4 ms·

This is also how the JW's started, and frankly continue. The simple, sad reality is: People mostly believe what they want to believe.

by M_Grey 10y ago

hilop 10y ago
Once the snowball starts rolling, the later generations don't care much for the ridiculousness founding myths. It just becomes a traditional culture. Same for all religions, and heck, even nations
pavel_lishin 10y ago
You could argue the same thing about Christianity in general; didn't Jesus prophesize his return to occur within a very short time after his death?
- M_Grey 10y ago
  Who knows. It's hard to tell at a 2000 year remove, when it's known that various scriptures have been heavily edited, redacted, etc. Mostly it seems like he was an early version of "Reform" Judaism that turned into a cult.
  - ejanus 10y ago
    Any supporting materials to what you just said?
    - M_Grey 10y ago
      http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/03/changes_to_the_bible_through_the_ages_are_being_studied_by_new_orleans_scholars.html http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/03/changes_to_th... http://www.npr.org/2011/07/17/138281522/how-bible-stories-evolved-over-the-centuries http://www.npr.org/2011/07/17/138281522/how-bible-stories-ev... https://skepticalteacher.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/the-embarrassing-truth-about-the-bible-its-still-being-edited/ https://skepticalteacher.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/the-embarr... Beyond that, it's the entire history of the document, with the first 400 or so years being particularly amusing. To be clear, it's not like the same isn't true for other scriptures. You know that lovely story about Moses' birth? Just a ripoff of Sargon of Akkad's origin story, which was almost certainly not original.
- dragandj 10y ago
  Whoever wrote the texts in the New Testament was clever enough to specify it vaguely. Short, for god, can be very long for you, mere mortal. Of course, there slipped an error in some of those texts where Jesus promised that this "short" means "within the lifetime" of those who he was speaking to. But, again, the Bible is so full of much more blatant inconsistencies that this got drowned down below. The believers don't mind, though...
  - Pica_soO 10y ago
    Its that part that gives meaning to meaningless life's. You are not just somewhere in the middle - another layer in the boneyard, you are the last generation. Being special.
  - nitrogen 10y ago
    The workaround for that "lifetime" bit is the claim that one or more of the people present were allowed to live forever. There is no end to the layers of explanations.

This is also how the JW's started, and frankly continue. The simple, sad reality is: People mostly believe what they want to believe.

by M_Grey 10y ago

This is also how the JW's started, and frankly continue. The simple, sad reality is: People mostly believe what they want to believe.

hilop 10y ago

Once the snowball starts rolling, the later generations don't care much for the ridiculousness founding myths. It just becomes a traditional culture. Same for all religions, and heck, even nations

pavel_lishin 10y ago

You could argue the same thing about Christianity in general; didn't Jesus prophesize his return to occur within a very short time after his death?

M_Grey 10y ago
Who knows. It's hard to tell at a 2000 year remove, when it's known that various scriptures have been heavily edited, redacted, etc. Mostly it seems like he was an early version of "Reform" Judaism that turned into a cult.
- ejanus 10y ago
  Any supporting materials to what you just said?
  - M_Grey 10y ago
    http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/03/changes_to_the_bible_through_the_ages_are_being_studied_by_new_orleans_scholars.html http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/03/changes_to_th... http://www.npr.org/2011/07/17/138281522/how-bible-stories-evolved-over-the-centuries http://www.npr.org/2011/07/17/138281522/how-bible-stories-ev... https://skepticalteacher.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/the-embarrassing-truth-about-the-bible-its-still-being-edited/ https://skepticalteacher.wordpress.com/2012/04/22/the-embarr... Beyond that, it's the entire history of the document, with the first 400 or so years being particularly amusing. To be clear, it's not like the same isn't true for other scriptures. You know that lovely story about Moses' birth? Just a ripoff of Sargon of Akkad's origin story, which was almost certainly not original.
dragandj 10y ago
Whoever wrote the texts in the New Testament was clever enough to specify it vaguely. Short, for god, can be very long for you, mere mortal. Of course, there slipped an error in some of those texts where Jesus promised that this "short" means "within the lifetime" of those who he was speaking to. But, again, the Bible is so full of much more blatant inconsistencies that this got drowned down below. The believers don't mind, though...
- Pica_soO 10y ago
  Its that part that gives meaning to meaningless life's. You are not just somewhere in the middle - another layer in the boneyard, you are the last generation. Being special.
- nitrogen 10y ago
  The workaround for that "lifetime" bit is the claim that one or more of the people present were allowed to live forever. There is no end to the layers of explanations.