Tag: Misinformation

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Culture Experiences Language Learning Science Theocratic

fǎn’ér

fǎn’ér+ (fǎn’·ér {turning [(it/that…)] over → [on the contrary; instead]} · {but (rather); yet; on the other hand} 反而) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 ➕ icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and ➕ Reveal + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

We in the Mandarin field should keep in mind that many Mandarin-speaking people were taught to believe in evolution, and thus tend to not believe in God. The Shēngmìng Láizì Chuàngzào Ma? ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (Lái·zì Came · From 来自 來自) (Chuàng·zào Initiating · {Making, Creating} → [Creating] 创造 創造) (Ma [? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? → [Was Life Created? (lc)]) (Was Life Created? (lc)) brochure and the Shēngmìng de Qǐyuán—Zhíde Sīkǎo de Wǔ Ge Wèntí ((Shēngmìng Life 生命) (de ’s 的) (Qǐ·yuán {Rising → [Starting]} · Source → [Origin] 起源/原)—(Zhí·de Worth · Getting → [Worth] 值得) (Sī·kǎo {Thinking About} · Examining 思考) (de ’s 的) (Wǔ Five 五) (Ge [mw] 个 個/个) (Wèn·tí Asking · Subjects → [Questions] 问题 問題) → [The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)]) (The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking (lf)) brochure were originally published back in 2010, but they are still considered current publications, and relatively recently, the English version of the Was Life Created? brochure was updated to the December 2022 Printing, and the Mandarin version of it was updated to the February 2023 Printing. So, it would be good for us to consider some of the expressions used in the Mandarin versions of the Was Life Created? and Origin of Life brochures, which can be so helpful when discussing the fundamentally important question of whether life was created.

Being Contrary

This week’s MEotW, “fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning [(it/that…)] over → [on the contrary; instead]} · {but (rather); yet; on the other hand} 反而)”, occurs in the 13th paragraph in the QUESTION 1 section of the Origin of Life brochure, which section is entitled, in English, “How Did Life Begin?”:

English:

Similarly, if scientists ever did construct a cell, they would accomplish something truly amazing—but would they prove that the cell could be made by accident? If anything, they would prove the very opposite, would they not?

Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus):

📖 📄 ➕ Tóngyàng (Tóng·yàng (in the) same · {form → [way]} 同样 同樣), jiǎrú (jiǎ·rú {being artificial} · {as if} → [supposing] 假如) kēxué‐jiā ((kē·xué {branches of study} · learning → [science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists 家) → [scientists]) zhēnde (zhēn·de really · ’s 真的) néng ({were able} 能) zàochū (zào·chū {to build} · out 造出) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) xìbāo+ (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞), nà (that 那) dāngrán (dāng·rán should · -ly → [of course] 当然 當然) shì ({would be} 是) yí (one 一) xiàng ({item of} 项 項) wěijǔ+ (wěi·jǔ great · {raising → [act]} → [magnificent feat] 伟举 偉舉), dàn (but 但) zhè (this 这 這) kěyǐ (kě·yǐ could · [suf] 可以) zhèngmíng (zhèng·míng prove · {to be clear} 证明 證明) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) néng (could 能) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {be given birth to → [be produced]} · {be given birth to → [be caused to exist]} → [be brought into being] 产生 產生) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)? Qíshí (Qí·shí its · {being solid → [actuality]} → [actually] 其实 其實), zhè (this 这 這) fǎn’ér+ (fǎn’·ér {turning (it) over → [instead]} · {on the other hand} 反而) zhèngmíng (zhèng·míng {would prove} · {to be clear} 证明 證明) xìbāo (xì·bāo tiny · womb → [cell] 细胞 細胞) bú (not 不) shì (is 是) pèngqiǎo (pèng·qiǎo {having bumped into} · {being coincidental} → [by chance] 碰巧) chǎnshēng (chǎn·shēng {given birth to → [produced]} · {given birth to → [caused to exist]} → [brought into being] 产生 產生) de ({’s (thing)} 的), duì (towards → [correct] 对 對) ma ([? ptcl for “yes/no” questions] 吗 嗎)?

The “fǎn ({turn over [→ [reverse | returned; countered | revolted; rebelled | oppose; combat | upside down; inside out; in the reverse direction | on the contrary; instead | anti-]]} 反)” in “fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning [(it/that…)] over → [on the contrary; instead]} · {but (rather); yet; on the other hand} 反而)” literally means “turning (it/that…) over”, and it effectively means “on the contrary; instead”. The “ér (and; {and yet} | {but (rather)}; {on the other hand} | thus | {so as to} 而)” here means “on the other hand”.

To Obey or Not to Obey

While we as God’s people should be “ready to obey”, especially when it comes to direction from him, his Word, and his organization, we should do our obeying intentionally and thoughtfully, with our “power of reason”. (James 3:17; Romans 12:1) We should not just obey from nothing more than habitual or mindless reflex, otherwise, in this world that is filled with misinformation and controlled by Satan the Devil, we may become “like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about”, and we may allow ourselves to be “molded by this system of things”.—James 1:6; Romans 12:2.

Interestingly, when it comes to obedience, scientific studies suggest that having a naturally agreeable personality may make one more likely to go along with someone’s instructions to do something harmful:

In a previous post I discussed Stanley Milgram’s famous obedience experiments and what they say about the conditions that lead people to make destructive, harmful choices. It turns out they’re the same conditions that most of us experience in everyday life when it comes to making choices more or less damaging to the environment—and they prompt us to take the more destructive path.

Now a new study using a variation of Milgram’s experiments shows that people with more agreeable, conscientious personalities are more likely to make harmful choices. In these new obedience experiments, people with more social graces were the ones who complied with the experimenter’s wishes and delivered electric shocks they believed could harm an innocent person. By contrast, people with more contrarian, less agreeable personalities were more likely to refuse to hurt other people when told to do so.

Yes, when faced with wrong or harmful directions or information, it would actually be good for us to be “contrarian” or even “disobedient” in order to ultimately be more truly obedient to and in harmony with Jehovah and his right ways. In this, we have Jesus’ example to guide us. Jesus absolutely did not just “go along to get along” when it came to human ideas and traditions that were contrary to God’s principles and ways. While the Pharisees, etc. viewed Jesus as “contrarian” and “difficult”, Jehovah approved of him.

Going Along with the World

Often, in the world’s media, some exquisitely designed thing in the natural world will be featured, and then the comment will be something like “Isn’t it amazing what evolution produced?” Such comments are classic examples of the subtle brainwashing that repeatedly, persistently occurs in Satan’s world to plant in people preconceived notions that cause them to not give Jehovah the glory he deserves as the Creator.—Revelation 4:11

To illustrate, suppose that a man composes a poem and draws a picture to express his love for a woman. However, when the woman receives these, she assumes that he had just copied them from a greeting card—even though the man had actually done the composing and drawing out of love for her, because of her preconceived notions that no one she could conceivably meet actually does such things for real, the woman fails to appreciate the man’s exceptional heartfelt expression of love, and she fails to give him the credit he deserves for what he actually did. Similarly, even though Jehovah actually out of love created all the wonderful things in the natural world, because of the preconceived notions that Satan has industriously and on an industrial scale worked to implant in people’s minds, many just attribute these wonderful things to evolution, to blind chance, and they fail to give Jehovah the glory he deserves as the Creator. They are like the Israelites mentioned in Isaiah 65:11:

But you are among those forsaking Jehovah,
Those forgetting my holy mountain,
Those setting a table for the god of Good Luck,
And those filling up cups of mixed wine for the god of Destiny.

Actually, though, despite the deeply ingrained preconceived notions that Satan has spread that cause many to assume that evolution produced the wonders found in nature, the obvious logical conclusion is really that the amazingly designed things in the natural world are—fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning (that) over → [on the contrary]} · {on the other hand} 反而)—clear evidence of an amazing Designer. As the Was Life Created? brochure quotes microbiologist Michael J. Behe as saying:

The strong appearance of design [in nature] allows a disarmingly simple argument: if it looks, walks and quacks like a duck, then, absent compelling evidence to the contrary, we have warrant to conclude it’s a duck. …Design should not be overlooked simply because it’s so obvious.

Preconceived Notions About Learning Mandarin

Us Mandarin field language learners also have to contend with erroneous preconceived notions that are widespread in Satan’s world. For example, Chinese characters are traditionally considered by many to be the primary, most important aspect of the Mandarin language. However, linguists (language scientists) understand that actually, writing fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning (that) over → [on the contrary]} · {on the other hand} 反而) is only secondary, and that speech is actually the primary aspect of any human language. Also, while most have been conditioned to view Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) as just a pronunciation aid, it fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning (that) over → [on the contrary]} · {on the other hand} 反而) qualifies as and functions well as a full writing system for Modern Standard Mandarin.

Accepting these linguistic truths will help us Mandarin field language learners to be better equipped to help honest-hearted Mandarin-speakers to get past the evolution-normalizing conditioning and brainwashing from Satan’s world, and to come to appreciate that the wonderfully designed things in the natural world fǎn’ér (fǎn’·ér {turning (that) over → [on the contrary]} · {on the other hand} 反而) are actually the obvious evidence of a wonderful Designer.

For convenience:

The direct link for the current-generation Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Origin of Life brochure is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Origin of Life brochure is:

More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material based on the Mandarin Origin of Life brochure will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.

Categories
Culture Language Learning Science Technology Theocratic

qià‐dào‐hǎochu

qià‐dào‐hǎochu+ ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right]) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 ➕ icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and ➕ Reveal + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

At the time of this writing, the Teaching Toolbox in the JW Library app had recently included the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine. While it is not currently in the Teaching Toolbox, this question considered in this issue, “Should You Believe in a Creator?”, remains an important one for Mandarin field language learners to pay special attention to. Many of the Mandarin-speaking people in the field especially need help with this matter, because their cultural background tends to cause them to not believe in a Creator. At the same time, though, whether the Creator exists remains the first major question that needs to be settled before they can make real further spiritual progress. Another important factor is that the worldwide Mandarin field continues to be huge, probably the language field with more people in it than any other language field in history.

For us Mandarin field language learners, though, using Mandarin to discuss the question of the Creator’s existence is especially challenging and requires special effort from us, because of the particularly deeply technical concepts and vocabulary involved. And, this is in addition to the usual unusual challenges presented by Chinese characters, the general misinformation and disinformation present in the world about the Chinese languages, etc.

Finely Tuned to Be Just Right

This week’s MEotW, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])”, occurs in the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine in the fifth and sixth paragraphs of the article “What the Universe Tells Us”:

English:

The universe is fine-tuned to support life. Consider what scientists call the weak force. It keeps our sun burning at a steady rate. If the force were weaker, the sun would never have formed. If it were stronger, the sun would have disappeared long ago.

The weak force is just one of several finely tuned features that we depend on. …

Mandarin:

📖 📄 ➕ Yǔzhòu (Yǔ·zhòu universe · {all time, past, present, and future} → [universe] 宇宙) zhōng (within 中) de (’s 的) gèzhǒng (gè·zhǒng each · {type of} 各种 各種) lì (force 力) dōu ({each one of them} 都) qià‐dào‐hǎochu+ ((qià exactly 恰)‐(dào {is having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · place 好处 好處) → [is just right]), suǒyǐ (suǒ·yǐ {that which} · {is the reason} → [thus] 所以) shēngmìng (life 生命) cái ({only then} 才 才/纔) néng ({is able} 能) cúnzài (cún·zài {to exist} · {to be present} 存在). Lái (come 来 來) kànkan (kàn·kan {look at} · {look at} 看看) kēxué‐jiā ((kē·xué {branches of study} · learning → [science] 科学 科學)‐(jiā -ists 家) → [scientists]) suǒ ({that which (they)} 所) shuō ({speak of} 说 說/説) de (’s 的) ruò+ (weak 弱)‐hélì+ (hé·lì {pit (of a fruit) → [nuclear]} · force 核力), zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) ràng (allows 让 讓) tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) yǐ (at 以) wěndìng (wěn·dìng steady · set 稳定 穩定) de (’s 的) sùdù (sù·dù {being fast → [speed]} · degree → [rate] 速度) ránshāo (rán·shāo {to be ignited} · {to burn} 燃烧 燃燒). Rúguǒ (Rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) ruò ({was weak} 弱) yìdiǎnr (yì·diǎnr a · bit (more) 一点 一點), tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) jiù (then 就) wúfǎ (wú·fǎ {would not have had} · way → [would have been unable] 无法 無法) xíngchéng+ (xíng·chéng {form (n)} · {to come to be} → [to form] 形成); rúguǒ (rú·guǒ if · {fruit → [if indeed]} 如果) zhèi (this 这 這) zhǒng ({type of} 种 種/种) lì (force 力) qiáng ({was strong} 强 強/彊) yìdiǎnr (yì·diǎnr a · bit (more) 一点 一點), tàiyáng (tài·yáng highest · {positive/active/male principle in nature (Chinese philosophy)} → [sun] 太阳 太陽) jiù (then 就) huì (would 会 會) ránshāo (rán·shāo ignite · burn 燃烧 燃燒) de (getting 得) tài ({too much} 太) kuài ({to be quick} 快), zǎo ({early on} 早) jiù (then 就) xiāoshī+ (xiāo·shī {would have disappeared} · {would have been lost} 消失) le ([(at the end of a phrase/sentence) indicates a change] 了).

📖 📄 ➕ Ruò (weak 弱)‐hélì (hé·lì {pit (of a fruit) → [nuclear]} · force 核力) qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià exactly 恰)‐(dào {is having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · place 好处 好處) → [is just right]), dàn (but 但) tā (it 它) zhǐshì (zhǐ·shì only · is 只是) wéichí (wéi·chí maintaining · {holding → [sustaining]} → [sustaining] 维持 維持) shēngmìng (life 生命) de (’s 的) qízhōng (qí·zhōng them · among 其中) yí (one 一) ge ([mw] 个 個/个) yīnsù+ (yīn·sù cause · {raw silk → [basic element]} → [factor] 因素). …

In the above examples, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu+ ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])” is used to correspond with the English expressions “fine-tuned” and “finely tuned”. While much cruder than the exquisite systems found in the natural world, many systems produced by human technology can help us to understand the need for certain factors to be finely tuned before an even moderately complex system can function properly. For example, a phone number that’s off by just one number is a wrong number, and older readers will remember radios that needed to be tuned to a certain frequency before the desired radio station could be heard clearly. Speaking of readers, anyone reading this post first had to follow a link (or manually type in a URL) that had to be coded just right—if the web address requested was not within a narrow margin of error, this post would not have loaded!

Let us, then, remember this week’s MEotW, “qià‐dào‐hǎochu ((qià just; exactly 恰)‐(dào {[is] having arrived at} 到)‐(hǎo·chu good · places; points [→ [benefits; advantages | gain; profit]] 好处 好處) → [[is] perfect; just right])”, so that we can be helped to be able to talk to Mandarin-speaking people about how the universe, the sun, the earth, our own bodies, etc. are tuned to be just right, so that we can live, ponder how we got here, and get to know our Creator.

A Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the No. 3 2021 issue of Awake! magazine, which discusses the question “Should You Believe in a Creator?”, is in the works. For updates on the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resources that are available, keep an eye on this blog, on the Links News blog, and on the related account on the social network of your choice listed on this blog’s Contact page.

Categories
Culture Current Events History Science Theocratic

xīngqiú

xīngqiú+ (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球) 👈🏼 Tap/click to show/hide the “flashcard”

[Notes: Tap/click on a Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to reveal its “flashcard”; tap/click on a “flashcard” or its Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) expression to hide the “flashcard”. 📖 📄 ➕ icons mean 📖 Reveal All, 📄 Reveal Advanced, and ➕ Reveal + Symbols re all the “flashcards” in the heading, paragraph, etc. that they are placed at the beginning of.]

One of the publications that is now recommended to be used on Bible studies is the Yǒngyuǎn Xiǎngshòu Měihǎo de Shēngmìng—Hùdòng Shì Shèngjīng Kèchéng ((Yǒng·yuǎn Eternally · {Far (in Time)} 永远 永遠) (Xiǎng·shòu Enjoy · Receive 享受) (Měi·hǎo Beautiful · Good 美好) (de ’s 的) (Shēngmìng Life 生命)—(Hù·dòng {Each Other} · Moving → [Interactive] 互动 互動) (Shì (Type 式) (Shèng·jīng Holy · Scriptures → [Bible] 圣经 聖經) (Kè·chéng Lessons · Procedure → [Course] 课程 課程) → [Enjoy Life Forever!—An Interactive Bible Course (lff)]) (Enjoy Life Forever! (lff)) book. This week’s MEotW, “xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球)”, appears in lesson 6, point 2 of this book:

English:

[The earth] is the only known planet that can sustain human life.

Mandarin (WOL, Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus):

📖 📄 ➕ Chúle (Chú·le {eliminating → [besides]} · {to completion} 除了) dìqiú (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球), mùqián (mù·qián eyes · before → [at present] 目前) hái ((there) still 还 還) méiyǒu (méi·yǒu not · {has had → [has been]} → [has not been] 没有 沒有) fāxiàn (fā·xiàn {sent out → [developed]} · {appearing of} → [discovered] 发现/见 發現/見) biéde (bié·de other · ’s 别的 別的) xīngqiú+ (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe → [celestial body] 星球) shìhé (shì·hé {suitable for} · {closing with → [fitting with]} 适合 適合) rénlèi (rén·lèi human·kind’s 人类 人類) shēngcún (shēng·cún living · surviving 生存).

The above-quoted Mandarin sentence is noteworthy in that it was worded differently before, and was revised into the form quoted above for the current 2024-07 Printing of the Mandarin version of the Enjoy Life Forever! book.

Earthrise - This iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon.

Earthrise
This iconic picture shows Earth peeking out from beyond the lunar surface as the first crewed spacecraft circumnavigated the Moon.

Morphemic Breakdown

The first morpheme in this week’s MEotW, “xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)”, literally means “star”, but in some contexts it can effectively mean “heavenly body”. (I suspect that in the past, this expression was used to refer to any and all of the points of light visible in the night sky, most of which are what we now call stars. Over time, though, scientists figured out that some of those points of light are technically not what they would call stars, but rather, planets, moons, etc. So, it could be that this revised understanding led to the effective meaning of “xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)” to be revised from always being “star” to being the more general “heavenly body” in some settings.)

The next morpheme, “qiú ({ball (or anything shaped like a ball)}; sphere; globe 球)”, means “ball (or anything shaped like a ball); sphere; globe”. Besides appearing in “qiúsài (qiú·sài ball · game; competition; match 球赛 球賽)” (“ball game”), it also appears in “dìqiú+ (dì·qiú earth · globe 地球)” (“the earth”), which also appears in the quote above.

Taken together, the constituent morphemes in “xīngqiú (xīng·qiú {star → [heavenly body]} · globe; sphere; ball → [celestial/heavenly body] 星球)” effectively mean “celestial/heavenly body”, most of which are at least roughly ball-shaped.

A Mandarin expression used to directly, specifically translate “planet” is “xíngxīng+ (xíng·xīng travelling · {star → [heavenly body]} → [planet] 行星)”. “Xīng (star [→ [heavenly body | bit; particle]] 星)” is used in the names of specific planets. For example, “Huǒ‐Xīng+ ((Huǒ Fire 火)‐(Xīng Star → [Heavenly Body] 星) → [Mars])” is “Mars” in Mandarin.

“Space: the Final Frontier…”

These days, many, including some serving in the Mandarin field, are fans of science fiction stories like those of Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. A common feature of such stories is the idea that humans will eventually travel to and live on other planets besides the earth. What has God’s organization said about this? Here are a couple of paragraphs that I found that comment on this idea, from the article “Space Exploration—What Does the Future Hold?”, in the September 8, 1992 issue of Awake! magazine:

What can be said from a Biblical viewpoint? True, man was told by God to ‘multiply and fill the earth.’ (Genesis 1:28) At the same time, he was given intelligence and an insatiable desire to know more about his context, including the biosphere, the stratosphere, and beyond. That context includes our tiny solar system and the stars beyond. Thus, King David was inspired to write some three thousand years ago: “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?”—Psalm 8:3, 4.

…

The Bible shows that Jehovah God, earth’s Maker and Landlord, will soon take action against this planet’s unruly and unrulable tenants. Only the truly meek will be left to inherit the earth. Then only will we get to see what further purposes God has in mind for an obedient human family.—Psalm 37:11, 29; Revelation 11:18; 16:14-16.

Also interesting is this paragraph that I found, from the Awake! article “Is There Life Beyond the Earth?”, from way back in 1973:

But what about the other planets? Were they put in space and into orbit for no reason at all? No, we cannot conclude that. All that God does has meaning and purpose. Obviously the Creator Jehovah God has a purpose for these planets, including the planets in our own solar system. In time, he may well reveal that purpose to obedient mankind. We should not be so shortsighted as to think that the earth is the center of the universe.

“Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft”

Many people today, including some Mandarin-speaking people whom we may meet in the ministry, are also fascinated by the idea that intelligent beings from other planets are visiting the earth in spacecraft that appear to people as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), etc. Jehovah’s organization has warned us about what may be behind such phenomena. For example, the article “UFO’s—Messengers From God?”, in the July 8, 1996 issue of Awake! magazine, said:

Instead of assisting mankind to survive, stories about ‘nonhuman beings’ divert people’s attention away from what God actually requires for their everlasting welfare.

Who may try to steer mankind away from God’s means of survival, yet claim to represent God? Ed Conroy, in his book Report on Communion, states that “serious ufologists [those who study UFO’s] with training in the psychological and social sciences” include comparative studies of “‘bedroom visitors,’ ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, religious visions, and what have been regarded as demons.” Many ufologists and those who claim to be extraterrestrials in human form state that using spaceships to travel is mostly unnecessary. They say that these beings can travel invisibly and materialize anywhere on earth without arriving in spacecraft.

The Bible warns that Satan and his demons are intent on misleading mankind. They take advantage of mankind’s despair and hopelessness to offer attractive, but false, solutions. (2 Corinthians 11:14) Hence, the Bible warning: “In later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons.”—1 Timothy 4:1.

In like manner today, any supposed visits and seemingly beneficial guidance from such beings should be rejected, whatever form they may take. Those who would rather follow the advice of “extraterrestrials” than God’s Word are bound to be misled—a terrible mistake to make in these critical times.

The Only Possible Real Way to the Stars

In the Mandarin field, we have the privilege of helping Mandarin-speaking people to not be misled by the misinformation from Satan and the demons, but rather, to come to know and draw close to the true God Jehovah. Jehovah created all the stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in the universe, and, as mentioned above, he may in good time tell us more about his purpose for them. The only way to find out for sure about that is to do God’s will now, and make it into the new system that he will bring to the earth, this pale blue dot that we are now living on, and that is still the only celestial body we know of that can sustain human life.—1 John 2:17.

Pale Blue Dot - This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, taken from a distance of more than 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, is a part of the first ever “portrait” of the solar system taken by Voyager 1 (Earth is the blueish-white speck almost halfway up the rightmost band of light.)

Pale Blue Dot
This narrow-angle color image of the Earth, taken from a distance of more than 4 billion miles (6.4 billion km) from Earth, is a part of the first ever “portrait” of the solar system taken by the Voyager 1 space probe. (Earth is the blueish-white speck almost halfway up the rightmost band of light.)

For convenience:

The direct link for the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus resource for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

The short link for Chinese field language-learning links for the Enjoy Life Forever! book is:

More Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) and Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web material based on the Mandarin Enjoy Life Forever! book will be made available in the Pīnyīn (Pīn·yīn {Piecing Together of} · Sounds → [Pinyin] 拼音) Plus web resource as time allows.