by humbled 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Do I have to be literate to be a Christian?
If I only hear about Jesus and simply call out and claim him as Lord and Savior could I be a Christian?
If I didn't trust men but trusted Jesus and the spirit of God to guide me could I be a Christian?
Does Jesus expect me to own and read a bible?
Seriously,
Maeve
good luck finding a bible. They aren't printing them anymore
The first christians did without any written works,apart from the Septuagint translation of the O.T being used by some, then Paul came along and wrote some letters etc, which I doubt were looked upon as holy writ in those early days, and then probably Mark wrote his gospel, just before 70 CE at the earliest, the others, and Acts and the deutero-Pauline writings along with John and Revelation were much later, closer to 100AD
Jesus rather does away for the need to own and read a Bible by expounding his version of the Golden Rule, according to the Gospels.
So, I guess if you live by that, you don't need a Bible, you will be a Christian.
Based on this reasoning some feel you can be a Christian without belief in God.
Of course an illiterate person can be a Christian.
But Jesus quoted the scriptures all the time.
Since you are literate, wouldn't he want you to read and study them?
For example, without someone at least telling you what the Bible says, how would you know about Jesus Christ or the spirit of God at all?
I wonder about how many of the primitive Christians were fully literate, and what the first-century rate of literacy was in the first two centuries of the Christian era.
hozer, I often wonder if the bible is the bible--if you know what I mean.
Thanks, Phizzy. That's a thought I cling to.
Ding--I read that a former illiterate slave, Sojourner Truth, refused to let other literate (white) people read the bible to her because they always wanted to tell her what certain parts meant. She reasoned that since they had enslaved others they could not understand the gospel. She would let little children read it to her--they didn't editorialize for her. But you might imagine she had a unique take on Christianity. I like it.
Room 215--Even with literacy training available at local synagogues (boys only?) literacy couldn't be high among a lot of the workig class. Literacy among women? Hah! Rare, I think. I am a woman. So I figure Jesus didn't expect them to have to read. But he had women disciples.
Jesus' teachings were spread about in ways not so orderly as the WTS told us.
Even so today it is not so orderly. I have talked to an illiterate preacher--he learned what he knew word of mouth and by looking at an old family copy of Fox's Book of Martyrs with all those lurid torture scenes. He had views of women that were pretty patriarchal and primitive.
I met an old woman who earned her traveling money to rural preaching invites by skinning and selling the hides of road-killed animals (this was 30 years back)who was as gentle and non-doctrinal as could be. And many others.
Lively interaction there. I would dread an institutionalizing of any of it. I am afraid of worshipping the bible because organized religion created its canon, edited and preserved it and to govern others' faith.
Claims of "supreme literacy" (epignosis for us ex-JWs) can be a weapon used against faith in many cases-- the WTS uses its literature to destroy our dependence on good sense and simple love of God and man.
It makes me question the ministry Jesus really had here on earth. I try not to be afraid of following where this leads. My mistrust of the bible is a mistrust of men --not Jesus.
For many this is nonsense, I know.
