The Tower of Babel - Languages: Isn't this story unhinged?

by james_woods 88 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  OldGenerationDude

  Also, the doctrinal view: "God wanted to show that man could not rule himself" is an earmark of Watchtower theology.

  Scholars (real ones) teach that accounts like the Adam and Eve story and this one teach not that "God" wanted to show that man is incapable of ruiling himself (we can). What this and the Adam and Eve story tell us is that humans tend to not want God to rule them. That is very different.

  This is not, according to non-Watchtower sources, a God that tries to show that we cannot rule ourselves. On the contrary, God hopes for us to do so, as most Judeo-Christian religions teach (i.e., democracy is considered compatible and even a paramount illustration of values that agree with Christianity).

  The God of the Scriptures teaches that when offered, humans tend to reject God or throw any influence God might exercise out of the picture. And that is true. The other view, that is GB Hogwash and has nothing to do with genuine Biblical theology.

  Perhaps we need some "Wash That Watchtower Out of My Head" Shampoo. We are arguing in circles, claiming the Bible is wrong on the basis of a trademark JW doctrine. That reasoning would only work if the JWs wrote the Bible to begin with (if we don't count the NWT, that is).
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  steve2

  Why are you trying to counter it? That’s what you’re doing, because you are holding on to the view that this is a literal description of people, progress, and God.

  Oldgenerationguy you may be more literal-minded than is helpful. Who counters old beliefs for strictly rational purposes? Who is entirely consistent in why they both believe some things and disbelieve others? Who can entirely escape their upbringing in which certain "truths" were inculcated over several of the earliest years?

  The paths by which we come to our present conclusions are seldom straight and pure, but come to those conclusions humans do. Why people believe what they believe is fertile ground for pin-pricking of one sort or another. Sure, I once believed the Bible and the Watchtower Society. What paths have I followed in now believing neither? More relevantly, once you dismantle part of the picture, how do you stop dsmantling the rest?

  Being raised in a religion that questioned absolutely every aspect of "the churches of Christendom" inadvertently laid the seeds for questioning everything else as well, including its own exclusivist claims and counterclaims. Some people cling to "inspired" words, others boot the lot out with the baby. It matters not. But once a religion arrogantly claims a right to expose "falsehood" its own light is cast back upon itself and another inadvertent exposure occurs. I am closer to an agnostic than an athiest because the "idea" of not having a god to believe in seems at present a step too far. There's an old Latin saying which roughly translated into English states, "He who holds a doubt too long is spoiled for faith regardless of reason".
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  Disillusioned Lost-Lamb

  As a small child I always thought that God must have had a reason. Then I got a little older and thought huh, that tower thing would have been impossible so why stop them; wouldn't letting them try and fail be more of a lesson than what god did? Then I got a little older yet and wiser too and realized it's bullshit!
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  donuthole

  The story is about the development of modern human consciousness and language. It also depicts the post-deluge drive to build pyramids which is seen throughout many ancient cultures all over the earth. It is a true story if not the details.
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  Knowsnothing

  My topic was first....

  I guess great minds think alike
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  Captain Obvious

  Like Found Sheep said, it is just another biblical story to explain a natural process. It would be absurd to actually believe that this was how languages started. Don't forget Genesis 10, which lays out the table of the nations. Noah's sons were spread out, according to their languages. Depending on the translation you use, it might say language, it might say tongue. The tower of Babel story isn't until chapter 11
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  tec

  Babel.

  Bab=gate

  El=God.

  BTS

  food for thought

  Peace,

  tammy
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  steve2

  Back in the ancient days when physical gods directly intervened over the masses and didn't need tablets or other "inspired" instructions to keep the populace in fear. "God" was truly a "man" of decisive action, given to temper tantrums and desperately in need of a course or two in anger management.
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  OldGenerationDude

  It's not merely the teaching of the Watchtower that is damaging; it's the way they keep the mind of people from learning to think outside the box.

  If you're applying that Latin saying to you, it's not religion or atheism or anything that's done this. It's the Watchtower. And believing you've been "ruined" for anything, conviction of any type, is a lie the Watchtower wants you to think. They want you to believe that if there is something else religious or spiritual or requiring faith outside their organization that it is impossible to believe in outside of their light.

  That's a lie. There are people to believe in, promises of loved ones to trust and have faith in. There's the spirituality of music, a work of art, maybe, yes, maybe even in some type of religious path if you so choose.

  I'm not saying anyone should believe in the Bible or in religion or a god. But I don't believe we should do so because of the stupidity of the Watchtower alone. They're not representative of anything but their own ridiculousness. Besides, if you are going to want to speak at the level of Jews and Christians to show them the Bible is not to be believed in, these points don't work as they only work against the views of JWs.

  We give too much credit and power to the Watchtower if we claim it can ruin us from developing a new set of convictions, theist, atheist or otherwise. I believe you can become a better anything--theist, atheist, whatever--in spite of anything they can teach or do. That’s my bottom line.
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  steve2

  Oldgenerationdude you are assuming that any loss of faith manifested on this forum is caused by the Watchtower. For some that could be one of the contributing causes, for others it won't even be the main reason. Everyone bears the impact of formative influences on what they currently entertain as believable or unbelievable. Having said that, you could do worse than crediting individuals with the ability to see beyond those influences and make their own informed decisions. Anyone could "blame" their religious upbringing for ruining their capacity for believing anything outside of the religion. One of my best childhood friends was raised in the 7th-Day Adventist Church - even years after he left it, he still felt ill at ease on Saturday which he now treated as just another day. I've know Catholics who are merely nominal yet are still bound by the church's view on matters. The Watchtower has had a huge influence on those raised in it - but I would suggest it is probably no more unique in its ability to hold people captive than any other authoritarian belief system you care to name. It ain't unique - people do move beyond it, people do develop the ability to think for themselves. For some it will entail moving to another religious belief system for others it will entail moving away from religious belief. That is not sad or anything els. It just "is" . Try not to pigeon-hole people on this forum as victims of the Watchtower.