The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his073/cult15.arj/CULT15.TXT

Text File | 1990-05-26 | 10KB | 178 lines

                     Scripture Twisting
                    Methods Of The Cults

In  debating and discussions with non-Christians such as  Mormons
or  atheist,  I  have  found  many  areas  of  twisting  of   the
Scriptures.  In the book "Scripture Twisting," James Sire  has  a
chapter devoted to each of the methods, and I have seen them  ALL
used from time to time.

1.  INACCURATE QUOTATION: A biblical text is referred to  but  is
either  not  quoted in the way the text appears in  any  standard
translation  or  is wrongly attributed.  Example:  The  Maharishi
Mahesh  Yogi  says, "Christ said, 'Be still and know  that  I  am
God.'" Whereas this text is found ONLY in Psalms.

2. TWISTED TRANSLATION: The biblical text is retranslated, not in
accordance  with sound Greek scholarship, to fit  a  preconceived
teaching  of a cult. Example: the Jehovah's  Witnesses  translate
John  1:1 as "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the  Word  was
with God, and the word was a god."

3.  BIBLICAL HOOK: A text of Scripture is quoted primarily  as  a
device  to grasp the attention of readers or listeners  and  then
followed  by  a teaching which is so nonbiblical  that  it  would
appear far more dubious to most people had it not been  preceded
by  a reference to Scripture. Example: Mormon missionaries  quote
James  1:5 which promises God's wisdom to those who ask him  and,
then,  follow this by explaining that when Joseph Smith did  this
he  was given a revelation from which he concluded that  God  the
Father has a body.

4. IGNORING THE IMMEDIATE CONTEXT: A text of Scripture is  quoted
but removed from the surrounding verses which form the  immediate
framework  for its meaning. Example: Alan Watts quotes  the  first
half of John 5:39 ("You search the Scriptures, because you  think
that  in  them you have eternal life"), claiming that  Jesus  was
challenging  His listeners' over emphasis of the  Old  Testament,
but the remainder of the immediate context reads, "and it is they
that  bear witness to me; yet you refuse to come to me  that  you
may  have  life"  (verses  39-40), which  shows  that  Jesus  was
upholding  the  value  of the Old Testament  as  a  testimony  to
Himself.

5.  COLLAPSING CONTEXTS: Two or more verses which have little  or
nothing  to do with each other are put together as if one were  a
commentary  of  the  other(s).  Example:  The  Mormons  associate
Jeremiah  1:5  with John 1:2,14 and thus imply that  both  verses
talk about the premortal existence of all human beings;  Jeremiah
1:5, however, speaks of God's foreknowledge of Jeremiah (Not  his
premortal  existence) and JOhn 1:2 refers to the pre-existence  of
God the Son and not to human beings in general.

6. OVERSPECIFICATION: A more detailed or specific conclusion than
is legitimate is drawn from a biblical text. Example: The  Mormon
missionary manual quotes the parable of the virgins from  Matthew
25:1-13 to document the concept that "mortality is a probationary
period  during which we prepare to meet God." But the parable  of
the  virgins  could, and most probably does, mean  something  far
less specific, for example, that human beings should be  prepared
at any time to meet God or to witness the Second Coming of  Jesus
Christ.

7.  WORD  PLAY: A word or phrase from a biblical  translation  is
examined  and interpreted as if the revelation had been given  in
that language. Example: mary Bake Eddy says the name Adam consist
of  two  syllables, A DAM, which means an obstruction,  in  which
case, Adam signifies "the obstacle which the serpent, sin,  would
impose between man and his Creator."

8. THE FIGURATIVE FALLACY: Either (1) mistaking literal  language
for  figurative language or (2)mistaking figurative language  for
literal  language.  Example of (1): Mary  Baker  Eddy  interprets
EVENING  as  "mistiness of mortal thought;  weariness  of  mortal
mind; obscured views; peace and rest." Example of (2): The Mormon
theologian james Talmage interprets the prophesy that "thou shalt
be  brought down and speak out of the ground" to mean that  God's
Word would come to people from the Book of Mormon which was taken
out of the ground at the hill of Cumorah.

9.SPECULATIVE  READINGS  OF  PREDICTIVE  PROPHESY:  A  predictive
prophesy  is too readily explained by the occurance  of  specific
events, despite the fact that equally committed biblical scholars
consider the interpretation highly dubious. Example: The stick of
Judah and the Stick of Joseph in Ezekiel 37:15-23 are interpreted
by the Mormons to mean the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

10. SAYING BUT NOT CITING: A writer says that the Bible says such
and  such  but  does  not cite the  specific  text  (which  often
indicates  that  there may be no such text at  all).  Example:  A
common phrase "God helps those who help themselves" is not  found
in the Bible.

11.  SELECTIVE CITING: To substantiate a given argument,  only  a
limited number of text is quoted: the total teaching of Scripture
on that subject would lead to a conclusion different from that of
the  writer.  Example:  The  Jehovah's  Witnesses  critique   the
traditional  Christian notion of the Trinity without  considering
the full text which scholars use to substantiate the concept.

12. INADEQUATE EVIDENCE: A hasty generalization is drawn from too
little  evidence.  Example: The Jehovah's  Witnesses  teach  that
blood transfusion is nonbiblical, but the biblical data that they
cite fails either to speak directly to the issue or to adequately
substantiate their teaching.

13. CONFUSED DEFINITION: A biblical term is misunderstood in such
a  way  that  an  essential biblical  doctrine  is  distorted  or
rejected.  Example: one of Edgar Cayce's followers  confuses  the
eastern  doctrine of reincarnation with the biblical doctrine  of
being born again.

14. IGNORING ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS: A specific  interpretation
given to a biblical text or set of text which could well be,  and
often  have been, interpreted in quite a different  fashion,  but
these alternatives are not considered. Example: Erich von Daniken
asks  why  in  Genesis  1:26 God speaks  in  the  plural  ("us"),
suggesting  that this is an oblique reference to God's being  one
of   many   astronauts  and  failing  to   consider   alternative
explanations  that  either  God was speaking  as  "Heaven's  king
accompanied  by His heavenly host" or that the plural  prefigures
the doctrine of the Trinity expressed more explicitly in the  New
Testament.

15.  THE  OBVIOUS  FALLACY: Words  like  OBVIOUSLY,  UNDOUBTEDLY,
CERTAINLY,  ALL  REASONABLE  PEOPLE HOLD THAT and  so  forth  are
substituted for logical reasons. Example: Erich von daniken says,
"Undoubtedly the Ark [of the Covenent] was electrically charged!"

16.  VIRTUE BY ASSOCIATION: Either (1) a cult  writer  associates
his   or  her  teaching  with  those  of  figures   accepted   as
authoritative  by traditional Christians; (2) cult  writings  are
likened to the Bible; or (3) cult literature imitates the form of
the Bible writing such that it sounds like the Bible. Example  of
(1):  Rick  Chapman list 21 gurus, including  Jesus  Christ,  St.
Francis and St. Theresa, that "you can't go wrong with."  Example
of (2): Juan Mascaro in his introduction to the Upanishads  cites
the New Testament, the Gospels, Ecclesiastes and the Psalms, from
which  he quotes passages supposedly paralleling the  Upanishads.
Example  of (3): The Mormon DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS 93  interweave
phrases  from  the  Gospel of John and  maintains  a  superficial
similarity to the Gospel such that it seems to be like the Bible.

17. ESOTERIC INTERPRETATION: Under the assumption that the  Bible
contains  hidden, esoteric, meaning which is open only  to  those
who are initiated into its secrets, the interpreter declares  the
significance  of biblical passages without giving much,  if  any,
explanation  for his or her interpretation. Example:  Mary  Baker
Eddy  gives the meaning of the first phrase in the Lord's  Prayer,
"Our Father which art in heaven," as "Our Father-Mother God,  all
harmonious."

18.  SUPPLEMENTING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: New revelation  from  post
biblical  prophets  either replaces or is added to the  Bible  as
authority.  Example:  The Mormons supplement the Bible  with  the
Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great
Price.

19. REJECTING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY: Either the Bible as a whole  or
texts  from the Bible are examined and rejected because  they  do
not square with other authorities - such as reason or  revelation
=  do not appear to agree with them. Example:Archie Matson  holds
that  the  Bible contains contradictions and that  Jesus  himself
rejected  the authority of the Old Testament when  he  contrasted
His own views with it on the Sermon on the Mount.

20.   WORLD-VIEW  CONFUSION:  Scriptural   statements,   stories,
commands  or  symbols which have a particular meaning or  set  of
meanings when taken within the intellectual and broadly  cultural
framework  of  the Bible itself are lifted out of  that  context,
placed  within the frame of reference of another system and  thus
given  a  meaning  that  markedly  differs  from  their  intended
meaning. Example: The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi interprets "Be still,
and  know  that  I am God" as meaning  that  each  person  should
meditate  and  come  to the realization that  he  is  essentially
Godhood itself.