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

by james_woods 88 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  sabastious

  So would you also say that the Saturn 5 Lunal Landing project was also a "meaningless effort to seize the human mind"?

  You are being too literal, James, this story is highly symbolic and not historical. The mere height, or even it's general scope, of the building is not the reason for it's dismantling. It was what was needed to accomplish it (mind control) and the fact that it would be worshipped upon completion giving the Serpent a bunch of power likely resulting in another genocide. YHWH doesn't like genocides.

  Anything that actually furthers humankind is from God, which includes getting to the moon.

  -Sab
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  sabastious

  But Genesis 11 specifically states that God did this to hinder their progress in building the tower...

  Yes, but you are assigning motivations to the characters which is what the story was designed to incite within your brain. However you are being too simple, literal and historical so you are coming up with a confusing or arbitrary result. Verse 5 of the chapter gives evidence that YHWH had a practical reason for dismantling the tower:

  5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

  -Sab
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  Sapphy

  I agree with James Woods on this thread, but I thought OldGenerationDude brought an interesting perspective.
• 

  jam

  Folks, God had no idea what the hell he was doing.

  He wiped out mankind in the flood, for what (we still have

  badness). And then he said, this is only the beginning of

  what they will do, and nothing that they propose to do

  will now (say what) BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM.

  He is all knowing right, he should had known that plan

  will not work.
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  james_woods

  Well, all of the perspectives are actually interesting.

  I just hope we don't have anybody here taking this as the literal origin of human languages.
• 

  N.drew

  The people are one language

  language

  band, bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language,

  http://concordances.org/hebrew/8193.htm

  http://concordances.org/hebrew/vesafah_8193.htm
• 

  botchtowersociety

  But should I assume that you do not think this language confusion at the hand of god REALLY HAPPENED , BTS? But rather that this is ancient Jewish myth?

  I do not believe languages came from a single place where people were building a tower, no.
• 

  james_woods

  I do not believe languages came from a single place where people were building a tower, no.

  Well, that's a relief.
• 

  N.drew

  "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

  attentively, call gather together, carefully, certainly, consent, consider

  A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.) -- X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness. http://concordances.org/hebrew/8085.htm

  Looking up the other 23 places where the same word understand is found in the Hebrew Scripture I see it has the meaning of listening TO OBEY. So it's linked to TRUST in my opinion. http://concordances.org/hebrew/yishmeu_8085.htm

  To be putting all trust in MAN to obey is wrong. Isn't it? That is what the builders of Babylon seemingly were heading. Like the Watchtower. Do not millions listen to The Tower to OBEY? What good is it doing?
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  sabastious

  The Watchtower is all about obedience. Mind control can obtain obedience, that's how Towers of Babel are built: off of slavery of the mind and what it controls: the body. Instead of one collective mind from the start, which gives momentum to the Serpent, many collectives will bide time, at the cost of war and suffering, for the savior to be born who, upon living through the suffering, eventually overthrows the regime and brings peace and prosperity. There is only one story. It's been in the stars the whole time, playing out through the ages. People should look up there more often with their eyes and minds instead of magnifying glasses which just brings confusion and pretty pictures.

  -Sab