The original sin

by onacruse 71 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Lumptard

  Our creator is the God of truth. If we can't believe the Bible, what else is there that we can go on? My belief in God's Word allows me to keep my bearings and make a more sensible life for myself. The more I believe it's true, the better my life gets. To me, it's about sanity.

  Our creator is the God of truth.

  Again, only if you presuppose that the bible is accurate in its description of "God"

  If we can't believe the Bible, what else is there that we can go on?

  Hmmm....How 'bout science, confirmed history and logic?

  My belief in God's Word allows me to keep my bearings and make a more sensible life for myself. The more I believe it's true, the better my life gets.

  Good for you....doesn't prove that the bible is true, though...all it proves is that you prefer living according to the bible. If a person prefers to get it on with men, shoot heroin, and rob people, then living by the bible wouldn't make their life "better." "Better" is a term that is relative to personal preference.
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  Narkissos

  To the original topic (a bit late):

  "Knowledge" and "sex" are intimately (!) related. Not only does the Hebrew root yd` (to know) serves as a euphemism for "having sex with" (and occurs with this sense in the "J" section of Genesis only after man and woman have eaten from the "tree of knowledge," 4:1). Sex is the way of education to civilisation for the primitive man Enkidu in the Gilgamesh Epic (tablet I), where many elements of Genesis 2 (it is not good for man to be alone, relationship with animals prior to the encounter of woman and accession to knowledge) are found in a different narrative construction:

  The animals arrived and drank at the watering hole,
  the wild beasts arrived and slaked their thirst with water.
  Then he, Enkidu, offspring of the mountains,
  who eats grasses with the gazelles,
  came to drink at the watering hole with the animals,
  with the wild beasts he slaked his thirst with water.
  Then Shamhat (the harlot) saw him--a primitive,
  a savage fellow from the depths of the wilderness!
  "That is he, Shamhat! Release your clenched arms,
  expose your sex so he can take in your voluptuousness.
  Do not be restrained--take his energy!
  When he sees you he will draw near to you.
  Spread out your robe so he can lie upon you,
  and perform for this primitive the task of womankind!
  His animals, who grew up in his wilderness, will become alien to him,
  and his lust will groan over you."
  Shamhat unclutched her bosom, exposed her sex, and he took in her voluptuousness.
  She was not restrained, but took his energy.
  She spread out her robe and he lay upon her,
  she performed for the primitive the task of womankind.
  His lust groaned over her;
  for six days and seven nights Enkidu stayed aroused,
  and had intercourse with the harlot
  until he was sated with her charms.
  But when he turned his attention to his animals,
  the gazelles saw Enkidu and darted off,
  the wild animals distanced themselves from his body.
  Enkidu ... his utterly depleted(?) body,
  his knees that wanted to go off with his animals went rigid;
  Enkidu was diminished, his running was not as before.
  But then he drew himself up, for his understanding had broadened.
  Turning around, he sat down at the harlot's feet,
  gazing into her face, his ears attentive as the harlot spoke.
  The harlot said to Enkidu:
  "You are beautiful," Enkidu, you are become like a god.
  Why do you gallop around the wilderness with the wild beasts?
  Come, let me bring you into Uruk-Haven,
  to the Holy Temple, the residence of Anu and Ishtar,
  the place of Gilgamesh, who is wise to perfection,
  but who struts his power over the people like a wild bull."
  What she kept saying found favor with him.
  Becoming aware of himself, he sought a friend.