by vitty 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Im following along a little from the above topic
I remember in a book study reading that there are more people alive on the earth today than have ever lived in the past.......6 billion. So is it true that less than 6 billion people have ever lived up to this century?
And if this system goes on for too long with an 8 million increase each year, then wont the earth be too crowded ?
I remember in a book study reading that there are more people alive on the earth today than have ever lived in the past.......6 billion. So is it true that less than 6 billion people have ever lived up to this century?
I have never heard this stated before. From what I remember, it was always stated that there have been far more than 6 billion who have lived prior to the current population. Personally, I think that this is true, especially since I do not believe in the "mankind on earth for 6,000 years" teaching.
And if this system goes on for too long with an 8 million increase each year, then wont the earth be too crowded ?
This is an area of speculation where the Society and brothers giving talks have resorted to leaps of immagination and conjecture. First of all the current teaching is that all humans in the New System will stop procreating after the thousand years. As far as land area is concerned, I have heard brothers speculate that Jehovah would cause new land masses and continents to rise up out of the oceans, thereby creating additional land. I have also heard brothers speculate as to how current uninhabitable areas of earth would gradually turn into lush, life sustaining regions.
I found that all of the speculating by the Society as well as of Circuit Overseers in this area was nothing more than fantastical daydreaming and intellectual masturbation.
I thought we was all goin' to go live on other planets...
I can see it now all these @#$ing janitors trying to build a rocket. Sounds like a Far Side cartoon...
Athur
In leolaia`s link it was in the life in a paradise brochure.........................but Im sure I remeber it stated in a book .............maybe the prince of peace .
You are correct vitty. In the 80's the org. said that there were as many people living now as have ever lived on earth beforehand. It was 5 billion back then.
I remember that point coming up in a bookstudy group - can't remember what book we were studying. The study conductor very animatedly pulled out ephesians 1:21 "not only in this system of things but also in that to come." How many stars and planet's are there, he said excitedly.
I used to use his point a lot in the ministry until I was told very firmly - that's speculation. but its fun I wanted to say.
bernadette
The WTS did take a rather clumsy stab at this seemingly insurmountable problem in the Insight book (which was cut and paste from the Aid book)...
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it-2p.792Resurrection***Resurrection
During1,000Years. A very liberal estimate of the number of persons that have ever lived on earth is 20 billion (20,000,000,000). Many students of the subject calculate that not nearly so many have lived. Not all of these, as it has been shown in the foregoing discussion, will receive a resurrection, but even assuming that they did, there would be no problem as to living space and food for them. The land surface of the earth at present is about 148,000,000 sq km (57,000,000 sq mi), or about 14,800,000,000 ha (36,500,000,000 acres). Even allowing half of that to be set aside for other uses, there would be more than a third of a hectare (almost 1 acre) for each person. As to earth’s potential food production, a third of a hectare will actually provide much more than enough food for one person, especially when, as God has demonstrated in the case of the nation of Israel, there is abundance of food as a result of God’s blessing
The WTS illustraters seem to take a different view with their depiction of delightful lake front properties in the paradise where the nearest house is a mile across the water.
Slightly OT , but I know of many JWs who have had miscarriages who believe that these unborn babies will also get a resurrection , so that would swell the numbers even more.
I remember talking with a former elder who by the way is very faithful to the org about this very subject. He said, "Well Jehovah made all these other planets for a reason," referring to where humans could possibly live.
Everyone will be shrunk down and then the earth will seem much bigger.
