Why a paradise earth is so appealing to JWs?

by Lady Lee 57 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  choosing life

  I think the reason it is so appealing is that it is the ultimate materialistic dream and the lure of physical immortality. It is also something they are familiar with so it keeps them in their comfort zone. Nothing physical can last forever. It goes against all the laws of physics.

  To think of entering a totally different dimension or spiritual world when you die scares most of the Witnesses that I know. Even likening death to sleep is another way of running scared, as you say. I know that the lure of never having to die is what got me into that cult as a very idealistic teenager.

  It never ceases to amaze me how much they denounce materialism, yet the reward they all are running after is materialistic, not spiritual.
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  JWdaughter

  I have found that my understanding of eternal life, JW style, is very different from the actual teachings. But they are pretty flexible on the teaching-not to say they aren't dogmatic, its just that not everyone is up on the most recent dogma or they have not quite put it all together in their heads (because NONE of it is explained simply with just a verse or something-its all so 'reasoned' from (twisted out of)scripture.
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  vomit

  A lot of the "deeper" thing are not explained at all, my mother sent me a cutout recently about birthdays. You know the scripture about job. It doesn't give any room for explanation, it just said "No in this case..." It may not sound like dogma and JWs will tell you flat out that dogma is only in Christendom. They have lost the meaning of words and their only view of paradise is prescribed. Its appealing to them as prescription drugs are appealing to an addict.
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  heathen

  I think the earth would be a great place to spend eternity especially since heaven will land on earth and is only about 1500 sq miles in diameter according to WTBTS dimentions in the grand climax book , referring to the city of new jerusalem .
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  vomit

  Oh that was another dream I had, the perfect square city. Or was a cube? Would some of the people in the city be in space because of the dimensions. Would we have to dig a big square hole so it wouldn't end up in space.
  
  The longer I have left that religion the more crazy it seems. Why would something that does not exist in our universe(heaven) have physical dimensions?
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  JWdaughter

  Vomit, ever see the movie "Dogma"? If you could get past the language, it was interesting.Made me think. Some twisted thoughts, but it got me out of my box.
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  vomit

  I watched it a while back, I went through a phase of watching very similar movies. I am quite happy that they are movies like it because if you watch enough of those you will never believe in real religion.
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  JWdaughter

  It may have been my first step to considering if finding the 'right' religion was a valid way to spend time.
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  Stealth453

  I would rather have a few bleach and Draino cocktails, than spend eternity in "paradise" with a world full of rub-a-dubs.
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  Narkissos

  The JW "paradise earth" probably ranks among the shallowest (and ugliest) attempts of mankind at taming, dressing and making up death to have it look desirable under another name (in this case, "everlasting life"). One invented and believed by the kind of people who are unable to get tired of themselves (as Cioran remarked, the most boring people are those who can never be bored).

  But I doubt anyone (except the dead) really gets past the basic strategy of anticipating death and making it "inhabitable," which always involves thinking the unthinkable: even "dust," "nothing" or "silence" are words of the living.