the following is a tiny excerpt from bart ehrman's blog of which i'm a member.. this particular entry contains questions and answers about the nature of translating the new testament.. .
did the fact that early christian scripture was written in koine greek have an effect in how the religion was perceived by the pagan elites and imperial family?
in other words, did that make the religion look bad or koine greek was acceptable?
Interesting!
Anyone who can read Attic Greek can easily handle the Koine, but not the other way around.
This is something to remember when directing criticism at the late FW Franz, whose academic credentials were in Classical Greek - but who had only (so it is said) two or three days formal tuition in Koine Greek. According to Prof. Ehrman, this matters not one jot!
Bill
while you are sitting there reading this, there are literally hundreds of thousands of young males and females all over the world [ mostly in america / canada and england] sitting in their grotty little smelly bedrooms or flats, designing computer viruses that they will up-load onto web-sites to cause anonymous innocent peoples computers to malfunction.
these creeps spend literally weeks,months or even years hoping to make a computer viruses that will get into peoples computer bios to completely destroy their computers.
they never see the peoples anger, frustration and distress.... the damage can cost each person about 1,000 [ $1,660.74 ] or more to replace a basic new laptop or tower.
If ever there was a 21st Century equivalent of the old time soap-box politician, it would be this guy!
Bill
go ahead.
tell me.. "i've read the bible cover to cover.
i don't believe you.. it is damned near impossible!.
I've known so damned many lying-ass Jehovah's witnesses in my lifetime, I've become cynical about what anybody says when they make a personal claim.
My policy (it might sound unfair or ridiculous) is NOT TO BELIEVE a word I'm told.
Terry,
I will try to always remember the above words when reading any future posts of yours. Certainly, one cannot hold it against a person if the JW experience left them somewhat cynical in outlook!
I believe very much in letting others express their opinions and thoughts - and in the process, "cutting them a bit of slack", as the saying goes. However (and this is just me) I am very careful when it comes to questioning another person's integrity. As a consequence, I do (by my own admission) tend to be rather oversensitive when my own integrity gets called into question. My sincere apologies for having responded in that manner!
Bill.
PS: In me, you are dealing with a bookworm extraordinaire! Depending on circumstance, that can either be an asset or a curse.
go ahead.
tell me.. "i've read the bible cover to cover.
i don't believe you.. it is damned near impossible!.
Terry,
Are you trying to say that a person should only read the bible if they beforehand agree to believe what it says? I would have thought that the time to form an opinion about any piece of writing is afteryou have read it. That is what I always do, anyway!
Or are you trying to suggest that the mere act of reading the bible will automatically transform one into a believer? For many who have responded to this thread, a reading of the entire bible actually had the very opposite effect on them.
At no time did I ever claim to believethe bible (including its remarks about "turning the other cheek"). I only stated that - contrary to the claim made in the title of this thread - I have read the entire bible.
Bill.
go ahead.
tell me.. "i've read the bible cover to cover.
i don't believe you.. it is damned near impossible!.
I'm flattered!
Yes, as you might have gathered, I do take rather strong exception to being branded a liar!
Your remarks about just how beneficial such a bible reading is, though, are quite correct (certainly in my case, anyway). As previously stated, completion of that task felt very much like a let down.
Bill.
go ahead.
tell me.. "i've read the bible cover to cover.
i don't believe you.. it is damned near impossible!.
I have read the thing cover to cover:
- Call me a liar if you like. However, if we ever meet up in person, I will smack you well and truly in the bloody mouth for having done so!
Being an avid reader, I had not too much difficulty reading it right through over the course of one summer holiday.(Hard going as it was, I have had to wade my way through harder reading matter, and for that matter, still am).
Not that the exercise ever did me one bit of good, mind you. Rather, it was something of a let down.
Bill.
hi, i am also a practicing jehovah's witness and very proud of it,to say the very-very least..!
i am a middle-aged man with many decades of being a witness of jehovah god in england.. this important letter is personally to you, just as many of the bible's 88 letters are to be taken personal by you the reader.
i am writing to you to urge you to take stock of your life, think what your future holds for you.
Yeah, I get the drift:
- JWs are the only ones who speak "The Truth" because they say they do, and for no other reason than that.
Therefore, all you naughty girls and boys had better do what the JWs say - or else.
Bloody terrific!
Bill.
it seems to me like certain people actually benefit from joining the religion.
primarily i'm thinking of ones with drug problems who are only able to quit because they are working towards baptism.
another example would be those who are always getting in fights or who have a big ego, and who learn to be pacifistic and humble as a witness.
Religious conversion is recognised as being one of the least effective methods of getting a person off drugs and/or alcohol. (For example, see Felix Donelly's Big Boys Don't Cry).
The ones boasted about in Afake Awake and Botchtower Watchtower as having kicked their drug or alcohol habits because of "The Truth" nearly always got back on the stuff sooner rather than later. I actually learned to drink from the brother that "brought me into the Truth".
(Sorry to have to report that I proved to be a very able student!)
Bill.
in my nearly 60 years in the religion, although i "studied" with a good number, i cannot think of any who could lay the blame at my door for being in the religion today.. one lad possibly might, i studied with him briefly as he was trying to get off drugs, he then moved away, and then married a "sister" a few years later, and is still in, but i doubt he would blame me, i hope not.. of the others i studied with none are still in, the last i heard of one of them, a weirdo kid, now weirdo man, was when he was arrested for "flashing" in a local spot frquented by doggers etc.
i guess i was a useless "tutor".
as it happens, that is one of the things i am proud to be a failure at, getting people to join a cult.. i always tried to not do proper r.v's, and never suggested a "study" to anyone, but some, like weirdo, were shoved my way by elders who didn't want the work themselves.. how many are you guilty of getting in to the cult ?.
I am happy to be able to report the following:
- not one bloody person!
In fact, I have good reason to believe that I may have even repelled a few from "The Truth."
Bill.
awhile a go i was uptight about a matter i can't remember now and my friend said to me " give the other side the victory".
a while ago my little boy was getting uptight and argumentative with his mum i asked him " to let it go" in effect i suppose " giving the other side the victory".
anyway i am sure our life exsperiences have allowed us both receive and give good advice.
Unfortunately, I failed to appreciate the best advice I was ever given. It was given to me by my father at the same time that I agreed to a "free home bible study" with the JWs:
- his advice was that , to quote, "Religion is like whisky and beer, you can do without it."
Oh my, was he right!
Bill.
