Professor Falcon Asks: Why Such Variety in Religion?

by Mr. Falcon 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Mr. Falcon

  

  If I remember correctly, the current Watchtower teaching claims that the reason why there is such a diversity of religion today is due to the incident at the Tower of Babel. Upon confusing their languages, Yahweh scattered them abroad and consequentaly they carried off with them a variety of "false religious beliefs and practices".

  I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Is there archeological evidence to support this? Do you believe this? If this is indeed historically accurate, would today's religious diversity as well as certian concentrations of faith (i.e. North American predominately Christian, Middle East predominately Islamic, etc.) serve to strengthen the WTBS doctrine concerning this?

  Come at me, bro.
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  PSacramento

  There is variety in languages, cultures and pretty much everything, why not religion?
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  leavingwt

  If I remember correctly, the current Watchtower teaching claims that the reason why there is such a diversity of religion today is due to the incident at the Tower of Babel.

  I've never heard that one.

  IMHO, most JWs would answer the questions by blaming 'demonic' influence.
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  Mr. Falcon

  donny, I remember being taught this growing up. I'd like your thoughts on the below citation:

  *** w99 4/1 p. 11 pars. 12-13 Life After Death—What Do People Believe? ***
  If this is so, then the idea that a person has a soul that survives death must have been current at least by the time of Nimrod’s death. In any case, the pages of history reveal that following the Flood, the birthplace of the teaching of the immortality of the soul was Babel, or Babylon.
  13 The Bible further shows that God thwarted the efforts of the tower builders at Babel by confusing their language. No longer able to communicate with one another, they abandoned their project and were scattered “from there over all the surface of the earth.” (Genesis 11:5-9) We must bear in mind that even though the speech of these would-be tower builders had been altered, their thinking and concepts had not. Consequently, wherever they went, their religious ideas went with them. In this way Babylonish religious teachings—including that of the immortality of the soul—spread across the face of the earth and became the foundation of the major religions of the world.*

  * there are other examples, this is just one that I found.
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  leavingwt

  IMHO, this article blames Babel for the language change, not the source of religious variety. It also blames Babel for the motivation of people to travel.
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  Mr. Falcon

  In this way Babylonish religious teachings—including that of the immortality of the soul—spread across the face of the earth and became the foundation of the major religions of the world.

  Isn't that what they are saying here? I think it's pretty clear that they attribute the Babel incident to the spread of religion. I remember being taught this same doctrine in the Daniel Book.

  It also blames Babel for the motivation of people to travel.

  I knew it!!! Ever since Expedia screwed up my vacation, I suspected they were Satanic in nature!!!!!
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  leavingwt

  They already had the ideas. Because of the language mix-up, they traveled. When they traveled, their ideas went with them.
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  palmtree67

  Yes.

  Travelling........very BAD.

  Motivation to travel = influence of the demons.
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  Mr. Falcon

  They already had the ideas. Because of the language mix-up, they traveled. When they traveled, their ideas went with them.

  Okay, now I dig what you're saying. What inspired this thread was that I'm currently reading The God Delusion and I'm at the part where Dawkins is hypothesizing on the origins and variety of religious beliefs. And it got me thinking about the WTBS's explanation for this.
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  james_woods

  We almost all speak English in the U.S., but that did not stop L. Ron Hubbard from making up a religion out of complete personal fantasy - including the belief in the alien Zenu.

  Point being, there are a lot of completely whacko people out there, and many of them turn to religious ravings.

  BTW - does the OT really say the diversification at Babel was religious as well as language? I thought it was only language as stated.