Another Urban myth Perpetuated By the WTS

BluesBrother

It is funny how some things stick in your mind . This little point about a man supposedly swallowed by a whale, then rescued, stayed with me and I certainly used it in the "Field Ministry" in order to support the Jonah account

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g70 5/22 p. 11 The Great Sea Monsters ***

Whale

Characteristics

Teeth or no teeth, all whales bolt their food. Teeth are used to seize food only. The baleen or toothless whales cruise along with their mouths open and live mainly on the brit that clings to their whiskers. Down in the many chambers of the stomach the food undergoes a long period of digestion. In 1891 the English whaleman, James Bartlett, was swallowed by a sperm whale. Later he was cut out of the humid tomb alive and undigested

Not only had they misspelt James Bartley's name, but I now find that the story is a well known urban myth. The most detailed information is from Professor Davis - a detailed read but I think fascinating

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/1991/PSCF12-91Davis.html

At the time of course I believed it because the "Society said so", and that was good enough for me. I fully believed that they would carefully check their resources, just as they always told us to do. Compare this quote from the recent "Benefit from the Ministry School" book

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be study 45 p. 242 Illustrations/Examples That Teach ***

At times you may find it beneficial to reinforce a point of instruction with a real-life, modern-day experience. When doing this, however, be careful to use only experiences that have been verified

RunningMan

Yes, sometimes the only way to bolster a faulty idea is with a faulty story. They have a lot of these.

Gerard

When food enters the stomach, it stimulates the production and secretion of hydrochloric acid for digestion, reducing the pH of the stomach contents from pH 4 to pH 2 - Note that pH 1 is the most acid possible.

(The cells that line the stomach are resistant to high acid concentration (assuming they are intact and healthy). In addition, cells lining the stomach secrete mucous that also offers protection. Surprisingly, the cells in the esophogus and small intestine are very sensitive to high acid concentrations, giving rise to duodenal ulcers and acid reflux.)

Asuming the man had enough oxygen inside the whale's stomach, no human could have survived submerged several hours in such acid environment, having his skin disolved within a few hours.

Gerry

adelmaal

I personally do believe in miracles and in what the Bible said about Jonah. But...

I don't know why the WTBTS thinks they need to prove biblical points by drumming up falsities, modifying scripture and taking things out of context. It's ridiculous how far they will go to prove a point instead of just letting the Bible speak for itself and simply allowing people to decide for themselves whether they believe it on it's own merit.

I mean if God created the heavens, the earth and all of mankind, etc. he could certainly have kept a guy alive in the belly of a whale. C'mon now. Why does the Society feel they need to come up with a real world experience to help the Bible out rather than just believing in what it says?

truth_about_the_truth

In 1891 the English whaleman, James Bartlett, was swallowed by a sperm whale

Wow, you actually can use "swallow" and "sperm" in the same sentence and not be drrrrrrrrrty.

A Paduan

Teeth or no teeth all whales bolt their food

I doubt it, especially with the krill sifting kind....

but I would believe that all jwisms start out with a lie.

I fully believed that they would carefully check their resources, just as they always told us to do.

Makes you wonder about a great many of their proofs, doesn't it?

J

Another Urban myth Perpetuated By the WTS

BluesBrother

RunningMan

Gerard

adelmaal

truth_about_the_truth

A Paduan

stillajwexelder

New Worldly Translation

peacefulpete

jeanniebeanz

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