The Watchtower Society's "Spiritual Paradise"

Honesty

There are 729 references to the "Spiritual Paradise" on the 2006 Watchtower Library on CD.

When you were one of Jehovah's Witness what was it like to live in this "Spiritual Paradise"?

We would enjoy hearing about your daily walk with ~~God~~ the Faithful Slave (Genesis 5:22,24; Genesis 6:9) and how refreshed you felt at the end of each glorious day in Paradise..

truthsetsonefree

The "spiritual Paradise:" Defined by the GB as the current state of spiritual health that JWs experience. What the heck is that supposed to mean? It always translated to being the meetings and service one attended. Oh what a great opportunity those were.

Isaac

Quandry

It meant that I was in a "place of safety" and did not need to concern myself with actually understanding the change in gererations, the three and one half times, the frequent references to "prefiguring" and other JW speak. I could be confident that the GB had it all figured out, and that I was on the correct train to the real paradise. All I needed to do was my utmost and still feel guilt for not doing more.

neverendingjourney

In retrospect, I can't believe I didn't question this nonsense when I was an active Witness. Spiritual paradise? What on Earth gives the GB the idea that there is any scriptural support for the notion that "God's people" live in a spiritual paradise. What a bunch of horsesh*t!

I fell into the trap of false logic. They convinced me that I could use a process of elimination to determine that JWs were the one true religion. JW don't go to war. All other religions condone war (not true, by the way). Therefore, JW are the true religion. They played the same game by comparing their stance on the Trinity, hellfire, immortal soul, etc. What I never stopped to realize is that, by using other criteria, I could eliminate the JW religion from being the one true religion as well. False predictions, never-ending doctrinal flip flops, changing policies and doctrines to gain favor from the world's governments and avoid potential lawsuits, the Pharisaic written and unwritten rule book governing virtually every aspect of a person's life that the Bible sets no rules for, the prohibition on reading anything critical of the religion, all of these criteria and more eliminate the JWs from being the one true religion as they claim to be. They're willing to apply that test to "Christendom," but not to themselves. Hypocrites!

NotaNess

Listening to the ex-witnesses here, I don't think you all were feeling that "spiritual paradise" ???

jaguarbass

I was never happy being a witnoid, that was my mothers mistake. But given the time frame of my young man hood I tried to apply and embrace the troof between 1973 and January 1, 1976. When I reflect back, I see I was on a treadmill of activity that kept me busy, too busy to be depressed. The cure for depression is to get up and get going. And my life had a purpose, to serve God and save people. When 76 came and armegeddon was not noticeable, it was pretty upsetting. I had a wife and a child and no education and not much of a future. I started researching reading books like 30 years a watchtower slave http://www.amazon.com/Years-Watchtower-Slave-Confessions-Converted/dp/0801063841 which were hard to find in 1976, Al Gore hadnt invented the internet yet and their were not mega bookstores like we have today. But back to your question the 3 years I spent in the spiritual paradise 73 to Jan 1 76 were kind of refreshing and serene as life had a meaning for a short period of time. Now life has no meaning, or purpose. Go to work, eat sleep, have a little sex, make some music, go to the gym. Get old and die. Watch your parents die, your friends die, your dogs die. Too much drama. As far as I can tell, this is the only game in town.

Hermano

I think the whole spiritual paradise thing is a great example of the placebo effect. As long as you believe it is great. Once you get objective and open your eyes you realize it is a scam. They dont really love YOU. They dont really care about YOU. They only care about you as part of the illusion. You are a prop to get other to fall for the scam. If you are a good prop and seem happy and productive and spiritual they like you and "care" about you. Once that is not the case you are worth crap to them.

Spiritual paradise is great while you are high. Once you sober up, it sucks.

johnny cip

when i talk to jw's and after i make spritual drunkards out of them i many times tell them" YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE YOUR IN A SPRITUAL PARADISE TO ME" i love to remind jw's sulking in fs . ACT LIKE YOUR IN A SPRITUAL PARADISE. ETC there are so many plays on this. and i never let jw's forget they are miserable. just by watching their actions.

OnTheWayOut

ACT LIKE YOUR IN A SPRITUAL PARADISE.

i never let jw's forget they are miserable.

I like that. I can't overuse it with the wife and mother, but a shot here-and-there.

"How was your day?"

"They asked me to work with crazy Sister So-and-So who complained about her bible study cancelling on us, we got lost twice,
and she didn't contribute any gas money."

"Hey, at least you are constantly in a spiritual paradise condition, so smile."

yaddayadda

Its easy to have a spiritual paradise when you boot out anyone who thinks otherwise.

The Watchtower Society's "Spiritual Paradise"

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