Context and Consistency

by DT 22 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  DT

  Since I was born into the WTS, I suffered from a lot a brainwashing before I could even read. I had a lot of preconceived ideas before I started to read the Bible. I assumed that it was consistent, so when I came across apparent contradictions, I assumed there were reasonable explanations and even tried to make them up. Faith that the Bible is consistent also affects how you view context. It makes it necessary to adjust your understanding of scriptures based on other scriptures that you have already read. The problem is that everybody will put the same scripture in a different context. For example, if you are trying to understand two related scriptures, there's no way to decide which one should provide the context for the other. One person will feel justified in modifying their understanding of the one based on the other while another may feel justified in doing the opposite.

  Christianity, in general, seems to have a habit of modifying their understanding of the Old Testament based on their understanding of the New Testament. Jehovah's Witnesses seem to often do the opposite. They may point to Old Testament scriptures to support their views on hellfire, the trinity, the soul, etc. and use this to alter the way a person might naturally understand certain New Testament Scriptures.

  I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to come up with any consistent theology from the Bible. (This is a separate issue from whether the Bible is true. It may possible for a religious book to be consistent, even if untrue.) It doesn't matter how well developed a Biblical theology is, it can always be criticised as taking scriptures out of context. For example, any theology that says God is loving can be easily countered with numerous Old Testament examples.

  This makes it easy to fall into the trap of believing that you have to have an organisation explain the Bible to you. This puts one in the situation of serving men and is very dangerous as many former JW's will affirm.

  I actually feel that the Bible is a fairly interesting and culturally relevant book. However, I had to discard the myth of it's consistency to find these limited benefits. What are your thoughts?
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  5go

  I had to discard the book pretty much entirely it a piece of the puzzle, not the puzzle. Thought it might have something of worth in it's pages it isn't the only place to find things of worth, like it was written for you to believe.

  The bible writers plagiarised a lot from the surrounding area so if you want the whole story read the myths from the surrounding area to get a better context.
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  inkling

  I have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to come up with any consistent theology from the Bible.

  You make a great point. For so long I was struggling to find the
  "correct" interpretation of the Bible's comments on things like
  Hellfire, the trinity, the soul, etc, and no matter WHAT theological
  position you end up taking, there are ALLWAYS awkward scriptures
  that you end up having to wiggle out of sideways.

  It never occurred to me that maybe the Bible was presenting me with
  conflicting world views. That maybe the Bible talks about monotheism
  AND the divinity of christ. That in one verse a writer thinks the
  soul dies, and in another a different writer thinks the soul goes to heaven.

  You can use the bible to prove most any world view, and
  indeed people have done just that for centuries...

  It just requires some agile theological acrobatics to get anything
  with decent continuity.

  [inkling]
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  Burger Time

  I always thought that was what made Christianity a bit more interesting. That it is more of a hodgepodge of ideas thrown together.
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  wind chimes

  I am a newbie. I was not raised a JW but my in-laws are. I will pass along a book that you can read free at http://www.entrewave.com/freebooks/docs/2202_47e.htm It is by Kenneth Gentry - He shall have Dominion. It ties the Old Testament , New Testament , and Revelation together in a satisfying way, IMO. It departs dramatically from the fatalistic world view that JWs hold.
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  Steve J

  Hi DT,

  I actually feel that the Bible is a fairly interesting and culturally relevant book. However, I had to discard the myth of it's consistency to find these limited benefits.

  I couldn't have put it better DT.

  I don't know about you but I hate to think of the ammount of times I said to interested ones that despite popular opinion the Bible does not contradict itself and is consistent throughout...How I've been made to eat my words...

  It was Matthew's genealogy that first got me thinking, as he doesn't only trace Jesus' ancestry through the cursed line of Jechoniah (Jeremiah 22:30) but he also claims;

  All the generations from Abraham until David were fourteen and from David until the deportation to Babylon fourteen, and from the deportation to Babylon until the Christ fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17)

  There is obviously some significance in the authors mind with the number fourteen for some reason, but if you count them, you will find there were only 13 generations from the deportation to Jesus.

  In David's lineage the author also skips three generations between Uzziah and Jehoram, deliberately omitting Amaziah, Jehoash and Ahaziah to make it fit. (Compare Matthew 1:8 with 1 Chronicles 3:10-12)

  Why?

  If Jesus was the son of God, then why try to tamper with his genealogy to make him look better, or his birth more spectacular than it actually was?

  I'd be interested to see what was the most striking inconsistency that you've found.

  Steve J
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  DT

  I'd be interested to see what was the most striking inconsistency that you've found.

  Probably John 19:14 where we learn that Jesus was killed on the day of preparation for Passover, Nisan 13 instead of Nisan 14 like the other gospels claim. I think this is huge because it contradicts the one holiday that JW's celebrate. I'm planning on making this the subject of a separate post.
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  inkling

  Probably John 19:14 where we learn that Jesus was killed on the day of preparation for Passover, Nisan 13 instead of Nisan 14 like the other gospels claim. I think this is huge because it contradicts the one holiday that JW's celebrate. I'm planning on making this the subject of a separate post.

  I think this can be easily explained by just saying the Nissan 14 WAS the preparation day.
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  5go

  I think this can be easily explained by just saying the Nissan 14 WAS the preparation day.

  No it can't which is why the church adopted Easter to do away with the dilemma.
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  bobld

  Bible is not consistent.Ex1.Mosiac law given only to one nation.Law done away with after J.C.Ex.2 read Numbers ch:19 is there any micro benefit today,any education value,any spiritual value,any emotional value.Ex3 you can go thru the whole Bible particular the O.T.and it has as much value as numbers ch:19.Note, law of J.C. was to ALL nations,but only a few rx'd it.Nations like China,India had their own brand of religion.