FAITH: 2.b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof
SUPERSTITION: 2. a notion maintained despite evidence to the contrary
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
How do you argue for the validity of one spiritual belief over another spiritual belief when the two concepts are basically equivalent? How is praying to a dead saint any different than talking to your dead mother? How is faith really all that different from superstition? In this excerpt from the February 2011 issue of "Awake!" the Jehovah Witnesses attempt to address these questions, offering up an amusing bit of religious cognitive dissonance with dashes of western elitism.
For those unfamiliar with Jehovah Witness beliefs, one of their core principals is that the end of days began in 1914, when Jesus returned undetected to the earth and began to separate the saved from the damned. Prophesy indicated that Armageddon would occur "before the generation that was living in 1914 will have died out." A quick review of a life expectancy table will tell you that the Apocalypse is running a little late -- which has lead to a number of revisions to prophesy in recent decades. A comprehensive review of this theological backpedaling can be found here.
"You cannot be partaking of 'the table of Jehovah' and the table of demons." So watch out, fans of young adult fiction. Don't let your love of Harry Potter keep you out of heaven.
No comments:
Post a Comment