Hi everyone
Sorry I've not posted for a while. I find that from time to time life catches up with me, and I get distracted - temporarily losing all interest in things JW-related. I suppose that in itself is a healthy thing?!
Anyway, I was just reading through the latest Watchtower (June 15th) which conveys a key thought that is often repeated in Witness literature - that of Jehovah being like a businessman in the way he conveyed or dictated material to bible writers. I found this latest writing from the Society very interesting - more for what it DIDN'T say than what it said.
Here is the material from pages 26 and 27 (bold/underlining is mine):
How, though, was God’s message transmitted by holy spirit to Bible writers? Did they receive precise wording or just ideas that they could express in their own words? Consider how a businessman might compose a letter. When precise wording is important, he writes the letter himself or dictates it to his secretary word for word. The secretary types it, and the letter bears the businessman’s signature. At other times, he provides only the principal ideas, and the secretary prepares the letter, using her* own style or vocabulary. The businessman may then proofread the letter and have the secretary make any needed changes. In the end, the letter bears his signature and is viewed as coming from him .
(*Notice how the secretary is a "her" - not that the Society are employing a mysogynistic stereotype towards secretaries...)
Similarly, some parts of the Bible were supplied “by God’s finger.” (Ex. 31:18)Jehovah also used dictation when precise wording was crucial. At Exodus 34:27, for example, we read: “Jehovah went on to say to Moses: ‘Write down for yourself these words, because it is in accordance with these words that I do conclude a covenant with you and Israel.’ ” Likewise, Jehovah told the prophet Jeremiah: “Write for yourself in a book all the words that I will speak to you.”—Jer. 30:2 .
In most cases, though, thoughts rather than specific words were miraculously conveyed to the hearts and minds of Bible writers, permitting them to choose their own words to express them. “The congregator sought to find the delightful words and the writing of correct words of truth,” states Ecclesiastes 12:10. The Gospel writer Luke “traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them in logical order.” (Luke 1:3) God’s spirit ensured that human imperfection did not taint his message .
As is usually the case with these kind of articles, when one really meditates on what has been written, one finds far more questions than answers, such as:
- If "god's finger" was only called upon for writing certain sections of scripture "when precise wording was crucial", does this mean that all other sections of scripture (those that were not directly attributed as being the result of word-for-word dictation from God) can be considered as somehow less important, or otherwise more open to individual interpretation?
- In this latest incarnation of the "businessman" analogy, the Society adds a new "proofreading" element - and implies that wherever general thoughts were conveyed, and an individual writer put these into his own words, these words were then somehow checked by God, revised for accuracy, and signed-off or otherwise approved. How can this be said to have happened for ANY scriptures found in the bible? Does the mere fact that a bible book was later canonized automatically mean that it was signed off?
- Perhaps the most intriguing questions are raised by the final quoted remark, namely "God's spirit ensured that human imperfection did not taint his message." The Society openly claims that its publications are "spirit-directed" (as opposed to "spirit-inspired", don't ask me what the difference is because I have NO idea). This implies that Jehovah has a hand in what is written by the Society. If Jehovah is therefore involved in even the slightest way in the material that is prepared in the Watchtower publications, and we are living in the dying throws of the last days when God's faithful steward is called upon to urgently provide food to the domestics, why is it no longer important whether or not human imperfection "taints his message"? Surely if there has ever been a time in the world's history when "God's finger" has been called for, it is now - on the doorstep of Armageddon. However, evidently the Watchtower publications are not important enough to receive divine inspiration in their preparation - either word-for-word (ala "God's finger") or as communicated more broadly through his thoughts.
I doubt that, when this article is studied in Kingdom Halls, any Witnesses will stop even for a moment to consider that the businessman analogy is deeply flawed, and the "proofreader" extension in particular bears no relation to the way the bible texts are known to have been written and copied. They'll gulp it down regardless and likely marvel at how excellent and easily understandable the illustration is. I just can't stand how complacent the Society are in their writing. They seemingly have no interest in making sure their writing can withstand even the mildest scrutiny.
More than anything, I hate the thought of God being some kind of snooty corporate executive, who despite having intense love for humankind, cannot be sufficiently motivated to arrange for ALL of this thoughts/messages to be conveyed accurately and word-for-word so that there could be no room for various contradictory interpretations. The whole metaphor makes him sound aloof and detached from the affairs and concerns of his worshippers - existing in some sort of celestial executive bubble. When you really think about it, it's not difficult to see where the Governing Body pulled this analogy from. They were merely projecting their own way of doing things onto the Creator they claim to represent.
Cedars