The cost of an explanation, "cheaper", as I put, is often called Occams Razor. It is the observation that given two possible explanations it is most often true the most economical one is the truth.
Gotcha.
I would suggest that what each person considers the most economical, can be subjective to that person. Perhaps also to what we know at any given time. I will try and illustrate below. (I will leave the moral question for another post or thread though, unless you would like to discuss it. It does tend to turn into a full-fledged topic of its own though, lol)
As I read this thread I think my thoughts on the steel box are incomplete. It is obvious that we can carry concepts of people, ones not present and even purely imagined ones in our minds. But to suggest Christ is Holy Spirit implies an external entity that can effect you, within your mind, regardless of any barriers. I doesn't matter where you are, it doesn't matter what language you know. This is what I mean by incredible power to communicate. Consider this post, I am writing this in my home in Chandler, AZ. I happen to run Firefox on Ubuntu GNU/Linux. Each character that I type involves literally 100s of thousands of computer instructions being accurately processed within my home computer. But this is only the start, a number of computers connected to the world-wide Internet will process this data, mostly store it and forward it upon demand, until finally it reaches your screen, where you can read it. If you're blind more technology would be used to read the text back to you. If you didn't understand written English our communication break down. If you went into a steel box with no connection to the Internet my message could not reach you. Yet, Christ as a Holy Spirit, effortlessly overcomes any barrier.
I love this example that you use. Perhaps you might consider that all of that above, is man attempting to copy what the Spirit can already do... using technology instead. (the more complex of the two... albeit necessary for us to communicate with one another now)
On the subject of Bible reading, I would encourage you to read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Oh, my apologies. I did not mean to imply that i had never read it through. I have, multiple times. That is what I did... a personal study... when I stopped studying with the jws, according to their spin on things. In fact, the whole reason I wanted to read the bible myself was so that no one else could fool me with false teachings. If I at least knew what was in the bible, I would be better prepared to know if someone was spinning it or telling me something that was not there.
I just have not done that in years. No need. It points to Christ... and we are meant to go to HIM (not continue to search the scriptures thinking that by them we have life)
When I was one of Jehovah's Witnesses I eventually was appointed as a ministerial servant then later as an elder. I felt a bit bad that while I had read many large sections of the Bible, even as an elder, I had not read it cover to cover. Since I was riding the bus to work, I used that opportunity to accomplish this task. I feel there is a real difference between how isolated verses sound compared to reading the entire context.
I agree, absolutely. Context... rather than a twisting and abuse of a scritpure or verse to suit someone's agenda.
I was so thrilled to complete the Bible, I decided to read all the major Holy Books, starting next the Quran, which I read. Then the Book of Mormon, which I started but stopped. I finally got back to the Book of Mormon after I left the faith in 2007. I was encouraged to read it by a co-worker who knew I left the faith, so I did, including the saying the Moroni prayer that is suggested at the end -- that prayer was not answered.
Interesting! I just finished reading the Quran myself. Never tried to read the Book of Mormon. After I stopped my study with the witnesses, they came around, and being miss polite, I allowed them in. The whole time I am sitting at the table, I am hearing, 'WHAT are you doing? Why are you listening to them now? Did you not learn? Stop listening to them, come OUT of them. They are not the Truth." (paraphrasing; this was years ago)
But in addition, every fiber in my being was screaming at me to stop listening to them, to get away from them. Which I understand now as the desire to 'run from a stranger's voice'.
They came back at a time that my husband was home, and i was not... and well, suffice it to say that I never heard from them again, lol.
When you serve as an MS or Elder and you have children, as I do, it is required that you have a family Bible study. I think like most, my children did not enjoy yet another sit down Bible study, considering how much we did as Witnesses already. So I eventually reduce it down to reading 2 pages of Bible most week days. When I left the faith in 07, even though I was by that point an atheist, I saw no reason to stop the Bible reading program. Last night we just finished up Philemon and started on Hebrews. So I am close to completing the Bible for the second time. I should mentioned I did make one adjustment after leaving the faith, we read 2 pages of the Bible followed by 4 pages from another book I think my youngest (she is 9) will enjoy. Thus we're nearly complete on the 2nd book of the Harry Potter series. Reading HP was not something I would have allowed while in the faith, but I must say I've really enjoyed these books.
Is your family still in? You still study the bible with your children? That is interesting.
I love the Harry Potter books also ; )
Peace,
tammy
