Jephthah's Daughter

by cantleave 94 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  KalebOutWest

  I also take this opportunity to declare that it wouldn't surprise me if my people did literally sacrifice their children to the God of Israel in the name of religion.

  After seeing through history how Christians have treated Jews, how Jehovah's Witnesses have lied about their false date-setting, how atheists become self-righteous in their own condemnation of all people with faith, and how my people have been acting toward the people of Gaza or even those they mistake for protesters:

  https://apnews.com/article/itamar-bengvir-brooklyn-mob-woman-chased-090da170e8800307c54e2520320f6a2c

  I leave all this behind, this sick self-righteous behavior of people who think they are enlightened, whether they are religious or secular. People just love to hate.

  Even here, a few folks who leave the Watchtower are not even courageous enough to get that formal education that the Governing Body told them was taboo and claim an "enlightenment" of their own which is really nothing but the Dunning-Kruger effect running mad in the hands of bullies (which I have tried to call out angrily and forcefully time and again), but these few people act like this mob above.

  I have formally resigned from Judaism after witnessing the above event and give up on religious discussions after this.

  Jehovah's Witnesses aren't evil. When some people leave that cult, some are still the same evil culty person that wants to believe in unrealistic, unreasonable fairy tales and argue and a few of these bully and hate. The religion of Watchtower merely collected them. Those who leave this group just realize it's not for them. And the same goes for boards like this--which is why it has become so empty and only has a lot of religious kooks now.
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  peacefulpete

  We wish you well on your future pursuits and thank you for some very informative comments. I personally learned new things.
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  Person

  Yes this is very interesting. What's also interesting is that I've been blocked and have to use a different vpn to access this forum...
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  peacefulpete

  Person...the site was down for couple days. Simon did some updates
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  peacefulpete

  Regarding the rites of human sacrifice in the ancient world, most all cultures engaged in it in their deep pasts. Interestingly the Persian empire went through such a transition under the influence of the Zoroastrian religious influences. The Romans also describe such a transition. There is an ancient tale of Numa the legendary 2nd king of Rome engaging in negotiations with Jupiter (the top god often equated with the Jewish Yahweh) over the demand of human sacrifice. It is summarized below:

  Numa and his people had once been terrified by frequent lightning bolts, signs of the wrath of Jupiter. Using a secret spell or ritual, the king called the god down to the Aventine Hill to ask how to expiate the portents. The god responded with what sounded like a demand for human sacrifice. The king, however, talked back. When Jupiter demanded a ‘head’, Numa offered: ‘The head of an onion’. Jupiter rejoined, ‘....Of a human being’; Numa supplied: ‘The hairs.’ Jupiter gave it one more try, clarifying ‘....A life’; Numa responded: ‘Of a fish!’ Agreement was reached, and from then on Romans expiated lightning at the shrine of Jupiter Elicius with an onion, some human hairs, and a fish.

  This story retroactively reformed the cult of the Romans, providing an origin story for the shunning of human sacrifice. One can't help but notice certain similarities with certain dialogues and negotiations in the OT. I have posed something similar for the purpose of the Akedah story. Perhaps a more ancient legend was reused, but the substitution of the ram for Isaac part might have served as an illustration of new religious ideals of the 5th/4th century.