Posts by Cicatrix

19

Jephthah's daughter

by Cicatrix in

so the wts taught us all that jephthah sacrificed his daughter to jehovah's service at the temple.

well, that's not what i found out today.

i was reading a site on archeology, and they mentioned that jephthah had offered up his daughter as a burnt offering, and that this was sometimes practiced by the canaanites.the article said that some of the israelites had initially settled peacefully amongst the canannites about two hundred years before joshua conquered jericho, and that this is an example of how they adopted some of the canaanite practices.

Cicatrix

"Notice that the original vow applies to "whoever comes out" -- be it human or animal, male or female, virgin or not. So it cannot mean "virginity vow". The narrative does not redefine the import of the original vow into another."

Interesting. Thanks, Narkissos.

Do you have any more information on the burnt sacrifice vows, or Israelites making vows to God in general? This is a new concept for me I'd like to learn more about.

Also, what was the importance of the custom of lamenting Jephthah's daughter "four days of the year." Was this just a way of justifying an already existing older tradition?

Edited to add:
I noticed that you said it was an older tradition. Was this perhaps an attempt to syncretize a custom that could not be eradicated?

19

Jephthah's daughter

by Cicatrix in

so the wts taught us all that jephthah sacrificed his daughter to jehovah's service at the temple.

well, that's not what i found out today.

i was reading a site on archeology, and they mentioned that jephthah had offered up his daughter as a burnt offering, and that this was sometimes practiced by the canaanites.the article said that some of the israelites had initially settled peacefully amongst the canannites about two hundred years before joshua conquered jericho, and that this is an example of how they adopted some of the canaanite practices.

Cicatrix

So the WTS taught us all that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to Jehovah's service at the temple. Well, that's not what I found out today. I was reading a site on archeology, and they mentioned that Jephthah had offered up his daughter as a burnt offering, and that this was sometimes practiced by the Canaanites.The article said that some of the Israelites had initially settled peacefully amongst the Canannites about two hundred years before Joshua conquered Jericho, and that this is an example of how they adopted some of the Canaanite practices.

I checked two non-WTS versions of the scripture at Judges 11:30-38, and sure enough, both versions said "burnt offering."One version had a foot note that stated that it's not clear if Jephthah killed her or kept his vow by "consecrating her to perpetual virginity." Being as women then were only deemed worthy through childbearing, I could see how it would be a great sacrifice either way. But why not use the term, sacrifice, instead of burnt offering? That seems very specific to me. Also, in the account of Samuel, there is no mention of the word "burnt offering." In fact, his parents offered up a sacrifice when they took him to the Temple.

Does anyone else have any info about this?

Thanks

48

Were There Any Scriptures or Understandings That U Just Couldn't Comprehend

by minimus in

jw
friends

i never could explain why god "allowed" solomon to have a number of wives and concubines yet he never even got a reprimand!

or why birthdays are forbidden but anniverseries aren't.....what about you?

?

Cicatrix

" Why, if Solomon committed "apostasy" against God, then why is there a book named after him in the Bible?;"

I've always wondered why, if Solomon was the wisest man on earth, did he stop worshipping Jehovah?

7

The Human Mind...

by Crooked Lumpy Vessel in

jw
friends

i cdnuolt blveiee taht i cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht i was rdanieg.

the phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deson't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

the rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a

Cicatrix

I wonder if that's the case for people who have dyslexia. One of my sons does, and he has a habit of picking up on the first few letters, but adds totally different letters to the end, creating a different word altogether. He does this when he is reading aloud, but does seem to comprehend what he reads silently. I don't know if he is actually able to read the individual words when he reads silently, or if he is discerning what the words are by the context of the sentences.

Do you have a url for this site? I'm very interested in brain/language studies.

Thanks
Cic

16

AWAKE! says JWs are "mentally ill" September 8,2004

by apocalypse in

that's right folks.

the awake september 8,2004 on page 21 has a box.

some warning signs of mental disorders

Cicatrix

"Maybe this is a case where they defuse the charge by bringing it up themselves and framing it in an acceptable way."

That's what I thought, too. They did a WT article on cults when I was still in.

This would serve the purpose of not only making them seem more mainstream, but of convincing their members that they are "reasonable," which then would naturally preclude that they are being "reasonable" about how they describe and handle dissenters. Then they could just use the "unwritten rules" to keep things in line.

The comment on JWs becoming psychaitrists made me laugh. My mother has been pursuing that goal, and she has been deemed "spiritually weak." It would be beneficial to the organisation, though, to have baptised psychiatrists under their thumbs. But let a lowly woman have such a position? LMAO!!!!!! Not likely.

Whoops, have to add an edit. I just noticed it was psychiatrists they are endorsing. My mother wants to be a psychologist. Psychiatrists=drug perscritions. Psychologists=lots of unnecessary talk in JW land. But I still bet women won't be encouraged to pursue that field-only field service. Heh.

48

Were There Any Scriptures or Understandings That U Just Couldn't Comprehend

by minimus in

jw
friends

i never could explain why god "allowed" solomon to have a number of wives and concubines yet he never even got a reprimand!

or why birthdays are forbidden but anniverseries aren't.....what about you?

?

Cicatrix

"Why an Israelite man could marry a non-Israelite woman as long as she wasn't a Canaanite (see recent QFR which is the same old crap)."

Good points, Blondie!! Hey is this QFR posted anywhere on this site?

48

Were There Any Scriptures or Understandings That U Just Couldn't Comprehend

by minimus in

jw
friends

i never could explain why god "allowed" solomon to have a number of wives and concubines yet he never even got a reprimand!

or why birthdays are forbidden but anniverseries aren't.....what about you?

?

Cicatrix

4 as they were preparing to retire for the night, the men of the city-yes Sodomites, young and old from all over the city-surrounded the house and 5. shouted to Lot, "Bring out those men to us so we can rape them." 6. Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7. "Please, fellows," he begged, "don't do such a wicked thing. 8. "Look-I have two young virgin daughters, and I'll surrender them to you to do with as you wish. But leave these men alone, for they are under my protection."

Genesis 19:6-8

And under these circumstances, why the heck did his daughters later decide they wanted children from this man????

21

Did Your Hall Make You Go To Meetings During Inclement Weather.......?

by minimus in

jw
friends

and did they make you make up a meeting that was cancelled?.......we had a couple of elders that loved to schedule extra meetings in the week because a snowstorm cancelled it.

we had a few elders that would make it a point to keep a meeting going during the worst of snowstorms.

for years, we wouldn't go if the conditions were icy----simply because we could get killed!

Cicatrix

"Did your cong ever have a problem with the sisters dressing for inclement weather (like wearing pants under their skirts but tucked into their boots so no one really knew, but somehow they got ratted out anyway and admonished for wearing masculine clothing)?"

No, because the elder's wives did it:) In fact, one of them convinced me to wear leggings under my skirts, lol.

Moon boots and snowmobile boots were routinely discouraged.This didn't stop a certain elder's wife from wearing them, though;)

21

Did Your Hall Make You Go To Meetings During Inclement Weather.......?

by minimus in

jw
friends

and did they make you make up a meeting that was cancelled?.......we had a couple of elders that loved to schedule extra meetings in the week because a snowstorm cancelled it.

we had a few elders that would make it a point to keep a meeting going during the worst of snowstorms.

for years, we wouldn't go if the conditions were icy----simply because we could get killed!

Cicatrix

Most of the time. Until an elderly sister skidded into a log truck on her way home and got injured badly. Then they were a little better about calling them off (that was only a couple of years before I quit, though). I refused to go when they did have them, though, as I lived quite a distance from the hall and drove there with my small children by myself. They sometimes had make-up meetings on Wednesdays or Fridays if there was very important info to be covered, but not often.

One time, the Sunday speaker got in an accident on his way to our Hall.When he was late (before the elders heard about the accident), the Watchtower study conductor took over. He figured we could just reverse the meetings. After they recieved the call from the speaker, one of the other elders went to the hospital where the speaker and his family were to make sure they were okay.Needless to say, it was a short Watchtower study that day, as no one's minds were on the lesson.

24

letter from mom/letter to mom

by MerryMagdalene in

if anybody feels up to wading through what follows and giving me any feedback on it, i would really appreciate it, but, if not, that's cool too.... letter from mom (9/29/04):.

my dear one,.

i guess you know no one on earth is as dear to me as you.

Cicatrix

Hi Merry,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to go through this with your mom. My heart goes out to both of you and your daughter. I wish you all well.

That being said, I'm going to make a few suggestions. Keep a copy of the letter you send to your mom, and all future correspondence between you two. Some have had JW grandparents take them to court to gain visitation rights of their grandchildren. Your letter is proof that you have tried to arrange something with your mom, and states clearly the reasons why you don't want your daughter to spend time with your mother alone, and why you don't want her taken to meetings at this time.

Good luck with the homeschooling, too. It will be the most rewarding and challenging thing you do:)Be sure to know the laws of your state regarding homeschooling. It's not a bad idea to keep a copy of the law in your possession, and to be familiar with lawyers in your area who deal with homeschooling issues. Even in states where homeschooling is legal, folks have had others challenge their right to homeschool their kids. This could become an issue for you if your mother is pressured by her friends or the elders. I'm not saying it will happen, but it's good to be prepared for every possibility.