Once we distance ourselves from the Borg many of us look for
a succinct description of the great hoax we lived under and I admit I’m in that
category! Fukitol, you have arrived at a pretty good one there; a ”pious fraud
by a priestcraft.”
“Prologos , yes BS is most appropriate for a bovine
idol...hadn’t thought of that!
James T, indeed the immense “disconnect”.
I would be most interested to hear any JW defend this indefensible
chasm which exists between the partisan folk origins of Big J and the
prevailing perception.
My take on the
implications is that it demonstrates the nature of the Biblical texts that they
are merely the religio – political adulation of their divine mascot. Israel
being a tiny province with a small population (don’t believe what the Bible
boasts on this point) with limited natural resources, surrounded by very
powerful neighbours. Their only escape was in the hope of their puny God
defeating the more powerful Gods. The power of Egypt’s Gods were feared because
the empire was so strong, the Gods of the weak tribes being regarded as impotent.
Yahweh was a lesser God and hence the naive god competition in 1Kings 18.
(Elijah, Jah and Baal)
This did not prevent the underdogs from imagining some
celestial victory in their favour and the hope beyond hope of rhetorical bluster
is the basis for much of the Hebrew writings.
But to believe it
today and base your very life on it...
is...like Jehovah... absurd.