by The Dragon 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
What would it be like if God was among us? Would our privacy be gone? It would be like a mindreader among us?
Am I off base with this? Or is there some sort of plan that it would be no big deal to have bad thoughts? Do angels have privacy of thought?
Are they able to have secrets?
This popped in my head yesterday and has me a little confused...
Any thoughts?
It all depends on the type of mythological diety you beleive in. Some believe in a deity that reads every thought, others also beleive that the lessor deities(angels) minds are not read by the greater deity and so he may have to rely on facial expressions and body language, but in the final analysis it all depends on what powers you assign to these mythological beings.
If you are talking about the God of the Bible, yes he can read minds and hearts. He knows everyone's emotions but most of the times, he chooses not to. What do you think happens when someone decides to pray in silence? God still "hears" our prayers because he knows what's in your mind and heart. justahuman - but super nonetheless
Justa,
I see you still hold to the WT teachings that God is all knowing but uses it selectively, and chooses to remain selectively ignorant of some knowledge so as not to spoil the fun of being surprised, or living life as one big rerun.
In pantheism, it is kind of upsidedown from the picture you envision. The pantheist 'god' isn't that smart. In fact humans might be smarter than it is. Also, all are connected to the central source, and to eachother. So then, the idea would be for humans to try to read the mind of 'god'. Meditation is a step in that direction. You seem to be a thinker. Wanna try?
S
WT "reasoning" on mind reading. Remember that the WTS also uses the concept of "reading hearts."
SATAN, DEMONS, GOD, JESUS
*** w03 6/15 p. 30 Questions From Readers ***
Does Satan the Devil have the ability to read the human mind?
Although we cannot be dogmatic, it would appear that neither Satan nor his demons have the ability to read our thoughts.
Consider the descriptive names ascribed to Satan. He is called Satan (Resister), Devil (Slanderer), Serpent (synonymous with Deceiver), Tempter, and Liar. (Job 1:6; Matthew 4:3; John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9) None of these descriptive names imply that Satan has the ability to read minds.
By way of contrast, however, Jehovah God is described as "the examiner of hearts." (Proverbs 17:3; 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Chronicles 29:17) "There is not a creation that is not manifest to his [Jehovah’s] sight," declares Hebrews 4:13, "but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting." Not surprisingly, Jehovah has granted the ability to examine hearts to his Son, Jesus. The resurrected Jesus declared: "I am he who searches the kidneys and hearts, and I will give to you individually according to your deeds."—Revelation 2:23.
The Bible does not say that Satan is able to search men’s hearts and minds. This is significant, inasmuch as the apostle Paul assures us that Christians "are not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs." (2 Corinthians 2:11) So we need not fear that Satan has some extraordinary ability of which we are entirely unaware.
Nevertheless, this is not to say that our Adversary cannot discern our weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Satan has had centuries to study human behavior. He does not need to be able to read minds to discern what patterns of behavior we set, to observe what entertainment we pursue, or to listen to what things we talk about, and so forth. Our facial expressions and posture may also give clues as to what we are thinking or feeling.
By and large, though, Satan uses the same devices that he used in the garden of Eden—lies, deception, and misinformation. (Genesis 3:1-5) While Christians need not fear that Satan will read their minds, they do have reason to be concerned about what thoughts Satan might try to put into their minds. He wants Christians to become "corrupted in mind and despoiled of the truth." (1 Timothy 6:5) Little wonder that Satan’s world has unleashed a flood of corrupting information and entertainment. To withstand this onslaught, Christians must protect their minds by wearing "the helmet of salvation." (Ephesians 6:17) They do this by filling their minds with Bible truths and avoiding unnecessary contact with the unsavory elements of Satan’s world.
Satan is a formidable foe. But we need not have a morbid fear of him or his demons. James 4:7 assures us: "Oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you." If we follow this counsel, we will be able to declare, like Jesus, that Satan has no hold on us.—John 14:30.
*** w62 7/1 p. 415 Questions From Readers ***
Can Satan and his demons read our minds?—M. C., United States.
There is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that Satan and his demons can read our minds or thoughts. Rather, the implication of the Scriptures is that only God can read the mind of man: "Mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is." Further we are told regarding God: "There is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting."—1 Sam. 16:7; Heb. 4:13.
However, most likely the demons can, because of higher intelligence and better powers of observation, note what is in the mind of man because of his actions and facial expressions. Thus when a man goes contrary to Matthew 5:28 it may be apparent on his face, and so one could tell what is in his mind even though being unable to read it. So they may take advantage of weaknesses that one makes evident and tempt him to sin.
This underscores the importance of right thinking and dependence upon Jehovah. When wrong thoughts enter the mind they should be rejected at once; they should not be entertained, opening the way to sin. (Jas. 1:14, 15) Rather, draw close to God through prayer and meditation on his Word, because in this will be found protection against wrong desires and against the temptations of the Devil and his demons.—Jas. 4:7, 8; Phil. 4:8, 9.
I don't know "God". I haven't met any "angels". So, I don't know. The Sky god Yahweh (YHWH) doesn't seem to be capable of reading minds from what I can tell by reading the Tanakh (O.T.).
__________________________ "Meditation is a step in that direction. You seem to be a thinker. Wanna try?" - Satanus
Meditation for Dummies which is a very nice book.
I've been using the basic technique of following my breath to start with.
Meditation has been proven in scientific studies to improve mental and physical health.
Dave
As the WT never taught us ...it's all about freewill. God knows all but hopes we will do the right thing anyway.
~Hill
Hey The Dragon,
Good questions, as ever.
Here are a few more:
How does thinking relate to speaking? Is speaking, just thinking aloud? Or thinking, just speaking to oneself? Isn't there an excess of thinking over speaking, and also a different excess of speaking over thinking?
Isn't the very difference constitutive of self-awareness, making any "subject" less (or more) than simple? Who speaks, who listens, when "I" speak to "myself," sometimes "surprising myself" -- who then surprises "me," who is surprised by "me"?
In a "transparent mind," would any thought, or speech, or subjectivity, occur in the first place? Isn't a certain opacity, hence the potential for lying to others or to oneself ("self-delusion"), an essential part of the process?
I find it interesting that the most naive representations of G-god in the Bible allow him to lie (e.g. 1 Kings 22), even if he ultimately chooses not to do so, and have him need to read (i.e. interpret) minds through actions (e.g. Genesis 22). Wherever an "I" happens, whether human or divine, there is a mystery, not only for the outside but also from "within".
Is the mind encased in the brain. Its a tough one to answer. When the brain is dead, is the mind still alive separate from the brain? If consciousness lives outside the brain , then, mind, thoughts, go on and on. Who knows what the thoughts of others are, are there really mind readers, God , angels, spirits, ghosts, humans? I have no idea, do you?
Blueblades
