Cherry Picking the Bible- Leviticus and Other OT Rules

I studied, off and on, with JW`s over twelve months (yes, I`m into pain ), and regardless of how you pointed out the flip-flopping on their beliefs over the last hundred years, the selectivity of picking only those verses that supported their take and ignoring others, they wouldn`t admit a single mistake. They covered their asses by the classic--'The vision is becoming clearer with time'.

Tell me, how is that cherry picking different than any other denomination?

No different, Ram, just pointing out the solution that one branch of Christianity (?) uses to combat the charge.

do you suppose it's even possible to keep to an entirely literal reading of the bible that is totally inclusive -- and does NOT cherry pick?

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i think ignorent children might be able to read it literal to the last word, but it would have to be a child with no knowlege but the bibleits impossible even for the most adament christian fundi to read the bible without imposing something
i mean the sky not being a hard shell? or stars not being balls of gas?
there really isn't anything in the bible to explain what stars are other than god made the stars
even the stuff about germs would take out the literal meaning of the text since people believed in demons

I don't think it is possible to look at the entire bible , either entirely literal, or not, and NOT cherry pick. Each an every passage has more than one interpretation about what it truely means, and each and every person who uses the bible as a spiritual guide will chose amoung the various interpretations to pick the viewpoint that will have personal meaning to them.One of the traditional methods of studying talmud emphasis's this. Someone will have a passage opened up, and then surround the passage with the various commentary, and then follow the various commentary, so the meaning 'opens up like a flower'

So the pesher technique as outlined in the Qumran Scrolls is correct for mainstream Judaism? That it operates on two levels, one as a commentary relating past Scripture to current events. And it also provides two methods of instruction, one to the lay reader and a secondary (primary (?)) message to initiates?

true -- and this MIGHT be an addition by the redactor.

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i disagree in part. to a certain degree, that ignorance requires maintainence. because someone reading without pre-text would eventually run into contradictions and problems. right, we are forced to impose our worldview, we no longer see the world through the eyes of genesis, we see genesis through our own eyes.

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well, not just that. some outright contradict each other. at a certain point, interpretation about true meaning becomes disguising the pshat meaning.Edited by arachnophilia, : typo

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That is still in use today, yes. I don't know if all the implications into 'initiation' are the same, but the technique is the same.

Thanks, Ram. I am still trying to get my head around whether the 'Seven Signs' of Jesus carry a pesher message or not. Or even if they refer to events happening during His life.He throws up lots of odd numbers that seem to be referring to something beyond our understanding.Edited by Nighttrain, : edited to add divinity

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well, not just that. some outright contradict each other. at a certain point, interpretation about true meaning becomes disguising the pshat meaning.

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I wonder if these interpretation techniques arose from the need to keep the old writings applicable beyond their time.Just like the "cherry picking" today. People can let go of what they want or feel is obsolete, but hang on to what they want even if it is obsolete. Is that selective reasoning?

yes, very.

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Jesus came to establish a better law than what was in place.
He would have told Leviticus that anger begets anger and that forgiveness is a better form of law than breaking the law of killing.
It appears that Leviticus was on a power trip when writing some of those laws that clearly show that they are not in any way Christian.
God is a God of Love not Hate.Regards
DL Edited by AdminPD, : Warning