Posts by robhic

10

What Isaiah 11: 6-8 mean?

by male30baroda in

isaiah 11:6-8 asv ?

and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

(7) and the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

robhic

For many years this explanation had bugged me, long before I left I concluded that it could not be literal. Too many changes in the phisical make up of the animals , let alone their instincts , would be needed . I say a tiger is not a tiger if it has not the majesty and fear inducing bearing of a carnivore .

I, too, find this very unlikely. As you state, a tiger is not really a tiger if he doesn't act the part. A huge pussycat. Who cares? The tiger (and all other large carnivores) would likely die of shame and humiliation if their fierceness was taken away. Not to mention that they couldn't survive on twigs and berries and grass like a ruminant animal. It just ain't right.

I always find the depiction in the different publications showing the tiger (or whatever) with a beachball between his paws amusing. It sorta demeans the proud beast like some side-show circus animal. Sad and so highly improbable.

3

Under the Ocean revisited

by Haereticus in

will there be earthquakes in the new world?

today it is held that the majority of earthquakes are caused by slipping of large sections of the earth along faults or cracks in the earth, while others are due to volcanic activity or the collapse of limestone caverns.

among the theories advanced to account for the slippage of faults is the strain caused by contraction due to the cooling of the earth.

robhic

Knowing well the structure of the earth, he may see to it that internal pressures find their outlet in unpopulated parts of the earth or under the ocean so as to cause no harm to man,

I certainly don't mean to make light of this terrible situation in India, but do you think maybe Jesus was testing out this idea? I mean, he obviously didn't have a good grasp of tectonics when he created the world initially, is it possible he is testing (and failing miserably) for his upcoming performance at the end of times? It has to be right around the corner, isn't it?

Time for 'Plan B' I guess, because earthquakes as a harmless force seems out of Jesus' grasp at this point.

7

Origen of Biblical Stories

by homme perdu in

i have talk to several people about this topic and i was informed that several stories and character were "borrowed" from other cultures such as the perians and babilonians.

i was informed that the biblical scholars inserted morals into these stories.

i was given the examples of adam and eve, flood of gilgamesh=flood of noah, the devil/beelzebub of persian origen.

robhic

I was never particularly religious or a JW. I came to this site to gather information because a woman I was heavily involved with became a JW about 2 years after we got together.

In this information-gathering quest, I read extensively different JW internet sites, books on history, archeology, science, ancient cultures and finally (for the first time) the Bible. Being skeptical and cynical by nature this was an eye-opening event!

First, you have to step back a bit and try to put any and all religious indoctinations you were brought up with (in my case Catholic) out of your thinking. Then you need to use a bit of logic and some critical, historical perspective and, in my case, the whole thing comes off looking quite suspect as far as being some "inspired" document. All of the mistakes, changes, flip-flops and just, plain unbeliveable stuff makes you see the Bible for what it is -- again, my opinion -- a book of rules and parables writtne thousandsa of years ago by a bunch of superstitious, poorly educated (by today's standards), tribal, violent, territorial, mysoginistic, racist goat herders.

Everything that was unexplainable to them had to have a supernatural origin. Whatever they couldn't figure out was ascribed to the gods or God or spirits or whatever. It's a simple, easy exercise and gave them some feeling of comfort. And the ancient goat-herders were also operating under the ancient laws, rules and perspectives of their time.

The Bible is a fairly good source of parables for living (but so are Aesop's fables) and some educational ideas, health tips, etc. but they just don't hold true today. Don't eat shrimp or crabs or other non-scaly seafood? I don't think so. Bleed your animals before eating. A good idea (I don't want to think about eating blood) but more a social and health thing than anything else. Other ideas also. Good advice befoer the invention of refrigeration and other modern inventions/procedures but a load of useless nonsense in the modern world.

The Bible is a book of rules and fables designed to instill and keep the ancients in line and in fear of the greater power. Today it is just very difficult to justify it in such a serious light. It now totally amazes me that it has kept people in line and still fearing the higher power to this day. Just not enough critical thinking these days...

Robert

15

The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever

by undercover in

the divine name that will endure forever .

that's the name of a brochure by the wts that tries to impress upon us why what god's name is and why we should use it.

we all know that jehovah's witnesses use the name "jehovah" for god in all their bibles and publications.

robhic

"...we may as well call him Jimmy." I kinda like that "Macrobius" one. Sounds like a bacteria.

9

Changes in Watchtower CD

by JUSTCURIOUS in

this is my first time posting although i have been lurking here for quite awhile.

i hope someone here can help me out.

my husband was raised a jw but never baptized.

robhic

This is not exactly what you asked for, but it makes your point: From the Watchtower of January 1,1989, pg. 12: "...for a work that would be completed in our 20th century". Changed to "...for a work that would be completed in our day" in bound volume. (Why the change?) Good luck in your quest.

15

"Draw Close to Jehovah"

by robhic in

my jw girlfriend (i know that's a topic in and of itself) is sick and confined to bed.

yesterday a pioneer lady dropped by with a bunch of magazines and an eight audio cassette tape library of the same name as the title to this thread.

eight tapes in a special, titled, plastic folder/binder to hold them?

robhic

Thanks to all who replied. I am thinking this 8-tape audio cassette folder must be like a "books on tape" deal for blind people. Does anyone know if leaving the magazines and this tape library with a baptized member allows them to count their time, too? Robert

15

"Draw Close to Jehovah"

by robhic in

my jw girlfriend (i know that's a topic in and of itself) is sick and confined to bed.

yesterday a pioneer lady dropped by with a bunch of magazines and an eight audio cassette tape library of the same name as the title to this thread.

eight tapes in a special, titled, plastic folder/binder to hold them?

robhic

My JW girlfriend (I know that's a topic in and of itself) is sick and confined to bed. Yesterday a Pioneer lady dropped by with a bunch of magazines and an eight audio cassette tape library of the same name as the title to this thread. Eight tapes in a special, titled, plastic folder/binder to hold them? Jeez, what is such a major topic? And she didn't take any money for it.

I guess my thoughts and questions on this are: Can they count time and/or the placement of the magazines? (My G/F is baptized) WTF can take 8 audio cassettes to say? How can these able-bodied people in good conscience stop by to see (for all of about 10 minutes) a very sick and disabled woman who can't get out of a bed by herself and expect her to (and sadly I'm sure she will!) buy into this bullshit? No matter how "close she draws" to jehovah, he ain't gonna get her outta the bed.

Anything -- anything -- that goes right is to jehovah's credit. Anything bad and he never gets "called on the carpet" for it. You can't win (and jehovah can't lose). I was so close to asking if my G/F would be able to levitate outta the bed after listening but I didn't want to cause a major scene, panic and terror amongst the true believers. I made a reply once to a comment my G/F made about "spiritual food" by telling her next time she wanted me to bring her something to eat I would defer to jehovah instead of getting her anything to eat since I am just a human. It didn't play well with her! I've learned my lesson.

But 8 tapes!? Holy cow I hope she doesn't want to listen when I visit! Has anyone else seen or listened (been forced to listen? ) to this massive production?

Robert

5

WT: The Perfect Man/Woman Must be Vegetarian

by Gerard in

*** watchtower 1961 december 15 pp.766-767 questions from readers *** questions from readers

when, in genesis 1:30, god says: "to every wild beast of the earth and to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving upon the earth in which there is life as a soul i have given all green vegetation for food," are we to understand that this absolutely excludes the idea that any animals ate meat at that time or before that?

and on this basis are we to conclude that all animals will be vegetarian in the new world?

robhic

So, if the Bible itself does not give any answer to these questions about those creatures lower than man, it does not mean that there is no answer to the questions that is consistent with the Bible. It simply means that we are not to preoccupy ourselves with such questions.

Wouldn't it have been easier and faster to just write "We have absolutely no idea."

Robert

24

Satan sent to earth in 1914?? My mom's on drugs!

by Bubbamar in

in my mom's last letter she made a statement that in 1914 satan was sent to earth.

does anyone know what she's talking about?

i thought everyone pretty much agreed that the snake in the garden was satan, that satan was on earth in jesus day and still is and has always been.

robhic

Here is a thread from (I think?) last year by "AlleyMom" which is easy, concise and pretty simply lays out -- using simple subtaction and dates exclusively from WTS publications -- how 607 is a pipe dream.

8

Not for those of a nervous Dispostion?

by The rock in

click here: once smitten by watchtowerlove, twice shy-stered

robhic

I gotta admit, the one showing the giant hand holding a paper towel and wiping the earth was pretty creative. A sword? Nah. A mace? Nah. A giant fist? Nah. Lightning? Earthquakes? But a giant paper towel? Yikes, now that one's got me a-shaking'. Maybe it was conceived by a guy who used to be a janitor. Probably shut his "creativity" down when he started Armageddon using a big-assed mop and broom. Robert