"They took no note"

by sabastious 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • sabastious
    sabastious

    All through my Witness childhood I was constantly reminded (it seemed like at least) of the people of the "Days of Noah." The Watchtower would often point out the general dispositions the victims of the Global Flood had. "They took no note, and the were all washed away by the flood" or some respect.

    As a kid this always irked me. Your telling me that God wiped out the earth AND the people had no idea what hit them? They died a horrific death, not ever getting to know where they erred? So they didn't listen to what really would look like the ravings of an old man. Noah went around telling everyone about doom and gloom and they didn't listen... who was Noah? Why should they believe him?

    These types of questions would flood (heh, heh) my 12 year old brain. The only answer that made sense to me was that the Flood didn't happen the way the Bible said it happened. Time to rewrite the story using logic as the pen and paper!

    Floods can be catastrophic disasters, especially the large ones. Flash floods have this odd characteristic... they affect unsuspecting victims... wrong place... wrong time... ya drowned, horribly.

    So a flash flood came and killed a bunch of people (12 year old brain still talking here) I can be sure of that, and there were survivers. It must have been a seriously big flood. As the waters receded and life starting going back to normal the survivers must have started wondering what the hell happened, and more importantly why... they knew floods existed, but had never seen such devistating and death come from just a single flood. They must have started speculating as to the reason why it happened... a major contender for becoming the Reason would be "God was Pissed". So they ended up saying God did it. The survivers must have been righteous (cause God spared them) and the not-so-fortunate, well they must have been warned somehow and didn't heed it in time... they just took no note until they were washed away by The Great Flood Because God Was Pissed.

    So the actual eye witnesses of this flood went about their life fully believing that God was behind the devistating flash flood. This is the period where the myth will start to form. Humans are imaginative and passionate (I believe more back then, actually) so they started getting more "colorful" with what actually happened.... Throw in a few thousand years and BAM! You got yourself Genuine Human History, baby!

    -Sab

  • J. Hofer
    J. Hofer

    i always was more concerned about all those innocent animals that were collaterally killed. and i also didn't get how noah and his wife were light skinned, having a dark skinned son... seriously, those bible stories don't make sense even to a 6 year old. but when you hear this kind of stuff AT LEAST 3 (now 2) times a week, you just get used to it.

  • brotherdan
    brotherdan

    I take no notes...at meetings or conventions. I used to...but the damn hand cramps from trying to write too fast is a killer. Plus, they speak JW babble anyway...so it's a waste of paper.

  • blondie
    blondie

    Like the prophet Ezekiel of old, Jehovah's Witnesses today try to find those who "are sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done."—Ezekiel 9:4.

    And Jehovah went on to say to him: “Pass through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and you must put a mark on the foreheads of the men that are sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of it.”

    ----------

    There was a time (1950's) when the WTS talked about the "men of goodwill" that would be "sighing and groaning" by which they showed they were "taking note" and would be saved. But now they say they have to be baptized as a jw to survive attending meetings and "preaching."

  • sabastious
    sabastious
    There was a time (1950's) when the WTS talked about the "men of goodwill" that would be "sighing and groaning" by which they showed they were "taking note" and would be saved. But now they say they have to be baptized as a jw to survive attending meetings and "preaching."

    The first explanation was better.

    -Sab

  • sabastious
    sabastious
    I take no notes...at meetings or conventions. I used to...but the damn hand cramps from trying to write too fast is a killer. Plus, they speak JW babble anyway...so it's a waste of paper.

    Take notes at 10 meetings and you will have most of the JW doctrine, and even then you'll still have some repeat notes.

    -Sab

  • brotherdan
    brotherdan

    10, huh? I think maybe 7 or 8. There's not much to it anymore. Before at least you had weird OBVES-like chronology. But now it's just sugary sweet doody.

  • peacefulpete
    peacefulpete

    There was a tension within Christianity from its earliest beginnings. Some felt as did some OT writers that God forordained who would listen (take note) and who wouldn't. God actively was seen as concealing the message from them by using confusing parables or blinding minds.

    11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

    “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

    and ever hearing but never understanding;

    otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ a Mark 4:12

    "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them." John 12:40

  • blondie
    blondie
    The first explanation was better.
    -Sab

    Many older jws felt so too and that is why many jws are resistant to saying that all non-jws will die. As you go back further and further into WTS history they tend to be less dogmatic about who will survive Armaggeddon. It was even thought that Adam and Eve would be resurrected. It also explains the back and forth explanation of whether those in Sodom & Gomorrah would be resurrected.

    That's what's called blinking light.

  • sabastious
    sabastious

    Many older jws felt so too and that is why many jws are resistant to saying that all non-jws will die. As you go back further and further into WTS history they tend to be less dogmatic about who will survive Armaggeddon. It was even thought that Adam and Eve would be resurrected. It also explains the back and forth explanation of whether those in Sodom & Gomorrah would be resurrected.

    That's what's called blinking light.

    That's just what this world needs more of... epileptic doctrine.

    -Sab

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