Posts by mizpah

16

Silentlambs Anniversary and Future Projects

by blondie in

.

my anniversary

today marks the one year anniversary of an event that happened in my life that forever changed my perspective on who i am, on

mizpah

I think all of us a very grateful for the principled men that have left the organization and told their stories to expose the abuse and errors of the Watchtower Society. Bill Bowen is certainly one of these men. His revelation has uncovered one of the worst abuses in the history of the Society. The Society is now forced to face these problems and to answer for these abuses in the courts.

Men like Ray Franz and James Penton have also played an important role in exposing the double standards and the false histories that the Watchtower has tried to foist upon the ignorant. As a result of their efforts, they have been denounced and pilloried among their former "brothers." But their books have become essential reading for all who leave the organization.

I'll add my eternal gratitude to men like these.

19

Did the Watchtower Society Construction Crews in Brooklyn Bury Some Bodies?

by Gamaliel in

well this isn't exactly what you might think, but i have the following information based on what i consider good authority.

still, it's without a shred of hard evidence.

i am bringing it up now before the watchtower society tries to sell off the particular building in question.

mizpah

I wonder if this story has been twisted and confused in the telling? I do recall an article some years ago about the discovery of a cemetery during an excavation for a sky scraper in NYC. The archeologists determine it was the burial site of black slaves of that early period. It halted construction for awhile. The remains were removed and reburied as I recall. But it was not in Brooklyn and did not involve Watchtower property.

A more interesting question is where was Rutherford buried? When he died, JWs requested to have his remains buried on the Beth Sarim property in San Diego. There was even a burial vault built there for this purpose as I understand it. The city officials denied the request. And according to official Watchtower history he was buried in NY on the site of the old radio station, WBBR. However, persistent rumors through the years have said that his remains were actually buried on the San Diego property. Does anyone have additional information on this?

13

Did Knorr take a Bribe?

by RR in

cleaning the basement and i found this letter that i copied from the dawn bible students archives years ago when i worked there!.

have fun!.

rr

mizpah

My mother-in-law saw Knorr drive off in a white Cadillac after one of the assemblies in the 1950s. The reason it made such an impression on her was that her two children were pioneering and using an "old fliver" to get around their territories. This old car was "falling apart" and needed tires. But here was the President of the Watchtower Society being chauffered like some eastern Potentate!

We never knew if this was his personal property. We assumed it was probably donated to the Watchtower organization for his use. It really didn't matter. The contrast of the life of the Knorr and the front line workers such as the pioneers as quite evident. And it was an impression that she never forgot!

18

The right age to get baptized?

by shotgun in

i've always wondered why it was ok for jesus to wait until he was 29 to get baptized in symbol of his dedication while jw's are pressured at such an early age.

do you suppose joseph was always on his case...jesus get up its time to go to the temple.....why didn't you comment today?.......when are you going stop hanging out in gallilee with all your friends and get baptized?.

is this just another control aspect of the wtbts, handcuff you to the org while your young and make it almost impossible to leave later when you mature?

mizpah

I guess my wife and I were the exception when we were in the organization. We discouraged our children from baptism because we felt they had to be older to make such a serious decision. In contrast, most of the parents our congregation was pushing their children to be baptized at a very early age. It was sort of a "feather in their caps" to have baptized children.

Perhaps, it was my previous Baptist experience. Their rule of thumb was one had to be of "reasonable and reasoning age."

17

Bethany real place?

by peacefulpete in

another interesting bit of info came up at the jesus mysteries forum.

the village of bethany as descrbed in the nt and later jewish works appears to be a work of fiction.

there is no known reference to the city in historical documents.

mizpah

peacefulpete:

First...no Nazareth.... Then....no Bethlehem And now....no Bethany.

I think you are trying too hard...haha Mispah

13

FASCISM VS THEOCRACY - children are intimidated to begin service early

by garybuss in

fascism.

fascism

mizpah

Somehow the comparison with Fascism seems a little extreme. ( But there certainly are some parallels. )There is no longer a dictator in the organization. Control is by the Governing Body and its committees. But the end result is still a very oppressive system, more like the Catholic church of past history.

I don't think the Society will admit to this... And we are grateful that the Watchtower Society does not have authority over us. It was interesting, though, that in the Bonham, Texas case the lawyers for the Society argued that the Watchtower was "hierarchal" in structure. So there is no question that it is a "hierarchy" by its own admission.

21

The Truth shall set you free but first it will make you miserable!

by Michele Lyon in

i'm new to this web site.

i was 3rd generation witness, a member for over 40 yrs.i helped write information for the awake mag.

(for a brief while), i'm a certified grief counselor, counselor for addictions, co-taught workshops on addictions, communication, marriage & parenting, 12 step work.

mizpah

Michele:

Glad to read you made your escape from the Watchtower Society. I guess none of us realized at the time that a WATCHTOWER is a common feature of a prison. Since many of us couldn't see over the walls, we thought it the only way. Most who have left have taken various paths. Some have kept their faith in God and Christ. Some have have joined other churches. Still others have abandoned all faith. And you will see all these opinions listed on these boards.

In any case, a warm welcome to you. I'm looking forward to your comments.

6

Resurrection of Sodoma

by ClassAvenger in

i am going to be sharing with a jw and i want to bring up the doctrine of the resurrection of the people of sodoma.

i have heard that the watchtower has contradicted itself by changing this doctrine several times, and in one of the books they say that the "new light" can never contradict the past doctrine, but only build on it i think.

well, post whatever information you guys have on this topic.

mizpah

CA:

For additional information look under the site: watchtower.observer.org.

Doctrine

Changing Doctrine

"Will men from Sodom be resurrected?"

12

WTS says "Just accept!" (Worship Book chap 12)

by ozziepost in

a scripture that is not often dwelt on in its entirety by the r&f is matthew 28:19 which reads: go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit.

usually the latter part is omitted; perhaps being considered "babylonish".

the new worship book (the must read for all prospective dubs) seeks to address that issue by devoting much of chapter 12 to it.

mizpah

Good research and good question, Neonmadman.

But I am uncomfortable with your comment about Matthew 28 being a "Trinitarian formula." Perhaps, if it said that you should be "baptised in the name of the Father, the son and the holy spirit because they are one...." it would have been so...much like the proven interpolation of 1 John 5:7. But it does not.

Whatever, we anxiously await to see a response from peacefulpate.

9

Interesting quote about child abuse from WT

by izobcenec in

i found this in wt 1/1, p. 24. .

the watchtower and awake!timely journals of truth.

14social issues.

mizpah

Yes, that is exactly the point: If the Watchtower was aware of the widespread problem of sexual abuse that long ago the response should have been a "wakeup call" to the Society. It wasn't as if the leaders were unaware of their own internal problem. They were keeping secret files on these cases of sexual abuse.

I think this is all part of the Society's strategy. It cites these older articles to give the impression that it has been a leader in making the public aware of the problem. But in a sense, these articles condemn the Watchtower for not taking action to help the vicitims in their own organization.

No, I'm afraid that the Watchtower is still trying to hide its own problem and cover up its own scandal.