Animalistic Qualities of God

by RubaDub 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  RubaDub

  Is it just me, or did it ever bother anyone else about the treatment of the names of Organized Sports Teams in the publications?

  Especially in books dealing with Revelation, they invariably make the point that Sports Teams are bad because they use names such as Rams, Cougars, Panthers,etc. The implication is that they are thus acting like "animals" and thus debased.

  But in the same publication when you get to the part about the Four Living Creatures in Revelation, John (in vision) uses animals such as Lions and Eagles to point to the qualites of Jehovah.

  I never got a good explaination of why it is ok to use animals when referring to God but not for humans (in this case the naming of a Sports Team).

  Did anyone else ever ask this question?

  ***** Rub a Dub

  Edited by - RubaDub on 24 January 2003 16:51:5
• 

  Elsewhere

  This is what happens when opposing views are not allowed You end up with a bunch of crap being published that has never been through proper pier review and criticism.

  They lock in on a hair-brained idea giving all kinds of hair-brained reasonings as to why it is true, but then totally forget to analyze the thought from an opposing viewpoint.

  This is why high-control governments (and religions) always fail in time... the quality of thought drops proportional to the level of free speech. In time the entire system becomes a rats nest of convoluted and contradictory ideas and procedures.

  Edited by - Elsewhere on 24 January 2003 16:48:53
• 

  refiners fire

  Ruba:

  ..."The implication is that they are thus acting like "animals" and thus debased"....

  I think in fact the Watchtower felt that these sports teams were VENERATING or worshipping created beings. So they were practising Idolatry. By the same token, those watching the sports teams play were idolizing humans rather than God. Im pretty sure I can find a WT article to demonstrate this... I'll see what I can do...
• 

  refiners fire

  WT September 1, 1972.

  DO YOU GIVE UNDUE PROMINENCE TO CREATURES?

  (Sorry Im always quoting from the 70s, its my area of specialty) Anyway this is an article well worth reading actually because it attacks sports teams and national symbols from every conceivable angle

  QUOTE..Another even more subtle thing that can cause professed Christians to be found worshiping creatures and men or other things as idols exists in the matters of nationalism and the world of sports and entertainment. In what way?

  Note, first, the wild animals and birds by which the nations of Christendom represent and symbolize their respective countries. Perhaps not much thought is given the symbol of the nation by the individual citizen. And it is not necessarily wrong that names, sometimes of birds or animals, are chosen to describe or stand for a nationHowever, in the case of national symbols, the question is: Is there any worship attached to them? It is the effect of such things on the attitude of people that determines whether worship is involved or not. How are your thoughts and emotions affected when you see these symbols?.. In sports, how do you feel about the local team, or a team you may favor? Today outstanding athletes are celebrated as heroes, their "fans" or devotees being anxious to follow their pattern, eat the same food and wear the same styles of clothing. There is a great clamor for their autographs.

  Acts of worship see. The article also says:

  QUOTE.Ezekiel could go in and see what was taking place. He tells us:

  "And he further said to me: 'Go in and see the bad detestable things that they are doing here.' So I went in and began to see, and, look! there was every representation of creeping things and loathsome beasts, and all the dungy idols of the house of Israel, the carving being upon the wall all round about..

  Quoting Ezekial there, next it says:

  QUOTE.Imagine! These supposed leaders of true worship paying homage to loathsome, unclean creeping things and beasts as gods, right in the temple of the living God, who had made them a great nation and had given them laws of cleanness and righteousness! And they had fallen into such a depraved mental state

  So theres that aspect you talked about too. The article also talks about depraved Romans watching gladiators engage in blood sports.
• 

  Robdar

  In time the entire system becomes a rats nest of convoluted and contradictory ideas and procedures.

  I love the visual.

  Robyn
• 

  RubaDub

  Refiner

  Thanks for the insight. Yes, I understand the idolotry inference but even Jesus spoke of his followers as Sheep.

  I somehow still don't see how naming your team the Cardinals, Bulls or Eagles creates any more incentive for a person to idolize a team than the teams named after colors (Reds, Blues), natural phenomina (Lightning, Earthquakes), clothing (Red Sox, White Sox), etc., etc., etc.

  I see a lot of condemnation about the names they DO use, but, as is often typical, I don't see published a list of "approved" names that the Society would then commend them for using.

  *****Rub a Dub
• 

  Sargon

  Would the powers that be at the WTS say it's OK to glorify sports teams if they were named after books of the Bible?