WTS: creative days took aeons - WT Feb 15th, 2011

by undercover 54 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  undercover

  There's already a couple of threads discussing this particular issue of Kool-Aid version of the WT, but I just had to start another after reading about the creative days mentioned in this issue.

  We debate from time to time if the WTS has ever officially retracted their doctrine that the earth and all things created are less than 50,000 years old. There's been some quotes that show them waffling on the age of the planet itself but still sort of holding to the notion of all creation happening within a defineable 7 day period. How long is a creative day? Well, it used to be 7,000 years. But this magazine is basically officially dumping that belief.

  Page 7-8 paragraph 9,10:

  Jehovah has, however, revealed essential details about his works. For instance, the Scriptures inform us that God's spirit was active on the earth aeons ago. (Read Genesis 1:2) At that time, there was no dry land, no light, and apparently no breathable air at the earth's surface. The Bible goes on to describe what God did during a series of creative days. These are not 24-hour days but are epochs.

  Page 9 paragraph 13:

  After aeons had passed and God had produced innumerable animate and in-animate works, the earth was no longer "formless and waste". Yet, Jehovah had not finiished using hes spirit for creative purposes. He was about to produce his highest earthly creation. Toward the end of the sixth creative day, God created man...

  According to these two paragraphs the earth had existed for aeons...which the WTS has allluded to before. Now, though, they're implying that the entire creative process took aeons, not just 7,000 years a day.

  What's an aeon?

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeon

  Although the term aeon may be used in reference to a period of a billion years (especially in geology or astronomy), its more common usage is for any long, indefinite, period of time.

  http://www.thefreedictionary.com/aeon

  1. an immeasurably long period of time; age 2. (Astronomy) a period of one thousand million years http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aeon 1: an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time :age 2: a very large division of geologic time usually longer than an era b : a unit of geologic time equal to one billion years I think we get the point... The WTS has taken to subscribing the time period of aeons to the creative days...an immeasurable amount of time. The 7,000 year creative day is now defunct.
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  Meeting Junkie No More

  Just a refinement, don'tcha know... GAG
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  PSacramento

  New light.
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  simon17

  Well at least this "light" is correct though.... I'll give credit where credit is due.
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  Slayerbard

  wow all those years of my childhood, arguing with my science and history teachers about creation...and now this. I guess they can't argue with FACT anymore, shame that it now makes everyone's actions prior see STUPID.
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  LongHairGal

  U.C.

  Of course the creative days must have taken vast ages and the religion is probably embarrassed that their teaching is laughed at by the scientific community. If they are adding the word 'aeon' then it is certainly a dead giveaway that they are abandoning the puny 7,000 year/day teaching they have stubbornly clung to.

  I certainly never believed that and I also never believed that mankind has only been around for just 6-7 thousand years.
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  james_woods

  But, what about the end of 6,000 years of Mans existence - and that the 1,000 millenium should have started in 1975?

  Wasn't that old Freddy Franz fantasy based on the 7,000 year long creative day?
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  sabastious

  Wasn't that old Freddy Franz fantasy based on the 7,000 year long creative day?

  No I think it uses Bible Chronology to come up with that number starting with the creation of Adam.

  -Sab
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  cantleave

  Next they'll be saying Humans have been around for more than 6000 years
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  james_woods

  No I think it uses Bible Chronology to come up with that number starting with the creation of Adam.

  But wasn't the logic behind 1975 that the "Bible Chronology" added up to 6,000 years of mans existence in 1975 - AND that since the 1,000 year reign of Christ would nicely fit into the last 1,000 years of the final 7,000 year creative day - then 1975 should see the end?

  Thus, it depended entirely on the notion of the creative days being 7,000 years, and the assumption that the millenium would be the last 1,000 years of the last (seventh) 7,000 year creative day.

  Of course, 35 years later, we can assume that the above logic was wrong.