yoel-
Well, Dave... as much as I may not know that Mt. Hor and Moserath are not
the same place... YOU DEFINITELY DO NOT KNOW THAT THEY ARE! You simply
WISH TO BELIEVE they are. There is not enough information given in the
Bible to know for certain that they are not the same place. But what
information IS given would lead one to logically surmise that they are not,
especially when one considers the Christian claim that this book is unlike
any onther the "inspired" word of an omniscient deity. THERE IS NO
INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE BIBLE which would indicate that Moseroth and Mt.
Hor are the same place. Since two clearly different place names are given,
and since the Bible is not "just any book" but the "word of God", then it
should be clearer than it is, if the Bible's words are indeed "eternal" and
relevant to us now. It should be clear and comprehendable.
What is the purpose of anyone's reading about these primitive nomads
trudging around the desert for 40 years? We get 4 boring and monotonous
books full of this tale! Not only is the information superfluous, without
any obvious purpose (especially since this original covenant was, according
to Christians, eventually revoked), but when you add the fact that the
information given is AT LEAST seemingly contradictory and
unverifiable...that it SEEMS to give contradictory place names, then the
information conveyed in this book is even more superfluous.
Now Dave, you say there is a Paris, Ontario. Well, let's say I call you up
and ask you to meet me in the Pizza Hut in Paris... and because of the
proximity to your home, or for whatever reason, you ASSUME that I am
talking about the Pizza Hut in Paris, Ontario. You show up there, wait, but
I do not show up. When you next speak to me, you ask me where I was. I say
that I was in the Pizza Hut in Paris, France. Well, there was no
contradiction. Now Dave, next time I call you up and invite you to the
Pizza Hut in Paris, aren't you going to VERIFY my intention, since I was so
obviously unclear in my invitation, perhaps even misleading? How many times
will you unquestioningly show up at the Pizza Hut in Paris, Ontario, when
in fact I mean the Pizza Hut in Paris France?
You are claiming that the Bible has no contradiction when it claims that
the same event occured at two different places. You are saying that the two
place names are refering to the same location...BUT YOU HAVE NO WAY OF
KNOWING THIS. You do not even have the literal language of the Bible on
your side here. The only reason you are claiming what you claim is because
you wish to believe that your chosen book is true and special. You're
basing your life on this book, which at first, second, third and ad
infinitum glance seems to have an error, an error which you are UNABLE to
refute except with a "possible scenario" which you are equally unable to
verify the accuracy of. Your doing this is similar to your commiting over
and over again to an appointment in Paris WITHOUT VERIFYING whether or not
I will be meeting you in Paris Ontario or Paris France. Instead, since you
are intimidated by my divine wrath, by my temper, everytime I invite you,
you will say to yourself "well I can't KNOW that he doesn't meant Paris
ON", even though I have previously given you incorrect or insufficent
information which SHOULD lead you to believe that my ability at giving
instructions is faulty or at least should lead you to verify before you
commit.