Posted: Dec 14, 2018 10:57 pm
Thanks for the suggestions and references!
Part of the reason I want to focus on Egyptian written history in this section of my essay is that 27 years ago I already did an extensive debunking of the JW view of Noah's Flood ( https://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/par ... flood.html ), and I'm doing an abbreviated debunking in this essay that explores some of the physical implications of a recent Flood.
What I want to argue in one section is that, given the extensive amount of physical evidence that archaeologists have accumulated on Egyptian prehistory, and paleontological evidence for human habitation of North Africa for two million years, there is no way to fit all that evidence into the ~300 years between the date of Noah's Flood and the date of Abraham's birth as given in JW literature. They're claiming that a few dozen "kinds" evolved into several million species in under 300 years. In other words, they're claiming the physically impossible.
More particularly, the ~3150 BCE date for the earliest written Egyptian texts -- not written records, which are centuries older -- proves that written Egyptian history is much older than allowed by JW literature. Add to that the fact these records and tombs contain carvings and references to various animals such as cats, lions, and dogs that are far too diverse to have diversified from the few dozen "kinds" proposed for Noah's Ark in JW literature in the ~300 years they allow between Noah's Flood and the birth of Abraham.
Of course I'm well aware that real information has almost no effect on Fundies like the JWs. But sometimes it does, especially when they receive information out of the hearing of their fellows. I know this because some of my essays and debates on JW-related forums have ultimately helped several hundred JWs out of their cult. Sometimes it took years for them to wake up. In my own case, it was my attempt to argue against evolution in a college essay 40 years ago that gradually woke me up.
To address a few points posters have brought up: The JWs traditionally taught a strange combination of young-life creationism, old-earth creationism, and the crazy Flood Geology of Morris/Price. The "creative days" of Genesis were 7,000 years long, but the earth and universe might well be the billions of years old claimed by geologists. However, there were no ice ages; Noah's Flood produced all the supposed ice age landforms. But much of this was abandoned in the 1980s. Today, it's not clear, even to JWs or their leaders, what they believe about the age of life on earth. The older generation of JWs still believes in Flood geology but they don't talk about it. JWs younger than about 40-45 get that deer-in-the-headlights look when questioned about this. Part of the goal of my essay is to educate people about all this.
The JWs have published hardly anything on these topics for 30 years. The latest nonsense appeared in a 1989 book called "The Bible--God's Word Or Man's?" On the old Dawkins forum a JW apologist I called Maher used this book to defend his views on the Flood, and got creamed.
I'm hoping that this comprehensive essay gets wide publicity on ex-JW forums and websites. That's why I want to do a bang-up job on it.
Alan
Part of the reason I want to focus on Egyptian written history in this section of my essay is that 27 years ago I already did an extensive debunking of the JW view of Noah's Flood ( https://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/par ... flood.html ), and I'm doing an abbreviated debunking in this essay that explores some of the physical implications of a recent Flood.
What I want to argue in one section is that, given the extensive amount of physical evidence that archaeologists have accumulated on Egyptian prehistory, and paleontological evidence for human habitation of North Africa for two million years, there is no way to fit all that evidence into the ~300 years between the date of Noah's Flood and the date of Abraham's birth as given in JW literature. They're claiming that a few dozen "kinds" evolved into several million species in under 300 years. In other words, they're claiming the physically impossible.
More particularly, the ~3150 BCE date for the earliest written Egyptian texts -- not written records, which are centuries older -- proves that written Egyptian history is much older than allowed by JW literature. Add to that the fact these records and tombs contain carvings and references to various animals such as cats, lions, and dogs that are far too diverse to have diversified from the few dozen "kinds" proposed for Noah's Ark in JW literature in the ~300 years they allow between Noah's Flood and the birth of Abraham.
Of course I'm well aware that real information has almost no effect on Fundies like the JWs. But sometimes it does, especially when they receive information out of the hearing of their fellows. I know this because some of my essays and debates on JW-related forums have ultimately helped several hundred JWs out of their cult. Sometimes it took years for them to wake up. In my own case, it was my attempt to argue against evolution in a college essay 40 years ago that gradually woke me up.
To address a few points posters have brought up: The JWs traditionally taught a strange combination of young-life creationism, old-earth creationism, and the crazy Flood Geology of Morris/Price. The "creative days" of Genesis were 7,000 years long, but the earth and universe might well be the billions of years old claimed by geologists. However, there were no ice ages; Noah's Flood produced all the supposed ice age landforms. But much of this was abandoned in the 1980s. Today, it's not clear, even to JWs or their leaders, what they believe about the age of life on earth. The older generation of JWs still believes in Flood geology but they don't talk about it. JWs younger than about 40-45 get that deer-in-the-headlights look when questioned about this. Part of the goal of my essay is to educate people about all this.
The JWs have published hardly anything on these topics for 30 years. The latest nonsense appeared in a 1989 book called "The Bible--God's Word Or Man's?" On the old Dawkins forum a JW apologist I called Maher used this book to defend his views on the Flood, and got creamed.
I'm hoping that this comprehensive essay gets wide publicity on ex-JW forums and websites. That's why I want to do a bang-up job on it.
Alan