Tower of Babel

[cyberjosh]

Ok thank you very much for all of your answers, i will attempt to incorporate as many as possible. Finally for anyone who is game, i have a modern day version of the tower of babel story."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ldI2FJQ_oE" I don't think that there are any profanity's or anything too coarse, but if you could take the time to watch it and then answer. Do you think that this interpretation of the story is disrespectful, or do you think there is good religious relevance, and does it help us get closer to god?

LOL! If anything that video made me laugh. Typical of nonbelievers to characterize God as simple minded and whimsical. That "interpretation" is certainly pejorative but with a bit of over-the-top comic flair. What can you expect? The tower "reaching to the heavens" was mostly figurative but did indicate a tall tower, possibly a ziggurat. Ziggurats were religious structures however and it seems the Tower of Babel story as related in the Bible indicates man's self-will to determine their own way of life and worship. Of course in a day and age in which we take pride in individualism and many personal freedoms politically it is hard for us to relate, but the whole way the story is presented indicates that their will was contrary to God's desire for man - else God would have not acted in the manner He did.

It may not be entirely clear all the depths of the reason for changing their language, but it is interesting to note the first (and miraculous) "undoing" of the "curse" of Babel at Pentecost when the Gospel (the highest truth given to man) of Jesus Christ was being preached in Jerusalem:

4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs - we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
12Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

(Acts 2:4-12)

When Pentecost is viewed in continuity with the story of the Tower of Babel the effect is astounding, and we can see why the people were "amazed and perlexed" (vs. 12). The Gospel of truth broke the barrier by miraculous utterance given by the Holy Spirit to the disciples.

I think that can be a good take away lesson as to the significance of this story.

God Bless,

~Josh