Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
I think it is obvious to most what Lee meant. If it helps, just replace Satan with "the spirit of Satan" and it all makes sense.
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I have heard a number of saints who worked directly with Witness Lee state that he would sometimes take days to choose a specific word to make sure it most accurately conveyed the meaning he wanted with no unintended misunderstandings, so that everyone who read his books – from the most highly educated to the lowest, and from the most intelligent to the least (yes even those of low intelligence who you are claiming are so moronic as to take his statement at face value) – would not misunderstand what he meant. Lee was aware that those of varying levels of intelligence would be reading, and strove diligently to be readily understood by them all.
I have also read decades enough of his works to know that he was not one to save paper but instead frequently “hammered it home” when it came to repeating himself in ever so slightly different ways so that the reader would get his point and there would not be resulting interpretations of his interpretation. For example, “We must see that Christ is the good land. He is the good land! The good land is a person! Who is the good land? It is Christ! Hallelujah we have all seen that Christ is the good land!” (this is not a real example from the ministry but I think anyone who has read some of it will recognize that repetitive word-pattern).
He also had those helping him who would read, re-read, and scour the books before they were published to make sure that what was printed was really what he meant.
My point in saying that is to show that there is no reason for Lee not to have used “the spirit of Satan” if that is what he meant. To say, “if it helps, just replace [word he used] with [this other phrase he could have easily chosen to use to make it more accurate and understandable but did not]” denies the entire way he wrote everything else. He never left it up to the reader to synthesize the facts or carry out their own interpretation of his speaking, but stated what he meant simply, clearly, and repetitively. If Lee “obviously meant” “the spirit of Satan” then that is what would be stated (at least once)!
I’m not getting into whether Lee is right or wrong, but to start saying “it all makes sense if you put something different there that he did not write” causes it to unravel pretty fast.