Posts by Noumenon

23

I have been reading COC

by fairy in

jw
friends

well, i have read the first few chapters of the latest edition and am surprised at what i read.. the bickering behind the society - how some decisions were not based on scriptural reference - the 607 date - and where the gentile times 1914 thing came about - the malawi/mexico business - ray franz has a very interesting story about the society/governing body amongst other things.. it seems that ever since he was there, he constantly came across things he didnt agree with.. the voting system that was set up to see what articles went in the magazines.. there was one bit in there about being "scriptually free to marry".

one sister caught her husband and an animal together....well..you know......and she divorced him.

she remarried but then told she wasnt free to scriptually marry and they disfellowshipped/dissassociated her.......how ridiculous is that.. and so the story goes........... i thought i would just put my bit in on the first section i have read...will write more when i have read more..

Noumenon

COC is good but a lot of what it deals with can be found on the internet. I enjoyed In Search of Christian Freedom better.

12

MYSTERIOUS PARALLELS

by myelaine in

jesus is speaking to his disciples and warning them about false prophets, he then says that just before the coming of the son of man the eagles will be gathered together where ever the carcass is (matt 24:29) .

jesus is speaking about when he is coming back and that the body of christ will be taken, the disciples ask where and jesus says, the eagles will be gathered together where ever the body is (lu17:37) .

both in the wilderness where the eagles have gathered .

Noumenon

"Like the nation of Israel, one DISTINCT group of people will be made up of true believers and apostates."

So are you suggesting that JW's are a modern-day spiritualised nation of Israel that will have true believers and apostates in it, right up until the end? Sounds very e-watchman esque.

2

the divine conspiracy by dallas willard

by seesthesky in

hi - any of you read the divine conspiracy by dallas willard?

- if so, any comments on his work?

know anything about the guy?

Noumenon

Hi seethesky,

It's not nice when everyone ignores your thread, so I had a look at this book via Amazon. All the comments about it seemed extremely positive. The book seems a very good one for those who still regard themselves as a Christian and have a Christian faith they want to hold on to (many on here don't have that so perhaps that's why no one has responded to you).

Have you read the book, or where you going to buy it and just wanted some opinions first?

19

The idol of 'accurate knowledge'

by Noumenon in

jws certainly do bang on a lot about 'accurate knowledge'.

for most christians john 3:16 is the most important verse in the bible, but to jw's john 17:3 is.

jw's are so enamored with this concept of 'accurate knowledge' above all else that they have basically made an idol out of it.

Noumenon

I think you hit it on the head El Blanko. The WTS makes such a big deal of accurate knowledge and digging for truth but they do not allow anyone to question the premises and assumptions of many of their more dodgy interpretations, especially in relation to end time chronology and prophesy fulfillment. Now they are being embarrassed on the internet by persons who have exposed the gross error of all doctrine built around and supporting the whole 1914 thing, and other doctrines besides. The faulty underlying premises are there to see clearly for anyone caring to open their mind up (a rare feat for most JW's).

It's such gross hypocrisy and rich irony in how the organisation tries to champion freedom of religion and worship through the highest Courts in the world, yet suppreses honest critical analysis of all the grey areas in it's doctrine.

'Accurate knowledge' is what JW's thrash as so essential to everlasting life (John 17:3 ad nauseum) yet they are all fearful of digging deeper into their own accurate knowledge. They believe they of all religions are most like the Boreans, they constantly tell people to test their own religions beliefs, yet they themselves don't want to examine or test any 'inspired expressions' but are content to just put their full faith in the doctrines handed down by their leaders. One can see how much they really are living in fear of knowledge, for if one has true Christian love then fear is thrown out and there is no fear of seekomg out all possible interpretations before settling on what one is prepared to accept as doctrinal truth. In this regard JW's are like the 3 foolish monkeys when it comes to their own doctrine, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, content to put interpretational blinkers on their eyes.

Narkossis I'm really curious to learn more about this word epignôsis and what it's original word meaning is and how other translations treat it. I recall reading another version which did not have it as 'accurate knowledge' rather just 'knowing' or something like that. Anyone care to enlighten me on this.

Thanks

19

The idol of 'accurate knowledge'

by Noumenon in

jws certainly do bang on a lot about 'accurate knowledge'.

for most christians john 3:16 is the most important verse in the bible, but to jw's john 17:3 is.

jw's are so enamored with this concept of 'accurate knowledge' above all else that they have basically made an idol out of it.

Noumenon

JWs certainly do bang on a lot about 'accurate knowledge'. For most Christians John 3:16 is the most important verse in the bible, but to JW's John 17:3 is. JW's are so enamored with this concept of 'accurate knowledge' above all else that they have basically made an idol out of it. The need to have all this 'accurate knowledge' is highlighted with nauseating frequency and persistency, even more so than any emphasis on more fundamental concepts taught by Christ, such as mercy, prayer, kindness, and loving our enemies. The whole organisation is built around this idol of accurate knowledge. It has become a kind of golden calf to them. Jesus is relegated to a good teacher who told lots of nice lessons primarily, from which the kiddies can mainly benefit. He is in effect a kind of 'Aesops fables' figure, providing good moral lessons for us all, but of far more importance is to study, study, study and make sure you don't miss a beat of the institutionalised progamme of burdensome prosaic dry meetings. One must read all the magazines, mark up their Watchtower, mark up their bookstudy book, read the latest brochures and releases, read this, read that, study this, study that.

JW's revel in their so called 'accurate knowledge' and pity all the rest of those poor ignorant fools in Christendom and in the 'world' who do not have this special version of accurate knowledge that they alone have been blessed to receive. All those fools believing in the trinity, hell, immortal soul, etc etc. God is sure to slaughter them for not accepting the accurate knowledge that JW's alone possess. Isn't it grand.

The similarity between the GB and other WTS leaders and the religious leaders in Jesus time is there for everyone to see. Like the proud Pharisees in Jesus time the JW elite glory in their special and enlightened knowledge of scripture, their spiritual banquets and feasts, their language of truth, while the amharets in the world and in Christendom must starve on spiritual junk food. 'Cursed are this people who do not know the law'.

All hail our saviour and life-giver - ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE.

14

Just heard the pope has died

by jaffacake in

jw
friends

Noumenon

The poor old fart should have been put out to pasture and retired years ago. What a pathetic religion that forces a decrepid ailing old man to keep working right up until he snuffs it.

24

What was your most embarrassing moments in the " feild service"?

by new boy in

jw
friends

i know its an old thread, but its fun and educational.. i had many, but the one that come to mind the most is.

the orgy!!!.

it was southern calif. about 1969. i was 20 years old.

Noumenon

A rather slobbish friend I was working with on the doors decided to let a fart rip, assuming that the householder was out after no reply for a while. Then the door opened.....

6

survey of who answers up

by Noumenon in

a close friend of mine who is a faithful dub told me today that he had recently been asked by one of the elders to record the number of persons in the congo who had answered up during the watchtower.

no names were to be recorded, just the number of individuals out of the whole congo that had answered up.

i've never heard of this before, despite being raised a jw?

Noumenon

A close friend of mine who is a faithful dub told me today that he had recently been asked by one of the elders to record the number of persons in the congo who had answered up during the Watchtower. No names were to be recorded, just the number of individuals out of the whole congo that had answered up.

I've never heard of this before, despite being raised a JW? Do you think it's just an ad hoc thing, an idea just by that elder/congo/CO, or could it be a new trend tracking policy for the whole org?

33

Name your new "Wild Beast"

by jula71 in

ok, in the ever-changing world of ?new light?

who is going to be the new ?wild beast??

i was just watching the news and the un is in some pretty bad trouble, teenage prostitution scandal, oil for food scandal, ect.. it seems that they are slipping quickly into insignificance.

Noumenon

Could be a revamped UN with more teeth (ala e-watchman's theories), but personally I think it will be China or a Chino/Russian combine that will be the final version of the King of the North. Those countries are already athiest so it fits.

70

2034 - A Future History of Jehovah's Witnesses

by slimboyfat in

i don't know what i am talking about... read this post at your peril.

back in the 1960s there was, seemingly, a brief period of relaxation in authoritarianism among jehovah's witnesses.

those who have read raymond franz's 'crisis of conscience' will have heard the story about dan sydlik's remark about the need to 'open some windows to let some air in here'.

Noumenon

Nah it won't be 2012 where the crowd will start to really notice that the emperor is not wearing any clothes, it will be 2015. If the 'end' is not here by 2014 a goodly number of dubs will start thinking "Hang on...it's 100 years since Christ started 'reigning' and yet the politicians & Satan still rule the world (Jesus must be co-ruling the world with Satan, go figure)...what the feck! Something smells way fishy here! Feck this I'm outta here!"