Well, since I can speak freely here without fear of censorship, I'd like to talk about something that I've been considering for awhile: that JW's may have it wrong about the fate of mammals.
Why do I say this? Scriptural support by reasoning on the scriptures:
Genesis 1:28
28 Further, God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection the fish of the sea and the flying creatures of the heavens and every living creature that is moving on the earth.”
So my reasoning is thus: we know that the Bible says the earth, which was to be "subdued" will exist forever thus Adam and Eve would have also lived forever, if faithful, and so would their children. So, if the earth and humans were to exist forever, and there were three things mentioned in the above verse (they were to care for the animals) then why would they also not have lived forever?
Genesis 2:19
19 Now Jehovah God had been forming from the ground every wild animal of the field and every flying creature of the heavens, and he began bringing them to the man to see what he would call each one; and whatever the man would call each living creature, that became its name.
People name children. They name trees, planets, etc. But Jehovah's very first assignment that he gave to Adam was to name the animals. That is something that humans do to babies. Why do that if Jehovah did not purpose for Adam to have a close relationship with them?
Revelation 21: 4
4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
I don't know if any of you have pets, but I personally cried rivers when mine died. It would not be paradise for me to continually, for eternity, have to lose little pets that I've grown attached to
According to these articles, animals grieve when either other animals die or humans die:
http://news.yahoo.com/just-explain-it--animal-grief-153049696.html
9/15/12 WT:
8 Is it really possible for humans to have all the animals in subjection and to be at peace with them? Many people are very close to their pets, such as dogs and cats. What about wild animals, though? One report says: “Scientists who have lived closely with beasts and studied them have found that all mammals are emotional.” Of course, we see animals become frightened or ferocious when they are threatened, but are they capable of what some might describe as tender feelings? The report continues: “It is in the raising of their young that mammals reveal their greatest attribute—their tremendous capacity for warm affection.”
http://animals.pawnation.com/elephants-grieve-3266.html
So, if animals grieve, and humans grieve, then can it really be said that death is "natural" for them?? Does that reflect the loving personality that we know that Jehovah has?
I have more to say on the subject and will do so in the comment section later, due to the questions that I now inevitably will arise, but think about this:
In the New World, there have been species that have gone extinct that Jehovah will bring back. So he has two choices to do this: 1) Recreate that species anew or 2) Resurrect the ones that already had lived before.
Which option seems more consistent with Jehovah's loving personality?
Thoughts?
