APO:Scripture twisting methods of the cults

   In debating and discussions with non-Christians such as Mormons or
atheists, 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 non-biblical 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 Baker Eddy says the name Adam consists 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 occurrence 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 transfusions
are non-biblical, 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
Covenant 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 lists 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 meaning phrase the 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.

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