Posts by mizpah

26

Can Josephus be trusted?

by Pleasuredome in

the works of josephus have been used to back up the gosples, but how can we be sure that those works of josephus wasn't tampered with by the vatican?

this is something i hadn't looked into before and i found this site which raised a few questions about the josephus texts.. http://www.askwhy.co.uk/awmob/awpaul/chr210mancensoringjosephus.html.

has anyone done any research on this?

Aside from the question of the authenticity of the quotes above, Josephus does give a very vivid and accurate description of the destruction of Jerusalem that seems to confirm the prophetic words of Jesus about the destruction of this city.

Of course, critics like good lawyers can always question anything and everything on any subject. But one always has to investigate the motivation of these critics before accepting their words.

We have very few windows to the past except these ancient historians. The other window that has opened up for us in modern times is the archeological one that has brought new understanding ...and, in some cases, confirmation of the Biblical record.

11

Feeling Powerless and Vulnerable

by Swan in

the past several nights i have had very disturbing dreams that, while not the nightmares i used to have, still leave me feeling powerless and vulnerable.

i feel like the other shoe will drop soon and i feel totally unprepared while just waiting for it to happen.. in one dream i witness my niece as a little girl back when she was first starting grade school.

since i have never known my nieces and nephews as teenagers, i tend to dream of them as they were when they were children.

mizpah

Gopher's advice seems very sound. From what I have read about dreams, they are a healthy outlet for the problems we carry around with us during the day. I've also read that mental patients do not dream. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons for their problems. So, perhaps, the realization of this will give you a different perspective about your own dreams.

I've been out of the organization for many years. Yet, I still have dreams of attending assemblies and the Kingdom Hall. However, what has changed is that I now try to convince others that it is not "the truth." This does demonstate how powerful the subconscious is. Dreams don't have to make sense. Most dreams are not even remembered by most people. But we do dream for a purpose...and that purose seems to be a healthy one.

21

Straining the gnat, gulping the camel.

by Rush in

i remember the stink caused in the congregation when the sweets 'skittles' were released in the uk.

they were advertised as containing 100% natural flavourings and colourings.. the problem was, the dye they used in the red skittles was cochineal.

cochineal is made by pulping the dried bodies of a mexican beetle and produces a vivid red colour that has been highly sought after in the past.. i'm not sure where the issue arose, but some bright spark decided it was against the blood policy to eat this as the beetles hadn't been bled before they were dried and crushed.. the congregation was in an uproar.

mizpah

dmouse:

I think "black pudding" was simply called "blood pudding" here in the U.S. Of course, it was top of the list on the forbidden foods in the Watchtower organization. My mother-in-law who is of foreign descent had eaten it when she was a young girl...prior to her Watchtower association. And her opinion even as a JW was that "it was delicious." Like you, I have never tried it.

It was always a curious argument that JWs had when they ate rare meats oozing with red liquid.. They always insisted that it was not blood but only the "juices of the meat." Perhaps, it had some justification as the Jews were permitted meat with its residue "juices" as long as it had a kosher grading.

37

micheal the archangel

by trinity4life in

.

i have not found one jehovahs witness who could show me in the bible where jesus is refered to as micheal the archangel or that you could draw such a conclusion.

if anyone is willing to discuss this topic with me i would greatly appriciate it.

mizpah

Ignorance is strength:

I never quite understood the phrase: "only begotten, not created." Does not the word "begotten" suggest a begetter who brought into existence the life of the begotten? A father is a begetter to a son. The son is the begotten. And doesn't that suggest that the begotten was preceded by the begetter and did not exist before the process of begetting?

And what is suggested by John when he calls Jesus the "onlybegotten God?" (John 1:18 ) There are no simple answers to the problems inherent in the Trinity doctrine. This is why orthodoxy has proclaimed it a "divine mystery." It is simpler to just accept the revealed relationship of God and Christ as one of a father to a son. No mystery about that.

21

Straining the gnat, gulping the camel.

by Rush in

i remember the stink caused in the congregation when the sweets 'skittles' were released in the uk.

they were advertised as containing 100% natural flavourings and colourings.. the problem was, the dye they used in the red skittles was cochineal.

cochineal is made by pulping the dried bodies of a mexican beetle and produces a vivid red colour that has been highly sought after in the past.. i'm not sure where the issue arose, but some bright spark decided it was against the blood policy to eat this as the beetles hadn't been bled before they were dried and crushed.. the congregation was in an uproar.

mizpah

Runningman is correct. In the U.S. is was the lecithin scare.

Lecithin was used in many products other than ice cream. It was found in candy bars and other edible products. When it was announced that lecithin had two sources one of which was from blood, many in the congregation stopped eating any product that listed it.

One sister took it upon herself to write to the manufacturers to determine from what source it was derived. As I recall, most indicated that it was from a soy derivative. So the furor eventually died down.

Jehovah's Witnesses were always proned to over react. Some of the scare tactics originated from the publications especially the Awake magazine. Anyone who is old enough will remember the aluminum pot scare or the Coke scare. Some brothers made a business of selling expensive stainless steel pots and pans to the brothers. We had one brother in a neighboring congregation that made a good living this way. We always called him "Dr. Potts."

26

Can Josephus be trusted?

by Pleasuredome in

the works of josephus have been used to back up the gosples, but how can we be sure that those works of josephus wasn't tampered with by the vatican?

this is something i hadn't looked into before and i found this site which raised a few questions about the josephus texts.. http://www.askwhy.co.uk/awmob/awpaul/chr210mancensoringjosephus.html.

has anyone done any research on this?

mizpah

The works of any historian reflects the prejudices and views of that individual. In the case of Josephus, he had betrayed his Jewish brothers in their conflict with Rome and "joined the enemy." However, that doesn't mean that all he wrote was untrue or prejudicial. It just means that we should be careful in accepting everything written. Never-the-less, some invaluable information is contained in his works especially in Antiquity of the Jews and The Jewish War.

37

micheal the archangel

by trinity4life in

.

i have not found one jehovahs witness who could show me in the bible where jesus is refered to as micheal the archangel or that you could draw such a conclusion.

if anyone is willing to discuss this topic with me i would greatly appriciate it.

mizpah

The one scripture that Trinitarians find difficult to explain away is found in Paul's words at 1 Corinthians 15:26 - 28:

" For he 'has put everything under his feet.' Now when it says that' everything' has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all."

On the other hand, the simplistic explanations of the Watchtower do not seem to satisfy why Paul also said:... "Christ Jesus: who being in very nature God (Footnote: in the form of God)...and "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,...."

The truth of the matter probably falls somewhere in between. Perhaps, as humans we can not fully comprehend the spiritual relationship of Father and Son. Maybe we were not meant to do so. Afterall, how can physical man begin to understand the spiritual realm? But that being said, it seems clear that the revealed position of a Father and a Son is something that every human can understand. And that is how God and his son are presented to us in Scripture. Dogmatism on either side of the issue only breeds contention and contempt. Both are not Christian qualities.

124

Jehovah's Witnesses asking woman to pay legal costs in sexual abuse lawsuit

by ignored_one in

http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?aid=/20030723/cpn/20587021&cachetime=15 .

jehovah's witnesses asking woman to pay legal costs in sexual abuse lawsuit.

toronto (cp) - a woman who received $5,000 in damages after accusing the canadian wing of the jehovah's witnesses of negligence over their handling of allegations of sexual abuse is being asked to pay for part of the religious group's legal costs in the case.

mizpah

We all should be patient to see what decision comes out of this attempt of the Watchtower to abuse a victim one more time. The court may have the same reaction that many of us do...a revulsion to the arrogance and greed of the Watchtower Society.

In the meantime, more attention is drawn to the problem that Jehovah's Witnesses have with sexual abuse of children in their ranks and more bad publicity about the unchristian and uncaring attitude of the Watchtower Society.

We are all very grateful for the courageous stand that Vicki took to make the public aware of the perfidy of the Watchtower organization. She remains in our thoughts and prayers.

6

"Lawless Rogues" sacrificed children

by Seven in

this article may be of some interest to forum members.

"the investigation in massachusetts did not uncover any evidence of recent or ongoing sexual abuse of children.

" i sincerely hope this statement by attorney general tom reilly doesn't mean they have any intention of loosening the noose.

mizpah

The DA of Massachusetts is probably legally correct. There simply were not laws in place to prevent this sort of abuse. But the moral issue is clear. The leaders in the Boston diocese knew that this abuse was happening. And they did nothing to protect the innocent children. Instead, they took measures to hide the perpetrators by transferring their assigments to other churches. Worst still, they never warned the parishoners that a predator was loose among them. Morally, there is no excuse for the position they took. And it is clear that the responsibility rests upon their shoulders.

The church still has not made a financial settlement for the victims. And it seems to be dragging its feet with this whole issue. It is possible that the new archbishop will resolve this problem. But one always fears that the money consideration is stronger than the moral one.

39

How many of you went to the elders when you / someone did something wrong ?

by run dont walk in

i've read a lot of threads of late, where people stated when they did something wrong they would go the elders the next day and confess.. i find this truly bizzare !!!.

okay, maybe i didn't have a conscience as a jw, i did alot of things wrong, but, that would be the f--kin' day i would go to the elders and confess anything.

i would never tell those old goots anything, because then they would have something to hang over you for a long time.

mizpah

My wife and I decided early on that we would never go to the elders for personal problems. Some of the "elders" were young and single and never had any experience with marriage or children. Most of the older "elders" were not to be trusted with confidential matters. (Their wives were often the gossipers of the congregation and knew everything about everyone.)

However, we knew many JWs who did divulge the most private and intimate details of their lives. And, predictably, it became common knowledge in the congregation.

My wife and I never regretted our decision. And we've had a long and successful marriage.