Jephthah's Daughter

by cantleave 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  JWoods

  Leolai makes perfect sense here. Sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar.

  Underneath all the WT posturing on this subject is revealed something of the WT "research" into biblical mystery. Where it might be obvious just to accept what the OT says - for the WT, they quite often get involved into some twisted explanation and then dogmatically INSIST that this is the only way to view this tale. It would have been just as easy to merely SUGGEST that maybe she became some sort of nun, while also honestly saying that they simply do not know!

  But that is not the WT way, is it? NOOOO - for example, there is no sure way to prove that Jesus is somehow the personna Michael the Archangel - but once the fixation on this idea was in place, it became holy law to the watchtower.

  144,000? No - it simply does not make it clear what this really refers to. Watchtower thought up a theory, and suddenly it is immutable doctrine.
• 

  lovelylil2

  Frankie,

  I stand by my statement that in the Jephthah story, it this particular account, it simply does not say God approved of this sacrifice and human sacrifice clearly goes against other biblical texts where it is states God does not condone human sacrifice.

  But you do raise a good point that even bible believers need to keep in mind. And that is the false view of God as being only loving and kind and war hating. This view in light of the OT is simply not the case at all. Its like the JWs being anti war because they feel it is violent and God hates violence. I would ask them if they read the OT? God in the OT is clearly NOT anti war nor anti violence.

  You see, I really do have my mind open. And my view of the OT God is not only thru rose colored lenses. I was just sticking to the facts of this particular account only.

  Leaolai,

  Good point. It is a moral story and that is why God is not shown to intervene. I also personally think it taught another lesson to those living during that time, in addition to not swearing false oaths, and that is that human sacrifice in general is an appalling practice. Maybe Jephthah needed to be on the other end of this practice where it affected him personally to see how evil it really was? Just congecture on my part, but interesting though. Peace, Lilly
• 

  PSacramento

  Leo,

  You make a valid and compeling point, but the whole virgin thing kind of throws it out of whack.

  Why mention it at all?

  While I agree that the vow seems rather damning, the passages after that just don't mesh well with her being given up as a human sacrifice.

  I understand the moral of the story and her death wouldbe more inline though, do you think that there was some editing as to make it more "non-human sacrific" like?
• 

  JWoods

  There is also a kind of uncomfortably very similar story in non-Israilite literature (Caananite, maybe) in which version the girl is definately stated to have been sent off to a sort of nunnery... something that did exist in fact with other religious traditions.

  Which would lend a sort of credance to this interpretation - except, of course, that no proper JW would ever admit that parts of the bible OT interlink with other nonJewish religious tradition of the time.
• 

  Sapphy

  There wasn't any temple for her to serve at then was there?

  I think the months weeping for her virginity was just a stay of execution, but regardless of if she was killed or sent away, it's one more life ruined by religion.
• 

  Mad Sweeney

  I think Leolaia explained quite articulately and accurately why the idea of her being a virgin is brought up. Because in that society, once you've married and had your kids you were expendable. Before being married and having kids, you had value.
• 

  dissed

  Hey, if Lot could sacrifice his daughters to the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomarah, then why not Jepthah?

  It was the custom and habit of the land to sac your children and as we all know, old habits are hard to give up (see smoking, etc..)
• 

  frankiespeakin

  You know the more I see this topic and think about it I don't see the big deal in bible believers accepting this story as an actual human sacrifice,, if they accept the stories of Joshua having the entire populations of villages put to death, which included man women and children(innocent babies too).

  Why I remember back in the early 70's when I first started going to JW meeting that the Co gave a talk about the reasonableness of Jehovah killing little babies at Armageddon and using the illustration of killing the baby snakes and not just the mother poisonous snake. And then there was the study of the book of Ezekiel during that same time where Jehovah was going to do a mass extermination, with no consideration for young virgins and children. We got the story of king David and Jehovah's putting an innocent child to death for his sin, not to mention all the slaughtering David did with Jehovah's backing and blessing. Putting to death people that anger God is basically what the bible is about it keeps his worshipers humble and fearful which seems to be what God is all about in the Old Testament, and the NT seems to be a little less bloody but still carries the threat of God in the form of "do this or I'll kill you" or you better believe or else Hell, or eternal death depending on who's interpreting the bible. Heck the need for sacrifices to keep God happy outa tell you something about his nature. So what's the big deal if Jehovah condoned Jephthah's daughter as a burnt offering to himself.

  What I'm trying to say is the bible is full of God flying off the handle and killing people or having his servants do the job of killing those that don't worship him.

  So why would a bible believer be so squeamish about one little human sacrifice when the bible is so full of killing in the OT?
• 

  Mickey mouse

  How did I not know this?!!
• 

  cantleave

  You could argue that these stories are reflection of an Iron society where the live of children and women are of less value than an adult male. No-one in a civilised society in the 21st could condone these actions, but these atrcocities were accepted during the time these stories were written. The problem is, as I see it, these stories are being used today by different religious groups, to instill an idea of morality and justice. The WTS's efforts to sanitize this particular story is a poor attempt to deflect what is really being described, yet this week the congregation book study uses Jepthah's keeping his his promise as a fine example for all to follow. If I hear one of my kids say "I swear to god I'll him" I am really going to worry.