by FreePeace 14 Replies latest jw friends
Rex
>If, as the Bible contends, all religion goes back to worship of the one, true God
The first four words of the bible put a little leak in you bucket of monotheism. They are 'In the beginning god'. God is translated from elohim, a combination of 2 hebrew words, elo feminine singular, thus godess, and him plural masculine. And so, it contains the ideas of godesses and gods. So the bible starts out polytheistic and moves toward monotheism.
SS
When are all of the Bible doubters going to realize that practically every objection they have can be turned back on them?
Maybe when it starts to happen.
As for this topic, the golden rule predates all religions. It's merely a common-sense observation that must have been made among the earliest human communities and then later incorporated into various religious ideas that were developed over time.
SS,
The gender uses in scripture denote lignuistics, not the sex of the person in question. LOL
Elohim is used in emphasis of deity and not in numeration. Hebrew is largely tanslated by context, something that JWs and atheists like to ignore when convenient. The plural use in Genesis 1.26 IS an early indication that God is more than one person (1.27 then reiterates the ONE God). The apostle John uses John 1.1 to teach the multiple persons inherent in God and Genesis 1.1 reveals the third person who was present in the Beginning!
I don't blame you for being confused. "Preachers" like Kenneth Copeland are notoriously heretical in their theology!
Cheers!
Rex
Rex
>Elohim is used in emphasis of deity and not in numeration
>The plural use in Genesis 1.26 IS an early indication that God is more than one person
You admit it's multiple, but not of gods, rather of persons. You say it's multiple, but it's not multiple. Seems you're doing a watchtowerism here, trying to have it both ways.
I looked up goddess in strongs exhaustive concordance. It occurs only 2 times in the ot. 1kings 11:5,33. Strongs assigns goddess the number 430. Looking up #430 give elohiym. Given the other utterances where deity says 'let us' or 'like us', i don't see that my explanation is too farfetched, especially considering the fact that genesis isn't directly inspired, but derived from other legends and writings.
Does copeland also see gen1:1 like this? I wasn't aware of it. I never became a fan of his.
Merry christmass
SS
SS,
Didn't you say that Copeland was someone you used to follow? I guess I got it wrong. Your assertion that "Genesis isn't inspired" is rather inconsistent. Picking and choosing inspiration is highly suspect when it comes to scripture. I see it as an 'all' or 'none' issue, personally.
I would get the conservative view more often if I were you. Don't assume the Jesus Seminar types are evenly remotely correct. And, peole like Bishop Spong and his ilk are humanists hiding in clergymen robes in order to disparage and slander real Christians.
Later,
Rex
