The "identity" of the ONLY.....god

by Terry 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Terry
    Terry

    If there is only ONE of something (anything) it does not need to be separated from others of its kind since there simply aren't others.

    If there is a REAL something and a TRUE something (as opposed to a phoney or false) it stands alone unique and disambiguated.

    That is the foundational problem with giving an ONLY TRUE god a "distinguishing" name.

    If only one true God is living there is no chance of offending that God by cheating on Him with imaginary "rivals".

    Imagine being jealous of your wife or husband pretending to have an affair with a non-existent rival!

    What mental disorder would provoke jealousy? Jealous of what...would be the question!

    Yet, the bible is filled with stories of the only True god having rivalries with imaginary competitors!

    A supposed rival, an opposer, is not named at all. Satan merely describes a state of being "opposed".

    El is a syllable describing god. El-ohim is plural: gods. Apparently, primitive society was filled with fears of imaginary, invisible powers.

    Muslims today have an El. El-lah (Allah). An ancient leftover syllable nobody wants to toss away.

    So afraid were hallucinating, trembling humans that they sought to appease these fears by pacifying them with FOOD (offerings and sacrifices) as though a spirit would EAT food!

    They named each spirit (trees, mountains, wind, lightning, thunder, etc.) as though these phenomena were personalities.

    Manifestations of human frailty took form in the human mind. Like a child talks to an inert doll. The humans talked to their inert "god."

    Begging, pleading (prayer) and praise.

    Come now!

    The idea of assuming an IDENTITY called JEHOVAH is ludicrous if reality is to be attached to the idea of god.

    God would the most IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERLOOK reality of all reality itself!

    Doubt could not arise in the face of such an insuperable, inexorable reality! None could challenge it.

    Could we deny the sun in our sky? The stars? The air itself? Impossible! Yet, none of these is an identity with a magic name!

    So, we are left with a projection.....just another such in a long history of such projections. Man imagines and projects and then dresses the projection up with a name, identity, list of super powers and attaches fear and reverence. The child with its doll.

    Werewolves, vampires, aliens from UFO's, bigfoot, fairies, succubuses, demons, the list is endless!!

    If you can imagine and fear something it will catch on with others!!

    The name Jehovah is treated like a magic word among the JW's. It is "King's X". It is a talisman. It is a lucky charm. It is like the rosary beads for a Catholic. This word is conjured like a Sorcerer manifesting the numinous. It is also a conceit. My God is bigger than yours.

    We had this thing....this "Jehovah" implant surgically imbedded in our brain and it is nigh unto impossible to escape the broadcast emanations even now. Signals come forth in our sleep. It was made all too real to get rid of! The idea, like a parasite in our intestine, won't go away. It stalks us and feeds off of us and consumes our energy.

    It is a grand conspiracy theory this religion has offered in the place of a real education about actual things! You can't pour wine into a cup full of anything else!! Our goblet was poured full of fear, hope, uncertainty and absolute confidence based on a mere nothing but a fairytale of a giant who lived in the sky.

    They told us his name was Jehovah.

    How sad for us.

  • dgp
    dgp

    If there is only ONE of something (anything) it does not need to be separated from others of its kind since there simply aren't others.

    That is the foundational problem with giving an ONLY TRUE god a "distinguishing" name.

    If only one true God is living there is no chance of offending that God by cheating on Him with imaginary "rivals".

    I fully agree. And there's no need of himself demanding that you have no other gods but him. Or making sacrifices to those gods, et cetera.

  • Cold Steel
    Cold Steel

    I'm not entirely sure what you're getting at, but not all religions see things in strict monogomy. In the book of Genesis, Elohim said, "Man has become as one of Us" (knowing good from evil). Many said that was Satan's first lie, but Satan wasn't lying. When Elohim created the Heavens and the Earth, everything was a plurality. If one takes any number of words: family, quorum, congress, congregation -- all of these are singular. However, all of them also suggest a plurality. How many members does a family have? Or a quorum, congress, and so forth? The same with Elohim.

    As I said in another thread, Margaret Barker has a book that touches on this entitled The Great Angel. In it she argues that the earliest Hebrews believed in a plurality in the heavens. Jehovah, or Yahweh, not only was the God of Israel, He was the Son of a higher God (Elyon) and was the preeminent son of numerous sons. Mormonism has taught similar things for years and shares a common belief with early cultures that before everyone came to Earth, there was a devine council in which the "sons of God" were called and ordained to their mortal callings. Barker herself is a Methodist and believes the reforms of Josiah supressed many of the teachings that the ancient Hebrews revered. Strict monotheism followed, but Barker says the traditions of Yahweh being a Son was completely surpressed.

    So now strict monotheism (sort of) rules. But Islam doesn't buy into the Christian monotheism, for how can Jesus be God, and the Father be God, and the Holy Spirit be God? And yet all three are one God? The Jews also don't buy into it. But if the Jews understood their heritage, they might better understand the Christian concepts.

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    If there is only ONE of something (anything) it does not need to be separated from others of its kind since there simply aren't others.

    I am not so sure, dear Terry (may you have peace!). May I try? Thank you!

    My children only have ONE mother, me, "Mom." And there is only one of me. Yet, I am not the only mother out there, nor am I the only one called "Mom" (or, "Mommy," as my children call me). There is the belief by some that there is only one God. That's only partly true. While there really is only one TRUE God... or, I can express that as "one true god"... either is fine... there are MANY gods.

    What do I mean? As I have tried to explain here before, a god... is also a spirit being (note, while all gods are not spirits... all spirit beings ARE gods - meaning, they are immortal (i.e., don't die - however, they certainly can be destroyed). Not all of them are SONS, though. Only one is, right now. There are also "false" gods... mythical and/or non-existent entities created and/or worshipped by humans (I know, I know... but let's not go there, right now, for the sake of this particular argument, shall we? Thank you!). Some of these gods (the ones that are spirit beings) wish humans to believe they have more power... and "godship" than they do.

    To distinguish Himself from such other gods (whether truly existent spirit beings or mythical, non-existent entities)... the Most Holy One of Israel has given us His name... indeed, His entire identity... JAH... of Armies. Or JAH... who causes armies of angels) to exist/who breathes armies (of angels) into existence. JAH... VEH. JHVH. JaHVeH. NOT "JeHoVaH." Some pronounce it "Yahweh"; howver, the Hebrew "yodh" is NOT a "y" but a "j" (it is "I" in Greek)... which is PRONOUNCED as a "y"... and the "wah" which is PRONOUCED with the "v" sound... or "vah" (think, "Manischewitz"... pronounced "ManisheVITZ"). So, JahWeh... pronounced "Yah-Veh"... would also be accurate.

    I digress.

    Anyway, this is similar to ME telling my children, "Well, yeah, I AM 'Mommy'... your mother... and I am your TRUE mommy and only mother. But my NAME... is Shelby (well, that's the name YOU folks know, but you know what I mean). Know what I mean?

    Okay.

    Again, peace to you!

    YOUR servant and a slave of Christ,

    Mommy, er, Shelb... er, SA...

  • THE GLADIATOR
    THE GLADIATOR

    Good to see you again Terry. I have missed your meaningful input of late.

    GOD which stands for - Giant overrated delusion - has been allocated a name to make the illusion seem more real, more human. All fictional charachters have names. This makes it easier for humans to project their feelings on to, and talk to, the mute invention. Imagine a child with a teddy bear that had no name. To be cuddly and lovable it needs a personal name.

    Of course Jehovah is credited with doing some very nasty things in the old testament which made him feared rather than loved. So he was repackaged and his name was changed to Jesus Christ who is God - sort of. Even this became too formal and is now known by just his 'Christian name' Jesus.

    Now Jesus a is much more cuddly and user friendly, sandal wearing proposition; so well marketed that Jehovah has been given the old heave ho by all nice churches. Now the way to everlasting life is not through Jehovah but Jesus. Without a name such effective rebadging would not have been achieved.

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    One of the reason for Jesus coming down to us, if you are inclined to believe that, is because of the incorrect assumptions, views and teachings of the time about God, God's nature and God's will and desires.

    The scribes had used God to enforce rules and regulations and used God to justify what they and those in the past did, much like many still do today.

    Jesus made it clear that was not the case, God is a God of love, of compassion and forgiveness, yes he can be a God of wrath for those that PURPOSELY mislead and lie in His Name, but even for those there is the possibility of redemption.

    If the Old Covenant was working, if the scribes ahd gotten it ALL right, there would have been no need for a NEW covenant or for Jesus sacrifice.

  • JWoods
    JWoods

    I thought you had moved past believing in an unexplainable eternal creator-god, Terry.

  • jwfacts
    jwfacts

    That is the foundational problem with giving an ONLY TRUE god a "distinguishing" name.

    Good point. People have different names for God, but fundamentally (particularly in monotheistic religions) they are all referring to the same creator. If they didn't confuse themselves with different names for the same God they would realise they all were referring to the same concept.

  • THE GLADIATOR
    THE GLADIATOR
    If the Old Covenant was working, if the scribes ahd gotten it ALL right, there would have been no need for a NEW covenant or for Jesus sacrifice.

    There are many scriptures that show the law was leading to Christ coming and fulfilling the it and setting mankind free from imperfection and sin. He came to bring light to the world and atone for Adam.

    Now I don't believe the Bible but once again your dismissal of so much Holy writ surprises me PSacramento!

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    Gladiator,

    I said that if they had gotten it ALL right, there would have been no need for Jesus.

    Of course they go some, perhaps MOST of it right, but even Jeremiah reamed the scribes for altering the word of God.

    You also forget that I do not view the (whole) Bible as innerrant.

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