Theists - Please Explain This....... (page 5)

THE GLADIATOR

I find it incredibly interesting how hard the mind works to prevent rational thought when it suits it's purpose. It seems capable of any level of cognitive hide and seek, in order to escape rationality/believe myths to be history.

This how the human mind works, not just with religion but also how we choose to remember events, conversations and arguments. The mind is a tool that works hard to keep an emotional equilibrium and balance in our individual world.

The mind is capable of great treachery. To be totally rational takes many years of training. Total rationality can take us out of our comfort zone. So in order to enjoy our lives we have to develop and employ the art of compromise.

botchtowersociety

Cattle = Domestic Animals living inside? Surely you are shitting me?

Perhaps you did not know this, but in ancient times people and livestock (including cattle) often slept under the same roof and in close proximity.

donuthole

" I find it incredibly interesting how hard the mind works to prevent rational thought when it suits it's purpose. It seems capable of any level of cognitive hide and seek, in order to escape rationallity/believe myths to be history."

Very true. In my experience that statement can be applied to any number of beliefs people hold, religious or not.

As to your question, I'll give it a quick shot:

The goal was not specifically to embarass Pharoah, but to show the primacy of the I AM over the gods of Egyptian. Each plague was designed to embarass an egyptian God, just as with the dual between Moses/Aaron and their rods/serpents against that of the magicians of Pharoah's court.

This is probably rooted in history. In Egypt there was a brief cultural war between new monotheism (worship of Aten) as advocated by Pharoah Akhenaten against the traditional pantheon. Moses, an Egyptian prince that needed a translator (Aaron) when talking to Israel, could have been a follower of that monotheism.

N.drew

Dear AK - Jeff, please play fair.

We are not "jumping though hoops" just because we say that there were animals that had not been "in the field" so they were spared the number five plague. (OK, Lars is jumping to say they had gone to market to get some more cattle-but it's funny, so that's OK).

It just takes a little bit of investigation. I looked up hail and there you have it. The same word for "field" was mentioned. Imagine that! Oh, back then, I am sure, if you think it's OK, that people sometimes kept stock indoors. I'm just saying.

tec

To be totally rational takes many years of training

No one is totally rational, imo. Most of us suffer some form of bias, simply from our culture and upbringing. Bias from wanting to believe something/bias from not wanting to believe something/bias from trying not to be biased (and so going too far in the opposite direction to prove that to ourselves).

AK - You said that all believers are delusional in some way or another about God. I cannot find the grey in that, hence my black and white comment.

Peace,

Tammy

THE GLADIATOR

tec " No one is totally rational, imo."

This is true and no one really wants to be totally rational and live entirely without illusion. If we did that we would never again get engrossed in a fictional book or film. In order to enjoy life we sometimes have to suspend our rationality and go with the flow. To accept other people that we are close to, we have to embrace their essence and accept their quirky thinking. People do this for me but I pretend not to notice.

Knowsnothing

Then chapter 12, just a few days later:

Exodus 12:1,13,29 On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt... At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.

I bet you those sneaky Egyptians stole some Israelite livestock before this plague.

bioflex

@NewChapter: Then exactly who owned them? We've already established that the egyptian cattle was all dead.

Isn't is obvious that the Israelites owned the cattle?

And that the Israelite firstborns were skipped---if they had the blood on the post.

That is if you are implying the Israelites had their cattle with them in their houses, and last i checked cattle dont live in houses, which means the means the rule of losing first borns applied to them(cattle) as well.

So what was left to kill?

I am thinking you are just being sarcastic, you do realize that its two acts that happened there right?

1. Egyptians lose their cattle ---------- Israelites retain all their cattle.

2. Epyptians lose their firstborns( man and livestock) ------------ Israelites lose the firstborn of all livestock.

Simple as ABC.

QuiteRational

So apparently, the reference to the animals that died in the 10th plague were pets and domestic animals living inside. Thus the reference is not really to "cattle" but to "household domestic animals". Thus the firstborn of any animals kept INSIDE the home were the ones that died; by contrast, the pets and domestic animals kept inside the homes of the Israelites who had blood on their doorposts are the ones that were spared.

Wrong. One is translated livestock; the other is translated cattle. Don't make shit up, please.

N.drew

Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah was left, together with those that were with him in the ark.

Same word translated "cattle"

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, at midnight, that Jehovah hath smitten every first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who is sitting on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive who is in the prison-house, and every first-born of beasts.

Even the real "cattle" might have survived the fifth plague as that plague was on the FIELD. Why did the scribe forget to write and all the cattle in the field died? I don't know. Maybe he expected the reader to be more intelligent.

Theists - Please Explain This.......

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