There might be those who, in the wake of recent events concerning UCG's Council of Elders, suspect that Joel Meeker has something of a penchant for digging up the dirt. Now we have independent confirmation, and from none other than that august publication Biblical Archaeology Review.The latest issue features the Meeker family, Joel, his wife Marjolaine and daughters, mucking in at Megiddo in 2008. And yes, there's even a photo of a smiling t-shirt and shorts clad Joel.
In fact it's a nice, warm human interest article with daughter Tatiana, for example, remarking that "sometimes it seems like all parents do is embarrass you!" Nothing to indicate Joel's profession as a UCG minister though. You could be forgiven for thinking he was just your regular used car salesman from Santa Barbara.
Elsewhere in this issue is an excellent article by April DeConick on the Gospel of Thomas.
Sadly, the Meeker feature (on pages 35 and 36) isn't available on the BAR website, but I'm sure Joel wouldn't mind if you deducted $5.95 from your next tithe check and used it to buy the hard copy!
19 comments:
Megiddo was an awesome archaeology experience for me in the 90's when I won BAR's "why should we send you" contest.
If Israel Finkelstein is still in charge of the dig, Joel will be rethinking everything he ever thought about the Bible. Of course, we know he won't.
If one wants a free look at Joel & family and their journey to Megiddo,Petra ,etc……use this address......
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/joelmeeker/7/tpod.html
Adventures in the Middle East: A United Youth Corps service project in Jordan and Israel
“Our family will accompany 8 United Youth Corps volunteers and participate with them on service projects in Jordan and on a 4-week archeological project in Megiddo, Israel, in addition to touring of historical sites with Biblical connections.”
Anoneemoose
Ah yes, the paid vacation to the Middle East as a reward from his boss for Joel's message to United elders trashing them for selecting Aaron Dean for a seat on the United Council.
If that's a picture of Joel on the front cover it goes a long way to explaining why he is such a cry baby :-))
Yeah, that's the problem with amateur archaeologist mucking around in "the holy land". They are trying to prove the Bible and anything that doesn't agree gets lost, misplaced or ignored.
Most destruction of evidence can be attributed to amateurs, not to mention intentional destruction, such as the Alexandrian library burning down and Egyptian inscriptions being cemented over.
Thankfully, when real archaeologists enter the field, we get a clearer and more unbiased picture of the real history of "the holy land".
Isreal Finkelstein will curl their ears back with "the real story of David and Solomon." And "Moses" while we're at it
:)
Corky wrote:
"...that's the problem with amateur archaeologist mucking around in "the holy land". They are trying to prove the Bible and anything that doesn't agree gets lost, misplaced or ignored."
I very much agree with your observation here, Corky.
Fundamentalists love to speak in terms of bromides like "The Stones Cry Out" in support of biblical claims, veracity, etc.
But what most supernaturalists seem (willfully or ignorantly) to be unaware of are the many archeological finds strongly DISconfirming of the accounts in the Bible. You won't read of these in "The Good News" - not because they aren't legitimate, but simply because they cannot be used to prop up fundamentalist ideologies that dogmatically claim the Bible to be the inerrant and infallible Word of God.
One great pitfall religionists continually keep falling into is that of their “methodology” consisting of the highly selective use of evidence in such a way that allows them to marginalize, or in most cases just sweep aside, the boatloads of archeological data that disconfirms their precious belief system.
Interesting how such folks – who so often make claims to “loving the truth” – are able, apparently with perfectly clear consciences, to celebrate evidence which in their minds confirm the Bible and yet just blissfully ignore that which is powerfully disconfirming of it.
If one has proven something as right how can they go back again and then prove the same thing the wrong. If you "prove" something right and then find it wrong that means that you never proved it in the first place.
Dennis says that Joel will be rethinking everything he ever THOUGHT about the bible. The key word is thought. He like many people just had their own thoughts about the Bible but they never proved it at all.
I guess that means Meeker never read Dreaming in Arabic then?
"not to mention intentional destruction, such as the Alexandrian library burning down"
There is, of course, no historical proof that the Alexandrian library was burned down to intentionally destroy evidence -- ancient texts disagree on when and how the library burned.
But then the lack of evidence is because it was all intentionally destroyed -- the perfect crime and perfec coverup by the all-powerful conspiracy.
Anyway . . . . I wonder if the Julia Meeker I met at FOT 1992 is related to Joel Meeker. I know her dad was a WCG minister, but I forget what his name was -- don't think it was Joel, though. The main thing I remember about Julia Meeker is how unhappy and angry she was.
Anonymous said..."If one has proven something as right how can they go back again and then prove the same thing the wrong. If you "prove" something right and then find it wrong that means that you never proved it in the first place."
I would submit that, with the exception of mathematics, there is no such thing as proof. There is only evidence, and evidence can be interpreted to provide someone with a belief that they think is right. With additional evidence, evidence perhaps withheld in the course of the original decision making process, one can come to a different belief. And sometimes that new belief is totally opposite to the old belief.
Jared Olar said...
There is, of course, no historical proof that the Alexandrian library was burned down to intentionally destroy evidence -- ancient texts disagree on when and how the library burned.
Well, considering that the caretakers of the library were skinned alive by Christians, that's a pretty good hint that Christians were responsible for the rest.
Was there a conspiracy and a cover up? According to the Emperor Julian there was.
Whether there was or not, it is clear that Christians carried out a grand book burning throughout the empire after Constantine made the Christian Church the official religion of the empire.
Julian's books were destroyed and the only way we know what he said is from Christian writings attempting to refute what he said. The same with Marcion and Celsus.
Their works were destroyed but they mucked up and quoted from them. What works weren't destroyed, like Josephus', were interpolated.
To add insult to injury, they pretend that Flavius Josephus converted to Christianity.
Then there is the history of atrocities of torture and murder committed by Christians for the past 17 centuries and is still ongoing today in Africa, India and other parts of the world.
AIDS is okay, condoms are bad.
Corkey said....
"AIDS is okay, condoms are bad."
It seems the very dead John Paul II said just that in making his position on birth control.
Insane religious people make the world seem so very crazy......
http://tinyurl.com/d6whr
Well, considering that the caretakers of the library were skinned alive by Christians,
Yes, that's one of the three versions of what happened to the library at Alexandria found in ancient texts. It might possibly be true, or maybe all three versions are purely imaginary.
Was there a conspiracy and a cover up? According to the Emperor Julian there was.
Not exactly an unimpeachable source.
Whether there was or not, it is clear that Christians carried out a grand book burning throughout the empire after Constantine made the Christian Church the official religion of the empire.
Considering the fact that it was Theodosius, not Constantine, who made Christianity the official religion of the empire (Constantine merely legalised and patronised Christianity -- the pagan cults weren't outlaws until about 70 or 80 years later), the myth of the grand book burning must also be seriously doubted.
Julian's books were destroyed and the only way we know what he said is from Christian writings attempting to refute what he said. The same with Marcion and Celsus.
Some of those books were destroyed, but in most cases it was just that nobody was interested in going to the vast trouble of hand-producing new copies of their writings, so the old copies wore out and were thrown away.
Their works were destroyed but they mucked up and quoted from them. What works weren't destroyed, like Josephus', were interpolated.
If the historical documents have really been corrupted, then we have no way to be sure of what really happened back then, making it impossible for anyone to insist that the Christians did all those things you say.
As for Josephus, the Testimonium Flavianum was most likely interpolated in part (unless Josephus later converted to Christianity, which isn't impossible, but there's no good reason to think he did). The Agapian reading of the Testimonium is most likely to be correct: it reads like it was written by a non-Christian.
Then there is the history of atrocities of torture and murder committed by Christians for the past 17 centuries and is still ongoing today in Africa, India and other parts of the world.
That hardly proves the Alexandrian library was put to the torch by Christians.
AIDS is okay, condoms are bad.
No, AIDS is a natural evil, whereas condoms are a moral evil.
Well, we can at least be sure of two things: you're an anti-Christian bigot, and you're not the person to go to for the facts of ancient history.
"(Constantine merely legalised and patronised Christianity -- the pagan cults weren't outlaws until about 70 or 80 years later)"
the churchianity of which you speak IS a Pagan Cult Jared Olar
Jared Olar said...
No, AIDS is a natural evil, whereas condoms are a moral evil.
I would say that, if God exist, God created AIDS.
Who told you that condoms are a moral evil? I hope it wasn't one of those celibate and/or pedophile priests we hear so much about. Don't you think the earth has enough people on it already?
Well, we can at least be sure of two things: you're an anti-Christian bigot, and you're not the person to go to for the facts of ancient history.
Not anti-Christian, anti-Christianity. You know, hate the sin, love the sinner.
The thing is, I don't deny the facts of ancient history. The fact that those things were said are still facts no matter how much you deny it.
'...I would say that, if God exist, God created AIDS'
===
God created perfect DNA - which was damaged by human meddling and human sin. The result was suffering.
Anonymous said...
God created perfect DNA - which was damaged by human meddling and human sin. The result was suffering.
Don't know much about DNA and genetics, do you?
" whereas condoms are a moral evil."
Yikes!
Post a Comment