RE-mythologising "God"?

by Narkissos 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  Blueblades

  Also in line with the other comments made here is a thought that occured to me. By highlighting the name Jehovah, the Watchtower has de-emphasized the name of Jesus. All attention is focused on Jehovah as we can see from the many recent Watchtower study articles. As Blondie has asked many times in her "Comments" series, "Where is Jesus"?

  Even the Kingdom Melodies has reduced the number of songs that had praisees to Jesus in them to fewer and fewer songs and more and more praises to Jehovah songs.

  Blueblades
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  quietlyleaving

  Many JWs with a mainstream Christian background would sincerely say that they are more personally related and committed to "Jehovah" than they have ever been to "God". Is it, somehow, because it suits better the lively realm of mythology than the abstract realm of theology?

  That would certainly explain why we all fell for it - an amazing dream that seemed to be true and one we could relate to and identify with.
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  Mum

  The Hebrew stories of heroes are mythological in their scope - e.g., Samson, Noah, Moses and others had adventures like the gods of old. The Hebrew stories are of flawed individuals just like the Greek and Roman myths. Maybe the Watchtower uses the OT stories more than the NT because of the mythological element that ordinary people can relate to.

  Regards,

  SandraC
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  Narkissos

  Thanks for the further replies.

  Blueblades' last remark makes me think that, perhaps, Jesus went through a similar process of re-mythologisation in popular Evangelicalism (from pietism to Pentecostalism), with a comparatively new focus on "relationship with Jesus" together with the development of previously marginal practices like prayer to Jesus. This mostly remained within the boundaries of mainstream orthodoxy but was nonetheless a significant change in the form of liturgy and devotion. Rather than the dogmatic technicalities of the Trinity and the hypostatic union the believers want to relate to a man-like gGod.
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  snowbird

  I knew about JEHOVAH from reading the KJV, but I still distinctly remember the jarring shock of hearing the word on everyone's lips at my first visit to the KH.

  It took some getting used to, but before long I was using JEHOVAH as if I were born doing it. It felt so good to see the smiles of approval as I was embraced by the congregation. I belonged! Before long the love affair had soured, however. I learned from whence the word JEHOVAH actually came. Once, during a lull in the book study, an elder queried if we could ask JEHOVAH one question, what would it be?

  My answer was that my question would be, "What is the correct pronunciation of your name, and does it matter?" Need I say I received quite a few disapproving stares?

  In keeping with your topic, I think the WTS opened a can of worms with their insistence on equating the use of JEHOVAH as a sign of one's acceptance by God.

  Sylvia
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  Justitia Themis

  "Zeus, whoever he is, for I know him only by report"--Euripides from "Melanippe the Wise." Zeus, as a transcendent and unknowable "cause" is much less emotionally edifying than 'God as my personal friend and protector.' But, Christians have long sought to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

  I suppose the question is whether or not substituting Jehovah for Jesus in any way enhanced the perception of a personal relationship for prospective converts, thereby leading to growth?

  I suspect it could have, because their perception was that they went from having a relationship with the #2 God (Jesus) to having a relationship with the #1 God (Jehovah).

  Justitia
• 

  quietlyleaving

  Justitia

  I suppose the question is whether or not substituting Jehovah for Jesus in any way enhanced the perception of a personal relationship for prospective converts, thereby leading to growth?

  Jehovahs witnesses love to draw attention to the failings of and disunity within christianity. Whereas Jehovah represents peace, order and stability.

  also they like to emphasize that this generation is chaotic and life uncertain and precarious
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  Justitia Themis

  ....sorry...double post. Whenever I am using my laptop and I hit "enter", I get a double post!
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  Narkissos

  Justitia Themis:

  their perception was that they went from having a relationship with the #2 God (Jesus) to having a relationship with the #1 God (Jehovah).

  You may have a good point here.

  Otoh, my impression is that the pattern of "relationship (or even friendship) with Jesus" was not that widespread in mainstream Christianity before the second half of the 20th century. Perhaps it was just starting in America -- Rutherford's emphasis on "Jehovah" coincides roughly with the rise of Pentecostalism.

  In "old-style Christianty" (e.g. traditional French Catholic or Reformed churches), Jesus did not appear so much as a "divine friend" to which people could relate personally, I think. He was either perceived as a past godman figure or absorbed into the timeless Trinitarian complex.
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  M.J.

  I thought about this some more. JWs also happen to insist that Jehovah has a localized body, is not omnipresent, and is not omniscient.--i.e., He relies on observation to find out how people play things out in his "world" experiment and reacts accordingly. With such an outlook the JW member feels elevated to the status of castmember in the story! "Jehovah" is brought down to the level of an identifiable, comprehensible character.