Perfection

by purplesofa 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  JamesThomas

  That we believe our beliefs and opinions to be valid and true is to exist within perfect chaos, which the mind can easily interpret as "imperfection"; and in a way it is as there is an identification with the shot-gun patterns of thought rather than the coherency of our authentic foundational-nature.

  As poppers said, genuine perfection already IS, when the concepts of perfection and imperfection (and all other dualities) are on vacation.

  j
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  nvrgnbk

  Reality could not be any more real than it is.

  That's perfectly obvious.

  Thanks to all for the insights.
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  purplesofa

  The thought of perfection is expressed through Hebrew terms drawn from such verbs as ka·lal´ (perfect [compare Eze 27:4]), sha·lam´ (come to completion [compare Isa 60:20]), and ta·mam´ (be completed, come to perfection [compare Ps 102:27; Isa 18:5]). In the Christian Greek Scriptures the words te´lei·os (adjective), te·lei·o´tes (noun), and te·lei·o´o (verb) are used similarly, conveying such ideas as bringing to completeness or full measure (Lu 8:14; 2Co 12:9; Jas 1:4), being full grown, adult, or mature (1Co 14:20; Heb 5:14), having attained the appropriate or appointed end, purpose, or goal (Joh 19:28; Php 3:12). Other perfectionrelative. Perfection of any other person or thing, then, is relative, not absolute. (Compare Ps 119:96.) That is, a thing is "perfect" according to, or in relation to, the purpose or end for which it is appointed by its designer or producer, or the use to which it is to be put by its receiver or user. The very meaning of perfection requires that there be someone who decides when "completion" has been reached, what the standards of excellence are, what requirements are to be satisfied, and what details are essential. Ultimately, God the Creator is the final Arbiter of perfection, the Standard-Setter, in accord with his own righteous purposes and interests.—Ro 12:2; see JEHOVAH (A God of moral standards) As an illustration, the planet Earth was one of God’s creations, and at the end of six creative ‘days’ of work toward it, God pronounced the results "very good." (Ge 1:31) It met his supreme standards of excellence, hence it was perfect. Yet he thereafter assigned man to "subdue it," evidently in the sense of cultivating the earth and making the whole planet, and not just Eden, a garden of God.—Ge 1:28; 2:8................................ Mankind’s perfection will be relative, limited to the human sphere. Yet it will certainly afford those gaining it the ability to enjoy earthly life to the fullest degree possible. "Rejoicing to satisfaction [to the full] is with [Jehovah’s] face," and God’s ‘tenting with mankind’ shows that obedient mankind is meant, those toward whom Jehovah’s face turns with approval. (Ps 16:11; Re 21:3; compare Ps 15:1-3; 27:4, 5; 61:4; Isa 66:23.) Perfection does not mean an end to variety, however, as persons often assume. The animal kingdom, which is the product of Jehovah’s ‘perfect activity’ (Ge 1:20-24; De 32:4), contains enormous variety. Perfection of the planet Earth is likewise not incompatible with variety, change, or contrast; it allows for the simple and the complex, the plain and the fancy, the sour and the sweet, the rough and the smooth, the meadows and the woods, the mountains and the valleys. It embraces the stimulating freshness of early spring, the warmth of summer with its azure-blue skies, the loveliness of autumn colors, the pure beauty of freshly fallen snow. (Ge 8:22) Perfect humans will thus not be stereotypes of identical personality, talents, and abilities. As the initial definitions have shown, this is not a necessary meaning of perfection.

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  animal

  How many of us were raised in such a way that we never fully pleased our parents or whomever... whatever we did was never good enuf. That, to me, is what "god" would be doing.... hanging the carrot but never giving it up.

  Seems sorta F'd up to me. Good thing I dont think that way.

  Animal
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  purplesofa

  I want to think about this more, grow in my thoughts about it. I posted above from the insight book some things said about perfection from the WT view. I think they talk out of both sides of their mouth about what perfection is. Or they have made it so complicated most are confused. Continiously falling short of perfection, but forever trying to attain the unatainable has got to be the most discouraging thing ever. purps
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  OnTheWayOut

  I will withhold comment on PERFECT HUMANS, but comment on the average JW thinking
  about a PERFECT WORLD. The WTS doesn't give enough detail on what the New World
  would be like, not only because the Bible doesn't give any detail (never stopped them on
  doctrine) but also because they want each JW to envision their own little fairytale land.

  You might picture Hawaii and I might picture a forest in California, while another pictures
  the Grand Canyon. Whatever, but I enjoyed hearing how there wouldn't be any weeds.
  "Why not?" I asked.
  "It's not perfect."
  "So you think everything will be perfect in the sense that it will be already landscaped?"
  "Well, the pictures in the literature show the idea of the New World."
  "Do ya think the lions and goats and sheep will cut the grass, or will we have to use
  push-mowers, since the pictures don't show motorized equipment?"
  "What do you mean?"
  "In a perfect world, someone has to pull the weeds and cut the grass. If there is an area
  like the pictures in the WT, it will be because someone put forth a bunch of effort.
  Besides, the lions and goats and sheep will leave a mess of poop on your lawn."
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  purplesofa

  OTWO ha, I dreamed of disposable socks and underwear as I hate to fold them. lol purps
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  nvrgnbk

  I dreamed of disposable socks and underwear as I hate to fold them.

  I got an easy solution, perfect if you will, to that problem purps.
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  purplesofa

  I got an easy solution, perfect if you will, to that problem purps. Well, in the summer one problem is taken care of........... purps
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  OnTheWayOut

  I dreamed of disposable socks and underwear as I hate to fold them.

  No, none of the technology stuff works for the average JW's vision.
  What perfect people want to work at the factory?
  If robots make the stuff, will the factory pollute?

  Everyone envisions an Amish-like society where we mend our own socks
  and grow our own food. I suppose cotton will just grow wild, and we can
  trade our apples for someone else's pumpkins. How can each of us grow
  a vast variety of what we need, and provide tools for ourselves to cut wood
  and build our country homes? Even if we have horse-and-buggy, who's going
  to clean the poop off the road when we go into town? Who's going to make the
  harnesses?

  Maybe perfection means the horses (or elephants we ride) will only poop in
  the outlying areas where rodents will drag away the stuff, and clothing and
  tools will never wear out (like the Israelites wandering) and we will all meet
  at designated trading areas with our apples, pumpkins, carrots, onions, flour,
  wheat, etc.

  Running brooks will always be spotless even though our soap and waste go
  right into them because there will be fish that eat up that junk. There will be
  only reusable containers (like mason jars) and they will never break, so nobody
  has to manufactor more.

  In that version, you will have to wash and fold your underwear. You will have to
  gather wood for your cooking. You will travel slowly. I haven't figured how we
  would cross the oceans, unless some people will be sailors on wooden sail ships
  and they get paid in foodstuffs for passage, plus the passengers have to help with
  the sails.

  It's all ridiculous if you try to really put it together. Maybe it would be more like
  Star Trek without the military aspect. Harnessing of nuclear fusion allows us to
  create whatever things we need and we just beam around here and there.