What the hell is the WTS saying about evolution now?

by Santisimo 29 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Santisimo

  Did anyone read the recent WTS "special article" about creation and evolution? I read it and fell of my freaking seat. Get this, the WTS now believes (and yes, they want everyone to agree or else) that God created the universe BILLIONS of years ago AND that NOTHING WAS CREATED IN SIX DAYS AS SHOWN IN GENESIS!

  They spent about 5 pages explaining how the the Bible can agree with scientist theories that the earth is in fact, billions of years old. It's blasphemy of the highest order and now more than ever, I'm glad I left that foul, dirty religion.

  Who are we to say that God COULD NOT create the universe in six days? Isn't so that God CREATED THE CONCEPT OF TIME? If this is the case, how can we limit him by saying that he could not have created everything we see (and don't see) in just a matter of days? Why then, would God ask the Israelites to observe the Sabbath if not for this reason?

  God is all-powerful and without limit. Be sure that the days of the WTS are numbered.
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  sass_my_frass

  I'm not the tiniest bit surprised that they'd switch the light on re geological ages; it's a long time overdue. I remember two conversations I had with JW friends about this - I was learning some geology and geomorphology and realising that it's impossible that the earth is only ten thousand or so years old which was the JW take on the issue. As I was a JW at the time I reasoned that 'it's no big deal, they'll just work it out for themselves and publish something along those lines sooner or later'. One guy told me I had no clue what I was talking about, but then couldn't tell me anything about radiocarbon dating. I told him that one day WBTS will say that the earth is billions of years old, and that he should get used to the idea. I hope he reads that Awake and feels stupid, because he is.
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  Kudra

  That's hella funny, Sass.
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  frankiespeakin

  San,

  Actually the Society has been saying for atleast 30 that the earth and universe is billions of years old. It is funny you just caught it.
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  mama bear

  --- Actually the Society has been saying for atleast 30 that the earth and universe is billions of years old. It is funny you just caught it. ---

  I don't know...I believe the Aid To Bible Understanding still maintained their former timeline concepts and tenets. I think the change came with the release of the Insight Books and the corrections within those two books to certain doctrinal tenets Ray Franz had written for the Aid Book which fell out of favor in the 'aftermath' of Ray's alleged 'apostasy'. For the FDS the vacuum created some need for rearticulation of certain doctrine. As I recall, the timeline was one of those things. They readjusted their thinking to allowing that the creative days may each be different periods of time but they still held that man was created 6000 yrs ago. It was during the 1975 debacle in the year leading up to it that Fred Franz in his many 'mini' special talks where he explained how the 6000 yrs of man was drawing to a close and with a thousand years for the return to perfection and 6000 it added up to their belief in the 7000 yr creative day. His only issue at that time in calling a specific date [not so much year] was that he was unsure how long Adam was alive naming the animals and realizing he was the only one with out a mate in so much as lapsed time. So far as Fred Franz was concerned on October 4/5 of 1975 we entered into that 'unsure' time which would have to pass before the 1000 yr reign began. Some 3 decades later we are left to believe that perfect or not it took Adam a bit of time to catch on to being the only one without a mate.

  At any rate, I think the change or shift or 'adjustment' in the 'brightening light' on the creative day time line happened after the ouster of Ray Franz. I know there were articles written featuring this change in subtle discussion and like all other things...because the leadership believes so little of their members -- after all how can you possibly respect anyone you can so easily mislead -- and believes the rank and file live in the 'perma frost' zone of their 'brains' they no doubt felt they could slip in with slight of hand the changes and no one would really catch on. If they say it enough times the same way the masses recollect it as the rote or repetitive latest doctrine states and assume they were distracted by life when the change happened. Because the doctrine is so twisted many folks live in shut off mode not wishing to comment at meetings or talk much at the doors for fear someone will ask of them to explain their doctrine and because it is so convoluted and indefensible by the normal and rational mind they just vest themselves as minimally as necessary. I mean who of us can follow the 607 BCE talk? Gadz...the dates of all the downfalls of all the world powers, all ancient history, and remembering kings and rulers whose names no one could ever really pronounce...
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  vitty

  As far as I know the society has taught this for many years !!!!!!!!
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  freetosee

  As far as I know the society has taught this for many years !!!!!!!!

  Dito! I remember that being taught in the blue creation book "Life, How did it get here?" (or similar title) In one of the first chapters it is explained that the six creative days beginn with Jehovah directing special attention to the earth, while the universe was created in an undefined time period much earlier.

  I wonder when jws, mormons and other fundermentalists will find a good explanaition for the existence of the Neanderthal and human cultures dating earlier then Adams alleged creation.

  fts (this is my evil 666 post )
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  Gadget

  I remember them saying that the 6 creative days were not literal days, but 6 undefined periods of time. The only change is if they are saying these periods could add up together to be millions of years.

  I can't see the problem between the story of creation and evolution. Does the fact that we think we've worked out the methods used by god during the 6 days of creation make it any less amazing that he managed to do it? How long til the watchtower comes out with something like that?
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  frankiespeakin

  Free,

  fts (this is my evil 666 post )

  Oh no the mark of the beast and it on my computor hardrive, I'll never get everlasting life.
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  frankiespeakin

  I think what a lot of people who beleive that genesis discribes God creating the heaven and the earth fail to realize is that you have to go back to what those ancient cultures beleived that surrounded those who wrote the book to really understand what it is saying for that you need archeaolgy.

  Many read in geneis when it says the earth, and they think of the earth as we today know it, namely a planet revovling around the sun, continent and oceans in between. These ancient people had no concept of that,, there was no science as we know it, no telescopes, just the naked eye.

  So in effect if you fail to read genesis without understanding that you will come up with all these crazy fundamentalist interpetations.

  And also you must remember back in those days they beleive in all sorts of things that we now know are "not" really true, but they serve a purpose in man's attempt to explain the things the way they are. Every culture had their gods and explanation of how everything came to be,