Posts by peacefulpete

6

Images

by peacefulpete in

simple question.

while the deuteronomists and later writers of the bible condemned the use of images of yahweh, they at the same time imagined him and described him in text as a man in the sky with bow and arrows or riding a chariot drawn by cherubs or sitting on a throne.

if the former is a dishonor, ought not the latter be as well?.

peacefulpete

Enough...ok rewording the question, would it seem consistent for God to give visions of himself and have these described in text while simultaneously condemn drawing a picture to represent him? Are both not human creations to assist praying or conceptualizing God? Would a God who rejects earthly visualizations of himself provide visualizations in earthy forms? Why is the one blasphemous and not the other?

Tangentially, is it coincidental their visions were identical with iconography of other gods?

10

Micah 6:8

by enoughisenough in

i saw this in a video sometime back ( don't remember now ) but it caught my attention...micah 6:8 was changed in the "silver sword" ...they changed the words in that scripture from " to love kindness" or in some versions to "love mercy" or "love grace" or "love goodness" to nwt silver : " to cherish loyalty".

sometime afterward there would be articles about being loyal to the organization.

some of you may recall this.

peacefulpete

I understand, my post was off topic.

10

Micah 6:8

by enoughisenough in

i saw this in a video sometime back ( don't remember now ) but it caught my attention...micah 6:8 was changed in the "silver sword" ...they changed the words in that scripture from " to love kindness" or in some versions to "love mercy" or "love grace" or "love goodness" to nwt silver : " to cherish loyalty".

sometime afterward there would be articles about being loyal to the organization.

some of you may recall this.

peacefulpete

I feel compelled to remind you that Micah was extensively redacted and expanded. The 8th century prophet 'prophesied' (chapts 1-3) the Assyrian destruction of Samria and Judah including Jerusalem and temple, when it was quite evident it was likely. Samaria fell as we know and was easy to predict, but Jerusalem did not. IOW the prophet was a 'false' prophet. In response one of the latest editors of Jeremiah (26:18) explained the failure away by saying the people repented. Interestingly this is not reflected in the LXX suggesting this is a very late addition to Jeremiah. The book was reformed/revised/expanded heavily by postExile writers to say he also predicted the destruction of the temple by Babylon. It's a long and winding road but simply said 6:8 was not likely said by the 8th century would be prophet named Micah.

11

Do Masks really help in preventing respiratory infections? Recent study reviewed

by Reasonfirst in

jw
friends

in the recent coronavirus scare, masks were promoted as one way to minimise possible infection.

a study, reviewed yesterday by an english medical commentator, dr john campbell, says, no!.

watch what he has to say on this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3vy2lyqn1a.. the study he reviews can be found at: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.cd006207.pub6/full.

peacefulpete

Do Masks Work? What the Cochrane Review Can and Can’t Tell Us (health.com)

10

Micah 6:8

by enoughisenough in

i saw this in a video sometime back ( don't remember now ) but it caught my attention...micah 6:8 was changed in the "silver sword" ...they changed the words in that scripture from " to love kindness" or in some versions to "love mercy" or "love grace" or "love goodness" to nwt silver : " to cherish loyalty".

sometime afterward there would be articles about being loyal to the organization.

some of you may recall this.

peacefulpete

They have for many years identified the word 'checed' to mean 'loyal love'. It's not a new concept but you may be right that the adjustment reflects the emphasis upon loyalty to the org.

Like countless examples, translators' biases direct word choice. The word does not seem to have a singular meaning, it is defined a variety of ways from simple 'loveliness' to doing a 'favor' for etc. In some contexts it reflects an implied relationship motivating the kindness. It is this shade of meaning that the WT is exploiting. Other commentators have stressed the same, if nothing other than to minimize the idea that God is merely interested in humans expressing kindness to one another.

I should have added that the recipient of the kindness is fellow humans, and even if we read the passage as implying a relational kindness, (love shown to friends and family) it still is not directing blind allegiance to an organization.

6

Images

by peacefulpete in

simple question.

while the deuteronomists and later writers of the bible condemned the use of images of yahweh, they at the same time imagined him and described him in text as a man in the sky with bow and arrows or riding a chariot drawn by cherubs or sitting on a throne.

if the former is a dishonor, ought not the latter be as well?.

peacefulpete

Simple question. While the Deuteronomists and later writers of the Bible condemned the use of images of Yahweh, they at the same time imagined him and described him in text as a man in the sky with bow and arrows or riding a chariot drawn by cherubs or sitting on a throne. If the former is a dishonor, ought not the latter be as well?

13

Museums the new way to make money?

by raymond frantz in

the organisation is now creating museums in 35 countries, is that their new way of making money?

nowhere does the bible say that christians should engage to such activity but is it possible the watchtower is now making it a priority for :.

a. look like they have something to offer to the community.

peacefulpete

I hope they have dinosaurs!

26

Details of Noah’s Ark

by enigma1863 in

jw magazines have claimed the flood story has so much detail that it couldn’t be just a made up story.. is it detailed?

name one person outside of noah’s family.

name one nephilim.

peacefulpete

"Gopher" wood and all the subsequent attempts to identify the wood are the result of a scribal corruption. Beyond reasonable doubt the phrase was "pitched wood". The very next line repeats the direction to pitch the wood inside and out. It's an example of rivers of 'scholarly' ink spent on nothing.

1613 [e]
ḡō·p̄er,
גֹ֔פֶר
gopher

3724 [e]

bak·kō·p̄er.
בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃
with pitch

27

deep thoughts

by lancelink in

this afternoon i drove by an old hall i attended ( barrington illinois) and noticed that it had been sold, it is now an adventist .

church !

now here is my drive-home thinking.. back in the 80's when i attended i was newly married, and had a young child.

peacefulpete

I do believe selling to another church was forbidden at one point in the 70's. They used an OT passage about giving aid to the Canaanites. I guess in time it was reversed as a result of the nondiscrimination laws regarding real estate sales.

16

The Lost Qos

by peacefulpete in

the names of the gods of palestine and surrounding regions are known to most of us only through the condemnations of the ot writers.

baal peor, hadad, chemosh, molech/milkom dagon, etc.

it is therefore surprising that the main deity of the sister nation to the south, edom is never mentioned.

peacefulpete

Qos...The name recurs in the Nabataean language in an inscription at Khirbet et-Tannur,where he is represented flanked by bulls, seated on a throne while wielding in his left hand a multi-pronged thunderbolt, suggestive of a function as a weather god. (Wiki.)

An old friend from this forum who went by Narkissos gave me some sage reminders that the inscrutably complex way local cult and culture develop has to be acknowledged. While we crave certainty, it's just not possible when studying ancient history. He pointed out that a particular deity name like Yahweh or El, often have very different dimensions and theogeny in the very next valley, much more so when dealing with centuries and nations of separation.

Still, it's fun to try.