| Author | Message | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 366 Registered: 2-2008 |
I'm going through a study right now on Esther by Beth Moore. Since I've left the church I've been finding all these discrepancies in Bible stories that I learned as a child. I remember learning that in the story of Esther, her uncle, Mordecai, had to convince her to go to the beauty contest before Xerxes. Now that I'm rereading the story in the Bible, it sounds like all girls were forced to at least go before the province overseers. Is this another Ellenism? ~vivian | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 1783 Registered: 8-2004  |
Or perhaps a 'write in' in Uncle Arther's Bible Stories? | ||
| 8thday Registered user Username: 8thday Post Number: 636 Registered: 11-2007  |
Yeah, that sounds like the "My Bible Friends" version of the story. ha. I still have the set from when I was little. I love the artwork, but stopped reading them to my kids when I realized how much of the stories were embellished - and how I thought all that stuff was true when I was a kid. But maybe EGW was the original source. Sounds like her too. SDA's are not the only ones that do that though. We put a cartoon in the other day - the story of Abraham. Had to chunk that one too. Don't know why they can't leave the stories as they are. | ||
| Treasurehntr Registered user Username: Treasurehntr Post Number: 93 Registered: 7-2007 |
I think i will always second guess myself. Is it in the Bible, or is it an Ellenist infected memory? My SDA disease is in remission but in some ways i'm still a carrier. I'm constantly being drawn back to the bible to confirm or disprove so many things. | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 609 Registered: 7-2007 |
I just looked through the table of contents of "Patriarchs and Prophets." I didn't see anything about Esther. Maybe it's in "Prophets and Kings." I don't know. (I'm keeping a copy of Ellen's book "Patriarchs and Prophets" because she contradicts the Bible in the middle of the chapter called "After the Flood." She quotes the Bible verse, Genesis 9:3 where God tells Noah that he can eat "every moving thing that lives" and then she contradicts that in her very next sentance where she says that God allowed Noah "to eat the flesh of the clean beasts that had been preserved in the ark.") I wouldn't at all be surprised though if Ellen White did say that. She added so much to the Bible. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes in the judgment! | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 116 Registered: 8-2008 |
I am not sure if this is an Ellenism or not, but I think it was in My Bible Friends. If you understand what that "one night with the king" (as one movie recently called it) actually involved, you would see that no good Jew would want his pure virgin Jewish cousin to be involved in it. Let's just say there is a reason he sought virgins... | ||
| Bskillet Registered user Username: Bskillet Post Number: 117 Registered: 8-2008 |
As an aside on Esther, Haman was an Agagite, AKA an Amelekite (Agag was the King of the Amelekites in Saul's day). Mordecai was a Benjamite. Saul was also a Benjamite. He was ordered to kill all the Amelekites. Evidently He didn't, because Haman is found centuries later. Haman wanted revenge. Grievances die hard in the near east. But Haman's plot was a direct result of Saul's disobedience to God. The movie I mentioned before, "One Night With the King," points this out quite well. One of the interesting things is the book of Esther helps explain why God sometimes asked Israel to wipe out entire peoples: The nature of the Middle East was (still is?) such that for generations people would try to get vengeance for past injustices. If you don't wipe out certain groups, they will always be trying to wipe you out. The Amelekites started the whole mess with Israel, as God clearly tells Saul. If Saul had done his job, it would have ended there, but instead we find a great genocidal threat to the Jewish people centuries later. Sometimes westerners try to put our concepts of war and conflict onto the Near Eastern cultures we read about in the Bible. Not a good idea. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 9310 Registered: 12-2003  |
The book The One Year Book of Christian History, a really fascinating devotional with a story from Christian history for every day of the year, also mentions that fact, Bskillet. It points out that God completed his original order to Saul, which Saul refused to do, through Saul's descendant Mordecai. Because of Esther and Mordecai's favor with the king, Haman, the descendant of Agag, was put to death, and Mordecai, the descendant of Saul, was able to mediate saving Esther and all the Jews from the plot of Haman the Agagite. It's SO amazing! Colleen | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 367 Registered: 2-2008 |
Bskillet, I just found out about the issues that surrounded Mordecai and Haman tonight. Amazing. The other point that was made tonight was the fact that when the children of Israel were wandering through the wilderness, the Amalekites went unprovoked and killed the weak, the stragglers of God's children. The command was given in Duet. that the Amaleks should be destroyed and Saul disregarded that. It's really interesting that that whole story carried out generations later into Esther's story. Not quite the "Bedtime" story I remembered... Mordecai coaxing Hadassah to enter the "beauty contest" to become queen. It just really bothers me that I grew up learning all these Bible stories... distorted... and supposedly following the Bible more closely than other religions.... sigh. ~vivian | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6394 Registered: 3-2004  |
I learned the Bible stories the adventist way. So, when my son was little I wanted to buy all the books for him and could not afford it. Because I could not afford them I read him all those Bible stories from the "gasp" Bible. He did not get the indoctrination I got, plus I had 16 years of indoctrination. My son only had about 6 years indoctrination. That includes going to SS, and SDA school for 2 1/2 years. So I thank God that HE was directing not only my life but my son's life as well. God engineered the situation so I would pull my son out of SDA school. THANK YOU AWESOME GOD!!! Diana L ps: I used to feel bad, for only a short time, because my son did not have an SDA education and that I could not afford the Bible story books. WOW!! What a relief I did not read that junk to him. (Message edited by Flyinglady on January 25, 2009) | ||
| Wearingpurple Registered user Username: Wearingpurple Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2009 |
Dear all, At the Manatee County Fair where I was manning the strawberry shortcake booth on behalf of the wonderful church I am currently attending, Church on the Rock, two precious ladies and I were discussing Elijah and Elisha, their relationship and their parting. I mentioned that while Elijah was amazingly called up to heaven in a fiery chariot, poor old Elisha remained behind to continue THE WORK and eventually died at the end of a long and painful illness. One of the ladies asked how I knew such a thing and I became speechless. Once again! ...caught redmouthed in the middle of an Ellenism. I am constantly surprised at how constant the flow of these tricky little "helps" are, into my brain, and into my conversations. As an aside, I am finding that my prayer life is actually much healthier and my assurance of an afterlife with my Lord and Savior is mine to enjoy...now, not after spending my life earning it. Thanx for listening. Cathy | ||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 1352 Registered: 5-2007  |
Hi Cathy, Ten days between postings I find interesting. Being a retired school teacher I bet you can do better than that. Never heard that line about Elisha, but then I left as a teenager a long time ago when I Phil | ||
| Indy4now Registered user Username: Indy4now Post Number: 372 Registered: 2-2008 |
I find that I don't trust anything that I learned as an Adventist. I go back and verify everything. ~vivian | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 6414 Registered: 3-2004 |
Not only do I not trust what I learned as an adventist, I do not trust what adventists say about the Bible/EGW/ any other spiritual matter. I will verify also. Diana L | ||
| Wearingpurple Registered user Username: Wearingpurple Post Number: 3 Registered: 1-2009 |
Hey, Phil and friends, Yes, 10 days is a long time between scripts so I thought I'd try for an even looooonger time. I am learning that searching and researching my lovely Bible is the only way I can override my adventist thinking. Not long ago, I requested a chat with a pastor of the church I am currently attending. During our talk he asked me if I was saved and I responded, "I don't know; I'm not sure." In that instant I realized one great truth - I AM SAVED BECAUSE I HAVE THAT ASSURANCE. No other words were uttered on that question. Often, now, I feel like I'm walking (or stumbling) along a rutted, rocky path in the rain. This is the result of my confusion. Simultaneously, I know that I have a guide who is holding a lantern aloft, to light my way. I think the rocky path exemplifies my uncertainty in my newfound, infant belief system. My Bible is the very welcome guide with lantern. I am realizing more and more that I frequently used EGW and oft-muttered platitudes of "the church" as a crutch rather than using my own Bible and reasoning. So, now, even though I am on a rocky path, doubt is the one thing that is not present on my journey. Confusion, uncertainty, yes, but not doubt. The blessing I feel is one of a pioneer who has caught a glimpse of the beautiful country, perhaps a slight view between the mountains. It's wonderful and I'm grateful for it. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, new friends. Cathy PS...I'm missing my spell check. | ||
| Honestwitness Registered user Username: Honestwitness Post Number: 774 Registered: 7-2005  |
"...a pioneer who has caught a glimpse of the beautiful country..." Wow! That's a wonderful image, Cathy! I appreciate so much that you shared it. Sometimes, I feel like I'm IN LOVE with Jesus, but talking that way is so foreign to most people, so I just keep quiet about it. However, I sense by your lovely word picture you have experienced that, too. Thanks again, and welcome to this forum. Honestwitness | ||
| Philharris Registered user Username: Philharris Post Number: 1391 Registered: 5-2007 |
Cathy, Try writing your text in your word processer and spell check it there. Then, copy and paste it into the forum posting window. P.S. I am pretty much the worlds worstest speller and that's how I do it. Phil | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 1799 Registered: 8-2004 |
 another option is to use the Firefox browser when you post. It has a spell checker built in and will underline the misspelled words like a word processing program would. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4136 Registered: 9-2006  |
Or you culd do what I do and just leeve the muspellid werds. I left tham in my buk an Mery never siad nuthin. Course she is aesy ta pulease! Rover | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4137 Registered: 9-2006 |
ah kin spell honestwitless rat gud. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4138 Registered: 9-2006 |
I kin spell fill's name real gud to. But he cain't spel mine yit. I am tryin ta teech him to spel tho. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 4139 Registered: 9-2006 |
I kin spel Kathy rat gud too. Hi Kathy, how is you'ins a doin? Kathy purtends sha cain't spel, but she kin do it gud. | ||
| Helovesme2 Registered user Username: Helovesme2 Post Number: 1801 Registered: 8-2004 |
lol! |
