The Hobbit and Evolution: So What's Up With That?

by AGuest 125 Replies latest jw friends

  • SweetBabyCheezits
    SweetBabyCheezits
    SBC: The Bible claims to be the inspired word of the supreme intelligence in the universe.
    TEC: Does it?

    Feel free to skip this post, it's just a long blathering copy/paste of verses upon which I based my above comment.

    I. These Words Are from God - A Message Originating with God

    Revelation 19:9 - John claimed "These are true words of God".

    Consider what other Bible writers claimed for their writings. Did they actually claim God guided their writings or is this something modern people attributed to them though they never claimed it? Are there just one or two references about it, or is this something they claimed frequently?

    A. Old Testament Writers Claimed Their Message Was from God

    Isaiah 1:2 - The Lord has spoken.
    Jeremiah 10:1,2 - Hear the word which the Lord speaks. Thus says the Lord...
    Ezekiel 1:3 - The word of the Lord came expressly.
    Hosea 1:1,2 - The word of the Lord that came ... the Lord began to speak by Hosea, the Lord said...
    Jonah 1:1 - The word of the Lord came to Jonah.
    Micah 1:1 - The word of the Lord that came to Micah.
    Zech. 1:1 - The word of the Lord came to Zechariah.

    [See also Joel 1:2; Amos 1:3,6, etc; Obad. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Hab. 2:2; Deuteronomy 30:9,10; Numbers 12:6-8; 23:5,12,16,19; plus see references in other sections.]

    B. New Testament Writers Claimed Their Message Was from God

    1 Corinthians 14:37 - The things I write are commands of Lord.

    Ephesians 3:3-5 - The things Paul wrote were made known to him by revelation. Formerly these things were not known but have now been revealed by the Spirit to apostles & prophets.

    1 Thessalonians 4:15 - We say by the word of the Lord.

    1 Timothy 4:1 - The Spirit expressly says.

    [2 Thessalonians 3:12; John 12:48-50; Acts 16:32; Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5]

    C. Inspired Men Claimed that What Other Writers Wrote Was from God.

    Matthew 1:22 - A quotation was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.

    Matthew 2:15 - Another passage was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.

    Acts 1:16 - The Spirit spoke by the mouth of David.

    Acts 28:25 - The Holy Spirit spoke by Isaiah ... prophet.

    Hebrews 1:1,2 - God spoke in times past to the fathers by prophets. But now He has spoken to us by His Son.

    Matthew 15:4 - Jesus Himself confirmed that Scriptures were from God. He quoted the Law revealed through Moses and said it was what God commanded.

    Matthew 22:29-32 - He said the Scriptures were spoken by God.

    Luke 10:16 - He also confirmed the inspiration of the New Testament for He told the apostles who wrote it: He who hears you, hears Me; he who rejects you rejects Me and rejects Him who sent Me

    John 16:13 - He promised the men who penned the New Testament that the Spirit would guide them into all truth

    To deny or question that the Bible writers spoke from God is to deny and reject the truthfulness of their own statements about themselves, their statements about one another, and Jesus' statements about Scriptures.

    [Matthew 19:4-6; John 10:35; 2 Chronicles 34:14-19; Isaiah 2:1-3; Matthew 22:43; Romans 1:1,2; Hebrews 3:7; 1 Peter 1:10-12; 2 Peter 1:20f; 3:15f; Acts 4:24f]

    D. The Writers Denied They Wrote by Human Wisdom

    ... [edit: I cut it off for being too damn long]

  • cyberjesus
    cyberjesus

    Feel free to skip this post

    i did

  • SweetBabyCheezits
    SweetBabyCheezits

    So did I. I read like the first few verses and skimmed the rest.

    I only intended to go grab like a verse from the OT and a verse from the NT but there were too many to pass up.

  • tec
    tec

    You know how the WT likes to add a whole lot of chapter/verses to back up the authority of their statement? But if you go and look EVERY SINGLE VERSE up, as I just did ;)... then you realize that none of those things are proof of what was said?

    That is what you have here. Almost every verse that I looked up is referring to a specific thing said when 'Command from the lord' or 'The Lord says' or 'From God' is invoked.

    For example:

    Revelations 9:9 - 'These are the true words of God' is referring to these specific words: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the lamb!' Those are the words the angel asked John to write down.

    Now Revelations is perhaps the worst example to use because that book does make the claim to be a book of prophecy - From God - in whole. Not that it could not have ever been tampered with mind you, or no need for the warning at the end.

    The rest of the quotes above refer to prophets and Law as being scripture and scripture comes from God, as well as the apostles and the prophets from the NT. I agree 100%. But that is not to say that every book in the bible is scripture. Or that scripture was never tampered with. Nor is it to say that the lying pen of the scribes cannot alter it (in fact it confirms that the lying pen of he scribes has mishandled the law)

    Anyway, you can believe as you like. It doesn't really bear on this conversation, and so perhaps I should not have brought it up at all. Because it is our understanding of these scriptures and prophecies that can grow. Our understanding can grow as the spirit teaches us, but WE are not infallible. WE are human, and as such we are limited by our own weaknesses, biases, understandings.

    Tammy

  • SweetBabyCheezits
    SweetBabyCheezits
    That is what you have here. Almost every verse that I looked up is referring to a specific thing said when 'Command from the lord' or 'The Lord says' or 'From God' is invoked.

    So if the almighty had wanted to convey his endorsement of the entire collection of works we call the Bible, he'd have to put "THE LORD GOD SAYS" in front of every verse? Do you accept the verses that claim divine dictation?

    Not that it could not have ever been tampered with mind you, or no need for the warning at the end.

    One might ask why the almighty wouldn't prevent such an important message from being tampered with in the first place. If it really is crucial and he is able to intervene, why not protect the message from contamination instead of just putting a threat up there? Hell, he supposedly intervened for matters of far less gravity for the human race.

    How do you know that warning wasn't concocted by man?

    But that is not to say that every book in the bible is scripture. Or that scripture was never tampered with. Nor is it to say that the lying pen of the scribes cannot alter it (in fact it confirms that the lying pen of he scribes has mishandled the law)

    So how does one know that he can trust even the parts that talk about Christ and love? How do we know that's not just another product of the "lying pen" except perhaps the authors had good intentions and sought reform, based on love and unity. So how do we differentiate true from false by simply relying on which parts sound "loving"? IDK, I might be wrong, those are just questions I have to ask.

  • tec
    tec

    May I ask a question before answering yours?

    If writing things down were so important, then why did Christ not do it himself... or commission others to do it? "These words that I have said you must write down."

    Tammy

  • tec
    tec
    So if the almighty had wanted to convey his endorsement of the entire collection of works we call the Bible, he'd have to put "THE LORD GOD SAYS" in front of every verse?

    I don't know. The prophets did (not in front of every verse, but at the start of the book/prophecy, and often throughout).

    Do you accept the verses that claim divine dictation?

    I would test them against Christ and what He said first. Yes, I recognize the irony in that. But even if you do take the bible as authority and as a whole, his words should carry the most weight - if you are a Christian who follows Him.

    One might ask why the almighty wouldn't prevent such an important message from being tampered with in the first place. If it really is crucial and he is able to intervene, why not protect the message from contamination instead of just putting a threat up there?

    Because the Spirit teaches. Perhaps the minor details... the rules of behavior as it were... were not the most important thing. Perhaps the most important thing is to Love God and love one another. And the new command from Christ - "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other."

    Maybe everything else will just take care of itself. And these commands to love one another, this 'love as being the most important thing'... that is a shared sentiment among all the gospel writers.

    How do you know that warning wasn't concocted by man?

    I don't. But we know that scripture can be changed. The WTS is proof of that.

    So how does one know that he can trust even the parts that talk about Christ and love? How do we know that's not just another product of the "lying pen" except perhaps the authors had good intentions and sought reform, based on love and unity. So how do we differentiate true from false by simply relying on which parts sound "loving"?

    I guess you have to reason and think for yourself - not only on the truth of what is said, but also on the motivations of those who said them. Exactly how many people would have had to lie about Christ to create him and a following of him, so to speak? That is how I think about it sometimes, anyway. Plus, that's a lot of wisdom imparted by a group of frauds. Feels wrong to me for some to have had so much wisdom and truth, and yet to have based all of that on a lie.

    If you have the Spirit, though, then the Spirit can teach you. If you have the truth, then a lie is easy to spot, and so is the truth. If you don't have the truth... then how can you know one way or another?

    Tammy

  • tec
    tec

    SBC - You don't have to answer anything. I am not going to say anything else on this matter either until I spend some time in reflection and prayer on it. No one seems to see what I am saying, and I need to examine myself on this matter.

    Peace,

    Tammy

  • AGuest
    AGuest

    May you all have peace (at least, those of you who wish to receive it)! Quite a bit to respond to/comment on, so please bear with me, if you can/care to.

    Next time he pops in for a chat tell him Cofty says he is a prick for ignoring those in need who don't happen to know his secret moniker

    You should feel free to tell Him yourself, dear Cofty. Not that His doesn't hear you. But, surely, you don't need me to deliver any messages for you.

    No need to act like a b*tch, Shelly. Otherwise we might have be forced to consider you a nasty slang name for the girly bits.

    Sigh. As if you don't consider that already dear EP (peace to you... and don't YOU sound "familiar"!). The only thing that stops "you" from actually doing it is the board rules. So, come off it already.

    we all get the point.

    Apparently, not all of you...

    Science changes and that smacks of "new light" and you consider it untrustworthy.

    With regard to some things, yes, I do. Same as with various "interpretations" of what's in the Bible. No difference. Either blue is true... or red. Just because we BELIEVE blue is true... TODAY... doesn't mean it IS. If RED is true, then blue was NEVER true... regardless of when it was that we THOUGHT it was.

    That's how science works.

    That's my point; and it's much like religion, IMHO (that the two actually once went hand in hand is interesting. True, they did fracture at some point, but there IS that "baggage" that usually hangs around "after" religion)...

    If you don't make mistakes, you're doing it wrong. If you don't realize you made mistakes, you're doing it wrong. If you can't admit your mistakes, you're not doing it at all.

    Ummmmm... isn't that what the WTBTS... the Vatican... the Council of Churches... and most of the rest of them say? How, then, is science different in this regard?

    We just trust a process that exposes mistakes and moves towards correcting them more than someone that hears voices in their head.

    "You" do. Others not necessarily. My point, however, is... how is changing "light" based on the exposure of MISTAKES... DIFFERENT?

    Unlike proceeding from a starting point where you are sure you are right, science asks questions and becomes more right over time.

    Ummmmmm... I think I have heard more "religious" people/leaders say they DON'T know ("God is a mystery!" "God works in mysterious ways!") than I have heard them say they do know.

    I expect you to dismiss this as "not getting the point", but the reality, voices in your head aside, is that this process is proven to work. Yours isn't.

    First, no voices in my head, dear one. That you refuse to understand that tells me that you DON'T get my point (as to that truth, at least). Second, I understand that the "process" is proven to work... WHEN it works (i.e., proves something). Again, that was NOT my point.

    With regard to Cofty's name, Shelly, if the god in your head makes such a big deal out of getting its name right, you could at least show the same respect to Cofty.

    You think I disrespected Cofty. Nope. I only gave Cofty what s/he said should be the case: a name shouldn't matter. If it matters to someone as... well, let's say, "human" as Cofty, such that s/he literally took issue with it (c'mon, I know his/her avatar is "Cofty")... why should we assume that a name is NOT important to the Most Holy One of Israel? "Cofty" isn't even his/her real name. Yet, s/he was "offended" that I "didn't get it right." Why is that? I mean, if it really SHOULDN'T matter and all? Why take issue over a misstated AVATAR name? THAT's what I mean by "hypocrite." You know, someone who wants someone else to give THEM more leeway than they're willing to give others...

    Even if we had all the pieces of the puzzles Shelby would be asking for the missing links to the missing links, then the missing links to those missing links.

    Again, this wasn't about the missing pieces of the puzzle, dear NS (peace to you, too!)... but the "picture" that is "painted"... in spite of MOST of the pieces missing. If all of the pieces were there, there could be no mistakes... and no "theory". The picture would be complete... and indisputable. That some have tried to insert "pieces" in wrong places... and/or pieces from entirely DIFFERENT puzzles... that have little or no bearing on the actual picture... and then say the puzzle is "complete" and the resultant image is "fact"... is, IMHO, the exact same thing that religionists do. NO difference. Again, though, I find it interesting that, like religionists... some of ya'll can't "see" this. Methinks neither should call the other "blind"... as both are without COMPLETE sight.

    You say; "it was not an attempt to discredit evolution".

    It wasn't, dear Abaddon (peace to you and welcome back!). It was not about evolution at all. It was about [changing] "facts"... and the associated hypocrisy.

    You also say "... several scientist/anthropologist/paleontologist admissions that there is actually very little known about... and in evidence to support... evolution."

    No. I did NOT say that. I QUOTED that from the article... and said that I was SURPRISED to even read that.

    Which of those two statements is true dear?

    Well, the first is certainly true. The second, I can only surmise is true, based on what the articles says such admissions state.

    I and others addressed this directly and it is discourious of you to ignore this and deceitful of you to say otherwise.

    No. You and others addressed the difference between scientific evidence and spiritual evidence (based on faith). But that was NOT the issue. The ISSUE is one camp decrying the changes in statements of "fact" of another, while they themselves change "fact." They, too, find it hard to say, "We don't REALLY know." I don't have a problem with them NOT saying such... except to the extent some of YOU take issue with OTHERS... who do the SAME thing. You point fingers at other camps... while YOUR camp does the very thing you point fingers ABOUT. Again, that you can't SEE that is... interesting...

    One example would be my son's grave illness in his youth. The doctors said, "Ma'am, it IS either this... or this... and THIS is what we MUST do." They based that on the "evidence" (i.e., multitude of tests, blood work, GI series, ultrasound, CT scan, etc). NO ONE said, "We really don't KNOW." For myself, I HEARD... as they were telling me... that they were in error... that it was NOT what they were diagnosing... not even close... and so did not let them do the particularly surgery they intended to do. I HEARD that they would get a court order (and they did), but not to worry because they weren't going to be allowed to do their surgery. I HEARD... NOT to worry... but to be patient and my son would be fully taken care of and fine. And that is exactly what occurred.

    Now, I couldn't/can't PROVE what I heard... and from whom... in a manner satisfactory to "science"; however, the RESULT... was that "science" (based on the evidence)... was WRONG. VERY wrong. Of course, the opinion was that what I heard was merely a fluke, an unexplained phenomenon. Perhaps. But that was only one example. After you hear SO much, however... and it is ALWAYS right... and "science" is very often WRONG... you tend to go with the "right" side. At least, I do. BUT... that wasn't the POINT, either.

    "There is NO EVIDENCE that directly links human evolution. None."

    This is true. There is only evidence that SUGGESTS (to some, reasonably), human evolution.

    "In the same vein, there IS evidence of a fairly global, if not fully global flood."

    This, too, is true. At least, according to some archeologists...

    You didn't say 'C'mon, believers of scientific theories of all forms and nature.' You specified evolutionists to counter your arguments.

    You are absolutely right, dear Silence (peace to you, as well!). I directed it to evolutionists because the article was with reference to the potential "changes" in what is currently accepted as "fact" regarding human evolution. If that was misleading, I sincerely apologize.

    Science by definition is a process

    I do not dispute that, dear sizemik (peace to you!). This was about the truth... that "science" changes, too (no problem), but that many HERE... act as if it does not and take HUGE issue when entities like the WTBTS introduce "new light." Again, I MARVEL that some of you can't... no, I think it's more like REFUSE... to see the hypocrisy.

    But everyone hang onto your hat because I have to say that, perhaps for the FIRST time... I am EXUBERATED that OTWO is here. At least, he understood what I meant. And he didn't need to dig too deep to do it, so I KNOW I wasn't all that confusing...

    I see your point that I (and others) have (to put it frankly) ridiculed you proposing eg. the australiphicus (AU) fossils is really the result of eg. illness or other deformities, and now the same explanation is being proposed to explain certain homo floresiensis (FL) fossils.

    THANK you, dear BOHM (and the greatest of love and peace to you!)!! That's part of it, yes, that and other responses/comments. In this case (yours), this is what is proposed by scientists. Hooray! But when a little old know-nothing like ME makes a similar proposal... OMIGAWD! "ImPOSSible" they cry! No can BE! But when SCIENCE makes it... well, whatdaya know... "we" have to at least CONSIDER it, don't we? At least, "we" have to respond with a modicum of "respect".

    But my point expands beyond that... in that even scientists are/can be WRONG. They CAN be. And until they FULLY PROVE a theory... it is just that: A THEORY. But, hoo-wee... take ISSUE with a theory... and Lord A'Mighty. How is that NOT like taking issue with something someone believes on FAITH? Isn't it FAITH that compels one to believe in a THEORY... when it has yet to be FULLY proven?? (i.e., "I KNOW it will prove true; we just don't have ALL of the pieces, yet! But... someday we WILL!" - Faith... is the exact same thing).

    now, what i am thinking is this: why are they proposing this idea? Who are "they"?

    I don't know, dear one; I don't CARE. That wasn't my POINT.

    Takes two to tango and she isn't above dishing a bit out herself and in as facetious a manner as anyone who's engaged her, then plays the victim as she has to "defend" herself againstthose meanie athiests and their ilk who call her on her biased assertions and thinly disguised attempts at righteous indignation. And makes a point of playing the part for all to see.

    You are mistaken, dear Twitch (peace to you!). Unfortunately, dear Cofty started the "dance"; I merely followed his/her "lead." You are just unaware of all that was posted... and, obviously, dear Cofty wasn't going to step up and clear it up. Which I knew. Which is why I posted to him/her as I did.

    Well as I see it, she started the thread specifically to address supposed "hypocritical" believers of science and reason

    Your sight is a bit skewed, dear one. My point was that BOTH camps do the SAME thing... and for one to call the other on it is... hypocritical.

    was dishonest about her real intentions, made assertions dressed up as fact

    No my intentions were clearly stated and I dressed up nothing (which is why some folks got it. That you weren't among them is... on you?)

    was called on it, denied and dismissed the points made

    The points had absolutely NOTHING to do with MY point, so...

    called out non-theists as "religious" to address her assertions, calls established fact as "fiction",

    You MUST tell/show me what I called "fiction" that is actually fact, dear one...

    evaded and played the "in no mood for you" card when she got owned and subsequently disappeared.

    Uh-uh. While I WAS in no mood for Cofty's... ummmmm "games"... I didn't disappear, at all. I posted on other threads, tried to transact a business deal with a buyer for some merchandise I have, took some phone calls... and then took "care" of my husband and puppies (to the best of my ability). By that time I was totally wiped out and went to bed... where I was most of today. Just got the energy to come onboard about an hour ago, and so here I is...

    Dear Tams, you have hit the nail on the head, as always. The greatest of love and peace to you, dear one!

    I "hear" what you and dear SBC are saying, dear FMH (peace to you, as well!); however, are there not things spoken of in religion that science seems to prove DID occur? And isn't it these things that are the impetus for much of RELIGION'S "faith" in, say, what's in the Bible? Not that I agree with or advocate religion OR the Bible. That is not my POINT. My point is... when what is good for the goose is NOT good for the gander... isn't that a double-standard... and thus, hypocrisy?

    It does.

    I defer to dear tec's response to the verses you posted, dear SBC.

    So how does one know that he can trust even the parts that talk about Christ and love?

    One DOESN'T, dear one. Truly. Many BELIEVE they can... but look at what that has led to!

    How do we know that's not just another product of the "lying pen" except perhaps the authors had good intentions and sought reform, based on love and unity.

    We DON'T know, per se. But we CAN know... simply by ASKING... the One(s) about whom such things are written. ASK them if they "said" or "directed" such and so. Just ASK.

    So how do we differentiate true from false by simply relying on which parts sound "loving"?

    By asking the One(s) to whom they're supposedly attributed to. Let me give you an example (which I may have also posted elsewhere). According to the OT, there is a "law" that says "an eye for an eye." In several places. So, why didn't Christ teach this? Well, I asked him. And HE said that if it truly had been written... he would have said that! Just as he said to the Adversary, "It is WRITTEN, that... such and so!" Regarding the eye-for-an-eye issue, however, and the hating one's enemies (and devoting them to destruction), he did NOT say, "It is written, that... an eye for an eye, etc." Why? Because IT WAS NOT WRITTEN. Thus, he said the TRUTH, when he said, "You HEARD it SAID... an eye for an eye... and you must hate your enemies..."

    WHO did they "hear" it from? WHO "said" it? NOT the Most Holy One of Israel... but the false prophets, the corrupt priests, the scribes, and the false "anointed" and others... whose vocation was to MISLEAD the people.

    But... that is also not the subject of this discussion, so I'll stop there. I do want to thank OTWO, dear Bohm, and dear tec, though... for "hearing" me. Thank you.

    Again, peace to you ALL!

    A slave of Christ,

    SA, who wonders how many of the commenters actually saw the documentary... and listened to the comments of the scientists involved, themselves, which prompted me to find the article and make the post. Gauging by the responses, I would wager none... or at least, very few...

  • EntirelyPossible
    EntirelyPossible

    Sigh. As if you don't consider that already dear EP (peace to you... and don't YOU sound "familiar"!). The only thing that stops "you" from actually doing it is the board rules. So, come off it already.

    As if you already know what I consider. And the rules wouldn't stop me if I felt a need to call you a name. They rarely do. Stop playing the constant victim. Come off it already. And I AM familiar, love :)

    Ummmmm... isn't that what the WTBTS... the Vatican... the Council of Churches... and most of the rest of them say? How, then, is science different in this regard?

    No, it's not what they say. They say "This is the infallible word of God" until it isn't. Science says "this is out current best understanding, and it will almost certainly change as we learn more."

    "You" do. Others not necessarily. My point, however, is... how is changing "light" based on the exposure of MISTAKES... DIFFERENT?

    Yes, you do trust in science. Every time you go to the doctor, watch TV, use a computer, get on a plane, make a call, use your GPS, use a microwave, eat food, drive a car, listen to the radio, walk down the street, put on your clothes, use the restroom or drink a glass of water you are trusting to science that you don't necessarily believe in. To have the opportunity and means to educate yourself and not do so is to be willfully, puposefully and laughably ignorant.

    To answer your "point", which is more of a question, is that science START from the position of "we don't know as much as we can" and methodically moves towards better and more accurate answers. Religion is still debating the same questions from 10000 years ago with no firm or verifiable method of obtaining a single answer and, if the answer proves to be deficient, has no method for refining it.

    You think I disrespected Cofty. Nope. I only gave Cofty what s/he said should be the case: a name shouldn't matter.

    Liar liar pants on fire. You said exactly "Perhaps, but I am choosing to call you "Coffy" and since an accurate name doesn't matter, I expect you to respond when I do. Otherwise, I'll be forced to consider you a nasty slang name for the male genital appendage". Purposefully maligning someone's name that is talking to you and then using sexual slurs is disrespecting someone.

    The ISSUE is one camp decrying the changes in statements of "fact" of another, while they themselves change "fact."

    Total BS. It has been explained to you many times that, in science, "facts" are the current best understanding of the best evidence obtainable and that it IS a fact that more often than not, a better understanding will come along along with better evidence. Your current willful misunderstanding and constant denial of that is comical, and not in the good way.

    You are mistaken, dear Twitch (peace to you!). Unfortunately, dear Cofty started the "dance"; I merely followed his/her "lead." You are just unaware of all that was posted... and, obviously, dear Cofty wasn't going to step up and clear it up. Which I knew. Which is why I posted to him/her as I did.

    Pure and total BS. After you got his name wrong, Cofty posted "Its Cofty" with respect to his/her name. You didn't follow, you started the music and jumped onto the dance floor by threatening to call him/her a dick. You slung the mud there, sister. To suggest otherwise is an outright lie. There was nothing for Cofty to clear up. You slung that mud and are now trying to blame him and are suggesting you were following his lead. BS.

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