Bonnie visited today, and as always our conversation was fantastic.
However, for the first time I am not "on board" with the Jehovah Witness belief system. I can't synchronize my brain (logic) with my heart (emotion) on the subject of death.
As I have noted before, the Witnesses believe that when you die you go into a sleep like state. No memories, no "hanging around", no going to heaven (unless you are one of the 144,000 people), etc. However, their description of why they believe this is troubling to me.
I have grown up with the ability to search out a variety of faiths, which has probably resulted in my "unsettling" views of death and afterlife. Recently I determined that I believed each one of us gets the breath of life (i.e. energy) from our creator (i.e. Jehovah God, Yahweh, etc.). Upon death the energy is returned to the greater universal energy source. That energy is our essence. We are all separate, but part of the greater energy source (i.e. God).
However, the Witnesses believe that one's DNA is where the unique personal traits stem. Upon death the electricity (energy) is returned to Jehovah, but this energy isn't "us"...just energy to make us work. During the 1000 year reign, all those that have died since Jesus's resurrection will be brought back to an almost perfect existence. Jehovah will do this because he remembers everything about us, through our individual DNA. Our memories will only be good ones, no negative ones. We will be healthy and wise. After the 1000 year reign, and after we are judged we will have perfect bodies.
I asked Bonnie what her take is on my penny encounters. See I often receive pennies when I am needing an answer, or I am lonely in thought. I grew up with a grandma that would stress the need to pick up a penny when you found one lying there. And the crazy part is the dates on the pennies. I found one with the date: 1949 (my mom's birthday), one with the date 1976 (my sister's birthday), and then I asked grandma to send me one with my birthday. So a few days later while doing laundry I found one with the date: 1975. Bonnie said it was coincidence. It was my emotions WANTING to believe grandma left the pennies.
Coincidence? Or faith. Isn't faith based on coincidence, objective ideas, and speculation? I don't know what to think. But I don't completely think that the dates and the occasions I find the pennies to be random. Ask Jim and I'm sure he'd say they were random acts.
According to the Witnesses, the Bible states that death is the enemy of Jehovah. He intended us to live forever, on earth. Witnesses encourage one to look at 1 Corinthians 15:26 to get the scripture on that idea, "The last enemy to be destroyed is death."
However, I was surprised to find that above this scripture are ones that would support people are resurrected and go to heaven. In 1 Corinthians: 12-19 the Bible states:
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
However, at no point does it say that those resurrected would go to heaven. The statement, "fallen asleep" is used to describe death in these scriptures. In fact, the idea of falling asleep is throughout the Bible. These scriptures could also support the idea of a mass resurrection, like that of the "rapture" many Christians speak of.
I suppose maybe my emotions have been tainted with ideas from Satan, if Satan is truly a force to be reckoned with. My beliefs of dying have nothing to do with Satan. Of course from a Witness standpoint he is the whole reason death even exists. If you believe the Bible literally, they are correct. He manipulated Eve (and then Adam) into taking the forbidden fruit.
I much rather think the verses from Ecclesiastes are more to the truth about our journey in life.
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
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