Perfection

by purplesofa 42 Replies latest jw friends

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    I was talking to a friend of mine about perfection last night.

    He made a comment that there was no way to have perfection, unless you made one thing and set that as perfect. Everything after that would be a copy and otherwise would always in some way fall short of perfect, the original creation. We were talking about art.

    And then he made a comment that God did not create us perfectly. We strive for it and it never happens and are frustrated not ever attaining it.

    Creation itself is not perfect. It never was perfect.

    I know I tried to wrap my mind around this when I thought of being resurrected. What is the perfect nose? the perfect eyes? body? mind? morals?

    In Witnesses quest for perfection, expectations of perfection, nothing at all could possibly attain it.

    Is perfection only an Idea? Once we accept there is no perfection, is that indeed when we attain it?

    purps

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    Purps,

    Is perfection only an Idea? Once we accept there is no perfection, is that indeed when we attain it?

    Amen! By George I think you got it.

  • PEC
    PEC

    I am perfectly happy the way I am, is that perfection?

    Philip

  • blondie
    blondie

    PS, sounds like your friend has it right. Good analogy.

    Blondie (reformed perfectionist)

  • poppers
    poppers

    "Perfection" falls under the provence of judgement. Who is to say whose judgment is correct? There will always be debate about that. Instead, go to that place where no judgment arises and then everything simply is as it is - can anything then be said to be short of perfection?

  • frankiespeakin
    frankiespeakin

    Pop,

    "Perfection" falls under the provence of judgement. Who is to say whose judgment is correct?

    I agree, the term carries with it a lot of biased based on assumptions. We humans are always labeling things. As "they" say: "one mans garbage is another mans treasure" so how could we ever clasify perfection when this is the case. There is no absolutes only relatives.

  • PrimateDave
    PrimateDave

    When I was a Witness, it was explained to me that "perfection" was relative. For humans, perfection meant the removal of our supposed inborn tendency toward wickedness. I accepted that explanation at the time and hoped that there would still be a place for learning and improvement of abilities and skills relative to one's application of effort. When you learn to play a piece of music, you are bound to make mistakes. You cannot play perfectly the first time through. You learn from your mistakes. It is part of the process.

    Dave

  • Sad emo
    Sad emo

    I agree too Purps

    Not only may JW's have the wrong idea but also many mainstream Christians - myself included until not long ago. And yet, even (or especially?!) if you take the Bible literally, it's there and plain to see.

    When God saw all He had made, it was very good - not perfect!!

    Basically, He was happy with His work, no mention of how it had actually turned out.

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    When God saw all He had made, it was very good - not perfect!!

    Emo, I am so glad you brought that out. I will look for another discussion I had with someone that pointed that out to me and I saved it. This persons analogy of that.

    purps

    In so called "paradise", things won't actually be perfect, we will accept things as they are. Maybe mankind will be "morally" perfect?

  • AlanF
    AlanF

    Like beauty, perfection is in the eye of the beholder.

    Even the Bible recognizes this. Jesus tells his followers that they must be perfect just as God is perfect. Obviously perfection is a relative concept.

    The Bible, by the way, never talks about human perfection. That notion is the invention of religionists like St. Augustine and Watchtower leaders.

    AlanF

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