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He's a nutcase fundamentalist religious zealot, frankly. I'll allow that it's possible he could also be correct in some of his assertions, but it's definitely rather incredible that he's the main source for many if not nearly all Xinjiang pieces.
>Zenz’s work on China is inspired by this biblical worldview, as he recently explained in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “I feel very clearly led by God to do this,” he said. “I can put it that way. I’m not afraid to say that. With Xinjiang, things really changed. It became like a mission, or a ministry.”
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>Along with his “mission” against China, heavenly guidance has apparently prompted Zenz to denounce homosexuality, gender equality, and the banning of physical punishment against children as threats to Christianity.
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>Zenz outlined these views in a book he co-authored in 2012, titled <em>Worthy to Escape</em>: Why All Believers Will Not Be Raptured Before the Tribulation. In the tome, Zenz discussed the return of Jesus Christ, the coming wrath of God, and the rise of the Antichrist.
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>Zenz predicted that the future fall of capitalism will bring to power the Antichrist within a “few decades.” He identified the force that “will usher the Antichrist into power” as “the economic and financial fall of ‘Babylon,’ with ‘Babylon’ symbolically representing the world’s global economic system (capitalism).”
This is the best book I have read on the contradictions. Bart explains them in an easy to understand way. I HIGHLY recommend this book for getting around the contradictions.
Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001TKD4XA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lH9UCbXXWZW6E
And if you want to get around the Bible a little better, Bart's books are amazing. I've read like three or four of them.
The Jewish Study Bible isn't Christian. It's an academic look at the Tanakh based on the JPS translation; it's quite useful and has some terrific essays.
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I believe you're thinking of the "Complete Jewish Bible" and the "Complete Jewish Study Bbile", which are Christian.
Just going to plug Robert Alter's excellent (imo) translation and note on these verses. He has an even more nuanced take than the blah-blah-blah that conveys the nonsense of it in more hebrew terms. He translates this section as follows
>“7 And these, too, blundered through wine
and through strong drink went astray.
Priest and prophet blundered through strong drink,
were confounded through wine,
went astray through strong drink,
blundered with the seer,
juddered in judgment.
8 For all the tables were covered with vomit,
filth, with no space left.
9 To whom will they teach knowledge
and to whom will they convey lessons?—
to the milk-weaned,
to babes pulled from the breast?
10 For it is filth-pilth, filth-pilth,
vomit-momit, vomit-momit,
a little here, a little there.
11 For in a barbarous tongue
and in alien language
He shall speak to this people
12 to whom He said, “This is rest—leave it for the weary,
and this is repose,” and they did not want to listen.
13 And the word of the LORD became for them—
filth-pilth, filth-pilth,
vomit-momit, vomit-momit,
a little here, a little here.
So that they should walk and stumble backward,
and be broken, snared, and trapped.”
and his comment on the word choice
>“Wildly divergent interpretations have been proposed for these words. The literal sense would seem to be: “precept precept, line line.” But if precepts are at issue here, they are precepts that have been turned into gibberish by these drunkards. The phonetic kinship between tsaw, precept or command, and tsoʾah, filth or excrement, and between qaw, line, and qiʾ, vomit, is surely not accidental. The translation seeks to convey both this correspondence and the effect of gibberish.”
I really recommend it! His major intention (as I read him) is to illuminate the basic structure of the original text, so you really get a feel for the poetic and narrative forms/tropes these bronze age poets found powerful. Personally, I love thinking about texts that way: trying to see what the author is doing on an intellectual level. It's absolutely wild to me, being pointed to subtle linguistic effects crafted three thousand years ago that have retained the power to move a reader. Makes you think about just how hardwired language is in the brain.
The whole set is kinda expensive, but the second volume has the book of Job, which IMO is his best translation of the Hebrew Bible's most interesting book, for 10 bucks.
This is one of the biblical texts that some use when they talk about either Israelite henotheism or "the divine council".
While I don't completely recommend the book, as I believe he reads far too much late second temple period theology into earlier forms of Judaism, Michael Heiser's book The Unseen Realm has a pretty good overview of this verse and how it's thought to relate with Deuteronomy 32 and the Tower of Babel.
But, based off of the specific issues you're referencing, I'm assuming you're probably reading something like that and having questions about the biblical basis for them?
Jewish Publication Society translation for the Old Testament and New Revised Standard Version translation for the New Testament.
Read the King James Bible if you want to understand English literature.
I linked the study bibles on Amazon because they offer crucial insight into the interpretation and meaning of passages that are too confusing without the relevant historical context and commentary from academic scholars.
Ok.. I mean Adrian Zenz is a right wing Christian radical who believes he's "lead by God" in his research against China. He has never been to Xinjiang. He is so fundamentalist he also believes in the rapture, and that gender equity, homosexuality and socialism are all products of the "Antichrist" (take a look at his book if you're so interested in his work). Nearly every source claiming "millions" of people are being detained (or even killed with no evidence) almost always stem from his population "research" in spite of the overwhelming lack of any evidence whatsoever. He is directly cited and mentioned numerous times on the wiki page titled "Uyghur genocide".
This is not the case with Palestine as the horrid conditions and death toll are readily available from literally countless on-the-ground sources, witnesses, historical documentation (as this has been a nearly century long occupation by British and Israeli forces with US backing).
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Also I'll just link you here as well, as The World Bank issued a public statement on their own site post 2019's initial allegations from Zenz (here) : "The team conducted a thorough review of project documents, engaged in discussions with project staff, and visited schools [in Xinjiang] directly financed by the project, as well as their partner schools that were the subject of allegations. The review did not substantiate the allegations."
I'm a former evangelical and Bible college graduate.
I agree with you that human scientific knowledge in the 21st century doesn't have all of the answers. For example, it seems unlikely that we would understand the origin of all matter an energy in the universe anytime soon. However, the religious explanation ("God did it!") is not satisfying at all, because it raises the next logical question of "Who made God?" And if God is allowed a special exception in not needing a creator, then why can't matter and energy have that special exception? "God" becomes an unnecessary middle man.
Second, I would ask, "How do we know anything about this god?" Human scriptures are very flawed; they all make claims that are easily disproven by scientific, historical, or academic means. And once we've disproven a claim of the Bible (for example), to shift to, "Well then, I guess it's just a metaphor!" is disingenuous in the extreme. It's presuming the Bible is the standard for truth, and must be proven right, and can never be wrong.
Really, you need to do a deeper dive on the Bible before placing your faith in it. Bart Ehrman is a popular New Testament scholar who's written many books deconstructing the Bible that present the mainstream view in academic circles; you might pick up one or two of his books. The more you understand the flaws of any holy book, the more you see the man-made nature of it.
One other point... Jesus didn't invent "the Golden Rule". He might be most famous in Western culture for saying it, but versions of it in other cultures pre-dated him by 2000 years. And with good reason; it's a simple, common sense philosophical position, it doesn't take a god to have thought it up.
That looks really interesting, thank you! For anyone else reading this, if you are looking for a digital copy, it has an alternative title: Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why
Yes and no. This answer will come from a Christian perspective. I believe that 'Alien' are the angels that rebelled long ago. There are more to angels that the regular person knows about. Some of them may have say on what is called the Divine Council.
You can read more about this side of it in Dr. Heiser's book.
https://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Realm-Recovering-Supernatural-Worldview-ebook/dp/B0141QB9XA
And it is on sale today too for $1.99 which is weird timing!
I only skimmed your questions and giving you in-depth answers would take too long. But, if you are truly interested in studying this further then you need to get the book The Unseen Realm by Michael Heiser. He answers all these questions thoroughly. It's only $1.99 on Kindle right now, which is a huge deal. Get it, read it, and find the answers to all these questions.
Fr. Stephen De Young recently wrote <em>God is a Man of War</em>, which you may find relevant to your question. If you, like me, struggle with printed text, the books is available on Audible, narrated by its author.
Right. As a Christian, it is frustrating to see someone like Russell dismiss revelation so superficially, while criticizing Aquinas who extensively documented every objection he heard of to any of his claims.
It's not exactly a philosophical treatise, but there is a modern work I recommend commonly for understanding whether scripture/revelation is reliable. An atheist man's wife decided to become Christian. He was an investigative reporter, and he thought it was really important to show his wife how mistaken she was, so he used all his skills as a reporter to write the story of why the Bible, particularly belief in the Resurrection, isn't reliable. He read extensively, and he flew around the country talking to experts, all to disprove his wife's new faith.
He published his notes on this investigation under the title, The Case for Christ, and ended up converting to Christianity as well.
dont really need to attack the information when the author is also responsible for this wonderful scholarly work
Worthy to Escape: Why All Believers Will Not Be Raptured Before the Tribulation
Adrian Zenz has never been to Xinjiang, he's a right wing Christian radical who believes he's "lead by God" in his research against China. He also believes in the rapture, and that gender equity, homosexuality and socialism are all works of the Antichrist (take a look at his book if you're so interested in his work). Any source claiming "millions" of people detained all stem from his propagandized "research" in spite of the overwhelming lack of any evidence whatsoever.
^That's who you're aligning with.
You and others are so easily deluded on this, while the US literally invaded Iraq and outright killed (not "detained", not "reeducated") literally hundreds or thousands of Muslim citizens... yet you think I'm a "tankie". absolutely get f*cked you neolib moron.
Tell her to show you where in the gospels Jesus said anything about homosexuals. I asked my mother this when she was quoting scripture and sent her on a wild goose chase for a month. 🤣 But you probably already covered that.
I highly recommend “Jesus, Interrupted” by New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman. The kindle is on sale for $1.99. I learned most of this when I was in the seminary a long long time ago.
Buy one for yourself and one for a friend!
https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Interrupted-Revealing-Hidden-Contradictions-ebook/dp/B001TKD4XA/
Maybe put the Old Testament down for now and explore the New Testament, starting with one of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Continue to pray and ask God to give you faith in him. You might consider reading this book. https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation-ebook/dp/B01863JLK2
Highly recommend Robert Alters translation for all your Tanakh needs. He is an expert in ancient Hebrew, a professor at UC Berkley, and his commentary/context is fantastic.
To really understand the Tanakh you need the commentary to give you an idea of what was going on in the Era it was written.
It's not
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The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, a book published in 2001, discusses the archaeology of Israel and its relationship to the origins and content of the Hebrew Bible. The authors are Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University, and Neil Asher Silberman, an archaeologist, historian and contributing editor to Archaeology Magazine.
There's no archeological evidence for Hebrews ever being slaves in Egypt, we're all literally the descendants of cannanites who were already in Israel.
I'm not trying to attack faith here, if you believe in the Bible as fact, then just look there or resources around the bible.
It was a great read! A lot of archeological work was ironically done by the Church in an attempt to prove that the bible was "true".
I would encourage you to start reading the Bible with an open mind. Pray and ask God to reveal himself to you. Start with the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel is a popular book for people in your position. https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation-ebook/dp/B01863JLK2
I don't know the specific verses he uses, but this book might be helpful to you:
God is a Man of War: The Problem of Violence in the Old Testament
What are you even talking about? I'm not posting some fringe view here, this is the overwhelming consensus on the subject. Bart Ehrman has written an entire book on the subject: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053K28TS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i11 .
Sun Tzu allegedly lived around 550 BC and yet he isn't mentioned until the Spring and Autumn Annals 150 years later, and no specific stories about him until the Shiji in 100 BC.
Jesus had Mark and Q and the Pauline letters all written about him within 40 years of his life, and Josephus and the other 3 gospels written by around 100 AD within 70 years.
Tim Mackie speaks a lot about Robert Alter. He has written a lot about translation. Look at his books on amazon. He has translated the entire Hebrew Bible (with commentary). https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN5HWWX/
He focuses a lot on the literary style of the books and has an excellent argument on translations in his introduction to the book called "The Bible in English and the Heresy of Explanation" You can actually read all of this (or at least I was able to) by going to the link above and making sure the kindle version is selected. Then click on the Image of the book so you can "Look Inside" from there you will be able to scroll down to the introduction and read his arguments there.
In summary, he states that while we try so hard to explain what the text says in our language we tend to diminish some of the original poetic-ness and art form of the Bible. It is a fascinating read and has helped me think much clearer about translations. I urge anyone to read this. (again, free from the link above)
Haha, no jos kerran Zenz tekee mielestäsi hyvä työtä, minkä arvostelu on vain kiinapostaajien disinformaatiokampanjaa, niin sinun ilman muuta kannattaa lukea Zenzin muutakin tuotanto, kuten tämä kirja, miten varmistaa taivaspaikka ennen maailmanloppua
Saattaa sisältää sinulle hyviä vinkkejä miten lapsia kasvattaa vanhan testamentin mukaan ja pitää mielessä, miten sukupuolten välinen tasa-arvo on saatanallinen juoni tuhota maailma. Tietenkään hänen äärivanhoillinen maailmankuvansa ei ole mitenkään ristiriidassa Kiinan kanssa.
OH hey! I got a question. Someone recommended me "The Hebrew Bible" translation with commentary by Robert Alter. I don't remember if this was you or not, I've had so many comments the past few days. Is this something you would recommend buying? I got the free sample and love it so far but I've only read chapter 1 of Genesis. Here's a link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN5HWWX/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?\_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
If so, then perhaps this: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Unearthed-Archaeologys-Vision-Ancient-ebook/dp/B000FBJG86/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?crid=3EV6TY3VMDG7P&keywords=bible+origins&qid=1640381501&sprefix=bible+origi%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-14
Defining the baseline to be used in the thesis might be very intriguing.
What is meant, exactly, by the word, “demon”? Or, is it more accurate to say, “diamon”? Personally, think this difference is at the root of the comparison and to deploy the Bible as a standard without digging into its dirt (pun) is to avoid the heavy lifting that should be done.
Sure. He writes about it in this book
https://www.amazon.com.au/Worthy-Escape-Believers-Raptured-Tribulation-ebook/dp/B0792WB8WV
He talks about how Satan is behind gender equality which he uses to attack God's authority particularly through 'post-modernism'.
He also mentions that Xinjiang was a mission given to him by God.
Great timing for this question. Father Stephen De Young just released a book on this very topic from an Orthodox/ancient perspective: https://www.amazon.com/God-Man-War-Violence-Testament-ebook/dp/B09H3K1C4W
Fellow Protestant here(although my theology is quickly changing), and this book is my next read.
>Grainy pictures taken from Google maps is all it takes it convince you?
Excuse me, there's also the solid evidence of the supposed anonymous testimony of one guy interviewed by the dude who wrote about how there's gonna be <strong>"not just one but two raptures"</strong>.
You know, a credible, sane, scientific-minded, fella.