peacefulpete

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Posts by peacefulpete

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  33

  Museum Pic

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a lot of ink has been spilled on the topic of the cross.

  the wt felt it had uncovered some deep conspiracy when they found a number of words were used to describe how jesus was understood to have been killed.

  there was an extensive thread many years ago that in short strongly supports the conclusion that at least some nt writers envisioned a cross, while others had a tree in mind.

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  peacefulpete

  Testament of Levi; Chapter 3

  3:1 “Listen, therefore, concerning the heavens which have been shown to you.”
  3:2 “The lowest is dark for this reason: It sees all the injustices of humankind and contains fire, snow, and ice, ready for the Day determined by God’s Righteous Judgment. In it are all the spirits of those dispatched to achieve the punishment of mankind.”
  3:3 “In the second are the armies arrayed for the Day of Judgment to work vengeance on the spirits of error and of Beliar. Above them are the Holy Ones.” Revelation 19:11-16
  3:4 “In the uppermost heaven of all dwells the Great Glory in the Holy of Holies, superior to all holiness.”
  3:5 “There with him are the archangels, who serve and offer propitiatory sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of all the sins of ignorance of the righteous ones.”
  3:6 “They present to the Lord a pleasing odor, a rational and bloodless oblation.”

  Sacrifices are made in heaven.
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  33

  Museum Pic

  by peacefulpete in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a lot of ink has been spilled on the topic of the cross.

  the wt felt it had uncovered some deep conspiracy when they found a number of words were used to describe how jesus was understood to have been killed.

  there was an extensive thread many years ago that in short strongly supports the conclusion that at least some nt writers envisioned a cross, while others had a tree in mind.

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  peacefulpete

  A few notes I wanted to log onto this thread, so as to consider later.

  As noted above the mytheme death by crucifixion on a tree was ancient and familiar to first century writers. Combine that with the Deut/Genesis link. The usage of the paleo Hebrew TAV as a Jewish symbol for 1. Truth 2. sign 3. life or death. Ez 9:4 places a Tav on the foreheads of those to live. and Then consider texts such as : Sybylline oracles 345: And4 one shall come again from heaven, a man Preeminent, whose hands on fruitful tree By far the noblest of the Hebrews stretched, Who at one time did make the sun stand still (Joshua/Jesus) 350 When he spoke with fair word and holy lips, No longer vex thy soul within thy breast By reason of the sword, rich child of God, Flower longed for by him only, goodly light And noble branch, a scion much beloved....

  Further, the Mandean (followers of John the Baptist) connection is usually overlooked. The Drabsha. Drabsha - Wikipedia

  Rather than be a symbol of crucifixion it represents the 4 directions and the white cloth is the "Light" of God.
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  10

  the name Jehovah: magical?

  by enoughisenough in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  didn't know the best subject area to put this question under....i was listening to a discussion on youtube the other day while working, so not getting every point ....part of what was talked about was the word jehovah, ( not being the most accurate translation of yhwh ) was however pushed by illuminati /secret societies for its use in magic.

  (as i informed, i wasn't getting the whole conversion as i also had attention elsewhere and some of the conversation was hard to follow.

  ) so i am wondering if anyone on here has more information on the subject they care to share.

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  peacefulpete

  CriticalBible2.0......The Hellenization of the ancient world was met by groups of worshippers of YHWH in very different ways. When Alexander allowed YHWH worshipers in the north (Samaria) to build a temple for themselves on mt. Gerizim, it cemented a division that lasted centuries. Likewise the millions of Jews living in Egypt under the Ptolemies developed a rich Hellenized form of Judaism, with deep respect for the traditions of Egypt, Greece and Palestine. Many understood the "True" God was in fact known through these other traditions as well. Equating Zeus or Jupiter with Yahweh was a natural process of syncretism. This wasn't the origin of the name YHWH which is much more ancient and likely from a deity in the south of Palestine.
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  74

  Doctrines and Bible Interpretations

  by IWant2Know in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like to know if ex's and formers who are not church christians, believe that many of jws' doctrines and bible interpretations are correct, or do you feel that they aren't?

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  peacefulpete

  Generally speaking, "interpretations" become necessary only when readers mistakenly believe all passages must be "harmonized" or when the text contains obvious error. Allowing for the originality and uniqueness of each writer as well as allowing for human error, then the only thing needing to be interpreted is deliberately cryptic passages meant for an ancient audience, not people living thousands of years later.
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  32

  C.T. Russell, Occultist

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one aspect of the watchtower's history that has never been.

  adequately explained is russell's fascination with the occult.. the end of the 19th century saw the prominence of many occult.

  were obsessed with egyptian symbols and magick based on the.

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  peacefulpete

  Russell era doctrine was not Adventist, but Age to Come, the American designation for British Literalism. Russell had known contacts with Second Adventists, that is Advent Christian Association and Life and Advent Union advocates. But he adopted the doctrines of the older Literalist belief system that developed in Britain starting in at least the late 17th Century.

  Naturally, American 'Adventism' as a movement was a loosely defined outgrowth of British precedents. While he drew from an eclectic religious background for his unique particulars, his movement certainly was part of the American Adventist school of religious thought. Thanks for your passionate work.
  
  
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  32

  C.T. Russell, Occultist

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one aspect of the watchtower's history that has never been.

  adequately explained is russell's fascination with the occult.. the end of the 19th century saw the prominence of many occult.

  were obsessed with egyptian symbols and magick based on the.

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  peacefulpete

  vienne, American Adventism represented a push-back, a counter movement to the industrial age with science and reason elevated to new levels, with individualism hailed as superior to conformity.

  IOW, overt mystical claims might be culturally less palatable, but the leaders must project divine providence and protection that convinces individuals to conform. It's a balancing act that results in cognitive dissonance among members when asked if their leadership is 'inspired'. Well, yes and no, they might want to reply.

  The WT is a product of our culture and times as all successful religions are.
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  10

  The Strange Case of Jim and Sandra Melgar

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  by the time you reach the nine minute and forty one second mark you will know why i posted this.this may be old news to you - but i just discovered it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74s7jg1fdf4&t=582s.

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  peacefulpete

  An update 10 years after the murder, her daughter claims they found a man's DNA on the safe. That sounds like grasping at straws. The handle of the locked safe had the husband's blood, (smeared so no fingerprints). Unsurprisingly, no DNA testing of the rest of the safe was done at the time. Now 10 years later the daughter apparently hired someone to search the safe for DNA and claims to have found an unknown male's DNA. I hate to point out the obvious but its likely a cop's DNA or even a past owner, salesperson etc.
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  10

  The Strange Case of Jim and Sandra Melgar

  by Terry in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  by the time you reach the nine minute and forty one second mark you will know why i posted this.this may be old news to you - but i just discovered it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74s7jg1fdf4&t=582s.

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  peacefulpete

  We simply don't have all the facts, however, the most suspicious element is his being tied and placed in the closet after his death. The staged appearance of the scene. Drawers opened but not rifled through etc. Bag of stuff dropped in the garage. His handgun was found in the very closet his body was found. The chair propped to appear to be locked in, pillow sham in the closet, the silly way she was found "tied" up. The "I must have had a seizure" and I heard nothing statements from her are pretty questionable.

  I think they got the right person.

  Apart from the murder, the handgun, the sex toys, and the joining his family for Christmas dinner, even bringing eggnog are kind of strange from a JW standpoint.
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  62

  Revelation 13 and 17 Beasts

  by Duran in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  revelation 17:8-11,12-14. revelation 13:3,5,7,8,10;11:2,3. revelation 13:11-17;19:19,20,21. revelation 15:2;20:4. what beast does it state that gets thrown into the fiery lake with the false prophet?

  what beast gets the 42-month authority given to it in which time the motb is given out?.

  what beast is the 8th king?.

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  peacefulpete

  Revelation 20 Question - Nark, Leolaia, Alan, Blondie, Drew, Others.
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  52

  Manners and Respectfulness

  by IWant2Know in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i would like to know if there are any ex's or formers who still appreciate good manners and respectfulness?

  but i hope this question isn't offensive to this forum.

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  peacefulpete

  Politeness....pass it on. About Us - Pass It On - Inspirational Quotes | The Foundation for a Better Life