The Watchtower's Depiction of 'paradise'..

by Ron.W. 72 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Journeyman
    Journeyman
    Why is Jubusiah resurrected in ancient clothing?
    When is the ancient resurrected brother getting new and modern clothing?
    How did the African brother and a brother living around Noah's day or even before, come out of their tombs with pressed cloths, that have no wrinkles or tears? Why are they even wearing old clothes?

    Yes, now for me that's among the most ridiculous part. The difference in clothing makes no sense. The dead are never described as resurrected with their original clothes. And hair and beard styles are affected by the tools used to cut them, and the artistry of the one cutting them. It's highly unlikely that a barber in Paradise, if a survivor of Armageddon, would cut and style in the same way with the tools he uses as hair was cut in Bible times?

    I can sort of understand illustrating Paradise survivors with 'current' clothes at the time the literature is printed (eg: the 1970s/80s fashions which of course look so dated now). After all, if the end was coming "imminently", then that would sort of fit, and you can assume that depictions of Paradise may be during - not after - the 1000 years, when changes have been made but are still in progress.

    But the recent decision to show resurrected ones effectively frozen in time with the clothes and hairstyles of their era is crazy, and can only be an awkward tool to show "look, people will come from different time periods!"

    The depiction of national costumes is similar - another awkward way of saying "they will be from every country of the world!" - but at least there is more likelihood of having various styles of dress geographically, than of having say, a person in Roman robes alongside another dressed in Victorian stovepipe hat and frock coat.

    Regarding the questions about different clothing styles, why does The Watchtower depict them wearing clothing???
    Adam and Eve only started wearing clothing after they sinned.
    After we become perfect again, everything must go back to Jehovah's original perfect plan for mankind, the earth and the animals!

    Ah yes, now that's always been a live "debate" in JW circles. The "purists" would say yes, by the end of the 1000 years anyway, everything should go back to exactly as God had it in the Garden of Eden, because that was his original arrangement and he said it was "good". But there are a lot of other JWs who disagree, on the basis that God has allowed humans to change his mind on certain things through history (thus he might decide to allow them to continue wearing clothing). The wearing clothing was supposed to be linked to realising they were naked after becoming more "aware" of the choice of right or wrong, so it could be kept as a reminder to mankind of that original choice? I don't really have an opinion about that one either way. Could be just explained by the theology.

    However, the tablet is problematic too (as is most 'modern' technology). It implies the same technology as today will carry over into Paradise, despite the fact that it is all produced in an intensive and polluting way. Lithium batteries, circuit boards, LCD displays... Ok, it's possible some non-polluting, traditional way might be able to generate electric power at scale (water wheels and steam pumps, maybe). But the components needed for a 21st century style tablet? The manufacturing plants and processes? Hardly likely. Even in some theoretical world where some sort of substitute for computers is made using purely renewable and recyclable parts, it's unlikely to look exactly like an Android or iPad device!

    I hope they are putting down Trex flooring cause that deck needs to last for ever.

    Now you're being silly. Even now, when you build something in your 20s you don't necessarily think you'll never need to repair or replace it in your lifetime. Someone living forever is bound to have to rebuild every few years (decades? centuries?) even if they're "perfect". Also, some believe that God will 'reassign' people every so often - maybe 100 years up a mountain, then another 100 by an ocean or whatever. So you'd have to build new stuff or remove/renovate. There's never been any suggestion there will be no entropy and decay of materials like wood or stone either, so showing stuff being built/rebuilt doesn't seem so odd. But again, showing 21st century manufactured equipment such as hardhats is odd - unless they're just left over from pre-Armageddon!

    Really, the more recent depictions raise more questions than answers - at least the older pictures were (mostly) more "purist" in nature (if you'll pardon the pun) - not trying to mix up times, styles and technologies. And of course, insisting on making videos of everything - even when they're complete speculation - complicates the issue of what detail to show even more!

  • baldeagle
    baldeagle

    After the first 2,472 years, I’m sure I will definitely be bored of eating all that bread & endless fruit and vegetables every day. Good to see in paradise that all the gentlemen will have a full head of hair perfectly styled. Hey, but at least someone remembered to bring that refreshing Kool-Aid for us all to enjoy.



  • NotFormer
    NotFormer

    The carb load would create a new-system wide outbreak of diabetes. Where are the pictures of JWs in the new system manufacturing Metformin? 🤔

  • Gorb
    Gorb

    Beards and in the case of woman, trousers, are not spotted yet in future paradise.

    Gorby

  • St George of England
    St George of England

    I'm British so I would miss my Fish & Chips. Beautiful cod fillet in crispy batter!

    George

  • NotFormer
    NotFormer

    St George of England, we Australians love fish and chips as well (shared heritage and all that 🇬🇧🇭🇲). It's always a treat in this household 😋🐟🍟

  • Bribie
    Bribie

    Fresh NZ gurnard or Snapper and chips yummy!

    And throw in a few cooked Bluff oysters even better.

  • TonusOH
    TonusOH

    Much of the imagery is just to present an idea. The landscapes, the clothing, the architecture. They are all meant to make us feel good about what is coming-- beautiful natural vistas, a comfortable and joy-filled life, and the opportunity to speak to the heroes of old.

    The tablet is funny, though. I guess there will be internet and microprocessor factories in the new system. Maybe someone should have painted a picture of JWs in space-suits, placing silicon wafers onto complex machines. Here's something to look forward to: the only available games will be farming apps.

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    We like fish & chips in Canada, too…

    …you’ll always be able to find a place that serves it.

  • Journeyman
    Journeyman
    Much of the imagery is just to present an idea.

    Yes, but that's become the problem.

    Back in the day, with just some limited monochrome pictures in the literature and the occasional colour painting or posed costume picture for a calendar or book endpaper or whatever, I think JWs generally understood that.

    The problem is, now that the current "JW Lite" has to depict everything in full colour illustrations or even expensively shot video with sweeping strings and corny but heart-tugging lyrics - and constantly refer to those pictures and videos in meeting items too - the common perception of many JWs is that all that the Org depicts is "real". In recent years I've even heard some of the R&F at meetings make comments (accidentally? or maybe not) about depicted Bible accounts like: "As we see in the photograph..."

    It makes me feel like going up to them afterwards and saying "You do realise these are just artists' (or video directors') impressions of events? Not actual scenes sent forward from antiquity or back from a Paradise future?!"

    So many speakers now will drone on at length about "what we see in the picture/video" or invite the audience to comment in detail about it. It completely distorts peoples' thinking about these deliberately staged scenes, treating them as if they were 'gospel' (if you'll pardon the pun!)

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