Posts by mizpah

10

1874 v. 1914 date change?a masterpiece of forgery and deception!

by MacHislopp in

[page 257] .

r2359 : page 259] .

1926. from the book : " creation " published in the year 1926, page 312.

mizpah

I have no doubts that Russell sincerely believed his time table and the dates that he set. He was willing to admit that if he was in error then the time table could be off by as much as a century. But it is worthy to note that he did not abandon his firm belief that he and the other Bible Students were living in the time of the end. Nor did he abandon his belief of Christ's invisible presence.

On the other hand, I do doubt the sincerity of Rutherford. I think he had the devious mind of a shrewd lawyer. The failings of Russell's predictions were clearly evident by the time he took over the organization. His task was to keep some semblance of the teachings of Russell and, at the same time, try to explain away the errors. Since 1914 was a critical date in all Watchtower theology, he lifted the application of 1874 (Christ's presence) and put it on the date 1914. I also think that he came up with the idea of the return of the "ancient worthies" to distact whatever members were left in the organization after the defection and focus them on a new prediction. I have no doubt that this was a calculated move on his behalf.

14

Matthew 27:46=Pslams 22:1

by Beans in

about the ninth hour jesus cried out in a loud voice, "eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?

"--which means, "my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?".

my god, my god, why have you forsaken me?

mizpah

It requires faith which ever source you believe in. Obviously, peacefulpete has more confidence in the writings of the higher critics and unbelievers. In contrast, ozziepost prefers the Bible Commentators and scholars who still believe in the Bible as "God's Word."

The higher critics seem to have certain goals in mind: To "debunk" the Bible and to destroy the faith of Christian believers. On the other hand, the Bible commentators want to build faith and to help explain some of the difficulties found in Scripture.

The author of the book of Matthew frequently quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures to show how Jesus fulfilled Bible prophecy. Jesus had to be "abandoned" by his father to suffer a sacrificial death for all mankind. Jesus must have known the rest of the Psalm that foretold: "For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help." Verse 24

36

Why so angry?

by woodland in

.

why are so many people angry at the wt society, when it is the people that decide to remain in the organisation?

mizpah

woodland:

I think you are right. Some people do need the structure of an organization to function. Some XJWs who have left the organization seemed to have also abandoned good sound Christian principles. It is sad that they didn't comprehend that God and the organization were never the same.

Your expression "to defeat them with love" is on the mark. JWs can argue ad infinitum on doctrinal points. But they are lost when love and compassion is shown by those who have left the organization or who are considered as "apostates." "Love never fails."

8

Canada and child pornography

by onacruse in

christianity today (sept 2003) had a very disturbing article about canadian laws re: child pornography (written by a toronto author):.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/009/9.30.html.

i won't quote anything here.

mizpah

It is difficult to understand how adults in the political and judicial fields can be so lax in their attitude toward child pornography. Aren't they parents of children themselves? As humans, aren't they revolted by the sexual exploitation of children? They should be outraged. And the laws should reflect their intolerance of such deviant behavior.

28

Do they still give the higer rank elders at Bethel Luxury Cars?

by Dan76 in

i grew up in nyc.

my book study conductor was one of the more senior elders in his department.

i used to remember that bethel always gave him (or at least loaned him for ministerial use) a real nice, tricked out, brand new lexus.

mizpah

Years ago, most Jehovah's Witnesses struggled to keep their old "flivers" repaired and patched so as to use them in "Jehovah's Service." The only ones who seemed to have the larger and newer cars were the Circuit Servants. Occasionally, an appeal would be made to the circuit so the CO could have a newer car. I remember one refusing a newer but smaller car because it was not "safe" to drive. No matter that the majority of his "brothers" could only afford such.

COs and their wives did not have an easy life. But they did get certain perks that compensated for their way of life. They always received private contributions in every congregation they attended. They were always treated as "royalty" whenever they visited. Their accomodations were usually provided by JWs who were "better off" than the average. And every family that fed them always tried to give them the very best.

24

Is Islam a religion of peace?

by onacruse in

the october 2003 christianity today has an article entitled "competing claims about islam...is it a religion of peace or of violence?

" selected quotes (no link available):sometimes the religion is shown as violent, promoting jihad (holy war), and providing theological justification for acts of terrorism.

at other times, especially when american adherents to islam are represented, the religion is described as one of peace.. "either view of islam can be demonstrated by just picking certain verses in the qu'ran and certain illustrations from history," fuller seminary professor dudley woodberry says.

mizpah

Historically, there are vast differences between the origins of Christianity and of Islam. Christ never taught his followers to fight against the enemies of the Christians. In fact, he instructed his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecuted them.

In contrast, militancy and aggression was "part and parcel" of the teachings of Mohammed. He used military force to subjugate the unbelievers. He never hestiated to slaughter those who resisted. Jihad was and is a fundamental part of Islam.

It wasn't until the time of Constantine that "Christians" began to use physical force as part of their strategy to convert and to control unbelievers. But by that time, the church was so corrupted that it ignored the teachings of Christ and cast aside all of the principles that early Christians held as sacred. This only proves that later Christians who engaged in this type of conduct were Christians in name only.

30

hidden messages in the bible

by invictus in

have you heard of chuck missler?

i just got his booklet " hidden treasures in the bible", and this is an interesting statement:.

( comparing names in hebrew and their english meaning).

mizpah

This argument about the word "El" being the Canaanite name of God represented by the bull is shallow. If "El" predated the Canaanites as a word for God in the ancient semitic languages and was adopted by the Canaanites as the name of their God then all this speculation is for nought. (The Muslims adopted "Allah" as a name of their God even though it was originally a word meaning "God." )

One thing is clear from the Bible. The worship of the bull instead of Yahweh was discouraged in Israel. To the Israelites, the bull was associated with the false worship of Egypt. So, whem Moses came off the mountain and found the impatient Israelites worshipping the bull as Yahweh, he smashed the commandments and destroyed the idol. The Israelites who confronted the Canaanites had no confusion over this word "El."

It never ceases to amaze me that the so call "higher critics" and biblical speculators seem to have questionable motives in mind: to destroy people's faith in the Bible and to elevate their own theories so people will have faith in them.

36

Why so angry?

by woodland in

.

why are so many people angry at the wt society, when it is the people that decide to remain in the organisation?

mizpah

woodland:

People who decide to remain in the organization have little choice. They know if they leave they will be ostracized and shunned. It is not Jehovah's Witnesses that make the rules and regulations. They blindly obey it because of its claim to be "God's organization." In a way, they are victims, too. They do not have the freedom of choice. The organization of the Watchtower Society is authoritarian and controlling.

The more valid question should be: "Why, if it claims to be a Christian organization, does the Watchtower Society impose cruel unchristian rules that devastate families and ruin relationships? The majority of XJWs do not hate JWs. Rather, they hate the organization that imposes rules that require their members to act in an unchristian manner.

14

Reformers repeat mistake....

by mizpah in

i'm reading a fascinating book, god's best seller, by brian moynahan.

in it he documents how a few men like wycliff and tyndale risked their lives to make the bible available to the common people.

the catholic church violently opposed these efforts and persecuted all who were involved in the translating, publishing and distributing the scriptures.

mizpah

Ohappyday:

I tend to agree with you. The Governing Body has already consented to "spiritual stoning" as a form of spiritual execution. (Disfellowshipping) If they had the authority, I do believe they would use it against the "apostates."

I guess we should be grateful that these "inmates" are not in charge of the assylum.

19

The necessity of "Spiritualizing" prophecy fullfillment

by refiners fire in

the watchtower organization has certainly, in times past, taken an absolute position on the matter of interpreting prophetic scripture passages.

but they are not the only ones guilty of that crime.

it is easy to demonstrate the same pattern from adventism, and ( as i have done previously) from many other churches of the ?born again?

mizpah

RF:

When Ron Hubbard, writer of Science Fiction, first presented his Dianetics as a "scientific breakthrough" to the psychiatrists and pyschologists they "laughed him off stage." He never forgave them for this insult and this branch of science became his avowed enemy. Because psychiatrists used drugs as part of their therapy (like Ritalin) he denouced the practice with vehemence. From then on, he waged battle with them that continues by his members today.

When he established Scientology he ran into a lot of trouble with the Government (U.S.) particularly with the Internal Revenue Service. So, he decided to make it a religion: Church of Scientology. It was a shrewd decision. The Government eventually backed away from prosecution of him and his church. But the Church of Scientology and its many cover organizations have run into a lot of difficulty in other countries. In some, it is banned and outlawed.