Were Adam and Eve the only humans created?

by heyfea 38 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  heyfea

  My husband asked me a questions that kind of stumped me for a moment. He asked, in Genesis, when Cain killed Abel, and God, as punishment cursed him and drove him from the land, making him a restless wanderer, why did Cain say to God that the punishment was too hard; that anyone who found him would kill him? Who was going to kill him? Adam? Eve? Were not their family the only one on earth? .....My answer to my husband was unfortunately based on what the JWs had taught me. I said to him, well, you know that Adam and Eve had other chilren, and they in turn had other children, and so on. And being that Adam lived 930 years, well ,that gives you and idea how many people were on earth at that time.

  All sounded reasonable until this morning I sat down to read Genesis. Then, it all came crashing down. It is true that God put a mark on Cain so that anyone who found him would not kill him unless they wanted to suffer vengeance seven times over. Ok, that means there were other people around, otherwise God wouldn't have given such promise to Cain. But, as I'm reading, I'm thinking, these people are really Cain's brothers and sisters. Wrong!

  After the episode with Cain and Abel, Genesis 4:25 says "Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him. "....Also, it is important to note that Adam was only 130 years old when he had Seth. (Gen. 5:3). Why would Eve say 'in place of Abel'? That means that she did not have other children at that point. (or lat least not males?) Then who was Cain saying that could kill him?

  Any comments?
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  Mrs. Witness

  I have asked the same question over and over and never gotten an answer. Good luck! My JW's answer was, "Well, just because the Bible doesn't say that God created other people doesn't mean he didn't". I wonder if that's a WTBTS sanctioned answer?
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  White Dove

  Wow, that's deep. Just shows more disharmony of the Bible and that it is not to be counted on for more than simple life lessons, that is if you can get past all the blood flowing from god's order.
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  heyfea

  Thanks for your input.

  Yes, I thought of something like that too, but then, wouldn't these other humans created have been perfect? Did they sin too?
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  Quandry

  My JW's answer was, "Well, just because the Bible doesn't say that God created other people doesn't mean he didn't". I wonder if that's a WTBTS sanctioned answer?

  No, that is NOT the WTBTS sanctioned answer. They insist that Gen. 3:20-"Eve had to become the mother of everyone living." Meaning that yes, the first human descendants of Adam and Eve were marrying their brother or sister. Then niece, nephew, etc.

  Maybe you could show the scripture to your husband and tell him he has "gone beyond the things written," with "a new teaching" and that is clearly apostate.
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  BFD

  This was a question that bothered me as well when I started to read the bible. Here is a post that may or may not answer the question.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/133378/1.ashx

  It is rather long but it is worth the read.

  Thanks,

  BFD
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  Seeker4

  There is no reasonable answer to this question because you are trying to make reasonable sense of a myth. It's the same sort of thing as trying to make reasonable sense about how Santa Claus can deliver toys all over the world in one night and squeeze down all those chimneys.
  
  Looking for an answer to questions that assume myths are fact is simply silly.
  
  There are sophisticated cave paintings in Europe that are 24,000 years old, dated by several different techniques that verify one another. According to the Bible, the WTS says, Adam and Eve were "created" only 6,033 years ago, when in actuality science shows that there were all sorts of people living all over the globe at that time. Science has proven that humans have been on Earth hundreds of thousands of years.
  
  Trying to make sense of Genesis is doomed to failure, especially if you take it literally.
  
  S4
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  badboy

  INTERESTING IDEA!
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  heyfea

  Once again, thanks for your comments.

  Quandry, I do believe that's a strong point. However, it would be more powerful if God had chosen the name Eve because she was going to be the mother of all living. Instead, it was Adam, who believed that she was going to be the mother of all living.
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  Quandry

  Quandry, I do believe that's a strong point. However, it would be more powerful if God had chosen the name Eve because she was going to be the mother of all living. Instead, it was Adam, who believed that she was going to be the mother of all living.

  Ah, yes. To you it might be more powerful. But that is NOT the important thing to the WTBTS. Current truth is all that they are concerned about. What their teaching is on a subject AT THIS TIME. It is oh so imperative to "go with God's celestial chariot" and believe the current WT dogma. To utter anything else is "running ahead of the chariot."

  You can corner your husband on this. Ask him if this is what he answers to people at their doors in field service. Have him show you his answer in the WT written material. He won't be able to. Then tell him you'd like to discuss his answers with men in the back room and ask them if all members are free to "research material and come to their own conclusions which may not agree with WTS current thinking," as he is doing.

  He will sweat, believe me....