Posts by Nate Merit

9

Ok, wanna see how a real JW-psychopath behaves?

by Hellrider in

dannyhazard posted the link to this site before, but i`ll do it again: .

http://profindsearch.com/forum/index.php.

...it`s very easy to register and post.

Nate Merit

Hi Danny

I like your icon. Twenty five years ago my best bud Mark Smith and I picketed a KH in Ann Arbor, MI. They went ballistic. It was really funny. A good memory.

Nate

33

The Septuagint or the Hebrew Text, Which Should Christians Choose?

by Nate Merit in

(the following article by nathaniel j merritt was originally published in 1996 in the now-defunct orthodox way magazine, a small theological journal which explored obscure or controversial issues in the eastern orthodox spiritual tradition.

should christians embrace the greek septuagint translation of the old testament or the hebrew text?

if we are jews, then by all means let us embrace the hebrew text.

Nate Merit

Leolaia, I would encourage you to engage that sharp mind of yours in a new pursuit. Abandon the study of the historical-grammatical sense of the Bible and rediscover the Bible for what it is and was intended to be: Myth. Both your intellect and spirit will have more than enough to play with and have some fun.

The letter kills but the Spirit gives life.

Nathan

35

My First Doubt

by tall penguin in

this may not seem like your typical doubt but it was the first time i allowed myself to question the bible and the wt's explanation of things.

about 6 years ago, i was assigned a talk on the man judah.

this was when we were doing talks on specific bible characters.

Nate Merit

Hi ICBehindTheCurtain

You are quite correct. Archaeology has demonstrated the Bible to be a wholly Mythological work. Rather than depress me or cause me to 'lose faith' this understanding brought me great joy. I abandoned Christianity because I had become educated enough to see all of the Bible's conflicts not only with itself, but with science and history. So, when I learned the Bible is not a fouled up historical account, but pure Myth, I was able to embrace it again and find delightful new allegorical meanings. I was able to return to the spirituality of my own culture, rather than try to become an Oriental or an East Indian.

This is the proper role and function of all sacred scriptures. There was no historical Buddha. I wrote a rather long essay demonstrating this fact, and quite a few fellow priests were none too pleased. Others had also come to that same conclusion. 'The Buddha' is actually all of us. His life is the life of all humans. What he became we all have the potential to become. The actual meaning of Buddha sitting under the 'Bodhi tree' and finding enlightenment is not about a literal man. The tree stands for the shushuma, the pathway along our spine for Kundalini to move and activate all our chakras in the enlightenment process.

Christ is the same. We are all the Divine Incarnate. By identifying personally with the Myth, we too can die to the world, the flesh, the ego, and rise anew into the Life Divine. We are all potential Christs. I go into quite a bit of detail on this matter in Jehovah Unmasked. At least, in the published version I do.

I try to enable people to see what a wonderful liberating experience it is to let the Bible be what it really is and what it was intended to be. A book of Myths that encodes powerful spiritual teachings in those Myths. I was puzzled at first why so many people found this revelation to be distressing. Then I realized they, like all moderns, had lost the capacity to resonate/grok with Myth. 'Myth' has come to mean fantasy, fable, tall tale, story-telling fit only for kids.

That just isn't so. Myths are far more than just stories.

An example I gave in another post, the Myth of Prometheus is not literally true but it does carry truth of another kind. Parables are not literally true, but they too are carriers of truth. Most (not all) of the Bible's stories are the same way. We are supposed to look beneath the surface of the literal words (the husk) and find the inner kernal of life. However, modern humans think unless something is true in a literal historical-scientific manner it is simply nonsense. It is that attitude that is the real nonsense. We still tell stories constantly in movies and on television that deal with deep truths in a story format. We have become conditioned to think the Bible is supposed to be a nook of science and history.

A moment's reflection is all that's necessary to see that such an attitude toward the Bible is anachronistic because we are bringing modern concerns about science and history to an ancient book that has a spiritual purpose. History is the modern sense is in fact a modern concern and pursuit.

To sum up, I have no problem with the Bible anymore, or any other sacred scriptures...with the exception of the Koran.

Back to your insight that sparked my ramble. I highly recommend a fairly recent book titled Mythic Past; Biblical Archaeology and the Myth of Israel, by Thomas L.. Thompson. It is a marvelous distillation of the facts archaeology has uncovered concerning the Bible and 'Israel." It's a marvelous factual nail in the coffin of fundamentalism because it chronicles the utter lack of any corroborating evidence for the Bible's stories in history. Regardless of what The Discovery Channel and its ilk tell us, in their effort to appease the angry and violent Religious Right.

Remember..
YOU are the Christ!
Nathan

19

Theocratic Warfare: Is It Still Practiced?

by Nate Merit in

i was "in the truth" for about four years and was disfellowshipped thirty-three years ago at the age of nineteen.

when i became involved, at age fifteen, i was taught 'theocratic warfare' which is 'lying for the truth.

' it really didn't bother me until i was several years older and became more introspective.

Nate Merit

I was "in the Truth" for about four years and was disfellowshipped thirty-three years ago at the age of nineteen. When I became involved, at age fifteen, I was taught 'Theocratic Warfare' which is 'lying for the truth.' It really didn't bother me until I was several years older and became more introspective.

Jehovah's Witnesses certainly do not have a monopoly on this practice. I have encountered people lying for what they perceive as Truth, whether religious, political, economic, or scientifc, throughout my adult life.

However, the practice of it by Jehovah's Witnesses is interesting to me because, like ya'll, I was a JW.

Nate

33

The Septuagint or the Hebrew Text, Which Should Christians Choose?

by Nate Merit in

(the following article by nathaniel j merritt was originally published in 1996 in the now-defunct orthodox way magazine, a small theological journal which explored obscure or controversial issues in the eastern orthodox spiritual tradition.

should christians embrace the greek septuagint translation of the old testament or the hebrew text?

if we are jews, then by all means let us embrace the hebrew text.

Nate Merit

Hi Ianone

Actually, I wrote that article about an hour before I posted it. I wrote it from the perspective of my wife's church, the Greek Orthodox Chruch, and included factual errors so that some interesting discussion would be stirred up, that's all.

You might want to read some of the other responses to the article. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to respond. I appreciate it.

Nate

18

What if they're right after all?

by Honesty in

the trinity, soul and body that are one and yet separate at death, heaven and hell, etc.

christendom's beliefs are deemed strange by many people but what if they are right?

Nate Merit

Jesus Christ Is Comin' To Town

NJM October 2005

Oh you better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm tellin' you why
Jesus Christ is comin' to town!

He's makin' a list,
Checkin' it twice;
Gonna find out who's naughty n' nice.
Jesus Christ is comin' to town!

He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for Jesus' sake!

With pestilence-plague and lunatic rage
Rippin a hole in the fabric of space
Jesus Christ is comin' to town

He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for Jesus' sake!

You better repent
You better believe
You better tell Christ
You're a sinner n sleaze
Jesus Christ is comin' to town!

33

The Septuagint or the Hebrew Text, Which Should Christians Choose?

by Nate Merit in

(the following article by nathaniel j merritt was originally published in 1996 in the now-defunct orthodox way magazine, a small theological journal which explored obscure or controversial issues in the eastern orthodox spiritual tradition.

should christians embrace the greek septuagint translation of the old testament or the hebrew text?

if we are jews, then by all means let us embrace the hebrew text.

Nate Merit

Joseph, it's all right to address me as Nate.

My attitude about life and religion and whatnot is to have fun. If your religion pisses on the candle of your life...

Have fun Jehovah-Will-Add !
Nate

33

The Septuagint or the Hebrew Text, Which Should Christians Choose?

by Nate Merit in

(the following article by nathaniel j merritt was originally published in 1996 in the now-defunct orthodox way magazine, a small theological journal which explored obscure or controversial issues in the eastern orthodox spiritual tradition.

should christians embrace the greek septuagint translation of the old testament or the hebrew text?

if we are jews, then by all means let us embrace the hebrew text.

Nate Merit

Hey Abaddon

If'n ya'll take a minit ta reed mah RE plies tuh mah re-SPON-dints ya'll jus mite git wher ah's a comin frum. Heha. Yuppers. Wail, its tym ta git mah gun n shoot dinner.

ciao 4 niao
nate

2

Paul=Marcion?

by peacefulpete in

.

was paul really just a creation of marcion?.

radikalkritik - radical criticism

Nate Merit

Thanks peacefulpets

Great stuff. It deserves a close look.

Nate

27

Blatantly deceitful use of secular sources

by AuldSoul in

i am looking good repository of instances where the watchtower or awake!

have quoted secular sources in such a way to make it appear the source supports their argument when it is blatantly obvious that the secular source disagreed with them.

if it doesn't exist, i am about to make one.

Nate Merit

I recall an illustration in the endnotes of the Kingdom Interlinear (I think. Its been well over thirty years) which is of a man being crucified on a pole. The WTBTS use a quotation from the author of the book in a misleading manner. The author does not support the idea that 'stauros" ( pronounced stav-ROS in modern Greek) means "torture stake" or that Christ was executed on a pole.

Ciao 4 Niao
Nate