A Fun Topic: BEFORE God

by Terry 21 Replies latest jw friends

  • Terry
    Terry

    Who of us remembers the rather laughable explanation Jehovah's Witness writers first gave us
    illustrating how Original Sin affected all of Adam and Eve's offspring?

    "it's like baking with a pan that has a dent in it. Everything you bake with that pan will have a dent in it. So since Adam and Eve are imperfect and we are their children they can only produce sinful imperfect humans"

    This rather astonishingly conflates/confuses a physical imperfection with bad behavior.
    Those are entirely different species. Blind parents don't produce blind children, etc.
    The word SIN has origin in meaning and use.
    Read this:

    The concept of “sin” in the New Testament is indeed related to archery. The Greek word hamartia (ἁμαρτία) is often translated as “sin” and literally means "missing the mark"12. This term was used in archery to describe an arrow that missed its target, symbolizing falling short of a goal or standard12.

    This metaphor highlights the idea that sin is not just about willful wrongdoing but also about failing to meet the ideal or divine standard set by God12.
    ___________________________________

    Let's play with this for a moment, shall we?
    I owned a bow and arrows when I was 13. My target: a straw circular target with a yellow center bullseye.
    What was my INTENTION (mental focus and goal)?? Of course, hitting the center yellow spot!
    What was my BEHAVIOR (physical action producing a result)?? Of course, it was mostly missing!

    Therefore, because Adam and Eve sinned, I couldn't hit the bullseye....right??
    Balderdash and poppycock!
    I practiced long and diligently until I grouped my arrows in the center yellow bullseye. (Sin defeated?)

    Um...no.

    We can become skilled through practice - but - we can't become non-sinning in our behavior.
    SKILL = practice makes perfect
    BEHAVIOR = effort toward right-ness often = Sin.

    RELIGION becomes (eventually) all about Purity.
    I am more PURE than you because I DON'T do X,Y, Z.
    That is the opposite of PERFORMATIVE religion which actually helps people (I.e. Charity).
    Jehovah's Witness leaders pretend to be at the helm of a CHARITY. Instead, they are
    focused on so much PURITY TESTING they just about ran everybody off and now they
    must back off.

    All the above got way off topic, didn't it? Sorry, but it's my thread, after all :)



  • Halcon
    Halcon
    We date the birth of PHILOSOPHY back to ancient Greeks who posited:Matter is neither created nor destroyed; only changed, mingled, transformed, etc.MATTER always existed, in other words.

    Yes, if all is in the mind of God...to the extent that we can understand the concept of 'mind'.

    Since God is infinite, then 'matter' has always existed.

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