bizarre artwork in watchtower

by cameo-d 7 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  cameo-d

  Hello people.

  I found a couple of these magazines in a lobby and was flipping through.

  I thought it was a current issue, but I just now realize it is from July1, 2007.

  I am not intesested in anybody coming to my house to give me bible lessons, so I will tell you that upfront. All I want to know is about the picture on page12. It is the weirdest thing I have ever seen in a sunday school book and it makes no sense to me. If anybody has this book from last year, could you tell me what this picture is about?

  It is four seperate rings within rings and the ring band has little eyes all over it. Then it has the phallic figures , four of them also. They look kind of like the phallic looking yellow thing that comes up as a "flower" on the elephant ear. I don't know how else to explain it. Then, just about midway there is a very small face...it's hard to see, but if the picture would be enlarged it might be easier. Then there is like bands of electricity or lightening coming out of these phallic things. The light streaks seem to turn into waves on an ocean and then there are 8 balls of light. High above this it looks like the statue of Abraham Lincoln memorial statue.

  Is this picture something that only this religion would understand? I would like to know what it means please.

  Thank you.
• 

  Open mind

  Ezekiel 1:15-20
  New International Version

  15 As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. 16 This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 17 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about [a] as the creatures went. 18 Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around.

  19 When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. 20 Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. 21 When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, the wheels rose along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

  Now according to the doobies being smoked by the JW leadership, this "Heavenly Chariot" is directing Jehovah's Witnesses work on earth today. All other religions are false and soon to be destroyed.

  Wanna join?

  om
• 

  cameo-d

  I have to say I am really impressed open mind. To get the answer so fast...like 15 minutes. You guys must really know your scriptures!

  I had no idea that picture would be from a scripture. I just looked it up in my bible now and it does say pretty much the same as you quoted. Now even the bible sounds pretty wack-o. I have heard about book chariots of the gods and theories that they (the gods) were aliens. Do the Jehovahs believe that? Is that the reason for the artwork?

  Are the phallic things supposed to be the spirits or the gods?

  Thanks for answering.

  I have to tell you, I talked with some Jahovahs one time and when I asked some questions they were like well, you have to study this book first and we can talk about the deeper things later. It was like they were secretive about giving you answers to questions until you do it the way they want it first. That's why I come here to ask. Thank you.
• 

  VoidEater

  It's an image out of some of our childhoods, and perhaps explains my early interest in science fiction. But OM's knowing the scripture that it comes from makes him a Very Good Witness. Attaboy! ;-)

  we can talk about the deeper things later. It was like they were secretive about giving you answers to questions until you do it the way they want it first.

  Krazy kult alert - beep! Beep! Beep!
• 

  cameo-d

  Can we talk about the artwork some more?

  I was just thinking, from the scripture quoted about about the "eyes all around the rims". it seems like "eyes" could be windows on a space ship. Doesn't that seem more reasonable than making a picture with actual human eyeballs on a wheel? The eyeballs make the whole thing look eerie and spooky.

  This artwork just looks totally off the wall. All the other photos or drwaings look realistic. This one just doen't even seem to fit with the book.

  Is it a mind game or just whacky art? For what reason?
• 

  maximumtool

  Yo Cameo-d, welcome...

  Most of the artwork is an attempt to artistically represent an item described or depicted directly in the bible...

  Your interpretation/extrapolation could be just as accurate as the next one, and you wouldnt be alone in suggesting that the "chariots" flying through the sky in the bible are spaceships from an alien civilization. They could be anything, including completely made up...but sure, your description could have just as much merit as the next one.

  As was stated earlier though, one thing about this board is that the vast majority of us are either ex-jw's or people who realize that it is not the "truth" and just stick around for our families sake. Personally, I am an ex-jw...
• 

  GentlyFeral

  Why I love the internets:

  • "Jewish biblical commentaries emphasize that the imagery of the Merkaba is not meant to be taken literally; rather the chariot and its accompanying angels are analogies for the various ways that God reveals Himself in this world.[1] Hasidic philosophy and Kabbalah discuss at length what each aspect of this vision represents in this world, and how the vision does not imply that God is made up of these forms." – Wikipedia article, Merkabah
  
  
  • "ust as the Assyrian sunchariot with its horses is employed in the legend of the ride of Elijah to heaven (II Kings ii. 11; comp. Enoch lxx. 2, lxxii. 5, lxxiii. 2), so did the prophet Ezekiel in his vision, probably suggested by Babylonian sculpture, see Yhwh riding on the Throne-Chariot when leaving the doomed Temple at Jerusalem" – Jewish Encyclopedia article, Merkabah

  gently feral
• 

  cameo-d

  Thank you all for your generousity of time and effort in answering my question.

  Gently ferrel, I found this picture when I clicked your links:

  The art in the watchtower magazine looks very similar to the shape in the lower right corner. Except that the object as depicted in WT is two bands...one horizontal within a band vertical. It's the damn eyeballs on it that look so nightmarish.

  I guess the Lincoln Memorial was supposed to be "god on the throne". Ha!

  I really like that you all dig for good solid answers. I hope it will be all right if I stop in occassionally to ask questions.

  Maybe I will be able to contribute some info that will be of interest to some of you, too.

  Again, thank you all for these resourceful answers.

  I feel another question coming on before I go....

  If "god" said let us make man in our image, then that would mean creation was a joint undertaking.....so why does this one "god" person get all the credit?

  Now I know a lot of people say the Creators were "god" and "jesus".....but really, to me that's goofy.

  I tend to think our creators were perhaps a team of scientsts from another civilization. I think it was more than a joint effort. I think Creation was a team effort.

  So I guess my question is...why does a single entity get all the credit?