Posts by paterfamilias

37

Watchtower Aug. 15, 1968 says to ignore Jesus about tthe time of the end..

by AloneinOh in

jw
friends

talking about 1975 and the push by the society got me to looking at some older quotes.

this one here really bugged me and still pisses me off when i read it.

in this instance they are telling you to forget about jesus and listen to the society.

paterfamilias

There's no shortage of irony in how they had to go back to "toying" with Mt. 24:36 when the time came to extinguish the old light concerning the generation:

5 After prophesying events leading up to a time of "great tribulation," Jesus added: "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:3-36; Mark 13:3-32) We do not need to know the exact timing of events. Rather, our focus must be on being watchful, cultivating strong faith, and keeping busy in Jehovah?s service?not on calculating a date. Jesus concluded his great prophecy by saying: "Keep looking, keep awake, for you do not know when the appointed time is. . . . Keep on the watch . . . What I say to you I say to all, Keep on the watch." (Mark 13:33-37) Danger lurks in the shadows of today?s world. We must keep awake!?Romans 13:11-13.
6
Not only must we pay attention to the inspired prophecies concerning these final days of a wicked system but we must anchor our faith primarily on the precious sacrifice of Christ Jesus and God?s marvelous promises based thereon. (Hebrews 6:17-19; 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 2 Peter 1:16-19) Eager to see the end of this evil system, Jehovah?s people have at times speculated about the time when the "great tribulation" would break out, even tying this to calculations of what is the lifetime of a generation since 1914. However, we "bring a heart of wisdom in," not by speculating about how many years or days make up a generation, but by thinking about how we "count our days" in bringing joyful praise to Jehovah. (Psalm 90:12) Rather than provide a rule for measuring time, the term "generation" as used by Jesus refers principally to contemporary people of a certain historical period, with their identifying characteristics.

Another gem from the same article:

9 When Christ?s Kingdom rule began in 1914, Satan was hurled down to earth. This has meant "woe for the earth . . . because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time." (Revelation 12:12) That time is short, indeed, compared with the thousands of years of Satan?s rulership. The Kingdom is at hand, and so is Jehovah?s day and hour for executing judgment on this wicked generation!?Proverbs 3:25; 10:24, 25.

Could they have left the door open any wider? Hundreds of years could be considered short compared to thousands! How are statements like this supposed to instill a sense of urgency in the R&F? Better throw in the standard red herring:

15 Does our more precise viewpoint on "this generation" mean that Armageddon is further away than we had thought? Not at all! Though we at no time have known the "day and hour," Jehovah God has always known it, and he does not change.

55

Who was told that the New order would be here before......................

by avishai in

jw
friends

they finished high school?

college?

etc and what year were you told?.

paterfamilias

I remember being told by my father that he didn't think I would even start school before the end came. Let's see, I was born in 1970 -- hmmm....

-P

46

WTS Cashes In On Tsunami

by ezekiel3 in

in an informal announcement at service meetings this week (corroborated by the question box in the january 2005 our kingdom ministry, pg 7) jws interested in contributing to the asian tsunami disaster should contribute directly to the "worldwide work" (the general fund).. the entire article referenced above: .

what is the best way to make contributions for the benefit of needy brothers in other lands?.

at times, we hear about brothers in another land who have come into material need because of persecution, disaster, or other difficult circumstances.

paterfamilias

A useful tool in determining which charities are worthy of your cash is Charity Navigator:

Charity Navigator, America's premiere independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities.

Out of curiousity, I searched their database of over 3400 charities with the keywords "Watchtower" and "Jehovah," and no results were returned. That's a shame because it would be interesting to see how they stack up in the various efficiency ratings and peer analysis.

Of course, the WTBTS probably isn't registered as an official charity, so it may perhaps be unfair to compare them with organizations that are. However, when the WTBTS suggests that you give to them in lieu of contributing to official charities, aren't they putting themselves on an equal plain? Since that appears to be the case, they would do well to adhere to the spirit of the industry-recognized Donor Bill of Rights: (emphasis added)

I. To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
III. To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V. To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
VI. To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers."

-P

26

LCD screens, do you have one?

by JH in

jw
friends

this week, i'll go and buy a lcd screen for my computer.

try to fit a 4:3 ratio picture into a 5:4 ratio screen, and it will distort.

i'd like to have your feedback on this, if you noticed any distortion in your pictures when you changed from a crt 4:3 ratio to a lcd screen 5:4 ratio.

paterfamilias

It's worth noting that once you get to the 19" size and beyond, many LCDs can be rotated 90 degrees so that you can work in portrait orientation. My panel supports this, and if I did much in the way of desktop publishing, I could see myself living in that mode, as it really does enable you to see an entire page.

26

LCD screens, do you have one?

by JH in

jw
friends

this week, i'll go and buy a lcd screen for my computer.

try to fit a 4:3 ratio picture into a 5:4 ratio screen, and it will distort.

i'd like to have your feedback on this, if you noticed any distortion in your pictures when you changed from a crt 4:3 ratio to a lcd screen 5:4 ratio.

paterfamilias

It's true that with 1280 x 1024 resolution you get 64 exta pixels of vertical resolution beyond the standard 4:3 aspect ratio. But, as pointed out, you only see a distortion when 4:3 content is "scaled" to fit. Popular graphics drivers now support 1280 x 960 for this reason, but you won't want to use that setting if your LCD has a native resolution of 1280 x 1024 because, from my experience, scaled resolutions on an LCD just do not look that good.

Virtually all 17" and 19" LCDs are 1280 x 1024 and I haven't heard or read of anyone complaining about distorted imagery in games, if that is an area you're concerned about (definitely a factor for me ). Also, if gaming is your thing -- and you may already know this -- look for LCDs with a response time of 16ms or better (and DVI input, too, provided that your video card supports it). I currently have a Dell 2001FP 20.1 inch, 1600 x 1200 @ 16ms and it is absolute butter. The only caveat with such a high resolution is that it takes a bleeding edge video card to power it through the latest games. That's why if I were buying an LCD now, I'd get the Viewsonice VP912B. It's a 19", 1280 x 1024 @ 12ms panel that also features a newer style ultra-bright screen. It's got the same glass-type coating that you see on some of the latest laptops (particularly from Sony) and it really makes the colors pop. The downside is increased glare -- but, hey, who ~~works~~ games with the lights on anyway?

Okay, enough technobabble... here's the linkage for this one if you're interested:

Manufacturer's info

Newegg's product listing (currently $629 + $12 shipping).

Have fun!

-P

10

Alan, you quoted Carl Sagan, (anyone can repply)

by one in

jw
friends

i am lazy and never read too much about speculative topics such as metaphysics but,

somewhere in this board you make reference about a guy who, imo (not that i know much about him), made a lot of speculations

as carl sagan once remarked, it's remarkable that a religion so transparently dishonest has any adherents at all, but that's a measure of the gullibility of the ultra-religious mind.. .

paterfamilias

One,

I believe you are referring to the quote that can be seen here. It's from Broca's Brain (New York: Ballantine Books, 1979, pp. 332-333).

160

Say Something Jehovah's Witnessy........

by minimus in

jw
friends

i know there's no such word as "witnessy" but this can be a fun thread.

paterfamilias

"Put away the old personality and put on the new."

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.

paterfamilias

Here are the details regarding the 1989 WT quote Blondie mentioned:

WT 1/1/89 p. 12, conclusion of para. 8 originally said:

The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our 20th centry.

In the bound volume and WT library CD it says:

The apostle Paul was spearheading the Christian missionary activity. He was also laying a foundation for a work that would be completed in our day.

13

This is how we do it in Oregon LOL

by onacruse in

jw
friends

well, i just saw on the news tonight that a long-time news reporter is retiring.. his most famous coverage was (and i hope one of my fellow oregonians can find this story and provide the link):.

about 25 years ago, a whale died and washed up on the beach.

this fellow was huge!

paterfamilias

"For the blast blasted blubber
beyond all
believable bounds."
Paul Linnman, TV reporter
November 12, 1970

What do you get when you cross a 45-foot, 8-ton whale carcass, a half-ton of dynamite, and the Oregon Highway Division?

click here to find out:
http://www.hackstadt.com/features/whale/

Don't miss the full video clip!

25

Why Does God Permit Wickedness?

by undercover in

how many times did we, as jws, see that question?

how many times did we read or recite the same ole bs about allowing wicked people to try to rule themselves and failing?

god's soverienty was brought into question and now he'll give satan and man so many thousand years to give it a try.

paterfamilias

Ah, the song by XTC. I forgot about that one. Thanks, Shamus. I remember feeling a bit guilty about liking that song...

I.	To be informed of the organization's mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II.	To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization's governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
III.	To have access to the organization's most recent financial statements.
IV.	To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V.	To receive appropriate acknowledgment and recognition.
VI.	To be assured that information about their donation is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII.	To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII.	To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX.	To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X.	To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers."