I'm reading a book about the Battle of Salamis and I ran across a real gem. The ancient Greeks had a class of people who were devoted to communicating the thoughts and will of the Gods to the people. These people, and their instutions were considered the Gods' spokespeople. What they spoke was not their thoughts (in theory) but the Gods'. The Greek word literaly means "mouthpiece."
Sound familiar?
The Greek word in question is "oracle."
I wonder how a JW will react when I tell him "no thanks, I don't believe in oracles."