Tower of Babel

[Pegg]

This comes from a frivolous response I made in some other thread, but now that I think about it I sort of want to know some opinions on it.

Why did God seem to care when people were building a very tall tower to the point that He scattered them and screwed up their languages but didn't seem to mind at all about the various space programs?

they had the idea that they would build a city and all stay together in one place...It was in defiance of Gods purpose which was that they spread out over the earth. It was also a tower that they said would make them like God by living high in the heavens.

So he threw a spanner in their works to ensure that his purpose would be realized and their arrogance came crashing back down to earth.

 

[Thesavorofpan]

I wonder what would happen if a bunch of atheists got together to build the "new tower of babel" and started building a tower with the explicit purpose of showing that nothing would happen to them? If God discerns between purposes, surely that would **** God off right?

Or if not that, I wonder if theists who believed in God tried to build another tower again to reach God if they'd invoke his wrath and thus prove to the rest of humanity that God exists? Actually, if I were a theist and I thought I could save souls by invoking God's wrath so obviously, I might do it for the greater good of getting other people to be convinced in God's existence (via God's intervention, like at the last Babel)...

Well were not idiots you can't build a tower to reach God. So who would want to build a new tower of babel?

 

[Ninez]

they had the idea that they would build a city and all stay together in one place...It was in defiance of Gods purpose which was that they spread out over the earth. It was also a tower that they said would make them like God by living high in the heavens.

So he threw a spanner in their works to ensure that his purpose would be realized and their arrogance came crashing back down to earth.

Indeed. It was really an act of boasting. They wanted to be admired and exalted for their architecture.

 

[Danmac]

This comes from a frivolous response I made in some other thread, but now that I think about it I sort of want to know some opinions on it.

Why did God seem to care when people were building a very tall tower to the point that He scattered them and screwed up their languages but didn't seem to mind at all about the various space programs?

You mean supposing there is a God?

 

[.lava]

Well, I think G-d saw the tower as a threat to humans themselves. The humans were trying to become more "powerful" in a sense. As we see throughout history, power in the hands of the wrong people can be a very bad thing.

From a historical perspective however, this story was dissing the Babylonians and there society. The ancient Hebrews/Israelites saw the ziggurauts as nonsense and utterly stupid and that is perhaps one of the primary reasons behind this story.

would you please explain what the zigguraut is?

.

 

[.lava]

This comes from a frivolous response I made in some other thread, but now that I think about it I sort of want to know some opinions on it.

Why did God seem to care when people were building a very tall tower to the point that He scattered them and screwed up their languages but didn't seem to mind at all about the various space programs?

maybe people were supposed to be divided to experience diversity so not only people who tried to build it had a purpose; also God who let them try had a purpose

.

 

[Meow Mix]

You mean supposing there is a God?

I thought that was obvious.

 

[Blackdog22]

they had the idea that they would build a city and all stay together in one place...It was in defiance of Gods purpose which was that they spread out over the earth. It was also a tower that they said would make them like God by living high in the heavens.

So he threw a spanner in their works to ensure that his purpose would be realized and their arrogance came crashing back down to earth.

Yeah they wanted to create a place of unity and they wanted to be proud of their work. Are you saying that being proud of your work or working toward something that is boastworthy is worthy of punishment? Should the guy who created facebook be beheaded going by this logic?

Also, whats so bad about a place of unity. Is that not what we are working toward right now? Instead of unity we have, Wars, Famine, Death over mistranslations, and an ignorance of other cultures. Yeah, that is a lot better than unity.... You go God!!!

Here is a fun video involving the Tower of Babel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldI2FJQ_oE

 

[Pegg]

Yeah they wanted to create a place of unity and they wanted to be proud of their work. Are you saying that being proud of your work or working toward something that is boastworthy is worthy of punishment? Should the guy who created facebook be beheaded going by this logic?

Also, whats so bad about a place of unity. Is that not what we are working toward right now? Instead of unity we have, Wars, Famine, Death over mistranslations, and an ignorance of other cultures. Yeah, that is a lot better than unity.... You go God!!!

Here is a fun video involving the Tower of Babel.

[youtube]_ldI2FJQ_oE[/youtube]
YouTube - Messed-Up Bible Stories 5: Tower of Babel

the account describes the situation as an act of defiance by a man who sought power, Nimrod, he was in opposition to God and sought to make himself a ruler over others

so if anything, God was opposed to one man being the ruler over other men. True unity can never be achieved when men struggle for power over one another.
Our world today is the perfect example of how such power struggles lead to oppression and corruption.

but hey, if thats your cup of tea...

 

[Pegg]

would you please explain what the zigguraut is?

.

the ziggurat is the name of the tower they built

 

[Masourga]

Actually, if I were a theist and I thought I could save souls by invoking God's wrath so obviously, I might do it for the greater good of getting other people to be convinced in God's existence

Interesting idea... problem being, God hasn't been obvious about anything for quite a while.

 

[outhouse]

is there anyone here that actually believes this story as written?????

and if so how do you explain that there were many different laguages before this????

 

[Nepenthe]

the account describes the situation as an act of defiance by a man who sought power, Nimrod, he was in opposition to God and sought to make himself a ruler over others

so if anything, God was opposed to one man being the ruler over other men. True unity can never be achieved when men struggle for power over one another.
Our world today is the perfect example of how such power struggles lead to oppression and corruption.

Wasn't attributing the construction of the Tower of Babel to Nimrod an extra-biblical idea introduced by Josephus?

 

[outhouse]

Tower of Babel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I believe your right.

 

[Pegg]

Wasn't attributing the construction of the Tower of Babel to Nimrod an extra-biblical idea introduced by Josephus?

no. The genesis account contained the details of nimrod long before Josephus was even born.

Josephus may have mentioned Nimrod in his writings but he didnt invent the idea of nimrod if thats what you mean.

 

[Blackdog22]

no. The genesis account contained the details of nimrod long before Josephus was even born.

Josephus may have mentioned Nimrod in his writings but he didnt invent the idea of nimrod if thats what you mean.

It's still a bad call by God. Why not strike Nimrod down? He never had a problem with striking people down before this right? Why cause the problem of translations that would inevitably cause the death of millions?

 

[Nepenthe]

no. The genesis account contained the details of nimrod long before Josephus was even born.

Josephus may have mentioned Nimrod in his writings but he didnt invent the idea of nimrod if thats what you mean.

I didn't explain myself well enough:
Yes, Nimrod is mentioned in Genesis as the grandson of Noah, but I meant that there's no Biblical passage(s) associating him as the builder of the Tower of Babel. All of the material ascribing him to its construction is extra-biblical and started with Josephus and the Talmud.

 

[horiturk]

any God that would see a tower as some sort of danger wouldn't be much of a God at all

 

[.lava]

any God that would see a tower as some sort of danger wouldn't be much of a God at all

why?

.

 

[Pegg]

I didn't explain myself well enough:
Yes, Nimrod is mentioned in Genesis as the grandson of Noah, but I meant that there's no Biblical passage(s) associating him as the builder of the Tower of Babel. All of the material ascribing him to its construction is extra-biblical and started with Josephus and the Talmud.

there are passages, but they are not all together.
The tower of Babel account of Gen 11:9 does not mention Nimrod by name... it explains only the tower and their purpose in building a city.

Nimrod is mentioned earlier (along with what he was famous for) in Genesis 10:8 in the list of descendants of Noahs sons:
"And Cush became father to Nim′rod. He made the start in becoming a mighty one in the earth. 9 He displayed himself a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah. That is why there is a saying: “Just like Nim′rod a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom came to be Ba′bel and E′rech and Ac′cad and Cal′neh, in the land of Shi′nar 11 Out of that land he went forth into As‧syr′i‧a and set himself to building Nin′e‧veh and Re‧ho′both-Ir and Ca′lah 12 and Re′sen between Nin′e‧veh and Ca′lah: this is the great city. "

Micah 5:6 mentions Nimrod in relation to Assyria because he was known as the founder of the nations therein as Genesis shows. This is why jewish tradition puts Nimrod as the one who orchestrated the building of the tower at Babel.
"And they will actually shepherd the land of As‧syr′i‧a with the sword, and the land of Nim′rod..."