Religion will say it changes and grow. Mind you, this might be an individual growth. More often, then not, they take the same scriptures from 2000 years ago and see those as the base to find understanding. They go to the Greek meaning, the Hebrew meaning, etc. They look at it from this angel and that perspective, have committee meetings on the issues and so on. In the end, they are still using the same writing from 2000 years ago. I found it so interesting to see how the Bible even came together and how so much is actually missing from the Bible that was reference and used by early Christians. It was filtered to be something people would accept easier, but brings up a whole load of questions about "was it really god's word." The idea of God is another issue, we still want to see that personal God, honesty ... haven't we outgrown that by now? As for leaches being used in medical practice, that is true. What is not true, is that they are used now for valid medical reasons and not to get evil spirits out. They are used when people get limbs, fingers etc, attached back on in accident. They uses leaches to encourage blood flow. This is not about evil spirits. Medicine grew past that. I just wish religion could grow past some of what it has and not deny what the scriptures actually show, and not try and say they were so advanced and so amazing. When in reality, they show a lot of knowledge missing, that modern man had learned since then. Unless of course, your do as I said before and bend them, spin them and do everything possible to them to make them sound like what you want them too.
Why do you accept ancient religions?
by free2beme 25 Replies latest jw friends
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Amazing1914
Freetobeme,
Religion will say it changes and grow. Mind you, this might be an individual growth.
Religions have evolved, especially the Jewish and Christian religions.
More often, then not, they take the same scriptures from 2000 years ago and see those as the base to find understanding.
2000 years ago, Christ said to love your neighbor as yourself. So, is that direction now considered to be old fashioned and out-of-date and unworthy because it is ancient? Some things are time-dependant, and some things are time honored.
They go to the Greek meaning, the Hebrew meaning, etc. They look at it from this angel and that perspective, have committee meetings on the issues and so on. In the end, they are still using the same writing from 2000 years ago.
Some do this. So what?
I found it so interesting to see how the Bible even came together and how so much is actually missing from the Bible that was reference and used by early Christians.
Some of the references you refer to are unavailable today. So what? Other than the Gnostic Gospels, (which are questionable), very little was left out of the Bible canon. For example, if one reads the book of Thomas, one discovers that it is a pile of rubble. It does not take a Church committee to tell the reader this fact. All the Gnostic and Apocryphia are available on line or in many libraries and book stores. The Roman and Orthodox churches encourage reading the Apocryphia as they are worthy works.It was filtered to be something people would accept easier, but brings up a whole load of questions about "was it really god's word."
Your claim that the Bible was "filtered" isa absurd and reflects a lack of historical understanding. The Bible itself never claimed to be the "Word of God." Jesus Christ is the "Word" (Logos, Gr.) of God. Roman Catholics and Orthodox do not hold to the Bible alone. Many believe that the Bible only contains some of the words of God, but is not the "Word" of God. Fundamentalists Protestants, and fringe comic groups like Jehovah's Witnesses believe as you claim.The idea of God is another issue, we still want to see that personal God, honesty ... haven't we outgrown that by now?
If God exist, and is our creator, then there is nothing to outgrow. I have never seen my ancestors, but I would still love to meet them. Why criticize people for wanting a relationship with God, their creator, if that is what they believe?
As for leaches being used in medical practice, that is true. What is not true, is that they are used now for valid medical reasons and not to get evil spirits out. They are used when people get limbs, fingers etc, attached back on in accident. They uses leaches to encourage blood flow. This is not about evil spirits. Medicine grew past that.
Whew! Yes, ancient peoples had erroneous ideas about what they practiced. So what? We today have ignorant ideas that our future generations will show is barbaric and silly. So what? That is irrelevant to the Bible.I just wish religion could grow past some of what it has and not deny what the scriptures actually show, and not try and say they were so advanced and so amazing. When in reality, they show a lot of knowledge missing, that modern man had learned since then. Unless of course, your do as I said before and bend them, spin them and do everything possible to them to make them sound like what you want them too.
Aside from Jehovah's Witnesses and fringe groups, can you name one specific mainline group that does what you claim? Jim W. -
Narkissos
Other than the Gnostic Gospels, (which are questionable), very little was left out of the Bible canon. For example, if one reads the book of Thomas, one discovers that it is a pile of rubble. It does not take a Church committee to tell the reader this fact.
I suspect you might be confusing the Gospel of Thomas with the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which are very different in content and spirit. The latter (although clearly Gnostic in its final redaction) is a central witness to the Gospel traditions and a fascinating work.
As to whether it's "very little" or "very much," everyone can judge for him/herself...:
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Terry
For anybody interested in my opinion...here it is.
The problem is that of philosophy and not religion, per se.
Much philosophy is tainted with mysticism which tells us that it is THE MIND which controls truth and reality is merely
what the mind says it is.
Any source that is mysterious, ancient, laden with jargon, symbols or ritual can suck us in when we are philosophically vulnerable to mysticism.
There has always been a fuzzy line between men of science and men of mystical "knowledge".
It comes down to this:
1.Evidence with proof
2.Allegations from some "authority".
Science demands experimentation, evidence and measurement as a basis for knowing.
Mysticism is a claim to extra-sensory, non-rational, non-identifiable means of knowledge such as:
instinct, intuition,revelation, just knowing or gut feeling.
For the mystic the universe just isn't enough! The mystic posits a perception of a higher plane of reality.
Nature isn't enough for the mystic. The mystic posits the Supernatural.
The credible mind of a rational thinker corresponds to what is real while the mystic claims a source of power and energy beyond reality. Moreover, mystics destroy your confidence in your own mind with a philosophy that blurs the edges of all valid definitions.
Unfortunately this has seeped into more than religion and superstition; it has invaded the popular language of science itself! Read any popular book on quantum physics and you'll quickly see how "strange" it is claimed reality is and how we really cannot understand it at all and how wrong we all have been. This paves the way for a new generation of priests and gurus who will become the sole authority of what is real and what isn't: SCIENCE as AUTHORITY.
A mystic requires a source authority to assert what is real. Jehovah's Witnesses have the anointed super-christians in the governing body. The catholics have the pope. The charismatics have the holy spirit. Others have astrology, Tarot, I Ching, etc. etc.
The fact that a religion is solely fused with the idea of BEING TOLD BY SOMEBODY ELSE what is real and what isn't should strike instant fear in the core of our individuality. Instead, mankind embraces the concept and surrenders their identity! We become slaves.
Once we were "slaves of Jehovah" and what that really meant was that we were slaves of the mystical gurus in Brooklyn New York who used us imperiously for their own sinister purposes!
RELIGION is tainted by mystical philosophy and the acceptance of ancient "knowledge" is just a disguised way of accepting the mysterious source of knowledge made more spooky and exciting because of its distance in time from us.
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free2beme
RELIGION is tainted by mystical philosophy
Amen!
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LittleToe
RELIGION is tainted by mystical philosophy
Thank goodness for that. It wouldn't be much fun, otherwise, would it? It'd be like those Biology clases or Watchtower studies, where everyone was drifting off to sleep...
Yup, life is mystical - hallelujah!