Topics Started by cedars
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WT: "Disfellowshipped teenagers = Nadab and Abihu"
by cedars incontinuing on my objective sojourn through the latest watchtower study editions, i thought i would write a few words about the article "god's rest - have you entered into it?
" taken from the july 15th watchtower.
incidentally, this watchtower is the same one that i discussed on my previous post concerning the society's latest bout of apostate-bashing.
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WT: "Don't watch news items featuring witnesses!"
by cedars inhi everyone, yet another analysis of a recent watchtower i'm afraid.
this one's a little closer to home, as it concerns apostates.
yes - i'm referring to the forthcoming article "will you heed jehovah's clear warnings?
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45
Am I on thin ice with my friend?
by cedars ini'm a former mts graduate, and it's a long story but i recently became inactive after realising it was all nonsense.
the problem is, i've noticed that my mts background makes it almost impossible for people to accept my new status as an "inactive" one.
people think that, given the amount of knowledge i have, there is surely no excuse for me to reach this preposterous decision.. a friend from my mts recently began emailing me to find out my reasons.
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23
Watchtower: "Google is like a mushroom picker"
by cedars inif you don't mind i'll share another gem from my review of the latest watchtower study editions (july to october '11).. one article which seemed riddled with flawed reasoning and bizarre analogies was entitled "the internet - making wise use of a global tool" on page 3 of the august 15th watchtower.. under the heading "information - reliable or false?
"never assume that all information found on the internet is good and beneficial.
internet search engines might be compared to a legion of mushroom pickers who tirelessly collect all types of mushrooms - edible as well as poisonous - throwing them into a single container and dishing them out for us to eat.".
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119
The Makeweight Scenario
by cedars ini just thought i'd share something if you don't mind.. my conviction in the legitimacy of the society was slowy eroded over a number of years simply by reading the publications and becoming increasingly frustrated at how little the interpretations of prophecy and scripture made sense, added to the complete ineptitude of senior figures in the organisation.. for me, the "glue" that kept everything roughly held together into something that can be called a "faith" was the concept of "increasing light", which as you all know is the principle employed by the society to excuse any mistakes or backtracks that are made.
they routinely flog proverbs 4:18, which as we all know has nothing to do with gradual refinements in understanding when read in context.
regardless of this, the concept managed to keep me loyal to the organisation for quite some time, as i was too fearful to bring it under direct scrutiny.
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46
QFR: "Warning - memorial partakers might be loonies!"
by cedars inas part of my objective analysis of four month's worth of watchtower study editions from july to october 2011, i found the following gem from a question from readers, on page 22 of the august 15 magazine.
the question under discussion was "how are we to understand the figures in the annual service report?
", and it goes on to provide an idiot's guide to what the figures mean, including the following.... "memorial partakers.
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17
Stephen Lett: "Pray for us to be faithful and discreet!"
by cedars inout of interest, i have just been scanning through the four latest available watchtower study articles (july thru october 2011) and in doing so i am reading them objectively for the first time.
i have been shocked, outraged and amazed by some of my findings.. as one example, take the article "a history-making meeting" from the august 15th watchtower, 2011. the article, beginning on page 18, discusses the 126th annual meeting of the watch tower bible and tract society, and begins with a summary of the opening talk by governing body member stephen lett.
it concludes the highlights of his talk in this way:.
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12
A photograph that I would pay money for...
by cedars ini've only recently become properly acquainted with barbara anderson's wonderful website www.watchtowerdocuments.com.
after reading her life story, she strikes me as a truly remarkable woman.. if i may quote from her story, one particular experience stood out for me when she was going through old memorabilia as part of a research project at the brooklyn headquarters.... in one of these drawers, finding personal photographs of the second president of the watchtower society, joseph f. rutherford, was, for me, one of the most disagreeable and revolting discoveries.
rutherford was clad in a dark-colored, one-piece, skin-tight, sleeveless swimsuit which covered him down to his thighs, a garment popular in the late 1920s and 30s.
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A warped view of the "Anglo-American World Power"
by cedars ina relative of mine recently asked me to comment on what was said in the final talk at the latest convention.
i obviously didn't attend the convention, but i was able to get hold of a recording.
here is a transcript from a recording of the final talk, entitled god's kingdom will crush all other kingdoms - when?
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Why is the Youth book not on Watchtower Library?!
by cedars ini realise this question may have been asked before, so please point me in the right direction if it has.. i've been aware for some time that the youth book isn't on the watchtower library cd-rom.
until now i've never questioned why, because i've assumed that this is simply due to the fact that it was "superseded" by the ypa book.
however, i've noticed that other books that were "superseded" are still on the cd-rom - for example, the old song book, the old school guidebook, the old family life book etc.. i remember my parents studying the red book your youth - getting the best out of it with me as a child.