If Adam Had Not Sinned........

stevieb1

One of the ways the WT tries to get you into believing you are not going to heaven even if you d not have faith in Christ is by saying that if Adam had not sinned we would all be living in a paradise earth. The publication "Reasoning from the Scriptures" states on page 162: "It wa not Jehovah's original purpose for man someday to die.......Death was to be punishment for disobedience, not the doorway to a better life in heaven. Obedience would have ben rewarded by continued life, eternal life, in the Paradise that God had given to man. See also Isaiah 45:18"
Does anyone have any comment on this matter?

ElijahTheThird

You may also look at in the over all big picture so to speak. Then it may make more sense.

This testing of the human race as to it's competance to judge the "angels" is very well excelerated by that "seed" of wrong doing we have in our hearts. We are "self testing" for the most part. As easy as it is to deceive an inocent child were Adam and Eve by our "testors".

Just a thought on it. *grins*
Norval

Gozz

Stevie,

you might want to take a look at the views expressed on this thread, as it relates to your question. 'aChristian' gives a perspective of the Adam and Eve situation that touches on the question you've asked.
' http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=19662&site=3

NeonMadman

I think the entire question is moot. Unlike the weak god of Jehovah's Witnesses, whose sight is limited and who depends on angels to keep him informed, the God of the Bible knows the end from the beginning, and was well aware in advance that Adam and Eve would sin, what would be the consequences to them and to their offspring, and what He would do to resolve the problem.

Tom
"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan

David Gladden

The bible makes it clear that Adam and Eve were not meant to live forever. In fact, the god intervened to ensure that they did not live forever:

Gen 3:22-23
Then the LORD God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden

Carmel

What if Adam and Eve were not literal persons but mythical archetypes? There are many different ways of understanding the garden of eden story of one isn't limited to it being ontologically exact.

cheers,

carm