I really like his huge skull and cross bones ring he was wearing.
new boy
JoinedPosts by new boy
-
73
Quite Possibly The Most Sinister Speaker Ever?
by pale.emperor inhi guys.. "brother" jose is quite possibly the most sinister speaker i've ever seen or heard.
and i've seen/head a lot of cults in my time.. he's over the top with his voice tone and gestures.
i see a future governing body member in the making here:.
-
-
new boy
-
10
"50 Years a Watchtower Slave" Chapter 5 Part B
by new boy inone thing they never talked about at the assemblies was how many predictions they made in the pass about the so called end of the world.
predictions that never came to be.
i didn’t know it at the time and most jehovah’s witnesses didn’t know that charles russell (1852-1916), the founder, believed that christ had secretly arrived in the year 1874 and that he would establish the kingdom of god on earth in october 1914 russell based this prophecy on his studies of the bible and the great pyramid.
-
-
new boy
One thing they never talked about at the assemblies was how many predictions they made in the pass about the so called end of the world. Predictions that never came to be. I didn’t know it at the time and most Jehovah’s Witnesses didn’t know that Charles Russell (1852-1916), the founder, believed that Christ had secretly arrived in the year 1874 and that he would establish the Kingdom of God on Earth in October 1914 Russell based this prophecy on his studies of the Bible and the Great Pyramid.
A key component to the calculation was derived from the book of Daniel, Chapter 4. The book refers to "seven times". He interpreted each "time" as equal to 360 days, giving a total of 2,520 days. He further interpreted this as representing exactly 2,520 years, measured from the starting date of 607 BC. This resulted in the year 1914 being the target date for the Millennium. Russell's belief became a key teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Since late in the 19th century, they had taught that the "battle of the Great Day of God Almighty" (Armageddon) would happen in that year.
Russell
Said. “And, with the end of A.D. 1914, what God calls Babylon, and what men call Christendom, will have passed away, as is already shown from prophecy." Studies In The Scriptures, Vol. III, (1897)
"...we consider it an established truth that the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished by the end of A.D. 1914" (1889).
"In the coming 26 years, all present governments will be overthrown and dissolved." Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. II, (1889)
However in 1912 he back pedaled"...he wrote that, while the prophecy remains valid, the power of the Gentiles could end either in October 1914 or in October 1915."
Lots of people join Russell's movement and it expanded rapidly, in the years leading up to 1914.
However, as the year 1914 came and passed without the visible appearance of Christ. The society regarded the start of the World War 1 as confirmation that the process leading to Christ's return, had started. They decided that 1914 was the year that Jesus invisibly began his rule from heaven.
In November 1914, immediately after Russell's prophecy had failed, he wrote that the period of transition could run a "good many years."
The Watchtower magazine suggested that the destruction would happen "...shortly after 1914 with the utter destruction" of other Christian denominations and the inauguration of Christ's millennial reign. They first predicted that this would happen in 1915. Drawing a parallel with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Army in 70 CE, the authors of the 1915 Edition of "The Time Is At Hand" wrote:
"The Gentile Times prove that the present governments must all be overthrown about the close of A.D. 1915; and Parallelism above shows that this period corresponds exactly with the year A.D. 70, which witnessed the completion of the downfall of the Jewish polity."
After Russell's death in 1916, members of the society rewrote large portions of his Studies in the Scriptures to reflect the new belief that the year 1914 was merely the beginning of the end of Gentile times.
They later delayed the millennium to 1918. A 1917 publication, "The Finished Mystery" stated:
"...in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of Christianity."
That year also passed uneventfully, except for the end of World War I.
The WTS introduced the concept that Christ would establish his millennial kingdom on earth "before the generation who saw the events of 1914 passes away." With many humans achieving a life span of over 90 years, this could place the War of Armageddon at any time between 1914 and the early 21st century.
The next estimate of the end of things was some time in 1925.
In 1918, J.E. Rutherford, the WTS' second president and the author of "Millions now living will never die" wrote:
"...there will be a resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other faithful ones of old ... we may expect 1925 to witness the return of these faithful men of Israel from the condition of death, being resurrected and fully restored to perfect humanity and made the visible, legal representatives of the new order of things on earth.... Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection."
In 1922, Rutherford wrote:
"Fulfilled prophecy shows beyond a doubt that (Christ) did appear in 1874. Fulfilled prophecy is otherwise designated the physical facts; and these facts are indisputable....We understand that the jubilee type began to count in 1575 B.C.; and the 3,500 year period embracing the type must end in 1925....It follows, then, that the year 1925 will mark the beginning of the restoration of all things lost by Adam's disobedience."
In 1923, a Watchtower article predicted:
"Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge."
As the year approached, the WTS appeared to back-peddle somewhat:
Watchtower magazine predicted in mid-1924:
"The year 1925 is a date definitely and clearly marked in the Scriptures, even more clearly than that of 1914; but it would be presumptuous on the part of any faithful follower of the Lord to assume just what the Lord is going to do during that year." 4
At the beginning of 1925, a Watchtower article commented:
"With great expectations Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be... Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year."
Just like 1914 the year 1925 came and went to the dismay of the church leaders.
They regarded the year 1975 a promising date for the end of the world, based on their original belief that it was the 6,000th anniversary of creation of both Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden in 4026 BC. They believe, along with many other conservative Protestant denominations that the world would exist for exactly 1,000 years for each day of the creation week. Their Watchtower or Awake magazines taught that:
"According to reliable Bible chronology Adam was created in the year 4026 BC, likely in the autumn of the year, at the end of the sixth day of creation."
"According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in 4026 BC."
"Are we to assume from this study that the battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975, and the long-looked-for thousand-year reign of Christ will begin by then? Possibly, but we wait to see how closely the seventh thousand-year period of man’s existence coincides with the Sabbath like thousand-year reign of Christ....Our chronology, however, which is reasonably accurate (but admittedly not infallible), at the best only points to the autumn of 1975 as the end of 6,000 years of man’s existence on earth."
This prophecy was put forward in their publications, notably Watchtower and Awake and at their assemblies. The close proximity of the end times encouraged the membership to increase their proselytizing efforts.
Membership rose significantly in the years leading up to 1975. Some members sold their possessions, cashed in their insurance policies, etc. in anticipation of the Millennium's arrival.
So no time to waste back in the nineteen sixties and early nineteen seventies. No time to think about jobs. So college educations were not just frowned a ponded but highly discouraged. Very few people going to college back then. If you did go you were considered to be a spiritually weak person. It was never said to your face but talked behind your back. Yes, it was time to spread the news.
There was much talk of staying single and not getting married at all. It was no time to settle down and starting a family. The society knew if you got married, the odds of staying in the full time ministry was very low. So not only were less people getting married but many who were married decided to not have children for a while. They would wait until “the great tribulation” was over. Then it would be save to start their families. The thousands that served at the many “Bethel” headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world give up having any families too. It was law that no children were allowed at Bethel. So many who served there for 30, 40 and even 50 years gave up this privilege. There was a lot of very bitter people there who believed “the end” was coming any day. The only thing that ended was their possibility of having a family.
There was a scripture that was quoted a lot back then. “And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! … For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. ”
Something strange happened to me while I was in field service in the late nineteen nineties. I was going door to door in Tigard Oregon. I ring the door bell, like I have done thousands of times before. How many people have I talked to after forty years of “spreading the good news” who knows? This door was very different, at least the person behind it was. A pleasant looking blond haired man came to the door. He was in his late thirties and a slight smile on his face. I launched into my three minute sermon. He just stood there smiling. So I pulled out the “Watchtower and Awake” magazines and show him some stupid article about who knows what. After rambling on for minutes I finally asked him, what he thought. He stood there for a moment then he got a smile on his face and said. “I’m so grateful I don’t believe like you.” I stood there not knowing what to say. Then he said it again. “I’m so glad I don’t believe like you do.” I stood there with a strange look on my face and he said. “Wait here.” He turned and came back with a Watchtower in his hand. He also had with him what looked like his twelve year old son. Then he opened the watchtower up and read from it. “Your magazine says here. This is your magazine isn’t it?” I nodded yes. “It says here and I quote your magazine. ‘In view of the times we are living, it might be wise to not to have children because of the times we are living in.’ So, you see if I believed the same way you and your religion does, I would have never known the pleasure of my son here.” He put his hand on his sons head and smiled at us and said “Good bye.” I had nothing to say. He stepped back and shut his door. I thought to myself he was right.
-
41
That One Defining Moment That Changed Your Life.
by new boy init seems that many times in life there is a moment or an action that changes your whole world.
it could be just a look that someone gives you.. many times it can be something rather small.
something hardly noticeable by anyone but you.
-
-
new boy
My moment came one day about 1995. Something strange happened to me while I was in field service. I was going door to door in Tigard Oregon. I ring the door bell, like I have done thousands of times before. How many people have I talked to after forty years of “spreading the good news” who knows? This door was very different, at least the person behind it was. A pleasant looking blond haired man came to the door. He was in his late thirties and a slight smile on his face. I launched into my three minute sermon. He just stood there smiling. So I pulled out the “Watchtower and Awake” magazines and show him some stupid article about who knows what. After rambling on for minutes I finally asked him, what he thought. He stood there for a moment then he got a smile on his face and said. “I’m so grateful I don’t believe like you.” I stood there not knowing what to say. Then he said it again. “I’m so glad I don’t believe like you do.” I stood there with a strange look on my face and he said. “Wait here.” He turned and came back with a Watchtower in his hand. He also had with him what looked like his twelve year old son. Then he opened the watchtower up and read from it. “Your magazine says here. This is your magazine isn’t it?” I nodded yes. “It says here and I quote your magazine. ‘In view of the times we are living, it might be wise to not to have children because of the times we are living in.’ So, you see if I believed the same way you and your religion does, I would have never known the pleasure of my son here.” He put his hand on his sons head and smiled at us and said “Good bye.” I had nothing to say. He stepped back and shut his door. I thought to myself he was right.
-
41
That One Defining Moment That Changed Your Life.
by new boy init seems that many times in life there is a moment or an action that changes your whole world.
it could be just a look that someone gives you.. many times it can be something rather small.
something hardly noticeable by anyone but you.
-
-
new boy
It seems that many times in life there is a moment or an action that changes your whole world. It could be just a look that someone gives you.
Many times it can be something rather small. Something hardly noticeable by anyone but you. However when it happens you know you have crossed over into a whole other world. You have come to one of those huge defining moments in your life. A line has been crossed.
Like in the movie "Doctor Zhivago" when he had seen enough and turned his horse in another direction and left not caring if he was caught or not.
Or even when a marriage ends. Years of yelling and screaming and unhappiness ends one day because you didn't load the dishwasher properly. It wasn't the dishwasher and how it was loaded. It was everything that lead up to that moment!
My marriage was over years before that one moment came for me.
As they say it was "The straw that broke the camel's back."
That moment that tells you that you have been living a lie. That moment that tells you that you are done.
Done with the job, the relationship, the religion or sadly with life itself.
For a lack of a nail the shoe was lost. For the lack of a shoe the horse was lost. For the lack of a horse the rider was lost. For the lack of a rider the battle was lost.
What has been your defining moments?
-
12
"West World" and The Jehovah Witnesses
by new boy insitting there watching the new hbo series last night, i couldn't help but laugh and think about the similarities.
the creators (the gods) and the hosts (their creations) have an interesting relationship.. the "hosts" are programmed to have free thinking but only up to a point.
just like the witnesses.
-
-
new boy
Sitting there watching the new HBO series last night, I couldn't help but laugh and think about the similarities.
The creators (the gods) and the hosts (their creations) have an interesting relationship.
The "hosts" are programmed to have free thinking but only up to a point. Just like the Witnesses. They make you believe that you have free will but do you? The only thing you ever study is their information. Even their Watchtower study, is people lining up their magazines, raising their hands and regurgitating the same information right back to them. If you do add some information other than what is printed you might get a frown or a weird look.
How ironic, was the part in the show that showed what happened to a "host" when they would go through some horrific experience and the creators or "gods" would just erase their memory of it!
The same crazy thing the Jehovah's Witnesses hope for!
Well, Sister Jones your parents and four kids all dead at Armageddon because they refused to follow god's rules. However the good news is, god in his loving kindness and (programming) mercy will erase every memory of them from your mind.
Yes! So you can now enjoy paradise without those pesky thoughts about all your loved ones.
Wow.... those creators/gods think of everything.
-
21
November Broadcast - truly evil
by iwasblind inhi there i don't watch much of the propaganda on jw.org anymore but i did catch the november broadcast.. i think these guys are either evil or controlled by someone who is incredibly skilled at mind control.. firstly, they establish their authority by saying "everything" else is a lie - you can't trust media or anyone.
"there is no inspiration today.." but they somehow have the direct connection with god - yuck.. then, they proceed with that disgusting "shunning" drama - but now it is not called shunning, (around 24 mins) the mother said... "if we were to stand between levi and the discipline he needs we would in affect be blocking an expression of jehovah's love from reaching him...".
i am so angry at this, what a load.
-
-
new boy
"if we were to stand between Levi and the discipline he needs we would in affect be blocking an expression of Jehovah's love from reaching him..."
"And of course if Levi doesn't respond to this loving expression then god in his mercy and love will have no choice but to destroy him. However the good news is, god in his mercy and love will erase Levi's memory from our minds."
-
8
A Change in Weather
by compound complex incontinual rain, at long last, has ended another typically hot and dry summer, one that gave every appearance of extending far into a protracted indian summer.
yet, october was unusually wet.
this thanksgiving week promises daily rain.. an unforeseen sadness is creeping gradually, insidiously into the fabric of my life.
-
-
new boy
The end of a story and the beginning of another,
Maybe with the death of summer we too know our days are numbered.
-
1
"50 Years a Watchtower Slave" Chapter 5 Part A
by new boy inchapter 5. the end of the world is coming.. funny no matter how strange your life is, it’s easy to get used to it.
my life seemed pretty normal back then.
life in the nineteen fifties was pretty simple.
-
-
new boy
Chapter 5
The end of the world is coming.
Funny no matter how strange your life is, it’s easy to get used to it. My life seemed pretty normal back then. Life in the Nineteen Fifties was pretty simple. As a kid it was school, meetings at the Kingdom Hall and field service. One of the fun things to do happened twice a year. They were called “Circuit Assemblies.” All the congregations in a circuit would meet for a four day assembly. Because of the financial hardship on everyone they were shorten to three days. Now they are only two days. They would rent a building somewhere central in the area, 800 to a thousand people would show up. Sometimes we would travel to different cities and get a hotel or motel there. Now, not all the witnesses have to rent buildings in different towns. They have built “Assembly Halls.” These large buildings that are owned by the society and are set up perfectly to handle their conventions. Even though they have been paid off for many years, the brothers are still encouraged to contribute as if there was money still owing on the buildings.
The meetings are pretty much the same as the ones in the Kingdom Hall. There are talks about how to be more effective in the “field service” and how to get more converts. “The Ministry School” helps everyone to be a better public speakers. It’s not unusual to see a child of ten years old or less standing before a thousand people and giving a five minute bible sermon. There were talks about the evils of materialism and the sin of immorality. There are always talks about the “Last Days” and how we are so close to god’s day of vengeance. There are experiences about how people found the truth. They call their faith “The Truth.” So you are either in “The Truth” or out of “The Truth.”
There are talks about being “A Pioneer.” A full time minister for the Lord. This is something all young adults were encouraged to do. “Yes, it is time to serve the Lord. The end is coming very soon.” In the late nineteen sixties the society started talking about “1975.” The witnesses have predicted the end of the world as we know it many times over the years. This date was pushed almost as hard as 1914 was.
The conventions provide “spiritual food” to the “brothers and sisters.” They also provide an opportunity to meet other witnesses from other parts of the state. Everyone is dressed up in their finest attire. It’s also an opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex.
Another thing the Witnesses had besides the circuit assemblies was big district and international assemblies. In 1958 my whole family went to “The Divine Will” International convention in New York City. This convention toped them all. This was the biggest convention of all for the Witnesses. New York City has never had a convention like this one before or since. Most the Witnesses in the United States and thousands of Witnesses from 122 countries from around the world came to New York City.
This was an eight day assembly. We set in the sun for hours on end, listening to talk after talk. Most of us dressed up with white shirts and ties on. Some of the “brothers” never took off their dress coats. They told us that we needed to make a favorable impression on all the outsiders. Yes, we were all good Witnesses and would do anything to get more “spiritual food” including sweating our asses off.
It started every day at nine fifteen in the morning and went to nine at night. It could go even longer, if “Brother Knorr” the president of the society decided to give one of his famous concluding prayers. Over 100,000 people standing there after twelve exhausting hours with crying babies. We were all praying too! We were praying for him to finally say the word “amen.” So we could all get out of there and get on those hot subway trains for our commute home. Some people didn’t get back to their accommodations until 11:00 or 12:00 at night. Many of the poorer “brothers” had to go all the way to New Jersey to their tents in camp grounds. Then it was up at 6:00 in the morning to do it all again. For Knorr and his crew it was a 15 minute limo ride back to their luxury accommodations at Bethel.
The last day was Sunday August 3rd there was so many people there that they let us sit on the playing field. We ended up sitting in the middle of center field of Yankee Stadium, listening to Brother Knorr telling us how Jehovah would make the Earth into one big paradise, one day very soon. The final attendance there ended up being over 258,000, including the polo grounds. Yes, Knorr gave the mother of all prayers at the end. It was almost like he didn’t want to let us go. Almost sixty years ago and Yankee Stadium has never broken that attendance record. Also no one has ever broken the record for the longest prayer ever given there either.
The conventions is where they would release their new publications. These books would be bought to be read and studied at the congregation book study. Eventually they would be taken from door to door to be placed in the hands of those who wanted to get the “good news” for a small donation. The books were never sold, that could be illegal in some states. Instead people were asked to make a small contribution or donation to help defray the printing cost. A lot of the time the witnesses would buy their literature at the Kingdom Hall and just give it away to people they met.
They would release two to three books every year. The society has written hundreds of these Bible study aids over the years. The witnesses could hardly wait to get these books. They desperately wanted to get the “new truths” or as the society calls it “new light.”
Every week we would meet in a private home for a one hour meeting called, you guessed it “The Book Study.” These books would be studied line by line, paragraph by paragraph. We would study only ten to fifteen paragraphs a week, looking for hidden treasure in every word. Sometimes it would take years to get through these books.
I’ll never forget one of the books that we got back there in 1958. It was called “From Paradise lost to Paradise Regained.” book. There are drawings in it of god’s final war called “Armageddon.” In this book the society drew pictures of buildings falling down on people as they run around in terror. One picture had the Earth opening up and people falling into this large chasm. It showed a dog and a little girl trying to hold her doll as they fell into the open abyss. Thank god we couldn’t see her face. I was only nine years old but thought Jehovah is not messing around. I needed to get with the program or god could kill my dog.
-
25
My oldest friend, Quincy Roberts, Ex-JW died last night at age 66
by TerryWalstrom inthe first time i walked into a kingdom hall, i was about 15 years old.
i shook hands with a 12-year-old named quincy.
as time passed and we grew older, quincy hung out with us older j-dubs.
-
-
new boy
Looks like we both lost a friend this last week. At our age it's all part of the journey of life.
He was a lucky man to have a friend like you!
-
2
Jim Pipkorn is dead.
by new boy inhe had been in poor health for quite awhile, with a bad heart.
i was trying to call him for over a week with no response.
last sunday night i had a dream about him.
-
-
new boy
Maybe someone else here may have known him.
He had been in poor health for quite awhile, with a bad heart. I was trying to call him for over a week with no response.
Last Sunday night I had a dream about him. I have never dreamt about Jim ever before. As he came to me I said "You have made your transition! Yes." he said. "Wow" I said "They let you come back this soon?" He didn't say anything. Then he said "They sold my trailer.".....crazy.
The next morning I knew he was gone. I called the trailer park where he was living and they confirmed his death.
He was a strange and wonderful person. Crazy in many respects.
He died alone in a small trailer in Sierra Vista Arizona. No funeral and no friends. I was one of his few friends and I wasn't a very good one at that. I lived in Arizona for 4 years and never went to see he even once.
He was one of the first people I met at bethel, the first day I got there.
As chance would have it, we ended up working in the bethel laundry together.
He is mentioned many times in my "new boy" stories of bethel.
He hadn't been to a JW meeting in over 35 years.
He was one of these sad people who couldn't live as a Jehovah's Witness yet couldn't make the break away from the angry god Jehovah.
Like many out there he created his own religion were he believed in Jehovah but just not his organization.
RIP Jim