Jehovah's Witnesses: How can electricity be blasphemed?

Question

Watchtower.org---"THE Bible's use of "holy spirit" indicates that it is a controlled force that Jehovah God uses to accomplish a variety of his purposes. To a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations."

Bible-- (Matthew 12:31) "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven."

Answer 1

Given the JW analogy of the Holy Spirit being an "impersonal active force", we can compare God's Spirit with all the spirits of humans and angels.



We each have our own spirit, therefore your spirit is you and nobody else but you, right? My spirit is me, Tim F's spirit is Tim F.



Satan and the demons have spirits, therefore Satan's spirit is Satan, right?



Angels are spirits, therefore Gabriel's spirit is Gabriel, Michael's spirit is Michael, right?



With all the consistent analogies, how can God's Spirit not be God, and how can this Spirit not be a Person?



The JW analogy of the Holy Spirit is fallacious and blasphemous. We all know God's Spirit has to be God, and the Holy Spirit IS a PERSON, not an impersonal active force that runs on electricity !

Answer 2

Clearly you don't understand what a metaphor or simile is. Once you learn what those words mean, then you'll be able to understand what the Bible meant when it said the holy spirit can do things like "speak, teach, pray" and so forth. It doesn't mean that it (which is a force, not a being) can literally do those things as a person would.



The holy spirit is used by God to accomplish or carry out something in accord with his will. If that spirit is motivating us to do something and we don't do it or do the opposite, we would be considered as "grieving" the holy spirit. Also, if someone willfully attributes the direction of the holy spirit as coming from Satan, then they would be blaspheming the holy spirit which is the "unforgivable sin".



Your whole problem here, as evidenced by your additional comments, is that you don't have an understanding of literary terminology.

Answer 3

It is an analogy, something used to try and help someone understand something that is sometimes quite difficult to grasp. Notice the quotation you used said 'To a certain extent'. Not, 'Holy spirit is like electricity'.



I also think of it like a credit card authorisation. I can make someone on the other side of the world 'do' something for me just by clicking a little button and sending my credit card details. Someone will then pack whatever I have ordered into a nice little box and post it off to my door. I wanted something done, I send my credit card details, and it happened. Jehovah God uses his holy spirit to accomplish his will. He wants something done, he sends his holy spirit and it happens. But in no way do I say holy spirit is the same as a credit card authorisation. It just helps me get my head around it.



It is not blasphemy to try and help people understand how the holy spirit works. If it were people would be too scared to try and understand anything, and we would be in perpetual spiritual darkness.That is what the clergy have been doing for centuries and it never has made anyone very happy or enlightened to the truth of God's word.

Answer 4

Witnesses say that with the aid of fact the HS could be "poured out" like liquid, it won't be a guy or woman or an sensible being. Galatians 3:27 says that, "all of you who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ." unusual, that! how are you able to place Jesus on your physique like a T-shirt? Does that verse recommend that Jesus isn't a guy or woman? i think of those descriptions are figurative ... do no longer you? The Holy Spirit has been defined as coaching human beings. Jesus suggested that the "Comforter" could arrive, yet basically after he replaced into long previous. Invisible issues are no longer nicely understood by way of everybody. Describing the HS as electrical energy is a normal way out, and so as that they use this analogy while speaking some guy or woman's "spirit" -- yet yet another subject remember they do in contrast to managing. electrical energy does issues for us, yet you may no longer see it. It confuses the priority in a passable way, so as that they shop applying it.

Answer 5

I'm not a Jehova but i have been watching the developments of science as it rushes to prove the existence of God. To save myself writing a full explanation of that again, i'll include a reference in a moment, but the short version is like this: Everything in the known universe is made from Quarks and Leptons held together by Gluons. These sub atomic 'particles' disobey the laws of normal physics and sound more mystical than scientific. They can be everywhere at the same time or nowhere. They can be in more than one place at the same time. They live and die in fractions of a second. Yet something unknown causes them to decide to 'be'. A rock, a person, a tree, whatever. This unknown has been termed the 'God particle' by scientists and the proof of it's existence is currently being tested by the use of the hadron accelerator. From the little that is known we can say that before anything was anything it was first a thought or intention and that it seems that Quarks and Leptons 'decide' to 'be' if neasured or observed. We can further that by saying the more intense the observation the more likely they decide to 'be'. Admiration or love then is the highest form of observation. It all goes to show that there is nothing stranger than the bible or suernatural except Quantum physics.

In refernce to blasphemy, it is direct opposition to admiration.

Answer 6

I'm totally against the cult of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I think your question was written in haste, and you need to reconsider your argument, because it's faulty.



First of all, the quote you took off from the JW's site only says "to a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity" and does not equate God's Spirit to electricity. But your argument assumes that the JW's are in fact equating too. You just didn't read and think carefully enough. I understand the good work you're trying to do, and I support you in it. But you must think more critically about what you're saying to other people. The worst thing is that your question now stands as a witness against you, as you haven't demonstrated correct critical thinking. The JW who first answered your question rightly points out your flaw in logic, and so she now looks like the more competent believer. My advice to you would be to delete this question, and try again.



But as regards the Holy Spirit, the best analogy is that He is a person. Well, that's more a reality than an analogy - but it's true and it works, so use it. The JW's do a disservice to their 'theology' by trying to compare the Spirit to something like electricity - it is far from it. The Spirit is a person, and the Spirit IS GOD, who calls, strengthens, and uplifts believers who are indwelt by Him. This is exactly what the Bible says of Him, so why should anyone try and compare him to a mere natural force?

Answer 7

It's an ..... i l l u s t r a t i o n



An illustration is a kind of picture in words trying to explain a point. An illustration is not to be taken literally.



Let me try and "illustrate" this:



**If someone said physical attraction is like a magnet, a strong force that draws two people together. **



this is an "illustration": It would be foolish to ask: How can a magnet make babies? Why don't people have paper clips stuck all over them like magnets do? Why can't I clip my partner onto the fridge? My partners is not a magnet!!



Do you understand better now? Can you see... An illustration can "illustrate" ONE feature of something. Thus comparing the god's spirit to a force like electricity doesn't mean god's spirit IS electricity or that every feature of the spirit can be explained by comparing it to electricity. Just as a relationship is more than just being attracted to a person (magnet) God's spirit is more than "just" a force, but it is a force and in this on aspect can be compared to other unseen power foces like electricity.



#QUESTION: Okay, so how can the [holy] spirit be 'grieved'? God sends his spirit to accomplish is sacred purpose (in this case we refer to God's "holy" spirit). Individuals that work against this evident demonstration of that spirit offend God himself and can be guilty of 'blaspheming against the holy spirit".





My name is Sunshine, I hope my answer has been of help to you.

Answer 8

***** i have never seen such dense answers. *****



do any of you read and understand english?

i will answer as if talking to perhaps 7 yr old kids.



note the quote:::



" To a certain extent, it can be likened to electricity, a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations. "





>> To a certain extent



*** Google it. really. cut & paste.



it will show you that the word /certain/ is limiting;



extent



3 a : the range over which something extends : scope b : the point, degree, or limit to which something extends

[mer web ]





likened/ again that is an easy word. look it up [merriam webster]



or just google it up.



NOW!



put down your slurppee and look at the next phrase.....



" . . . a force that can be adapted to perform a great variety of operations . . ."



are you going to DENY that the holy spirit does not have the power to build, inspire, resurrect, destroy?



that would definitely be foolish, and might be blasphemous, which would be fatal.



if you are unsure, please, take a copy of this response and a copy of the answer you posted and present it to your priest/ rabbi/ imam.



they will tell you what i just said.



in conclusion: electricity can not be blasphemed.

holy spirit can.



and if you can not see the power in the holy spirit you need a bible study.



gramps

Answer 9

What I would REALLY like to know is how a force can testify?



John 15:26

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me

Answer 10

(:) ++++ Grandpa : quote "are you going to DENY that the holy spirit does not have the power to build, inspire, resurrect, destroy?



that would definitely be foolish, and might be blasphemous, which would be fatal."



its nice to see you admit the Holy Ghost is God himself ! ! ! as only God can be blasphemed ! ! ! or to resurrect !! !



+++ sunshine, you have been drinking too much MOONSHINE ! ! ! your logic defies retardation... never in my life have i EVER seen or heard anyone comparing offending God's Holy Spirit to offending God Himself (unless they were admitting to the trinity in which case that would be true)



the point of the question is JWtowers compair the HG to electricity.. the HG is a person which you just admitted to (in so many words)



;;;edited, if you let the bible interpret itself as you should, you will find 2 examples of blasphemy, one is the ability to forgive sins, the other is making yourself equal with God.. if you can blaspheme the HG, he has to be a person and he has to be equal with God ie: is God Himself.

Answer 11

Why does it matter?



Does believing that the holy spirit is a person answer all of YOUR questions?

Answer 12

It is a load of rubbish.. I am sori but Jehovah's witnesses can't even belief in the afterlife being good. Electricity was provided by God for human usage and survival, we just need to use re-usable sources to respect the planet... I would rather spend the rest of my life alone than be a part of any religion, it is ridiculous and by the way, I do live with God... everday.. with my family and the best love you could ever imagine... The only rules of God that need to be adhered to are based on love "Not" electricity......

Answer 13

Nobody can blaspheme against an energy force, but they certainly can be extremely foolish in their attempts to use it. Whenever a religion claims to have God's power to the extent that no other religions have it, and that all who want a share in that power must come to them to receive it, you know you are dealing with an incredibly foolish group. That is what's going on with the JWs.



Their leaders say they are specially anointed with holy spirit; they are part of the elite 144,000 people who will be the only ones from Christ's time onwards to get to heaven, to be kings and priests with Christ. All others who please God can only expect to live forever on a paradise earth, under their rule. They tell those millions that if they work hard, studying their literature, going round the doors, attending as many meetings and assemblies as possible, and never disobeying them, their leaders, they can get more and more holy spirit. I wonder if that is approaching blasphemy?



Certainly it's worth reminding people that 99.9% of all JWs cheerfully admit that they are not anointed with holy spirit, nor do they think they need to be. They are working hard to earn more of it, you see. They don't want to go to heaven, to see Christ, they are carnal people who love fleshly, material things. Don't let all their spiritual talk fool you. They are just not interested in heaven. That proves they do not have the anointing of God's Holy Spirit! What a horrifying state to be content with! Who will tell them that, unless they are born again of the Holy Spirit, they cannot even see the Kingdom of God?

Answer 14

You're onto something. It seems that they practice divination. I always thought the JW movement was rooted in the occult.

Answer 15

Use it in the wrong way and you could become the Holy Roast

Answer 16

it's an illustration of JW nonsense, that's what it is

Answer 17

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