by sabastious 27 Replies latest watchtower bible
It is indeed a contradiction. I love the way bible lovers torture the words of Jesus trying to reconcile two opposite thoughts so that they mean the same thing. Ain't it grand!!!
Here is another major contradiciton for me: There are two genealogies listed for Jesus, both through Joseph.
Yet they are very different from each other.
On the topic of bible contradictions I can recommend this fantastic youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB3g6mXLEKk
It shows a bible quiz where both contestants are always right, but not in agreement with eachother. Only possible with faith!
I agree with my fellow Christians.
There is no contradiction. No one here is torturing the bible verses to prove something that is not there. It is all about reading things in their proper context or taking the bible as a whole into consideration. This is something the WT does not do. But something most Christians here have learned to do since leaving the org.
About the 2 geneologies of Jesus;
Both Matthew 1 and Luke 3 contain genealogies of Jesus. There is really no problem with the fact that they are different. Why?
Luke's genealogy starts at Adam and goes to David. Matthew's genealogy starts at Abraham and goes to David. When the genealogies arrive at David, they split with David's sons: Nathan (Mary's side) and Solomon (Joseph's side).
There is no discrepancy because one genealogy is for Mary and the other is for Joseph. It was customary to mention the genealogy through the father even though it was clearly known that it was through Mary.
Sometimes with a little further research, a semmingly "contradiction" really is no contradiction at all.
Peace, Lilly
Goes to show that these are writings of just inperfect men, & probably not the men you think they were
These stories were never meant to be read literally. These gospels with a Jewish guy from 2,000 years ago taking center stage in every single idea, illustration and concept is the problem here. That's why Paul's epistles make a lot more sense to me these days. Unless we get the esoteric message, he's going to appear to be the most egotistical jackass you can imagine.
The Christ is not a man, it is an energy within you that you can access if you dissolve your egos. What do I mean by egos? We have not understood the true nature of the human ego and how it has completely distorted our concept of life and God. The way the story has been presented is almost entirely based on passive ego: fear, guilt, the need for sacrifices, the belief in punishments, etc. Therefore, that is what Orthodox Christianity is all about and it is the main reason for what turned out to be the Dark Age of Pisces. It could have been different.
Just as the Christ is within you, so is the Antichrist. These illustrations are explaining in a tough love kind of way that there really is no sitting on the fence if you want to access the Christ Spirit within. You are either for it or against it. It is the core of individualized consciousness, the permanent aspect of one's being that represents the True Self. It accumulates experience and spiritual wisdom throughout life, survives physical death, and remains intact upon reincarnations into a new biological vehicle to continue growing towards the fulfillment of its potential. It's the divine god-spark and the seat of free will, the holographic fragment of the Creator that resides in the very center of your being. It is the inner conscious observer that is even capable of observing its own self-observation! It is the "I" that is you. You KNOW its there! It is your self-awareness, individuality, wisdom, empathy, creative intelligence, and conscience.
These are all the things that Watchtower indoctrination and "literalized" religion in general keeps suppressed and dormant.
As always, the Bible is a book that polarizes those who want it so badly to be non-contradictory and those who use those passages to rip it to shreds. I see it as a bunch of books sewn together by Jewish believers of two time periods; one in ancient history, the other 2000 years ago. And now all these years later believers are stuck trying to make the texts say what they don't, generally to support their personal faith.
Don't get me wrong. I love the drama of watching these groups go at each other with passion.
Get it on!
Prodigal Son, I find your posts fascinating.
Not only does the Bible contradict itself, but often it is on purpose. Whether it be later gospel writers painting Jesus as divine contrary to the first gospel Mark, or James arguing that Paul was wrong to say Abraham was saved by faith alone, or Paul arguing that he was right and the Jerusalem elders were wrong, contrary to the book of Acts.
