by bboyneko 15 Replies latest watchtower bible
Bboyneko
All those why's and isn't it strange. Exactly!!!
Thank you for the info, the insight, and the why's.
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - abandoned by the creator comes to mind.
How many times have I had this discussion with people. If you don't mind, I will copy your post so that I can discuss it with others.
Thanks.
JJ
Sorry, JanH, but if you say Modern Israeli Hebrew is not written without vowels, you are just ignorant of Modern Israeli Hebrew. I know better, I have studied Modern Israeli Hebrew and have read Modern Israeli Hebrew books and newspapers. Tell that to someone else.
Modern Israeli Hebrew can be written with vowels, and for learners, some material may have vowels. But those who know the language both read and write it without vowels.
I also stand by my statement vis-a-vis the DSS and the Masoretic text. I am quite aware that there are some differences in orthography, due to normal changes in the written Hebrew language over time. But as I stated formerly, those primarily stylistic differences do not change the fundamentals of the message in any significant way.
Accuracy: Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof. I don't need reasons to disbelieve the Bible. I need reasons to believe it. And they just aren't there.
PS: If you haven't read Who Wrote The Bible? by Friedman, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Bboy,
With the exception of a few bible worshipping protestants, no once has claimed, to my knowledge, that the bible is divine, only divinely inspired.
Comparisons of Isaiah found at Qumran with those of present day texts shows that the faithfulness of the translation is such that any slight differences are negligable.
Ever seen what these Jewish scribes go through to copy the Torah? No wonder these things are $30,000 or more a piece when new.
YERUSALYIM
"Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
[Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]
bboy,
Your latter reasons are very similar to those that I've had. I've always wondered why God would only reveal himself to one very tiny nation, and then do it so unconvincinly that not even they would worship him whole souled. If he spoke directly to the Isrealites through prophets, performed miracles for them, and gave them so many military victories, why would they turn away from him? If God would give me just one totally definitive sign of his existence (kind of like Jesus to Thomas), then I would never doubt his existence and most off all I would be less pissed off if he decided to kill me for not worshiping him (though if we truly had free will we could do so without being killed). Simply because many people believed Zeus existed is no reason to believe he existed, and the same is true for YHWH. Sure, his legend is more plausible than the aforementioned Zeus, but alot of Islam makes more sense than Christanity (their creation story is better) and the accuracy of its holy book as rendered by the one who proclaimed it is more or less beyond question (though it's probably not inerrant as they claim). However, simply because the Koran is historically accurate, does that make it true? Simply because the man who proclaimed the Koran claims it is inspired, is that a good enough reason? How many bible predictions have indeed come to pass? (Was the book of Daniel truely written before the events?) There are too many unanswered questions about the bible for me to fully trust it.
Go therefore and baptize the people in the name of the father and of the son... what the hell, we just need to bring up the yearbook numbers!
