Spanky Is At It Again...

Spanky is at it again, this time in his june member letter to the faithfuls. He now emphasises a couple that were spared from a hurricane. Normal thinking people would call it pure coincidence, remembering Ecclesiastes 9:11 which says the following:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

The strange part, for those unfamiliar with Armstrongism at its core, is that people were for a long time encouraged to trust in the Lord rather than spend any money on insurances. Naturally, the ministry didn't take quite the same chances - as was documented for many years in the Ambassador Report written by John Trechak.

When people who WERE members were hit by disaster, the Ecclesiastes scripture was used to avoid answering why people were not spared. But if they ever dared ask questions about why it was more important to tithe (to the organization, then the WCG) than to show wise stewardship, they were declared "rebellious"...

So even though it is always good to see people being lucky, it can't be proved to be anything but pure coincidence. Even when Roderick Meredith wants to avoid the historic implications of his wonder story.

Have a nice weekend everyone. :-)

The Various Perspectives on Bible Translations

When it comes to Bible translations there are various perspectives. Some treat it almost as doctrine that you should use either the King James Version from the 16^th century, or the New King James version published in 1982 by Nelson Publishers. In the WCG there was a translation calling for the Moffatt translation. It was used by founder, Herbert Armstrong, and therefore considered almost anathema to call it just a paraphrase.

Nonetheless, and this will come as a shock to some Armstrongites, the Moffatt translation WAS a paraphrase - just as is the New International Version or the Good News Bible traditionally distributed by bible companies all over the globe.

What translation should you use today?

Use the one you feel is easiest to read, and use a concordance for deeper studies along with reference works, a Bible dictionary etc. Don't let others decide what you like best. Studying the Word of God should be pleasurable and easy to read - not a question of what level of reader you are.

So start thinking for yourself, and make your own choices. Choosing YOUR preferred translation is the first step in that positive direction. :-)