Posts by Saintbertholdt

16

A historic note on the amount of faithful witnesses in Germany

by Saintbertholdt in

what percentage of witnesses were actually faithful in germany after 1936?.

what i mean by the above question is what percentage of witnesses actually remained active?

(those who went to underground meetings/memorials and attempted field ministry).

Saintbertholdt

Hi there all,

What percentage of Witnesses were actually faithful in Germany after 1936?

What I mean by the above question is what percentage of Witnesses actually remained active? (Those who went to underground meetings/memorials and attempted field ministry)

The actual number might surprise you:

The Watchtower of 1 April 1937 reported that about 3,600 were active and about 4000 under arrest during 1936.

However there was a total of just over 22 000 witnesses in 1933.

Note: The popular figure today for the amount of interred witnesses in the Nazi camps totals just over 10 000. So who are the other 3000 prisoners? (This is if you assume that almost all of the 7600 active German witnesses ended up in the camps. This is a reasonable assumption as the Gestapo was relentless in tracking active witnesses) Well those were Russian JW prisoners and the rest which hailed from the other parts of central and western Europe.

So what the 1936 and 1933 statistics mean is that only 34.5 % of Witnesses were active in Germany after 1936 and they are the ones who mostly ended up in the concentration camps. In other words in general the most devoted German JW followers were interred which might go a long way in explaining their solidarity and also their resolute devotion to the JW cause.

Final footnote: The 1 January 1949 Watchtower reported that the active number had surpassed the 1933 number (29,172 witnesses). It would seem most of the inactive lost sheep had rapidly returned just four years after the persecution ended.

Greetings

SB

39

Just an introduction

by Israel Ricky Gonzales in

just wanted to say hello since i am new to this forum.

allow myself to introduce myself.

lol.

Saintbertholdt

Hi Israel/Ricky,

I'm glad you're out and it seems you might even be able to retain your family life with your JW wife.

That's actually quite unique.

May the force be with you.

21

How do you know Satan didn't inspire the Bible?

by Coded Logic in

jws believe that satan knows things about the natural world (like how it was formed).. they also believe that satan can influence events (even fulfill prophecies).. the bible is the source of great confusion and the vast majority of christians (2.2 billion people) believe it but do not have "accurate knowledgetm".. from the jw point of view, wouldn't it be more likely that satan inspired the bible than an all loving god?.

Saintbertholdt

hmmm...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_as_the_Devil

Request for Information: Book - The Jehovah's Witnesses by Herbert Hewitt Stroup 1945

by Saintbertholdt in

about 5 years ago there was a request on the forum for the book: the jehovah's witnesses by herbert hewitt stroup.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/188043/jehovahs-witnesses-stroup-pdf?page=1.

unfortunately the link to the download is no longer working.. i was on amazon but they don't allow an inside peek at the book and only have it available in hardcover.. is anyone aware of another download location?.

Saintbertholdt

Hi there all,

About 5 years ago there was a request on the forum for the book: The Jehovah's Witnesses by Herbert Hewitt Stroup

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/188043/jehovahs-witnesses-stroup-pdf?page=1

Unfortunately the link to the download is no longer working.

I was on Amazon but they don't allow an inside peek at the book and only have it available in hardcover.

Is anyone aware of another download location?

33

Transcription of interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum regarding German JW's in the concentration camps

by Saintbertholdt in

a while ago i transcribed a video interview with rabbi michael berenbaum from the university of judaism.

the interview concerns jehovah's witnesses during the second world war in the german concentration camp system.

berenbaum is a historian and specifically researches jehovah's witnesses during the shoah and also the idea of martyrdom.

Saintbertholdt

Hi Earnest,

SaintBertholdt, thank you for the transcription. Do you have a link you could share to the video interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum?

Unfortunately no. I have the documentary 'knocking' and I transcribed it from that.

I am not sure whether its been posted online anywhere.

33

Transcription of interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum regarding German JW's in the concentration camps

by Saintbertholdt in

a while ago i transcribed a video interview with rabbi michael berenbaum from the university of judaism.

the interview concerns jehovah's witnesses during the second world war in the german concentration camp system.

berenbaum is a historian and specifically researches jehovah's witnesses during the shoah and also the idea of martyrdom.

Saintbertholdt

Hi rip van winkle,

JF Rutherford could've had JWs use "Theocratic Warfare" to avoid the Nazi camps--

True. Lying was already defined by Rutherford in 1936 as :'A lie is a false statement made by one to another one who is entitled to hear and to know the truth'. So if you were not entitled to the truth e.g. the Nazi state, it was not a lie to be untruthful. Also by 1940 there was correspondence to the Watchtower HQ referring to the 'Rahab technique'.

Rutherford wanted martyrs it would seem. Also after his incarceration in 1918 he became disillusioned with all governments (including the US) and that's why he actually preferred a hard line to placation.

33

Transcription of interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum regarding German JW's in the concentration camps

by Saintbertholdt in

a while ago i transcribed a video interview with rabbi michael berenbaum from the university of judaism.

the interview concerns jehovah's witnesses during the second world war in the german concentration camp system.

berenbaum is a historian and specifically researches jehovah's witnesses during the shoah and also the idea of martyrdom.

Saintbertholdt

CalebInFloroda

Sadly, however, even Pope Francis cannot change doctrine or produce new ones, so I don't see changes on birth control or other matters coming soon, not unless he can find a loophole that proves an underlying doctrine of the Church is being compromised by current beliefs.

There is one loophole I'm aware of: Its called special dispensation.

The church has invoked it for divorce which used to be a mortal sin. So although you can't get divorced in the catholic church, you actually can. You pay a fine and a Diocesan Tribunal counsel nullifies your marriage and you're good to go.

So I wonder if Francis could not use the same type of idea: Allow the special dispensation to avoid 'hardship' on the marriage union by avoiding unwanted pregnancy by using contraception. One would have to write a letter to the local priest requesting the special dispensation, after all it has to seem 'special'.

33

Transcription of interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum regarding German JW's in the concentration camps

by Saintbertholdt in

a while ago i transcribed a video interview with rabbi michael berenbaum from the university of judaism.

the interview concerns jehovah's witnesses during the second world war in the german concentration camp system.

berenbaum is a historian and specifically researches jehovah's witnesses during the shoah and also the idea of martyrdom.

Saintbertholdt

Hi again CalebinFloroda

Not that I think the JWs are incapable of such change.In fact it is because I know that they are that I do not share as positive a view of the Watchtower as some might.

I think the chances of the Watchtower ever reverting to a pre-1932 doctrine regarding the Jews is pretty slim. The reason is mainly because it goes against the 'new nation' doctrine of Rutherford when he introduced the Jehovah's Witness name change. The idea being that the new nation replaced the Jewish nation as most favored by God. A revert would cause major theological problems and revisions within the JW dogma, something for which the current Governing Body is ill-equipped.

As you probably are aware Russell used to hold talks specifically for Jews called consolation meetings where he espoused the idea of the reconciliation of the Jews with God and their restitution by the re-establishment of the Jews in Palestine. Up until 1931 Rutherford upheld that doctrine and there was even a Watchtower article in that year that re-affirmed the doctrine. One year later and there's a total 180 degree turnaround. It must have confused Jews who had heard about the Bible students stance and I suspect even caused the Nazis some confusion.

I was instead offering a counter argument that could validate why some individuals might not agree with Rabbi Berenbaum. It is Jewish custom to open every view to critical analysis, and that is what I was doing.

I have no problem with that at all :)

With Vatican II the Catholic Church denounced proselytizing of Jews, Replacement Theology (Supersessionism), and teaches that the covenant relationship of the Jews with G-d are not only still valid but irrevocable.

I do not understand how the Catholic Church can be so progressive in some aspects of their theology but still cling to backward ideas such as the banning of Birth Control. Perhaps pope Francis has a trick up his sleeve.

17

Vacation Time! Going To A Regional?

by millie210 in

this is the first year i have not been at a summer assembly.. the friends here locally just got back from the regional in our area.. they mostly took their vacation time from work to attend.. while they were gone i had an epiphany...... why is it that the rank and file take their summer vacation time to attend an assembly (we have all heard this hammered in from the platform) whereas the governing body attend as part of their "work".. it cant be as simple as "well, they are giving talks" because there are many brothers that give talks from the rank and file also who have used up precious vacation hours and drug their entire family there plus give their parts.. or what about other brothers and sisters who volunteer and clean at the assembly.

on vacation.. so the pubs.

travel at their own expense, pay for their own rooms and food, and give parts and it is supposed to be viewed as their vacation.. the gb and c.o.s travel to the same assembly and stay in provided for accomadations, give a talk or two and they are "working".. what is that about?.

Saintbertholdt

Hi oppostate,

"but it's still not as easy as what the hierarchs experience, not spending a dime and getting all their needs looked after, spending the convention in cushy administration rooms and best comfy hotels in the evening. What a racket!"

One could argue that the Watchtower hierarchy has cultivated their own "leisure class" lifestyle over the decades, and its a lifestyle which ordinary witnesses have come to implicitly expect the leadership to have.

33

Transcription of interview with Rabbi Michael Berenbaum regarding German JW's in the concentration camps

by Saintbertholdt in

a while ago i transcribed a video interview with rabbi michael berenbaum from the university of judaism.

the interview concerns jehovah's witnesses during the second world war in the german concentration camp system.

berenbaum is a historian and specifically researches jehovah's witnesses during the shoah and also the idea of martyrdom.

Saintbertholdt

Hi CalebInFloroda,

As a footnote: I have a rather heretical Jewish idea which I put to you: Could it not be argued that the Jewish messiah has in fact come? As you probably are aware there are Jewish schools of thought that think that the Jewish messiah is a class of people and not an individual. Could the argument not be made that the Jewish generation of the second world war in Europe was in fact the Messiah class? After all in the post war era the recognition of the attempted extermination of the Jews directly led to the nation state of Israel in 1948. Also the INDUSTRIAL process of extermination of the Jews by the Nazis will forever stand as a warning for the entirety of humanity to never repeat such an atrocity again.