As interested persons study with JWs in the Knowledge book they are presented with the appealing prospect of living forever on a paradise earth. As they near the end of the book, the new studnet is faced with a salesman's 'close' technique in chapter 19 "When The Knowledge of God Fills The Earth".
But the picture painted is not 'the whole picture'. Notice, for example, page 183, paragraph 8 which states: "At last, they will see the faces of their loved ones!" The reader is meant to be thrilled at this prospect, but is there something they haven't been told?
There sure is. The student needs to be aware that Watchtower teaching is that only JWs will survive the Battle of Armageddon. The prospect of welcoming back their loved ones is greatly diminished by the numbers who will not be there. All non-Witnesses and all those who have been 'disfellowshipped' and 'disassociated' will not share in this happy time. That is the unpalatable truth of Witness teaching. This prospect of seeing happy faces of their loved ones does not have much likelihood, does it? Furthermore, in this paradise scene, how much joy will there be for a resurrected person to find out their relatives aren't there to greet them because they didn't make it, they were destroyed at Armageddon. And what of those relatives who had become Witnesses before 1935 and were of the 'anointed remnant'? They won't be there to welcome back their resurrected relatives. It makes it like a part-family occasion, doesn't it?
This idyllic scene is also tarnished with what has preceded the resurrection. Paragraph 7 on the same page asks: "Imagine that you have survived that cataclysm. What would life be like on earth in God's promised new world?" What indeed! They will have just witnessed horrendous scenes of destruction. A cataclysm of unprecedented magnitude with the destruction of property and the great pain and suffering as 5 billion persons die. What will it be like? the paragraph asks. The survivors will be spending months disposing of the dead bodies. Imagine the stench! They will have to do something about the destroyed buildings and from now on work like crazy to get houses ready for the resurrected ones. What's so wonderful about that? It's a nightmare.
The artist's illustrations of a paradise earth contained in the book can only refer to the completed paradise. Just in case the student may have forgotten: perfection will not be attained until after 1,000 years.
Interestingly the continued use of the Knowledge book 'flies in the face' of comments in a Study Article from 1999.
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"Having aroused a person’s interest by telling him or her about the hope of everlasting life in Paradise, do we focus our teaching on just the basics of Scriptural knowledge and then lay emphasis principally on what the person must do to get eternal life? Could our teaching consist solely of this: ‘If you want to live forever in Paradise, you must study, go to meetings, and share in the preaching work’? If so, we are not building the person’s faith on a solid foundation, and what we build may not resist the fire of trials or stand the test of time. Trying to draw people to Jehovah just by the hope of life in Paradise in exchange for a few years spent serving him is like building with “wood materials, hay, stubble.” (July 15, 1999)
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The article went on to recommend "Building on Christ as the foundation means teaching in such a way that the Bible student develops a deep love for Jesus through full knowledge of His role as Redeemer, Head of the congregation, loving High Priest, and reigning King. It means making Jesus so real to them that he virtually dwells in their hearts."
Perhaps they should stick to doing that. Could it be said that Witness theology continues to rely on the appeal of material things, i.e. "spiritual materialism"?
Cheers,
Ozzie
"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Anonymous