Something that bothered me even when I was a Watchtower Company drone was the thought of dying and being resurrected in paradise. Would the resurrected person really be me or just a copy of me? If God could recreate one of me, he could also recreate five of me. Which one of the clones would be me?
If there was a resurrection in paradise
by Sour Grapes 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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AverageJoe1
Obviously just a copy; a perfect one at that but not you. The Bible got it right in saying to dust you are and to dust you will return! Like a digital copy of anything: it’s on different media but sounds the same (referring to music).
If I died and was resurrected, I know how my clone would feel: glad to be alive but constantly thinking about how he wasn’t the original. :)
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AverageJoe1
By the way, your comment reminds me of an Original Series Star Trek story called “Spock Must Die” where Doctor McCoy reasons on a similar theme relating to transporting people. The first time someone is transported, they are effectively being killed: having all their atoms disassembled then duplicated in another location and reassembled.
Book link: http://a.co/9Mw3jzx
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VW.org
Sometimes I wish I could clone 5 of me. Would be good to have extra help cleaning the house and mowing the yard. Then when everything is done I would demateralise them like jehovy did to jesus's body. Then I would buy a carton of beer and drink it with only me. Not wasting it on freeloader me's.
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westiebilly11
I find the issue of memory and recall interesting on this point. How would we know we were ever dead or had died?.. Where were we before we came into existence?..Where did we come from if we are the result of conception by mother and father?....,gee. It's a wonder..!..
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AverageJoe1
@vw.org
No you’d just end up having arguments with yourself because if you wouldn’t want to do the cleaning, etc, why would they? Plus they would know what you planned to do with them after the work was done as they are, after all, you! :)
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Indian Larry
Sour grapes. I thought the same thing, with a twist. What makes us who we are is our life experience. If as some scripture says "the former things will not be brought to mind" then what affect would that have had. On the other hand if we actually have a soul, then I suppose the soul would go to heaven and then come back to the new body in paradise. So if we are just cloned info, much like backing up a HDD, does that get the essence of what we are as a person? Especially if we can not remember experiences from before?
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VW.org
Averagejoe, you just ruined my fantasy.
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VW.org
Seriously now, that would be the reason for an immortal soul so that when you are resurrected (cloned), your soul would be put in your body. So the hope of a resurrection would be false if jehovah's witnesses belief of no immortal soul were correct.
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steve2
I also struggled with this as a JW. At least if you believe in an immortal soul, there is continuity I suppose. But how can God resurrect someone who is dead and nothing but God's memory of them remains? What exactly is reactivated? A copy? These sorts of questions used to do my head in. I recall talking it over with a good JW friend at the time. She couldn't quite get what I meant.
Frustrating for both of us!