WTBTS says that "it does not belong to man who is walking to direct his steps", however the Genesis account says that God viewed the humans as having "become like US", in other words, like gods.
Further, the story regarding the tower of Babel indicates that God confused the language because "there is nothing that they have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them".
So, it would seem that human capabilities rival those of God, and God is worried about it.
Do you think that humans can solve the problems which face them as a culture? Will we learn to get along with one another, and care for one another, as well as the planet upon which we live? Or will we go from bad to worse?
I take the positive view, that we have gotten much better at inter-tribal relations (not perfect yet), and not so much at the mercy of diseases, etc. We tend to solve problems when they become really inconvenient, not when they are first noticed. Already, a greater percentage of the population live longer lives in relative comfort and good health than ever before. I expect this trend to continue, perhaps with minor setbacks, into the future.
Do you believe humans can solve the problems they create?
by gaiagirl 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
gaiagirl
-
zagor
I think you hit the nail right on the head by pointing out this inconsistency in the bible. The truth is people are constantly going trough transitions and have been throughout the history. For some of those transitions to occur there is a build-up period, which is a necessary part of the process because it helps to galvanize support and commitment for a change.
In fact it is fair to say that greater change require longer “build-up” time. However, once air, so to speak, becomes saturated with desire to move forward, transition can be both swift and spectacular. These are the periods we call revolutions and I don’t necessarily think of a military conflict but of those times when things happened that forever change our way of living usually for the better. Of course, these can also be times of turmoil as old established systems of doing things get disintegrated.
The important thing in all of this is to not to get bogged down by transitional turmoil but be ready to go onto the next stage, to ride the wave of events so to speak. Up until now humanity was able to do it every single time, and I would hope we would be more than capable of getting ourselves out of this mess we are in right now as well. -
Satanus
Yes, of course. Some problems take car of themselves. Many problems have been fixed by humans, and many more will be fixed by people. For example,electricity availability has solved many problems. Heating and cooking is easy, no freezing to death, when old people can't make it to the woodshed and back. Electicity also solved the problem of cutting down trees, so much. It also cut down on polution. In some ereas in england, soot from coal fires used to blanket the ground.
This is just one example. Many more could be listed.
S -
Sad emo
Yes, I believe we can do it - the problem is whether we have the desire or will to.
Plus, it would be far better not to create the problems in the first place!
My personal view on the tower of Babel myth is that its a story about where different languages came from, put into religious context of the time. If I took an absolute literal understanding, perhaps God confused the languages to hinder/slow down humans from becoming what they have done.
-
Farkel
:Do you think that humans can solve the problems which face them as a culture?
I think you may have asked the wrong question. Perhaps the question should have been "do you think that God can solve the problems that humans face as a culture?" The answer to that question is: "perhaps God "can", but God hasn't."
Humans have reduced world hunger to its lowest percentages in the several million years of history, or at least in the several thousand recorded years of history. Small pox, tubuerculosis, cholera, measles, mumps, typhoid, trichinosis, STDs, even HIV and dozens of other maladies have either been eradicated or largely reduced due to human effort. Nutritution is better than it has even been in world history.
Cultures are getting taller and heavier and stronger at a rate that almost defies evolution due to better nutrition. Infant mortality rates have dropped so drastically that it is almost a miracle.
This post of mine (and yours) will fly all over the world at nearly the speed of light: 186,000 miles in a SECOND! The average life span of humans has risen by 10 years in just the last 30 years. In 1900, the average life span of a man was 50 years. It is nearly 80 years today.
So when it comes to a final question based upon FACTS which is: who has done more during human history to solve the problems humans face as a culture, the answer becomes obvious:
God: 0
Humans: Everything positive that has ever been done.
No need for a jury on this one. No need for deep, philosophical discussions on this one. So far, God is still zero.
Farkel
-
Scully
le Farkel.... le *sigh*
-
purplesofa
They better or things aren't ever going to get any better.
purps
-
StAnn
Some people are good, some people aren't. So long as there are people who are greedy and selfish, no, humans won't be able to solve all of the problems they create.
I see no reason to believe human nature will change.
StAnn
-
MissingLink
They can if they ever stop thinking that their own flavor of god is gonna do it for them.
-
WTWizard
I believe that mankind would be infinitely better off without God. Satan saw that, too. And so did Jesus. Both sought to set man free from God. And both were thwarted because God had too much power to go along with infinite malice.