of disorder sets in many avenues of life—some of the humans and animals becoming eaters of flesh of other beings and some of the micro organisms turning malevolent and migrating into human bodies causing illness…etc. Each experience teaches us something, and pain-mechanism tells us how to avoid further/future pain, which makes God’s intervention and communication unnecessary on every choice each individual makes. If humans make onward progress taking lessons from pain, God doesn’t have to intervene. But if humans repeat their wasteful acts and situation becomes the worst, then God has to intervene, and “renew” the provisions for life’s enjoyment whenever they deplete/destroy them. (Mathew 19:28) It means God ‘causes himself to become’ the savior of mankind. Hence there is no exaggeration in those writers of OT coining the name Jehovah.

60

Jesus fulfilling old testament prophecies like his legs not being broken

by Isambard Crater in

what are everyone's thoughts on this, how his legs weren't broken, he was pierced with a spear and he wore a thorny crown?.

i'm pimo and very much not wanting to believe, but like the daniel statue prophecies, these ones about jesus stick in my mind and give me "hmmm, maybe" moments..

venus

Crazyguy,

Interesting observation. If Jesus had really performed such great miracles such as calming the storm, resurrection ... no writer would search for so weak as irrelevant, prophecy-looking verses from OT to prove Messiah's credential. It's not only redundant but also back-firing.

31

The hypocrisy of today's Watchtower

by UnshackleTheChains in

i don't really need to explain anything really.

all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.

i'm still speechless.

venus

Slidin Fast,

That's an interesting verse.

If an apostate is to be given death sentence, it is easy to see how such a law arose. See what the verse says why: "Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." (Deut 13:10)

The very linking of the law with God's miraculous saving of Israelites from Egypt shows that this law originated from mere human minds because the story of parting of Red Sea itself originated from human minds, not a historical event. Story does not meet the standard of realism because after seeing such a great miracle no one would turn into calf worship telling one single calf "you are our gods who saved us from Egypt." (Ex 32:4,8,31)

16

Let's compare the sayings of Jesus and the modern day Governing Body

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

imagine yourself still sitting at a kingdom hall meeting and turn to the book of mark 7: 21-23. the sayings of jesus are really profound.

the scripture makes you think, reflect, enters your heart and produces results.. today, you have your modern day governing body ( who supposedly are the mouthpiece for jesus and jehovah and provide spiritual food for the 8 million followers).

if jehovah really sends his holy spirit upon these seven men, is this silly and petty message they can come up with?

venus

This is typical of all religions. People go to religions to be more confused. If asked what is the meaning of Mathew 7:21-23 where prayer, preaching, and miracle performance are discouraged and disapproved, no religious leader would give correct explanation.

If simple, self-explanatory things such as this cannot correctly explained, How will they explain things such as purpose of life, nature of God ...etc

60

Jesus fulfilling old testament prophecies like his legs not being broken

by Isambard Crater in

what are everyone's thoughts on this, how his legs weren't broken, he was pierced with a spear and he wore a thorny crown?.

i'm pimo and very much not wanting to believe, but like the daniel statue prophecies, these ones about jesus stick in my mind and give me "hmmm, maybe" moments..

venus

This so-called prophecy is found in Psalm 34 which was written by David when he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. The very first verse says: “ I will extol the Lord at all times” which he himself did not fulfill.

Verses 6, and 7 say: “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.” [This too did not happen in the case of Jesus who prayed to God to save him from his troubles]

Verse 20 says: “he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

If this is a prophecy, what is next verse: “Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned” (Ps 34:21)

21

Why the JW org should fail.

by Half banana in

dr margaret t singer, a professor of psychology at berkeley university california has studied the experiences of 700 cult members.

''consciously and manipulatively, leaders and their trainers exert a systematic social influence that can produce great behavioral changes,'' said dr. singer.. .

one of the ways the jw organisation exerts so much influence over its members is because it has created a culture sustained by constant propaganda, which polices itself according to how the leadership has moulded it.

venus

The Watchtower, October 15, 1969, pages 622-3 declared: "More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind's life on earth would end in the mid-seventies.”

If people were associating with religions because of some beliefs or doctrine, all JWs would have abandoned their faith in 1975.

People choose religious mostly for social reason, just like they choose various types of social clubs depending upon each one’s taste.

35

what big change could bring down the watchtower?

by stan livedeath in

what single big change do you think could back fire and bring the cult down ?.

me: tithing..

venus

The Watchtower, October 15, 1969, pages 622-3 declared: "More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind's life on earth would end in the mid-seventies.”

If people were associating with religions because of some beliefs or doctrine, all JWs would have abandoned their faith in 1975.

People choose religious mostly for social reason, just like they choose various types of social clubs depending upon each one’s taste.

13

Old Light - New Light

by Vanderhoven7 in

terry walstrom posted this exceptional link on another thread.

i think it so amazing that it should have a thread of its own so everyone can have clear and easy access to the document.

terry wrote:.

venus

My goodness--changes that are made in the teachings would dwarf even ocean!

What a disservice to the one who testifies "I have not changed" my teachings.--Malachi 3:6

33

Manmade rules

by Jrjw in

i was talking to someone a few years ago and he said in his congregation they have a rail of white shirts prepared in the cloakroom for if a speaker doesn't have a white shirt on.

it was a rule in their hall that all brothers in the platform must wear white shirts when going talks and if the speaker won't comply when asked to change into the shirt they provide an elder in the congregation will do the talk instead.

i have never known any other halls do it so it must be a rule the elders have made up without gb input.

venus

Caught up in the rules and doctrinal falsification the forgotten fact is that our humane core is lost. The end product is persons who see everyone's faults except own ones.

33

Manmade rules

by Jrjw in

i was talking to someone a few years ago and he said in his congregation they have a rail of white shirts prepared in the cloakroom for if a speaker doesn't have a white shirt on.

it was a rule in their hall that all brothers in the platform must wear white shirts when going talks and if the speaker won't comply when asked to change into the shirt they provide an elder in the congregation will do the talk instead.

i have never known any other halls do it so it must be a rule the elders have made up without gb input.

venus

God cannot receive anything from humans because everything belongs to Him.

Yet humans began offering sacrifices, which later became a rule.

Sacrifice can be offered from anywhere, yet someone felt an altar would be a good idea, which again became a rule.

Original Passover celebration did not involve wine, but Jesus (purportedly) included wine, which again became a rule.

In the first century, going house-to-house was the practical option to advertise some news, which again became a rule—which some people even today hold dearly as a rule—even though far better advertising modes are available today.

That means anyone can make any rule.