Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I consider James 1:8 to be one of the most central and critical verses for the Local Church discussions. The reference to "Landslide Lyndon" was illustrating that, the use of it as an illustration was not understood. Therefore I elaborated on the Box 13 scandal thread.
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The problem is that it is entirely too convoluted as a metaphor. It would appear to add problems and questions rather than support or explain anything.
Metaphors and pictures should be somewhat simple, and be what is well known and understood. Then you bring it along side what is true, but is not fully understood. It does not add to the truth in any way. It just provides a picture of it in a way that is understood.
When your metaphor/picture is so controversial as to what happened, when, and how, it becomes useless. You spent more time trying to create the story of the election with the particular view you wanted (or think is true). But while there is something there, it is not necessarily as you describe it, therefore the story has little use. It needs to be understood and accepted as something true with respect to the aspects that you want to bring out. Then you bring it along side something else and use what is known to describe what is not fully understood or known.
Seems as what is understood most fully is James, not Box 13. Box 13 is virtually a black box of factoids, innuendo, and conjecture. There are some presumptions because of what is now mostly hearsay. But the overall story that Lyndon's first statewide election was won through voting irregularities in one rather small county in south Texas is understood. But that story may not be enough to put up beside James for a metaphor.
The answer is not to argue over what is fact or conjecture about Box 13. It is to find a better metaphor. If the metaphor is not agreed to as a stipulated fact, it is useless. While the overall effects are pretty well accepted, the details are far from stipulated, so it is useless.
I made reference to Lee's power plant, wires, and electrons. It was brought in because the Greek word was the one from which we somewhat transliterated the word "dynamo" which is essentially an electrical power source/plant. But the meaning of the Greek word was "power." Not electricity. Or plant of any kind. So looking at the English word dynamo and then bringing in the wires and the flow of electrons is to discuss something that really isn't there in the scripture. Admittedly a different problem than I see in Box 13. But to the same effect. The metaphor is not actually useful in studying and understanding the relevant scripture. It doesn't actually fit. Or is too convoluted and/or not really understood, therefore not helpful.
As for your statement about the "same blood type as Jesus" . . . . I feel like the AFLAC duck trying to reply to Leo Durocher in the barber shop. I have no idea what to say to any kind of claim that anyone has any idea what type of blood that would be. Maybe except for being Jewish blood.