The "Tree of Life and its meaning"

by EdenOne 169 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  james_woods

  Edenone - If I understand your article you are saying that Adam and Eve were intended to live on earth for a little while as a sort of test, then they would eat the "Tree of Life" and be transferred to eternal life in heaven. You are basing this on the visions in Revelation.

  Have I got that right?

  I assume that you read his website - and would also assume you have analyzed what he said correctly. However - that is a truly weird belief system. For one thing - how do people get into heaven today if the "tree of life" is gone? My problem with EdenOne is that he seems to have one foot in the JW Kingdom Hall and Religion - and another foot planted in a La-La Land of a religion he seems to be making up as he goes along...which is as yet not complete or fully formed in his own mind. And yet, he seems to be obsessed with teaching this self-made belief system here as if it were the received wisdom of the ages.
• 

  Band on the Run

  To understand Judaism, one should reference Jewish belief. To turn to a religion that mocked the very essence of Judaism for understaning of Jews is similar to going to the Hammas for insight. After lving in NY and researching for many decades, I only have a light understanding. My Jewish friends and I enjoy these interfaith dialogues. The vast majority of Christians know little of judaism. Judas becomes a symbol of all Jews.

  My interest in Judaism is primarily related to my Christian faith and my studies of the historical Jesus. Jesus was a Jews. The apostles were, too. It makes sense to seek a Jewish view to see how Christianity differs. Today there is no excuse for being ignorant concerning the basic tents of Judaism. The Internet has a treasure trove of resources.

  Neither Jews nor early Christians had a belief in orginal sin. Since Jesus was Jewish, he would not believe in original sin. Augustine developed original sin fully and such belief started pure Jew hating in the Church. My understanding is from Carroll, Constantine's Sword, which was a best seller several years ago. It traces the very sad business of Christian enmity towards Jews.
• 

  cofty

  If even ONE murder has befallen on an innocent (or not) individual, is it really possible to say "This is progress"? - Monsieur

  Yes I think so.

  In many parts of the world you are very likely to die old and content.

  There is no such thing as perfection or utopia but it would be myopic not to ackowledge some exceptional progress.
• 

  Monsieur

  There is no such thing as perfection or utopia but it would be myopic not to ackowledge some exceptional progress. - cofty

  As long as YOU are the one remaining alive and having the luxury of being myopic.

  It's a 'perspective' thing I guess, but again, we have the luxury of offering our perspective.
• 

  cofty

  As long as YOU are the one remaining alive

  No on the contrary.

  I am talking about taking a step back and looking at the big picture historically and geographically.

  The world is getting better and better. That does not in any way negate the suffering or pain of anybody.
• 

  Band on the Run

  Within my own lifetime, the world has improved so much. Polio was ravishing America when I was young. More and more diseases have vaccines. We were facing nuclear annilhilation when I was young. School stopped so we could learn to survive a nuclear attack on NYC, a few miles away. It would make more sense for us to learn the Lord's Prayer in that case.

  There was Bible reading and the Lord's Prayer in public schools. It was accepted. Russia was going to bury us.

  Gay people were beyond the devil. Women could not apply for most of the jobs posted. We could not hold property in our name or serve on juries. Women were shown as silly school girls and deserved spanking from a world-wise hub/father, as in I Love Lucy. Women did their bouffant style to wash dishes and the floor. The credit industry refused to service us.

  Jim Crow flourished in the Deep South. There was de facto segregation in the North. Lynchings were not uncommon. They had been quite common.

  America was perfect. The Beatles and Stones were satanic. Cuba was evil. McCarthy's Red Scare had ended only a few years before.

  The UN was just getting ready to peform its important work. Literacy and health measures have soared. Diseases have been eliminated.

  Germans and Russians were not white enough. Soon, Italians were not white enough.

  Elvis was evil. His hip swivels were the end of Western civilization. Library censorship was normal. Book stores could not offer classics for sale.

  Housing was segregated. I have seen covenants not to sell to coloreds, Russians, Latins, and others with my own eyes. They are now highlly illegal.

  Women have fairly safe and reliable birth control. Abortion is now legal. Women now attend the Ivies. The world did not end.

  Humans walked on the moon. African colonies no longer exist. The list is endless.
• 

  sabastious

  Band, sounds to me like our world is getting patched up.

  A patch is a piece of software designed to fix problems with, or update a computer program or its supporting data. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, and improving the usability or performance. Though meant to fix problems, poorly designed patches can sometimes introduce new problems (see software regressions). In some special cases updates may knowingly break the functionality, for instance, by removing components for which the update provider is no longer licensed or disabling a device. Patch management is the process of using a strategy and plan of what patches should be applied to which systems at a specified time.

  -Sab
• 

  cofty

  and your point is....?
• 

  sabastious

  and your point is....?

  Sometimes I don't explicitly state it. Welcome to one of those times.

  -Sab
• 

  cofty

  Carry on talking to yourself then. I think you have missed the point of joining a discussion forum.