Full history of the doctrine is in D. T. Taylor's The Reign of Christ on Earth, or the voice of the chruch ...
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Are Jehovah's Witnesses the only religion to teach a paradise earth?
by rory-ks 21 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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JoshJeffries
I was very shocked to learn that the Roman Catholic Church has taught the whole paradise earth concept for 2000 years.
I happen to have the resources at hand because I had always been taught while I was a JW that the paradise teaching is unique to their religion and that it is a sign of the one true faith that only the JWs have.
You Catholic folk will have to excuse me if I get any of the terminology wrong, but here goes...
Under the papacy of John Paul II the Catholic Church released a compendium of its doctrines entitled the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To be used as the basis for more practical catechisms and teaching material, this compendium covers all that religion believes and teaches. Divided in section by number, the CCC (as it is often called) discusses the ushering in of a new earth after the close of our current history in sections 1042 through 1050.
Entitled "The Hope of the New Heaven and the New Earth," the section explains that Heaven to Catholics is less of a last-forever spiritual hangout with God and more of an experience of being with God until history culminates. After something they call "the universal judgment," the righteous will receive new immortal physical bodies and live in this new world to come.
This is not all. The Second Vatican Council released a pastoral study entitled "Gaudium et spes." I don't know what that means because I don't speak Latin. However, an English translation of its contents states in part: "We are assured that God is preparing a new dwelling place and a new earth. In this new earth righteousness is to make it's home, and happiness will satisfy....On that day, when death is conquered, the sons of God will be raised up in Christ...the whole creation, made by God for man, will be set free from the frustration that enslaves it."
Being Jewish I asked a Catholic about this. He stated that they recite a creed every Sunday that states they believe in the resurrection of the physical bodies of the dead and life in a new world to come.
I made sure to keep this information handy because I became a JW via the old Live Forever book, being told that no one but the Jehovah's Witnesses teach or believe or even know about the earthly hope. I was so angered by learning they just stole this from the Catholics that I want to show them all this info the next time one of them dares to come to my door.
Since no JW has come to my door in over almost 20+ years, the above information has just sat here on my shelf until just now. I hope you find it helpful.
I also hope any JW who reads this learns that your archenemy, the Catholic Church, was hip to this "unique" information 2000 years before you started claiming it as your own, so there!