Well, this is soul-crushing.
My thanks to Jason Colavito for once again directing our attention to awful thinking and helping us think more clearly about it. His post (Did the Nephilim Build the Pyramids? Or Were They Woolly Mammoths?) is about a video documentary produced by Justen Faull (The Fourth Watch podcast). Here’s an interesting follow-up by Jason to that post: An Early Argument that Cro-Magnons Were the Nephilim.
I’ve been on Justen Faull’s podcast before. He knows that I don’t buy into a lot of what he does on that show. This is a classic example. But let me be clear. The idea that the nephilim built the pyramids is absurd, demonstrably false, and unbiblical in the extreme. Humans did have the technology to build the pyramids and other similar structures. The pyramids were also not built by Jewish slaves in Egypt during the biblical sojourn, an idea that violates the Bible’s own ancient chronology (recall that embarrassing claim by Dr. Ben Carson). It’s the sort of nonsense that gives biblical study (and the Bible for that matter) a bad name.
Honestly, when I see things like this it makes me question whether I have any positive impact on Christian Middle Earth at all. Why must Christians go along with the rest of the wider culture, rushing headlong to irrationality? Belief in the supernatural is not incompatible with reason. We have millennia of coherent, logical, philosophical thinking in defense of that assertion (leaving theology aside for the sake of the argument). But the world now hates reason. And it seems Christians are more than willing to ape the world in this (among other) respects.
Like I said — soul-crushing.
Mike, you are making an impact. Many, like myself, have greatly benefited from your content and perspective on the Bible and the ANE. I have always tried to focus on the academic side of theology and the Bible, but most of it tends to lean towards “the Hebrews evolving out of the polytheistic neighbors.” It wasn’t until finding your work, along with the grounded perspective you bring, that I was able to place alot of this data in the proper context. Don’t let a few people with an audience and some wacko ideas get you down. Thank you for your ministry and the sacrifices you have made over the years to help people such as myself and to advance the cause of Christ. You are making a difference and the struggle is worth it.
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This feels exactly like the appeal the Ancient Aliens people make when they say aliens built the pyramids. Ancient man was just as intelligent as we are, or at least close to it, and probably with a much more intense work ethic.
Our culture is looking for signs and wonders, it seems. It doesn’t seem to matter if we are theist or atheist, either. We want a bigger answer than is necessary, like aliens and nephilim levitating rocks to build ancient structures. As if it gives the whole thing more intrinsic meaning.
It is so funny, in a way. We balk at a supernatural world view, but we embrace ludicrous ideas that make even less sense.
This isn’t meant to be an arument gentlemen, ancient man couldn’t have built such wonders; now ancient man influenced and aided by evil supernatural beings (Watchers) there lies the answer. I agree this generation is quick to believe in signs & wonders; those who have carefully gained wisdom & knowledge & led by the Holy Spirit won’t be so easily seduced, some will see thru lies (some which are posted in this forum). And to the fellow in the next post, I NEVER SAID THE NEPHILIM BUILT THE PYRAMIDS, DON’T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH. Remember, the Nephilim were so evil they started eating mankind and then EACH other!! The Library of Alexandria, such a shame it was incienerated, would have given enormous insight to that age! We have, however, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and countless other sources that shed light. Now, let us bury our huberis & let knowledge & wisdom have the chair :>} “My children perish for lack of knowledge”
I think a good many Christians, who have not had the luxury of being trained to think critically or who have not been trained to think as a member of academia, believe these things because they are weary of the assault on the reliability of the Scriptures and the Bible as a whole. Think of the average man or woman who works 40 – 50 hours a week to put bread on the table, spend Saturday cleaning the house, cutting the grass, trying to spend time with their children. They spent a chunk of Sunday morning at church, maybe Sunday night too. Monday it starts all over again. They catch snippets of news and a few articles on websites that they believe are friendly to the Gospel and their worldview. They avoid the MSM and secular, Christ denying research or academic articles because they are unequipped to refute it and too tired and busy to learn how to refute it properly.
So, a guy out there with a slick video makes a claim about Nephilim or giants or faries or whatever. Anything that they think might refute evolution, materialism, and support the Bible. They buy into it precisely because they are tired of secular materialism seeming to win all the time. Not saying it is right. Just saying I understand why they do it.
Wow, then do tell…have u read the book of Enoch? R u prepared 2 completely dismiss his account? I eagerly await your response. 1 more thing, what about the Raphhaim Goliath, u know he was a giant right?, they have uncovered so many giant skeletons. You see the world around us is falling inline as the Bible states, always has
news flash – 1 Enoch doesn’t say the nephilim built the pyramids.
Quote: Why must Christians go along with the rest of the wider culture, rushing headlong to irrationality? After becoming a Christian a few years ago after a lifetime of Catholicism, the one trend that emerged at every Baptist church I attended (3) was transparently obvious. Yes, even to the untrained, un-analytical mind :-). They are always chasing the next best newest thing. I quit after reading the opening page of 40 days of purpose, I’d had enough.
Good question; try and be what you see missing within the Church. It’s really all you can do.
I think a lot has to do with pride. People can not believe that thousands of years ago people in some ways were smarter then we are today.