Wednesday, December 28 2011, 4:56 PM
A troubled man jumped to his death from a Brooklyn rooftop Wednesday
in front of horrified bystanders below, police and witnesses said.
Neighbors identified the man as Dwayne Fagan, 48, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, who plunged 15 stories to his death.
Before
his death, the suicidal man warned of hurting himself in a series of
disturbing texts messages between him and a family member, a police
source said.
Fagan left his seventh-floor apartment in the Linden
Houses in East New York and headed toward the roof around 12:45 p.m.,
sources said.
A ledge above the the building’s entrance broke Fagan’s fall, before he tumbled to the ground, cops and witnesses said.
“I saw him land — it was so loud,” said eyewitness Antoinette George,
25, who lives in the same building on Wortman Ave. near Van Siclen Ave.
“I thought someone had thrown an air conditioner off the roof. I
screamed and screamed for a minute straight.”
“All his limbs were broken” the startled woman said. “He was lifeless.”
kburke@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-man-leaps-15-stories-death-article-1.998012#ixzz1hvJrl3hz
I guess he missed the talk where it proclaims that Jehovah's Witnesses are the happiest people in the world.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
More HATE SPEECH In The 9/11/2011 Watchtower
The Watchtower study article for 9/11/2011 says;
"Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease," the article reads. "You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings... Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects? What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes or greet them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch television programs that feature them, examine their websites, or add our comments to their blogs."
So now all those who do not believe the teachings of the Watchtower are "Mentally Diseased". That is not only preposterous, it makes the writers of the Watchtower seem "Mentally Diseased". They must be getting really desperate.
"Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected with a contagious, deadly disease," the article reads. "You would know what the doctor means, and you would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings... Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them. We know what he means, but are we determined to heed his warning in all respects? What is involved in avoiding false teachers? We do not receive them into our homes or greet them. We also refuse to read their literature, watch television programs that feature them, examine their websites, or add our comments to their blogs."
So now all those who do not believe the teachings of the Watchtower are "Mentally Diseased". That is not only preposterous, it makes the writers of the Watchtower seem "Mentally Diseased". They must be getting really desperate.
The Watchtower War On Apostates Is HATE SPEECH
The November 15, 2011 Study version of the Watchtower, has this to say in an article praising Jehu's actions against the family of Ahab. "The prophet Elisha sent one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu as king and to instruct him to kill every male of the apostate house of Ahab.—2 Ki. 8:28; 9:1-10." "Though the thought of violence is unpleasant, we should realize that in those days, Jehovah used his servants to carry out his judgments.... Today, no servant of Jehovah uses physical force against opponents of pureworship. “Vengeance is mine,” God says. (Heb.10:30) But to rid the congregation of potentially corrupting influences, Christian elders may have to act with courage similar to that of Jehu. (1 Cor. 5:9-13) And all members of the congregation need to be determined to avoid the company of disfellowshipped individuals.— 2 John 9-11." "Jehu announced that he intended to hold “a great sacrifice” for Baal. (2 Ki. 10:18, 19) “This is a clever play on words on the part of Jehu,” says one scholar.While the term employed here “generally means ‘sacrifice,’ it is also used of the ‘slaughter’ of apostates.” "It is true that Jehu spilled much blood. Yet, the Scriptures present him as a courageous man...
Disgusting!
Disgusting!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Watchtower October 15, 2011 Says To Make Up Your Own Mind
"Neither Branch Office or World Headquarters is in a position to analyze and answer all such questions that have not been considered in our literature. We can be satisfied that the Bible provides sufficient information to guide us through our life but omits enough detail so as to require us to have strong faith in its devine author."
What’s happening internally?
Watchtower’s doctrinal development generation is all but dead and gone. The few remnants are in their mid-80s and older, and none of these ever made it onto the organization’s top shelf decision-making body known as Watchtower’s Governing Body.
The newbies leading today’s Watchtower do not see things as their predecessors; do not have the circumstances of their predecessors; do not have the charisma of their predecessors; do not have the juice of their predecessors. Perhaps worst of all, Watchtower’s current leadership has inherited a set of doctrines that place it in a vulnerable position.
Where are the problems?
At the top of this heap is all doctrine impinging the organization’s end-time teaching. All of these teachings are heavily dependent on the year 1914 as a marker from which many very important things are said to happen from.
Another such doctrine is the organization’s blood transfusion taboo. This teaching has never been wholly embraced by the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and in the last two decades has faced refutation from every conceivable perspective.
What’s been happening
For decades Watchtower has received inquiries from the Witness community questioning important details of these teachings; details that if wrong would undermine any perception of legitimacy to the doctrines. The advent of the Internet Age has exacerbated this problem for Watchtower, and it is only getting worse. This is made worse again because birthers and shakers of these doctrines are effectively out of the picture and newbies are left with problematic details that are impossible to keep quiet.
How is the new guard at Watchtower going to deal with this problem?
Basically Watchtower’s current Governing Body is telling Jehovah’s Witnesses to stop asking and addressing questions to its world headquarters. If details of concern are not specifically addressed in published Watchtower literature then make your own mind up.
It will be very interesting to see how this direction is grown and used moving forward. This latest directive is only a readying of the Witness community for what is to come.
Stay tuned for changes on the way whereby Jehovah’s Witnesses will be making more “personal conscience decisions” related to blood, and dogmatism about dates of supposed prophetic significance will lighten.
What’s happening internally?
Watchtower’s doctrinal development generation is all but dead and gone. The few remnants are in their mid-80s and older, and none of these ever made it onto the organization’s top shelf decision-making body known as Watchtower’s Governing Body.
The newbies leading today’s Watchtower do not see things as their predecessors; do not have the circumstances of their predecessors; do not have the charisma of their predecessors; do not have the juice of their predecessors. Perhaps worst of all, Watchtower’s current leadership has inherited a set of doctrines that place it in a vulnerable position.
Where are the problems?
At the top of this heap is all doctrine impinging the organization’s end-time teaching. All of these teachings are heavily dependent on the year 1914 as a marker from which many very important things are said to happen from.
Another such doctrine is the organization’s blood transfusion taboo. This teaching has never been wholly embraced by the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and in the last two decades has faced refutation from every conceivable perspective.
What’s been happening
For decades Watchtower has received inquiries from the Witness community questioning important details of these teachings; details that if wrong would undermine any perception of legitimacy to the doctrines. The advent of the Internet Age has exacerbated this problem for Watchtower, and it is only getting worse. This is made worse again because birthers and shakers of these doctrines are effectively out of the picture and newbies are left with problematic details that are impossible to keep quiet.
How is the new guard at Watchtower going to deal with this problem?
Basically Watchtower’s current Governing Body is telling Jehovah’s Witnesses to stop asking and addressing questions to its world headquarters. If details of concern are not specifically addressed in published Watchtower literature then make your own mind up.
It will be very interesting to see how this direction is grown and used moving forward. This latest directive is only a readying of the Witness community for what is to come.
Stay tuned for changes on the way whereby Jehovah’s Witnesses will be making more “personal conscience decisions” related to blood, and dogmatism about dates of supposed prophetic significance will lighten.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Exactly Who Does The Governing Body Represent?
For many decades the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been told by the Watchtower organization that its Governing Body headquartered at Brooklyn, New York represents and acts for what it terms the “anointed ones” on earth.
For example, in 1976 Watchtower stated:
In an attempt to explain the apparent disconnect between itself and those whom it supposedly represents, Watchtower states:
All the corporations branch offices and printeries and their personnel serve under the direction of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a body that represents and acts for all the spirit annointed worsjippers of Jehovah God on earth.
Source:
The Watchtower. May 1, 1976, pg 266
Yet in recent years Watchtower has stated:
Are all of these annointed ones throughout the earth part of a global network that is somehow involved in revealing new spiritual trughts? No.
Source:
The Watchtower, August 15, 2011, pg 24
The Governing Body does not maintain a global network of annointed ones.
Source:
The Watchtower, August 15, 2011, pg 22
At face value it seems absurd that Watchtower’s Governing Body can rightly be understood to represent the “anointed ones” on earth given that it neither has nor maintains a network of those whom it purportedly represents.
In an attempt to explain the apparent disconnect between itself and those whom it supposedly represents, Watchtower states:
Although as a composite body the slave class is responsible for feeding the spiritual household, not all indiiduals of the slave class have the same responsibilities for work assignments (Read 1 Corinthians 12: 14-18.) As noted earlier in the first century, all were involved in the votal preaching work. But only a very limited number were used to write the books of the Bible and oversea the Christian Congregation.
Source:
The Watchtower, June 15. 2009, pg 24
That is an amazing piece of explanation. Why?
Watchtower teaches that the composite “slave class” is the sum total of all “anointed ones” on earth at any given time, and that these "anointed ones" have the assignment to provide spiritual food. Specifically, Watchtower states:
We accept the teaching that all of the annointed ones living on earth at any given time constitute the faithful and discreet slave that Jesus said would provide timely food for his domestics.
Source:
The Watchtower, November 1, 2007, pg 30
According to the above, as recent as year 2007 Watchtower’s Governing Body taught that all of the “anointed ones” would provide spiritual food. Yet Watchtower’s 2009 explanation expresses that some of the “anointed ones” do not have the assignment to provide spiritual food.
Watchtower’s teaching on this point is cloaked in the conundrum of “a composite body”. The apparent theory of this “composite body” is that though it is made up entirely of the “anointed ones” and no one else, and though all of the “anointed ones” comprise this “composite body,” when the “composite body” acts in its singular assignment it is not the whole “composite body” that is acting in that singular assignment, that is to provide spiritual food.
Notwithstanding supposition of various “work assignments,” one can only wonder how an organization can rightly claim to represent persons for whom admittedly it neither has nor maintains a network of.
For example, in 1976 Watchtower stated:
In an attempt to explain the apparent disconnect between itself and those whom it supposedly represents, Watchtower states:
All the corporations branch offices and printeries and their personnel serve under the direction of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a body that represents and acts for all the spirit annointed worsjippers of Jehovah God on earth.
Source:
The Watchtower. May 1, 1976, pg 266
Yet in recent years Watchtower has stated:
Are all of these annointed ones throughout the earth part of a global network that is somehow involved in revealing new spiritual trughts? No.
Source:
The Watchtower, August 15, 2011, pg 24
The Governing Body does not maintain a global network of annointed ones.
Source:
The Watchtower, August 15, 2011, pg 22
At face value it seems absurd that Watchtower’s Governing Body can rightly be understood to represent the “anointed ones” on earth given that it neither has nor maintains a network of those whom it purportedly represents.
In an attempt to explain the apparent disconnect between itself and those whom it supposedly represents, Watchtower states:
Although as a composite body the slave class is responsible for feeding the spiritual household, not all indiiduals of the slave class have the same responsibilities for work assignments (Read 1 Corinthians 12: 14-18.) As noted earlier in the first century, all were involved in the votal preaching work. But only a very limited number were used to write the books of the Bible and oversea the Christian Congregation.
Source:
The Watchtower, June 15. 2009, pg 24
That is an amazing piece of explanation. Why?
Watchtower teaches that the composite “slave class” is the sum total of all “anointed ones” on earth at any given time, and that these "anointed ones" have the assignment to provide spiritual food. Specifically, Watchtower states:
We accept the teaching that all of the annointed ones living on earth at any given time constitute the faithful and discreet slave that Jesus said would provide timely food for his domestics.
Source:
The Watchtower, November 1, 2007, pg 30
According to the above, as recent as year 2007 Watchtower’s Governing Body taught that all of the “anointed ones” would provide spiritual food. Yet Watchtower’s 2009 explanation expresses that some of the “anointed ones” do not have the assignment to provide spiritual food.
Watchtower’s teaching on this point is cloaked in the conundrum of “a composite body”. The apparent theory of this “composite body” is that though it is made up entirely of the “anointed ones” and no one else, and though all of the “anointed ones” comprise this “composite body,” when the “composite body” acts in its singular assignment it is not the whole “composite body” that is acting in that singular assignment, that is to provide spiritual food.
Notwithstanding supposition of various “work assignments,” one can only wonder how an organization can rightly claim to represent persons for whom admittedly it neither has nor maintains a network of.
Is The Watchtower Society Still Living in the 19th Century?
have always sensed a disconnect about the society. Especially the way the rank and file is treated. Is it because they are still operating with a 19th century mentality?
The WT was started in an era when higher education usually meant the 8th grade. When medical practices were often dangerous and harmful or in the case of beneficial treatments, not well understood. When Science had barely penetrated daily life, when communication meant tracts and printing presses. When critical historic study of the Bible was virtually unknown and most people considered every word in the bible inspired from god. When women were in a continuing fight for basic rights. When William Miller and his Adventist movement could reach out from the grave and infuse his simplistic millennium end of the world beliefs into the thinking of the founders and future stewards of the Watchtower Society.
Reviewing the lives of it's Presidents and a sampling of the Governing Body, I noticed that almost every one of them was either born and educated in the 19th century or if not were in turn educated by those who were. And that continued all the way through to the succession of Fred Franz.
Does this extremely limited 19th century thought process still influence the 21st century Watchtower Society?
Is this time warp one of the reasons 67% of born-ins and thousands of converts are abandoning this religion/cult?
Do JW's have more in common with the Amish and Mennonites, less the quaint attire, then with the contemporary population?
The WT was started in an era when higher education usually meant the 8th grade. When medical practices were often dangerous and harmful or in the case of beneficial treatments, not well understood. When Science had barely penetrated daily life, when communication meant tracts and printing presses. When critical historic study of the Bible was virtually unknown and most people considered every word in the bible inspired from god. When women were in a continuing fight for basic rights. When William Miller and his Adventist movement could reach out from the grave and infuse his simplistic millennium end of the world beliefs into the thinking of the founders and future stewards of the Watchtower Society.
Reviewing the lives of it's Presidents and a sampling of the Governing Body, I noticed that almost every one of them was either born and educated in the 19th century or if not were in turn educated by those who were. And that continued all the way through to the succession of Fred Franz.
Does this extremely limited 19th century thought process still influence the 21st century Watchtower Society?
Is this time warp one of the reasons 67% of born-ins and thousands of converts are abandoning this religion/cult?
Do JW's have more in common with the Amish and Mennonites, less the quaint attire, then with the contemporary population?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Watchtower Study, Sunday May 1, 2011
In today's Watchtower Study, towards the end, you had one of those typical comments by a former Df'ed Witness expressing appreciation for being shunned.
After this kind of nonsense is expressed, you will get a flurry of self righteous comments emphasizing how important it is to shun your disfellowshipped relatives, so that they can come back in the "truth".
Oh, Really? Do any of these people raising their hand realize that, if the "success" of disfellowshipping depends on your shunning, then the "repentant" person is "coming back in the truth" FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR RELATIVES -AND NOT BECAUSE OF FEARING JEHOVAH !!!???
Think about it. If disfellowshipping is openly motivated by getting back with your cultish relatives, then what, pray tell, does that have to do with repentance towards God?
And the second point!
Jehovah's Witnesses keep lying and lying and lying - as this article does - about how disfellowshipping 'keeps the organization clean'.
It does not! This is an endlessly repeated , bold face lie!
How so? The Jews of Jesus' day loved shunning! Did it make them 'clean'? ( see Luke 6: 22)
Does the Watchtower complain about many leading a 'double life'? Is that 'clean'?
Do internet sites, such as this one, manifest documents and confidential information in a steady stream, that comes from Witnesses pretending to be loyal?
Does the Society warm about "apostates" lurking in congregations currently?
Do disfellowshipping cases often manifest serious sins committed over years, sometimes decades, including homosexuality, child molestation, adultery and more?
Out of their own mouth, you can judge them, by their admissions about widespread problems in congregations. They are liars, seeking to deceive others, about a "cleanness" that their own evidence contradicts.
After this kind of nonsense is expressed, you will get a flurry of self righteous comments emphasizing how important it is to shun your disfellowshipped relatives, so that they can come back in the "truth".
Oh, Really? Do any of these people raising their hand realize that, if the "success" of disfellowshipping depends on your shunning, then the "repentant" person is "coming back in the truth" FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR RELATIVES -AND NOT BECAUSE OF FEARING JEHOVAH !!!???
Think about it. If disfellowshipping is openly motivated by getting back with your cultish relatives, then what, pray tell, does that have to do with repentance towards God?
And the second point!
Jehovah's Witnesses keep lying and lying and lying - as this article does - about how disfellowshipping 'keeps the organization clean'.
It does not! This is an endlessly repeated , bold face lie!
How so? The Jews of Jesus' day loved shunning! Did it make them 'clean'? ( see Luke 6: 22)
Does the Watchtower complain about many leading a 'double life'? Is that 'clean'?
Do internet sites, such as this one, manifest documents and confidential information in a steady stream, that comes from Witnesses pretending to be loyal?
Does the Society warm about "apostates" lurking in congregations currently?
Do disfellowshipping cases often manifest serious sins committed over years, sometimes decades, including homosexuality, child molestation, adultery and more?
Out of their own mouth, you can judge them, by their admissions about widespread problems in congregations. They are liars, seeking to deceive others, about a "cleanness" that their own evidence contradicts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)