What Groups Other Than JW Believe In The Paradise Earth???
There is a common promoted misconceotion that the belief in this earth being restored to paradise is merely a "JW-thing." The FACT is that MANY Non-JW groups believe in their hope being the restoration of this earth. Such groups would include, the Hopi, and MANY Native American groups, Tribe Tribe Rastas, Bahia, The Advent Christian Church [NOT to be confussed with SDAs],and the Abraham Faith Church of God, sometimes also known as The Open Bible Church.
HEAVEN IS 'THEE ONLY' HOPE?
For those who believe heaven is 'their' destiny, I respect their belief. I myself, now a non-JW still believe in the restoration of this earth as 'my' destiny and I would hope those who may hold a different hope than mine would respect my belief in return. I know other XJWs, both straight and gay who also still embrace their belief as their own.
Unforuantly, it is more commom than not, in many XJW circles and outreaches NOT to respect the restored earth belief. While I agree on the majority of views expressed on the web site, "Escape From the Watchtower"...I do NOT agree on their stated view that "heaven is "THEE ONLY" hope. Nor the same statement voiced on Randy Watters Free Minds Inc. we site, in which he states the restored earth belief as well as unitarianism as "Unorthodox", and states that the trinity belief and a belief in heaven as "THEE ONLY" hope are Christian.
To me, is this really so different that JW's stating that all non-JW are "false religion", Babylon The Great", or "apostate"? Thus it is my intention to give voice to XJWs who do not believe in a "organization" as the meditor to Jehovah..but who do believe in their hope lies on this earth..though NOT JW's Pleasentville/Members-ONLY version of it.
Job Ebenzer, director of Environmental Stewardship For The Evangelical Luthern Church of America said in the July 19, 1997 issue of the Ventura Star newspaper that, "Many times, heaven and not earth as been the churches' focus, but when you recite the Lord's Prayer, it actually says: "Thy will be done ON EARTH.as it is in heaven." He also explains how this theme of the earth is completely missing from the theological programs at the universities and religious colleges. Yet, the question is why? Especially why the Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Scriptures are filled with such a wealth of information of this subject?
Psalm 36:5, 6 tells us that God is concerned for animalkind and humankind alike. Psalm 145:15 and 37:29 speaks of God's plan that the earth is to "endure FOREVER." The Bible in Both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures clearly speaks of the "meek hearted" from amoung humanity, as well as animals and nature living in peace and harmony forever.
*My personal strong belief that animals WILL live forever is in complete contrast to the JW organization's stated view, as it is with Fundamental Protestantism. See my Topic on "Animals."
2 Peter 37:9, 29 says that, "We are awaiting a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell." The Native American author Sun Bear wisley points out in his book Black Dawn, Bright Day that in the Bible where the Bible speaks of Jesus talking about "The end of the 'world'," the word here "World" is actually a mistranslation. The actually Greek word found here is suppose to be this "AGE", taken from the Greek word "AEON". See the footenotes in the Living Bible or Living Translation Chapter 9 and 24 of Matthew. So Jesus is talking about the end of this present system of things and 'NOT' the end of this physical planet earth, as the vast majority of Evangelical/Fundamental Protestants teach.
A Dissagreement Towards Paganism..A Reason To Teach A Anti-Earth Theology???
Because of the Evangelical churches' focus on heaven being their eternal home and their strong disagreement towards the Pagen religion and it's worship of the creation rather than the Creator an unforuant side effect in this zeal has resulted in the vast majority of Protestant churches preaching an anti-earth theology. So what what we have is the vast majority of Evangelicals preaching a Kingdom message that is devoid of of the key message Jesus preached of , "Thy Kingdom COME ON EARTH..." Also concern over the ancient theme of the Cananite cult and it's immoral and violant philosophies and practices that were against ther God of the Bible, an extreamist parnoia of the femine type attributes of God such as compassion and empathy have resulted.
God Has BOTH Fatherly AND Motherly Attributes
The fact is that the Bible does speaks very clearly that though God is Spirit and therefore is neither male nor female physically in gender, still God has the perfect blend of both fatherly and motherly qualities. After all, let us remember that in the Beginning God said to Jesus: "Let us created them (the humans) in OUR image. " And so, it says that "God created them both male and female." See Gensis 1:2.
Demoniation of the Earth & Nature Goes hand And Hand With Domination of Women As Well Fellow Man
Sean McDonough in his book, "A Call For Green Theology" speaks in his book how it has been tragic for women, for the church and for the wider earth community as a whole that the vast majority of churches have chose to based their their additudes on the earth and woman and those not in their groups on the social customs and traditions of the dominate views of their society instead of follow the example and creative lead and Gospel of Jesus.
Historians of women's equality rightly have pointed out how history proves that additudes that belittle and degrade women seems to come from the precise seem sources who also exploite the earth and hunt animals for mere cruel sport. Does the future salvation of our earth and it's preservation lie souly on imperfect humankind's effort? While we as individuals, and collectively do our part, Revelation 11:18 says that: "GOD WILL bring to and end those who are ruining the earth." Psalm 104:5,24 reads: "The earth IS to endure FOREVER." This is a partnership between us and God and yet you don't have to belong to a denominational club.
Our understanding of the earth and all life upon it and the visualization of it's coming renewl and restoration and it's connection to God could and should inspire a call for a renewed earth-based spirituality appropriate for our time.
BIGOTRY SHOWN BY THE MAJORITY OF FUNDAMENTAL CHURCHES & BIBLE STUDENTS TOWARDS THEIR BRETHERN RESTORED EARTH BELIEVING BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
http://www.beliefnet.com/boards/message_list.asp?boardID=28082&discussionID=24471
The following his taken from: "Glossolalia" Chapter 6 By: Bible Students Congregation of New Brunswick Subheading intitled: "CHRIST'S KINGDOM" "God is only calling a few; a representative of every type of the human race is being called into THE CHURCH of Christ."
When you Bible Students say: "THE CHURCH" you confuse the majority. Protestants and Catholics call their congergations "THE CHURCH", and this, to them, includes ALL who attend. These people do NOT believe in the Kingdom coming ON EARTH..as IT IS IN HEAVEN. They only have been taught to believe in ONE HOPE FOR HUMANKIND=HEAVEN. Also when Bible Students use this phrase:
"This sequence of the call of THE CHURCH, the establishment of the kingdom, then the blessing of the REMINDER OF MANKIND is also corroborated by Acts 15:14-17." The Bible Students here thus give the impression that only heavenly-called ones UNDERSTAND NOW "God's Divine Plan for the future"..and thus you give NO impression at all to the reader that EARTH'S (ALREADY) 'MEEK' and "JUST", nor ANCIENT EARTHLY WORTHY ONES WHO ALSO "UNDERSTOOD" 'IN THEIR LIFE TIMES' THE LIGHT OF CHRIST"...And this phrase: "The REMAINDER of mankind" that follows when speaking next of the renewed earth hope gives the reader the idea that only meek-hearted but... spiritually UN-educated HEATHENS/UNBELIEVERS recieve eternal life ON the renewed EARTH and that 'ALL" TRUE Christians ( those that understand God's Plan NOW) MUST be heavenly-called!
"Then will follow the resurrection of the EVIL class, ALL THE REMAINDER OF MEN." What?! By stating this they give the direct impression to the reader that 'ALL" those who are NOT called as saints to heaven are "EVIL"?!? Are "The Ancient Worthies" "EVIL"? Were The "Ancient Worthies" spiritually uneducated of God's plan when THEY DIED?
"NO MENTION IS MADE OF THIS PART OF THE Kingdom's spiritual education. That FACT that these Bible Students of New Brunswick, as well as the majority of Bible Students group who do NOT claim the renewed earth hope as 'their' own destiny,who opt for the heavenly calling instead make statements like these OVER and OVER AGAIN..send a VERY CLEAR MESSAGE.. By making such statements OVER and OVER AGAIN and PURPOSELY 'OMITTING' 'ANY' MENTION OF "THE ANCIENT EARTHLY WORTHIES" OR THE PRESENT ALREADY 'JUST' CLASS WHO'S HOPE IS UPON THE RENEWED EARTH...it seems clear to me that such BIBLE STUDENTS MUCH LIKE THEIR FUNDAMENTAL PROTESTANT cousins CLEARLY want to teach ONLY THE HEAVENLY THEME OF GOD'S KINGDOM.
The only difference it seems to me between the Protestants and the majority of these Bible Students is that Protestant ERASE THE EARTHLY PHRASE OF GOD'S KINGDOM COMPLETELY..whereas..here with these Bible Students they merely REDUCE The Earthly phrase of God's Kingdom DOWN so that it appears that 'ONLY' the HEATHENS/UNBelievers and meek-hearted yet SPIRITUALLY Un-EDUCATED get eternal life upon the earth! I would ask: WAS ABRAHAM a "SPIRITUALLY UN-EDUCATED HEATHEN"???
So in closing my point is, as individuals who have come to conclude that we do not believe in an "Organization" of imperfect men acting as the channel to God, we walked away from this claiming to put such fundamentalism behind. Thus, whether you personally embrace the restored earth or heaven as 'your' own hope..please do not tell people to change 'their' own hope to yours to be saved..or we simply copy the fundamental mind-set we have claimed to left-behind.
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Read About The Bible Students REAL View Towards Their Restored earth Destiny Brethern!
