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The reason for disallowing this, same as for the removal of the old "3-wire" dryer and range receptacles, is because if there is a compromise in the neutral any fault current to ground can make metallic parts become live. This will happen even with a ground rod. This is what I meant about a ground rod NOT providing a real safety ground.
With an open neutral, 120v current will try to flow back to it's source. This is the utility transformer. It will do this any way it can. If the neutral is bonded to the grounds they can use this as a path. This will create a situation where current is flowing on exposed parts and also into the earth. The reason for the "no other metallic paths" rule is because these other paths can also become paths for the stray current to flow. Again, NOT a good situation.
Kind of clear?
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No, that's not me in the avatar. I just like the picture. 
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